Tidal Wave ✔️

07

Mark woke up the next morning at eight. So far, he had woken up before seven since the day he graduated from high school. Normally, Mark would go on a train ride. Not that day. He was saving up his enthusiasms of train rides for the night, when he would meet Haechan once again.

He didn't rush. He played on his phone for awhile, before getting up to take a shower. An hour after Mark woke up, he jogged downstairs to the kitchen. His mother was nowhere to be seen. She left a note saying she was going out with a friend.

Great. Mark didn't have to pretend that he was all happy and cheerful. Of course, Mark was tired after he texted with Taeyong last night. The man asked him if it was right to date a college student when he's already on his mid twenties.

His mother didn't leave anything for him to eat. Mark couldn't cook also, so he made himself a bowl of cereal with milk. Mark brought his bowl, alongside with a mug of coffee to the living room. He sat on one of the sofa, and switched the telly on.

Nothing much. News, weather forecast, history of the day, vice versa. Mark finished his breakfast in no time before putting the bowl on the sink. He turned off the telly, and went upstairs back to his room with the mug.

Mark was bored. By this time, his friends from the bar was surely busy with their own lifes. Taeyong, Johnny, Minho were working. Yuta and Sicheng were on their classes, just like Baekhyun. Chanyeol was probably at home, still sleeping. Heechul... Who the hell knew?

Haechan must be in his class right now.

Mark was bored. He couldn't stay at home, there was nothing he could do there. Mark had grown sick of his xbox and laptop. He used them way too often back in his early high school years, Mark wasn't even interested on touching them again. He just wanted to discover, to go to places.

So Mark changed his sweatpants and hoodie. He wore some flannels with skinny jeans and his usual Vans and waist bag. Then, Mark headed out to Gangnam Station.

Mark looked up the train schedule and decided to go to Mapo-gu. Visiting a bookstore on that area, plus Ten's tattoo parlor sounded like a good idea. He bought a ticket and went straight to the platform. The train arrived right when he stepped on the concrete floor. Mark boarded the train, and in no time, he was away from Gangnam.

The train wasn't as crowded as usual, probably because it was half past ten. The rush hours had passed. Mark sat down, and plugged on his earphone. He decided to get some rest while he was heading to the northwest.

Sixteen stops later, Mark got off at Hapjeong station. Then, he walked for about fifteen minutes to Kyobo Book Center. The place just got opened.

Mark walked around the store, sometimes stopped by when he found an interesting book.

This was one thing Mark didn't show to his school mates back in high school. He liked books, he liked to write. Mark always admired how words could have a powerful effect to those who reads them. Mark liked to read science fictions, but that day, he wasn't feeling like buying one. Instead, he focused on a thick book about four people struggling in life, living in New York City. It was so mundane and ordinary. Usually, Mark wouldn't even read through the first five pages. Maybe he got tired of extraordinary things. For example...

...his life.

It was quiet an extraordinary life he was living. Not a lot of people had repressed memories. Mark wondered, was he a cheerful kid back then? Did he has a lot of friends? Was he cute?

Mark put back the book on the shelf and walked out of the store. By the time he left the bookstore, his watch showed it was twelve. The sun was shining bright above his head, and Mark's stomach started to growl. All the reading and the walking burnt all the calories he had eaten from his breakfast.

Lunch with Ten would be great. Mark walked to the older man's tattoo parlor, near the bookstore. The shop wasn't very crowded. Only three customers were around, getting their skin inked. Ten was sitting behind the cash register, counting money with his hands.

"Knock knock." Mark greeted with a smile.

"Who's there?" Ten asked, eyes still on his money.

"Mark Lee, your beloved young friend."

Ten grinned, his eyes finally landed on Mark. "Hi! What a pleasant surprise!" Ten put the money back on the cash register, before paying full attention towards Mark. "What brings you here? Do you want to get a tattoo?"

"No, actually I'm about to ask you to join me for lunch." Mark raised an eyebrow, "Are you up to it?"

"Duh! I didn't get any breakfast today. Where are we going to eat?"

"I was planning to eat jjimdak. But what do you want?"

"I just ate jjimdak last night with Johnny. How about donburi?" Ten suggested.

"Sure."

Ten grabbed his wallet, informed his employees that he was heading out, before they both hit the street. They walked instead of using Ten's car, because the place was only five minutes away.

They got a seat near the entrance. After ordering their meal, both of Mark and Ten sat in a comfortable silence, scrolling on their own phones.

"So, do you live with Johnny-hyung now?" Mark asked, putting his phone down.

"Uhuh." Ten nodded, "He let me. Said that the neighborhood where I used to live was pretty dangerous for someone like me. I mean, I don't need protection 'cus I know basic self-defense stuff... But still."

Mark smiled in awe. Johnny met Ten when he went to a club about a year ago. Just strangers, grinding against each other, mind fogged by the alcohol they drank. It escalated when they woke up the next morning and spent the day together. Both stayed together for almost ten months now.

"I heard you went out with a stranger you met in a train, huh?" Ten asked, he seemed interested on this topic. Mark could already tell that Johnny told him. It's okay. Aside from Johnny, Mark was pretty close with Ten too. He wouldn't call them best friend or anything, but Ten was as trustworthy as Johnny.

"Yeah. A pretty fun guy, I admit." The thought of Haechan's stoic face popped up into his mind, and he chuckled.

"What was he like?"

The food finally arrived at their table. Mark thanked the guy who brought the bowls, before he thought, tilting his head to one side.

"Wasn't really an extrovert. I would say that he's introverted, I guess. He can be loud at times, but he avoids personal questions. No worries, we just met anyway. He received a scholarship from the government, and now he's probably in class."

"He's older than you?"

"No, a year younger. Acceleration program." Mark explained.

"Must be smart."

"Absolutely." Mark could feel it, that Haechan was an intellectual person. And it made him happy. No idea why, though. It was that kind of feeling when you see a person have a certain quality, and you're happy for them. Because they are capable of something.

"How was the date yesterday?" Ten asked while putting a spoonful of rice and beef into his mouth.

"Not a date, more like an... Adventure?" Mark didn't want to spoil too many details.

"Yeah, right."

They ate their meal in silence, none of them talked while they were eating. Ten didn't ask about Haechan anymore after lunch. They headed back to Ten's tattoo parlor when the clock striked two.

Mark lingered awhile there, talking to Ten and some other employees. He left the shop when it was four. He had to get back to Seoul Station, which was half an hour away from Mapo-gu.