Tidal Wave ✔️

26

Haechan was worried, because Mark didn't seem so focused on the road ahead of them. They left Jungwoo's apartment only an hour after they arrived. Haechan couldn't forget how Mark seemed like he would faint. Mark wasn't in a good condition, Haechan would say. Hearing something your parents had been hiding from you for years must had been hard.

"Mark, we can stop for awhile." Haechan squeaked when a car drove past them while honking. They were driving so slow, but Mark didn't listen to Haechan. He just kept driving until they reached Haechan's dorm.

Mark killed the engine once they got a parking lot, none of them talked for awhile.

"Are you going to ignore again?" Haechan asked bitterly.

"No." Mark shook his head. "No, I—I just... I need to go."

Haechan felt a pang in his chest. Mark promised he wouldn't leave. Haechan chuckled. It was predictable.

"Have it your way, then." Haechan opened the door, went out, and slammed it closed before he ran to the lobby. Mark lifted up his head and quickly went out too, chasing after the guy.

"Hey, wait a second, Mister." Mark grabbed on Haechan's wrist. "Stop."

Haechan was thankful because the lobby was deserted, because he didn't want people to see him when he's close to tears. Sunday afternoon, mostly people who lived in the dorm went out to have fun.

"When I said I need to go... I was about to ask you if you... want to come with me." Mark said.

Haechan frowned and turned around. "What?"

"I definitely don't want to go back to my parents for now, and I need someone to be there with me. I can't ask Johnny hyung, Ten hyung, or Taeyong hyung since they have work tomorrow... I forgot, you might have a class tomorrow, I'm sorry—"

"No, I can call my lecturer, saying that I'm sick." Haechan quickly said. "I've always attended all of my class since the start, it's going to be okay."

"Are you sure? Because—"

"No, I'm very sure." Haechan beamed. "Where do you want to go?"

×××

Mark said that he wanted to go away from Seoul for awhile. He told Haechan to packed some clothes that he could wear for about three to four days, and they went to the bus terminal and bought a ticket to Incheon. They went there with taxi, Mark left his car on the dorm's basement parking.

Thankfully, they got a seat in the next bus that was going to depart. Mark let Haechan sat next to the window, while he sat near the aisle, munching on a bag of potato chips. The meeting with Jungwoo and Doyoung wasn't that bad, but Mark needed some time to process all the information.

The bus left Seoul on 5.10 pm, both of them watched as the blinking lights from the skyscrapers became smaller as they headed to the highway. Incheon wasn't that far, they would arrive there in an hour and a half.

"Hey, Haechan?" Mark asked when they really left the suburban part of Seoul.

"Yes, Mark?"

"Why did we fight that day?"

Haechan took his eyes off of the street outside. There's no point on doing that either, since the sun was setting.

"I didn't know either, to be honest. We were fine the day before. Maybe I annoyed you a little bit, I admit I was an annoying kid, I still am. The night before the accident happened, I refused to go home with the other kids from the orphanage. I wanted to stay with you when your grandpa was... you know, in a critical condition. The caretaker agreed to let me, alongside with Jeno, Doyoung-hyung, and Jungwoo-hyung to stay with you. You were pacing back and forth in front of the room, while the four of us sat on the bench. When your parents came out to... to break the news to us... You broke down. When your grandpa was being taken out to the morgue, you didn't go with your family right away. You yelled at me, pointed your finger on my face, before stomping away."