Ephemera

fourteen

the first update of the year!! Happy 2019, everyone!! Have a fruitful and blessed year!!

Chapter 14

"Look at him! Mark-hyung!!!" Renjun cheered as the band started playing "Goodbye Summer," the one that Eunmi and Mark used to practice.

She sighed when she saw Mark performing happily on the stage, making the audience shout even louder every time he smiles, but what makes them even louder (if that's even possible) is every time he looks at his partner.

Eunmi looked down, feeing something twist her gut. She shouldn't be sad right now, because she was the one who told him to continue performing, even without her.

"Yah, are you okay?" Yeri noticed that she was looking down all the time. "He looks worried. He looked at you earlier then frowned when he saw you looking down." She said.

"I'm fine, I guess..." She smiled weakly.

Mark went closer to Sihyun who was also singing and smiled at her.

"Excuse me.." Eunmi said and stood up, leaving the music hall immediately.

***

"Yeri-yah, where's Eunmi?" Mark asked once he got off the stage.

"Huh? I don't know, she excused herself earlier. When I asked her why, she told me she was going to the restroom. She never came back." Yeri just notixed that her bestfriend was missing when Mark asked her where she was.

"Oh no—" Mark was about to follow them, but their music adviser called him.

"Mark, I want to see you in your classroom with Sihyun in five minutes." Miss Kim said.

"What? But why?" He was panicking, because they didn't had any idea where Eunmi was.

"The promotional advertisement and greeting." She plainly said and went outside the music hall.

He turned towards his friends and sighed, "You guys look for her... I... I-I have to follow teachers' orders first..." He sighed. "This sucks."

"It's fine, Mark. Do well, okay?" His brother patted his shoulder and ran off.

"You don't look well." Sihyun commented when she approached Mark.

"Eunmi's missing. Yeri told me that she just went to the restroom but she never came back." He replied.

"Let's get over this so that you could look for her, I know you're beyond worried right now." She patted his shoulder.

"Thank you."

***

Eunmi was just at the garden all this time. She was surprised when none of them found her yet, although she was certain that they're gonna scold her once they found her.

She will definitely hear an earful from his brother, Mark and Yeri.

She stood up and went upstairs to go to their classroom. She will get her things and go home early. Unlike her mood when she woke up this morning, her mood right now was constantly dropping.

She was about to open the door when she heard laughs from inside. There were a lot of people. Things be damned, she could hear Mark's voice. She noticed that the voices were getting louder, they were near the door. She was quick to hide behind a post.

She saw Mark and Sihyun laughing.

She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. Her breathing was getting unstable.

"Mark!" Eunmi threw a book which happened to be around, and it hit his head.

The boy irritatedly looked at the person who threw the book at him, surprised that it was Eunmi.

"What's wrong?" He stopped on his tracks and watched the girl in front of him wiped her tears away. "Why did you run away? Did you know that we're all worried about you?!" He asked.

He turned towards Sihyun who was still standing, "Go ahead now." The latter just bowed at the two of them.

"What's wrong?! You're asking me what's wrong?! Well, you're the one who's wrong!" She said, punching Mark's chest lightly.

Mark could only look at her, surprised with her sudden outburst.

"What's with you, Mark? One moment, you're nice to me, and the next moment, you'll ignore me. As if I didn't exist. You promised that it won't happen again, but heck, here you are, acting like I'm invisible once again!" She sniffed. "Do you know how hard it is to watch you laugh and perform with someone else?!"

Mark's mouth went agape.

"Yes, I told you to continue the performance, even without me, b-but I didn't know that you'll ignore me just like that..." She said, leaning her head on Mark's chest as if it was a wall. "Why are y-you ignoring me again?! W-Why now? Why now, that I've began liking you?!"

Mark slowly patted her back, just letting her cry. Hearing everything from Eunmi makes his breathing unsteady.

And Taeyong was right, Mark's weakness is a girl crying because of him.

"I want to hate you because you didn't tell me about Jiyeon. I want to hate you because you didn't tell me the story behind you two... I want to be the one who'll put you back together, well that is if you'd let me... I want to hate you, Mark... Heck, I really want to... but my heart won't let me..." She continued sobbing.

"I liked you even if you act like a total ass. I tolerate your mood swings, because it's you..." She stood straight and wiped her tears. "B-But I hope you'd understand me too..."

She took a bow, as if she was apologizing to everything she said. She turned around, her heart breaking, and slowly walked away.

"Eunmi, wait."

The two were enveloped by silence. Only Eunmi's soft sniffles were heard. Mark stepped closer, and Eunmi's heart was close to breaking.

Mark sighed, slowly back hugging Eunmi. Her heart was beating fast,  but she stopped crying.

"I'm sorry, Eunmi..."

'Sorry because you can't like me? Sorry but you look desperate right now? Sorry but I don't like you? Tell me, Mark... break my heart even more... and I thought we had something going... my fault for believing woojae's 'soon-to-be-girlfriend' shits.'

Tears immediately fell from her eyes. She knew that this would happen.

She shut her eyes close, and Mark could feel that her tears were coming out of her eyes continuously.

Nothing's more heartbreaking than this.

Mark placed his hands on his shoulders, slowly turning her around.

He wiped her tears away and smiled at her. He was also crying.

"Why are you crying?" Eunmi asked, reaching for his face to wipe his tears away. "Y-Yah, don't cry.." She said when he wouldn't stop crying too.

Mark smiled even more.

"Because the girl I love is crying because of me..."

"Huh?" She was confused, but she didn't want to assume things.

Mark replied by hugging her. "I'm in trouble, Eunmi-yah."

Eunmi's eyes widened, "M-Mark.. wh-why?"

"I like you too."

—tbc.
Have a blessed year, everyone! Happy new year! WayV, fighting!! Happy birthday, Kun-gege!!