I jogged up to the athlete, narrowing my eyes as he blew the cigarette smoke out of his mouth. The pungent smell had become nothing more than a trademark to his character.
He doesn't say anything, only offering a head nod and a low questioning hum as his sign of acknowledgment. I looked around our usual hangout spot and realized caught sight of the others walking down the sidewalk, away from us. They had mentioned something about going out to dinner, but left me out, knowing I needed to get home to (Y/n).
"What's up with your friend?" I asked, shivering at the memory of his distant, yet somehow hostile demeanor.
"Which one?" He asks as if he has a plethora of friends that I could be referring to. Something told me he knew exactly who I was talking about. Why he decided to beat around the bush and ask redundant questions, I didn't know.
"The one who comes and hangs out with us in the afternoon. He likes to smoke cigars and critique my life all the time?" I asked, hoping he would catch on.
Something clicks as I can see him nodding, a sideways grin on his face. "Oh, you mean Kwon. He's like that towards everyone. You shouldn't worry about it," He paused to take another puff of his cigarette.
"He's just a little weird," He continues to defend, "Doesn't trust people very easily."
"I understand that, but what's with-...?"
"Just give him some time," Mark tells me, "I'm sure you two will be getting along very well in the future," He says, his words sounding almost like a promise.
As I acknowledged the possibility in silence, he checks his phone, a frustrated look on his face as he reads the message.
"Shit. Gyeom-ah, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure, Hyung."
"Cya," he bids, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again. As the distance grew between us, I looked on at him as he turned the corner with a cool flick of his wrist. I took a deep breath and turned on my heel, ready to cross back over into my territory.
••●••
I stepped inside and toed my shoes off at the door, leaning back against the closed door with a sigh. I felt the weight of earlier creeping up on me, the memories of Mark's distant stance, and that cynic with the cold glare.
Mark-hyung's personality had always been that way. He'd never been trusting of anyone, always keeping those at a distance and doing only what was required of him. A few free meals now and then was his way of showing his appreciation toward me, so I couldn't exactly blame him for acting no different than usual.
I guess I would probably never find out his issue with me.
Though I could ask him, I suppose there are some things just not worth knowing.
With that in mind, I threw my jacket on the couch and set off to locate my future wife. I checked the bathrooms and bedrooms, and still no luck. I peeked in every place imaginable until I reached our bedroom, nearly shocked to see her unoccupied laptop resting on our bed. From what I could see, she had been working on a chapter for her novel. Yet, as the cursor blinked slowly at me, I realized she had not yet completed it.
Frowning at the lack of being, I looked around the room until open shutters caught my attention. The door to the balcony was open, letting a cool breeze of air. In the late afternoon, the sun did not shine as bright as summer days would usually. The shy rays highlight the brown undertone of her black hair, tiny strands dancing as the wind kissed her skin.
I knocked on the window, hoping not to startle her with my presence all at once.
She turns around, hugging her jacket close to her body as she offers me a toothy smile. I smiled back and stepped outside, joining her side.
"Hello," I said in English, "Your prince charming has arrived," I tittered, proceeding to invade her personal space with an unnecessary arm thrown around her waist.
"How delightful!" She gasps, clasping her hands together sarcastically, "So glad to see you, my prince." I grinned as she spun around in my hold, resting against the railing as she brought her hand up to cup my face.
"Although," She begins, focusing on a particular spot on my face with interest. She uses her finger to jump from mark to mark, reminding me of her obsession with the small moles on my face, "I'd say you're more of a king than a prince," She says.
I sighed and moved my face from her generous hands, smiling as my cheeks began to flush red. I was getting embarrassed and I knew she could tell. As always, she just stares lovingly until I will the jittery joy in my stomach away, returning to a half-normal state. Seeing as she's so close to me, I'm sure she can see the remains of a fading blush on my cheeks.
This causes her to smile wider.
"How was your day?" She asks me gently, the gentle timbre of her voice bringing warmth and delight to my soul.
I briefly remembered my encounter with Mark earlier and the weird interactions with the strange guy for the past two days. But as I draped my arms over her midsection and held her against me, I had little desire to voice the situation.
So I smiled and thought of something remotely interesting to share with her, "I told Jaebeom and the boys about our engagement. The poor sap wouldn't shut up about it, so I had to stuff his face with a kimbap roll to keep him quiet. It worked for a few seconds, but it seemed to just spur him on."
She smiles and giggles, a knowing look on her face.
"Well, baby, this is Jaebeom we're talking about. The guy who's been calling me 'Mrs. Kim' since we first started dating. He's been planning our wedding since 2012. I think he should be able to feign a little excitement." She explains as she leads the way inside, shutting the door behind me when I step inside.
She takes my hand and begins leading me toward the kitchen.
"You're right," I admitted, bringing my free hand up to my temple to massage the tender spot, "I still have a headache from his incessant chatter. Somebody needs to put a muzzle on that man."
She just laughs as she tugs me down the hallway.
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