El Pecado, Mark Lee

III

"We're already here, Ms. Younghee. Have a nice day." She bowed to the driver.

"Whenever I'm done with my shopping, I'll call you, Mr. Woo."

"As you wish, Ms. Younghee."

Younghee shot her smile as the car left her. "So this is the mall that papa told me yesterday. So much different from four years ago." She mumbled to herself as she walked around the mall's big garden.

Suddenly, she saw a stray cat looking so lost and messy. Her heart softened at the thing she just witnessed.

"Poor baby, you look cold and lonely. Where's your mother?"

Younghee sat on the grass and rub the kitten's back making it felt warm and purred quietly.

"I wish I can take you home. I guess I'll leave you here first, I am going to take you later." Younghee put the kitten at a bench behind a big garbage to hide the kitten.

"Don't run anywhere, kitty. I promise it won't take long." To her surprise, the kitten looked like it listened to her obediently. With a heavy heart, she went inside the mall and went to a shop.

"My skin wasn't really good these past four years. Korean skincare is still the best for me."

She went from cosmetics shop to accesories shop and it keep going and going till it took almost two hours.

"How about we eat?" She asked herself as she checked her watch.

"It's still 1 pm. Okay then, Domino's Pizza let's go."

Mark's POV

"Stop it, Chenle. We just came and you already said you wanna go home?" I complained. I badly want to please myself by going to the mall and waste some money. But someone really needs to ruin it.

"Fine, fine. All of us are going, no more excuses." I finally smiled and hugged Chenle.

"Thanks dolphin."

Me, Chenle, Jaemin and Jeno were the only that went out. Haechan and Jisung weren't joining as they had to finish their delayed assignment.

"So, where are we going?" Jeno asked. I looked around the mall. My eyes were attracted to the pizza restaurant infront of me.

"Domino's Pizza, who's down for it?" All of them cheered and of course, I am the one who needs to treat them.

Entering the restaurant, I asked Jeno and Jaemin to find a table while Chenle and I went to order the food. "Lele, I'll go and wash hands first. You can go and sit, I'll catch up later."

Luck wasn't on my side, I bumped into someone who's shorter than me. The water in her hand spilled into my white shirt, leaving a brown stain.

"Geez, my shirt!" The girl shot me a guilty look. "Oh fuck! I am so sorry. I wasn't mean to—"

I felt furious but I need to stay calm.

End of Mark's POV

Younghee could feel someone's chest bumped to her head. Her americano spilled to the guy's shirt.

"Geez, my shirt!" She felt his gaze were burning and she immediately apologized.

Mark was about to get mad, but he softened as he saw the girl's state. It's rare for him, but that was what happened.

"Oh, it's fine. It was my fault for bumping into you." He smiled awkwardly. Little did he knew, his members eyes were looking into them quietly.

"Mind if I lend you a hoodie?" Younghee asked, scared if he tried to harm her.

"Would it fit? You are small." She giggled out of nowhere.

"It's okay I have an oversized one."

"Sure, I guess. I'll have that later, how about you go eat first."

With that, Mark and Younghee parted ways to their own seat. "Mark, who was that?" Jeno asked feeling curious.

"Someone I bumped into, aw come on I didn't know her."

"It's just surprising me that you didn't humiliate or harm her unlike other people before."

"It is what it is, man."

◾

Younghee and Mark made their way to the nearest washroom.

"Here, thankfully the hoodie's color is neon green." Mark took the hoodie to check the size.

"Wow, it's big."

"Well, I like oversized shirts."

"Wait for me, I will go change." He ran into men washroom while Younghee stood there awkwardly. The others were standing just behind her.

After about ten minutes, he came out with Younghee's hoodie. Something inside her stomach felt really weird.

"It looked good on me. Thanks for lending me this. This brand is also quite pricey." She giggled.

"Nah, it's all gucci. You can use it, we don't know if we ever meet again." Mark's smile turn into a frown in a second.

"Oh yeah, guess I'll get going now. Bye, um—"

"Younghee, my name's Younghee." He smiled upon hearing her name. "My name is Mark." She shook his hand.

"I'll bring your shirt home, is that okay? I want to wash it for you, I feel guilty."

"Okay then. Till we meet again, Younghee." She waved towards Mark that slowly faded away from her sight.

"He looks like a good guy. Mark... interesting." His image popped up in Younghee's mind. Mark in her hoodie with a glasses, blue stripped jeans.

All perfect.

"At least this shirt is going to remind me of him." She stopped breathing when she remembered the kitten earlier.

"I better go." She went outside the mall to find the kitten.

"Thank God, you're still here." Younghee picked up the kitten and rubbed it's chin. "I am going to take you home and name you... Mark." She giggled.

"Nah, it's a joke. Maybe I will name you Yong. Younghee and Yong or maybe Yongie. Look at your fur it's white."

Younghee laughed at herself for being silly in the middle of the garden. "I'm going to call Mr. Woo. Wait till we get home, Yongie."

As she was drawn into Yong's galaxy eyes, she heard a sound from a car behind her.

"Ms. Younghee, good afternoon." He greeted Younghee.

"Mind if I bring a cat with me?" Mr. Woo turned his head to the back and smiled at the kitten.

"Sure, why not?" She thanked Mr. Woo for that. "Despite of being a future assasin, you still have a good heart."

The words made Younghee felt sad. Being an assasin and work for her own father felt like the biggest sin she'd ever do. She never felt pushed to be one, but guilt always hit her like a lightning.

"Sometimes I felt sad for choosing this way in my life, but really I never felt pushed."

Mr. Woo took Younghee's hand and rubbed it. "Don't be. You did this for your mama, I know it." She felt grateful because Mr. Woo understand her since she was very young.

"I wish my my choice wasn't wrong. I want to prove everyone that I can be like my mama."

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