HIDE N SEEK | Yumark

14. It's all just a game, right?

- A few months later -

-----

Mark sighs, he had woken up a few hours before he wanted to but he just couldn't fall back to sleep. Something was bugging him but he hadn't a clue what it was.

Mark watches the door slowly open revealing a half-asleep Jungwoo. "Morning Mark... oh... you're already awake" He smiles. "Yeah, I woke up a few hours ago, I couldn't sleep," He says and Jungwoo frowns. "That's a shame, anyway Yuta popped in earlier," He says and Mark's eyes widen. "H-Huh?" He stammers, he couldn't recall hearing anything from earlier. "Yeah, he asked me to give you this," He says handing Mark a wooden character. Whoever had carved this had incredible skill. Possibly it was machine-made... but it doesn't feel like it, it's not perfect but it's close enough.

He stares at the character and recognises it as Yuta himself.

He'd even painted it. It was painted in pastel colours. His hair was wavy and black and he wore a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow, black trousers with black shoes. He looked formal but also informal. The shirt had 2 buttons undone and his hair was unkempt. Mark was amazed at how he'd somehow managed to make the clothes look... real? it looked just like the real material. There's no way he did this... Mark analyses the figure further, looking at its pose. He held a knife... like he was about to plunge it into his own stomach? the knife had been painted to look like it had dried blood on it. He sure has the hand for art. It seemed as though another piece was supposed to be with it. Maybe he made another one. Maybe he didn't. Who knows?

"It's interesting isn't it?" Jungwoo asks. "I had a brief look at it but now I look at it, it's like it's completely different," He says and Mark nods, still staring at the figure. "Maybe that was what he was working on yesterday," Jungwoo says and Mark lifts his head up. "Yesterday? there's no way it only took him that long to do this, that's impossible" He mutters in absolute disbelief. "It is possible, depending on how skilled the person is" Jungwoo shrugs. "Jesus Christ" Mark laughs. "Hey hyung, you think he made another to complete it?" Mark asks and Yuta carefully picks it up out of Mark's hands and inspects it. "Possibly... it does look like it should have an extra piece, doesn't it? If this is him then maybe he made one of you" Jungwoo says giving Mark the character back. "Me?" Mark asks, confused. "It could be a threat or something with a deeper meaning" He explains and Mark sighs. "He's so confusing" Mark groans.

"Are you gonna message him about it?" He asks and Mark shrugs. He hadn't messaged him since a few days after he stayed at Jungwoo's. He'd decided after much persuasion to stay at Jungwoo's. The two needed the break but the break brought unimaginable tension. Although Mark had a few months to chill out and relax, get his mind straight etcetera, he had felt on edge every day, every night, every second of each day he spent away from Yuta. He was worried that Yuta would snap and kill the both of them but he hadn't heard from or even seen Yuta, which was completely out of the ordinary. What did this mean? Surely, Yuta hadn't just become an insider. He had to be planning something big, whether that be a good thing or bad, Mark didn't know.

Mark looks up at Jungwoo and Jungwoo sighs. "Hey look, you have no reason whatsoever to be worried, alright?" Jungwoo crosses his arms. "You seriously need to listen to me Mark, I'm not just repeating this for my own sake, It's not too late to turn back, there might not be much left but I assure you that there's still something, something to hold onto-"

"Jungwoo shut the fuck up" Mark groans. "I'm just-"

"No! just please, shut up about it, we agreed not to talk about him why are you talking about him?" Mark raises his voice, his patience rapidly burning up like a meteor breaking through the earth's atmosphere. There's a moment of tense silence and Jungwoo sighs. "I'm sorry, um... how is therapy going?" He asks, changing the subject and Mark rolls his eyes. "It's going fine," He says standing up and grabbing hold of his phone. "I'll message Yuta," He says. "You don't-" Jungwoo was cut off by Mark's stare.