777 Ways

CHAPTER 5 - 21 QUESTIONS

After lunch, Yugyeom went to his room and noticed that his wallet was on his bed. He examine it and realized that nothing was missing. He assumed that Mark was the only one who could've put his money and credit cards back in it. He wondered why the American had lied to him at his apartment. He didn't want to think that the bartender was the one who had stolen what was inside his wallet. But even if he had, Yugyeom wouldn't complain about it. The young Korean knew Mark and Bambam were going through a difficult time. He presumed the older wouldn't steal from him if he had a choice. By the looks of the neighborhood and the place Mark used to live with BamBam, the two were obviously broke, even before the fire consumed their bar. Bambam had mentioned to Yugyeom how Mark took care of him like a brother, and most of the time, like a parent. Yugyeom remembered how Mark refused to give him beer because he thought he was a minor. He couldn't ignore the fact that Mark also brought him to his own apartment, and looked after him until Jinyoung decided to show up. He assumed that the bartender was a decent guy after all. The money and the cards were returned, so he felt that there was no need to call him out, or bring up that subject again. Yugyeom decided not to say anything to Jinyoung nor to Bambam either. He had no intention of getting Mark in trouble or making him uncomfortable, and he wanted both him and Bambam to stay in the penthouse, so he simply decided to forget that issue.

Hours later, Bambam convinced the group to play a get-to-know-you game since they would spend a lot of time together until the book was finished. The game was called 'two truths and a lie'. Jinyoung internally praised Bambam for such a great idea. He couldn't believe how things were working so well for him. He just assumed that fate was on his side. According to the rule of the game, the participants had to guess the two truths and a lie of each person in the group. Jinyoung wondered which truths Mark was going to share with them. He wished he could catch the American in his own web of lies. The group moved to the pool area. They sat down in a circle on the floor, and the Thai young man started.

"I am a cat lover, Korean guys are not my type, and my best friend is gay." Bambam announced animatedly.

"The only possible lie is that you're not into Korean guys." Yugyeom winked at him and pinched his cheeks while Bambam giggled, announcing that he had guessed it right. Jinyoung was astounded.

"Mark is your best friend, right?" he asked tentatively.

"Exactly. That means I'm gay too. Do you have a problem with that?" Mark chimed in, furrowing his eyebrows. Jinyoung was flabbergasted. His breath caught in his throat. If Mark is gay, how could he have impregnated SooYoung?

"Oh my God, hyung! You didn't know?! Well, believe it or not, all the four people in this circle right now are into guys." Yugyeom laughed out loud. Bambam giggled. Mark frowned. Jinyoung swallowed. Is this Mark really SooYoon's Mark? What if he isn't? The possibility took over his mind like a hurricane.

"You are gay too, huh?" The American glanced at the speechless writer, who simply nodded to him. The other two couldn't stop cackling for a while.

"He's just a bit closeted at the moment." Yugyeom added in a mocking tone. His cousin gave him a death glare. Mark scoffed and Bambam struggled to suppress a laugh.

"All right, here it goes. I can speak Mandarin. I'm a college dropout, and I've dated a couple of girls before I realized I am totally gay." Mark declared more animated than before. Yet, he told himself that learning about Jinyoung's sexual orientation wasn't the cause of his mood improvement.

"You dated girls?! Come on, that is the lie! Obviously!" Yugyeom said quickly. Mark nodded. Bambam hugged the young Korean and congratulated him. Jinyoung was still trying to process what he had just heard.

"Why did you drop out of college?" Yugyeom asked curiously.

"I met someone." Mark replied as a sad expression shadowed his features.