"Your autograph?"
Despite the copious amounts of times Yeonhee had dreamt of this exact scenario taking place, nothing could have ever actually prepared her for it because the illusion she created in her mind over the months had now become true.
Without a second beat of her heart, she recognised the voice- his voice.
Immediately, she was inundated with a surge of shock as her heart dropped stomach churned before instinctively her head snapped up, eyes drawing to the boy stood in front of her with the counter separating them.
A breath of air hitched at her throat which began to gently seize up, eyes drew up to stare between his own in disbelief- was this actually happening or was it a dream? A very realistic dream at that.
In the nineteen years of her life, she had never been rendered so speechless, yet that changed in the matter of seconds as she was left unable to think straight or form a coherent string of words.
Yeonhee could never mistake his eyes for anyone else's, they sparkled under the lights despite the rest of his face being covered by a white mask and the grey beanie on his head.
Because the guy she had been talking to for months was no longer behind a screen.
He was here, in front of her as they made eye contact in the warmth of the serene cafe- golden hue of light hung above them and the sweet scent of delicacies drifted over to them.
"Mark," She breathed out finally, taken aback by the whole ordeal that it wouldn't register in her mind properly as her heartbeat thrashed against her ribcage so loud that she wondered if he could hear it. "You're here?"
"Hey." The smooth soft tone of his voice was much clearer than hearing it over the phone- his hand nervously balled up in his pocket so it wasn't noticeable to her- not that she could even process his presence at the given moment anyway.
Yeonhee opened her mouth to speak yet was cut off by the sound of loud voices outside the door, eyes darting over to catch sight of a group of people heading towards the cafe to which she panicked.
"You can go to the staff room- I'll be there soon." She spoke quickly nodding over to the direction of it- hearing the bell of the door chime and the idol turned away from the door- glancing at the girl one last time before making his way toward it without a word in case he was noticed.
Yeonhee turned her focus towards the new customers but her hands began to tremble slightly, a pink hue tainting her cheeks and she couldn't concentrate knowing the fact that Mark was here- he was actually here.
Thankfully, you had to turn the corner in order to find this hallway and Mark passed the customer toilets to walk towards the end where it was clearly labelled STAFF ONLY.
Hesitantly, the boy pushed open the door to the empty room and once it closed behind him, he pressed his back lightly against it as he let out a breath of air he seemed to unknowingly be holding.
Mark was nervous- severely nervous at that.
Though he was able to keep his cool originally, it all flew out of the window as soon as her captivating brown eyes met his own.
His eyes took in the staff room, it was a cosy looking room with a couple of nicely placed sofas- a fridge in the corner with a timetable plastered across it. The counters were sleek black contrasting the white walls- there was a small circle table towards near the glass window next to the exit.
Mark pushed himself off of the door to walk further into the room, eyes grazing over the far sight of an open sketchbook- pens littering around it with a phone placed next to it.
There was a tv hung on the wall, facing the main sofa but it was switched off at that given moment, a leather jacket which he identified as Yeonhee's was draped over the armrest of the said sofa.
He reached up, taking his mask off to push into his pocket along with his beanie as he continued to let his eyes rake over the unfamiliar interior.
Mark cleared his throat feeling a little awkward as he could feel the nerves bubble up inside him, rubbing his slightly sweaty palms against the material of his jeans.
Although only around five minutes had passed, it felt like a whole lot more and he was unsure of what he should do.
Sit? Too laid back. Stand? Too awkward.
"Can I take my break now?" Yeonhee approached her boss, the old woman who sat at the far away table while hand decorating a few cupcakes.
She raised her brows, glancing up over her glasses as the jittery girl who looked as though she could burst with excitement and disbelief which surged inside her at an expeditious rate.
"Please? I can make it up later?" She reasoned, foot itching to just run towards where the boy was. Her boss was slightly amused by her desperation and glanced down at her cupcakes she was busily decorating.
"Who's the boy?"
"What? Oh...a friend that came to visit." She explained briefly to which the woman hummed.
"Okay, I'll get someone to cover for y-"
"Really? Thank you!" Yeonhee exclaimed as she turned around- taking the apron off of her body to drape it over the farthest counter away from the customers.
Her boss couldn't help but smile to herself at the excitable girl, shaking her head knowingly.
"There's no way." Yeonhee muttered under her breath, pulse raging against against her every nerve, turning the corner and glancing at the staff room however she pushed open the toilet door and slipped inside.
"Okay," she began, walking over to the mirror as she started to wash her hands- checking over her appearance in case she looked like a mess. Letting out a heavy breath of air, staring into the mirror to gain some confidence. "Be cool, it's just Mark- no that doesn't make it better." She muttered as she tried not to freak out.
Aware of the fact he was alone in the staff room waiting for her, she looked over her appearance once more before exiting the bathroom- stomach twisting and turning.
She stopped in front of the wooden door, hand clasping over the door handle as she readied herself- finally pushing it open as the air cascaded past her.
Yeonhee drew her eyes up, gaze landing on the boy who had his back turned to her- finger lightly holding open the sketchbook she often drew her designs in.
Quietly, the girl stepped into the room and swallowed down the dryness forming in her throat at the sight of him.
He was right there, in the same room as her.
"Invading people's privacy are you now?"
It was clear that her voice shocked him, too immersed in the intricate drawings to even notice her presence- snapping his head up before glancing over his shoulder where again- their eyes met.
The eye contact was enough to send her heart into a frenzy with jittery butterflies swarming inside.
"Oh uh- sorry, I wasn't trying to like..." He trailed off quieter at the end but deciding to add on it in case he came across as rude. "But they're really good though."
At his awkwardness she couldn't help but smile, walking over as he turned his body completely towards her.
"Well, this is a surprise." She stated, raising her eyebrows before stopping in front of him but not too close as his features became more profound with the sunlight from behind him gleaming. "What are you doing here?"
It was taking everything in Yeonhee to not just freak out over the fact Mark Lee was stood in front of her.
He brought his hand to the back of his neck just below the blue dyed hair as he began to speak, eyes drawing away from her own nervously then back again.
"Oh, I saw your pictures like being released and I thought uh I'd drop by to congratulate you so..." he trailed off, clearing his throat. "Yeah um, sorry for showing up out of nowhere I did try calling you but you were probably working but I should've checked befor-"
Cutting off his lengthy rambling, the girl couldn't help the smile from spreading on her lips. Her foot stepping forward so the tops of their shoes brushed against the others and before he could continue his explanation- Mark was invaded by a sudden comfort of warmth and the scent of a sweet perfume.
Arms wrapped itself loosely around his neck, embracing him a hug which cut off every functioning brain cell from working cohesively.
A state of shock wavered over him, lips parting and pulse skipping a few- multiple beats.
Yeonhee had her eyes shut tight, her arms wrapped around his neck as she half clung onto him but not too invasively, in the dire need of an embrace from the boy who had become such an important person in her life.
It wasn't too long after either that slightly hesitant hands hovered over her body before the feeling of reciprocation presented itself with his arms gently sliding over her waist.
Indescribable, the interaction between them lit their skin and hearts with warmth- the comfort of the embrace felt as though it was a natural occurrence between them.
Yeonhee tightened her grip around him as the feeling of awkwardness began to drift away between them.
"I can't believe you're here." She whispered against her arm which had wrapped around his neck, voicing her disbelief and the vibrations ripping through his chest relayed onto her at his soft laugh.
"It was kinda spontaneous." He admitted as the feeling of her arms loosened around his neck as she pulled away, taking a step back but they were still close enough to see the slight hue of red painting on each other's cheeks.
The moment of eye contact after the hug sent them both into laughter, the air around them light and comfortingly warm.
Smile stretched on his lips that only accentuated his pronounced cheekbones, eyes sparkling.
"Congratulations on your shoot though, seriously like they were really good." He complimented.
"Thank you." She smiled, trying to ignore the fire that burned inside her at his simple words that caused such an effect on her. "Are you busy today?"
Mark shook his head in response as he began to explain.
"Nah, I practiced uh in the morning so I haven't got anything like yeah, to do on my schedule."
Yeonhee nodded, thankful he had time off for a little while- God knows he needs it. A small gasp escaped her lips, eyes lit up that gained his attention.
"You know what I remembered?" She inquired, beginning to walk over towards the fridge as his eyes followed her.
"What?" Confused, he asked.
Yeonhee didn't reply straight away as she pulled open the fridge door, reaching inside to grab a pinkish red coloured drink- holding it up in her hand.
"I promised you a watermelon drink a long time ago."
"Yoo," Mark exclaimed, slightly amused by the fact she remembered but excited by the look of the drink.
"This is my favourite one, you'll probably like it- nah you'll love it I already know." She commented.
Yeonhee had reached him, handing out the cold glass bottle as he looked down on it before gripping it between his fingers.
She had opted for a berry mixed drink, unscrewing the cap as she heard him do the same while she grabbed her unattended phone to see many missed calls and texts.
The girl hoped her cheeks weren't still ablaze and he hadn't realised the affect he had on her, turning away from him to place her bottle on the coffee table after taking a sip of the cold liquid before seating herself down on the comfortable black sofa.
Raising a brow up at the boy, a humoured smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"You can sit down you know? I don't bite."
He laughed at her remark, gripping the neck of the bottle of his drink as he took a seat on the sofa- taking another sip of the drink then glancing over the glass bottle.
"Dude, this is good though." He commented mindlessly in surprise of how pleasant it was to his tastebuds.
"See? I told you." She boasted, watching him become immersed in the fancy writing on the bottle.
"You know," she began as her eyes grazed over his features. "I already knew you were good looking but in person...wow. You're fully sculpted by the Gods man."
Mark was midway through sipping his drink when her words surprised him, causing the liquid to travel down his windpipe as he choked- coughing out with slightly widened eyes.
He laughed nervously, glancing over at her to see her chin in her palm with her eyes swimming in amusement.
"What? I wasn't lying." She murmured with a shrug and Mark opened his mouth while beginning to shake his head but the girl stopped him.
"Don't try to argue with me Marker cuz I definitely prove you wrong."
There was something about Yeonhee which caused most of his awkwardness to fade, maybe it was because she acted the same in person as online or maybe it was the fact she was treating him as a friend than an idol.
"Oh, yo wait." Mark called out, shoving his hands in his pockets, patting them down before grasping something within his palm.
Yeonhee watched curiously as he pulled out his closed fist and holding it out before opening his palm revealing a keychain attached to a beautiful green stone.
Her brows furrowed, eyes drawing up to his own as he couldn't help but smile.
"You uh...wanted a lucky charm so-"
"Mark," she couldn't help but breathe out in disbelief, eyes widening.
"There was a nice stall near here and it reminded me of what you said." He explained.
Yeonhee wasn't even looking at the stone this time, eyes softening with her heart clenching in warmth.
"Here, take it." He urged with a nod and she felt as though her heart could combust at his thoughtfulness.
"You didn't have to, oh my God Mark." She drew her eyes back down at the green stone laying in his open palm to which he shook his head.
"It's nothing."
"Nothing? Dude...it's so pretty and you- wow. I don't even know what to say."
"Well, take it before my hands get tired." He joked and Yeonhee rolled her eyes lightheartedly- the soft skin of her fingertips brushing against his hand when she grasped the key ring in her own.
"Thank you, literally thank you so much." She ran her thumb over the smooth stone.
"It's alright haha don't worry about it."
"What kind of stone is it?" She asked to which Mark pondered on it, chuckling awkwardly.
"I don't know, uh she said something about it attracting luck and I thought it would be good for you- for your business and all." He added and Yeonhee couldn't help the bashful smile forming.
"You're really something." She murmured, chuckling to herself with a shake of her head- looking back up at him.
There was a few seconds in which nothing was said, breath catching in her throat when their eyes melted into the others before she glanced over towards her phone which kept lighting up with new notifications but she chose to ignore it.
"So," she began, turning her head over to him. "I say we play Rock Paper Scissors and whoever wins gets to pick a movie." She offered.
Mark raised his brow, nodding at her suggestion.
"Alright alright, best of three?"
"You're on Market."
"Yo by the way, I never really realised how British you actually sound." He commented in slight awe and Yeonhee snickered.
"Try the accent."
"Dude, I'm not very good." He shook his head but she rolled her eyes. "Okay, only if you try to speak in a Canadian one."
"Deal, but don't laugh too much." She narrowed her brows threateningly.
"Let's see what you got yo."
"Okay- dude why are you already laughing? I didn't even say anything!"
AYOO HOW WE FEELING
How cute are they 🥺