There's a sharp knock on Mark's door as soon as the clock strikes nine, startling Mark as he looks up from his papers sprawled out on his desk around him.
At the disturbance, Mark places down the report that he was reading through before quickly looking down at his clothes, making sure he was presentable before then striding over to the door. Swinging it open, he comes face to face with Jaemin who is comfortably leaning against the door frame, quite nonchalant as he smiles cheekily.
"A man on time" He muses as he looks over Mark's attire, his eyes going from the tucked in white blouse to the loose fit trousers, his grin only widening, "I like it"
Mark opens his mouth as if he's about to say something but closes it promptly, feeling his face begin to heat up under the boy's gaze.
He watches on, only slightly embarrassed as he sees Jaemin grin at his response, gesturing for Mark to follow him out of the room and down the corridor, ready to explore the area much like Mr Na had suggested the other day.
He was prepared for such an activity as he was dressed for it, but still he couldn't believe it had already reached their agreed upon time. Anyhow, Mark obediently follows the other boy, trusting him to get him where they needed to be.
They peacefully make their way down the left wing of the country house only to then descend down the stairs and escape through the back of the mansion, passing by the room where Mark remembers he had met both Jaemin and his father last night before the impressive dinner.
As soon as Jaemin throws open the grand glass doors, obviously excited for whatever he had in store for Mark, the pair are greeted by the warm sunshine and the somewhat comforting vision of acres of lush green land laid out before them- Mark's jaw dropping just that little bit as he is finally able to appreciate the Na's grounds.
Despite seeing glimpses of their property yesterday, Mark still couldn't believe that such a place existed on this Earth, for it was beautiful.
There's a stream off to his left that seems to run down by the house and out to the neighbouring fields, and before he truly comprehends where they're wondering to, Jaemin seems to gravitate towards the still water, the surface glistening gorgeously like citrine diamonds under the morning sun.
They walk along the riverbank, making small talk about their companies, Jaemin trying rather unsuccessfully to get Mark to open up about himself, as he always manages to curb Jaemin's curious questions, bringing the focus back round to work.
They're a good quarter of the way down the river when Mark responds with his first question, just an observation that had been on the tip of his tongue since the meeting in the drawing room yesterday evening.
"You seem very close with Mr Na" He states, his mind wondering over how comfortable they seemed with each other, how they joked... how there was this tenderness to their gazes that felt so foreign to Mark within a family setting.
He can hear the smile in Jaemin's voice as he answers, "Well, he is my father"
But Mark then shakes his head, a smile on his own lips as he explains, "I just mean... forgive me if I'm prying but even with him being the CEO, it doesn't seem like work has affected your family dynamics, even with..."
Even with you not taking over...
There was never a question in Mark's household whether or not he would carry on the company's legacy, it was all set in stone, and Mark was proud to ascend to such a position... Therefore he couldn't help but be curious about Jaemin's position.
The Na heir doesn't speak for a moment as he seemingly mulls over Mark's words, letting them wash over him before finally nodding.
"Like I said before, he is a great man" Jaemin answers, taking his gaze off of Mark and instead casting it towards the river to where a figure was sat, their arms reaching into the crystallised waters as they crouched down low.
Mark grew curious as they walked forward to approach the black haired man, for he looked no older than him and Jaemin. From what Mark could see he had flawless pale skin and a strong jaw, but his hands looked like they'd seen better times as they were rather worn.
"He understands the role of a father compared to that of a CEO" Jaemin explains further and yet his eyes stayed fixated on the boy by the river, "and besides he knows I'm stubborn, just like my mother... he understands that my heart is somewhere else"
Just as the words leave Jaemin's lips, the raven- haired boy lifts his head up, a wide smile displayed across his face as he watches the two boys approach, his eyes lingering that much longer on Jaemin.
"Nana..." He greets, gradually rising to his feet and wiping his wet hands onto his clothes, "Hyuckie was beginning to think that you wouldn't make it today"
Rather than answering the question right away, Mark watched with rather wide eyes as Jaemin drew this boy into a soft kiss, bringing one hand up to tangle in the boy's dark locks as their lips brush against one another's delicately.
Not wanting to intrude, Mark casts his eyes away from the pair, looking down only for his eyes to lock on a small wicker basket, its content full of ripe and freshly picked apples and rhubarb. Was the boy washing them in the stream? Why didn't he just venture up to the house, surely the kitchen staff wouldn't mind helping?
As the two pull away with a gentle sigh, Mark brings his attention back to them and their arms which were wrapped securely around each other.
"He's just on edge because of his volunteer work" Jaemin sighs, reaching out to brush a strand of hair out of the boy's face, "I wouldn't miss our weekly 'get together' for the world"
As Jaemin smiles at the boy one more time, his face morphs into one of realisation as he jumps away, seemingly remembering that they had a guest present, and so with a sheepish smile, Jaemin turns to Mark.
"Mark, this is Jeno, my boyfriend" He introduces happily, his cheeks a dusty pink as Jeno reaches over to shake Mark's hand, smiling softly before he mutters something along the lines of, 'one of', which has Mark mildly confused for a moment, "And Jeno this is Minhyung from Lee Corporations"
"Mark is just fine, if you want" Mark offers, not wanting to be too formal outside of the office. Jeno, he admits, seems very lovely as he mutters a genuine, 'nice to meet you' at their exchange, before stepping backwards and wrapping his arm around Jaemin's waist again.
Before Mark can carry the conversation further Jaemin turns around to Jeno, his voice light as he asks, "Hey babe, where's Junnie?"
"He's just come from the café" Jeno answers softly, "He's down by the cottage now with the others"
Jaemin nods his head as he then takes a look at the basket by his boyfriend's feet, his eyes growing fond as he inspects the contents, "Are you almost done?"
"Just about" He answers with a smile, pressing a quick kiss to Jaemin's cheek as he squats to the ground once again, his fingers running over the last apple on the plaid cloth by the basket.
Mark watches as the apple gets dipped into the clear water, Jeno gently rubbing his fingers over the fruit before pulling it back out of the water, making sure it had been cleaned. He dries it quickly before then placing it in the basket with the others.
As he rises once again, the basket in one hand, and Jaemin slotting his into the boy's other, they begin walking, making sure that Mark is in line with them as they set off, their gazes set on the picturesque stone cottage just at the edge of this first field.
With tamed excitement, Mark recognises it as the cottage he saw from his window- a stone hideaway completely ambushed by pink roses, and oddly enough he finds himself rather intrigued as they approach it.
Whilst on their way, Mark gets to know a little bit more about the two boys on his left- how Jeno grew up in the nearby village, how Jaemin's family built this beautiful home when he was younger so that they'd have a place to escape to, needing family time away from the city... how the two met when eleven year old Jaemin accidently crashed his bike into the newsstand outside their local newsagents and Jeno, who had witnessed the whole thing, had rushed over to help him.
It sounded sweet, like something out of a book... but if Mark's being honest he didn't care much for romance novels. The things weren't accurate and it then set unrealistic standards which could only ever lead to disappointment, in most situations. For a brief moment, he notes that Jaemin is one of the lucky ones.
He also learnt that Jaemin is a fairly decent baker, and one of his specialties was his apple and rhubarb pie, which Mark finds Jaemin's sudden blush as he looked into the basket now somewhat understandable, they seemed like a pair that really listened to one another.
"Baking is actually how we met Renjun too" Jeno chimes in with a smile, "We were both working down in the village in one of the cafés, I needed money for college and Jaemin...?"
"I just wanted to spend time with you" He admitted with a shy smile, which caused Jeno to swoop down and press a kiss to his cheek.
"And then one day this boy walked in" Jeno explained, his smile stretching wider as he recounts the tale, "He'd just moved in and Nana's baking smelt too good to resist"
Jaemin scoffs playfully at that, resting his head on Jeno's shoulder briefly, "Oh please, half the neighbouring village became our regulars because of one good looking waiter"
"Anyway" Jeno laughs, squeezing Jaemin's hand softly, "The rest, as they say, is history- stuttering our way through introductions and a date at the farmers market on the only day all summer that it managed to hail... somehow everything managed to fall into place"
"Yes it did" Jaemin muses, and Mark is beginning to understand as to why Jaemin didn't want to take over the company... moving to the city... but surely he could just take Jeno and this Renjun with him, could he not?
His train of thoughts gets broken by the loud commotion he hears from nearby, however it seems that Jaemin and Jeno pay no mind to it.
In the near distance, just outside of the homely cottage, vibrant blankets and stools were laid out over the grass as Mark makes out the shapes of three boys sprawled across the floor, happily chatting amongst themselves and taking in the sun.
"I want to introduce you to some friends of mine" Jaemin pipes up, his eyes bright as they approach the group of three, "I think you'll like them, and honestly there's no better way than to understand a place then to get to know the people"
As they approached the cottage, Mark allowed himself to truly appreciate the beauty of the small house- the cobbled walls, the painted wooden shutters, the blossoming crimson and pink roses that cover the house wonderfully.
It looked idyllic, peaceful... but watching how animated the three in front of him were- their laughing and screaming and shoving, Mark couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into.
As soon as they reached the cottage, Mark was promptly introduced to the rather scrawny blonde haired boy, who he was told was the youngest. Jisung, was apparently still attending one of the local schools and had been adopted into this friend group by Jaemin- this, Mark learned, would be a recurring theme.
The boy sat crossed legged next to him was Chenle who practically leapt up to greet Mark, excited at the prospect of a new face, which wasn't exactly common out here. Like Jisung, he too was still in education and since the two were best friends, when Jaemin 'adopted' Jisung, almost like a package deal, Chenle was then introduced to the group too.
And the last boy, with his hair only a slight darker brown than Jaemin's that framed his rather small and delicate features is who Mark assumes to be Renjun- especially with the way Jaemin doesn't hesitate to drop to his knees to press a kiss to the boy's lips... either that or Jaemin has more than two boyfriends.
"Where's Hyuck?" Jeno asks as he settles down in between Chenle and Renjun, lacing his long fingers with Renjun's as Chenle happily cuddles into Jeno's side, peering into the basket that he had brought.
"Inside" Jisung chirps his cheeks stained red as Mark meets his gaze and the younger gets a little embarrassed for being caught staring, "Should I get him?"
"No need"
At such a gentle tone, Mark isn't proud to admit that he feels a tingling ache set into his neck at how fast he turned his head around to locate the indulgent sound, the syllables dripping from the boy's lips like rich honey.
The sultry drawl which set the undertone to the voice should've warned Mark of the danger which was on the horizon... but as soon as Mark was able to put a face to the voice, he swore to the heavens above that he was done for.
Honey, seemed to be the only word that graced Mark's mind as when he faced the boy who had emerged from the cottage. His head was held high as he draped himself against the door frame and as if he knew what he was doing, his hip was jutted out to the side which Mark couldn't help but admit accentuated his body wonderfully well.
Mark cursed himself for not sitting down earlier as he felt his knees grow progressively weaker as his eyes stay trained on the boy in front of him- taking pride in how he had made Mark speechless.
He was wearing a high waisted pair of washed out jeans that reached nowhere near his knees and which were ripped over his thighs... his honey thighs... he also had on a cropped orange shirt with a large vintage sun printed in the middle which matched the gold pendant that hung from his neck. Mark finding the symbolism all too fitting.
He was glowing- no, he was golden... and as he brings his hand up to lace through his faded brown hair, which was just that little bit wavy- Mark remembers all the monochrome that surrounds his everyday life in the city...
This boy with his sun kissed skin and his pooling eyes of chocolate was the textbook definition of radiance. He was ethereal.
"Oh Nana..." He whispers slowly, his eyes raking over Mark before he turns to his friend, a playful smirk settling on his lips, "Not another one..."
"Play nice, Hyuckie" Jaemin chuckles, lowering himself to sit next to Jisung and gesturing for Mark to get comfortable and do the same, to which the heir doesn't need to be told twice, possibly dropping to the floor just that little bit too quick.
"I always do" He sings, pushing off from the door and making his way towards the group slowly, "But at some point, you do have to stop taking in strays"
Strays?
Was this boy talking about him?
At the side glance to which the boy throws him, Mark is suddenly pulled back to reality- his metaphoric rose tinted glasses smashing as this illusion of grace and beauty is ripped away from him. He admits that this boy is pretty, but he'll be damned if he allows himself to be spoken to in such a way.
"I beg your pardon?" Mark chokes out, not expecting such words being directed at him.
As he speaks up, Donghyuck's deep brown eyes lock with Mark's, the golden flecks almost enchanting Mark to forget about the recent remark, that is until his gaze drops down to the boy's shimmering lips as he mouths the word 'beg' which has Mark tearing his gaze away from the boy, landing on the grass as a subtle blush settles upon his cheeks.
It's quiet for a moment as Donghyuck continues to walk passed the group, however at his appearance, now that the group was complete, soft chattering continues quickly after- causing a perfect distraction for Jaemin to lean in towards their newest member.
"That's Donghyuck" Jaemin whispers lowly to Mark, both of them watching Donghyuck as the boy makes a detour and instead of joining them on the floor, perches on the canvas hammock that hangs from two of the sturdy apple trees that surrounded the cottage, "He's all bark and no bite, don't worry"
Mark nods warily as after such an introduction he now refuses to look back at the boy, ready to just keep his eyes focused on the five boys in front of him.
"So..." Jaemin straightens his back as he gets to his knees, smiling widely now that everyone was gathered, "Since we're all together, why don't we do something fun?"
At such a suggestion, Jisung falls backwards so that he's lying down as he lets out a loud sigh, and very quickly Chenle is chiming in about how he just wants to sit here and relax with everyone.
Jaemin runs his hand along Chenle's arm, smiling fondly, "C'mon Lele, we've all had a really long week, let's do something to celebrate... plus we can show Mark around, it'll be fun!"
"We could bike into the village?" Jeno suggests, causing Jisung to let out another huff which causes everyone to smile at his theatrics.
"Oh, maybe if 'Flora's' is open we can stop by and get some ginger beer..?" Renjun suggests, "We'll get it for barely anything if we send Hyuck in"
At the mention of his name, Donghyuck looks up from the book that was resting in his hands, that he had somehow managed to miraculously acquire, a scandalised expression on his face as he yelps, "Flora is in her sixties and even though she looks good for her age and I know I'm gorgeous... Jun, I'm not going to use my body for your-"
"Not like that!" Renjun screeches, reaching into the basket in the middle of their little circle and launching an apple Donghyuck's way to which he manages to dodge- much to Mark's dismay.
At the action, the rest of the boys couldn't help but chuckle, Jeno keeping a hold on Renjun's hand so that he doesn't get up to attack Donghyuck physically.
"Renjun has a point" Chenle laughs, "She does have a soft spot for you, Hyuck"
"She has a soft spot for us all" He responds and Mark notices how his voice gets a lot gentler when he talks to Chenle, "It's only because I'm always around her grandson that she sees me the most"
"Fair point" Jaemin concludes, his smile not dimming for one moment, "So what do you say guys? We bike into the village, get some ginger beer- maybe some apple juice for Sungie-"
At this Jisung rolls onto his stomach so that he can push himself back into a sitting position, a pout upon his lips, "Ginger beer isn't alcoholic though, I want some!"
"But you're our baby" Donghyuck chimes in with a laugh, watching as Jisung narrows his eyes threateningly at the boy which only has Donghyuck cooing in response.
"It's settled then!" Jaemin cheers, wiggling excitedly as he turns to Mark too enthusiastically for him to object, "Are you ready for some sightseeing?"
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Notes-
and are you guys ready to come along for the ride? (literally)
so mark has finally met dream- how are we feeling about hyuck? ☺️