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"That was 'Hit' by Seventeen, specially requested by Donghyuck Lee, who is in the studio today." The radio interviewer said in the mike before clapping.

"Hi!" Donghyuck said, putting on his 'celebrity' voice as he calls it.

That voice is constantly happy, never sad, always laughing and always pleasant, which is contrary to how he's currently feeling.

But he can't help it.

There are camera's constantly in his face, so what other choice does he have but to come up with an alter ego that pleases the masses and keeps his title of being 'America's Sweetheart'.

"So, Donghyuck," The interviewer said, making Donghyuck feel nervous. He hoped that today's headlines would not come up in this interview. "I see you've brought a special guest with you today."

Donghyuck had to keep his composure, seeing as the room was being recorded by the camera in the corner and it was a livestream.

He put on a smile, "Yes I did. My boyfriend Mark is outside."

"Does he want to come in?" The interviewer asked.

Donghyuck laughed, "Ask him."

Donghyuck could see Mark on the other side of the glass gaging his reaction to the question. Mark quirked an eyebrow to Donghyuck as he simply avoided eye contact. Mark shook his head with a smile and the interviewer focused his attention back on Donghyuck.

"You've caused quite the storm in the headlines today," He commented.

"Have I?" Donghyuck asked, feigning ignorance.

"Rumour has it that you and Mark are on the rocks and you and Sicheng are hooking up."

"Well if the tabloids said it then it must be true," Donghyuck said sarcastically, "It's not as if they'll go out of business if they don't make up these stories with their fake sources."

"So it's not true?"

"No it isn't true," Donghyuck said, annoyed, his cool persona melting away. "Sicheng and I are incredibly good friends and I have stayed over at his house many, many times. We're working on the same movie as well! I don't understand why people can't accept that! There is more to life than hooking up with a person."

"You heard it here first, folks," the interviewer said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room, "Donghyuck and Mark are still relationship goals! Shall we take some fan calls?"

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Mark turned off the radio in the car and they sat in silence.

The guilt was eating him up from the inside. Mark shouldn't have acted the way he did this morning, but he couldn't turn back time now. So, instead, he was supporting Donghyuck the whole way through; from interview to interview, place to place, he was with him the whole way through.

Mark just didn't want to leave Donghyuck's side.

Donghyuck was hurting and Mark could see through the fake smiles and fake laughs. He could see how Donghyuck's smile didn't reach his eyes or how his laugh wasn't as bright.

Donghyuck was a good actor though and Mark saw that firsthand. Everyone that Donghyuck met today believed that he was his bubbly self, even his best friend Jaemin didn't think that anything was wrong - but Mark knew and he hated that he couldn't make Donghyuck feel better.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mark asked, pulling up in front of Donghyuck's house.

"I'll be okay," Donghyuck said with a small smile.

"I can come in with you," Mark offered, hoping that he would say yes.

"I'm fine," Donghyuck told him, "Mrs. Lee will just lecture me and then go her own way."

"She's scary," Mark commented.

"Believe it or not, she wasn't always like this," Donghyuck told him with a small laugh.

"I don't feel right sending you in alone," Mark thought out loud.

"Thank you, Mark," Donghyuck told him, sincerity filling his eyes.

Before today, he thought Mark was an asshole. Even when they had their kiss, he wasn't entirely sure of the person Mark was, which is why he didn't want to take it any further; well that, and the fact that if anything would happen and it went south...The rest of their time would be terrible and he didn't want that.

Donghyuck liked Mark as a person and as a friend.

"I didn't do anything, really," Mark said, meaning every word.

"You were there for me," Donghyuck told him, "That's all I needed."

"I'll always be there for you." Mark told him, sincerity and promise filling every syllable, "And you can hold me to that."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, I might just believe them."

"I'll always be there for you," He promised again, "Every step of the way."

"Goodnight, Mark," Donghyuck said with a small, grateful smile, hand on the car door handle.

"Donghyuck," Mark said, grabbing his free wrist.

"Yeah?"

"Hold me to that promise," Mark told him, "It's one that I want to keep."

"If you really wanted to keep it, you wouldn't need me to hold you to it."

"I'm new to this," Mark said, "The whole relationship thing."

"Who said we had a relationship?"

"Platonically," He clarified, "I'm not the best at friendships or any relationship, to be honest. I manage to screw up everyone and this thing that we have between us-"

"You mean being friends?" Donghyuck asked.

"Yeah, that," Mark said, almost nervously, "This friendship that we have isn't one that I want to screw up."

"We'll figure it out together, Mark," Donghyuck said.

"So, no more fights?" Mark asked.

"I can't promise that we'll be happy all the time, but I can promise that we'll be okay."

"And I promise that I'll stick by you no matter what," Mark said with a smile.

"Pinky?" Donghyuck said, holding his pinky out.

"Pinky?" Mark asked, not understanding.

"Pinky promise." Donghyuck said, showing him his outstretched pinky, "It's the one promise you can never break because you make it with your heart and soul."

"What happens if someone breaks it?" Mark asked.

"Everything breaks."

"Pinky promise." He says, intertwining his long pinky finger with Donghyuck's short one.

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Mark pulled up outside his dark house, knowing that it was late and everyone was already sleeping. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to actually get out of the car. There was something about the whole day that just wasn't sitting well with him.

Something about Donghyuck and him, that he just couldn't put his finger on. It was like forgetting a word and it being on the tip of your tongue - that kind of frustration and unease.

Eventually, Mark got out of the car and opened the front door with his set of keys, throwing it on the side table before walking to his room.

"Donghyuck okay?" He heard in the dark hallway.

"What the f-" He swore, jumping out of his skin, "Dude! You don't just scare people like that!"

"Sorry man, I thought you saw me," Lucas apologized.

"How the hell would I see you?! Does it look like I have night vision?!"

"Sorry dude," He apologized, walking into Mark's room with him. "So, how is he?"

"He took the rumors pretty hard," Mark admitted, "I think it was the reaction to the rumors more so than the rumor itself."

"Hasn't he been in the tabloids before?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," He nodded.

"Then why was he so torn up?"

"I don't know," Mark said, "I think its the fact that it was never this bad. This was his reputation on the line, you know? And with me and Sicheng and the movie...It was too much for him to handle."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Mark asked, cocking his eyebrow in confusion.

"You don't look too good yourself," Lucas said, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine!" Mark said, "I think I'm just tired. I didn't want to leave Donghyuck on his own so I was with him all day during interviews and stuff."

"You must really like him, huh," Lucas said with a smile.

"I do."

Mark's breath hitched in his throat. It was as if everything just clicked in that second.

He liked Donghyuck.

Not Edited
Sunday, September 29, 2019

Song Recommendation:

"119" by NCT Dream