CLOSE TO ME | MARK LEE

52

"Guys I'm going to take Areum home, she's drunk."

"No leave it, it's dark outside and she'd probably want to go home when she's sober." Yugyeom hyung suggested.

"Just put her in your bed for now so she can sleep." Taeyong hyung said.

I looked over and saw her drunk with her head on the table.

"Yeah I'll put her in my bed for now." I said.

I walked over to her and patted on her shoulder trying to wake her up.

"No! I don't want to move. I don't want to move my feet by myself. I'm tired." She murmured in her unconscious self.

"C'mon Areum. Please get up. You can sleep in bed." I tried to convince her.

But she didn't agree. After giving up, I just picked up and she instantly wrapped her legs around my waist and arms around my neck. Resting her head in the crook of my neck, I felt at peace knowing that she's here with me again.

"Ooooooooooooo, this is the first time seeing Mark hyung all romantic." Haechan teasingly said whilst bouncing around in seat.

"Oiiiii" I just glared at him and then walked up to my room.

"Goodnight guysssss!!" Areum shouted before she dropped her head again. I just giggled at her actions.

We reached my room and I slowly opened the door and thankfully my room wasn't that messy. I laid her on my bed and just watched her slowly flutter her eyelids as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Huh, where am I? I don't know this place." And all of a sudden she started crying.

"Is someone going to hurt me again?! Please don't hurt me. Someone save please." She said in between her sobs.

I got closer to her and shook her shoulders.
"Shhh Areum. Don't worry. You're in my room. No one is going to hurt you. Shhh. Please."

I picked her back up so she was sitting and I hugged her tightly. She hugged me back and tightly held onto my tshirt. We stayed like this for a few minutes before she calmed down.

"Don't leave me Mark, what if someone tried to hurt me? I don't even remember what they look like." She said quietly.

"Areum, no one is going to hurt you here. All those people have gone to jail so you're safe. And I'm never going to leave you."

She gripped onto me tighter and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"C'mon let's lie down." I calmly said.

I laid down first and put my arm out so Areum could use it as a pillow. Once she she also laid down, I bought her closer to me. Bringing her head right to my chest as I wrapped my other arm around her.

"Hmm, minhyung-ah.. I can hear your heartbeat and it's so comforting."

"Areum-ah, I can hear your voice again and it's so comforting. Babe... I love you so much."

"I love you a lot Minhyung." She smiled into my chest as she said so.

I hugged her even tighter.

"I could hear you talk when I was still in coma when you did come."

"Really?" I asked shocked thinking back to if I said anything embarrassing.

"And I could hear you practicing your aegyo for me." She started laughing.

My cheeks felt hot all of a sudden with embarrassment.

"Oh my.."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to do it. I know you don't like it."

"Thanks." I said in a sigh of relief.

"Wait.. I thought you were like really drunk just out there."

"Wellll I am a little drunk but I just wanted to be with you alone so I exaggerated."

"Oh woowww, you could've just said you wanted to be with me alone." I said.

"I didn't want to wreck the mood like that so I did it the funny way. But now I do feel sleepy but I'm scared at the same time."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. You can go to sleep."

"Ahhh this is so much more better than being in a hospital bed. Your arms are my favourite pillow. I feel safe when you're there."

"I will always be there when you need me. I promise." And with that, I held her tighter in my arms and we both slowly drifted off too sleep.