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It came as a surprise when Donghyuck found out that Mark—his Hyung by a year— was an awful cook. Taking into account the number of things Mark Lee happens to be almost perfect at, like rapping, singing, dancing, playing many instruments and maybe even playing basketball, it was basic intuition that Mark Lee out of all things would be able to cook at least something. But God, Donghyuck was so wrong. He had first come to the revelation of Mark’s incapability to cook was when they first shared rooms during the lead up to their debut.
As Mark and Donghyuck were both students at that time, their nights outside the practice room were usually spent hunched over their work on the dorm’s kitchen table. With Mark helping Donghyuck in his science and English homework and the other aiding Mark in his Korean and math, helping each other in their assignments had definitely lessened the workload, in comparison to working solely on their own. But on nights where their only dinners consisted in store-bought kimbap, it wasn’t even a question that they’d have late nights snacks, or rather dinner part two.
It first started with take-outs or running down to the convenience store, but as time went on, the number of assignments they had grown, as well as their laziness. Donghyuck was just about done with his history essay when his stomach started to growl in hunger, Mark, who was seated across from him was head deep in his physics homework, failing to pay attention to the younger’s whining.
“Mark Hyung I’m hungry, make me something to eat,” Donghyuck grumbled, as he sat doubled over with his hands on his stomach. You’d think he was in pain from the way he was acting.
The Hyung in question, on the other hand, stared at Donghyuck and shook his head incredulously at his childish antics. This continued for almost half an hour of constant painful whimpers on Donghyuck’s behalf and Mark choosing to block everything out until he had this equation over with. By the time Mark had batted an eye over to Donghyuck, the brunet had occupied himself by watching YouTube videos on his phone, and from the looks of it, he was watching a mukbang. A chuckle escaped Mark’s lips at the sight, to which caught all of Donghyuck’s attention.
In an instant, Donghyuck was begging him to make ramen, pointing to his phone showing how he’d like it. Cute Mark thought.
As Donghyuck continued to blabber about how delicious the food looked in the video, Mark began to arrange his and Donghyuck’s notebooks into their respectable backpacks before he had channelled fully to what Donghyuck was saying.
With a hopeful gaze, Donghyuck wanted Mark to make the famous Mark Tuan ramen. Practically shoving his phone into the elder’s face Donghyuck headed over to the kitchen island and sat in anticipation for his second meal tonight. A glimmer of sweat grazed Mark’s temples, almost like he was anxious (and maybe even confused) just looking at the video, to which caused Donghyuck to show an equally confused expression on his face.
Nevertheless, Mark headed over to the kitchen’s pantry, tossing the younger’s phone back in the process. He collected his supplies in the order of the video: ramen, tteokbokki, sausages, cheese and an egg (the woman in the video really enjoyed an egg on top of it so what was stopping Mark from following the same procedure?)
Everything went along smoothly just like the video he had previously watched, nothing bad had happened but Donghyuck couldn’t understand why Mark was still so anxious making the simple meal. But ultimately Donghyuck brushed it off deeming it ‘the Mark Lee jitters’ just like the ones right before dance evaluations or when he hadn’t done his assignment in the time he had allocated himself. It’s probably the physics homework he hadn’t finished Donghyuck thought.
It was just about hitting 2 AM when Mark presented Donghyuck his late snack. And to put it simply Donghyuck stared at it in disbelief, it looked horrendous. The supposed over-easy egg on top had looked like it had been massacred, by what? Who knows, but Donghyuck knew for sure that was definitely not an over-easy egg. In contrast, the ramen underneath looked completely fine, by the looks of it, and the tteokbokki looked maybe a bit too bland, but who was Donghyuck to judge, when all he did was sat prettily on his stool watching the newest episode of Cowboy Bebop, while mark slaved to make him a meal.
The pair shared a look, Mark with a sheepish smile that tugged on his lips and Donghyuck with a look of was could only be described as ‘what the hell Hyung’. Despite the look on Donghyuck’s face, he dug in, filled his cheeks up with the unhealthy snack and chewed (well tried to). The taste, to say the least, was peculiar. Never in the 16 years, he was on earth had Donghyuck seen someone failed miserably at making ramen!
He chewed, his eyes fixated on the bowl unable to meet the blond-haired boy in front of him. And chewed, the older gazed in anticipation.
“Well?” The older questioned, a hand going up to scratch his temple.
The response he got: a choked cough, followed by a series of louder coughs and before he knew it Donghyuck was in a coughing fit. And Mark has never moved so fast in his life, his body moving purely on adrenaline, he quickly dug through the fridge for a bottle of water and threw it over to a beet red Donghyuck. His heartbeat drummed so loudly it was practically beating out of his ears. As Donghyuck chugged the water and simultaneously coughed it out again, Mark couldn’t help feeling tremendously guilty. Running his way over to the other side of the counter the older patted the lathers back.
He didn’t hesitate to tell Donghyuck to spit the food out. But the younger albeit the plethora of ’spit it out’s Mark chanted his way, he ate that mouthful like a champ.
By the time Donghyuck had calmed down from his fit, the bowl that was once in the presence of him has been shoved down the garbage chute, curtesy of Mark Lee. So much for a hearty midnight snack, Donghyuck thought as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“You’re incredulous,” Mark reprimanded in almost a whisper. His face was filled with pure and utter shock. “I seriously was about to call an ambulance.”
The tanned boy grumbled a belly laugh at the sight of the other. The blond elder was blushed red flustered, eyes so wide it could pop out and his mouth agape in disbelief. The whole apartment would’ve woken up from how much noise they had made so deep into the night.
The pair shared a silent agreement, that they had enough shenanigans for one night and made their way to the bathroom in light steps to ready for bed.
By the time they were tucked in their respective beds and their conversations hushed, it had passed the time of 3 am. Way past their bedtime. As the pair was about to drown into the world of slumber, from across the younger giggled one last thing before he nodded to sleep.
“Honestly Hyung, it was good! But please don’t go making some science experiment and just let me cook the food next time.”
After that night, they both unanimously agreed that Mark was never to step afoot into the kitchen ever again.