Work Text:
January 14, Diary Day
It's winter break and Mark stumbles upon his roommate Donghyuck at Kyobo Bookstore, walking towards the checkout counter along spots of pulpwood-colored light. For a whole academic year, they barely talked, barely had memories of each other, so they only bow when their eyes met.
But when Mark comes out of the store, he finds Donghyuck leaning against the glass door glittered by city lights, now in his favorite long puffer jacket. Donghyuck holds out a white spiral notebook and says, "Happy Diary Day!"
Mark stammers at first, before blurting out, "Yo, seriously? Are you serious? This is for me?"
"I noticed you're into journals, so." Donghyuck shrugs. "Oh, by the way, it's lined."
Mark takes the notebook. He likes lines on his journals, they carry the words and all the memories clasped onto them for Mark to keep. "Thank you. Wow," he says. "Wait. Hold on. I don't have something for you."
"Nah, you don't have to." Donghyuck shakes his head. "But if you don't want me to take it too personally, then I guess you can dedicate a page for me and write something like, Donghyuck bought this for me. I don't know."
Mark laughs. He knows Donghyuck is joking. But Mark writes Donghyuck anyway.
February 14, Valentine's Day
It's still winter break and they cross paths along a road lined with couples and stores decorated with heart balloons and maple-red papers cut into hearts. Donghyuck teases him about receiving chocolates as they move aside, by a paper-thin tree. Suddenly, Donghyuck draws out an Alfort chocolate bar from the pocket of his black fur-lined coat, which almost looks similar to Mark's.
"This is your favorite, right?" Donghyuck says.
"Hey, how did you know?"
"Your desk is literally littered with wrappers." Donghyuck waves the bar. "You can have this."
"That's embarrassing. Oh my god, sorry…" Mark chuckles awkwardly. "Wait. What about the one who gave it to you?"
"I don't really know her."
"Alright." Mark nods. From his coat, he takes out the KicKer chocolate bar he just bought for himself. "Then this is for you."
They exchange chocolates.
March 14, White Day
When Mark wakes up, on his desk next to the white diary that Donghyuck has given him, he finds a watermelon flavored Lotte lollipop ice and a yellow sticky note that says: You gave me a chocolate bar on Valentine's Day so it's only fair to reciprocate your feelings. Dash, Donghyuck, dash, then a drawing of a winking face.
Mark later buys a Chupa Chups lollipop after classes. He has seen Donghyuck with it before.
April 14, Black Day
Donghyuck has only suggested it as a joke, but they still find themselves going to a Chinese-Korean restaurant near campus that offers a discount on their black bean noodles for "lonely, single people." Surrounded by customers wearing all black, just like them, they order and eat with shy lowered heads and chuckles in between.
As they slurp the thick noodles, pick up yellow pickled radish, and as the burst of salty and sour and savory flavors spill into their mouths, they trade glances and giggles from across the wooden table.
Donghyuck points at his own cheek near the lips. Mark raises his eyebrows. Donghyuck sighs and reaches out, pressing a tissue way too hard against Mark's cheek to wipe the sticky sauce, like how ink is pressed on paper to stay on its surface for a long time.
May 14, Yellow Day/Rose Day
In the morning, Donghyuck tells Mark about a friend who has sent a photo of the roses he's going to give to his girlfriend. Later in the evening, Donghuck cooks a Korean-style curry rice for dinner. Mark's only yellow shirt is in the laundry, so Donghyuck tosses his yellow hoodie the smell of daisy-scented detergent.
"Do I really have to wear yellow?" Mark asks, but he's putting the hoodie on anyway.
"Of course, that's the tradition!"
They eat on the floor between their beds.
"Yo, this is way better than receiving roses," Mark says after the first bite, mouth still full. "That's a fact."
Donghyuck raises a hand, which Mark takes, holding a lingering squeeze before letting go.
June 14, Kiss Day
Donghyuck brushes a quick kiss on Mark's cheek, then rushes out of their dorm room to go to class, yelling, "It's Kiss Day! You can kill me tomorrow!"
Mark, who just got out of bed, fully awakens as he wonders if Donghyuck is aware of the effects of even such a light kiss, as though Donghyuck has sneakily written on one of Mark's journals, that if Mark flips a page, he'll see a trace of what Donghyuck has written, flip on another page and it's there, flip on another, and another, and another…
July 14, Silver Day
It's summer break. They're away from each other. On Kakaotalk, Donghyuck sends him an image of a pull tab wrenched from a soda can with the caption: Will you marry me?
Mark replies: Hahaha I don't think that will fit any of my finger tho
Donghyuck responds in a second: is that a yes?
August 14, Green Day
It'a still summer break, but they finally meet at Yeouido Hangang Park for a riverside bike ride. As they walk over the rental kiosk, they see couples basking in the gleaming green of the grass under the sun. Those who are single are using this day as an excuse to drink soju as much they want.
"Let's drink soju later!" Donghyuck says. "Oh, to be alone…" But then he jokes about using a tandem bike, but Mark, chuckling, says, "Why not!"
And so they cycle along the park and the river, joined together on their tandem bike in a steady and bumpy ride, like cursive, writing down the rush of wind they share, their pedaling in sync, Donghyuck's back in front of him, Donghyuck looking over his shoulder, smiling.
Breezing past trees and shrubs with dots of yellow and red flowers, the thought of drinking soju on this day has been erased from their minds.
September 14, Photo Day
Hunched over his desk, Mark slams his white diary, the one from Donghyuck, when Donghyuck suddenly leans down and wraps an arm around him. Donghyuck holds out a polaroid camera and says, "Smile!"
Mark smiles, but then he flinches, when he senses Donghyuck facing him with a puckered lips. He didn't feel any softness on his cheek, though.
"This is mine!" Donghyuck declares once the film is developed.
Mark only huffs. But he doesn't say that it's fine, he has a gallery of their memories in his white diary anyway.
October 14, Wine Day
They walk home together for the first time, passing a fancy restaurant where couples clink their glasses of wine together. Mark and Donghyuck giggle as they sip on their box of grape juice, bumping shoulders, the back of their hands touching.
November 14, Movie Day
"I love you, hyung."
Mark holds his breath, tries not to move.
"What the fuck…" Donghyuck whispers to himself.
The room is the color of lead, dim with only the glow from the laptop on their laps. They're on Mark's bed, outer thighs touching under the comforter. Mark has fallen asleep in the middle of the movie. He has just woken up on Donghyuck's shoulder.
Mark remains still. His throat is as dry as a dried ink stuck around the ballpoint tip, that no matter how hard the pen is shaken, no ink will pour out. He wants to say it back, but he's not ready yet.
He'll keep it to himself for now, he thinks, but it's like tracing the same words with an inkless pen, pressing the tip with force that can rip a paper.
December 14, Hug Day
As soon as Mark hears the unlocking of their dorm room door, he scrambles to get up from his bed, and hurries down the entrance with his white diary clutched on one hand. Before Donghyuck can remove his shoes and his favorite long puffer jacket, Mark immediately pulls him into a hug.
"Oh! Happy Hug Day to you!" Donghyuck says, patting Mark on the back, then squeezing tightly.
Mark is planning to show Donghyuck the dog-eared pages of his diary, the pages dedicated on the 14th day of every month this year.
He has written the Korean word for "I love you" on his white diary once. What if he reads it out loud? The word itself is like being in love. Start with the subtle sibilant spark of the S : teeth together like a lock, holding in the pushing tongue from revealing itself, although, when one is in love, they wouldn't be able hide it, like the breath spilling through. Soon, the mouth will open to utter A , a view of what's within, a confession. Then the soft and light trill of R , tickling the roof of the mouth, the fluttering of the wings of the butterflies in the stomach, instantly pulling into ANG , like an embrace, to keep it to yourself. Finally, the HAE , a gentle and serene sigh.
"I love you," Mark says aloud.