Jonghyun had always been the curious type. Even when he was just a child, his favorite question to ask was always "why?".

Why was the Earth round? Why did stars come out at night? Why were dogs always so loyal? Why did distinct smells trigger certain memories? Why did we dream?

If his parents and friends couldn't answer him, he'd turn to his books. He'd scour through passages, flipping through pages, until he found the answers to his questions, and finally be able to shut and put away his books, satisfied with the new tidbit of information now stored away somewhere in the back of his mind. 

Now that he was older, he began asking himself more and more complex questions, but nothing that couldn't be answered without a little research 

It was almost like a party trick now. All his friends had to do was ask something that made them curious, and he was able to answer easily after a moment of thinking. 

He had an almost inexhaustible supply of knowledge that he loved to share. Finding explanations and answers became second nature to him. Just reading, or even actually going out into the field and experiencing gave him so much joy. 

But there was one question that eternally plagued him. 

Sure, he did his usual research and he understood the basic concept and the science behind it, but this really was something that had to be experienced to be able to fully understand it. 

Why did we fall in love? Or, more specifically, why did tattoos appear when we fell in love?


Jonghyun first met Minsoo in music composition class. His first impression of the other was that he didn't belong. Him and his shades. So he shot questioning looks at the man sitting next to him, wondering how the hell he ended up here. 

That was until the professor asked him a question and he answered with a fluidity and depth even Jonghyun didn't possess. As the professor nodded approvingly, Jonghyun whispered to Minsoo under his breath. 

"How did you even know that?"

He turned to him. 

"I like music."

He lowered his shades and shot him a goofy smile. And Jonghyun's heart thudded in his chest. 


As it turned out, Minsoo knew music and nothing else. And he ended up not even knowing all that much. 

"I can't believe you don't even know how music notes came to be! I thought you liked music," Jonghyun exclaimed, pacing around his room. 

"I like music theory. I have no interest whatsoever in its history," Minsoo called out from where he was sprawled on the bed. 

Jonghyun grimaced. 

"Look, I know that there once was a beginning to music, and that it evolved over time to become what we know as music today, but that doesn't mean I want to know every last detail of its journey. I just know that it exists, it is there for me, and that I love it. Now can we please get back to the project?"

Jonghyun huffed but obliged, coming to sit next to the other on the bed. The professor had given them their first assignment to do in pairs and had put the two of them together. They'd agreed on alternating houses for each meet-up; this time they were at Jonghyun's.

Minsoo has marveled at all his books when he first walked in, which led Jonghyun to believe that maybe the other loved knowledge as much as him. It was only when his excited outpour of random facts was met with a confused smile that he realized that no, no Minsoo did not. 

"I'm not really that type of guy. I mean, sometimes I'm interested to know that kind of stuff, but most of the time I just appreciate the fact that it's there. I know it has its story, but I don't really care to look for it."

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Jonghyun grumbled. 

Minsoo smiled next to him. 

"Fine, I understand. But once we finish this project, I will tell you how the music note got created."

Beside him, Minsoo rolled his eyes but didn't lose his smile. 


Minsoo was a good listener. Jonghyun did have to give him credit for that. Maybe he wasn't one to hit the books once a question came to mind, but he listened well to Ionghyun when he went off on one of spiels and he managed to look at least half interested, which was more than any of his friends did. 

"It's not fake. I'm not pretending," Minsoo insisted when Jonghyun once accused him of faking his interest. 

Jonghyun just eyed him dubiously. 

"It's true," Minsoo grinned at him, "I quite like listening to you talk. Seeing you with so much passion, it's really cute."

Jonghyun could feel his blush all the way down to his toes. 


"And did you know that when an elephant dies, the herd will mourn and hold a proper funeral for it before they move on?"

"Oh really?"

"Minsoo," Jonghyun whined. 

"What?" he answered, looking up. 

"Why aren't you listening to me?"

"What makes you think I'm not?" he smiled, "I always listen to what you have to say, you know that."

Jonghyun blushed as the other turned back to his computer. He talked the side of his ear, as if to say "I'm listening."

"I really wish he'd stop doing that," Jonghyun thought. 

"Doing what?"

He blanched as he realized he'd said that aloud. He laughed uncomfortably. 

"Ah, no, it's nothing. Nothing at all," he tried to change the subject, "So, anyway, as I was saying..."

But he really had his attention now. Jonghyun could feel Minsoo's eyes on him—

But he kept talking about dead elephants—

And Minsoo was looking at him with his usual amused expression—

But today there was something else there too—

Or maybe it was just his imagination—

And suddenly he wasn't talking anymore, his sentence trailing off—

And he locked gazes with Minsoo—

And then they were kissing. 

Jonghyun didn't know who reached for the other first, or how, or when, and certainly not why, but he found he didn't really mind. Not when Minsoo's lips were on his, his hands cradling the back of his head and neck, not when Minsoo was so close he could feel his heat, not when his own hands were gripping the front of the other's shirt in a desperate attempt to bring him closer. 

But then Minsoo was pulling away and it was over, and in between his pants, Jonghyun was able to ask his favorite question. 

"Why?"

His breath hitched in his throat as Minsoo leaned in again, but the other just rested his head in the crook of his neck, his lips skimming over the skin there. 

"I like you," he murmured, "You don't need an encyclopedia to figure that out."


"Minsoo?"

"Hm?"

Jonghyun heard footsteps behind him and felt arms envelop him. Minsoo rested his head in his shoulder and peered at the computer screen. 

"I've been doing some research in love," the other grinned, "And basically all it is is the brain secreting high levels of serotonin, coupled with feelings of affection, and that's what we call love."

"Wow, Jonghyun," he heard Minsoo chuckle, "Way to be romantic."

"It's fascinating—"

Minsoo suddenly spun him around in his chair, cutting off whatever he was about to say. 

"Besides, why do I even need to learn about love when I already experiencing so much of it with you?" he asked cheekily. 

Jonghyun flushed. 

"You shut up."


"Tell me, Jonghyun."

Jonghyun perked up at his words. He prepared himself to answer whatever the other was about to ask. 

"About the tattoos. Tell me about the tattoos."

Jonghyun deflated a little. It was a subject he'd only read up on and not yet managed to experience. Not even with Minsoo. 

"Oh, well. You remember that time I told you about love?"

Minsoo nodded. 

"Yeah, serotonin and affection. The not cute way of describing love."

Jonghyun rolled his eyes, but was secretly pleased by the fact that he remembered. 

"Exactly. Once your serotonin levels hit a certain point, basically when your loved one does something that makes you realize you love them, then it triggers a certain chemical that will create the tattoo. It's a long scientific, neural process that I can't quite accurately explain."

Minsoo pondered his words for a moment. 

"So, in short, it's just a bunch of chemicals in my brain?"

"Not quite that vulgar, but yes. What else were you expecting?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "It's just that, you know, for something that's supposedly so impacting, I was hoping for something a little more magical, maybe?"

"Magic doesn't exist," Jonghyun shook his head, "It's an illusion. Science isn't."

Minsoo nudged him. 

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me you don't believe at least a little bit in magic. You can't spend your entire life with just hard facts. There's gotta be room for fantasy, for the illogical, for the surreal. For the questions that have no answers."

Jonghyun didn't say anything, but as he leaned back into a beaming Minsoo, he couldn't help but think that maybe if he was around he didn't need hard facts. If Minsoo was around, maybe he did believe in magic. 

Because he himself couldn't even begin to explain exactly how the other made him feel. 


As night fell, Jonghyun settled into his evening routine. He'd been wondering, ever since he met Minsoo all those months ago, ever since they'd started dating, how was he going to get his tattoo? So far, neither Jonghyun nor Minsoo had gotten them yet, not that it bothered either of them that much. But still, he wondered. 

He was sure what he felt for Minsoo was love. He'd read enough papers and romance novels to know that the way his knees went weak at his touch, the way a smile crept onto his face at his thought, the way his heart beat faster when they were together, all those feelings were attributed to love. So he was puzzled by the fact that his skin was still unmarked. 

He did his research, in true Choi Jonghyun fashion. What it told him was that while the majority of people received their tattoo in the presence of their significant other, some people's tattoo creation got triggered by memories and the subsequent wave of affection that came with them. 

So that was what Jonghyun was aiming to accomplish. He was using science. If the tattoo refused to show up on his skin, well, then he would force it to come. And that was what he attempted to do now every night. 

He reserved a small time frame where he would do nothing but focus on Minsoo, on thoughts of him, and he tried to condense all his feelings and memories into one big ball of love that would hopefully, hypothetically, activate the reaction.

So far it hadn't worked, but Jonghyun had faith. Maybe tonight was the night. 


Tonight was the night. 

Jonghyun had been trying for a while now, focusing on creating this ball of love inside of him fed by memories and tenderness, but the time he'd put aside for this was almost up. 

He was about to sigh and turn over when a thought crossed his mind. 

A thought that reminded him of Minsoo every time Jonghyun started talking about something he'd discovered. His mind brought forth a picture of Minsoo during those times, his face one of amusement, yes, but also of rapt attention and interest and caring and adoration. A face that showed he was listening, actually listening, no matter how many times Jonghyun went off on a tangent. 

And it warmed his heart. And his skin. 

His eyes flew open. He rolled off his bed in his haste and fell to the ground in a heap of blankets. He was quick to pull them away from his body, but not quick enough. He yanked down the sleeve of his shirt to expose his collarbone, but it was over. The lines of his tattoo, Minsoo's tattoo, had finished drawing themselves, and all that was left was a light glow that soon disappeared. 

Inside, of course, he was thrilled. But at the same time, he was the tiniest bit disappointed by the fact that he had missed it. 


When he told Minsoo, the other broke into a grin so bright it dazed him. He insisted on seeing it right away, and waited with barely contained excitement as Jonghyun pulled his shirt over his head. And when he did see it, his eyes went wide with amazement and he launched himself at Jonghyun, pressing his lips against his collarbone and sending the other into a fit of giggles. 

"But why haven't I gotten mine yet?" he murmured against his neck, "I know I'm in love with you."

"It might just be a delayed reaction. A certain percentage of people have had that happen," Jonghyun whispered back, "You can do what I did, if you want."

"Nope, I want it to be natural. No forcing it, no science behind it, I want it to be like magic."

Jonghyun huffed. 

"Are you seriously against the way I did it? Look how happy it made you."

"No. I'm not against it, but that was you. You can do it your way, but I'm doing it mine."


It happened a few weeks later, on a day when they decided to be lazy and stay in. 

They were in bed, Minsoo's facing Jonghyun as he taught the former about constellations. He was speaking softly in the quietness of the afternoon, his finger tracing the figures of stars across the expanse of his back. Minsoo made a noise every now and then, to tell Jonghyun he was still listening, not that Jonghyun would even think otherwise. 

He was taking a break from talking, instead just letting his hand lightly glide over the skin, when it happened. 

Right where his hand paused, the skin grew warm. 

"Minsoo?"

"Hm?"

It was a sound of acknowledgement, but also of slight discomfort and surprise. Jonghyun couldn't even say another word, just watched with wide, focused eyes as lines of ink appeared on the skin, overlapping each other and curving this way and that to form an exact replica of the tattoo on his own ankle. He watched as the lines grew thinner until they stopped, and the glow surrounding the ink slowly faded. 

"Did I just get a tattoo?" Minsoo finally spoke up quietly. 

"Yup."

Jonghyun was amazed. How lucky was he. Witnessing the formation of a tattoo was an incredibly rare event. The few that had described it as beautiful and enchanting, and a mesmerizing phenomenon that they had the privilege of experiencing. And the fact that he was now one of the few made him giddy with happiness.  

"So are you finally satisfied?" Minsoo asked, turning onto his back to look at him, a smile on his lips. 

"Well, yes," Jonghyun climbed on top of him, "I've finally seen the answer to my biggest question. But the fact that this," he traced the still warm skin with his finger, "is because of me, just makes it infinitely more amazing."