The Theory of Everything

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A theory of everything (ToE) or final theory, ultimate theory, or master theory is a hypothetical single, all-encompassing, coherent theoretical framework of physics that fully explains and links together all physical aspects of the universe. Finding a ToE is one of the major unsolved problems in physics.

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“I love you,” a whisper rang through an empty space.

“I love you,” another wave of sounds followed, light as a feather.

A clash. The meeting of two surfaces, one slightly wet, the other dry and warm.

“I love your soft and warm skin, kissed by the sun.”

Another clash.

“I love you diamond features, jaw curved by gods.”

Another clash.

“I love your nose.”

Another clash.

“I love your eyes, shining with the power stolen from all the stars above.”

Another clash.

“I love your lips, spilling the most beautiful melody in the whole wide universe.”

Another clash.

“I love your gentle hands, and when they touch mine.”

Another clash.

“I love you and all of you and about you.”

A whisper came out and the stars exploded with a silver light.

“Tell me a secret.”

“A secret?”

“Yes.”

“I have counted all the stars on the sky. There are two. And I am looking at them now.”

A tap, a clash of a soft skin against a thin fabric.

“Tell me something important.”

“Important? Was that not important?”

“Tell me.”

“I think,” the quiet sound died hitting a wall of feathers, “that I have found the answer.”

“What answer?” an even quieter sound like a little snowflake falling onto the ground hit the other wall of feathers.

“To my theory of everything.”

A loud bang was heard and for a split second the dark space lit with white light.

“What is it?”

“You.”

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“What do you think is out there?” Jongdae asked his boyfriend while looking at the stars and the Suns and the Moons decorating the sky above their heads.

The other only sighed, resting on the windowsill next to Jongdae.

“Nothing,” he whispered, taking the younger’s hand in his, and started drawing small circles on his palm, a habit of his that was calming him down.

“Why do you always think of nothingness, when just in front of you is displayed the most beautiful scenery your eyes could ever see,” Jongdae wondered, not daring to advert his eyes from the burning, golden globes far away from him.

Minseok looked to the side, admiring his beloved’s profile.

“You’ve no idea what beauty my eyes have seen,” he whispered, and his heart was aching from the love he had for the younger boy.

“Look at the Suns. Look how they glow on the sky. Look at the gold that drips down from them, like a waterfall falling to the ground, like gold falling from the sky. It shines brighter than any money or diamonds on this Earth. It glows brighter than the old Sun. This light could be the one of a lighthouse, calling lost beings of the Universe back home. What if it is, Minseok?”

“I have seen things that shine brighter than the light of the three suns,” the older whispered, smiling softly to himself.

“Look at the moons! Look at this silver, most beautiful surface the creation has ever made! They hang there, on the jet black canopy, like the clock face of the watch that is life and death. Do you see the silver light emitting from them, chasing away the darkness of the night, a light so bright that is seems to be a living soul? Do you not think that the light of the moons looks like light of a soul? I like to think that, you know, that one day, when I die, my soul will be shining down on the Earth from up there. Do you think that’s possible?”

Minseok ran a hand through the younger’s soft, dark hair, and Jongdae leant into the touch, smiling a little.

“Why do you think of death?”

“I do not. I think of time. And how little I have left.”

“You have the whole life ahead of you.”

“But that is still not enough.”

“What do you need the time for?”

“For this,” Jongdae replied, mentioning towards the suns, and the moons and the stars spreading above them.

“If you die,” Minseok whispered looking at the moons, “and your soul becomes a star – do you know how will I know which one is you?” he asked, looking at the younger again. The latter only shook his head, listening carefully. “You will be the brightest star in the whole Universe,” he mumbled, embracing the younger, “you will shine brighter than the three Suns, and the Moons, and all of the stars. And if you leave me first, I will sit here, and I will look up, and I will know. I will know that you are happy.”

“Minseok –“

“And if I die first and my soul becomes a star, I will spend the eternity that I will have left, I will spend it on searching for you, and when I find you, the brightest soul in the Universe, I will spend the remaining time looking at you from afar, because I will know that you are happy.”

“You will never have to look for me, Min,” Jongdae answered back, looking up beyond Minseok’s frame, “I am not going anywhere without you. Anywhere.”

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The loved one and the one who loved.

For one, the brightest thing in the universe was the gold of the Sun.

For the other, the brightest thing in the universe was the smile of the one he loved the most.

For one, the Universe was covered with the endless amount of stars, impossible to count.

For the other, there were only two stars in the Universe, and they were hidden in the eyes of the one he loved the most.

For one, being eternal meant being immortal.

For the other, being eternal meant being with the one he loved the most.

For one, the most beautiful thing in the Universe was up, the jet black canopy.

For the other, the most beautiful thing in the Universe was the one he loved.

For one, the most important was to get there, up there, and touch the stars.

For the other, the most important was to be here, down here, with the one he loved the most.

The loved one and the one who loved.

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There was a knock on the white door. A person wearing all white walked in. Jongdae, dressed in white, looked up from his desk and equations, and smiled at his friend. The door closed, and the newcomer walked deeper into the white room. He sat on a white chair and smiled.

“How are you doing?”

“I think I am close to something. I think I can finally decode the theory of everything. I am –“

“Is Minseok anywhere?” the person interrupted Jongdae, looking around.

The younger shrugged, adjusting his glasses, “probably in his office? Why? Has anything happened?”

“I have news,” the other smiled, “it is finished. We finished it, Jongdae.”

Jongdae’s eyes shone and he jumped out of his chair, ecstatic.

“I am going to bring Minseok! He needs to hear it! Junmyeon, oh my! This is so amazing! It is going to change everything!” the young one shouted, his face lighted by happiness. Without second thoughts he ran out of the white room, into the white corridor and after passing a few doors with a speed of light, he stood in front of white door with a smile “Kim Minseok” written on a golden plate. Not minding about knocking, Jongdae just rushed inside the room, and grabbing his boyfriend by his lab coat, he dragged him back to his own office.

“What happened?” Minseok asked, panting.

Jongdae beamed, shaking Junmyeon’s arm, “tell him, tell him, tell him!”

“It’s done,” the scientist said, looking Minseok in the eyes, “the Odyssey is finished.”

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The Odyssey was a project that had been worked on for years. It was a small chip, which was supposed to help separate one’s conscious with his body. There were many failed experiments and many deaths along the way. But they were desperate. They were needy. They were hungry of answers for some questions. The Odyssey was to be the key to understand the Universe, to discover every corner of it. The Odyssey was the child of their pride.

“This,” Jongdae whispered, looking at the small, silver chip, “this is everything I have ever dreamt of.”

Minseok frowned and a chill ran down his spine. He was afraid of ideas that may form in the younger’s head.

“Who is going to test it?” he asked, looking at Junmyeon.

“That is what I wanted to talk to the two of you,” the scientist smiled, and Minseok slowly shook his head, worst case scenario displaying in his head. He knew what Junmyeon whated to say next, “I would like to send Jongdae,” he said, and Minseok’s world crushed.

Jongdae, on the other hand, looked at the two in disbelief.

“Me?” he whispered.

“Would you like to visit the edge of the Universe, Jongdae?”

Jongdae’s head started spinning, and all he could feel was enormous force of joy filling his whole form. He smiled widely, and remembering he was still at work, he only bowed deeply.

“That would be an honor,” he replied, and every cell of his body wanted to scream.

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When Junmyeon and Minseok left Jongae’s office, the latter grabbed the scientist arm, and whined, “why have you done it?” he asked, and his eyes were grey from sadness.

“Done what, Minseok?” Junmyeon smiled slightly, taking the older’s hand from his coat.

“Why Jongdae?” the other whispered in a broken voice.

“He is the best for this. And it has been his dream forever, Minseok. It has been his dream before you, and it will be his dream after you.”

“Please, Junmyeon,” Minseok begged, “do not take him from me.”

“Minseok, I am not sending him to death. It is a scientific mission. I do not want to take him away from you. I am only making his dreams come true,” Junmyeon smiled reassuringly, patting Minseok’s shoulder.

“What if something goes wrong, Jun? Send someone else, please!”

“The decision has been made, Minseok. Jongdae said yes. There is nothing I can do now. Do not worry. It will be like a normal work day,” he said and left.

Minseok’s hands started shaking, and he fell to the ground.

“Do not take him away from me,” he whispered.

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"Jongdae," the older asked, playing with the younger's hair.

"Hmmm?" the said boy muttered, enjoying the moment.

"What is your biggest dream?"

"I cannot tell you," Jongdae chuckled, and Minseok raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because. But I can tell you my second biggest dream."

"Hmm?"

"The edge of the Universe."

Minseok was sitting on a windowsill, looking up at the Universe. The three Suns on the horizon, the Moons crowned the canopy. The stars were everywhere, taking up every empty space. Minseok looked at the galaxies, some shining brighter, some not; he observed the bridges and cosmic roads formed by stardust. Somewhere far he spotted a bright eruption, and then a loud crash. Supernova. He watched the sky paint itself in a mosaic of colors, he watched the act of creation happen in front of his very own eyes, and he could not appreciate it.

Instead of beauty he saw destruction.

“You have been avoiding me,” he heard a whisper behind his back, but chose not to turn.

“I have been thinking,” he replied instead, counting the stars.

“What have you been thinking about?” Jongdae asked, sitting next to him, and automatically fixing his gaze on a massive, colorful nebula stretching up at the canopy.

Minseok did not answer, but Jongdae did not seem to realize.

“It is so beautiful,” he whispered instead, “have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

Minseok did not answer, still counting the stars.

“I cannot believe I will be able to see it up close,” Jongdae whispered again, very quietly, but Minseok heard it anyway. He did not answer, but a tear fell down his cheek, as he continued counting.

The moonlight reflected in the tear, and Jongdae looked at Minseok.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, but Minseok did not answer. “Minseok!” he shook him lightly, but Minseok did not answer. “Answer me! What is wrong?! Minseok!” he exclaimed, but Minseok did not answer.

He kept on counting.

“Stop couting!” he yelled, and Minseok looked at him.

“You once said,” he whispered, “that if I manage to count all the stars, you will do anything I ask of you.”

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, surprised. Minseok looked back at the sky and counted.

“What do you want to ask of me?” he asked slowly, feeling unsure.

Minseok kept quiet for a moment and then lowered his gaze.

“Would you love me more if my soul was a star on the sky?” he asked, and Jongdae’s eyes widened. “Would you love me more if instead of being this,” he pointed at his body, “I was this,” he then looked up, “if I was a celestial body. A heavenly one.”

“Minseok,” Jongdae whispered, pained, “what are you talking about?”

“Have I ever stood a chance in this race with the Universe for you heart? Or have I always been a fool on a lurch?”

The younger looked at him and there was pain in his eyes, “Min –“

“I have always been a fool,” he whispered, letting out a sigh. There was an undisturbed silence between them, and Minseok was silently praying for Jongdae to say something, anything, for him to say he was wrong, that there was nothing that mattered more that Minseok, but Jongdae stayed silent, after a moment only turning and looking up at the stars. There was one more question on Minseok’s lips, begging to be asked, but the boy swallowed it, realizing the case was lost.

He was lost.

He was the one who loved, and Jongdae was the loved one.

They sat there, back turned to each other, looking up at the same sky, but seeing different stars.

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“I love you,” Minseok whispered into Jongdae’s ear, pressing the younger to his chest and running a hand through the younger’s hair, “I love you,” he repeated, and his only answer was Jongdae’s steady breathing, as his was already deep asleep. “Do not leave me,” Minseok pleaded, “hate me, yell at me, argue with me, but do not leave me,” he kept on mumbling, “do not do it, Dae. I beg you. I will do better, I will be better, I will do anything for you. You know that. I will do anything you ask of me, I will become the star for you, shining only for you, I will be your own light, but please, do not leave me.”

He placed a soft kiss on Jongdae’s shoulder and stood up. He looked at the sleeping form in his bed and felt like breaking down.

He was a fool for loving someone like Jongdae.

“Even our Jongdae will once meet someone he’ll love more than the Universe,” Junmyeon laughed over a glass of gold liquor.

The younger blew a raspberry, “I wanna see that happen,” he chuckled, taking a sip from his glass, “there is no one beautiful enough to compare to the Universe.”

“You’re only saying that now, Dae,” Junmyeon wiggled his eyebrows, nodding in Minseok’s direction. The older only laughed.

“Are you suggesting something?” Minseok asked, looking at Junmyeon, “competing with the whole wide Universe? That’s a lot to take,” he laughed, drinking his silver drink.

Jongdae tilted his head to the side at the comment, and suddenly said, “your eyes are almost the size of the moons, anyway,” he smirked, “you might actually stand a chance.”

Both Minseok and Junmyeon were taken aback by Jongdae’s comment. Minseok smirked back, and leaning in, he whispered to the younger, “Sunshine, if I play, I play to win.”

Minseok swallowed, remembering that day. He lost. Jongdae will never love him more than he loved the stars.

The boy looked up at the black sea above his head, and once again started wondering if he would finally be given the love he deserves if he was up there, if he was a part of the Universe, if his soul was a shining star.

He looked outside the window and down at the ground. Would it be enough to die?