“Love… is something that cannot be forced. It is an emotion that should come naturally, without any pressure and fear caused by society’s expectations. Love is associated with the heart. It is something that cannot be dictated. Not by the people. Not by your own mind. And most especially, not by a mere name that appeared on your body.”

He pauses, taking slow but sure strides in the middle of the court, his steeled eyes not leaving the gaze of his debate opponent.

“I believe that people are given the mind and the free will to choose what they wish to do with their lives,” he continues, his voice reeking of confidence. “And the government must not interfere with that. We must not use our power to oppress the people and force them to do something that is out of their own will. To put it simply, I disagree with the proposition because I do not deem it to be fair for us to implement a law where people may only marry their supposed soulmates – basically, the people whose names are written on their skin.”

There are a few hums of agreement from around him, although it does nothing for his already skyrocketing confidence. He is sure he is going to win this one.

There is just no way his argument can be proven invalid.

“So you are saying,” his opponent says, a slight taunting smirk gracing his lips, “that you do not have faith in the forces that put the names on our skin? That you are questioning the higher beings, and at the same time, our history? You are aware, aren’t you? That centuries ago before all of this started, humanity was a mess and there was practically no loyalty left anymore in the world. Are you suggesting that we allow the people to turn away from their destiny and do as they wish, just like how our ancestors did in the past, where they caused the world to become so full of filth to the point that the deities had to interfere? Is that what you wish to happen, Lee Donghae-ssi?”

Once again, there are agreeing hums and nods, hushed murmurs coming about from different directions.

Donghae’s lips press into a thin line, his fists clenching behind his back as he inhales deeply, relaxing his now agitated nerves as he answers, “Then tell me, Lee Hyukjae-ssi. What about the people who fall in love before they turn eighteen? What about them, when their time comes and a different name appears on their skin? Is the government going to rule their love out as invalid? Are they supposed to simply forget and force themselves to love whoever it is whose name is written on their bodies, just because it’s what the so-called fate tells them to? You should know that I am in no way questioning our history nor the higher forces who gift us with the knowledge of our supposed soulmates’ names on our eighteenth birthdays. What I am merely trying to point out is the fact that while some people may choose to believe in the fated names inked into their skin, it is only fair to allow people not to believe in it either if they do not wish to do so.”

Hyukjae exhales audibly, seemingly fighting off the urge to blatantly roll his eyes. “You seem to be missing the point here, Donghae-ssi. If you are not disregarding our history then you would not be suggesting this at all. There is proof and evidence of the chaos that was Earth years ago – it is written in our books, engraved into our minds ever since we were children. The Gods’ blessing, the names that appear on our skin when we turn eighteen, serves as a guide for us not to repeat the same mistakes anymore. What good would it do to choose someone else when fate has spelled out the name of the person who is meant for you? By allowing this to happen, you are practically asking for a reenactment of the past. Another round of lies, betrayals, adultery, and so on. Do you want that, Donghae-ssi? Do you want the people to show and prove to the Gods what useless, ungrateful creatures we are? That we do not know how to learn our lesson, and that we cannot appreciate the blessings bestowed upon us?”

Donghae’s fists are clenching so hard he could already feel his nails digging into the skin of his palms. His teeth are gritted tightly underneath his firmly shut lips and his eyes are burning a hole on his opponent, Lee Hyukjae, who is sending him that familiar condescending look – that one ing look Donghae has hated for his entire life.

He breathes through his nose, forcing himself to calm down and not punch the living daylights out of this bastard. Just as he opens his mouth to continue with his argument, however, the sound of the shrill school bell ringing forces him to stop.

A collective sigh of relief is heard from the entire classroom as the teacher claps his hands and says, “Excellent job, Hyukjae and Donghae, your argumentative skills have definitely improved. An A+ for the both of you. That’s it for today. Class dismissed.”

Donghae’s shoulders slump in his stance, and he looks down on the floor as he exhales heavily, a hand going up to loosen the tie of his school uniform. He hears Lee Hyukjae’s footsteps nearing and he stills, tension causing his muscles to stiffen once more as he allows his eyes to glare up at the classmate who has paused next to him.

“You lost again today, Donghae-ssi,” Hyukjae taunts with a smirk before he continues walking, his shoulder bumping harshly against Donghae’s as the latter forces himself not to stumble, biting his lip so hard it almost bleeds.

He turns and watches Hyukjae leave the classroom, his gaze murderous as he whispers, “We’ll see about that, Lee Hyukjae.”

♦

“Hyungnim!”

A familiar high pitched voice echoes throughout the slightly crowded hallway, making Donghae groan exasperatedly as he counts under his breath.

In three…

two…

one…

“Hyungnim!”

A heavy weight suddenly throws itself onto his back, thin lanky arms wrapping around his shoulders and neck as the squealing boy giggles in his ear.

“Ah, get off!” Donghae growls in mild annoyance, his hands going up to pry the arms off of him. “Ryeowook!”

The said boy merely laughs again before allowing his arms to disentangle themselves from Donghae. He falls into step with the older boy, his bright eyes looking up at Donghae’s disgruntled expression.

“Hyungnim,” Ryeowook chirps cheerfully. “I heard you went one on one again with Lee Hyukjae today in debate. How was it? You whipped his , didn’t you? Did you humiliate him in front of the whole class? Did you get a higher grade? I bet he only got himself a B at most. He’s got nothing on your debate skills, you know.”

“On the contrary,” Donghae mutters, gritting his teeth in irritation as he remembers the events from earlier. “That ing got the last word. Stupid school bell got in the way, and the teacher had to dismiss us. We also got the same ing grade of A+.”

“What?” Ryeowook exclaims dramatically, a bony hand going over to rest on top of his chest. “I can’t believe this. That is not fair at all. The teacher could’ve just told you to continue on the next meeting and give grades according to the result of the debate. It isn’t fair that you were cut off by the school bell when you could have proven your argument still.”

“I know,” Donghae rolls his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they turn a corner, heading towards the school cafeteria. “That’s why I’ll make sure to get back at that bastard. Maybe later during gym class.”

“Try not to assault him physically,” Ryeowook reminds, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. “We may want to get back at him but we don’t want you to get into trouble. Can’t be bothered to have something dirtying your perfect record and all.”

Donghae snorts to himself as they enter the lunchroom, causing the heads of both males and females alike to turn looking at their direction. Some boys and girls automatically smile as they greet Donghae cheerfully, while the others whisper among themselves as they eye him appreciatively.

As always, Lee Donghae is as popular as ever. The captain of the tennis team, and known to be their ace, he has charmed the hearts of the school population ever since his freshman year. His princely handsome looks, topped off with his golden blond hair, has won him the title of the school’s angel. He is intelligent, coming out consistently within the top three of each and every one of his classes. He is also an officer for the music club, and the one with the most members in his fanclub.

Ryeowook giggles, amused over the fact that Donghae’s popularity also affects him, as he nods and waves to some of the schoolmates who are greeting him as well. Donghae simply returns a timid smile to all of them – one that has them swooning in an instant, as his eyes purposefully avoid their admiring gazes.

It isn’t so much that he is a cold person who doesn’t care about the people who admire him. It’s just that Donghae finds the situation rather awkward and slightly embarrassing. He never really wished to be popular – he simply wanted to do well in school by getting high grades and joining a lot of extra-curricular activities. He has plans of going to the most prestigious university in Seoul, after all, so it is only fair that he does his best. The popularity he gets from it is just an extra bonus, or sometimes, although he wouldn’t say it out loud, a nuisance that he has to bear with.

“Hey guys,” Sungmin greets as Ryeowook and Donghae slide into their respective seats. “Ryeonggu-yah, how was class with my baby?”

Ryeowook rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he eyes the long queue to the counter. “Your baby who doesn’t even know he’s your baby, you mean? It was okay. He’s the same insufferable prick as always. I don’t know why you like him, hyung.”

“You know very well why,” Sungmin grins. “His name is on my hip after all.”

“But it’s not exactly certain that he is your soulmate,” Ryeowook shoots back. “He’s not even inked yet. Maybe somewhere out there, your actual soulmate who has the same name as him already has your name inked on him, and yet you busy yourself with that brat from my classes instead of going to the Center to possibly look for him.”

“But he’s cute,” says Sungmin, a small pout on his lips. “And he’s totally my type. I’ll just wait until he turns eighteen.”

“That’s a year from now, hyung,” Ryeowook wrinkles his nose. “But somehow, I do hope it’s him for you, because I don’t want all of your pining to go to waste.”

“I’m sure it won’t,” Sungmin answers, a cheerful glint in his doe eyes before he turns them to look at their silent golden blond companion. “So Donghae, your fans are talking a lot today. I heard about it in my math class. Apparently, you had debate with Lee Hyukjae? How was it?”

Donghae sighs, repressing the urge to make a face or roll his eyes at the plat