"For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips."

Sandara and Seung hyun are friends. That is their current relationship designation. So it wasn't such a weird set-up that on one of his very few, very far staggered day off was going to be spent helping her paint her bedroom.

She had told him over the phone last week that being single . He chuckles. He always chuckles when she moans about being single.

"I'm single." He says, he chokes on a bit of spit that doesn't go down very well on his last swallow.

Why did that kind of sound like an offer.  He clears his throat. Reminding himself that he doesn't like her that way. Dara is like... a princess... or a dried dandelion. He doesn't know. All he knows that he isn't interested on her that way... because she was special. She was delicate.

"That's my point, Tabi. Doesn't it being single?"

Dara was like him. He knew her intimately because always when she says things it always kind of sound wrong, like he does.

"I don't think being single ." He tells her. "Being alone doesn't mean you're lonely, Santoki."

She huffs. He imagines her blowing on her new set of bangs. He hears her bed deflate.

"Aw. Santoki, what exactly is wrong?"

"It's Valentine's Day next week." She deflates.

He gets it. He does. He always thought being alone doesn't mean one is lonely, but everything pink and red and everyone is dying to be sweet and in love, being single kinda, sorta did . He usually ends up drinking with poor ers of friends who were single. This year though even weirdly awkward "I need a Girl" Young Bae was going on a date. And . Was he lonely?

"Do you want to go out and have a drink, maybe?" He blurts out before he could think of what he was saying. His eyes grow wide. Jesus F. Did he just ask her out?

"Excuse me, Choi. I don't take pity dates. I am a strong independent woman."

He laughs, cool relief crawl up his spine. Lately, to him, his been sounding more and more like he was interested in her romantically. But that couldn't be true right? Because he likes her, like her. Because she was funny, and awkward, and dedicated to a fault.

Platonic love is defined as a love of the mind. And he loves her mind. Sandara and him were completely platonic.

"It wasn't a pity date, Dara. It's a platonic soju exhange." He says. He doesn't really get why he's forcing the issue. Maybe he was more afraid of being alone on Valentine's than he dares admit.

"Aw. Poor tabi needs company!" He imagines if she was there in the room she'd poke her playfully on his rib. He smiles to himself. "But I really can't. I was being dumb so while Chae-cat was buying chocolates for her Young-baby I bought paint."

Young baby? Seung hyun grimaces. Gross. Romance makes things icky gross, he feels like a quick barf. On Young-baby's face.

No wait. Paint? "Paint?"

"Yeah, I'm painting my room blue. You know, because I'm having a blue valentine."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"You know if the heart is blue, it's dead right?"

"Oh god Dara! Why are you so morbid?"

"I don't know. Hahaha." She laughs. He likes it when she laughs. She always wrinkle her nose when