FRIDAY / INTRO TO ANTHROPOLOGY (14:30-16:30)

What was so great about University life again?

Taemin finds himself wondering about this once again on the day of the debate, grimacing when his Professor reads his name off some card and proclaiming that he would be the representative for the Male Division. “Make me proud, kid,” is what Professor Park tells him once he got up on stage, his eyebrows shooting upward at the too-heavy pat on the back his teacher leaves him with before stepping down himself.

As if it weren’t horrible enough that he had to endure the awkwardness of talking about ‘The Trials of Love’ with his male classmates, Taemin now had to present in class too.

Awesome, he thinks drolly, rubbing his eyes, just ing awes—

“Choi Jinri will represent the Female Division.” Professor Park announces, clapping his hands along with the female students whooping support. The girl—Jinri—locks eyes with him as she makes her way to the podium, her cheeks pink as she smiles at him. It’s enough to push his anxiety into overdrive, dissolving into frantic panic as his heart thudded against his chest.

I can’t do this. I can’t talk about Love with the girl I actually do—“You may begin.”

“Ladies’ first,” Taemin says immediately, shooting Jinri a look that he hopes didn’t look so desperately worried. Jinri blinks at him in surprise, nodding seconds later and missing his fists clench at his sides as she looked over her notes. Her voice is clear as she begins,

“The problem with the world today is we have become split into two types of people when it comes to love: We are either those who express the text in excess or those who express it in subtext. Neither of which are right for the kind of communication a healthy love needs. In the former, the words ‘I love you’ have been—in our opinion—losing its credibility. We see and hear the words thrown about easily in the media. Whether it is in books, songs or films—the words ‘I love you’ ring in our ears so often it loses its own magic. You could say that you love someone and then on the next day not mean it. Today, there are people who use the words simply just that… words to say to fill awkward, silent moments when it is not me