Joon surveyed the first row of students and smothered a sigh. It was incredibly...wrong, what he saw. At the very most left end was Kyuhyun, followed by Sungmin and Ryeowook. The latter two were exchanging soft whispers and smiles, hands touching on the surface of one of their desks. Beside Ryeowook were Minho, then Mir, Taemin and finally Dongwoon.

The whole set up made Joon wonder if it was purposeful – of course it was purposeful. Knowing their personalities, it would definitely have ended up looking like that. Forcing a smile, he bowed to the class and said, “I’m Lee Joon, co-owner of Modern Matchmaker. My fiancé Kim Jongwoon—”

“Fiancé?” The front row blurted, Sungmin and Ryeowook staggering to their feet. They were seated next to each other and nearly collided in their haste.

Kyuhyun’s eyes flickered in surprise at the statement – then again, he didn’t really know Yesung or Lee Joon. They had always just been some hyungs in his first year.

Yesung glanced at them and smiled faintly. Casually, he lifted his hand, showing a plain white gold band on his middle finger. Joon offered a sheepish smile before clearing his throat and nodding at the shocked duo. “Yes, we aren’t getting married anytime soon. I just felt we were more than lovers. I wanted to show him that I was more serious than that, even if I can’t afford to do anything right this second.”

Ryeowook and Sungmin had settled down again, but the looks of shock were still plastered on their faces.

“Which brings me to the point of this whole lecture,” Joon stated, “I’m here to tell you all about an important part of life.” He removed the microphone from the podium, travelling across the floor. “Many of you either believe in love or believe in lust. However, there’s a third option that you’re missing.”

“You see, I don’t disagree with those of you who say love doesn’t exist. It’s very possible that love doesn’t exist,” Joon paused in his steps, eyes sliding over the troubling first row of seats. “What all of you may not realize is that there is one absolute in the illogical world of affections.” He walked back towards the large whiteboard and wrote down a single word.

SOULMATE

Joon turned back around to gauge their reactions. Most kept clean poker faces but some appeared to absorb each and every word coming from his mouth. “Soulmate,” he pronounced. “Even if you don’t believe in souls, there’s far more to it than the literal meaning. Soulmates are two people born for one another. They were created to be together.”

“If you’re an Atheist, think of it this way,” Joon smiled, “a soulmate is someone who’s more than a friend, more than a lover. He or she is the only absolute in your life. He or she may not always be the person who stands beside you through thick and thin, but they will be the one and only person who you can never let go of. The world will always bring you two back together, no matter what.”

“However, can anyone guess what the difference between soulmates and,” Joon wrote down a second word right beside SOULMATE, “love, is?”

No one answered, waiting for him to speak.

He tapped the board, saying, “Love is lucky. Love has to do with meeting and falling over the edge together. This person is the one who would be by your side through the hard times as well as the easy. Finding love…well, it’s a tricky business. There’s so much growth that comes with love, however love is fleeting.”

Joon tapped his chest right over his heart, “Love makes this little ticker go crazy. Love makes you see hearts and flowers. Love is blinding. It’s a beautiful experience, if you’re ever lucky enough to fall.”

“Now, the question is: Which one Soulmates or Love?” He gazed around the room, “Raise your hand if you would want to be safe and sound with your soulmate.”

A majority raised their hands, yet the entire first row didn’t.

Joon didn’t comment on the reaction from them and simply went on to ask, “Raise your hand if you would want to free fall with someone who helped you grow.”

And still, the front row made no move to answer.

“Do you guys not have an opinion or are you boycotting my lecture?” he chuckled, looking at the impassive faces.

Mir gave his hyung an apologetic look before casting his eyes back down.

Ryeowook and Sungmin shrugged uncomfortably, both hesitant.

Minho really looked as if he didn’t have an opinion.

Kyuhyun was stony faced as usual.

Taemin didn’t appear interested.

Dongwoon just smiled as if he were enjoying himself.

“Goodness…,” Joon muttered, straightening his back and walking back to the podium. “Alright, we’re going to pass out answer sheets now. Please make sure you get one and a pencil. We’ll be taking a compatibility quiz.” He heard whispers ripple through the crowd, mixed responses making their way to his ears. “If you have a lover, boyfriend, girlfriend outside of this academy, write down their address and we’ll send them a copy of the quiz if you want to see if you two are compatible. Otherwise we’ll match you up with anyone who takes the quiz at school.”

There was more hesitation and Joon chuckled, “Please don’t worry. Participation isn’t mandatory. If you feel uncomfortable go ahead and tell Yesung that you don’t need a sheet.”

Ryeowook smiled shyly up at Yesung who offered him a pencil and answer sheet. “T-Thank you, Yesung-hyung,” he managed, a bright red blush on his face.

“You’re welcome, Ryeowook,” that wonderful voice replied before moving on to give supplies to the rest of the line.  

Truly, the slender boy could’ve swooned right then and there. Sungmin’s mouth quirked up in amusement and he nudged his boyfriend. “After that many years you’re still hyung’s fanboy?”

“He’s so cool…,” Ryeowook sighed dreamily, ignoring the teasing.

Sungmin rolled his eyes, knowing that he just lost.

After several more minutes of shuffling and organizing, the students were ready to take questions. Joon had, in the meantime, pulled the projector down and loaded the quiz. “I’m going to display each question. Please answer them as truthfully as you can for the best results. Oh, and don’t peek at your friends’ answers. Their choices won’t help you for the most part.” The attractive man pressed a button and the first question popped up.