Strong Heart Chapter 23
Strong HeartMir disassembled the final cardboard box and shoved it precariously on top of a pile. Dust and dirt flew up but he ignored it, relishing in the feeling of finally being done. There had been so many love letters. He had, had no idea reformers cared about sending lovers letters for Valentine’s Day.
Originally, Ryeowook told Mir that StudGov ordered a surplus of cards for future usage but they had used up every single piece of stationary. It was a rather impressive feet.
“Done?” Dongwoon inquired, stepping out of the Tech Shop office. In his hand was a folded sheet of paper.
Mir nodded, eyeing the slip curiously. What could it be? Tomorrow was a day off so it couldn’t have possibly been a school assignment; if it was, Mir would have to tell Dongwoon how wrong it was to fold paper that had to be submitted for class. The possibility of the sheet being a StudGov assignment was also low considering tomorrow was the final event and Ryeowook, as president, would have all of the documents organized already.
“Yeah, it’s done,” Mir replied, checking the clock on the wall. Red, digital numbers displayed themselves on the black panel: 11:45
Dongwoon smiled a tad breathlessly as if he had just been running around. “Thanks for doing all of that. I really needed to finish this,” he waved the paper in the air before walking towards Mir and placing it in his hand.
“What is…it?” Mir mumbled, unfolding it to see a series of percentages. After a second or two of studying it, his eyes grew.
A satisfied grin broke the flushed smile and Dongwoon nudged the smaller boy’s shoulder. “What are you waiting for? I want to be heading home by midnight.”
“Right, sorry,” he answered unsteadily, hurrying out to the stage and climbing down some steps, through the auditorium and up through the exit at the topmost seats. Mir reread the light positioning instructions as he neared the Sound Booth, opening the heavy black door.
Carefully, he shifted the controls, making sure to follow the instructions closely. It looked as if Dongwoon had spent a great deal of time on it. Mir didn’t want all that work to go to waste because of carelessness.
It took several minutes to get all of them right, but once it was perfect, he took a slow breath and lowered the main stage lights.
Multi-colored spotlights spilled onto the performance floor, arranging itself into a large, transparent heart. Mir felt his chest tighten, words getting caught in his throat. What had Dongwoon…done?
A hand pressed down on Mir’s shoulder, jolting the boy. “Look down,” Dongwoon stated, leaning over the smaller boy in the dark Sound Booth.
Mir’s gaze lowered and he couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on his face. The drab white keys of the control panel were arranged into letters.
V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E-S
"Valentines,” he read, tilting his head back to say thank you for the present.
Before a single word could fall from his lips though, he froze. The tightness of his chest loosened as his heart quickened. Why did Dongwoon have to look at him like that? Why did he have to make Mir feel like they were more than just friends? Couldn’t friends be intimate without being romantically intimate? So…why was it they always felt romantically intimate when they were alone together?
He didn’t like it. He knew Taemin didn’t like it.
Yet, there was nothing he could do without making Dongwoon feel uncomfortable – that’s what the online blogger said anyway.
Friendships are built on trust and compatibility. The second you make your friend distrust you or feel insecure around you is the moment you know you’ve done something horribly wrong.
“Ah, it was tricky getting those two things to match up,” Dongwoon rolled his eyes, exasperation evident in his voice, “I had to reposition the lights so many times so the words would line up like that on the sound board.”
“It’s really cool…thanks,” Mir replied stiffly, “I’ve never had someone spend so much time on something…for just me before.”
Dongwoon just smiled.
A buzzing shattered the moment.
Mir took out his phone, seeing a text message from Taemin.
Taemin says: Come over tonight!!
I say: Sure, I’ll be over in a few minutes.
“You’re heading out, then?” Dongwoon asked, casually.
Mir nodded awkwardly. “Yeah…Taemin wants me to come over.” He shut down all the lights, feeling a small pang of guilt for cutting it all. Maybe he should’ve taken a picture first.
Silence passed between them, the sort of silence that Mir hoped wouldn’t exist between him and his friends. So, doing his best, he asked, “S-So how are t-things with K-Kikwang?”
Dongwoon twisted the knob of the door, offering a very strained grin, “Well, it’s just a dance date. I’m not sure what you expect me to say.”
“O-Oh…sorry,” he mumbled.
“No. Don’t be sorry,” the taller of the two shook his head, “maybe hanging out with new people will be good for me.” One foot crossed the threshold but then he stopped and glanced back at Mir, “Happy Valentine’s Day. You deserve a lot more than you’re getting Mir. Just remember that.” Then he left.
Mir slumped back against the table of equipment. There was something horribly wrong between them.
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