Mir closed the textbook with a resounding thud, humming and smiling. The morning was beautiful. The sky was gorgeous and pale. Everything was just so wonderful!

He even finished studying earlier than expected. It would probably be his first time going into a morning exam with breakfast energizing his body. After tucking the books back in their proper places, he left the Honors Dorm library, traipsing through the hallways.

What was the fun in hurrying from place to place? There was certain freshness about the air, most likely due to the cracked open windows lining the stairs. Although I gave the building a slight chill, it was better than stuffy and overbearing – a common problem the past few months. Just because it was winter the school thought there was a need for boiling their students.

To get back on topic, the past several hours had been absolutely perfect. Mir couldn’t recall a happier day in his life. Not only had Taemin confessed his love first, Taemin had also been the one to insist on just sleeping together.

It was like a dream, a glorious, envious dream.

Every word and feeling kept replaying in his mind and the damned broken record didn’t bother him one bit. Actually, Mir wouldn’t have cared if it continued forever.

I love you.

Why did such a simple phrase make him weak-kneed and jittery? He felt like an idiot for grinning whenever the words dropped from the Taemin in his imagination. For so long Mir had been praying for the day his feelings would be accepted and it was finally here.

Thank you, Saint Valentine.

This overwhelming happiness was blinding, really. That was why Mir didn’t think twice as he opened the door to his dorm room. Perhaps it should have occurred to him that barging into rooms uninvited never ended well.

Then again, how could Mir possibly recall the day he learned of Taemin and Minho’s intimate relationship – when he was so ecstatic? The mere idea of opening a locked door without warning should have scared him. Yet, there he was, casually pushing the dorm room door open as if he was none the wiser.

Surely, if he had been in a proper state of mind and not high on love, he would’ve thought twice about walking inside.

And as life would have it, Mir met the sore sight of his roommate sleeping soundly in bed, bare body pressed close to a vaguely familiarly faced boy.

It wasn’t supposed to hurt.

Mir silently closed the door, backing away from the room with awkward, jerky steps. No matter what he did, his eyes wouldn’t leave the wooden frame – wouldn’t tear away from the bleeding image on the other side of that thin barrier.

Experts say pain is all mental. Mir flexed his muscles, shaking his head. Pain is all mental. Pain doesn’t exist. What was worse, he hated that it wouldn’t go away. A non-existent feeling wouldn’t just go away.

He was already outside and heading towards the Dining Hall, braving the biting cold without a jacket. Retrieving one hadn’t even crossed his mind after the constricting of his chest and gut. Glaring down at it, Mir found his vision blurred.

“Why…,” he mumbled, blinking away the tears flooding his eyes. It was wrong. He wasn’t allowed to cry about something like this. Dongwoon and Kikwang…hadn’t Mir set them up together?

Bzzt…bzzt….bzzt…

“Hello?” Mir answered the phone call, unable to control the trembling of his voice. Really, he wasn’t hurt by seeing Dongwoon and Kikwang together. He was just shocked and scared right? He didn’t like seeing such intimate scenes…yes, that was certainly the reason.

It had to be the reason.

Joon’s voice came through the device, loud and chipper, “Hey! I just wanted to see if you had a good Valentine’s Day!”

“Mmhmm…it was fine,” he replied, feeling even worse at the half-assed answer. Moments before hadn’t he been jumping for joy because his Valentine’s Day had been amazing? Why couldn't Mir bring himself to sound that excited now?

There was a short pause before concern laced Joon’s words, “What happened?”

“…If only one side believes in soulmates, does that mean they’ll never work?”

“Did something happen with Dongwoon, Mir? Tell me.”

Mir only laughed a little, shaking his head to no one in particular. “If the other half of a soul believes in love, then eventually it w-won’t matter if they’re soulmates…isn’t that right, hyung?”

“What are you talking about?” Joon asked, nearly pleaded. When there was no answer, he said in a low voice, “…soulmates are soulmates forever. Even if they don’t end up together, they’re always soulmates.”

“…Hearts are alive and real, hyung,” Mir said softly, “souls are imaginary. They might not even exist. Love is real though. Love can be felt with ever skipped heart beat.”

“But Mir—”

“—I hope you and Yesung-hyung had a good holiday,” he interrupted, “come visit again. Bye.”

***

Ryeowook weaved reluctantly through the tables in the Dining Hall, eyes trained uncomfortably on a certain black haired boy’s back. Slowly, he reached out, placing his hand on Sungmin’s shoulder.

The other boy turned around, doe eyes tired and a bit blood shot. “Wookie…,” he questioned, noting the gravity of his lover’s expression.

“Can we talk…?” Ryeowook murmured, grip tightening ever-so slightly.