June 23

  In a colorless world where only the ones who are in love can see the beauties of every hue, life can seem a bit bland. Our vision without our soulmate is simply black, white, and shades of grey. Most of those who met their soulmate claim to be happy, but I know love is not for me.

  There's comfort in secluding yourself within the walls of your home. You can think. You can reflect. You can scream. You can practically do anything without anyone watching. You may think it's a sad way to live, but I'd rather be confined in my room rather than be tied to someone that is claimed to be my soulmate just because I can see color. Why do we need to be in contact with our soulmate in order to understand the world better? Why can't we just experience the life with color all by ourselves? What if we can't bring ourselves to fall in love despite them being our soulmate? What if we never meet our soulmate and continue to see shades of grey? This is why I've accepted the fact that a black and white is better for me. There's less pain.

  There are stories that people fall in love without their soulmates and claim that even though their world isn't in color, they are satisfied. So why can't I be satisfied with living by myself? What is wrong with viewing the world without color?

- J

  "Done." Jihun leaned back on his chair to stretch and gave himself a pat on the back. Everyday he would post a blog on his personal site to speak out his mind when words aloud were not enough. He didn't have a huge fanbase. In fact, only three people read his posts, but he didn't mind because this was more for his personal use and he would prefer becoming popular through people discovering him on their own and loving his writing.

  It was true that his vision was black and white, and that applies to everyone who hasn't met their soulmate. No one knew why that was the case, but everyone came to accept it. Some even love their lives not knowing what the color blue looked like - all they saw were shades of grey. Jihun believed this would happen to him because he wasn't the social type and typically locked himself in his apartment after class. He didn't mind having a life like this because it meant he could love without worrying about others and write to his heart’s content. That didn't necessarily meant he had no friends. He was just picky with the people he wanted in his life. In fact, he had one close friend who knew his passion for writing and would always tell him when posted a new blog.

  Jihun pulled out his phone and texted Seungjun.

  Like always, Seungjun replied almost immediately.

  From his room, he could hear people bustling about, probably moving some furniture. All Jihun hoped was that this new neighbor was as quiet as the previous because the walls were thin and when he writes, he likes the soft sounds of a piano played on his speakers. It set the mood perfectly for him.

  Jihun didn't respond because it was true. During the week, he would attend his classes, go to a nearby café or library to study, and then crash at home. On the weekends, he typically sat in his chair to study or to write, and would only go out if he had nothing to eat.

  As the movers scuttled about in the next room over, Jihun debated whether or not he should greet the new neighbor. After all, this person was his only neighbor on the first floor since he was at the end of the building. He should at least get familiar with him or her. Part of him knew he should be nice, but another part of him didn't even want to bother.

  "Do I have to?" Jihun questioned himself. He had the habit of speaking to himself. It was something he did when he was little and continued to do so since he was alone most of the time. "Maybe I can try this once. I don't know."

  Jihun stood and walked out his room, past the living room, and towards the front door. His hand was on the doorknob. Was it really necessary to greet him or her? What if they never interact due to their mismatched schedules? Then again, wouldn't it be better to at least know this person’s face? He groaned to himself. Why was it so difficult for him to simply say hi?

  The sun shone brightly, blinding him for a moment. Maybe staying inside the whole day writing wasn't the best idea. He needed some sunlight to get that vitamin D especially since he cooped himself up in his room all day. “Alright. All I have to say is, ‘Welcome! My name is Jihun and I'm your next door neighbor. I hope you will enjoy your stay.’ That's all,” he muttered to himself.

  He walked out without noticing his surroundings and nearly ran into the movers bringing in a coffee table. He took a step back and stumbled due to his long legs twisting over against each other. It happened so quickly, he just kept moving whichever way so he could avoid falling over. Next thing he knew, he banged his shoulder against someone.

  In that moment and within a second, his whole world changed before his eyes.

  It wasn't enough for him to process everything around him, but he clearly saw fur that was a color far from gray and was off white. He couldn't place a name to that color, but he knew that whoever he bumped into was what others would call his soulmate.

  Jihun broke from his trance when he managed to gather himself. He immediately tried to apologize, but as he looked around, the girl had already walked way ahead of him. Chasing her was out of the question especially since she seemed to be walking her dog, and he didn't know if the dog was aggressive or not to strangers. Jihun didn't want to take the chance. Plus, he didn't see the need to run after her if she didn't care to stop to give him a mean look or anything.

  He glanced at the dog from a distance. Even though the color showed for a split second, he could clearly remember what reflected in his eyes. Maybe just seeing black, white, and grey are actually not enough.