Stars were born to die. That is what Luhan learned from the moment he came into the universe. Others like Luhan did not call themselves “stars” since they weren’t stars. Stars are the things that held them captive, sustained them, and gave them life. Luhan, though, rather liked to call himself a star. At least it made him sound like something. The others, they didn’t call themselves anything. They didn’t even give themselves a name unlike Luhan.

What was the point?

“We’re just going to die anyways. We’re stuck in these damn capsules and can’t even move. What’s our purpose here?” one of the others would always tell Luhan this. He was one of the weaker ones, his skin much darker than Luhan’s. His hair was a dark, almost black, brown.

“Our purpose is to die,” he would conclude.

“No, we’re here to shed light on the universe. Without us, there would be nothing,” Luhan would respond. He didn’t believe that something could be born into the world only to die. Everything had a purpose, even the tiniest amoeba.

Luhan would then shift his body that was stuck in the confines of the capsule, turning away from the others to stare at the most wondrous planet – in his opinion – Earth. The others never wanted to look down and watch the humans down there living life outside of a bubble. It was too frustrating and painful to watch when they couldn’t do anything at all. Luhan wasn’t the same. He had the hopes that maybe one day he would get to walk on the blue planet.

Walking was something else Luhan found intriguing. He had the body of a human; he could practically have been human if he had not been born as a star. His legs were useless to him in that capsule but on Earth, Luhan could do so much with those two limbs. His acute eyesight and hearing made it easy for Luhan to lock in on what the humans were doing and saying. That’s how he got the name Luhan. He had heard it said and the name touched something inside him. He thought that it was meant for him.

Why am I here? Luhan would often wonder. What exactly occurred for him to be born into this capsule? He was as human as the humans on Earth, so why couldn’t he have been born down there? Was it all a punishment for him? Had he been a human in a past life but did something wrong to be reborn as a star?

It was a mystery to him and the others. Why torture them? And if being incapable of moving about wasn’t bad enough, Luhan and the others lived for millions, sometimes even billions of years. They watched the universe changing in subtle ways as Earth rapidly changed. Luhan was one of the older stars, maybe in the hundreds of millions of years but he wasn’t sure anymore. He had lost track of his age a long time ago.

Although, Luhan wondered what it would be like to live the life of a human. Their lives were so short. It was like Luhan would blink and the newest generation of humans would already have grown old. How much could you accomplish in such a short life? How much could humans learn about the universe if they didn’t live long enough to even touch the surface of its mysteries?

 Luhan observed the planet Earth and knew all about it. He watched as civilizations were created and then saw how they crumbled. He would often whisper to himself, giving examples of what those humans down below should do in order to prosper. He yearned to place his two feet on soil, or to wade in that blue thing called water. What would they feel like?

When Luhan was much younger, he had tried to break out of his prison to no avail. It was impenetrable from the inside and out. Yet, he had heard stories from the older ones about meteorites and comets that would crash into them at just the right angle with just enough force to shatter the sphere and free them from their cage. Luhan watched as hundreds and thousands of comets flew by him, narrowly missing him and he always wished they’d knick the sphere in some way. He had wanted out of there, had wanted to fall down to Earth.

He never imagined that one day he would.

It happened in the blink of an eye as Luhan’s ears rang from the shattering sound of his capsule breaking. The force sent him flying through space and he didn’t have time to feel anything. In fact, his eyelids fell shut and he out.

The next thing Luhan knew, his skin was touching something that sparked an odd sensation coursing through his entire body. It was very different from the warmth that always circulated through his veins, the fire that was in his heart. The feeling tingling his skin seemed to slow his senses. Tiny tremors shook his body as the heat inside him was rapidly being into the ground beneath him. Luhan knew he had to get up, so he tried as hard as he could.

The first try was a failure. He got to his feet but his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground again. The second try was a success. It was painful, so painful, for Luhan as he stood there. Everything was completely different from his sphere. There were sights, sounds, smells, and other things attacking him from all angles. Sensations hit him hard and he was disoriented. He could hear the engine of cars below, the fluttering of wings from the birds flying above. He saw a haze of smoke and through it stood a figure.

Luhan paused when he caught sight of the human gaping at him. He immediately took a liking to the man with the round cheeks and the utterly innocent eyes. His eyes, Luhan concluded, were always looking and searching for something. They wanted to draw in information and learn the secrets of the world. Luhan smiled at this. The human man before him was like a child to Luhan, an infant. There was so much he wanted to know yet he wouldn’t live long enough to learn of it.

The human was flustered, confused, as he tried to ask Luhan who he was. Luhan thought he was cute. He didn’t give him an answer. Not yet. He wanted to tease the young human. It wasn’t very nice of him and he should have been worrying more about the fact that he was now on Earth but the man in front of him garnered his attention even more. It was like their roles were reversed and Luhan was not a star anymore. Instead, he was the planet that was circling the man, drawn in by his gravity.

When the man tried to get Luhan to walk – a task he had yet to try – the outcome was disastrous. Luhan landed on top of the man. Their faces were so close and Luhan couldn’t stop himself from brushing his lips lightly against the man’s. From that minimal amount of contact, Luhan had shivers running up his spine. It was electrifying.

After getting off the man, Luhan allowed him to lead the way into his home. Luhan smiled as he got a knack for walking. It was almost natural to him as if he was meant to walk on Earth. His lips curled up into a never-ending smile because he was finally on Earth. He got what he had always wished for, freedom.

Luhan’s eyes were glued to the back of the man’s head though, admiring the random tufts of hair that went in whatever direction they pleased. It was obvious the man had just gotten out of bed and hadn’t bothered to tame his hair. Luhan was always curious as to why humans worked so hard to maintain their looks. They were fine the way they were. Why change anything?

The man brought them into a room with a large bed in it. The pitch black blanket with the little stars on it pleased Luhan and he was so excited to find out that the man loved stars that he ran over and wrapped himself in it. Luhan waited patiently and watched as the man threw articles of clothing onto the bed. He was amused by the man’s bright red cheeks. He could have been a star too, from all the heat radiating from his body, Luhan mused, the thought making him smile wider.

Curious about the piece of clothing that the man had first thrown at him, Luhan picked it up and tried to slip it over his legs. Is this how you put this on? Luhan frowned. He couldn’t seem to get the clothes on right. Maybe he was putting it on the wrong way. His eyebrows knitted together in concentration.   

When the man asked if Luhan wanted help, he nodded. It frustrated the man yet also made him blush. Luhan smiled, pleased with himself. And when the man asked Luhan for his name, he had never been more excited to tell someone in his life. Back when he had first given himself a name, he had been eager to tell the others. But now, Luhan longed to utter the two syllables for the man before him. He wanted to hear the man say his name in that voice of his.

“Luhan.”

The man didn’t move for a moment. He merely stared at Luhan, his eyes reflecting the light making it look like stars were floating in them.

“My name is Luhan,” Luhan repeated. He got off the bed and lightly tapped the top of the man’s head. His fingers itched to just tangle into the man’s hair but he fought the urge. “Hello? What’s your name?”

“M-Minseok…” he replied. “You know how to talk?”

Luhan chuckled, he couldn’t help himself. He found Minseok to be the most adorable thing he had ever seen. “Yes, I do.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Minseok exclaimed. His eyes had grown wide with disbelief.

“I didn’t want to,” stated Luhan simply.

“Are you some kind of conman or something? You know what, don’t answer that question. Just get out of my home right now,” Minseok growled. He started pushing Luhan out of the bedroom and towards another door. Luhan was caught off guard from Minseok’s sudden uproar and didn’t get a chance to say anything. He opened his mouth to apologize but Minseok had already slammed the door in his face. Now, Luhan stood in the hallway by himself.

Lifting his hand, Luhan began to knock on the door. Moments later, Minseok opened it. “Can’t you at least hear me out? I have nowhere to go,” Luhan said. It was the truth. He had no clue what he would do now that he was on Earth or where he would go.

“Right, I totally believe you. Have a nice day,” Minseok replied as he shut the door again. Just as Luhan was about to knock on the door again, it opened. “And don’t even think about knocking on my door again.”

The door shut with a resounding boom, and then silence fell on the empty hallway. Luhan frowned and took a seat by the door. Sighing heavily, Luhan drew his knees to his chest. He had nowhere to go now and he didn’t want to risk getting lost in a new world. He wasn’t stupid. If he went out there he’d likely get himself killed somehow. So, he remained by Minseok’s door.

About an hour passed by and Luhan wondered how he could possibly have stayed sane in his capsule for millions of years. He stood up and paced around, not able to keep still. He couldn’t imagine ever going back into a state of practically no locomotion. He had the ability to walk, so he walked. Back and forth in front of Minseok’s door.

Another two hours rolled by and Luhan was walking by the door when it slowly opened. Minseok stepped out and their eyes met. Minseok’s eyebrows narrowed. “What are you still doing here? Don’t tell me you’re stalking me now.”

Minseok glared at Luhan, steeling his gaze. It seemed like he was having an internal struggle, Luhan noticed, as he kept chewing his bottom lip. Minseok wanted to say something but he bit it back.

“I’m not stalking you. I just don’t have anywhere to go,” Luhan responded.

“How am I supposed to believe you?” Minseok retorted.

“Wait, what’s ‘stalking’?” asked Luhan with a slight tilt of the head. Minseok snorted and started walking away. Luhan tapped his chin and could only guess at what he had said wrong. Was the definition of “stalking” common knowledge? He didn’t think too hard on it and followed after Minseok.

“Where are you going?”

“Work. Don’t follow me,” Minseok snapped.

“What’s your job?”

“I’m an astronomer.”

“A what?”

Sighing heavily, Minseok stopped in his tracks causing Luhan to crash into him. Minseok sent an icy glare at him. Luhan smiled. He had been waiting to see Minseok’s face. The man’s features were charming. He was handsome yet cute at the same time and Luhan felt the desire to pinch the man’s cheeks.

“Look, I don’t know what your plan is or why you’re following me, but just stop. I’m not an interesting person and I’m not that rich. So, if you’re looking for money than go find someone else to tail,” Minseok hissed.

“But, I’m not looking for money. I really have nowhere to go. Can’t you listen to my story?” Luhan responded. His eyes were wide, pleading like an abandoned puppy on the sidewalk that you just can’t bear to leave behind. Minseok looked at anywhere but Luhan.

“Fine, follow me. We’ll talk at a café nearby here,” he said. Luhan tried to read his tone but it was monotonous, not giving away the young man’s emotions. He was happy nonetheless, glad to have swayed Minseok’s mind.

The two men walked together to the café that Minseok had referred to, mostly in silence except for when Luhan decided it was a good time to point out random things he found interesting. For the most part, Luhan kept his thoughts to himself. There was so much to see and experience now that his feet touched the ground of planet Earth. So many sights, sounds, and smells came to him at once and it was almost overwhelming. Luhan could see everything from the large clump of people crossing the street to the bird flying a hundred feet in the air. He wanted to soak it all in, drown in the senses he didn’t know he had.

Sounds were not new to him. He had often heard the incessant tapping of his own finger on the capsule or the beat of his foot as he composed his own song and created a rhythm. He had always heard the others’ talking amongst themselves of stardust memories that faded from them as the thousands of years passed them by.

The sense that Luhan loved the most was smell. The different odors that wafted through the air from everything tickled his nose. There were no two smells that were exactly the same. Each scent was distinct, memorable. Luhan observed the things around him and matched it to the scent drifting off it. He’d be able to remember what each thing was and describe what it looked like if he just thought about its scent. For example, Minseok had his own scent that Luhan could recognize no matter what. He had known the young man for less than an hour but Luhan was sure he’d pick Minseok out of a crowd of people just by his smell. When Luhan thought of Minseok’s scent, he thought of clean linens and yellowed paper, of polished metal and glass lens, of cheap shampoo and wooden pencils. It was an interesting mixture but it also seemed to fit Minseok perfectly.

Luhan was so wrapped in his senses that he didn’t even notice Minseok calling his name. A fiery touch spread from his wrist and he stared at his hand to find Minseok holding onto him. The warmth was different from the normal kind circulating through his body. It fluttered over his skin and danced through his veins. He smiled at the feeling and gazed up into Minseok’s eyes.

“Are you deaf or something? I was calling your name for like five minutes! The café is over here,” Minseok snapped while proceeding to haul Luhan into a quaint, little building. It was the kind of place that didn’t get much business but still had amazing quality. Luhan could tell by the way Minseok’s expression lit up.

“I’ll have an espresso,” Minseok told the guy at the counter. Luhan was left wondering what an espresso was. Caught off guard, Luhan had no answer when the guy at the counter turned to him for his order.

“And for you, sir?” he asked. Luhan’s eyes flickered to Minseok, begging for help. The man rolled his eyes.

“Just get him a latte,” Minseok replied. The tiny smile on Luhan’s face didn’t go unnoticed by Minseok whose cheeks were now rosy.

“Alright. Oh, that’s a cool shirt,” the cashier said as he pointed to Luhan. It was merely an attempt at making small talk with the customers, an obvious ploy to get some kind comments so his boss would give him a raise, and Luhan fell for it.

“Thanks! It’s his shirt! And these are his pants too and I’m wearing his underwear,” Luhan stated quite loudly while pointing at Minseok. The few customers in the café looked up from their tables at the two men by the register. Luhan’s face was split in two by the huge smile on his face.

“Oh, so you guys are in a relationship then?” the cashier trailed off at the end uncertainly. Minseok’s jaw hit the floor, his eyes grew wide, and he slapped a hand over Luhan’s mouth before more could be said.

“He’s just kidding about the clothes being mine. He loves messing with me. Hah,” Minseok chuckled nervously. The cashier smiled and shook his head.

“Nah, it’s fine if you play for that team. I don’t see anything wrong about that.”

“No! I’m serious, it’s not like that!” Luhan’s eyes lingered on Minseok and picked out the way his cheeks were a bright pink, the way his chest heaved from the exertion of shouting so loudly, and the way his eyebrows arched up slightly. He had no idea what a relationship was or what team he played for but he could see how it flustered Minseok to talk of it.

In a split second, Minseok his heels and stormed out of the café. The drinks were left unpaid for but that didn’t matter since Minseok hadn’t even gotten them yet. Luhan didn’t waste any time and trailed after the man. Once the café was out of sight, Minseok came to a stop and turned towards Luhan. The raw anger seeping from Minseok unnerved poor Luhan.

“What the hell was that about? Do you not have any common sense?” Minseok hissed. There was no way for Luhan to reply to him. He had no idea what Minseok was talking about. If he did, he would have said anything to make the man in front of him happy. It felt like a tiny needle was poking Luhan in the heart and he wasn’t sure if it was because Minseok was frustrated with him or for other reasons.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Luhan. A pause in the conversation brought along noises of the hustle and bustle of the city. Strangers running by, afraid of being late for work or an appointment. Taxi cabs zoomed through the streets, darting around traffic. Tourists were caught up in the excitement of being in a new city, experiencing new things. And then there was just Luhan and Minseok, stuck in the middle of it all. A star that landed on Earth met with the man who loved stars too much.

Maybe Minseok could sense that Luhan was different, was special. A tiny sigh escaped the man before a laugh that seemed too loud left his lips. Luhan’s eyes widened ever so slightly, surprised at Minseok’s change in mood.

“Well, I guess I’m not going to that café anymore,” he sighed. The tinkling laughter lingered in Luhan’s mind for a while longer and his lips curled up. Minseok mussed his still-messy hair and then gazed at Luhan. “What are you?”

The question came as a whisper and floated in the air, hanging there. Luhan certainly had not expected it. Had Minseok realized that Luhan was not exactly human? The possibility was there but Luhan presumed the question had a second meaning that he wasn’t accustomed to.

“Are you like, a kid in a man’s body or something?” Minseok chuckled. The tone of Minseok’s previous question had deceived Luhan and he felt another needle poking at his heart. It was foolish of him to wish it, but Luhan had hoped that Minseok already knew he was a star. Luhan wanted him to know. Because Minseok loved stars, Luhan wanted him to be aware that Luhan was one of those stars that he loved.

“I’m actually – “the sentence was cut short when a sound Luhan was unfamiliar with filled the air around them. He felt an odd rumbling in his gut, or maybe his stomach and he blinked in surprise.

“Looks like you’re hungry. I think I might have something in my fridge at my office. It’s only a few blocks from here so we can walk,” Minseok said. His lighter tone didn’t go unnoticed by Luhan and he nodded enthusiastically. As long as Minseok was no longer angry with him, Luhan was satisfied.

“So, you’re not angry at me anymore?” asked Luhan. He wanted to know for sure. There was always the possibility that Minseok was masking his emotions and Luhan hoped that Minseok could be open with him.

“…Let’s just say that if you do something like that again, you’ll never see me ever again,” Minseok replied.

“Yes sir!” Luhan responded with a short nod. Chuckling, Minseok started walking down the street and Luhan was quick to follow.

---

Minseok was an intelligent man. He understood the workings of the universe and memorized the many types of stars, planets, and other celestial entities that littered the sky. He knew his mathematics and remembered the history of his country. His brain could process this all like a book of facts. Access to each fact was easy, simple, and Minseok continued to add to his collection of knowledge every day. Not much in this world could confuse the man or puzzle him to the point where he had no idea what the thing was.

However, as Minseok sat in his office at the planetarium and watched Luhan shuffling around the room poking and prodding at everything, he finally met his match. No matter how hard he tried, Minseok couldn’t wrap his mind around what type of person Luhan was. It was almost as if Luhan wasn’t human at all. He asked questions on some of the simplest concepts, such as relationships and family. Apparently, the man had no family of his own.

The conversation had happened about five minutes ago. Minseok had asked Luhan where his parents were and the man stopped fiddling with the pen on Minseok’s desk to stare at him with wide eyes.

“What are parents?”

Minseok took the question as a joke at first, a nonsensical laugh filling the room. It finally struck him that Luhan was not kidding at all when he continued to stare at Minseok with those curious doe eyes. Minseok had to explain to Luhan the concept of parents, family, and friends as if the man had lived not knowing any of those things. He watched Luhan as he gazed up at the ceiling, wrapped in his own thoughts. There was a distant look in his eyes like he was trying to see something that Minseok couldn’t.

The next question Luhan asked him was also difficult to answer.

“What’s a relationship?”

Chewing on a random pencil that he had grabbed off his desk, Minseok tried to think of ways to explain it. Luhan’s eyes were boring into his skull as he waited for the answer and Minseok was driven to the brink of insanity. Those eyes and that stare could be the death of him.

“A relationship is…something you have with someone you love. Umm, the kind of relationship you’re referring to is usually between a man and a woman who love each other a lot so they are boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife,” said Minseok.

“You said ‘usually’. Does that mean that two men or two women can be in love with one another?” asked Luhan.

“Err, yeah,” Minseok replied. Again, Minseok couldn’t comprehend how Luhan was so straightforward with his questions. He didn’t understand a thing about him except for the fact that he was one of the most gorgeous things he’s ever seen on this planet. The blush creeping up to his cheeks was embarrassing so Minseok turned away.

“Do you…have a girlfriend?” Luhan’s voice sounded soft, vulnerable. “Or, a boyfriend?”

Minseok nearly choked on the pencil he had been chewing on. It only took half a second for Luhan to be by his side, rubbing his back worriedly.

“Are you okay? I didn’t mean to surprise you.”

“I’m fine.” Minseok pushed Luhan’s hands away, still mesmerized by the fact that his skin sizzled with warmth and seemed to shimmer faintly. “And no. I don’t have a girlfriend…or a boyfriend.”

“Then, do you have someone you like?”

Luhan’s endless questions were beginning to annoy Minseok, grating his nerves and pushing him to the edge. “No, I don’t.” His reply was short, curt, and straight to the point. The frown that dimmed Luhan’s features affected Minseok more than he wanted it too. He resisted the urge to try and make Luhan smile using whatever means necessary. Instead, he remained somewhat emotionless.

“Anyways, you’ve asked enough questions. Now, it’s my turn,” Minseok said. “And you’d better tell me the truth. No lies, got it?”

Luhan lit up again and he beamed at Minseok so brightly, the young astronomer thought the sun was right in front of him. “Okay. I’ll tell the truth.”

“Good. First question: Where did you come from?”

“Space.”

“I thought I told you not to lie.”

“I’m not lying. I’m really not lying,” Luhan reiterated trying to drive the point to Minseok. Minseok stared deep into Luhan’s eyes, picking out the little flecks in the irises that reminded him of stardust and galaxies. Maybe it was because of those eyes that Minseok decided to let Luhan’s little lie off the hook.

“Fine. Then where exactly did you come from in space? Mars?” Minseok snorted derisively. As much as he didn’t want to sound snarky and sarcastic, there was no way of stopping his nature.

“No, I’m a star,” Luhan answered firmly.

“A star? Yeah, right. Stars aren’t alive, genius. They’re just balls of gas,” responded Minseok. He had two differing views of Luhan at that moment. Either he was making fun of Minseok, or he was insane. Minseok preferred the latter.

“I am a star. I bet I can even find myself in one of your picture thingies,” Luhan said as he got up and wandered around the office searching for a star chart. Minseok sighed and pulled one out of his drawers before Luhan could mess up or lose any of the papers filling the small room. Laying out the chart, Minseok waited patiently for Luhan to “find” himself.

“Well, which star are you? Sirius? Or maybe you’re Rigel? Oh, I bet you’re one of the red supergiants like Betelgeuse,” Minseok snickered, amused by his own banter. When Luhan didn’t respond, Minseok glanced at him. The man was engulfed in studying the chart and trying to find the star he was looking for. His lips were drawn into a thin line. His eyes were narrowed in concentration. His slender pointer finger trailed over the coarse paper until it came to a stop over the one star Minseok hadn’t even thought of mentioning before. There was just no possible way. It was merely a coincidence that Luhan had picked that star. Minseok was sure of it. The guy must have been insane anyways.

“T-that’s the star?” Minseok’s voice quivered against his will.

“Yup. That’s me!” Luhan chirped. “Hmm, I think humans call me Polaris or something. I don’t really like that name so I go by Luhan instead.”

Minseok’s mouth hung open and he shook his head several times. It didn’t seem like a coincidence anymore to him. Just that morning, he had discovered Polaris was gone. Then, merely minutes later Luhan appeared on his roof. Now, here he was claiming that he was indeed the star Polaris. Every part of Minseok denied the truth. It was not logical, it wasn’t true. Stars were not living creatures. Stars were just mixtures of gas. If stars really were alive, then why couldn’t the telescopes see them? Minseok’s brain was reeling, working overtime to process all the information and go over the facts. Nothing made sense to him anymore. Nothing seemed right. Was everything he had been taught by his father and the numerous textbooks untrue? Was it all a lie then? Minseok felt his head spinning.

And then, things started to click. Yes, Luhan had appeared on Minseok’s roof minutes after Polaris disappeared. That was one piece of the puzzle. Minseok thought of Luhan’s golden brown hair and the way the tips had looked singed when he first emerged from the cloud of smoke. He remembered the way Luhan’s skin glowed, seemingly translucent. And what struck him most of all were Luhan’s eyes and the never-ending depth to them, the little traces of actual stardust in his irises, and the knowledge of millions of years stored behind them. As a rational scientist, Minseok found himself believing in a possibly mentally deranged man’s words. It was a struggle to come to terms with it. But in the end, Minseok gave in to the eccentricity of something that wasn’t logical, of a fact that wasn’t necessarily concrete. The idea of dropping old, written-in-stone, beliefs for a new unknown was too tempting. Science and fiction blended together in Minseok’s mind and he allowed it to happen without a fight.

“Okay then, Luhan. I believe you. You are Polaris.”