Once again, it had happened.  And once again, he had let it happen.

Jonghyun groaned and buried his face in his hands.  “How could I have been stupid enough to think she would actually go out with me, where there are a million other guys chasing after her?”

For the first time in his life, Jonghyun had looked forward to Valentine’s Day, because he had finally mustered up the courage to ask out the one girl he had been crushing on since he entered Brooklyn College.  Sure, there had been other minor crushes in between, but his heart had always remained loyally fixated on her.

Of course, he was only one out of at least a hundred guys who fantasized about her.  It bothered him a little, but not anymore because she had accepted his invitation to spend Valentine’s Day together.

Her simple ‘Yes’ had made him deliriously happy.  Then early this morning when he woke up to a voice message waiting for him, it felt like his life had lost its meaning.

“Hey babe, let’s leave him a message, shall we?” an unfamiliar and unmistakably male voice laughed.

“Jason, don’t be so mean!  Leave the poor kid alone,” that was Jessie’s sweet, lilting tone.

Jason laughed again.  “That Chinky needs to learn a lesson, then maybe he won’t be so naïve next time, eh, babe?” 

There were sounds of movement, and Jessie gasping, “Jason, not now!” followed by the rustling of sheets and…

That was about as far as he could take before throwing his phone against the wall forcefully.  Which he immediately regretted after calming down.  He really should have paused the voice mail like any normal person would instead.

He was crushed.  Completely crushed.  He felt like a biscuit carelessly dropped and then trampled on by a million pairs of shoes, reduced to little crumbs.

So here he was, a lonely, pathetically single guy hunched over on a bench in the park with a large cup of Starbucks’ coffee warming everything except his heart.  All around him were lovey-dovey couples doing sickeningly sweet lovey-dovey acts with lovesick expressions on their faces.

“Disgusting,” he muttered.  He would hole himself up in his tiny apartment if he had not trashed it in a fit of rage.  Another regret.  It seemed like they kept coming today.

Were today not Valentine’s Day, he might be able to enjoy the rare nice weather: blue skies, sunshine and all.

As it was, he could only think about the ridiculous amount of money and time he had wasted in planning a memorable day for her.  US$390 for the limousine and chauffeur, 180 to rent a ready-decorated small café for 2 hours, 50 to reserve a table at that fancy Italian restaurant he remembered she liked and another 300 for booking the whole rooftop of the high-class nightclub for an hour.

A total of US$920 drained from his savings.

Jonghyun felt like crying.  “What did I do to deserve such bad luck in my love life?”

“No date on Valentine’s Day?”  Startled, Jonghyun shot up, almost dropping the hot latté because one, it was in Korean, and two, who wouldn’t be surprised if someone suddenly came up and talked to them?

The person who spoke was a lean blue-haired boy who had a youthful pretty face and was obviously a fellow Korean.  Before Jonghyun could even open his mouth, the boy plopped himself down on the bench and turned to smile at him in a friendly manner.  “You can call me Key, that’s the English name I go by.”

“Uh… hi?” Jonghyun didn’t know how to respond.

Key’s eyes widened.  “Oh wait, are you older than me?  Because if you are, I’m being rude by not using honorifics.  I’m 21 this year by the way.”

“Um… I-I’m 22 this year,” he stammered.

“Ah, then I’m sincerely sorry for being informal previously.  Please accept my apology,” Key stood up and bowed.

Jonghyun squirmed uncomfortably.  “I-it’s okay.”

“So, you have no date or you got stood up?” Key asked, settling himself on the bench again.  “Oh, you haven’t told me your name either.”

Not knowing what to do, the older man answered, “Well uh, I kind of got… stood up.  And I’m Jonghyun.”

Somehow, this stranger was so easy to talk to that before he knew it, he poured out everything to him.  Key actually seemed interested, the way his eyes stared straight into Jonghyun’s; his neither rigid nor bored posture; his nodding in sympathy and his sensitively-phrased questions.

When he finished, they both sat in the kind of silence that doesn’t give one the need to make conversation, each contemplating nothing in particular.

Key broke the silence first, jumping up and breaking into an energetic dance.  “Then let’s go for breakfast!”

“What?” Jonghyun blinked confusedly.

The younger boy stopped dancing to look at him.  “Why should you waste the money you spent on everything?  We could go together!  If you don’t mind my company, that is,” he quickly amended.

Comprehension dawned on Jonghyun, lighting his face with a grin.  “That’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of it?”  Grabbing Key’s arm, he ran towards his house.  “C’mon, let’s go party!”

If the sedan chauffeur found anything strange with two men getting into the car, laughing hysterically, he sure did a good job of hiding it.

Jonghyun had never had so much fun in his life before.

They stuffed themselves silly at the café and left behind a state of disarray in the form of the furniture they’d pushed aside to open up a ‘dance floor’.

They went to the amusement park and daringly rode all the scariest roller-coasters, and congratulated themselves for surviving the Haunted House.

They tried out all the foods there, from cotton candy to Indian delicacies.

They won each other huge stuffed toys from the games.

They assembled the most ridiculous couple outfits and took a polaroid together.

They rented tuxedos and pretended they were stuffy rich gentlemen at the Italian restaurant.

They blasted rock and hip-hop music at the rooftop bar, drinking and dancing until they were high.

They staggered back to the park and lay under the starry night sky, talking and laughing until they fell asleep under the velvety dark blue blanket.

And all the while, people stared at them, two men were spending Valentine’s Day together.  One old lady sternly scolded, “Gay people should be exiled to Mars.” which only made them laugh all the harder.  After all, they told themselves, why couldn’t two men spend Valentine’s Day together?  It was just another day, albeit with a title.

“What’s your real name?”

“Not telling you.  It’s far too ordinary.  Just remember me as Key, it’s easier.”

“Is that why you dyed your hair?”

“Hmm… maybe?”

When he woke up, head pounding from a hangover so loudly it felt like someone was clashing cymbals and crashing drums next to his ears, Jonghyun could still smile.

Because in the space where Key should have been, was a simple note that read: Thank you for the best Valentine’s Day day ever.  Love, a stranger called Key.

Jonghyun didn’t feel emptiness in his heart.

The sun was shining brightly again today against azure blue skies – the colour of Key’s hair.

Thank you for the best day ever, too.  Love, a stranger called Jonghyun.