light years

Shim Changmin is nerdy. In fact, he is too nerdy for his own good.

Nerd. If there is any other adjective that could supply to justify his existence as a student taking double majors in Astrophysics and Mechatronics, then feel free to supply Sooyoung one. Thank you very much.

Changmin, that perpetually hungry goliath she has the misfortune to get partnered with for Medieval Literature. The same nerd she finds out (not much later) to be the new boarder her other housemates took in their apartment. It was also the exact same nerd who tries to pester her now that she is doing last minute spiels for her homework in Public Speaking class.

"The stars are a-plenty tonight." Changmin flops nonchalantly beside her on the outdoor couch; gripping his jumbo-sized milkshake firmly as he does so.

"Min, I'll talk to you later. I'm kinda busy." Sooyoung tries to prevent piles of paper from flying away when an evening breeze blew rather strongly around them.

"You should get inside if you don't want to spend half of your time trying to keep those papers from flying away." The boy answers as he looks at her with wide, sparkling eyes. "Besides, no one's in the library. I chased them all away so that you can have the place for yourself. I'm such a cool housemate, am I not?" he grins cheekily as he nudges her ribs.

"I prefer the balcony, thank you very much. Besides, we're the only ones left here. Everybody already left for the Chuseok holidays. Fool someone else, please."

Sooyoung catches the other smiling toothily from the corner of her eyes. "That's strange. I thought it was my awesomeness which scared them away."

She can't help the scoff that escaped involuntarily after hearing the statement. Sooyoung puts down the papers she was holding and stares at him hardly.

"Oooh. I like it when you pretend to get angry with me."

And instead of scooting off, Changmin moves his body even closer towards her. He reaches out his milkshake-free hand towards Sooyoung and tucks a stray hair strand behind her ear.

"You're prettier than the stars." He says it in an almost whisper and Sooyoung's forehead creases at the sudden proximity between them.
"Changmi---"
"Shh… Like the stars in the sky, my love for you will make every dark, evening sky less scary than usual."

It takes a few more seconds before it all sinks in. Shim Changmin is playing romantic. She almost would not believe that this nerdy excuse of a freak is trying to be all slick with her! It's very unChangmin in more ways than one.

The thought itself---and his corniness---is laughable. Had she been on her normal days and not worrying over a major subject, she would be throwing an equally hair-raising comeback. Instead, all she says is…

"Stars are dead, Shim Changmin. When you look at the stars, you are staring into the past."

She notes the light fading in the boy's eyes. Sooyoung smirks. Hah!

"Actually, they're not."

The smirk fades as soon as it arrives. Changmin puts the milkshake on the coffee table and an expression that could only be referred to as pensive forms on his face.

"The nearest cluster of stars visible to the eye is the Alpha Centauri and that's only 4.4 light years away. The brightest star, that one there, Sirius is only 8.6 light years away. Distance of other stars that are visible from earth range from those number to a few thousands."

Sooyoung's jaw drops but Changmin drones on as if on a trance.

"Some stars may be thousands of light years away and it takes quite a long time for the light to reach our eyes. However, that doesn’t mean that they're already dead. A typical star can live up to billions of years so a few thousand years is like a blink of an eye."

Changmin stares at the night sky as he continues.

"Stars the same size as the sun live at an average of 13 billion years. Those that have smaller mass could go on up to 100 billion years. Whereas, those that have larger mass can live lesser but would still get through a billion years. The visibility of stars vary on the distance and luminosity. Hence, the farther the star is, the lesser is the chance for us to see it without the use of a powerful telescope. Which means, the stars that we see are nearer. If it isn't for the distance, my previous statement about their lifespans still proves that they are very much alive up to now."

He finally looks at Sooyoung who has managed to close the last second.

"You are still prettier than the stars and my love for you will make---"

She shuts him up with a kiss.

Seconds, minutes, hours, light years pass by… Sooyoung loses track of it as she stares at the stupid smile on Changmin's face after they've freed themselves from the tangle of lips.

"You're the weirdest person in this side of the universe, Shim Changmin." Sooyoung reaches for the stacks of paper once more; this time, in an attempt to hide her flushed face.

"Why? Because I'm too nerdy for your own good?" Changmin croaks the first thought that crossed his lovestruck brain.

She tries to suppress a giggle upon hearing the subtle tease.

"You should really thank that huge brain of yours for helping you escape insurmountable social interaction failures you almost always commit."
"I'm trying to be a romantic fool for you and this is what I get?"
"Ugh. Why did I agree to be your girlfriend?"
"Eh? You mean you don't want to?"

The stupid look on his face is too much for her to handle. She lets out a small laugh and lets her gaze meet his.

"You know, for an amazingly smart man, you have the most ridiculously stupid facial expressions."

Changmin continues to stare blankly at her. Sooyoung breathes a heavy sigh before placing her papers beside his now-forgotten milkshake.

"Seriously, Min. You just want me to say something romantic."
"You're the Literature major. That's your job."
"Shut up."


But Changmin is listening no more. He wraps his arms around her slender waist and rests his chin on her shoulder.

"I love you, Syoo."

Shim Changmin is too nerdy for his own good. And god damn, how is it that Sooyoung finds his nerdiness lovable is beyond her. Or maybe those two aren't mutually exclusive at all.

She leans her head against his; hands finding their own way on top of his.

"I love you too, ."

She makes no effort as the stacks of paper she has labored for the past few hours fly freely with the wind.