Science of Love

Chapter 1 : Sample Selection

Inside his dim-lit study room, Matthew began writing the introduction for his most anticipated and complicated study.

“Throughout history, man has always sought a way to rationalise what it can see and what it can’t. In the following study, a practical methodology is presented for creating closeness in an experimental context. Whether or not an individual is in a relationship, particular pairings of individuals in a relationship and circumstances of a relationship development become manipulated variables. Over a two hour period, subject pairs carry out self-disclosure and relationship-building tasks that gradually increase in intensity. The aim of the study is to test whether the same can be applied with the cultural lens of East Asia, specifically South Korean individuals. “

[Time: 2 weeks before D-Day]

The news breaks in a warm, homely bar, one of the many dotted across the landscape of Seoul. It’s dimly lit and feels like home because it is home, it’s been home since sophomore year of college when Jeremy, Matthew and Hestia stumbled upon it in the middle of a sudden thunderstorm. It is home and carries all their imprints, the memories of their friendship, of Matthew and Hestia’s budding (and in Jeremy’s opinion, excruciatingly slow burn) love, the marks of drunken Jenga nights and heated Uno matches.

It now also carries the mark of Matthew’s betrayal, a betrayal that Jeremy didn’t see coming at all because Matthew is his best friend, his brother, really, since they made up after their first semester at SNU and stuck together. He can’t believe such a thing is marring one of his favourite places to be himself in Seoul.

“You want me to do what now?” Jeremy asks for the second time. Maybe the tenth time, because he still can’t believe Matthew, Matthew Lee, would ask him of all people something so ridiculous. He blames Hestia immediately; there’s no way his best friend would do this without getting his heart and head twisted by the supposed love of his life. His internal image gags. “Could you repeat that for me again? A little more slowly?”

Matthew groans. He’s wearing his PhD uniform which doesn’t fit in at all at the bar, but it’s been years and both of them might as well as be the patrons of said bar, except that they’re too broke to call themselves even that. “I don’t know how many times you’re going to drag this out of me.”

“Ah~ Matthew~. My cuddle bunny-”

“Please, stop-”

“Just do what brother says and I will,” Jeremy retorts. He takes a gulp of the beer he’d ordered and realises midway that he’d taken a swig out of Matthew’s. Oh well. He’d live.

Matthew levels him with a steady eye. “Okay, but this is going to be the last time or I swear to God-”

“What? What will you do?”

“Gonna tell Hestia about what you did her last birthday,” Matthew comments idly, a smirk making its way slowly onto his face. Jeremy shudders; he’s been caught and trapped and really doesn’t want hell in the form of Hestia to rain its fury down upon him.

“f*****g evil,” Jeremy mutters. He should have known Matthew would never remain the sweet, innocent boy he’d been back in college. Graduate school really produced hellspawn in its stead. “Fine. I won’t interrupt.”

Matthew clears his throat. “Okay, so. I’m involved in a preliminary study for a paper, a pilot of sorts really, to test whether love can be created if one were to manipulate certain variables that lead to ‘love’.”

“Please speak English.”

Matthew sighs, one of those insufferable sounds he makes when he has to dumb down his impressive and expansive vocabulary for mere mortals like Jeremy.

“Basically I and a bunch of really smart, really overworked graduate students want to see if love is a science or magic like people want to believe. And I’d really like if you would be a part of the sample.”

“Shouldn’t that be, I dunno, random?” Jeremy asks. His knowledge of research is pretty shitty, but he’s done his bachelor level thesis and he knows basic s**t like random sampling and whatever his professor spewed in his elective stats class.

“It could be, but for my section, I’m seeking out a certain, ah,  population to study their aspect of love.”

“You mean the us, the people who don’t believe in love.”

“Yeah..” Matthew slowly replied. Jeremy waits for more, but he’s met with Matthew’s ever-annoying steady gaze. He’s still waiting for the thing to settle in- love, study, sample- all the things he’s never really cared about and doesn’t want to start. Like, sure, he supports Matthew and his magnificent big brain with its need to keep studying weird s**t but he’s never wanted to involve himself in Matthew’s studies and had requested that explicitly.

Guess a desperate PhD student is a desperate PhD student.

“You want me for this,” Jeremy starts slowly. He can say no right away. He can dismiss it entirely, not entertain the thing anymore and talk to Matthew as a friend does.

“I do.”

“Why.”

“Because- because bro, you’d be perfect for this!” Matthew exclaims, his glasses going slightly askew that Jeremy fixes out of sheer habit as the elder hyung. “You’re cool, you’re young and not to mention, you’re really hot- I mean this in a totally platonic and aesthetic appreciation way- you’d be great for this.”

“So let me get this straight,” Jeremy says, “you want me to be part of an experiment that wants to see if ‘love’ between two people can be created. Manufactured. With the right questions.”

Matthew nods eagerly, eyes shining in that Matthew way of his. “It’s an American study and we want to recreate in Korea, see if it has similar results or not.”

“We’re talking romantic love?”

“100%.”

Jeremy nods. He hums, runs a finger over the rim of his glass, and fixates on one of the dim yellow light bulbs for way too long than necessary before he snorts. “C’mon, Matthew.  You’re kidding me.”

Matthew looks hurt. Jeremy winces internally. “I am not, bro.”

“Me? You’re really asking me this?” Jeremy points towards himself as if it isn’t just the two of them in their reserved booth. “Matthew, I don’t believe in- this s**t. Love or soulmates or romance. I’d be the most useless candidate ever.”

“That’s exactly where you’re wrong,” Matthew argues right back. Jeremy admires that quality of his, has always liked that when Matthew’s convinced about something he refuses to back down. “On the contrary, you’re the most perfect candidate for this. You’re not only skeptical on love but you entirely don’t believe in it! You’d be an interesting addition to the sample pool.”

Jeremy can say no. He can say it right now, Matthew’s feelings be damned because he’s blunt and Matthew’s more than used to Jeremy’s less than warm ways. He can say no, should say no because he’s not lying, he doesn’t f**k with love and all that jazz over it. He’s in the middle of making his music, he’s settled well with a career he loves, has a cosy one-bedroom apartment that he shares with his dog Mickey and he’s happy. He has his best friends and has no unhealthy habits. He really doesn’t need any sort of drama interrupting this carefully curated life of his, that he’s earned after god knows, absolute years of struggle.

Matthew looks like he knows what’s running in Jeremy’s mind and his eyes widen a bit, his lips trembling to let out a plea. It shouldn’t be cute or anything because Matthew is a f*****g dork at best and he’s cute only because Jeremy has a massive brother complex.

Jeremy Throne can’t say no.

Just not to Matthew Lee, not when he makes that particular expression in his face.

“f*****g fine,” Jeremy hisses, slightly upset as Matthew loses said expression in a nanosecond, the f*****g manipulator that he is, but not too much because he’s never been able to say no to him. “I swear to God, though, Matthew, if this s**t causes me trouble I’m going to strangle you with Mickey’s leash, Hestia’s wrath be damned.”

Matthew rolls his eyes. “Bro, it’s an experiment. As I said, you’re sceptical and just one of the candidates. You’ve always been a fortress, what could you be possibly worried about?”

Which he’s not wrong about. Jeremy’s protected his heart pretty well and has no intention of putting it on a platter to be cut up and served.

“Yeah, it’s just an experiment.” Jeremy takes the last gulp and swishes the beer in his mouth, wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste. Why he drinks this s**t when he knows it tastes like piss is a mystery. “Let’s see who you’d even pair me with.”

He knows it’s an unspoken challenge that’s been ensued, and one that Matthew’s picked up on because he gives a happy version of a smirk, mirth trapped in his eyes as if he already knows Jeremy’s hapless partner. “Don’t worry about it, bro, I’m sure we’ll find you someone.”