(for skyroll) Of Life and the Places You’ll Go
For: skyroll
Title: Of Life and the Places You’ll Go
Pairing: Jongin/Xiumin
Word Count: ~4,000 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:: n/a
Summary: Jongin is a teleporting delivery person from Mars. One delivery takes him on a once in a lifetime journey.
Jongin looks down at the small package in his hands. It’s addressed to a Kim Minseok. Suddenly Jongin’s mind swirls with a confusing familiarity. Something about the name arouses curiosity in Jongin.
“What do you think is in that package?”
Jongin was jolted out of his thoughts by a hand roughly grabbing his shoulder. It was his coworker, Jackson.
“It’s probably some jewelry,” Jongin says, musingly. Jackson grabs the package out of Jongin’s hand and shakes it profusely. Jongin gasps and tries to snatch the package from his coworkers’ hands, failing miserably. Jackson laughs before handing the small box back to Jongin.
“I think it’s...lube and a butt plug,” Jackson says, before running off to actually do his job.
Jongin frowns at Jackson’s receding figure. “Really?” He calls out, cynically.
“Wild and sexy,” Jackson yells as he continues running through the warehouse.
Jongin sighs before pulling his uniform cap down to secure it on his head. Today was going to be a long day.
-
Jongin rings the doorbell of the house he’s delivering his next package to. He smiles at the scrawny kid that opens the door.
“Are your parents’ home?”
The boy shakes his head, no.
“Would you happen to be Jeon Jungkook?”
“Yes,”
“Do your parents know you order playboy magazine?”
The boy grabs the magazine out of Jongin’s hand. “I’m 16 years old!!! I’m practically an adult, you asshole!!” He yells, before slamming the door in Jongin’s face.
Jongin laughs to himself as he leaves the Jeon residence. Another day, another hormonal teenager ordering adult magazines.
His second and third deliveries of the day were just as entertaining and interesting as Jungkook.
Next, Jongin made a trip to Vega to deliver a large package to an elderly couple. He placed the box in their living room. The old woman kissed Jongin’s hands before he left. “So handsome,” She cooed. The old man jokingly glared at Jongin before thanking him for delivering the package.
After that, Jongin teleported back to Mars to deliver a package to a Lee Jinki. Jongin swore he smelled his favorite brand of chicken coming from inside Jinki’s apartment. Jongin tried to keep his composure as he passed the man the brightly colored manila envelope that was addressed to him. Apparently, it didn’t work because Jinki had asked him looked like he was salivating at the mouth. After a quick and apologetic explanation, he was invited in for lunch. Thirty minutes and a full stomach later, he headed back to the warehouse to get the rest of what he had to deliver for the day.
Unfortunately, the rest of the days’ deliveries were run of the mill. It was mostly tight-lipped, middle aged people who snatched their mail and didn’t thank him for the delivery.
But, Jongin was used to it. “Such was the life of a teleporting delivery person,” he would tell himself.
-
Whether he had a good or not so good day at work, Jongin’s favorite time was 6 o’clock. He changed into sweatpants and a tank top, bid his coworkers goodbye and headed out of the door in ten minutes tops. He got into his slightly beat up smart car and turned on the radio. He always kept the oldies station on in his car and his friends made fun of him because of it. They were all a bunch of fakes anyway, because everyone sang along when I Don’t Care or Gee came on. He smiled to himself as he drove off to his favorite place, the dance studio.
-
By night, Jongin was a dance prodigy, a maestro of movement. Well, at least that’s what his students would call him. He taught dance classes Monday through Wednesday and would usually come in and create new routines or just for fun most other days.
Tonight he would be teaching his students a dance he created to a song called History. It was by one of those one-hit wonder boy bands of the early 2000’s that no one knows of anymore. Jongin was sure they were called xo or something. The artist didn’t really matter. Jongin knew a good song when he heard it. Immediately after hearing History on the boy group hits of the early of the 2010’s station, he felt that he had to choreograph a dance to it.
As soon as he opened the door to Prism Dance Studio, he co-teacher, Yixing, ran up and hugged him. Jongin dropped his bags on the floor and hugged Yixing back. He thoroughly enjoyed his friend’s open affection, especially after a long day at work.
“Ready to rewrite History?” Yixing beamed.
Jongin laughed in response as some of the students heckled and sighed at Yixing’s lame joke.
-
Two hours later Jongin and Yixing are bidding the students a safe trip home. After the last student leaves Jongin lays down on the cool wooden floor in the studio. Jongin likens the exhaustion he feels after lessons to positive things. Today, his muscles ache euphoria.
Yixing sits on the floor next to Jongin and starts massaging one of his arms. “How was work today?” he inquires.
Jongin runs him through all of the deliveries he made that day. After mentioning the old married couple, Jongin notices that Yixing seems deep in thought.
“Hmm?” Jongin rolled over and laid on Yixing’s legs.
“Oh, nothing, what? Did you ask me something?” Yixing replied, flustered.
Yixing was like an open book with a few missing pages. He was open about most things but Jongin always had the impression he had a habit of leaving out some important details.
“Come on, it’s time to close the studio,” Yixing nudged Jongin off of his legs and stood up.
Everyone had things they wouldn’t tell a soul. Jongin wondered what kind, bright, cheerful, Yixing would possibly have to hide.
-
Like most people, Jongin didn’t have to work on the weekend. Yixing called in the morning to let Jongin know that renovations on the studio began today. So far, he had showered and eaten breakfast. A filling breakfast of leftover fried chicken had lessened some of the weariness he felt about the studio being closed.
Jongin lived in a small one-bedroom apartment on the edge of the city. The city he lived in, Little Metropolis, was modeled after various major cities on Earth. Nothing about it quite authentic, the residents still loved the small town atmosphere of it. Jongin liked to imagine how life in a city on Earth would be. He loved reading about the technology, customs and lifestyles of people on Earth. Most of those things were wiped away when the transition to Mars took place.
-
When Jongin was halfway through reading a volume of Beyblade, Kyungsoo texted him.
“Heard the studio was closed today, tough luck. Come carry my groceries. I’ll feed you.”
Jongin smiled at his phone while replying, “So rude, what happened to asking for help? But I will take up that offer to be fed. ;)”
“I’ll be outside your door in 15 minutes. Be ready or else… ;)”
Jongin considered making a comment about his friend’s choice of words and smiley, but he knew better than to test Kyungsoo. He was calm and steadfast, but not one to back down on his threats; an unlit firecracker, as Jongin described him. Out of all the friends Jongin ever had, Kyungsoo had been there the longest. To him that spoke volumes over Kyungsoo’s seeming lack of patience and sometimes emotion.
-
Ten minutes later, as Jongin was putting on a jacket he heard a loud, drawn-out car horn coming from outside his window. He quickly grabbed a cap and made his way downstairs; Kyungsoo had arrived.
-
Honestly, Jongin loved going grocery shopping (especially when he knew he would be getting fed afterwards). Growing up, grocery store trips were akin to amusement park trips for him. He loved the different varieties of food, free samples, the endless aisles and riding on shopping carts. This love of his grew when he discovered superstores. The fact that one could find everything they needed in one store, sometimes, made him choke up a bit. One of his childhood dreams was to own his own grocery store but as he grew older, discovered dance, and fell victim to practicality, he left that dream with his 10 year old self.
Kyungsoo gave a knowing look when Jongin’s eyes widened as they made their way through the store entrance. Kyungsoo pressed a button on the remote he was given by a greeter as they came in the store. A helperbot 3000 hologram materialized in front of them and asked what they needed today. Kyungsoo put his list of items into the remote and beckoned Jongin forward. Jongin took in all of the sights and sounds of his surroundings as he pushed the cart next to Kyungsoo. Jongin eyes kept returning to a group of people walking ahead of himself and Kyungsoo. More specifically, someone in the group that seemed shorter than the rest. They were wearing a blue and black plaid shirt, tight jeans and a black beanie.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo cleared his throat. Jongin quickly turned the cart down the aisle Kyungsoo had already gone into. He flashed Kyungsoo a sheepish smile, shaking off the eerie feeling of familiarity the person aroused in him, before stopping the cart.
-
Two hours and a full cart later, Jongin and Kyungsoo headed back to Kyungsoo’s apartment.
Jongin loved Kyungsoo’s cooking almost as much as he loved fried chicken. Almost.
After a huge helping of kimchi spaghetti and salad, Jongin was stuffed. Since he convinced Kyungsoo he was too full to leave, he made himself at home on one of Kyungsoo’s comfy couches and turned on the television. As he was drifting off to sleep, he noticed that he had gotten a text from Yixing. Jongin was sure it could wait, so he cut off his phone and fell asleep.
-
As soon as Jongin gets to work on Monday, he grabs the package addressed to Kim Minseok and presses a button on his keychain. Within seconds, he’s in front of a lavish three-story mansion surrounded by vibrant green shrubbery. As Jongin walked down the long path leading to the front door, his pace slowed with every step. He took a deep breath and sighed. This was just like any other delivery, except the name of the package recipient sounded very familiar and this person’s front yard looks like it came out of one of those old Better Homes and Gardens magazines. Jongin snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something wet hit him. A garden helperbot had sprayed him with water while trying to water the grass. Jongin felt panic rise in his gut. He pushed the feeling down and ran to the front door of the mansion in an attempt to prevent any damage to the package.
When he gets to the front door, a hand grabs Jongin’s wrist and pulls him inside the house.
The first thing Jongin notices is how nice the foyer is. The giant crystal chandelier is bright enough to light to multiple rooms. The walls are a bland cream color but the abundance of flowers and plants decorating the area make it kind of breathtaking. Jongin wants to ask the owner of the house if they were a botanist. Jongin soon realized that he was in a stranger’s house and still hadn’t given them their package. Before he can even think about worrying, a petite figure walks in the room holding a huge pile of towels. Jongin knows it’s Minseok. The man is short and thin with deep brown feline-like eyes.
To avoid staring, Jongin looks down and hands over the package with both hands. “I-I’m sorry, sir, here’s your package,”
The man laughs while putting the towels down before he takes the package from Jongin.
“This won’t do,” the man muses looking at the towels.
Jongin feels chills when he hears the man speak. He was soft spoken but firm, it reminded Jongin somewhat of Yixing.
The man looks at Jongin apologetically. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back.”
Jongin watches as the man runs up the stairs. He’s back almost as quickly as he went up.
The man presents Jongin with neatly folded clothing and a brand new set of towels.
“You can change in the bathroom,” The man pushes the clothes towards Jongin.
“I can’t, I have to-”
The man widens his eyes and pouts slightly.
Maybe work could wait.
Jongin smiles and graciously accepts the clothing and towels. The man points him in the direction of the bathroom before disappearing into the living room.
The bathroom was as luxurious as the rest of the house. Jongin looked around while drying his hair with one of the towels. The walls were a deep crimson and the sink and toilet were both gold. Everything about the house seemed unreal. Even the towels were the softest Jongin had ever used. After a few minutes of diligent drying, Jongin stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the living room.
-
The living room was unexpectedly…comfortable. Family photos adorned the tan walls. The most striking feature of it was the deep cherry wood bookshelves. One stood on each side of the television. The man was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.
Jongin cleared his throat. The man quickly turned around and smiled when he saw Jongin. He gestured for Jongin to come sit down. Jongin sat on the couch, a good distance away from the man. He then focused his eyes on a flower bouquet that was on the coffee table. Yellow roses in an opulent crystal vase were the centerpiece of the table.
“I’m really sorry for what happened. You can keep the clothes. I’ll get my helperbot fixed to spare future delivery people,” The man chuckled quickly before staring at Jongin with apologetic eyes again.
Jongin looked at the man’s shirt. “It’s fine, sir. In fact, I should be going now!” Jongin practically jumped up off the couch before halting when he felt the man’s hand touch his wrist.
“At least stay for coffee, a-as my way of apologizing to you fully,” The man drew his hand back and looked down.
Jongin didn’t feel strange about being here anymore, so why not? He nodded his head in agreement before inquiring, “Hot chocolate?”
-
It turns out the man really was Kim Minseok. While chatting over hot chocolate and coffee, Jongin and Minseok became fast friends. Minseok was a recent college grad and the son of soon-retiring grocery chain CEO. He was living in his parents’ home while trying to find a job that didn’t involve taking over his father’s position.
After calling and asking Jackson to take over his shift, Jongin joined Minseok back on the couch and they chatted and watched movies. Both terrible audience members, they talked their way through various animated films like Frozen and The Little Mermaid.
Jongin felt electricity rush through his veins being near Minseok. Even after only spending a matter of hours together, Jongin felt a deep sense of appreciation for Minseok and their newfound friendship.
Before they knew it, it was nighttime. Neither had noticed that it had gotten so dark outside. Minseok told Jongin that he was free to stay there for the night. Though he could easily get back home, Jongin felt it was best to stay. Snuggling under a blanket made of Egyptian cotton sounded much better than sleeping in his own uncomfortable bed.
Minseok led Jongin upstairs and into a large, modestly decorated bedroom. Minseok’s parents weren’t done renovating the house yet. Still, the sheets and fluffy pillows on the bed looked perfect to Jongin. He practically ran and flopped on top of the bed. After shuffling around to get under the blanket, he sighed. His day was completely surreal.
Minseok quietly said goodnight and closed the door before leaving the room.
Jongin mentally replied before drifting off to sleep, completely delighted.
-
Jongin wakes up to bright sunlight spilling into the bedroom windows. After stretching out to awaken more fully, he gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. Jongin reached out and touched the wall where he thought the bathroom door was. He looks around the room for the door but only sees the one leading to the hallway. Suddenly, he realizes that even the bed sheets are different than they were last night.
Jongin sat down on the bed as panic began to set in. He began picking at his nails while staring at the closed door that led to the rest of wherever he was.
Where was he? Where was Minseok? Was this a dream?
After carefully mulling over the possibilities, he decided it’d be best to at least see what was behind the door and explore the area.
Jongin eventually got off of the bed and slowly opened the door. He peeked out through a small crack and didn’t manage to see much. He opened the door fully and stepped out of the room. In front of him was another closed door. Next to him on the right was a small connected living room and kitchen area. It looked awfully old fashioned. There were stacks of DVDs and CDs piled next to the television. The television screen itself was small and held together by a plastic frame. Whoever lived there must have loved vintage things or been very poor. Jongin hoped it wasn’t the latter.
He spent the next half hour exploring the tiny apartment he was in. Turns out, the door across from the bedroom led to a bathroom. Jongin spent most of his time trying to get the television to work and messing with random things that were unfamiliar to him.
Much to Jongin’s frustration, the television never cut on, so he decided to read a book he found lying around in the living room.
Just as The Hunger Games was getting good, Jongin heard people approach the front door. In a matter of seconds, two young men holding bags of groceries walked through the door. The one with blonde hair hurried to the kitchen to put the grocery bags down.
The brown haired person paused and smiled at Jongin. “Oh, you’re awake,”
A flurry of frantic questions streamed out of Jongin’s mouth in response.
The blonde one chimed in from the kitchen, “Did he drink so much that he forgot who he is?”
The brunette one shushed him and sat down next to Jongin on the couch.
A few minutes later, all of Jongin’s questions are answered. Jongin is at the brunette man, Mark’s, apartment. They are supposedly friends who go to the same university. The blonde man in the kitchen was Taehyung, another friend of his.
Still, Jongin felt slightly unsatisfied. How did he end up here? Where was Minseok?
“You’re sure you didn’t kidnap me?” Jongin inquired.
Mark sighed before clarifying, “Jongin, last night you went to Seohyun’s party and got wasted. I bought you back here because you could barely walk on your own.”
Jongin decided to wait it out and play along with whatever this was. Hopefully he’d be able to get back home soon. Jackson couldn’t cover his shift forever.
-
Mark kindly walked Jongin back to his own apartment after feeding him breakfast. Jongin lived in the same complex, but on a different floor. After letting him in (he had a spare key), Mark left.
Jongin spent the rest of the day learning as much about “himself” as possible. He wanted to be prepared for class tomorrow.
-
Waking up for class was extremely difficult. It took Jongin at least an hour to figure out how he was supposed to clean his teeth. He dearly missed how simple everything was in the future. Home bathrooms were replaced with all-in-one cleaning pods.
His struggles at home led to him being late for every class, due to his having to use a physical map. He circled around the campus for thirty minutes before finally asking for help. A security guard escorted Jongin to the building his class was located in.
Settling into this life had some challenges at first, but Jongin slowly grew both increasingly comfortable and weary.
Over the next couple days, Jongin learned many new things. Most importantly, he learned the fact that he was on Earth in the year 2014. Well, that explained the old fashioned appliances and weird furniture in his apartment. Jongin was in the past. Although this information was helpful, it still didn’t explain how or why he had an existing life here. He decided to keep investigating during his day to day activities.
-
The best thing about Earth was definitely Starbucks. Discovering Starbucks made Jongin simultaneously miss home and helped pacify him with their delicious coffee drinks.
Jongin’s favorite place to study soon became the local Starbucks. He often went with Taehyung or Mark. Today, Jongin had decided to go alone and finish reading The Hunger Games.
When ordering his drink Jongin was stunned when the barista that took his order looked an awful lot like Minseok, exactly like Minseok. His name spilled out of Jongin’s mouth before he could stop himself.
“How did you know my name? Do I know you from school?”
“Um, no.” Jongin felt his stomach drop when he realized Minseok didn’t recognize him. It seemed like his only chance at getting home was wiped away.
“Well, I’d like to get to know you,” Minseok gave Jongin a quick smile before going to make Jongin’s drink.
Jongin smiled in response and felt the same rush of energy he had when he first met Minseok.
Some things never change.
-
Jongin’s Frappuccino cup had Minseok’s phone number on the side. Even after he saved the number into his phone, he decided to keep the cup. He threw it into his backpack before leaving the coffee shop.
-
Jongin quickly fell into a routine spontaneity while on Earth. He enjoyed the experience of being in college, having new friends and living a life much different from the one he had on Mars.
When Jongin heard his phone buzzing one morning, he thought it would be Mark, Taehyung or Hoseok inviting him out for some random adventure.
He almost fell out of the bed when the name Minseok flashed on the screen.
Within 30 minutes Jongin was dressed and ready to meet Minseok at the park.
-
Minseok looks dazzling, dressed in a simple grey top, blue jean jacket, black beanie cap and jeans. Jongin suddenly feels over-dressed in his dress shirt and leather jacket.
Hopefully Minseok didn’t mind. Jongin noticed Minseok staring at him for long periods of time.
Jongin pushed his nerves aside and gently took Minseok’s hand in his.
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
Minseok chuckles nervously and nods.
Things started off slow but picked up as Jongin remembered the things he spoke with Minseok about in the future.
Jongin tried to ignore his rumbling stomach but it let out a loud growl and Minseok stopped walking.
“We’re going to the store,”
Minseok took hold of Jongin’s hand and led him in the direction of the nearest grocery store.
Which was thankfully, a few minutes away.
-
Minseok and Jongin spent an hour in the grocery store ogling at the wide variety of food selections, tasting samples and actually buying what they needed to have a picnic.
They set up as quickly as possible when they got back to the park. A variety of different foods and drinks were neatly arranged on a red blanket.
As Jongin finished his meal, he felt as if his chest and stomach were about to burst. Minseok stuffed his cheeks with pieces of diced fruit, covering his face when he noticed Jongin staring.
“Don…look ah me” he whined in between bites.
Jongin smiled and scoot over to sit closer to Minseok. He reached a hand out to cup Minseok’s cheek.
Minseok gulped as he swallowed his last bite of food. He closed the space between their faces before Jongin could make a move.
Jongin let out a surprised squeal before deepening the kiss.
Before long, they were back in Jongin’s bed, Minseok straddling Jongin while he took his shirt off.
Jongin groaned at the sight of a half-naked Minseok.
Minseok leaned down and gave Jongin a long, lazy kiss on the lips before moving down to his neck.
Jongin though thoroughly engaged, felt himself grow increasingly tired. He let out a disappointed whine and rolled over so that he was lying next to Minseok.
“I’m sleepy, sorry,” Jongin mumbled.
Minseok kissed his forehead and wrapped his arms around Jongin’s shoulders.
“Before you go to sleep, what do you think of me? Huh? How do you feel about me, Jongin?”
-
“Jongin...Jongin...Jongin,”
Jongin felt someone hitting his arm. As he opened his eyes he saw a blurry Kyungsoo looking at him disdainfully.
Jongin reached out to touch Kyungsoo’s face, only to have his hands swatted away immediately.
He was home.
“Where am I?” Jongin rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“You passed out on my couch and didn’t wake up for like a day. I had to call in sick for you yesterday.” Kyungsoo noted, irritation in his voice.
“I didn’t meet Kim Minseok?”
“Who?”
Jongin dismissed the question and thanked Kyungsoo before getting up and leaving his apartment.
-
The dream he had been in seemed way too real. It was hard for Jongin to wrap his mind around the fact that everyone he met and everything he experienced for a matter of days wasn’t real. Jongin got back to work a few days later, after the shock subsided.
Now, today, was the actual day that he had to deliver that mysterious package to Kim Minseok.
He closed his eyes and followed his teleportation protocol. When Jongin opened his eyes he was in front of an apartment door.
Jongin steadied himself, stalling a bit before knocking on the door.
When the door opens Jongin finds himself face to face with the man from his dream.
Both of them lock eyes for some time before Minseok blushes and clears his throat.
“Would you like to come in for coffee?”
“As long as you have hot chocolate,” Jongin replies.
Minseok flashes a gummy smile and opens his door wide, inviting Jongin in.
Jongin begins to feel electricity pulsing through his veins.
Some things never change.
Title: Of Life and the Places You’ll Go
Pairing: Jongin/Xiumin
Word Count: ~4,000 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:: n/a
Summary: Jongin is a teleporting delivery person from Mars. One delivery takes him on a once in a lifetime journey.
Jongin looks down at the small package in his hands. It’s addressed to a Kim Minseok. Suddenly Jongin’s mind swirls with a confusing familiarity. Something about the name arouses curiosity in Jongin.
“What do you think is in that package?”
Jongin was jolted out of his thoughts by a hand roughly grabbing his shoulder. It was his coworker, Jackson.
“It’s probably some jewelry,” Jongin says, musingly. Jackson grabs the package out of Jongin’s hand and shakes it profusely. Jongin gasps and tries to snatch the package from his coworkers’ hands, failing miserably. Jackson laughs before handing the small box back to Jongin.
“I think it’s...lube and a butt plug,” Jackson says, before running off to actually do his job.
Jongin frowns at Jackson’s receding figure. “Really?” He calls out, cynically.
“Wild and sexy,” Jackson yells as he continues running through the warehouse.
Jongin sighs before pulling his uniform cap down to secure it on his head. Today was going to be a long day.
-
Jongin rings the doorbell of the house he’s delivering his next package to. He smiles at the scrawny kid that opens the door.
“Are your parents’ home?”
The boy shakes his head, no.
“Would you happen to be Jeon Jungkook?”
“Yes,”
“Do your parents know you order playboy magazine?”
The boy grabs the magazine out of Jongin’s hand. “I’m 16 years old!!! I’m practically an adult, you asshole!!” He yells, before slamming the door in Jongin’s face.
Jongin laughs to himself as he leaves the Jeon residence. Another day, another hormonal teenager ordering adult magazines.
His second and third deliveries of the day were just as entertaining and interesting as Jungkook.
Next, Jongin made a trip to Vega to deliver a large package to an elderly couple. He placed the box in their living room. The old woman kissed Jongin’s hands before he left. “So handsome,” She cooed. The old man jokingly glared at Jongin before thanking him for delivering the package.
After that, Jongin teleported back to Mars to deliver a package to a Lee Jinki. Jongin swore he smelled his favorite brand of chicken coming from inside Jinki’s apartment. Jongin tried to keep his composure as he passed the man the brightly colored manila envelope that was addressed to him. Apparently, it didn’t work because Jinki had asked him looked like he was salivating at the mouth. After a quick and apologetic explanation, he was invited in for lunch. Thirty minutes and a full stomach later, he headed back to the warehouse to get the rest of what he had to deliver for the day.
Unfortunately, the rest of the days’ deliveries were run of the mill. It was mostly tight-lipped, middle aged people who snatched their mail and didn’t thank him for the delivery.
But, Jongin was used to it. “Such was the life of a teleporting delivery person,” he would tell himself.
-
Whether he had a good or not so good day at work, Jongin’s favorite time was 6 o’clock. He changed into sweatpants and a tank top, bid his coworkers goodbye and headed out of the door in ten minutes tops. He got into his slightly beat up smart car and turned on the radio. He always kept the oldies station on in his car and his friends made fun of him because of it. They were all a bunch of fakes anyway, because everyone sang along when I Don’t Care or Gee came on. He smiled to himself as he drove off to his favorite place, the dance studio.
-
By night, Jongin was a dance prodigy, a maestro of movement. Well, at least that’s what his students would call him. He taught dance classes Monday through Wednesday and would usually come in and create new routines or just for fun most other days.
Tonight he would be teaching his students a dance he created to a song called History. It was by one of those one-hit wonder boy bands of the early 2000’s that no one knows of anymore. Jongin was sure they were called xo or something. The artist didn’t really matter. Jongin knew a good song when he heard it. Immediately after hearing History on the boy group hits of the early of the 2010’s station, he felt that he had to choreograph a dance to it.
As soon as he opened the door to Prism Dance Studio, he co-teacher, Yixing, ran up and hugged him. Jongin dropped his bags on the floor and hugged Yixing back. He thoroughly enjoyed his friend’s open affection, especially after a long day at work.
“Ready to rewrite History?” Yixing beamed.
Jongin laughed in response as some of the students heckled and sighed at Yixing’s lame joke.
-
Two hours later Jongin and Yixing are bidding the students a safe trip home. After the last student leaves Jongin lays down on the cool wooden floor in the studio. Jongin likens the exhaustion he feels after lessons to positive things. Today, his muscles ache euphoria.
Yixing sits on the floor next to Jongin and starts massaging one of his arms. “How was work today?” he inquires.
Jongin runs him through all of the deliveries he made that day. After mentioning the old married couple, Jongin notices that Yixing seems deep in thought.
“Hmm?” Jongin rolled over and laid on Yixing’s legs.
“Oh, nothing, what? Did you ask me something?” Yixing replied, flustered.
Yixing was like an open book with a few missing pages. He was open about most things but Jongin always had the impression he had a habit of leaving out some important details.
“Come on, it’s time to close the studio,” Yixing nudged Jongin off of his legs and stood up.
Everyone had things they wouldn’t tell a soul. Jongin wondered what kind, bright, cheerful, Yixing would possibly have to hide.
-
Like most people, Jongin didn’t have to work on the weekend. Yixing called in the morning to let Jongin know that renovations on the studio began today. So far, he had showered and eaten breakfast. A filling breakfast of leftover fried chicken had lessened some of the weariness he felt about the studio being closed.
Jongin lived in a small one-bedroom apartment on the edge of the city. The city he lived in, Little Metropolis, was modeled after various major cities on Earth. Nothing about it quite authentic, the residents still loved the small town atmosphere of it. Jongin liked to imagine how life in a city on Earth would be. He loved reading about the technology, customs and lifestyles of people on Earth. Most of those things were wiped away when the transition to Mars took place.
-
When Jongin was halfway through reading a volume of Beyblade, Kyungsoo texted him.
“Heard the studio was closed today, tough luck. Come carry my groceries. I’ll feed you.”
Jongin smiled at his phone while replying, “So rude, what happened to asking for help? But I will take up that offer to be fed. ;)”
“I’ll be outside your door in 15 minutes. Be ready or else… ;)”
Jongin considered making a comment about his friend’s choice of words and smiley, but he knew better than to test Kyungsoo. He was calm and steadfast, but not one to back down on his threats; an unlit firecracker, as Jongin described him. Out of all the friends Jongin ever had, Kyungsoo had been there the longest. To him that spoke volumes over Kyungsoo’s seeming lack of patience and sometimes emotion.
-
Ten minutes later, as Jongin was putting on a jacket he heard a loud, drawn-out car horn coming from outside his window. He quickly grabbed a cap and made his way downstairs; Kyungsoo had arrived.
-
Honestly, Jongin loved going grocery shopping (especially when he knew he would be getting fed afterwards). Growing up, grocery store trips were akin to amusement park trips for him. He loved the different varieties of food, free samples, the endless aisles and riding on shopping carts. This love of his grew when he discovered superstores. The fact that one could find everything they needed in one store, sometimes, made him choke up a bit. One of his childhood dreams was to own his own grocery store but as he grew older, discovered dance, and fell victim to practicality, he left that dream with his 10 year old self.
Kyungsoo gave a knowing look when Jongin’s eyes widened as they made their way through the store entrance. Kyungsoo pressed a button on the remote he was given by a greeter as they came in the store. A helperbot 3000 hologram materialized in front of them and asked what they needed today. Kyungsoo put his list of items into the remote and beckoned Jongin forward. Jongin took in all of the sights and sounds of his surroundings as he pushed the cart next to Kyungsoo. Jongin eyes kept returning to a group of people walking ahead of himself and Kyungsoo. More specifically, someone in the group that seemed shorter than the rest. They were wearing a blue and black plaid shirt, tight jeans and a black beanie.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo cleared his throat. Jongin quickly turned the cart down the aisle Kyungsoo had already gone into. He flashed Kyungsoo a sheepish smile, shaking off the eerie feeling of familiarity the person aroused in him, before stopping the cart.
-
Two hours and a full cart later, Jongin and Kyungsoo headed back to Kyungsoo’s apartment.
Jongin loved Kyungsoo’s cooking almost as much as he loved fried chicken. Almost.
After a huge helping of kimchi spaghetti and salad, Jongin was stuffed. Since he convinced Kyungsoo he was too full to leave, he made himself at home on one of Kyungsoo’s comfy couches and turned on the television. As he was drifting off to sleep, he noticed that he had gotten a text from Yixing. Jongin was sure it could wait, so he cut off his phone and fell asleep.
-
As soon as Jongin gets to work on Monday, he grabs the package addressed to Kim Minseok and presses a button on his keychain. Within seconds, he’s in front of a lavish three-story mansion surrounded by vibrant green shrubbery. As Jongin walked down the long path leading to the front door, his pace slowed with every step. He took a deep breath and sighed. This was just like any other delivery, except the name of the package recipient sounded very familiar and this person’s front yard looks like it came out of one of those old Better Homes and Gardens magazines. Jongin snapped out of his thoughts when he felt something wet hit him. A garden helperbot had sprayed him with water while trying to water the grass. Jongin felt panic rise in his gut. He pushed the feeling down and ran to the front door of the mansion in an attempt to prevent any damage to the package.
When he gets to the front door, a hand grabs Jongin’s wrist and pulls him inside the house.
The first thing Jongin notices is how nice the foyer is. The giant crystal chandelier is bright enough to light to multiple rooms. The walls are a bland cream color but the abundance of flowers and plants decorating the area make it kind of breathtaking. Jongin wants to ask the owner of the house if they were a botanist. Jongin soon realized that he was in a stranger’s house and still hadn’t given them their package. Before he can even think about worrying, a petite figure walks in the room holding a huge pile of towels. Jongin knows it’s Minseok. The man is short and thin with deep brown feline-like eyes.
To avoid staring, Jongin looks down and hands over the package with both hands. “I-I’m sorry, sir, here’s your package,”
The man laughs while putting the towels down before he takes the package from Jongin.
“This won’t do,” the man muses looking at the towels.
Jongin feels chills when he hears the man speak. He was soft spoken but firm, it reminded Jongin somewhat of Yixing.
The man looks at Jongin apologetically. “Stay right here. I’ll be right back.”
Jongin watches as the man runs up the stairs. He’s back almost as quickly as he went up.
The man presents Jongin with neatly folded clothing and a brand new set of towels.
“You can change in the bathroom,” The man pushes the clothes towards Jongin.
“I can’t, I have to-”
The man widens his eyes and pouts slightly.
Maybe work could wait.
Jongin smiles and graciously accepts the clothing and towels. The man points him in the direction of the bathroom before disappearing into the living room.
The bathroom was as luxurious as the rest of the house. Jongin looked around while drying his hair with one of the towels. The walls were a deep crimson and the sink and toilet were both gold. Everything about the house seemed unreal. Even the towels were the softest Jongin had ever used. After a few minutes of diligent drying, Jongin stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the living room.
-
The living room was unexpectedly…comfortable. Family photos adorned the tan walls. The most striking feature of it was the deep cherry wood bookshelves. One stood on each side of the television. The man was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.
Jongin cleared his throat. The man quickly turned around and smiled when he saw Jongin. He gestured for Jongin to come sit down. Jongin sat on the couch, a good distance away from the man. He then focused his eyes on a flower bouquet that was on the coffee table. Yellow roses in an opulent crystal vase were the centerpiece of the table.
“I’m really sorry for what happened. You can keep the clothes. I’ll get my helperbot fixed to spare future delivery people,” The man chuckled quickly before staring at Jongin with apologetic eyes again.
Jongin looked at the man’s shirt. “It’s fine, sir. In fact, I should be going now!” Jongin practically jumped up off the couch before halting when he felt the man’s hand touch his wrist.
“At least stay for coffee, a-as my way of apologizing to you fully,” The man drew his hand back and looked down.
Jongin didn’t feel strange about being here anymore, so why not? He nodded his head in agreement before inquiring, “Hot chocolate?”
-
It turns out the man really was Kim Minseok. While chatting over hot chocolate and coffee, Jongin and Minseok became fast friends. Minseok was a recent college grad and the son of soon-retiring grocery chain CEO. He was living in his parents’ home while trying to find a job that didn’t involve taking over his father’s position.
After calling and asking Jackson to take over his shift, Jongin joined Minseok back on the couch and they chatted and watched movies. Both terrible audience members, they talked their way through various animated films like Frozen and The Little Mermaid.
Jongin felt electricity rush through his veins being near Minseok. Even after only spending a matter of hours together, Jongin felt a deep sense of appreciation for Minseok and their newfound friendship.
Before they knew it, it was nighttime. Neither had noticed that it had gotten so dark outside. Minseok told Jongin that he was free to stay there for the night. Though he could easily get back home, Jongin felt it was best to stay. Snuggling under a blanket made of Egyptian cotton sounded much better than sleeping in his own uncomfortable bed.
Minseok led Jongin upstairs and into a large, modestly decorated bedroom. Minseok’s parents weren’t done renovating the house yet. Still, the sheets and fluffy pillows on the bed looked perfect to Jongin. He practically ran and flopped on top of the bed. After shuffling around to get under the blanket, he sighed. His day was completely surreal.
Minseok quietly said goodnight and closed the door before leaving the room.
Jongin mentally replied before drifting off to sleep, completely delighted.
-
Jongin wakes up to bright sunlight spilling into the bedroom windows. After stretching out to awaken more fully, he gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. Jongin reached out and touched the wall where he thought the bathroom door was. He looks around the room for the door but only sees the one leading to the hallway. Suddenly, he realizes that even the bed sheets are different than they were last night.
Jongin sat down on the bed as panic began to set in. He began picking at his nails while staring at the closed door that led to the rest of wherever he was.
Where was he? Where was Minseok? Was this a dream?
After carefully mulling over the possibilities, he decided it’d be best to at least see what was behind the door and explore the area.
Jongin eventually got off of the bed and slowly opened the door. He peeked out through a small crack and didn’t manage to see much. He opened the door fully and stepped out of the room. In front of him was another closed door. Next to him on the right was a small connected living room and kitchen area. It looked awfully old fashioned. There were stacks of DVDs and CDs piled next to the television. The television screen itself was small and held together by a plastic frame. Whoever lived there must have loved vintage things or been very poor. Jongin hoped it wasn’t the latter.
He spent the next half hour exploring the tiny apartment he was in. Turns out, the door across from the bedroom led to a bathroom. Jongin spent most of his time trying to get the television to work and messing with random things that were unfamiliar to him.
Much to Jongin’s frustration, the television never cut on, so he decided to read a book he found lying around in the living room.
Just as The Hunger Games was getting good, Jongin heard people approach the front door. In a matter of seconds, two young men holding bags of groceries walked through the door. The one with blonde hair hurried to the kitchen to put the grocery bags down.
The brown haired person paused and smiled at Jongin. “Oh, you’re awake,”
A flurry of frantic questions streamed out of Jongin’s mouth in response.
The blonde one chimed in from the kitchen, “Did he drink so much that he forgot who he is?”
The brunette one shushed him and sat down next to Jongin on the couch.
A few minutes later, all of Jongin’s questions are answered. Jongin is at the brunette man, Mark’s, apartment. They are supposedly friends who go to the same university. The blonde man in the kitchen was Taehyung, another friend of his.
Still, Jongin felt slightly unsatisfied. How did he end up here? Where was Minseok?
“You’re sure you didn’t kidnap me?” Jongin inquired.
Mark sighed before clarifying, “Jongin, last night you went to Seohyun’s party and got wasted. I bought you back here because you could barely walk on your own.”
Jongin decided to wait it out and play along with whatever this was. Hopefully he’d be able to get back home soon. Jackson couldn’t cover his shift forever.
-
Mark kindly walked Jongin back to his own apartment after feeding him breakfast. Jongin lived in the same complex, but on a different floor. After letting him in (he had a spare key), Mark left.
Jongin spent the rest of the day learning as much about “himself” as possible. He wanted to be prepared for class tomorrow.
-
Waking up for class was extremely difficult. It took Jongin at least an hour to figure out how he was supposed to clean his teeth. He dearly missed how simple everything was in the future. Home bathrooms were replaced with all-in-one cleaning pods.
His struggles at home led to him being late for every class, due to his having to use a physical map. He circled around the campus for thirty minutes before finally asking for help. A security guard escorted Jongin to the building his class was located in.
Settling into this life had some challenges at first, but Jongin slowly grew both increasingly comfortable and weary.
Over the next couple days, Jongin learned many new things. Most importantly, he learned the fact that he was on Earth in the year 2014. Well, that explained the old fashioned appliances and weird furniture in his apartment. Jongin was in the past. Although this information was helpful, it still didn’t explain how or why he had an existing life here. He decided to keep investigating during his day to day activities.
-
The best thing about Earth was definitely Starbucks. Discovering Starbucks made Jongin simultaneously miss home and helped pacify him with their delicious coffee drinks.
Jongin’s favorite place to study soon became the local Starbucks. He often went with Taehyung or Mark. Today, Jongin had decided to go alone and finish reading The Hunger Games.
When ordering his drink Jongin was stunned when the barista that took his order looked an awful lot like Minseok, exactly like Minseok. His name spilled out of Jongin’s mouth before he could stop himself.
“How did you know my name? Do I know you from school?”
“Um, no.” Jongin felt his stomach drop when he realized Minseok didn’t recognize him. It seemed like his only chance at getting home was wiped away.
“Well, I’d like to get to know you,” Minseok gave Jongin a quick smile before going to make Jongin’s drink.
Jongin smiled in response and felt the same rush of energy he had when he first met Minseok.
Some things never change.
-
Jongin’s Frappuccino cup had Minseok’s phone number on the side. Even after he saved the number into his phone, he decided to keep the cup. He threw it into his backpack before leaving the coffee shop.
-
Jongin quickly fell into a routine spontaneity while on Earth. He enjoyed the experience of being in college, having new friends and living a life much different from the one he had on Mars.
When Jongin heard his phone buzzing one morning, he thought it would be Mark, Taehyung or Hoseok inviting him out for some random adventure.
He almost fell out of the bed when the name Minseok flashed on the screen.
Within 30 minutes Jongin was dressed and ready to meet Minseok at the park.
-
Minseok looks dazzling, dressed in a simple grey top, blue jean jacket, black beanie cap and jeans. Jongin suddenly feels over-dressed in his dress shirt and leather jacket.
Hopefully Minseok didn’t mind. Jongin noticed Minseok staring at him for long periods of time.
Jongin pushed his nerves aside and gently took Minseok’s hand in his.
“Would you like to go for a walk?”
Minseok chuckles nervously and nods.
Things started off slow but picked up as Jongin remembered the things he spoke with Minseok about in the future.
Jongin tried to ignore his rumbling stomach but it let out a loud growl and Minseok stopped walking.
“We’re going to the store,”
Minseok took hold of Jongin’s hand and led him in the direction of the nearest grocery store.
Which was thankfully, a few minutes away.
-
Minseok and Jongin spent an hour in the grocery store ogling at the wide variety of food selections, tasting samples and actually buying what they needed to have a picnic.
They set up as quickly as possible when they got back to the park. A variety of different foods and drinks were neatly arranged on a red blanket.
As Jongin finished his meal, he felt as if his chest and stomach were about to burst. Minseok stuffed his cheeks with pieces of diced fruit, covering his face when he noticed Jongin staring.
“Don…look ah me” he whined in between bites.
Jongin smiled and scoot over to sit closer to Minseok. He reached a hand out to cup Minseok’s cheek.
Minseok gulped as he swallowed his last bite of food. He closed the space between their faces before Jongin could make a move.
Jongin let out a surprised squeal before deepening the kiss.
Before long, they were back in Jongin’s bed, Minseok straddling Jongin while he took his shirt off.
Jongin groaned at the sight of a half-naked Minseok.
Minseok leaned down and gave Jongin a long, lazy kiss on the lips before moving down to his neck.
Jongin though thoroughly engaged, felt himself grow increasingly tired. He let out a disappointed whine and rolled over so that he was lying next to Minseok.
“I’m sleepy, sorry,” Jongin mumbled.
Minseok kissed his forehead and wrapped his arms around Jongin’s shoulders.
“Before you go to sleep, what do you think of me? Huh? How do you feel about me, Jongin?”
-
“Jongin...Jongin...Jongin,”
Jongin felt someone hitting his arm. As he opened his eyes he saw a blurry Kyungsoo looking at him disdainfully.
Jongin reached out to touch Kyungsoo’s face, only to have his hands swatted away immediately.
He was home.
“Where am I?” Jongin rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“You passed out on my couch and didn’t wake up for like a day. I had to call in sick for you yesterday.” Kyungsoo noted, irritation in his voice.
“I didn’t meet Kim Minseok?”
“Who?”
Jongin dismissed the question and thanked Kyungsoo before getting up and leaving his apartment.
-
The dream he had been in seemed way too real. It was hard for Jongin to wrap his mind around the fact that everyone he met and everything he experienced for a matter of days wasn’t real. Jongin got back to work a few days later, after the shock subsided.
Now, today, was the actual day that he had to deliver that mysterious package to Kim Minseok.
He closed his eyes and followed his teleportation protocol. When Jongin opened his eyes he was in front of an apartment door.
Jongin steadied himself, stalling a bit before knocking on the door.
When the door opens Jongin finds himself face to face with the man from his dream.
Both of them lock eyes for some time before Minseok blushes and clears his throat.
“Would you like to come in for coffee?”
“As long as you have hot chocolate,” Jongin replies.
Minseok flashes a gummy smile and opens his door wide, inviting Jongin in.
Jongin begins to feel electricity pulsing through his veins.
Some things never change.