(for everyone) Mail Order Companion
For: everyone
Title: Mail Order Companion
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~2700 words
Warnings: awkward storyline
Summary: Socially awkward rich man finds his perfect companion in the mail.
A/N: I think I lost it halfway through the fic I'm so sorry! o(；△；)o I do hope you like this awkward word vomit I have written T_T
The half-moon smiled in the night sky, a splash of barely-there dark blue swathed across the black canvas like a splash of paint. Stars glistened and sparkled in the sky like fireflies glued to a black ceiling, twinkling happily as if they were not giant balls of gases burning light-years away, the occasional blinking from an airplane passing overhead sometimes being mistaken for the giant intergalactic masses. Under the clear night sat a bustling city, rows and rows of buildings rising high into the heavens, the companies that own them competing against one another to as if to see who could reach the sky first. The tall street lights lined the sides of the street, straight lines lighting up a runway for the tiny cars underneath, their own headlights casting a white glow on the tarmac road as they sped along to their intended destinations. Miniature people walked and chatted on the sidewalk, holding hands or laughing merrily together as they strolled past the many shop windows and street vendors on their social outing.
A soft sigh escaped parted lips as a man watched the scene in front of him, fingertips ghosting over the rim of a fluted champagne glass, filled halfway with the golden bubbly liquid with a random pattern of it reaching up the side of the glass where it had recently slid against, the faint marks of lips were on the edge above it as if to imply that the champagne had just been sipped. The man himself sat in darkness, the only light source being the moon and street lights filtering through the ceiling-high windows that lined the rooms. From the glow of the celestial rock, the man’s features were lit up in an ethereal glow, his soft pale skin stretching across high cheek bones and a sharp jaw. Thin lips curved at the corners, a playful smile always present under a shapely nose. Slanted eyes sparkled with never-ending mischievousness, hidden behind a veil of long eyelashes that bent up at the ends towards a pair of neatly trimmed eyebrows that arched up towards his hairline. A smooth forehead led to a head full of luscious black hair, silky locks tumbling into a style that only he could pull off.
Kim Jongdae can be described as your typical rich businessman, wearing designer suits and dining at expensive restaurants. His life wasn’t always like that though; he was born on the 21st of September to an average family: a strict father, a caring mother and an older brother who seemed to hate him most of the time. They lived in a small apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom, Jongdae having to share with his brother until the older had moved out for college. His father was in a way kind to him behind the façade of being strict, pushing him to his limits in order to see his youngest son enter one of the top colleges in the country. Coming in top 10 of his cohort, Jongdae had gotten the scholarship for his course and for the first time ever, his father had openly shown the world how proud he was of his sons. His brother had turned up in the middle of the graduation, just before Jongdae had taken to the stage to receive his certificate of successfully completing high school. The younger got a punch on the arm and a pat on the back, knowing that it was probably the closest thing to a hug he would ever get from his brother.
From there, things seemed to get better for Jongdae. He was always top of the class, always in the college newspaper and always one of the best. Due to this though, he had found himself isolated and alone throughout the years spent there. Too smart, too studious, too focused. While his friends were out drinking and partying, smoking weed and getting smashed, he was in his dorm room, nose buried in his textbook while his hand scribbled lines and lines of notes. By their final year, all of Jongdae’s friends were either dating or at least have lost their virginity one way or another. On graduation, the whole group of them gathered together to celebrate, throwing their caps and taking photos with everyone in their cohort. Jongdae stood to the side, top of the class certificate clutched in hand, the only people taking photos with him were his parents.
Jongdae had easily gotten a job in the business sector of a large designer clothing line and magazine, working under the CEO and taught to manage and run the employees fairly but strictly. He was a prodigy at work, diligent and motivated. He rose to the top within three years, becoming the successor once the old CEO had decided to retire from his position. Jongdae had still worked hard after that, making sure the company was perfect. He devoted his life to the company, not focusing on life until it was too late. In the blink of an eye, he was already 28, missed most of his friend’s weddings and was still as lonely as 10 years ago. From then, he had the habit of sitting in his condo every night, lights out with a bottle of the finest champagne, looking out at the lights of the city, watching the people go about their daily lives and wondering his other half is somewhere out there looking for him or even worse, with someone else.
It was mid-Autumn when his secretary, a nice woman named Victoria, gave him an official-looking letter. It was thick and heavy, sealed tightly for extra security and needed a special tool to open. Jongdae dismissed her with a wave, wanting to view the contents of the envelope alone. Since it was already after business hours, she offered to stay back to help but he smiled his disarmingly charming smile and sent her off, not wanting to hold her back from her date that night. The contents of the envelope included a gold-bordered letter, three pamphlets and guidebooks, a list of names and photos, and a return envelope. Flipping through the pamphlets, he frowned slightly when his eyes caught onto the words ‘companion’, ‘delivered’ and ‘take your pick’ in them. What was this envelope about?
Jongdae picked up the letter and opened his draw, procuring a magnifying glass and holding it against the paper to read the typed writing (he didn’t want to ruin his eyes since it was night and the strain would have been too much).
‘Dear Mr. Kim,
We are writing to you from the Institute of Life Companions, a place to help you find your perfect companion. A close friend of yours sent in a suggestion for what sort of companions would be perfect for you. We guaruntee that all of our companions have joined the institute voluntarily to find their perfect partners also. There are of course, fees and delivery charges but we hope that these won’t deter you from finding your perfect companion. Please find in this package the profiles for three companions that have been carefully chosen for you via information passed on from your friend. Once you have made a decision, fill in the form and send it back to us within a week of the date on this letter. If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail or telephone situated at the bottom of this letter. We hope to hear from you soon, thank you for your time Mr Kim.
On behalf of the workers at the Institute of Life Companions who tirelessly work to find you your perfect partner,
Kim Joonmyeon'
With a frown, Jongdae put the letter aside, picking up the three files and opened the first to see the youthful face of a young man, bright smile and crescent eyes beaming up at him. ‘Byun Baekhyun’ read the top of the file, 23, a recent design graduate still looking for work. His free time was spent shopping, eating good food and testing make up. Jongdae made a disgruntled sound at the age gap and what Baekhyun would do instead of looking for a job, the price of ‘purchase’ of the boy made the man hum more in disagreement, throwing the file to the side.
The second file was of an exotic looking man, with beautifully slanted eyes and sharp features. ‘Huang Zitao’ was a 26 year-old Chinese failed actor who liked wearing leopard print, taking selfies, looking after his puppy named Candy, walking on the beach and practicing martial arts. Though Jongdae liked the fact the man liked romantic strolls on the beach and loved pets, his high life meant lots of social interactions and his martial arts status meant that he could easily overpower Jongdae (and Jongdae didn’t like to be weaker).
He was about to give up and throw the files into the ‘to be incinerated’ bin when he decided to take another chance on the last file. Pressing his forehead to the front of it, he wished that this would be the answer to his loneliness. Slowly flicking open the file, Jongdae’s breath was caught in his throat, he had never seen anyone so stunning before. The 29 year-old looked youthful, face no older than 20, with wide eyes and thick lips, an innocent and surprised look on his face as if the camera took him by surprise. ‘Do Kyungsoo’ was once a café owner who went bankrupt to pay for his mother’s surgery and hospital bills. He liked singing but was too shy to sing in front of people, liked cooking for his loved ones and collecting Pokemon plush toys, and on top of that he was once captain of the sewing club at school. Jongdae glanced at the price and wondered why Kyungsoo was so cheap, was he not preferred by other men?
Without giving a second thought to what he was doing, Jongdae had already started to fill out the form, pen scratching over the paper hurriedly as if someone would claim the younger if he wasn’t fast enough. When asked to fill in the details of his preferred companions from most wanted to least, he jotted down Kyungsoo’s name in the top slot and left the others blank because he didn’t want to miss out on claiming the doe-eyed boy. Hurriedly, he packed up his things, throwing the letter and other files into the incineration bin and dashing out of the building to the nearest post box to mail his letter. Jongdae held the file close to his chest and hoped that Kyungsoo would still be able to be his.
***
It was a week after the initial letter posting when Jongdae received the phone call he so desperately wanted. Luckily it was during his lunch break and he was able to hide away in his office to complete the final stage (hopefully). The person on the other side of the call was no other than Kim Joonmyeon, the owner of the institute.
“Mister Kim, thank you for taking my call. It is such an honour for someone of such high calibre take an interest in our companions. Your choice is excellent, Do Kyungsoo is one of our finest but unfortunately, due to his age and 4D personality, many people have disregarded him. We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the selection criteria by a long shot and I am here to discuss your method of payment as well as any items you wish to purchase with Kyungsoo? We have a range of accessories; from electronics such as phones and computers to clothing to ah… more-“ The man coughed slightly. “-explicit items…”
Jongdae took a moment to register what the man meant, his face heating up as he thought of doing the naughty with Kyungsoo. He was glad Joonmyeon was speaking through the phone and not directly to him, he would have been very embarrassed about his suddenly red face. Instead, he diverted the conversation casually, pulling out his card and speaking his details for the institute to withdraw the money directly from his account for Kyungsoo and a few sets of spare clothes since it was in the middle of the week and he wouldn’t be able to take the younger shopping until the weekend.
“Ah, everything should be fine now, Mister Kim. Thank you so much for your purchase, Kyungsoo is going to a fine home. Please expect him at your apartment at 9pm tonight, all payments before 3pm are returned with immediate delivery of your companion. We hope you enjoy your time with Kyungsoo and if there are any problems, please call me directly on the number I have just messaged you. Have a good day.”
With pleasantries exchanged, the line clicked dead, a beep-beep tone signifying that the call had ended. Jongdae blinked, not sure if he had been scammed or not, though Joonmyeon sounded very sincere. He would have to find out tonight to see if Kyungsoo would really be ‘delivered’ to his penthouse. The rest of the day had Jongdae thinking more and more about the adorable man, almost missing his meetings and zoning out during an important conference. Victoria must have noticed something was wrong, cancelling all of his items for the rest of the day so he could go home and rest in case he was ‘coming down with something’. So by 4PM, Jongdae was already home, cleaning up the little mess he had and laying on the couch. He stared at the muted TV while hanging upside down on the couch, eyes slowly drooping as the opening credits for Harry Potter started.
He was jerked awake by a loud rapping on his front door, Jongdae almost falling off the couch in shock before he wandered over to the intercom. There was two figures at his door, a tall man in a business suit and a smaller man clutching a suitcase to his chest. Jongdae looked at his watch, squinting through his sleepy haze to see that it was exactly 9PM. With a grumble, he pressed the button to open the door, a buzzing and a click sound signifying that the door had been unlocked for the men outside.
“Come in.”
Sharp clicks of polished shoes tapped on the wooden floorboards, followed by the squeaking of sneakers. A tall man appeared, orange hair smooth on his head, soft features making his height seem less menacing. Behind him, a smaller man appeared, head turned to the floor as he remained close to the taller as if he was his bodyguard.
“Here is your companion, Mister Kim. Kyungsoo this is your new home, say hello to your new master.”
A gruelling few minutes passed before Kyungsoo turned his head up, eyes wide as he stared at Jongdae, perhaps not ever seeing his new owner before that time. He uttered a soft ‘hello’ before looking down awkwardly.
“Well my job was to deliver him safely, so I need you to sign here and here and I’ll be on my way.”
The tall man held out a clipboard with two contracts and agreements, one copy for Jongdae and one for the institute. Quickly signing in the allotted space, Jongdae took the paper and shooed the man out, not wanting to have the foreign person in his home much longer. When he returned, Kyungsoo was still standing there awkwardly, looking around at the luxurious home with slight interest. Approaching the other with caution, not wanting to scare him away, Jongdae held up his hands to show he wasn’t any harm.
“Hi Kyungsoo… I’m Jongdae. I guess since you’re going to live here… do you want a tour or something?”
Damn his lack of social skills. Jongdae held out his hand, patient and waiting until the other was ready to take it. Perhaps buying his perfectly unique and shy companion was a little creepy but maybe they would both finally be happy, finally be able to grow into socially adept adults. With a shy smile, Kyungsoo slipped his hand into Jongdae’s outstretched one, taking the first step into his new home.
“J-Jongdae? Do you like Piplup?”
Title: Mail Order Companion
Rating: PG-13
Word count: ~2700 words
Warnings: awkward storyline
Summary: Socially awkward rich man finds his perfect companion in the mail.
A/N: I think I lost it halfway through the fic I'm so sorry! o(；△；)o I do hope you like this awkward word vomit I have written T_T
The half-moon smiled in the night sky, a splash of barely-there dark blue swathed across the black canvas like a splash of paint. Stars glistened and sparkled in the sky like fireflies glued to a black ceiling, twinkling happily as if they were not giant balls of gases burning light-years away, the occasional blinking from an airplane passing overhead sometimes being mistaken for the giant intergalactic masses. Under the clear night sat a bustling city, rows and rows of buildings rising high into the heavens, the companies that own them competing against one another to as if to see who could reach the sky first. The tall street lights lined the sides of the street, straight lines lighting up a runway for the tiny cars underneath, their own headlights casting a white glow on the tarmac road as they sped along to their intended destinations. Miniature people walked and chatted on the sidewalk, holding hands or laughing merrily together as they strolled past the many shop windows and street vendors on their social outing.
A soft sigh escaped parted lips as a man watched the scene in front of him, fingertips ghosting over the rim of a fluted champagne glass, filled halfway with the golden bubbly liquid with a random pattern of it reaching up the side of the glass where it had recently slid against, the faint marks of lips were on the edge above it as if to imply that the champagne had just been sipped. The man himself sat in darkness, the only light source being the moon and street lights filtering through the ceiling-high windows that lined the rooms. From the glow of the celestial rock, the man’s features were lit up in an ethereal glow, his soft pale skin stretching across high cheek bones and a sharp jaw. Thin lips curved at the corners, a playful smile always present under a shapely nose. Slanted eyes sparkled with never-ending mischievousness, hidden behind a veil of long eyelashes that bent up at the ends towards a pair of neatly trimmed eyebrows that arched up towards his hairline. A smooth forehead led to a head full of luscious black hair, silky locks tumbling into a style that only he could pull off.
Kim Jongdae can be described as your typical rich businessman, wearing designer suits and dining at expensive restaurants. His life wasn’t always like that though; he was born on the 21st of September to an average family: a strict father, a caring mother and an older brother who seemed to hate him most of the time. They lived in a small apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom, Jongdae having to share with his brother until the older had moved out for college. His father was in a way kind to him behind the façade of being strict, pushing him to his limits in order to see his youngest son enter one of the top colleges in the country. Coming in top 10 of his cohort, Jongdae had gotten the scholarship for his course and for the first time ever, his father had openly shown the world how proud he was of his sons. His brother had turned up in the middle of the graduation, just before Jongdae had taken to the stage to receive his certificate of successfully completing high school. The younger got a punch on the arm and a pat on the back, knowing that it was probably the closest thing to a hug he would ever get from his brother.
From there, things seemed to get better for Jongdae. He was always top of the class, always in the college newspaper and always one of the best. Due to this though, he had found himself isolated and alone throughout the years spent there. Too smart, too studious, too focused. While his friends were out drinking and partying, smoking weed and getting smashed, he was in his dorm room, nose buried in his textbook while his hand scribbled lines and lines of notes. By their final year, all of Jongdae’s friends were either dating or at least have lost their virginity one way or another. On graduation, the whole group of them gathered together to celebrate, throwing their caps and taking photos with everyone in their cohort. Jongdae stood to the side, top of the class certificate clutched in hand, the only people taking photos with him were his parents.
Jongdae had easily gotten a job in the business sector of a large designer clothing line and magazine, working under the CEO and taught to manage and run the employees fairly but strictly. He was a prodigy at work, diligent and motivated. He rose to the top within three years, becoming the successor once the old CEO had decided to retire from his position. Jongdae had still worked hard after that, making sure the company was perfect. He devoted his life to the company, not focusing on life until it was too late. In the blink of an eye, he was already 28, missed most of his friend’s weddings and was still as lonely as 10 years ago. From then, he had the habit of sitting in his condo every night, lights out with a bottle of the finest champagne, looking out at the lights of the city, watching the people go about their daily lives and wondering his other half is somewhere out there looking for him or even worse, with someone else.
It was mid-Autumn when his secretary, a nice woman named Victoria, gave him an official-looking letter. It was thick and heavy, sealed tightly for extra security and needed a special tool to open. Jongdae dismissed her with a wave, wanting to view the contents of the envelope alone. Since it was already after business hours, she offered to stay back to help but he smiled his disarmingly charming smile and sent her off, not wanting to hold her back from her date that night. The contents of the envelope included a gold-bordered letter, three pamphlets and guidebooks, a list of names and photos, and a return envelope. Flipping through the pamphlets, he frowned slightly when his eyes caught onto the words ‘companion’, ‘delivered’ and ‘take your pick’ in them. What was this envelope about?
Jongdae picked up the letter and opened his draw, procuring a magnifying glass and holding it against the paper to read the typed writing (he didn’t want to ruin his eyes since it was night and the strain would have been too much).
‘Dear Mr. Kim,
We are writing to you from the Institute of Life Companions, a place to help you find your perfect companion. A close friend of yours sent in a suggestion for what sort of companions would be perfect for you. We guaruntee that all of our companions have joined the institute voluntarily to find their perfect partners also. There are of course, fees and delivery charges but we hope that these won’t deter you from finding your perfect companion. Please find in this package the profiles for three companions that have been carefully chosen for you via information passed on from your friend. Once you have made a decision, fill in the form and send it back to us within a week of the date on this letter. If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail or telephone situated at the bottom of this letter. We hope to hear from you soon, thank you for your time Mr Kim.
On behalf of the workers at the Institute of Life Companions who tirelessly work to find you your perfect partner,
Kim Joonmyeon'
With a frown, Jongdae put the letter aside, picking up the three files and opened the first to see the youthful face of a young man, bright smile and crescent eyes beaming up at him. ‘Byun Baekhyun’ read the top of the file, 23, a recent design graduate still looking for work. His free time was spent shopping, eating good food and testing make up. Jongdae made a disgruntled sound at the age gap and what Baekhyun would do instead of looking for a job, the price of ‘purchase’ of the boy made the man hum more in disagreement, throwing the file to the side.
The second file was of an exotic looking man, with beautifully slanted eyes and sharp features. ‘Huang Zitao’ was a 26 year-old Chinese failed actor who liked wearing leopard print, taking selfies, looking after his puppy named Candy, walking on the beach and practicing martial arts. Though Jongdae liked the fact the man liked romantic strolls on the beach and loved pets, his high life meant lots of social interactions and his martial arts status meant that he could easily overpower Jongdae (and Jongdae didn’t like to be weaker).
He was about to give up and throw the files into the ‘to be incinerated’ bin when he decided to take another chance on the last file. Pressing his forehead to the front of it, he wished that this would be the answer to his loneliness. Slowly flicking open the file, Jongdae’s breath was caught in his throat, he had never seen anyone so stunning before. The 29 year-old looked youthful, face no older than 20, with wide eyes and thick lips, an innocent and surprised look on his face as if the camera took him by surprise. ‘Do Kyungsoo’ was once a café owner who went bankrupt to pay for his mother’s surgery and hospital bills. He liked singing but was too shy to sing in front of people, liked cooking for his loved ones and collecting Pokemon plush toys, and on top of that he was once captain of the sewing club at school. Jongdae glanced at the price and wondered why Kyungsoo was so cheap, was he not preferred by other men?
Without giving a second thought to what he was doing, Jongdae had already started to fill out the form, pen scratching over the paper hurriedly as if someone would claim the younger if he wasn’t fast enough. When asked to fill in the details of his preferred companions from most wanted to least, he jotted down Kyungsoo’s name in the top slot and left the others blank because he didn’t want to miss out on claiming the doe-eyed boy. Hurriedly, he packed up his things, throwing the letter and other files into the incineration bin and dashing out of the building to the nearest post box to mail his letter. Jongdae held the file close to his chest and hoped that Kyungsoo would still be able to be his.
***
It was a week after the initial letter posting when Jongdae received the phone call he so desperately wanted. Luckily it was during his lunch break and he was able to hide away in his office to complete the final stage (hopefully). The person on the other side of the call was no other than Kim Joonmyeon, the owner of the institute.
“Mister Kim, thank you for taking my call. It is such an honour for someone of such high calibre take an interest in our companions. Your choice is excellent, Do Kyungsoo is one of our finest but unfortunately, due to his age and 4D personality, many people have disregarded him. We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the selection criteria by a long shot and I am here to discuss your method of payment as well as any items you wish to purchase with Kyungsoo? We have a range of accessories; from electronics such as phones and computers to clothing to ah… more-“ The man coughed slightly. “-explicit items…”
Jongdae took a moment to register what the man meant, his face heating up as he thought of doing the naughty with Kyungsoo. He was glad Joonmyeon was speaking through the phone and not directly to him, he would have been very embarrassed about his suddenly red face. Instead, he diverted the conversation casually, pulling out his card and speaking his details for the institute to withdraw the money directly from his account for Kyungsoo and a few sets of spare clothes since it was in the middle of the week and he wouldn’t be able to take the younger shopping until the weekend.
“Ah, everything should be fine now, Mister Kim. Thank you so much for your purchase, Kyungsoo is going to a fine home. Please expect him at your apartment at 9pm tonight, all payments before 3pm are returned with immediate delivery of your companion. We hope you enjoy your time with Kyungsoo and if there are any problems, please call me directly on the number I have just messaged you. Have a good day.”
With pleasantries exchanged, the line clicked dead, a beep-beep tone signifying that the call had ended. Jongdae blinked, not sure if he had been scammed or not, though Joonmyeon sounded very sincere. He would have to find out tonight to see if Kyungsoo would really be ‘delivered’ to his penthouse. The rest of the day had Jongdae thinking more and more about the adorable man, almost missing his meetings and zoning out during an important conference. Victoria must have noticed something was wrong, cancelling all of his items for the rest of the day so he could go home and rest in case he was ‘coming down with something’. So by 4PM, Jongdae was already home, cleaning up the little mess he had and laying on the couch. He stared at the muted TV while hanging upside down on the couch, eyes slowly drooping as the opening credits for Harry Potter started.
He was jerked awake by a loud rapping on his front door, Jongdae almost falling off the couch in shock before he wandered over to the intercom. There was two figures at his door, a tall man in a business suit and a smaller man clutching a suitcase to his chest. Jongdae looked at his watch, squinting through his sleepy haze to see that it was exactly 9PM. With a grumble, he pressed the button to open the door, a buzzing and a click sound signifying that the door had been unlocked for the men outside.
“Come in.”
Sharp clicks of polished shoes tapped on the wooden floorboards, followed by the squeaking of sneakers. A tall man appeared, orange hair smooth on his head, soft features making his height seem less menacing. Behind him, a smaller man appeared, head turned to the floor as he remained close to the taller as if he was his bodyguard.
“Here is your companion, Mister Kim. Kyungsoo this is your new home, say hello to your new master.”
A gruelling few minutes passed before Kyungsoo turned his head up, eyes wide as he stared at Jongdae, perhaps not ever seeing his new owner before that time. He uttered a soft ‘hello’ before looking down awkwardly.
“Well my job was to deliver him safely, so I need you to sign here and here and I’ll be on my way.”
The tall man held out a clipboard with two contracts and agreements, one copy for Jongdae and one for the institute. Quickly signing in the allotted space, Jongdae took the paper and shooed the man out, not wanting to have the foreign person in his home much longer. When he returned, Kyungsoo was still standing there awkwardly, looking around at the luxurious home with slight interest. Approaching the other with caution, not wanting to scare him away, Jongdae held up his hands to show he wasn’t any harm.
“Hi Kyungsoo… I’m Jongdae. I guess since you’re going to live here… do you want a tour or something?”
Damn his lack of social skills. Jongdae held out his hand, patient and waiting until the other was ready to take it. Perhaps buying his perfectly unique and shy companion was a little creepy but maybe they would both finally be happy, finally be able to grow into socially adept adults. With a shy smile, Kyungsoo slipped his hand into Jongdae’s outstretched one, taking the first step into his new home.
“J-Jongdae? Do you like Piplup?”