Chapter Text
Part 1
The sign for Sirs is atypically frilly and eye-catching for this particular mall, which is filled primarily with name-brand stores and high-tech equipment. It really ought to have been the first clue.
Heechul’s too busy to pay attention, his gaze caught on a short, mousy-looking woman. She’s wearing a blush to match the pretty A-line skirt around her waist and walks shoulder-to-shoulder with a rather well put together man. They’ve just exited from the store with the frilly sign. That really ought to have been the second clue.
Distraction strikes again as Heechul’s stare transfers from the short woman to a rather laden man (well-manicured like the others). He’s weighed down by dozens of bags in various shapes and sizes that stack along both arms, but he manages a strained smile regardless. The goods seem to belong to the voluptuous woman beside him, who pats the man on his butt as she skips ahead and enters back into the store.
Aha , Heechul thinks, the store must be a butler service .
The final clue really ought to have been the cashier who went wide-eyed upon Heechul’s request for rental. He thinks it’s rather sexist of the man to assume only women would want to rent from them, but he doesn’t mention it. The clerk nods silently, then waves his hand in a wide swoop and says, “anyone strike your fancy?”
It’s a bit odd, but Heechul supposes that the customer having their preferences met is nice. He gives the men standing around a cursory glance and cringes at the one man who bows in his direction.
“Anyone but him,” he jerks his thumb toward the blonde. The cashier nods, understanding that Leeteuk can be a bit overzealous in these situations, then runs his finger along a list of names, stopping when he reaches one written suspiciously in pencil.
“I have just the man for you.”
The whole situation is a little suggestive, but Heechul ignores it and waits as the clerk moves from behind the desk to go fetch his butler. In the meantime, Heechul looks at the contract placed before him dully, before flipping directly to the last page and signing. It only takes a few moments until a man a little taller than himself is all but thrust in his direction. Must be having a tough day , Heechul decides as he hands over his credit card and wonders why the service is so expensive.
Once they’re outside the store, Heechul flippantly extends his hand and smiles widely, “You can call me Heechul, what should I call you?”
The man is looking down at his feet when the hand is thrust toward him and when he looks up he seems startled. He blushes and looks back down, then extends his own hand to loosely grasp Heechul’s. “My name is Kyunghoon.”
“Hoonie, let’s start by going to the game store. Do you play games?” Heechul asks before walking away.
He’s a little surprised at the familiarity with which Heechul addresses him, but Kyunghoon doesn’t consider mentioning it. Instead he takes the brief moment of reprieve to try and categorize Kim Heechul.
Striking is the first word that comes to mind due to the man’s unique looks. He looks like an actor or kpop star with his fine brows, soft eyes, perfect nose, and lush mouth. All of it framed by a sharp jaw and a plume of platinum curls. He looks wild, but in a very aristocratic way. Like Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle , Kyunghoon thinks.
Enigmatic is the next word that comes to mind. Kyunghoon doesn’t know a whole lot about the service, but most of the women want to be wooed. Heechul doesn’t seem to care very much about that aspect. Kyunghoon couldn’t be happier about it, really, but he also doesn’t want to give his friend’s business a bad reputation. So he’s stuck between comfort and obligation.
“I play Starcraft,” Kyunghoon runs a little to catch up to Heechul who is already barreling toward the store.
“Oh,” Heechul glances over, “old school. Have you ever played PUBG?”
“Pub…?”
“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. It’s a battle royale. Come on, I think this store has computers set up for customers to play on,” Heechul grasps Kyunghoon’s wrist and takes off. Kyunghoon stumbles behind while adjusting to the change in speed yet again and tries to will away the flush that heats his ears.
Sure enough, the store has multiple computers ready for gaming, most of which are already occupied. Heechul spins Kyunghoon into the seat and leans over his shoulder, double clicking on an icon. Kyunghoon sits demurely, tucking in on himself at the proximity and reminds himself that the contract disallows unwanted physical touch outside of hand holding. He rubs his wrist and watches as the loading screen expands.
“Okay, so you’ll start a game and then choose a spot to land, you should start somewhere not too busy at first to get used to the controls, then you search for weapons and stuff. I’ll pin a place on the map when it starts up!” Then comes a wide smile, one that shows just a little bit of gums and two rows of perfectly straight teeth.
Kyunghoon nods along, but doesn’t move to touch the mouse yet. He can’t help but think that the whole situation feels backwards, shouldn’t he be in Heechul’s position right now. Afterall, Kyunhoon is a hired service and so far he hasn’t done anything to validate that.
This doesn’t seem to phase Heechul though. The man in question, with his too-long hair and delicate features, continues to lean over Kyunghoon’s shoulder, maneuvering the mouse and clicking. When he finally pulls back, Kyunghoon nearly deflates in relief, but he doesn’t have time because the game has started and wherever his character is, it’s getting closer to the point Heechul marked on the map which was currently obscuring his view.
“Press M,” Heechul says from above him.
Kyunghoon snaps into action. He presses M and watches as buildings pass beneath his character, they are rather close together and he can see many people exiting to go there.
“Okay here’s the rundown,” Heechul then quickly explains the controls and Kyunghoon thinks it doesn’t sound terribly complicated. That is until a few minutes later when he gets sniped at and can’t find the source before it’s too late and he’s staring at a screen that reads: Better luck next time!
“It’d be easier with headphones, too bad they don’t have any for use. Want to watch me and then try yourself again?”
Heechul’s match goes much more smoothly. He lands in a busy area, clears the players, loots their bodies, and then makes his way to another area. Actually , Kyunghoon thinks, Heechul-ssi is a really good gamer . He thinks it would be nice to have someone to play with, since his friends don’t share this particular interest with him. At least not the extent of actually playing with him late at night while the rest of the world sleeps.
By time it’s his turn once more, Kyunghoon feels ready to take on the match and lands in an area that’s rather built up. Almost immediately he runs into another player. It’s thrilling to have Heechul at his side, making helpful callouts and cheering him on. Kyunghoon wins a few one-on-one battles, but ultimately gets caught in the crossfire of two other players and dies.
“You got much better the second time, Hoonie. You should play more, I bet you’re a beast.”
Heechul swivels and walks away as he continues to talk. Catching up to him is easy, but Kyunghoon can’t help but wonder if the whole day is going to be spent trying to keep up with his customer. After a few minutes of browsing, Heechul declares that he needs new headphones and proceeds to make Kyunghoon try all of the tester sets and give him short reviews.
“These are good, you really hear the different tones and weights of the music. Do you want to try for yourself?”
Heechul looks away, “no, I trust you.”
Even though they only just met, Kyunghoon feels like he can call this moment out of character for Heechul. He wonders if he should press upon the issue or let it drop, but before he can decide either way, Heechul is grabbing the box for the last headset and brushing by.
The headset is rung up quickly and then Heechul is off to the next store, leaving the bag for Kyunghoon to carry. Outside of the fluorescent game shop, the mall is cast in off-white hues. Each storefront has a smart display that belies the elegance and expense of the items within. Even the game store has its most expensive items in the window.
They go into a few different high-end clothing stores, where Heechul simply picks items and brings them to the register each time. At each store Kyunghoon gets a little more brave.
“That looks like a nice material.”
“That’s a nice color.”
“That will look nice on you.”
“You’ll look-”
“Nice?” Heechul supplies with a smile.
“Yeah,” Kyunghoon agrees lamely, “nice.”
Suddenly Heechul’s laughing, high and airy, and sounding a little like a hyena. Kyunghoon doesn’t get the joke, but he forces a polite smile regardless. The blonde tips his head back and takes a few deep breaths, then continues to thumb through the tracksuits on the rack. He looks over at Kyunghoon then, eyes sharp and catlike, “you’re cute, Hoonie.”
Kyunghoon is surprised at just how forthcoming Heechul is with his thoughts. It feels refreshing after living in a society where so many people hide how they truly feel in order to give everyone around them a sense of ease. Heechul, Kyunghoon thinks, must live very authentically.
“Thank you, Heechul-ssi,” he says.
A garish green tracksuit is Heechul’s choice, he holds it up to himself and asks with a giggle if it will look nice. Kyunghoon nods along cluelessly, then follows after the blonde to go pay for the sportswear. He watches how easily the cashier falls under Heechul’s spell in a matter of only a few seconds. How can someone be so at ease?
They make their way to a restaurant at the opposite end of the mall from where Sirs is located. Along the way, Kyunghoon asks Heechul the questions all the men at Sirs have memorized.
Do you have siblings? Yes, a sister.
What do you do? Write children’s stories.
Do you enjoy it? Most days.
What are your hobbies? Writing poetry and playing games.
What’s your favorite game? League of Legends, we should play sometime.
“You’re chattier than I thought you would be, Hoonie,” Heechul says as they enter the restaurant, Amore Giusto.
They’re seated and left alone long enough for Kyunghoon to consider asking more questions, when a waiter pops up. They both order, but as soon as the waiter is out of sight, the silence returns. Kyunghoon feels dizzy by it. He feels awkward and heavy, unsure of how to direct a conversation or what to ask. For his part, Heechul is glancing around the room and looking at all the other customers and their food. He seems completely unbothered by the stretch that’s grown between them.
“Here you are!” Their waiter announces as he places two plates on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”
They both shake their heads and the man disappears after telling them to enjoy their meals. Playing lamely with one of the marinara-coated noodles on his plate, Kyunghoon feels utterly defeated. He’s not cut out for this line of work and regrets allowing his friend to blackmail him into this.
Across the table, Heechul hums in approval as he takes his first bite. With his brooding interrupted, Kyunghoon looks up from his plate and meets Heechul’s starry gaze. Not for the first time, he’s struck by how handsome the other man is. He gulps.
Then Heechul places his fork down and swallows. Remembering the contract, Kyunghoon feels his nerves spike. But Heechul doesn’t reprimand him like Kyunghoon had suspected he would. Instead the blonde launches into a story from his teenage years that involves a number of friends, an attempt to make pasta bolognese, and underaged drinking. He’s animated and captivating and Kyunghoon finds himself suddenly unconcerned about the contract. Just like with the cashier earlier, Kyunghoon falls under the spell that is Kim Heechul.
When one story is finished another begins and just like that, the entire meal passes in a blur of Heechul’s memories. Each one peppered by his characteristic scratchy laugh, which in turn causes a grin to break out on Kyunghoon’s face. Uncharacteristically, Kyunghoon finds himself forgetting where he is and what he’s supposed to be doing. He completely loses himself to the stories shared by Heechul. So lost in them is Kyunghoon that when the waiter arrives with the check, he nearly lets Heechul pay.
“Oh, you don’t have to pay, Heechul-ssi.”
The blonde, still smiling, waves his hand in the air and continues to slide his card into the checkbook.
“No, I mean, the meal is complimentary with the service.”
This catches the other man’s attention, “why would that be?”
Relief pours along Kyunghoon’s limbs as Heechul plucks his card back. “Sirs has an ongoing contract with the restaurants at the mall and receives a discount. Besides it fits in with the expectations of customers that their dates take them out to eat.”
“I thought you were my butler,” Heechul says dumbly.
Kyunghoon blanches, then replies, “no, I’m your boyfriend.”
“My what?”
Flustered as he is, Kyunghoon attempts to explain, “Not like that- well, a little like that,” he pauses, breathes, and tries again. “you see…”
He doesn’t get much more out before Heechul stands from his seat and rushes to grab the bags, which is awkward because he has to reach over Kyunghoon to get to them. Then Heechul apologizes not once, but twice before scurrying from the restaurant with pink cheeks and a bewildered expression. After the bill has been settled, Kyunghoon moves to find Heechul, but the man is nowhere to be seen. There’s nothing to do but to return to Sirs.