ing Sanghyuk and his frat boy ing lifestyle…

Hongbin was feeling straight up homicidal as he wiped a traveling bead of sweat from his brow.

The organizers of the tennis match seemed to have picked the most sweltering day of the year to hold the finale, and Hongbin was in pain.

His intuitive perceptiveness was both a blessing and a curse in that sense. He was a human sponge, absorbing all that life could give him with a magnifying glass and an empty stomach, sometimes resulting in the most profound emotional response to an experience, or in this case- a hangover type headache, without having drunk a drop. 

Not only did he wake that morning in a fashion very much resembling a mummy rising from its ancient sarcophagus, he also felt like he’d been dead for thousands of years. His head was pounding, just as he’d expected, and the sun did not fail to burn a hole straight through his cap and into his unsuspecting skull.

And the worst thing was that He couldn’t even wallow in his misery because negative emotions translated in their full ugly glory when it came to experiences, and would ruin them sometimes to the point of trauma. So Hongbin had exactly ten minutes to cheer up or else he might permanently damage his client’s association with his favorite sport.

Luckily He came prepared. Hongbin dug into his bag, retrieving a small nondescript medicine bottle which he filled with liquid aspirin and a fond memory to alleviate his grouchiness. He took a quick yet generous swig and decided on a quick power nap before the match begins.

“Irina-Camelia Begu vs. Karolina Pliskova for your private eyes, sir!” Hongbin announced happily as he handed a metallic flask to its new owner.

“Ah…” Sighed the elderly store clerk. “And for such a generous price, too. Thank you so much, young man, you don’t understand how much this means to me.”

Hongbin bowed respectfully, knowing that his troubles weren’t for naught. “It’s my complete pleasure, ahjussi.”

 “I manage this shop all by myself.” The clerk went on, almost cutting off Hongbin’s response. “And even if I had the time to attend the match myself, I could never have afforded it. This discount allowed me to make one last dream come true before I leave this earth.”

A tad melodramatic for Hongbin’s taste, but he still felt something tug at his heart strings. Maybe it was just the exhaustion.

“Really ahjussi, this is exactly why I do what I do, so don’t worry about it. You enjoy your match! Oh—“, He then recalled. “And I’d also like to buy this pack of gum.”

The next time Hongbin woke up it was six p.m. and he was finally feeling refreshed.

Passing out in the middle of the day was not uncommon for Hongbin as long as he wasn’t attending a scheduled experience, so if he didn’t have anything else going on sleep was always a top priority.

He took a quick shower and by the time he got dressed again it was completely dark outside, which meant that it was time for business. Not to say that he only dealt during nighttime, but he found that most people would usually agree to buy an exotic vacation experience when they were surrounded by “mood lighting”.

But first, a phone call.

He pulled up a contact and held his smart phone to his ear as he waited for the recipient to pick up.

“Inyeon Café, how may I help you?”

“Hakyeon hyung, is that you?” Hongbin took a moment to look back at his phone to make sure he called the right number.

“Hongbinnie! One moment—thank you, come again! Okay, I’m here.”

“Hyung, why are you the host at the café today?”

“Oh I’m filling in for one of the girls, she had a family emergency.”

Hongbin was actually impressed. “Wow, such a considerate employer!”

“Well, you’d know, you’re one of them.” Came a taunting jest from the other end.

“Oh please, we’re business partners, if anything.” Hongbin was only mildly annoyed at the resurgence of the ongoing joke between the two.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Binnie.”

Hongbin and Hakyeon have known each other since college, both having majored in business administration. Hakyeon graduated a few years before Hongbin, but not without a promise to include him in his first project once in the job market, a promise he did not fail to act on. And thus Hakeyon’s café became a hot spot for college students in need of wi-fi and caffeine, and also for a slightly different crowd, Hongbin-type different.

 “Anyway,” Hongbin retorted in disregard. “I’m calling to see if you need any more of my powdered sugar this week? Your staff would have usually called me by now to place another order so I just wanted to check in.”

 “Hmm…” Hakyeon mused, leaving Hongbin to listen to the background noise of clanking silverware and muffled chatter for a short moment. “To be honest we still have plenty of the powdered sugar you gave us last time so it might be a while until we’ll need to you to stop by with more.”

 “Really?” Hongbin cocked his head in surprise, an unnecessary motion given the fact he was talking on the phone. “The powdered tarts are usually long gone by the time I bring the new stuff.”

He would frequent the café once a week, each time with a new supply of powdered sugar laced with a pleasant yet fairly cheap experience to sprinkle over the café’s signature lemon tarts (which were sold both regular and “spiked”). Up until that day the tarts would sell completely out by Hongbin’s next sugar shipment, so needless to say that he was quite dumbfounded.

“I know, it is quite strange isn’t it?” Hakyeon mused along with him. “But I’ll definitely keep you posted.” He assured. “The moment we begin to run out I will personally notify you!”

“Thanks hyung,” Hongbin wasn’t completely comforted by that, since he was losing part of his weekly income, but he appreciated Hakyeon’s gesture. “I knew I did the right thing agreeing to work with you.” He then jested.

“For me.” Hakyeon couldn’t seem to help himself.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, hyung.”

They both hung up shortly after that and Hongbin spent a few minutes preparing to head out. He sprayed some cologne on, happily noting that his favorite fragrance would maintain itself well since he wasn’t going to the smoky nightclub Sanghyuk frequented. He then filled a tote bag with a handful of Tic Tac dispensers and left.

He spent the time waiting for his elevator to come pondering over the strange news Hakyeon had delivered, but decided eventually to brush it off as a coincidence. Even the most talented players have their off seasons…

But it didn’t stop there.

It has been a week Hongbin’s call to Hakyeon’s café and he had only managed to sell a staggering half of the experiences he usually did by then.

He still had plenty left over from his trip to Malaysia, as well as a fine dining experience from one of the priciest restaurants in the country, and even a sold out concert by a successful performer from overseas, and none of them were selling!

Something was definitely wrong, but Hongbin just couldn’t put his finger on it. So he decided to investigate by texting an informer.

Hey Wonsik

Hey Bean what’s up?

Just wanted to ask you if you’ve heard of anyone interested in a music related experience?

Not recently, what are you selling?

I have a Grimes gig from a few weeks ago

Really?? Why hasn’t it sold yet??

Your guess is as good as mine…  You mind doing some snooping for me at the record store?

What are you trying to find out?

Anything. Maybe someone’s spread a bad review about me or whatever… Can you look into that for me at your next shift?

Sure, but I want a discount on that Grimes gig then (;

Anything for my trusty P.I

Wonsik replied with a vaguely relevant top hat emoji.

The response came a few days later when Hongbin was returning from another scheduled experience. It was a fairly simple one, made by the parents of a kid who got into a bad car accident and was undergoing physiotherapy. Their requests were usually the active kind, hoping to help their child restore his physical functionality by ingesting experiences that incorporate motoric skills of any sort. This time Hongbin went on a scenic biking trip on a nearby countryside area. The weather was clearing up from a recent storm and he had a perfectly sunny weekend on record.

He was just getting on the bus back into town when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He paid the travel fare and scooted into his seat by the window before taking a look at the incoming message.

I have some… weird news, man

The refreshing giddiness Hongbin managed to harbor during his trip was then curtly flushed down the drain.

Oh no what is it

The wait for Wonsik’s reply was almost unbearable. Even the beautiful mountain tops peaking over the horizon couldn’t ease the dread.

It appears you have some competition... The folks I’ve asked say they purchased their experience from this new guy

New guy? Hongbin was thoroughly confused. There were about three other Collectors he knew of in town, but they all kept to their own territory and wouldn’t mess with each others’ clients. It was a fairly competitive market and none of them wanted to interfere with another Collector’s business, so this bit of information was more than disconcerting.

Wow that… really is weird. Do you have a name for me?

Uh... you’re not planning to duke it out with him, right?

Hongbin managed to crack a smile at that.

Nah I just wanna know who the guy is

Ok… his name is Jaehwan, no last name though

Alright, thanks for your help Wonsik! That Grimes gig is yours next time we meet

Hongbin pocketed his phone after receiving an emoji of a dancer in a red dress.

Now he had a name, but no other information. He figured he could ask around some more but that might waste time he could spend on attracting more clients. Which, speaking of, suddenly reminded him that it has been a while since Sanghyuk called to make a purchase. He would usually phone in every few weeks, if not to actually buy then show some interest in whatever’s on sale and even to chat. They were on friendly terms after all. But Hongbin hadn’t heard from him ever since he’d sold him the Malaysia experience two weeks ago.

No, not him too. He thought in horror.

Mood ruined completely, he settled on a subtle ambush at Hyuk’s club as soon as he gets home.

This time, Sanghyuk was not as happy to see Hongbin.

“Hyung, I can explain!” He shouted over the music, trying to warm up to the unimpressed Collector.

“Really, Hyuk? Ever heard of customer loyalty?” He folded his arms over his chest and did his best not to bump into anyone else by doing so.

Hyuk was looking extremely apologetic, arched brows, pouty lip-the entire shebang, but now it was personal.

“Ugh, I’m sorry!” He insisted. “You know how much I love chocolate and—“

“Wait, chocolate?”

As if stealing his customers wasn’t enough, that Jaehwan guy was apparently also playing on Hongbin’s biggest insecurity. Now he was really pissed.

“Yeah, I still have some left over. They’re on the table with my friends.”

Hongbin’s brow just arched itself higher up on his forehead. “With your friends, eh?”

“I know, I know, I feel guilty as it is, don’t do this to me.”

Sanghyuk then lead Hongbin to a corner of the club where four guys Hyuk’s age were drinking and conversing amongst themselves, a typical scene if it weren’t for the half empty heart shaped chocolate box lying haphazardly on the table.

Hongbin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Did he ask you to be his valentine too?”

“I think it’s cute.” He shrugged. Wrong answer. He was then quick to shy away when Hongbin turned to him wide eyed and dangerous.

“I’m taking one.” He announced as he reached for the smooth looking shapes and took a cautious bite out of one shaped like a seashell.

As much as he hated to admit, the candy was good. And definitely hand-made, he could tell. He had plenty of experience taste testing for his father at the time. And seconds later he remembered, no, experienced. He was on a rollercoaster, that is to say Jaehwan was, but it was the craziest one he’d ever seen. He looped three consecutive times, or at least that’s what it felt like, screaming his head off and laughing a breathless kind of laugh, arguably the best kind. The experience then faded into his memory, to be continued only if he were to take another bite.

“I already gave you an amusement park experience…” Hongbin turned to Hyuk again, bitterness in his voice.

“A-And it was great!” Sanghyuk managed to stutter. “But hyung, this is the fastest roller coaster in the world! Don’t tell me you didn’t feel it.”

With that Hongbin couldn’t disagree. This was a good experience, even if somewhat too hazy for his liking. But he chose not to antagonize poor Hyuk anymore.

“I need to have a word with this guy. And I need you—“, He pointed a finger at the spooked doctor to be, “—to arrange that for me.”

“Okay, okay! Just please don’t be mad at me anymore.” He pleaded. Hongbin sighed in resignation before giving him an affectionate pat on the nape of his neck (with Hyuk wincing before realizing he was getting petted).

“I’ll invite him to party next week and make sure to introduce you to each other.” Hyuk went on to promise. They then exchanged the rest of the details regarding the fated encounter, shaking on it to confirm.

Hongbin headed out of the club after that, and got stopped by the bouncer on his way. The hefty muscleman cleared his throat purposefully, blocking the Collector with his huge arm. Hongbin knew fair and well what that meant, and was just about to reach for his Tic Tac dispenser in the pocket of his jacket when he remembered the chocolate still between his fingers. He popped the rest of the candy into his mouth and gave the selector his token of appreciation, this time in the form of an up close and personal view of the most breathtaking fireworks from the last Independence Day.

And so with the lingering taste of real cocoa, Hongbin made his not so merry way home, whiplashed and tripping on vertigo.

Sorry it's taking me so long to introduce Ken to the story!
The build up is definitely taking me a while and this chapter was long enough as it is.
But he will definitely appear in the next chapter so hopefully all this teasing will be worth it!
Thanks again for reading~