Thank You For Your Service

Chapter 1

by Nika Ken.

A man in his early thirties pulls up his sleeve barely to reveal a brown leather watch that is hugging his left wrist elegantly, the time shows that it's five in the evening. Not exactly five, but it's about six more minutes before five.

That man is Kim Taehyung. He's sitting at the cafe by himself. He gazes out the window from where he is sitting. The bustling street outside is a blur of activity. It's still almost five, and the city is still as lively, if not more. He then scans the café. It's quite cozy with the soft hum of the cafe's background music and the occasional clink of dishes from the kitchen provides a soothing backdrop while he waits.

He wonders if he came too early. His companion should be arriving soon. Would that person arrive at five sharp or would he be a little late? Licking his lips, Taehyung takes his phone out, thinking that he is probably too tense. He should relax a little when he realizes that he has stiff shoulders. Taehyung corrects his sitting position. Maybe being a professor in his early thirties shapes his personality. He is so used to being a professor for years that he somehow develops a habit of going to any appointments a few minutes earlier than agreed. He isn't sure if it's a good thing or not. Shrugging inwardly, he thinks to himself that it doesn't matter. He doesn't mind waiting for a few more minutes.

He unlocks his phone to see his last chat with the person he is waiting for for that evening. A sigh escapes his mouth. He can't believe that he agrees with Jimin's idea of using a service. What service do you ask... Taehyung isn't sure. It's shady at first but Jimin insists that he should try it. Being single in his early thirties, drowning his head in a pile of papers from the university all day and all night, Taehyung doesn't have any time or chance to hook up with anyone. Not that he can't score one, he just doesn't make the effort to find one.

Social life? What's that?

For your information, this was not a blind date of some sort. As mentioned earlier, it's about service. With the information he's got, Taehyung comes to understand that this person offers a lot of services to "use" him however he wants. According to the email this person who offers the service sent him, this person can do almost anything. You can use his service as a cook in your house, as a friend just to talk, as your gym partner, or even date. Now, what Taehyung wants to use? That's why they agreed to meet on Friday evening to talk about it in detail. Although the person who offers the service has already sent the details via email, Taehyung as a professor thought that it's better to discuss things directly.

Anyone who knows Taehyung, never in a million years would he try something like this on his own. He was just doing his routine when his best friend, Park Jimin, came crashing into his apartment on the weekend and showed him about this service.

That evening, about two weeks ago, went out for something like this.

Taehyung was already in his pajamas after his bath that evening. He had already had dinner, so before bed, he'd spend a few hours reading a book. He just bought three new books early that week but didn't have the chance to read any of them. It was finally Friday, he finally had the chance to start one. He's only on page five when Jimin appears in his apartment, unannounced, uninvited.

"I sometimes regret the decision I made by giving you the passcode to my apartment," Taehyung said, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Jimin grinned, ignoring Taehyung's comment about his unexpected arrival.

"Don't act surprised when I did this almost every weekend," Jimin said as he handed Taehyung a few printed papers. Taehyung took the papers and raised his eyebrow without even saying anything.