Work Text:
I.
“Dear Pen Pal,
I'm sure you’re aware that we shouldn't disclose personal information about ourselves. It's hard to write about things that don't tell much about us, right? But anyway, let's give it a try.
I'm currently in the middle of exams, so I've been pretty stressed lately. Every day, I'm dreaming of watermelon popsicles and lakes, also of AC and my videogame. Wake me up when summer begins!
I have a cat (is this too personal? I don't think so…), and she's been my emotional support pet. Sometimes I think she hates me for it because I've been hugging her constantly lately. Can a pet die of too much love?
Do you have any pets?
I love cats, but I also love dogs.
I'm sure my cat would definitely hate me if I got a dog. She hates the neighbor's dog so much that, when he barks, I swear I've seen her roll her boba eyes at least twice.
I'll attach a doodle of her!
Hope this letter finds you well,
— Pen Pal 1”
“Hey there! How are you? Wow, your cat is so cute! And your drawing is amazing! And I don't think this info is too personal, like… I can't track you down because you told me you have a cat. It's not like I can reverse search your doodle or something. Not that I've tried! It would be dumb.
Well, I can't exactly introduce myself, but it was nice to read your letter. I thought this whole “program” was kind of… silly when the teacher told us about it, but now I can understand the appeal. It's interesting exchanging letters with a mysterious person!!!
Unfortunately, I don't have any pets. :( My grandma promised me we could get a dog if I did well on my exams (I didn't).
I have to admit that I'm not good with words (spoken or written), so I'll finish my letter here.
Peace!
Pen Pal 2”
II.
“Dear Pen Pal,
Jiayou! I hope you do well on your next exams so you can get a dog. If I had one, I'd name it Fox. After all, ‘You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.’
(Sorry if this is too nerdy heheh…)
It's been so hot here, I'm currently following those life hacks of putting ice in front of your fan so it gets cooler. Does it work? I don't think so. But the placebo effect is amazing. (Not that much as well… but I'm a hopeful person, okay!)
Yesterday, my mom cooked some very spicy xiaomian. It doesn't help with the heat at all, but it was delicious.
What is your favorite food?
I'm currently bird watching from the library's window. The sky is so blue today that it hurts my eyes. I'm so used to the pollution smog that I think I can't handle a clear sky anymore. Isn't that kind of sad?
Someday, I'll go to Switzerland and my eyes will hurt from looking at Oeschinen Lake.
‘And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star.’
— Pen Pal 1”
“Hello~!
Wow, my Pen Pal is so poetic!! I've stolen some of my friends’ letters, and they're mostly stupid and with horrible handwriting. I've been rubbing your perfect penmanship over my friends’ faces all the time!
When I showed your letter to one of my smart friends (he's #3 in our class), he told me your quotes were from The Little Prince.
Sorry, I hadn't read the book before :( of course, I've heard about it, a lot!, but I'm more of a physical activity than a smart-brain activity person, you know?
Ah! My favorite food is… anything with tons of cilantro! :P
I really, really want to go to Japan one day. My favorite dancer is from there, and they also have some exclusive LEGO sets that are only sold there!
Oops, was that TMI? Whatever
Peace!
PP2”
III.
“Dear Pen Pal,
Aiya~ my handwriting is just okay. Maybe a 6/10? You should see my teacher's calligraphy! Someday I'll get there.
Dancing and LEGOs? Wow, PP2 is so cool. I must've been boring you with all my nerd references, sorry! I think now you're stuck with me until the end, right? The deadline for asking to change Pen Pals is over.
So! I'll bore you with another doodle!! This time is one of my cat dressed as Luffy.
Do you like One Piece?
I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm kind of obsessed. ZoLu for life? (Sorry if you don't get the reference heheh…)
I swear this is not elevator chat! But… the weather has been great here lately. This past weekend, I even went to a waterfall. Wah~ it was so beautiful and peaceful.
Is it weird to tell you that I thought of you because a little kid was playing with LEGOs there? I don't want to sound like a creepy, ughhh~ but it's because I had just read your letter, and I had this thought on my mind.
Okay. I think it's time for me to go.
— Pen Pal 1”
“Hey hey!
You're not a weirdo! Don't worry!! If you are, then I'm worse!!! Because right now I have a brand new edition of The Little Prince in my backpack. And I've never owned a book before in my life (besides the ones school demands).
My grandma looked at me like I had grown a second head when she saw me reading hahahaha!!!
I'm not gonna lie… I slept when I tried reading it the first time. But now I'm enjoying it! For real! To prove to you that I'm really reading, I just stopped at the sentence:
‘Everybody knows that when it is noon in the United States the sun is setting over France.’
I know we live in the same time zone, but I checked, and… the sun sets 7 minutes earlier for you. So you're kind of living in the future. Cool, right?!
PP1!!!! I LOVE ONE PIECE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LIKE IT TOO! ZOLU 4EVA!!!!
And are you kidding me? If your handwriting is 6/10, why am I even wasting time writing to you? Are you even able to read any words I've written so far? :P
I'm sending you a Little Prince and the Rose keychain that came with my book (because it's a special edition, or something…)
Later!
PP2”
IV.
“Dear Pen Pal,
Wow, I'm honored to have influenced you to the path of luminance! How does one live this life without reading The Little Prince?! It'd be a waste of breathing! A waste of living! A waste of—Ok! I might be overreacting.
Wow wow wow, the keychain is SOOO adorable :’) Thank you very much, PP2! Its beauty is currently dangling from my ratty, unworthy red backpack.
Anyways, my next batch of exams is approaching. I'll do well in Literature and History, for sure, but Physics? Yikes! I'm glad the major I'm choosing—is it TMI to tell you it's Design?—doesn't require good grades in exact sciences.
My cat will be thoroughly squeezed during this period, and her love for me will definitely drop below acceptable levels. But that's life! Once the exams are over, I'll buy her tons and tons of treats and toys.
I'll attach an illustration of her basking in the sun because—cute? And also three Luffy stickers as a payback for your gift! (From my personal collection!!)
Warmly,
— Pen Pal 1”
“Whazup! :D
Sorry for the delay. I was… grounded. Yep. Fuck it! I don't want to talk about it!!
Thank you for the illustration. <3 I stared at your cat every day, wishing I could squeeze her to save me from boredom because I couldn't even play video games!!!!!
(Don't feel offended, but I won't use the stickers you sent. I want to save them for some worthy, future possession.)
I'm sending a small toy for her! To thank her for keeping me company during insufferable nights. (Can you believe I'm using ‘insufferable’ in a sentence? I think your smartness is really influencing me.)
Wow, my Pen Pal is the coolest! You'll do drawings for a living??? Nice~! I approve!!
I hope you did well on your exams. I did pretty okay in exact sciences. Maybe my other grades were the reason for my grounding? I don't want to talk about it!!!!!! (It was)
The other day, I saw someone with a red backpack and laughed because I remember you saying that yours is ratty. Theirs was worse! It had a giant rip and silver tape keeping some parts together. I mean… I THINK it was worse than yours? I hope so.
Ttys,
PP2
V.
“Dear Pen Pal,
I'm proud of you for using ‘insufferable’ correctly. Also… jiayou? At least your grounding is over. So now DON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WITH VIDEO GAMES! Study, so you won't need to be apart from it anymore (a tip from an experienced in being grounded person.)
I'm not proud to recognize that I may or may not have used silver tape to keep my backpack in one piece. (One Piece? Huh?! Got it? Sorry…)
My cat is happy to have been of service, and she's currently happily throwing your toy around my room. Her cuteness truly goes beyond a piece of paper and grabs at the heart, right? And, she has already forgiven me for all the bone-breaking hugs! Such an elevated soul.
Hmm, I'm not sure if Design involves only doing drawings for a living. But I won't complain! My life could be way worse, like… having to dance for a living? Nope. No way.
PP2… I think our time of exchanging letters might be nearing its end as December is arriving soon. I'm glad to have been trading letters with you! NGL, I've read some of your letters when I was having a hard time, and it cheered me up. Thank you for being a great Pen Pal!
This time, the drawing includes my hand—uuhhh revealing!—tossing your gift to my cat because it may be the last one, and I wanted you to have something of me. Blergh~! Not in a creepy way! Just… to remember. Anyways…
‘You know—one loves the sunset, when one is so sad…’
Gratefully,
— Pen Pal 1”
“Dear PP1,
‘달빛에 긴 밤이 모두 물들면
헤어날 수 없는 기다림 다 끝이 날까요’I'm currently listening to this song a lot. I think your poetic soul has infected me! Hehe
I promise I'm not playing video games (too much). I want to finish school so I can study dance and be someone noteworthy someday. You'll see!!
I'll miss your cat. A LOT. Like, a lot a lot. I'll miss your letters too.
Even if I'm a reader now, I'm still not good with words (spoken or written), but if I made you happy a tiny bit, then my mission is complete! :)
Tell your cat I always smile when I see her? I mean, when I see the drawings you made. Especially the last one! Because it has the toy I gave her! Heheh!!
Yeah, I don't know if this will be the last letter. I hope not, but I don't know. So… thank you, PP1. I'd be the stupidest if I hadn't agreed to join this program. Now I have tons of cute cat drawings, a book (!!!), three OP stickers, and a friend. Hehehe!!!
Thanks.
Yours,
PP2”
V + I.
Xiao Zhan was a romantic at heart. Way more than he'd like to admit. But meeting your first love through letters? It was too fairy-tale-like, even for him.
Nevertheless, when his teacher announced their last field trip would be a visit to Luoyang—and to consequently meet their Pen Pals—his heart raced.
He couldn't lie, even though he's been trying to ignore his feelings for a long time—he was probably in love with his Pen Pal. No, he was absolutely in love with his mysterious, funny, blunt, and adorable Pen Pal.
It was stupid, silly, naive. Falling in love with someone you've never met? That you don't even know the name? That you don't even know the gender?! Absurd.
But that's how it happened.
And now his brain was dizzy and his hands were clammy as he stepped inside his Pen Pal's school yard. His eyes foolishly scanned the sea of blue-jackets, trying to find any hint of his Pen Pal.
But then again, he didn't know anything about them. Not even their age, or height, or what they looked like.
His eyes fell on a smiling girl, glancing back at him with a thin layer of blush dusting her cheeks and glistening eyes. Is it… her? Is his Pen Pal this cute-looking girl?
And then, he darted his eyes around, and there were at least four more girls and at least two boys looking at him the same way.
Phew, it was not going to be easy. And honestly, Xiao Zhan didn't like being the center of attention. He retreated, looking for a quiet and hidden nook to de-stress and gather his thoughts, when—
“Li-Little Prince?” A low, shy voice asked from behind.
Xiao Zhan turned around—heart jumping in his throat, legs weak—and faced a… very, very young teenager boy.
Oh.
Oh no.
“PP2?” He tentatively asked, already dreading the answer.
The boy nodded and dodged his eyes to the floor, chewing on his lower lip.
Fuck my life, Xiao Zhan graceously thought to himself.
“Uhh… Hi!” The boy smiled, face beet-red. “H-how are you? I mean—I mean, hello! My name is… Wang Yibo. I'm PP2! And—and yours?”
Xiao Zhan sighed and resigned himself to brushing off any hopes he had built over his crush. He would definitely not indulge in any kind of romantic relationship with a youngster.
“Hey! Yibo!” He smiled his most friendly and elder brother smile. “So nice to meet you! I'm Xiao Zhan, Pen Pal 1.”
He ruffled the boy's hair and got wide brown eyes staring at him in return. The boy coughed, and Xiao Zhan offered him his green tea—his face color went impossibly redder as he took a sip.
After the coughing got under control, the boy offered a small, timid smile and said, “I actually recognized you because of the keychain.”
Xiao Zhan turned around to take a peek, as if he didn't know exactly what his most precious and beloved keychain was—The Little Prince and the Rose.
After that initial shyness, they fell into a heated debate about the best Little Prince's quotes, the best way to eat hot pot, which Pokémon was the coolest, and so on, as they strolled around Yibo's school.
At the end of the day, Xiao Zhan decided that he didn't find the love of his life, but he found a very interesting and endearing new friend.
He detached the Fox keychain he had bought some time ago to pair up with his Little Price from his backpack and handed it to a gap-mouthed Yibo.
“Oh, no! Zhan-ge, you don't need to—”
Xiao Zhan smiled fondly, “I want you to have it. So when we meet again at Oeschinen Lake, you can give me back.” He winked, patted the boy's head, and turned around to embark on the bus back to the airport—and back to his usual life.
“Let's keep writing letters!” Yibo yelled from the other side of the window glass. Xiao Zhan smiled widely and nodded in agreement.
“Dear Pen Pal—or should I write Bo-di from now on? :)
Thank you for the chocolate bar you secretly slipped into my backpack. It saved me from horrible airplane food!
Well, now that I'm going into my last year of school, our correspondence may dim a little, but I promise it won't fade completely!
‘It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.’
Best of luck with your dance showcase! From the brief part you showed me, I'm confident you'll do wonderfully!!
Yibo-didi is so talented, all your classmates were staring at you with heart eyes while you danced. Hehehehe. Let me know which one you'll choose in the future! I vote for the girl with the green beanie or the boy with wavy, dark hair and almond eyes.
Anyway, I need to start unpacking. Responsible senior life awaits!
Under the same stars,
— Pen Pal 1 (XZ)”
…
“Zhan-ge,
The showcase was so cool!!!! I won 2nd place, and there were a lot of scouts there. Maybe some agency will call me back???
And I won't choose either of my colleagues.
‘What is essential is invisible to the eye.’
Good luck with senior year! I'm sure the gifted Zhan-ge will have only straight As and will get into an amazing arts college!!! Don't forget me when you're exhibiting at MoMA, ok? (yeah, I Googled famous museums)
From my corner of the sky,
PP2 ——— YiBo”
…
“Bo-di,
Beijing is crazy! My roommate is crazy! My new boss is crazy! I may be drunk right now!!!
I hope I didn't mess with your address in Korean. Let me know if I did!
Oh! Wait!!!!! How would you let me know if you don't get this letter? Duh~~~ Hahahahaha!!!
Enjoy your youth, Yibo. It flies so fast.
With the wind carrying my thoughts,
— Pen Pal-ge
…
“Lao Xiao,
I'm attaching the backstage pass of our first stadium concert!
I hope you liked the bamboo plant for your new studio. I read somewhere that it brings good luck according to Feng Shui (and I know you're overly superstitious, even if you don't admit it, old man!)
May the space between now and then be kind,
YiBo"
…
“Yibo,
I wish you were here. I'm taking tons of pics, of course. I'll send them over once it's developed, but it's not the same as seeing it with your very own eyes.
Maybe some day we can come back here together?
I may be too used to the pollution smog, because my eyes hurt and sting every time I look at Oeschinen Lake. Or it may be the tears clinging to my lashes? Who knows…
I'm thinking of Exupéry, and foxes, and roses. And love.
Am I getting old and sentimental? Ugh!
Isn't it crazy? How we met when you were barely a teenager, and now you're an accomplished dancer, singer, and actor. You're a star, Lao Wang!!!
‘In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them, I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night… You—only you—will have stars that can laugh!’
I'm also thinking of star-crossed lovers, and the unfairness of it all. Is this what we
“No, Zhan-ge. We are not star-crossed, we are fated lovers.” The low, husky voice said. “Didn't you once write me, ‘You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed’? So now I'm yours, forever.”
Xiao Zhan's pen rolled from his trembling hand to the deck below him as he slowly turned with wide, glistening eyes.
Under the stars, a Fox keychain was returned.
Under the stars, vows of letters for all eternity were whispered.
Under the stars, with the gentle lapping of waves echoing through the chilly night, two lovers' hearts beat at the same frequency, and two pairs of lips met with longing and adoration.