AFTER EATING a hearty breakfast (where felix successfully lifted the mood of the household), chan took seungmin and minho into the kitchen. "alright, mates," he said, clapping his hands together, "do either of you have a use?"

minho's eyebrow rose. "a use? what do you mean?"

chan shrugged. "well, i guess what i'm trying to ask is if you have any talents? any gifts? any skills?" he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the stone counter. "everyone in the castle has a use that makes them valuable to hyunjin in some way. i cook and clean and keep everyone out of trouble. jisung powers the house and gives us heat. felix uses his magic to protect us. jeongin runs errands and gives us comfort. and of course, changbin is a prisoner. so what can you do?"

seungmin hesitated for a moment. "well... minho is an excellent baker, and i'm fairly decent at tailoring—"

"fairly decent?" minho screeched incredulously. "chan, seungmin is an amazing tailor. he could turn ugly rags into beautiful robes in a snap! everything that he makes is a work of art that i'm sure you'd love."

chan's gaze landed on seungmin's form. "is this true?"

the tailor made a face. "well..."

"yes, it is." minho nodded quickly, his light brown hair bouncing as he did so. "and if you don't believe me, he can show you!"

seungmin whipped around. "wait, wha—"

chan's expression brightened. "oh, a test! good idea, mate! seungmin can make me an outfit and you can bake me something! are you any good at baking cakes? i'm terrible at it."

minho snorted. "am i any good at baking cakes? those mere stacks of yeast that are decorated and flavored? those lumps of grain that even a child could create?" he placed a hand to his chest, seeming almost offended (but seungmin knew he was just being dramatic). "you insult me, chan! give me something challenging to bake!"

chan shrugged. "no. i want a cake. or," he said, eyes gleaming, "i could always just kick you out."

that seemed to snap minho back to the reality of things and his face quickly dropped. however, a spark remained in his eyes, and he stomped past chan in a huff. "i'm going to make the best goddamn cake he's ever had in his stupid life," seungmin heard him grumble as he threw open the wooden cupboards and rummaged through them for cooking supplies.

chan turned his attention to the brunette before him. "as for you, do you think you could begin working immediately? i already have a design in mind and hyunjin has any and all materials that you might need."

seungmin nodded. "i will need to take your measurements beforehand, though," he said, and received a chuckle in response.

"oh, it's not for me. it's for...someone else."

❂❂❂

"why am i getting measured again?" jeongin asked as seungmin stretched a long tape measurer along his shoulders.

chan rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet, barely able to contain his excitement. "it's a surprise!" he said with a grin. "just trust me, okay?" 

seungmin felt the boy slowly relax under his hands. "okay, channie," he said, smiling softly. two large dimples appeared on his pale cheeks and the tailor watched their exchange feeling like a third wheel. wait, why are you thinking like that? it's not like you're interrupting a couple! there's no need to feel like you're intruding on their time alone. he glanced up from his work to find the pair staring at each other, their lips curved upwards in shy smiles. they do seem to be a bit more than friends, though... 

he suddenly felt very out of place. i should hurry and finish these measurements, he thought and picked up his pace.

after that, chan left him alone (presumably to spend more time with jeongin) in his room. before he left, he made sure to deliver everything seungmin would need, as well as the design of the outfit itself. it was clear that chan had the idea for quite a while now, seeing that he had sped to his own room and back to retrieve a crumpled piece of paper with a crude sketch on it. chan wasn't the best artist, but he put a great amount of detail into the description of the outfit and made sure to tell seungmin exactly what he wanted. the tailor appreciated that; it was always nerve-wracking when he was given too much freedom because he wouldn't know if his client would like what he made until much later.

now, seungmin sat on a wooden stool in front of a dirty mannequin, his measuring tape looped around his wrist. he fiddled with the teardrop pendant that rested on his chest in an absentminded manner. gentle sunlight filtered through the circle window, illuminating minuscule dust particles that floated through the air. 

it was quiet. far quieter than what seungmin was used to. he typically worked to the sounds that market chipping had to offer: traveling shopkeepers pulling their wagons; children laughing and playing in the cobbled alleys; jovial citizens wandering about; and, on lucky days, a witch or a wizard practicing their craft for all to see. 

seungmin used to hate the bustle of his small town, but now he found that he missed it more than ever. oh, how he longed to hear those sounds of life again! what he would do to stroll through the streets at his own leisure and bask in the company of the people around him! what he would give to simply live how he once did, in the comfort and safety of familiarity!

the tailor blinked rapidly to return to his senses. snap out of it, seungmin, he thought. this is your life now. the sooner you adapt, the sooner you can find a way to break the curse and return home. so stop moping around and focus on what's important right now: making the best piece of clothing any of them have ever seen in their lives.

so, with newfound resolve, seungmin picked up his needle and thread and went to work.

❂❂❂

the entire household stood gathered around the kitchen table with wide eyes as minho unveiled the cake he had baked.

"ta-da!" he exclaimed with a grand flourish. "so, what do you think?"

it was gigantic, to say the least (although seungmin expected nothing less from his over-the-top friend). it was three tiers tall and covered with a frosting that looked just like tree bark. covering all three tiers were ornate cherry blossoms, each designed so meticulously that they seemed as if they would fall apart as soon as you touched one. pink candied pearls lined the bottom of each tier. all in all, it was stunning and looked more like an actual cherry blossom tree than a cake.

jisung was the first to speak. "...so, what kind of cake is it?"

"it's strawberry sponge cake filled with chocolate buttercream and covered with chocolate glaze. the flowers are made of vanilla fondant, so they're edible. it's sort of my spin on the classic neopolitan cake." minho crossed his arms proudly. "i could've gone bigger, but i ran out of ingredients."

felix spoke next. "...are you sure we're allowed to eat this?"

"well, you don't want to waste a beautiful cake like this, do you?" minho laughed. "go on, try a piece."

the freckled male picked up a fork and gingerly stuck it in the giant dessert. taking off a small piece and popping it in his mouth, he chewed for a moment, seeming to contemplate the taste. the whole room waited for his review with bated breath, staring at him expectantly. he suddenly lowered his head, and when he looked back upwards, his eyes were glassy with tears. "in my 21 years on this planet," he choked out, "i've never tasted anything as good as this before."

it was a bit chaotic after that. everyone rushed to grab a piece of the cake and promptly shoved it in their mouths, practically melting at the taste. "i didn't think it was possible for anything to taste so good!" jeongin cried, throwing the spoon he was using away and resorting to grabbing handfuls of the dessert instead (seungmin supposed this was what felix had meant earlier when he said that he was a very messy eater). even changbin snuck a few bites before he was promptly shooed away by hyunjin, who took his utensil and used it for himself. in mere minutes the cake was gone and in its place was minho, who stood there with a smug look. that must have fed his ego quite a bit, seungmin thought and chuckled internally.

hyunjin fixed his piercing green eyes on minho, who remained unfazed by his gaze. he was silent for a moment before speaking. "are you able to make things like that for us every day?"

minho looked surprised. "well, of course. it's what i do for a living—"

"perfect. you can stay."

felix's jaw dropped. "what?" he cried, leaping out of his chair. "for my test you made me go through all sorts of magical challenges, and all he had to do was bake a cake?"

"felix, you can't bake for shit," changbin spat. "that pie you gave me for breakfast was absolute garbage, so you can't say anything."

the wizard sank back into his chair with a pout. "it wasn't even that bad," he muttered sulkily.

hyunjin ignored his apprentice and turned around to face seungmin. the tailor gulped at the sight of the handsome man's bright eyes that were transfixed onto him. it made him feel as if he were delving into the depths of his soul and inspecting every single piece of him, bit by bit. somehow he managed to maintain eye contact but he knew it wouldn't be long before he wavered under the wizard's gaze.

no wonder he was able to kidnap so many people, seungmin thought. he's so...alluring.

"so, tailor, have you finished your task?" hyunjin asked. seungmin nodded quickly.

"yes. it's right upstairs. chan?"

the silver-haired man stood, pulling jeongin (who was clearly confused) with him. "seungmin's assignment for me is a little more on the personal side, so i ask that only he, hyunjin, and jeongin come with me to see it." he received a few disappointed groans (mostly from jisung and felix) but paid them no mind and tugged jeongin to the staircase and upwards to the second floor of the house. seungmin and hyunjin were quick to follow, eager to see their reactions.

once they arrived at seungmin and minho's room, jeongin immediately gasped. on the mannequin lay a white velvet cloak lined with silver swirls that twisted and circled around each other. the inside of the cloak was made of dark grey silk which paired nicely with the lighter grey faux fur on the collar.

but the most impressive thing about the cloak was the scenery that was stitched onto it. it depicted a grey wolf curled up next to a black dog in front of a barren tree. tiny snowflakes fell around them, and seungmin recalled how badly his fingers had cramped up when he had tried to stitch them on. not only that, but he had to find a thread that was just the right shade of silver so that the snowflakes wouldn't blend in with the white cloak but also would be subtle enough not to stand out too much. but after he had finished it, he couldn't help but feel quite proud of himself. he hadn't done intricate stitching in quite a while, so it was pretty impressive that he pulled it off, especially in a mere day.

"you made this, seungmin?" jeongin breathed out, running the fur through his slender fingers. "it's absolutely stunning." the tailor gave him a small smile, feeling his heart warm at the praise. "and this, on the back—" he paused to stare at it and locked eyes with chan, who was leaning in the doorway— "it's..." he stopped suddenly, his dark eyes watering. seungmin was worried until he saw the large smile that formed on jeongin's face. the boy clutched the fabric in his hands as he tried to form words, but his voice failed him and he was left with his mouth open, nothing but silence coming out of it. chan rushed over to him at blinding speed (even though he was relatively close to him) and wrapped his arms around his friend, who reciprocated the action with trembling hands. the sight of them embracing made seungmin's heart melt and he couldn't stop a smile from growing on his face.

maybe one day i'll have someone that will hold me like that.

"tailor."

seungmin jumped slightly when hyunjin's voice sounded close to his ear; so close that he could feel his warm breath. queen of ingary, that scared me! "yes?"

hyunjin was quiet, and when seungmin looked up, he found that his green eyes were fixed on chan and jeongin; except rather than a piercing stare, his eyes reflected something much softer. "do you know what you just did?"

"...is it something bad?"

"on the contrary. you've done something wonderful." he pointed towards the pair in the middle of the room. "you made someone feel something just by simply looking at your work. you were able to transfer someone else's wishes into the clothing you made and let them shine in a way that not many others can." he faced seungmin, a small smile gracing his plump lips. "and if you ask me, that's the greatest gift anyone can have. even greater than magic itself."

seungmin's eyes widened at the unexpected compliment. "t...thank you, hyunjin," he stammered, heat beginning to creep up his neck. he's a lot more genuine than i originally thought! "that really means a lot."

hyunjin chuckled, a glorious sound in the tailor's ears. "of course. i always try to say what i mean. and on that note, i'd like you to make me a cloak just like jeongin's but better. actually, scratch that: make it a full-blown outfit. i expect it to be done by sundown tomorrow." 

wait, what?

hyunjin must have seen the panic that spread across the brunette's features because he let out a high-pitched laugh that shocked the shorter male. "i'm just joking! that's too cruel." he continued laughing for a while longer before abruptly halting with a look of confusion. "does your hair always do that when someone plays a joke on you?"

seungmin gave him a confused look. "do what?"

hyunjin took a strand of his hair in between his fingertips. "tailor, your hair is turning red. is that normal?"

"...my hair is doing what?"