There's smoke coming from the kitchen. It smells of rotten eggs and akin to a dead rat. The smell is awful and unbearable, it even reaches the outside, that whoever passes by the shop would literally throw up and maybe wretched out their intestines. It's horrible and unpleasant, thankfully there are no passersby around as he lives deep in the forest, but Kyungsoo doesn't know that as he's busy experimenting with his pot along with various suspicious ingredients for his new potion. Probably one to two people sniffed the stench and ran away. And maybe, the animals did too.

Kyungsoo gags from the smell and runs to his bathroom for a long lasting meeting with his toilet bowl. God, his precious bacon and eggs are already in a heap of goo on the marbled bowl.

"Jesus!" He curses, but one more inhale of his unsuccessful experiment gets him to wretch out the remaining bits of breakfast he ingested that morning.

Rushing back to his kitchen where the medium sized pot of gooey green potion is getting overcooked, he tries to hold his breath and hastily reaches for a bottle of potion on one of the racks in his store.

His face turns purple. Deep breaths.

!

His stomach twists in an unpleasant way, but he has to keep it together as the impending end of his suffering from the nasty smell is about to come.

"ing ," he mumbles under his breath in disgust as he pulls out the cork from the bottle of Flower Power and pour its contents inside the pot, until its last drop.

When the greenish goo turns to pastel green, the unpleasant smell completely gets replaced by the fragrant smell of flowers of all kinds from orchids to roses. The once disgusting smell wafting the whole household smells of flowers now, causing Kyungsoo to take lungfuls of pleasant air, finally.

After taking deep breaths with closed eyes, a refreshing look paints his face once he cracks his eyes open. He takes a look at the pastel green substance inside the pot, wondering what he'll do with it. Throwing this would be a waste, especially the rare ingredients I put in here. He thinks.

Kyungsoo's eyes dart over the line of rare herbs, twigs and seeds he had collected from the mountains two weeks ago. The purple mushrooms are almost gone, leaving him with four more. The roots from a particular willow tree are running out too. Same as with the pink berry seeds, pink mushrooms, heart shaped blue eggplants, rainbow colored herbs and the most difficult and powerful ginseng are soon going to be replenished, so Kyungsoo doesn't have the heart to get rid of this nasty experiment after using a great amount of the mentioned rare ingredients.

To be quite honest, Kyungsoo has no clue what he was trying to make. All he knows is that he wants a new potion to sell to the merchants to bring forth and resell it to different towns. But since the experiment obviously failed, but thanks to his Flower Power potion that he has been saved, he wonders on what kind of potion he would be able to pull out from this gooey mess.

He has to think of something. Or maybe he’ll just use the failed potion as part of his Flower Power perfume collection. Right. Flower Power green perfume.

But the bell from the store chimes, indicating that a customer has come to visit. In a day, four to six customers come to his shop. Four to five of them would be merchants from different towns and lucky if two random customers visit his shop to buy to him directly. Four towns depend on his potions, the North, East, South and West, but to Kyungsoo, he’s more familiar with West Town and is close to his heart as during his childhood days, there were times he would go there with his grandmother and met some people.

Leaving the mess first in his kitchen, Kyungsoo appears at the counter to greet his potential customer, but it turns out to be one of his regulars.

The man takes a deep sniff of fragrance wafting the store, a smile spreading his plush lips.

Kyungsoo's breath hitches from the endearing sight, but as this customer flutters his eyes open, Kyungsoo clears his throat, averting his eyes from the handsome merchant.

"Kyungsoo hyung, I'm here to take my orders," the handsome man says with his attractive smile. But instead of swooning over the man, Kyungsoo's face mars in great disappointment as he was slapped in the face that--

", I forgot your ing potions!" Kyungsoo loves cursing all the time. He panics and drawers fly open here and there to retrieve the order form from the man last week. "Seriously Jongin, I'm ing sorry for forgetting."

Jongin waves it off frantically, smiling in assurance that Kyungsoo doesn't need to worry on anything. "Hyung, calm down. I can just wait in here. It's really fine. Take your time," Jongin cackles good naturedly before taking a seat on the bench served as a waiting area.

"But I still want to apologize," Kyungsoo mumbles while getting the exact number of ordered potions of Take a Bite, the bestseller, which is used to make foods more delicious, Long Live, which is used for plants, Kill Bill to get rid of pests in the house and lastly, Sky is the Limit used by married couples for consummation.

"It smells nice here," Jongin says as he inhales more of the Flower Power's strong fragrance instead of the rotten smell minutes ago. "New potion?"

Kyungsoo seals the dozen of potions in their respected color coded boxes and says, "You could say that." Thank Gods and Goddesses he arrived just in time I ing poured Flower Power on that disgusting !

Jongin flashes his one of seven wonders smile. "Can I order that new potion then?"

Kyungsoo momentarily stops packaging the boxes with a tape as he stares right at Jongin's expectant eyes. He doesn't know if Jongin is pertaining to Flower Power or the nasty stuff he just created in the kitchen earlier, so he scratches in head in confusion. "Excuse me?"

A chuckle leaves Jongin's mouth and he straightens up to lean on the counter. He props his elbow and rests his chin over his palm. He looks very stunning posing that way and it makes Kyungsoo curse inwardly. "I mean the perfume potion."

Kyungsoo stays stiff, but distracts himself by completely finishing the packages and signing the receipt before he s the gray paper towards Jongin's face. "Sorry, but that potion isn't available for the public yet."

Jongin schools a pout, his palms falling on the wooden counter with a thud. "I even want to order a dozen," he whines. He even has the audacity to stomp his feet like a kid having his first taste of rejection.

Kyungsoo shoots him a stern stare. “No is no, Mister Kim.” Then he s the package towards Jongin with the receipt.

Dejected, Jongin just hands the pouch of gold coins and nickels to Kyungsoo, a pout on his lips. “Okay. By the way,” Jongin holds the package around his arms, biceps bulging and, no, Kyungsoo isn’t staring, gulping either. And Jongin pulls up a smirk. “Keep the change.”

The bell chimes sound as the merchant leaves.

But another customer comes in.

“DO KYUNGSOO THIS IS URGENT, YOU BETTER HELP ME!”

ing Byun Baekhyun.

 

“What the do you need it for?” Kyungsoo shoots his best friend a deep frown and mumbles of silent curses. Kyungsoo has been cussing a lot lately, unfiltered mouth firing foul words once in awhile. This is the first time Baekhyun asked him to do a potion for him and this is the first time Baekhyun has been so desperate to have this potion Kyungsoo has never done before.

“I don’t want Sehun to go to the dance and ing dance with some busty woman, so Kyungsoo, help me! I’d even kneel and worship you like a God if I have to, just please,” Baekhyun looks so close to tears. The demand, the eagerness and the desperation colors his face. Baekhyun is insanely in love with Sehun, a childhood friend Baekhyun has been with since his diaper days. Years ago, Sehun gave Kyungsoo a visit just to tell him that he deserves the title of Baekhyun’s Bestfriend, but of course, Baekhyun interjected and said, ”Kyungie is my bestfriend and you Oh Sehun is more than that!” They were still young that time and Kyungsoo got it instantly that Sehun is more than just a friend, bestfriend to Baekhyun, so he embraced the title of being Baekhyun’s bestfriend. Unfortunately, Sehun is too dumb to get the meaning behind Baekhyun’s words. And now, Baekhyun finally snapped and decided to make an action to keep Sehun to himself.

“He told me he’ll look for a beautiful woman with big s. Please, Kyungsoo. You’re the only wizard I know who could help me!”

Hands on his waist, Kyungsoo sighs audibly and makes up his mind. “If only you’re not my bestfriend, but unfortunately, you are. So what do I gain from this if I help you?”

ing Baekhyun drops on his knees, his face right in front of Kyungsoo’s crotch and Kyungsoo blanches and almost kicks his best friend. “Byun! Your face is almost on my crotch! off or I won’t help you!”

Baekhyun straightens up and shakes Kyungsoo’s shoulders fervently. “Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo! Anything you ask! If you want, I can set you a date with---“ hand muffling his mouth, Baekhyun moans and Kyungsoo’s palm so he can let go. “The , Baekhyun!”

Kyungsoo shoots him a fiery glare. “ing tell him, then I’d ruin this potion for you!” And he walks to his shelf to get an old book he got from his late grandmother to retrieve a parchment paper he slid there in between the pages.

“You won’t.” Baekhyun pouts. “But seriously I can do that for you.”

Kyungsoo scribbles something on a ripped parchment and shoves it on Baekhyun’s chest. “There. Those are what I want. Not—“ he hesitates, a dust of pink brushing his cheeks. “N-Not him, okay?”

Baekhyun scans the piece of paper and keeps it in his pocket. “I know you want him too, but whatever. As long as my Sehunnie is out of bouncy s then I’m fine with it. I’m offering you something I can definitely give you, but you declined it, so suffer Kyungsoo. And this is easy, so I’m expecting the potion soon!” A smirk, a wave and he prances out of Kyungsoo’s humble abode.

No, Kyungsoo doesn’t regret his decision. Nope, nope, just nope. Or does he?

But , how he’ll be able to make the love potion?

“ing research again.”
 

“Morning!”

“Morning too.”

“Are you going to The Dance?” The handsome merchant asks brusquely, handing Kyungsoo the list of his orders for the day.

Kyungsoo backpedals. He doesn’t expect that question at all, especially not from Jongin-the-handsome-merchant. He rakes his eyes over the list and says offhandedly. “I’d rather stay at home than sway my hips with someone else.” Then he starts getting the bottles of potions from the display shelves carefully and puts them together in a box.

“Oh,” Jongin’s lips forms an ‘o’ for almost three seconds and exhales loudly. He was holding his breath for awhile, Kyungsoo notices. “Right.”

Kyungsoo is down for last two bottles of Stressed Out which is used to relieve stress, when Jongin asks another question that makes Kyungsoo’s mind reel to why Jongin would ask him something about the dance next weekend.

“Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m going?”Another flippant question. Jongin, meanwhile, sweeps his fingers through his inky black, soft, hair and Kyungsoo manages to capture that goddamn beautiful moment in slow motion with matching slow classical music. Gods and Goddesses, thank you for bringing this godly-like human on earth. Thank you for blessing my eyes to see such a great wonder almost every single day. Bless me more--

Kyungsoo stumbles back from reality and knits his brows at Jongin. He ties the knot of the box and signs the receipt without looking at it.

“Ask yourself then,” he says deeply, mechanically.

“Uh,” Jongin’s mouth would open then close. His eyes won’t stay at one place and he keeps on fiddling with his fingers like a shy kid. Kyungsoo finds it cute, but, no, he has to contain his feelings. “I think I’m not going anymore. You know? I’d rather save my hips to someone worthy to dance with?” Jongin says and Kyungsoo nods in agreement, because somewhere deep deep down in his head, it says, Yes, you should just stay at home because those beautiful hips are mine to hold.

Kyungsoo clears his throat and his mind from the thought before sliding the package towards Jongin. “And just have a ing sweet time alone at home. That’s more ideal.”

“Absolutely,” Jongin smiles sheepishly, hand caressing the side of his neck back and forth.

“I know right.” Kyungsoo stares, stares and melts inwardly.

“Kyungsoo!” The door opens.

“ing Byun,” Kyungsoo curses, lips twitching to show his annoyance from how his best friend almost destroyed his wooden door. But Baekhyun only flashed him a fond smile and shot Jongin an affable look.

“What? You want to Baekhyun hyung?” On the other hand, Jongin asks abruptly, looking affronted. Kyungsoo wants to flip them both and talk sense to the two idiots in front of him. Except, Jongin is one handsome idiot.

“Who wants to who?” Baekhyun has his arms crossed as he leans his side on the counter, facing Jongin.

“The Jongin, you misunderstood,” Kyungsoo puts enough venom in his voice so as not to scare Jongin, because the least thing he wants to happen is for Jongin to stop talking to him.

“Oh, I did?” Jongin’s tongue swipes his bottom lip as a nervous habit, but to Kyungsoo, that’s a sight to behold.

“Someone wants to Kyungsoo then, huh?” Baekhyun just had to cut him and his wild thoughts of Jongin and his tongue. Kyungsoo glowers at him and growls.

“Baekhyun!”

“Oops,” Baekhyun holds up his hands in surrender, grinning mischievously and Kyungsoo wants to knee him on the crotch and maybe ruin the potion he’s been preparing solely for his best dumb lovesick friend.

Jongin stiffens and gathers the box around his arms. “Uhm, I gotta go.” He bows and sends Kyungsoo an endearing, worth more than a treasure of gold smile. “See you again tomorrow, hyung!”

Okay, Kyungsoo feels like he saw Jongin’s cheeks flaring.

The door closes. Kyungsoo fires Baekhyun a choleric glare. “Only if you’re not my bestfriend, I would have already killed you.”

“Oh shut up, we both know we love each other,” Baekhyun says blithely. “So, here’s your request!”

A dirty sack of whatever is chucked on the counter. “What is this filthy thing?”

Baekhyun grins and slams the list of rare spices, plants, twigs and other magical whatever Kyungsoo is requesting as the payment for his ongoing process of making Baekhyun’s love potion.

“That’s fast.”

“I love you too,” Baekhyun smacks his lips together playfully creating a plop sound which Kyungsoo returned back with a roll of his eyes.

 

Kyungsoo transfers the six potioned small red velvet cupcakes in a box when Jongin arrives, looking stunningly handsome, but Kyungsoo keeps a blind eye at him.

"Uh, are the orders ready?" Jongin's greeting to him and Kyungsoo's eyes turn wider, appalled.

"! I forgot!" Kyungsoo leaves the box of cupcakes open as panic runs him over and he's soon on his heels to get the correct orders Jongin ordered to him beforehand.

Lately, Kyungsoo has been spacey. He got two complaints the other day from two customers telling him that they got wrong orders and got them switched. And now, he just forgot Jongin's orders and he would like to blame it from the potion Baekhyun asked him to make as he stayed up late to finish the new potion, and thankfully he did, however, without certainty that the potion is indeed effective. The cupcakes are for trial purposes and Baekhyun will be picking up the package by now to try it to his pets Suho and Chen who are still both puppy-less. Animals are the best test subjects, according to a book from his great great great great grandmother. Well, it took him five days to find the theory of love potion on one of the books in their underground library. Again, it’s a theory, but there was also a step by step instruction on how to make that potion that included Kyungsoo’s powers to be used. Kyungsoo rarely use his powers to intimidate people because he’s very disciplined like that. Though, most of the potions he made had incantations recited for them to be effective.

As for the love potion he decided to put in cupcakes, a Love, Love, Love Me Right was chanted repeatedly during the wee hours of the night.

After picking up the last potion, now available for public, Flower Power, kept at the back of the store, Kyungsoo returns to the counter with his eyeballs attempting to fall out from their sockets from the scene in front of him. “Sorry really—“

Jongin is ing eating the cupcakes. The cupcakes are gone. The cupcakes have finally found their peace in the pit of Jongin's stomach.

"Holy ! Why did you eat the cupcakes!?" Kyungsoo berates the man in disbelief. He sets the basket of potions first on the counter before taking a closer look at the finished cupcakes that are supposed to be in Baekhyun's hands by now.

Jongin stares at Kyungsoo weirdly. And Kyungsoo feels like Jongin just had loose screws in his head from the way he smiles and gazes fondly at Kyungsoo as if like he's a God that just visited earth and deserves to be worshipped instantly. But he's not a God or whatever kind of beautiful creature he is, he's just a wizard living deep in the forest, alone, and with average looks.

Jongin props his elbow on the counter, eyes fixed on Kyungsoo. "I have always thought that you're cute with a fine , hyung."

Kyungsoo splutters, blushing feverishly. "W-What are you saying?" His eyes move towards the empty box of cupcakes, then at the wall clock, and damn, Baekhyun is late, but the cupcakes are gone and Jongin is being weird.

Jongin leans closer. His face is inches closer with Kyungsoo's and Kyungsoo can clearly feel the merchant's breath brushing his skin, his lips. "J-Jongin," his cheeks are redder than normal. He tries to step backward, but Jongin grabs both of his shoulders and is leaning in---

And Kyungsoo pushes him off hard. "God, what the hell is happening with you?" His cheeks are warmer, his pulse throbbing, his fists are clenched, and Baekhyun enters the scene.

"Kyungsoo! What did you do?" Baekhyun rushes towards the unconscious Jongin and Kyungsoo internally panics, because he just pushed Jongin, but it wasn't that hard, he thinks. Oh, goddamn powers!

"Kyungsoo! What are you waiting for? Prepare your bed and heal your prince charming!"

Kyungsoo makes a dash for it. ing cupcakes, they’re effective!

 

Kyungsoo stares at the glorious body laying peacefully on his black sheets of bed. Black sheets, indeed. Black, his favorite color. And the handsome merchant Jongin is there. Eyes closed, long lashes resting on his beautiful skin.

"So you were saying that he ate the cupcakes that have the love potion you've been working for which are supposed to be on my hands by now?" Baekhyun breaks him out from his reverie and Kyungsoo tries very hard to give him a deadpan look, though he's practically panicking inside.

"And you said he told you that you are cute with a fine and almost kissed you, correct?"

Kyungsoo folds his arms and scowls. "I think he got insane. The cupcakes proved to make people insane."

Baekhyun huffs, incredulous. "You mean, the ing love potion is effective and your prince charming just proved it useful," he trails off and flashes a smirk, "to us."

Kyungsoo won't play I don't know what you're talking about banter anymore, because he knew exactly what just happened and he's just being an in denial . He sighs. "I know," he says, eyes still transfixed on Jongin's body. “The book said, once the potion is consumed by the target person, the first person he sees would be the object of his affection.”

Baekhyun cackles, even having an audacity to clap. "And I know you like it. You should have just taken advantage of him and kissed him! Oh, why don't you wake up your prince charming now with a kiss? Maybe that will be effective and get him to wake up." He wiggles his brows and Kyungsoo shoots him a glare while cracking his fingers. Baekhyun knows that gesture by heart. A bit scared, Baekhyun backs away and chuckles as he drifts to another topic, but Jongin's eyes fluttering open got him, "He's awake!"

Kyungsoo shifts his eyes on Jongin who also shifts his head to face Kyungsoo and smiles. "Kyungsoo hyung," Jongin says softly, and then he gets up and towers Kyungsoo. "Waking up every morning like this, seeing you first, holding your cheek," he cups a hand on Kyungsoo's cheek. "Makes my heart jump like playing jumping jacks. You're so beautiful, hyung. Definitely more beautiful than the sun. You shine so bright and you make me sweat, hyung."

Baekhyun gags at the side and Kyungsoo stiffens, but gives his bestfriend a look of help. Baekhyun is enjoying the picture in front of him, and he'd rather indulge himself with some entertainment from his beloved bestfriend. "It's really effective!" Kyungsoo wants to strangle Baekhyun as Jongin is his cheek and God he love and hate it at the same time, it’s crazy!

"I want to put my lips on yours and make you sweat from how hot I am--"

Kyungsoo, even he hates to d