“Kyungsoo!” 

Said male tore his gaze away from the small leather notebook that he was reading from as he lifted his head up to look to the direction where the call was coming from, turning over to his left at the opening of his shop since that was where he was sure the voice had resounded from and spotting a familiar looking male walking into his store with light and hyper steps and a bright and cheerful grin on his face. The male had brown hair that covered his forehead and ended right above his brows and a pair of wide eyes that turned into crescents due to the large smile on his face, his skin was tanned and his body tall and lean under the layer of hood that he was wearing, upward stretched lips showing his white teeth as his eyes shone with equal excitement and happiness like his face beamed and his steps showed. Kyungsoo, who was sitting at the counter with his feet brought up and resting on the table while he leaned back as far into his seat as he possibly could, instantly and quickly took his feet off of the wooden surface when he noticed and realised who was the person that had just entered his store, a small smile breaking into his face before widening into a grin, heart shaped lips forming and teeth showing. 

“Hey, Jongin.” 

The male that entered the shop — Jongin, Kyungsoo had called him to be — skipped over to the counter and stopping once he was standing in front of it, placing his palms onto the table as he leaned his weight onto his two hands, looking down at Kyungsoo as he asked, “I would like to take the usual, please!” 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle, gesturing a finger at the shelves that he had displayed his items on as he commented, “The ‘usual’ that you want is all put on the cabinets behind you. Why do you not go and look for them by yourselves?” 

Jongin looked behind him at the shelves for a split moment before turning back to Kyungsoo with the same silly grin on his face, “I like it when you pick it out for me.” 

“Brat, go get them yourselves,” the owner of the store scolded as he scowled playfully at his friend, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he made a waving motion to signal for Jongin to go away, “You have a pair of hands and two legs, you can get the items that you want by yourself without my help.” 

Jongin pouted at Kyungsoo then and oh, how he loathed that look, what with the wide kicked puppy eyes and his plump bottom lip jutting out like a child as he whined, “Please, Kyungsoo? You always get me the best stock! And I do not want to get the bad ones.” 

“Are you suggesting that I sell rotten fruits and broken mechanics to my consumers, Jongin?” Kyungsoo raised a brow inquisitively while also placing a hand over his chest in mocked pain, “I am offended by that, Kim Jongin. You should have known better!” 

“That was not what I meant,” the tanned male exclaimed with a gasp as he widened his eyes in horror, stammering frantically to try and make clear of his own words, “What I meant to say was that out of all of your stocks, you would always pick the best for me! I am not saying they are terrible or anything because they are not, they are all good! It is just that you would find the best of the best and sell them to me, that is all! Please do not get the wrong idea!” 

Kyungsoo laughed wholeheartedly as he stood up from his chair and smoothed his clothes, shaking his head in amusement as he rounded the counter so he could stand beside his tall friend, patting Jongin on the back reassuringly as he mused, “It is okay, I get what you were actually trying to say the first time. I am just teasing you.” 

Kyungsoo quickly left Jongin’s side to avoid having to be hit by his flustered friend as he went around the store trying to find the items that the latter would always ask for during all of his visits, smirking in satisfaction to himself when he heard a whine from behind as he went about in his shop picking out the best of his articles for his precious friend. Kyungsoo had taken a basket with him from the counter before he set off on his adventure on getting the objects that Jongin wanted, finding the best of the articles he was selling and putting them into the rattan-made baskets once he was sure they were in the best of their shapes, checking to see beforehand whether or not they were in good conditions. Kyungsoo picked out the bare chicken that Jongin would always want in his list and made sure that it was the biggest and meatiest in the bunch before putting it into the basket, walking over to the vegetable stall which was just situated opposite of the meat stall and picking out a few vegetables that his friend specially asked for, ensuring that the vegetables he had chosen were not rotten and were the greenest of them all before tossing them into the basket, going around his store some more to get the other items that Jongin would ask for a lot — a bottle of milk, some ripe fruits like apples and bananas, and also some homemade candies that he would create during his free time with his grandfather because apparently Jongin claimed that they were the best sweets that he had ever eaten and tasted in his twenty-four years of living, as he so nicely put it at least. 

Kyungsoo made a last round check to confirm all of the objects that Jongin asked for were in the basket before going over to the counter with a nod of approval, setting the rattan down onto the table before turning around to face his friend and naming the price the latter had to pay, “Sixty-eight slats, like the usual.” 

Jongin nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small woollen pouch, loud rattling sounds could be heard emitting from inside the small bag as he moved it around between his tightly clutched fingers. Kyungsoo offered a hand out to his friend and the latter obediently handed the small sack of money over to the former, the store owner placing the pouch onto the counter before picking up the basket of items and giving it to Jongin who accepted it with open arms, a large grin on his face as he thanked the former for helping him out, bowing his head while also hugging the basket to himself as he did so. All Kyungsoo could do was chuckle in amusement at his friend’s antic and hit the latter’s head lightly with his knuckles before going back to his seat behind the counter and resuming his previous position with his feet on top of the table and back leaning against the backrest of the chair, lacing his fingers together and resting them on top of his lap as he pursued a relaxed position — how ever he found this position comfortable in any way possible in the first place, at least. 

“So,” the tanned male decided to not leave just yet as he stayed back and prompted, leaning his hip against the counter as he asked, “Have you heard?” 

Kyungsoo perked up in curiosity at the question, a brow raised as he asked, “Have I heard of what?” 

Jongin grinned very widely at Kyungsoo’s unknowingness, asking the latter the same question again just so he could be sure that the latter really did not know what the former was talking about and was not just pretending to not know so he could humour him, “So, you really have not heard of the news yet?” 

Kyungsoo furrowed his brows in confusion, thinking hard about all the latest news that he had heard of as of late and listing them all out to see which one of them was Jongin trying to refer to, “The Duke of Eeroog has come to town?” 

Jongin scrunched his face up playfully before shaking his head and smiling broadly, “That was two weeks ago, that is too long.” 

Kyungsoo gave Jongin a puzzled look, but did not question anything as he continued to ponder about the latest possible news that the younger was trying to imply, snapping his fingers in realisation when he thought of one as he looked up at the younger and asked, “Is it the eldest prince of the kingdom being sighted in a goldsmith’s store?” 

Jongin was grinning sillily, but his head was shaking in denial as he chirped, “Wrong again! Keep thinking.” 

Kyungsoo glowered at Jongin in a light-hearted manner before huffing out a breath, thinking hard about what else news there could be before asking with uncertainty lacing his voice, “Is it going to be the king’s birthday soon?” 

Jongin sighed and shook his head, the smile tugging at the corners of his lips failing to stay hidden as he bemoaned, “No, no, no! It is not that at all!” 

Kyungsoo glared at Jongin with perplexity, “Then what is it?” 

Jongin shook his head, not willing to tell the store owner about what was on his mind yet as he teased, “Keep guessing.” 

“Oi, you little,” the store owner cut himself off before he could utter any bad words that will offend his friend — although truthfully, he could barely care about his friend being insulted, since that was what they are always doing anyway when they are not wasting time goofing around — humming in thought once more while tapping his index finger against his chin before answering, his answer coming out too fast, as if he had thought about his answer in the whim of the moment and was probably thinking about cracking a joke while he was at it, “The douche bag for a money collector finally has his head rolling?” 

Jongin slapped his forehead with his palm, sighing and shaking his head as he provided, “Alright then, I will give you a hint out of pity. It has something to do with ‘wedding’.” 

Kyungsoo jumped up from his seat out of the blue when he heard the key word, scaring Jongin into stumbling a few steps back and blinking in puzzlement as he stared at the elder, who was gaping at the latter with wide eyes filled with shock and horror as he questioned with a bewildered exclaim, “Please do not tell me that you are getting married?” 

Jongin flushed furiously at that enquiry, stomping his feet on the wooden ground childishly but cutely as he whined in embarrassment, “Kyungsoo! It is not funny, and that is not it!” 

Kyungsoo frowned at Jongin as he plopped back down onto his chair again, leaning his head backwards as he asked, “Then what is it? Just tell me already!” 

Jongin grinned happily when he was finally sure that the latter sincerely does not know whatever news the former was about to tell him, proud that he was able to tell the store owner about it from his own mouth as he cleared his throat in exaggeration for a more dramatic effect before explaining excitedly, “My brother is about to get married!” 

Kyungsoo felt his eyes widening at the news, the pair of orbs as wide as saucers as his jaw went slack and dropped to the ground, mouth wide agape as he stuttered out in shock, surprise, disbelief, and many other emotions, “P-Prince Jongdae is going to get married?” 

Jongin nodded enthusiastically to the question, eyes big and sparkling and grin wide, showing his sparkling white teeth as he cheered, “Yes! You know Duke Minseok, right?” 

Kyungsoo nodded — of course he knew, after all, Duke Minseok was the same duke that the store owner was talking about just now, the ‘Duke of Eeroog’ that he mentioned coming to town when Jongin asked him to guess the latest, most shocking news. 

“Well, he asked for my brother’s hand in marriage last night,” the store owner’s friend recalled as he stared into space with a dreamy look on his face, a mooning smile playing on his lips as he sighed, “You would not believe it, Kyungsoo. The whole scene was so beautiful, and the entire situation was just so magical. It is almost like you are living in a fairy tale!” 

Kyungsoo hummed in curiosity, unable to hold back the smile of mirth that came onto his face as he quirked a brow in amusement and challenged, “Humour me. How was the setting? And, how was the atmosphere?” 

“Oh, the setting was so sweet! And, the atmosphere was soft too. Everything about the proposal was just so perfect,” the younger was jumping around in glee and squealing animatedly, reminding the elder of a hyper puppy as the younger continued to story-tell the event to the elder, “Duke Minseok had asked for my assistance in helping him propose to my brother, so I knew.” 

Kyungsoo only hummed in acknowledgement as Jongin continued, “Duke Minseok and I had came to an agreement to take the proposal in the palace’s garden, and at night too to make the whole thing even more romantic. I had also asked help from the servants to decorate the garden so that it was beautiful, and I am really happy to say that they did a great job in making the garden look pretty and welcoming. They had flower petals scattered from the entrance to the gazebo, and they also lined lots of flower pots along the way, and even made sure to take care of the plants so they looked presentable when the proposal happens.” 

Kyungsoo continued to watch Jongin as the latter thought of everything that had happened the night before, “I was the one who brought Jongdae to the garden. I had told him that there was a surprise waiting for him there and, being the curious one he was, asked me what that surprise was even though I had clearly stated not even a few seconds back then that it was a surprise, which was not meant to be known until it happened! Of course, I did not say all of that out loud to Jongdae, I just told him that he would soon find out when we get to the garden.” 

“When we arrived to our destination,” a giggle slipped out from between Jongin’s lips all of a sudden, and Kyungsoo could not help the idiotic grin on his face at the sound as the former went on, “I wish you were there to see it, Kyungsoo. His expression when he saw the garden being beautified was just priceless, I am telling you!” 

“How so?” Kyungsoo asked as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on the wooden surface of the counter, still staring at his friend who was standing in front of him. 

“His mouth was wide open like a fish,” as if to make a point — or to show how the reaction looked like, whichever the case might be — Jongin let his jaw drop widely, before closing them back to normal so he could speak, “And his eyes were so big that I thought they were going to roll right out at any moment.” 

Jongin demonstrated the reaction by pulling his eyelids apart with his fingers, and this caused Kyungsoo to laugh softly at the cuteness before the younger resumed with his talking, “The duke was standing at the gazebo and I encouraged Jongdae to go on without me, since he was a bit shy and hesitant to go greet him by himself.” 

Jongin cooed at the memory for a split second before composing himself to say, “I told him that I would be waiting at the entrance while he talks it out with the duke, and I watched the exchange between them at the place where I had promised Jongdae that I would be waiting.” 

“At first glance, you can already tell how nervous Jongdae looked with the way he kept on shifting from one foot to another and kept his gaze lowered, scared of looking at the duke straight in the eye,” the younger made a V-sign with his fingers, with the thumb and the last two fingers curled while his index and middle finger stayed extended, and gestured to his eyes with the tips of his two fingers before letting his hand drop as he recounted, “But then, you look at the duke, and you can also tell that he was just as nervous as Jongdae was. I mean, come on! He was not exactly being subtle with his many glances to some place else, almost like he could not stand staring at Jongdae for too long lest he wants his face to explode.” 

When Jongin noticed the confused raise of a brow on Kyungsoo’s face, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he whispered, like he did not want anyone to know that he was trying to tell something secretive, “Duke Minseok’s face was probably redder than Jongdae’s, and the more he looked at my brother, the redder his face seemed to get.” 

Kyungsoo let out an ‘oh’ before listening on, “Anyway, they kept on talking casually for a while, so long that I was almost about to fall asleep from sheer boredom and lack of action from both parties.” 

“Just as I thought that the proposal will not be happening any time soon, and just as I was ready to leave them so I could get myself something to eat,” the younger suddenly squealed as he bounced up and down with much exhilaration, surprising the elder who leaned back into his seat as if to avoid the younger as he exclaimed in a great deal of delight, “Duke Minseok slowly went down on one knee and pulled out the ring from his pocket!” 

“Jongdae was so shock that he covered his mouth, and his eyes seemed to widen ten fold too,” the younger laughed in recognition, “Minseok was so nervous, but at the same time determined to get Jongdae and looked confident that my brother would agree to his proposal.” 

“And, the duke was right to be confident,” the younger grinned widely as he placed his fists on his hips, “Because after that, my brother nodded his head, giving his consent to Minseok.” 

“And the rest of what happened, you can probably tell already,” the younger shrugged, “Minseok slipped the ring around Jongdae’s finger, there was a hug between the two, and then they were pulling away and gazing into each other’s eyes before they-”

“Too much information,” the store owner exclaimed as he cut his friend off midway, covering his ears to protect them from needing to hear any more than he should, “We do not need to know that much!” 

“Oh, come on, Kyungsoo,” the younger whined and pouted at the elder, who only kept shaking his head while he tried to convince, “It is still part of the story! And you wanted to know.” 

“I wanted to know what happened, but not to the point of also knowing if they kissed or done something worse than that,” the store owner explained as he finally turned to look at Jongin, but upon seeing the stupid grin forming on his friend’s face, his eyes widened in horror as he exclaimed, “They did not!”

“Oh, but they did,” the younger nodded furiously as he cackled evilly, the smile on his face widening with every second as he confirmed, “They definitely did. Not only that, but my brother was also being so loud, that I could hear him all the way from the top of the castle while all the servants hid themselves in their quarters.” 

“Jongin,” the store owner screeched, as if his friend had committed a capital crime or killed his pet, which he does not have, but no one needs to know that. 

“I am just saying the truth,” the younger huffed as he gave the store owner a noncommittal shrug, meeting a glare from Kyungsoo as a reaction which caused him to sigh in defeat as he spoke with an apologetic tone, “Okay, done, sorry, too much information.” 

Kyungsoo sighed in exasperation as he shook his head and massaged his temple, asking in mild puzzlement, “And the king? How did he react?” 

“Father fainted,” when Jongin noticed Kyungsoo looking at him in stupefaction, he grinned and elaborated, “Well,