It had never been his fault but everyone blamed him anyways. How was it his fault when his mother betrayed the king and left him behind as a reminder? Why couldn't his mother love him? Because Daehyun was cursed to never be loved. People tolerated him, which he supposed was better than nothing. His friends liked him but they never invited him to go and play, they never cared whether it was because of the curse or not. Daehyun grew up accustomed to people avoiding him and making sure that they didn't really talk to him. Sure he was lonely but at least the king hadn't killed him in place of his mother. 

He never knew he could be cured of his curse until someone had taken pity on him, telling him that there was a young man on the outskirts of town. Youngjae was his name and he was called the witch because of his powers. He could do anything anyone asked but for a price. Equivalent Exchange he said and Daehyun wondered how much would it take for his curse to be lift. He gathered all the money he had (which wasn't much) and made his way outside of town, looking for the small shack the woman had told him about. 

The shack was made of word, with small symbols painted here and there. The door was cut in half, with the top half made of curtain. Daehyun rubbed the back of his neck before knocking on the door frame. “Hello? Is anyone home?”

He heard rustling from inside and watched as a handsome young man peeked out of the curtains. He smiled softly and opened the door, his hand motioning for Daehyun to follow, “Hello, I've been waiting for you.”

Daehyun went through the curtains and hummed, confused. He watched as Youngjae, dressed in a red tunic and pants, laid on a couch. Youngjae grinned and waved his hand, making a chair appear. “Come, sit. I know you have a request for me.”

Daehyun hesitated before sitting down. “How did you know I was coming?” Youngjae his lips, wishing he had a glass of water. He ran a hand through his hand, eyeing Daehyun. “The stars told me. They said a young man would come to me asking to remove a curse that should have never been theirs. So I assume that is you, would you mind telling me what curse you have?”

Daehyun moved the sleeve of his shirt, exposing his shoulder. Youngjae hummed and inspected the mark. It was one that he had only seen twice before and he wondered how this innocent man came to bear it. “When I was a child, my mother decided she no longer wanted to be with me and my father. She blamed me for their failed relationship so she cursed me so nobody can ever love me again.”

Youngjae shook his head, “I'm sure that woman is regretting her decision. I can see how prosperous your future will be once this curse is removed.”

Daehyun smiled, “So you can remove it?”

Youngjae nodded, rising from the couch. “I can, all I need is a feather from a nightingale and dust from a unicorn. But they are ingredients that are expensive to use and so your payment must reflect that.”

Daehyun his hips, now worried about the cost. “I don't have much. All I have is some gold and the clothes on my back.”

Youngjae chuckled, his hands summoning his magic bowl. “I don't need your money or clothes. Your payment for me lifting your curse is that you become my apprentice. I can see that you have some talent for magic, you just haven't had anyone to teach you. You will live here until I deem fit you can leave, do you accept my deal?”

Daehyun grinned, this would be good for him. He would have a home, food and (looking at Youngjae) someone to talk to. “I accept.”

Youngjae smiled, the feather and unicorn dust appearing out of thin air. He placed the feather in the bowl and added a small amount of holy water blessed by a phoenix. Daehyun saw that the feather dissolved and was amazed by all the colors coming out of it, like a swirling rainbow. Youngjae added a heavy pinch of unicorn dust and swirled his fingers in the mixture, adding some of his magic in it to bind Daehyun to him as an apprentice. He motioned for Daehyun to come closer and used his fingers to paint the mixture on the mark. Daehyun jumped as steam came off his shoulder, the mark slowly disappearing. “Woah...”

Youngjae chuckled, “Woah indeed. Now how about we get some lunch and I can tell you about your training?”

Daehyun nodded and they left the living, Youngjae brightly telling Daehyun about some of his adventures. Daehyun knew he was going to like it here a lot.