EXTRA: Happiness

(Details left out from the last chapter – aka: The “ and more” section)

PART ONE

Because of his life so far, Baekhyun never paid much attention to Christmas. He knew the workers were given the day off, but the tailor had sewing to do, so he didn’t think there would be much difference in his usual routine. 

But he could tell something was different on December 25th when, instead of the usual thumping on the floors, he woke up to loud “Merry Christmas!” greetings echoing between the men in the hallway. And when he went downstairs Baekhyun discovered that instead of the usual breakfast foods, there were two large pans of baked pears with cinnamon, and four apple pies that Kyungsoo and Junmyeon had gotten up early to prepare for the special occasion. These lovely surprises paired well with the usual hot coffee and cold milk, and everyone agreed it was an excellent breakfast. 

As the men were all finishing their morning meal, Chanyeol stood up from his seat at the end of the table. The tall man waited for everyone's attention and then began to talk. "We’ve had large numbers harvested this season and we’ve been successful in sales so far as well. Our usual customers have spread the word about our quality, and new customers have also started buying in the last few weeks. It's because of all your hard work that we've been able to accomplish this. To show my gratitude I’ve added a Christmas bonus on top of your usual year end bonus, so look forward to seeing that when you get your pay this week."

All the men began to cheer joyfully, and Baekhyun beamed as he looked up at his tall lover standing next to him. He knew Chanyeol was a kind and generous boss, and he couldn’t help being proud of him. 

But Chanyeol’s next words caught Baekhyun by surprise. “There’s another way the estate has done well this year. When our tailor arrived, he began saving us money by fixing our clothes. He also came up with those nice air fresheners that are selling so well in the market each week. And many of you don’t know this, but the only time Baekhyun uses any money is when he buys more materials to make more bags.” 

Several of the men gave impressed murmurs and appreciative glances to the slightly embarrassed orphan. Minseok was sitting beside him, and he patted Baekhyun on the shoulder and they exchanged small smiles before the boss continued. 

“A few months ago I gave Baekhyun permission to use my mother’s old sewing machine, and he’s been taking good care of it. So for his Christmas bonus, I have decided to give the sewing machine to him.” The orphan was very surprised and touched. He had a teary-eyed smile as the men all cheered and applauded the boss’s words. The tall man sat back down and smiled at him. “Merry Christmas, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol said affectionately. Baekhyun really wanted to hug his lover in that moment, but he held himself back and just smiled with bright eyes instead.

Minseok lifted Baekhyun’s plate out of the way then said “Merry Christmas!” with a wide smile and placed what looked like a long thin envelope down in front of the orphan. Baekhyun was once again surprised. But his eyes widened even more when the other workers began getting up from their seats and coming over to him to lay more of the same envelopes down on top of the first one. A small pile had formed by the time he decided to pick one up and look confusedly at his lover. Chanyeol nodded encouragingly, so the orphan carefully opened the envelope in his hand and looked inside. His eyes widened and he gasped as he pulled out a long thin purple ribbon. The next envelope held a long blue ribbon, and the one after that had a green ribbon. Soon there was a pile of empty envelopes to one side and a rainbow colored pile of ribbons on the table in front of him. 

Baekhyun was so overwhelmed and touched by the gesture that he didn’t know what to do. “I- I didn’t know.. This is- just- This is amazing!” he stammered out. The men all smiled and cooed at the flustered little tailor. He stood up abruptly from his seat, making his chair scrape the floor and getting everyone’s attention. “Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun blurted out. The chef was startled and looked wide-eyed at the suddenly bold orphan. “I will help you with ALL the cooking today! I want to put all my love into the food as a thank-you to everyone!” Baekhyun continued earnestly.

The workers were immediately touched and they chuckled and cooed loudly with affection for the orphan. It was Chanyeol’s turn to look proudly at his lover while holding himself back from hugging him. 

Although Baekhyun wanted to help with cleaning up, Jongin and Kyungsoo insisted on being the ones to wash the dishes from breakfast. At this point a few of the men bundled up against the cold and left the estate to visit friends and family, while some of the others hung out around the fireplace or went upstairs to relax in their rooms before lunch time. Baekhyun went back over to the pile of ribbons. He and Chanyeol sat at the table alone, talking about how the tailor could use the new ribbons and other possible projects he might want to create. They talked quietly in their own little bubble, not aware of the sweet scene they made together. The others around them smiled but kept their distance, enjoying the atmosphere.

True to his promise, Baekhyun helped with making lunch. The group was smaller than usual but larger than just the four that the orphan had prepared lunch for before, so it was interesting to him to figure out portions and measuring to make sure to have enough but not too much.  

Once lunch was finished and everything cleaned up, Baekhyun sat to the side of the kitchen counter and watched as Junmyeon and Chanyeol began working together to prepare enough hot apple cider and mulled wine to last everyone through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. A little while later the orphan tried both drinks for the first time. Baekhyun decided between the two warm beverages he preferred the cider, but not in large quantities. 

The orphan kept his promise and helped with making dinner as well. He and Kyungsoo worked happily together as Jongin and Chanyeol sat to the side and watched them. The workers all returned to the estate in time that evening to enjoy the meal that Baekhyun had carefully “made with love”.

After dinner, most of the men hung around the fireplace in the large downstairs area, playing cards and telling stories. Baekhyun sat beside Chanyeol on one of the sofas, listening to the stories and occasionall