𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 • 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

10; excited, and suddenly, surprised

"minghao," seungcheol sighed, slumping onto his desk. the boy he adressed stood straight in front of him. "i heard what you did."

"i'm sorry. i will not do it again with the company's materials."

seungcheol's head shot up. "what?! no! that's not what i want to say. i want to say that next time, you need to be careful. what if you got chan's best friend wrong? you might end up insulting him rather than helping him."

"i'm sorry for my rash actions," but i don't regret it. "i will think better next time."

"word spread out about you because of chan. now you've got a commission." seungcheol sighed, placing an unsealed envelope on the desk. "you aren't even a rea—minghao?!"

minghao's eyes were sparkling. at the sight of the envelope containing his very first commission, it made minghao feel like a real artist. it was not something that minghao gets everyday—and for someone to want him specifically to do something for them makes minghao feel a little bit more normal.

minghao, of course, was always special. he was always required in risky operations in the military, and his skill was acknowledged—yet never praised because it was the bare minimum for a special soldier like him. minghao usually never felt happy when he's called to do special missions.

this time, it was different. it felt different. it made minghao happy, that he was acknowledged despite not being as good as wonwoo, or the other artists.

"i feel happy in this job, hyung. why am i so happy? this is not normal, i think." minghao states, still mulling over the commission envelope. "should i take it?"

seungcheol sighed. he had originally planned for someone else to take it, but... "you can."

seungcheol sees a glint of happiness in minghao's eyes—and a faint sign of a smile on his lips. the older laughed endearingly. this was the right choice, seungcheol thought.

"you're going to their house later today, presumably in the afternoon. for the meantime, you'll use the materials we have, since you haven't bought your own yet." seungcheol continued, standing up from his seat. "i intended to do this later on, but..."

seungcheol stood straight in front of minghao, and offered his hand to the younger. minghao straightened his posture, and took seungcheol's hand to shake.

"welcome to the company, xu minghao." seungcheol says, showing him a smile. "i look forward to your future endeavours."

"i will not let you down, sir." minghao replied, determined. "thank you for this opportunity."

when chan had dropped him off at the client's address, minghao was especially enthusiastic. albeit having trouble with the excessive amount of painting materials he had to bring, minghao entered the manor without causing any trouble.

a butler approaches him, along with a maid. "sir xu minghao, the artist, correct?" she says, and minghao nods at the maid. "right this way."

sir xu minghao. the nineteen year old couldn't help but smile at that. he never thought he'd be called such a prestigious title, after everything! he didn't even get to go to art school—to any school, actually—and they call him sir xu minghao, an artist!

anyway, minghao's first client seemed rich. their house was almost as big as the royal family's house, and minghao could probably get lost if not for the two workers leading him to where his client was.

"my lord," the butler says, bowing. minghao realized they'd arrived in the correct room—and composes himself. "the artist you requested for has arrived."

a woman stood up from the loveseat that faced the furnace, and walked to minghao with a smile. she was old, but her looks were very astonishing. she doesn't offer her hand for minghao to shake, since she noticed the objects minghao carried.

"pleasant afternoon, madam. i am xu minghao, an artist you have requested. i am willing to work under your orders." minghao slightly bowed, and he hears the woman laugh elegantly. minghao guessed that she was a noblewoman.

"pleased to meet you, mister xu. i am the widow of this household, hanyeong. shall we start now?" she offers, and minghao nods curtly.

minghao was invited to sit on the loveseat across hanyeong, and he takes his time setting up his materials before he started the initial interview with his client.

ask them descriptive questions, wonwoo had said. minghao keeps that in mind.

"what do you wish for me to paint today, mrs. hanyeong?" minghao asked, holding his pencil.

"i heard about your talent with portraits. is it true that you can accurately make a portrait of someone even if you aren't provided with a picture?" she asked. "if so, how long will it take for you to paint one portrait?"

"i try my hardest to match your description with my painting, mrs. hanyeong." minghao politely replied. "it will take me a few hours."

"is that so?" her eyebrows raised, surprised. she calls for her maid. "deary, can you fetch us tea and slices of cake? while you're at it, tell the chefs to cook dinner. we'll be here for quite a long time."

"as you wish, madam."

"now, mister xu minghao," hanyeong turns to minghao again, who fiddled with his varnishing materials. hanyeong chuckled at the sight. "oh—i'll wait for you to be ready."

"i—i am now, mrs. hanyeong. can you describe the person i will paint? and if possible, can you also tell me your favorite feature of them?" minghao places his varnish down, slightly panicking. if wonwoo was here, he'd be pouring the varnish on minghao's head.

"haha! my favorite feature, huh...." hanyeong trails off, but continues after a second. "firstly, he has a full eye shape. his eyelashes are also long, too, especially the bottom ones. that's what i admire about him the most. he likes keeping his hair long, and his cupid's bow is so defined. his face shape takes after mine, so that's something i like too. what i don't like was how he always had an angry expression."

"hm," minghao hummed, lightly sketching the person described with the information hanyeong has provided so far. "did you notice any moles that he had, or—"

minghao almost took out his palette knife when he heard a door slam, a maid shouting, and hurried footsteps. hanyeong was taken aback, too, and for a second, minghao was afraid they were being attacked—but someone unexpected showed up in the room where they were in.

full eyes and long eyelashes, same face shape, defined cupid's bow. it was the person that hanyeong described!

his clothing was messy and his tie was almost coming undone, hair looking like he had just jumped out of bed.

"MOM!" jeonghan yelled at hanyeong, and minghao's eyes widened. "ARE YOU TRYING TO BOTHER ME AGAIN?!"