The familiar scent of paint and canvas greeted you as soon as you entered the studio. It felt like ages since you had been in a place like this. Looking at art pieces hanging on the walls and canvases waiting to be painted on, you felt a surge of energy rush through you. A woman who was probably in her fifties greeted Seung Hyun as the latter introduced you two. It was when you got to know the artist’s name that you felt star struck. You knew her name, of course… but you had never seen a picture of her. As the two of you greeted each other and her kind face smiling at you, there was a fleeting image that crossed your mind—of her as a young woman who was starting to perfect her craft. And you imagined yourself taking the same path as hers—doing what she loved continuously.

Je-seonsaengnim toured you around her studio for a good hour as you conversed about her process. The artist asked you about your studies in Cologne and was genuinely interested in your stories. The two of you had warmed up very quickly and feeling like a student once more, you asked her so many questions she was more than willing to answer. You hadn’t even noticed that Seung Hyun kept to himself the entire time—listening to your conversation. It was when the professional artist excused herself to answer a call that Seung Hyun spoke up.

“You two hit it off quickly.” He remarked with a small smile.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I learned a lot.” You moved to study the large abstract painting situated behind Seung Hyun. It was a lot bigger than him and the different shades of green created a unique and striking appearance. “The colors remind me of the woods near our house in Kyoto.”

“Kyoto? That was where you lived in Japan when you were young?”

Humming, you continued to stare at the painting as memories of your childhood came back. “We lived there for six years. The house we stayed at was a machiya and I remember feeling scared when we got there because of some horror stories I’ve heard.”

Seung Hyun chuckled. “And nothing scary happened?”

“None at all. The house was bright during summers and cozy during winters. My parents gave me a room just for drawing and painting. It overlooked the garden and I practiced painting plants because of that.” You turned to look at Seung Hyun and grinned. “You could say it was my very first studio.”

“That’s a nice story.” He smiled back. “Do you plan on painting here in Seoul?”

Your eyebrows furrowed as your lips pursed. Seung Hyun was staring at you so seriously you almost had an urge to laugh.

“I don’t want to put the materials you gave to me to waste.” The noticeable sigh he gave made you chuckle then. “I’ll start painting right now if you want me to.”

“Why? Are you feeling happy?”

His question confused you for a moment until you realized that he had asked you before what makes you create art. It was either you were feeling happy or the opposite. And so without any hesitation, you locked your eyes into his and smiled.

“Yes, I am.”

Your words made his head tilt back and the corners of his lips quirked.

“Good to know.”

Je-seonsaengnim appeared then and was looking at you amusedly. “Do you want to make something here?”

“I—uh…” You stammered and the older woman laughed.

“You can use my materials. Paint something and I’ll send it to you once it’s dry.” She patted your cheek. “Consider it as my welcoming gift.”

“Wow. Thank you very much.” You breathed and then turned to look at Seung Hyun as if asking for permission. He simply nodded his head—amusement clearly evident on his face.

Je-seonsaengnim led the two of you to an open area where she did her work. The number of paints, brushes, and other materials available astounded you. The woman handed you a 12x12 canvas and told you to use anything.

“Would you like to paint, too?” She suddenly asked Seung Hyun.

“No, thank you. I’ll just watch.” He lightly waved his hands as his ears went red. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight before you. Flustered Choi Seung Hyun was the cutest.

“Suit yourself.” The older woman laughed as she left the two of you in her work area.

Shrugging off your coat and rolling up the long sleeves of your fitted white shirt, you felt a bit tense all of a sudden. It was a feeling you were all too familiar with. Every time you would start creating something, you would feel nervous. But then you would lose yourself in the process as soon as you found it. You didn’t want to take advantage of Seung Hyun’s time. The canvas was small and you knew you would be able to make a portrait without wasting too much time. But…

“What are you thinking?” Seung Hyun was half-sitting on the table next to yours—arms crossed and he looked like he was on a photoshoot with his styled hair and expensive-looking suit. The rimmed glasses he was wearing made him look even more charming.

“What should I paint?” You asked him and his eyebrows rose up.

“You like figurative art.” He stated and you just waited for him to continue. The next words made you laugh out loud. “I’m here and I’m not doing anything.”

“I don’t want to paint you.” You said after your laughter subsided.

Seung Hyun frowned so deeply you almost started laughing again. “Why? What’s wrong with you painting me?”

“I just don’t want to.” I already made a portrait of you and you still haven’t seen it.

“I didn’t know you could be this mean. You’re hurting my feelings.” His pout deepened and you smiled so widely then that it hurt your cheeks.

“Ah. That pout is really something.” You chuckled and he deliberately made his lips tremble—his eyes round and misty.

“You don’t want to paint me.” He said in a guilt-inducing voice and you couldn’t help but walk over to him and pat his forearm.

“Okay. Don’t cry now, you little baby. I’ll paint you.” Seung Hyun’s acting broke off and he fought the smile that was appearing on his lips. “Now go over there and look pretty.”

He excitedly went to sit on the stool a few feet in front of you. He remained quiet there while you placed a small easel with the 12x12 canvas on top of the table. Then, you chose the oil paints, brushes, and palette knives you would use. You had tied your hair up in a high ponytail and then you finally settled in front of the easel—a pencil in your hand.

“Try to tilt your head a little to your right.” You instructed and he did what you told. “A bit more.”

“Like this?”

“Too much.” You stood up then and went to him. “Can I?”

Seung Hyun nodded his head and then you gently put the tips of your fingers on his jaw. You saw him tense for a moment before he relaxed and you wanted to apologize if ever you made him uncomfortable. But you just saw him glance up at you as you tilted his head in the perfect angle. How was it possible that his eyelashes were longer than yours?

“The lighting is perfect like this.” You said as you stepped back and smiled at him. He didn’t say anything as you went back to your stool and then started lightly sketching his head on the small canvas. It didn’t take long before you were mixing and thinning the oil paints. The of the brush and the palette knife moved from slow to fast as you made the image in your mind come true.

“You’re doing the alla prima technique?” Seung Hyun asked as you started the third layer of paint.

“Yes. And thank you for using that term instead of wet-on-wet.” Your hand did not stop working even when Seung Hyun laughed. “I thought it would be best if I could finish this in one sitting.”

“You’re right. My neck is already killing me.”

“You asked for this… so don’t complain.” You retorted lightheartedly and Seung Hyun smiled.

Having not painted for months, you surprised yourself when you were almost finished with the portrait in no time. You went back to fine-tune the details—using light to create vividness in his eyes. You spent the next few minutes staring at Seung Hyun—memorizing the smallest details… from the contours of his face to even the faint blemishes.

He was so breathtaking.

Seung Hyun had not moved since he sat on that stool. His attention was solely to you and you noticed his eyes were bright—a hint of a smile showing on his lips once in a while. You had finished painting but you couldn’t quite take your eyes off of him. He held your gaze without saying anything and you didn’t know how long it lasted until you felt your phone vibrate inside your jeans.

“I’m finished.” You stood up from the stool and examined your work for a moment before taking out your phone from your pocket. It was Ji Ho. “I just need to answer this.”

You saw Seung Hyun shift on his seat as he his neck and ran his fingers on his jawline. A pensive expression was visible on his face.

“Are you free later?” You heard Ji Ho ask on the other line.

“I’m not sure. I’m out with a friend now.” You walked away from the work area.

“That’s good then! Invite your friend tonight. I got you a slot at my friend’s bar as promised and you’ll sing three songs.” Ji Ho chuckled. “C’mon, peanut. You’ll definitely have a great time there… and the crowd is always awesome.”

“I’ll have to ask first. What time is it?” You asked hesitantly.

“Your slot is at 8. Be there a few minutes earlier so you can arrange your music beforehand.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” You whined then and you could hear Ji Ho sigh.

“It was a spur of the moment thing. Sorry.”

“I’ll just inform you later, okay?”

“See you, peanut!” And he ended the call.

Going back to where Seung Hyun was, you saw him still sitting on the stool. “You haven’t looked at it yet?”

Shaking his head, he stood up and walked towards you.

“I want you to show and explain it to me.”

“You sure are bossy.” You but he only smiled.

The two of you stood in front of the small square canvas. Seung Hyun was quiet as he assessed your work. Looking at it, you were finally able to see all the details that you put in the painting—the way the palette knife blended the muted colors made the portrait more abstract than realistic. You did everything so quickly and the grunge-like result reminded you of the old portraits you did.

"Impressive.” He commented and his lips pouted as he continued staring at the painting. “I like how rough the texture is. You blended the face with the background so perfectly.”

“I spent a lot of time learning this in college.” Seung Hyun turned to look at you and you felt shy all of a sudden. “If you remember the portraits that I had in my apartment before… I had a lot like this one.”

“Can I