La Joconde Parisienne

(A/N: in brackets you can find the English translation of the French words)

-Paris, FRANCE-

Jonghyun sighed as he walked out of his methodology class. This class was so boring that he always got lost in his thoughts and this was not really something good for him because, he couldn’t help thinking about his issues, especially his main issue: money.

Indeed, he had arrived in Paris one month ago in order to study Art in one of the best schools in the world, l’Ecole du Louvre. Paris, the city of love and luxury, a perfect picture stained by an exorbitant rent. He was using his savings to live, but he was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. Hence why he was desperately looking for a solution and the only one he could think of was to find a job. But, his qualifications and his level in French were definitely not sufficient. Especially in a country where it was difficult to find a job. It was clearly impossible and he felt completely at loss.

“Hey, Jjong. This class was so interesting, n’est-ce pas ?” (right?) said someone in a mix of Korean and French, bringing Jonghyun out of his thoughts.  

He turned his head to the side and his eyes fell on one of his classmates’ cat-like eyes. His name was Kibum and he had met him on his first day on campus. Kibum was Korean and he was also a freshman just like him. Meeting him had been a great relief. Kibum was not only almost fluent in French, but he had also been at the top of his class back in Korea. He had helped Jonghyun the first few days and Jonghyun was really grateful about that.

“Yeah, I think I stopped listening after he said ‘Bonjour chers élèves, aujourd’hui nous allons étudier la méthodologie de l’accrochage des tableaux’,” snickered Jonghyun, mimicking his professor’s voice.

Kibum chuckled softly, holding onto Jonghyun’s shoulder. Jonghyun smiled at the boy.

“By the way, did you find a solution for your money issues?” asked Kibum.

Jonghyun’s smile dropped and the young man heaved a sigh.

“No...I don’t really know what to do…” he said, eyes fixed on the floor.

“Guess what. I might be able to help you!” said Kibum cheerfully.

Jonghyun raised his head to throw a questioning look at the younger man.

“What do you mean?”

“I know a Korean student at the Beaux Arts, he is looking for a male model for his painting project”

“A model ?”

“Yeah, I think you will do. I offered to be his model, but he said I wasn’t ‘viril’ enough or I don’t know what bull. Anyway, it’s the perfect job for you, no need to speak French or to be qualified !”

Jonghyun thought about it for a second. He had never been a model before and he had never thought about becoming one. He was an Art student, but his course was more about History and preservation, it wasn’t about creation. He didn’t know if he would be a great model, he worked out from time to time, but his body wasn’t perfect at all. As for staying still for hours, Jonghyun wasn’t sure he could do that.

“I don’t know, Kibum…”

“Don’t be difficult ! Do I need to remind you how serious your situation is ?!” said Kibum in an overly dramatic tone.

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and said:

“Fine. Give me his number.”

Kibum showed him his phone and Jonghyun added a certain ‘Minho’ in his contact list. Then, Kibum said goodbye because he had to meet up with his boyfriend Taemin. They parted ways and Jonghyun took the metro to go back to his flat in the 18th arrondissement.

~

Jonghyun only dared call Minho a few days later. He dialed his number and waited nervously while biting his nails. Minho picked up after a few seconds. His voice was really low.

“Allo ?”

“Hmm…”

“Oui ? Je peux vous aider ?” (Yes? Can I help you?)

“I...Is this Choi Minho’s phone ?” Jonghyun said in Korean.

“Oh. Err, yes it’s me. Who are you ?” said Minho in Korean this time.

Jonghyun heaved a sigh of relief.

“Jonghyun, Kim Jonghyun. Kibum told me you were looking for a model…”

“Oh indeed ! You think you would match the theme?”

“T-the theme?”

“He didn’t tell you ? The theme is ‘ism in sports’ and I chose the Caber toss”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened. ism ? Why didn’t Kibum tell me ? Would I have to be ? And what’s the Caber toss, anyway ? thought Jonghyun.

“Hello ?” said Minho after a few seconds of silence.

“Yeah yeah, I’m sorry ! I...What do you mean by ‘ism’ ?”

“Oh, just shirtless. Nothing too racy”

Jonghyun heaved a sigh of relief once again.

“The Caber toss...What is it ?” he asked shyly.

Minho let out a chuckle and for some unknown reason it made Jonghyun shiver.

“It’s a traditional Scottish athletic event in which people toss large tapered poles called ‘caber’”

“I will have to throw tree trunks ?”

Minho laughed at Jonghyun’s question making the latter smile.

“No, you will just have to wear one element of their outfits”

“And what is it ?”

“A kilt”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened comically once again. A kilt ? I will have to wear a skirt ?! he thought.

“Does that work for you ? Well, I still need to meet up with you and see if you really correspond to what I’m looking for but, if Kibum told you about me, I think there will be no problem” said Minho a few seconds later.

Jonghyun pondered for a bit. Do I really have a choice ? This was a rare opportunity to earn some money.

“By the way, how much does it pay ?” asked Jonghyun.

“Trente euros per hour, does that seem enough ?” (30€)

“Trente euros ?”

Jonghyun couldn’t believe it. Being paid that much for doing basically nothing sounded too good.

“Yes, it’s not enough ?” asked Minho.

“It is ! It is ! Of course..It’s too much...I mean it’s good !”

Minho chuckled.

“Great. I will text you in a few days to give you more info and also to set a date for our first meeting”

“Okay, thank you very much ! Err...Have a nice day !”

“Have a nice day, Jonghyun” said Minho before hanging up.

Jonghyun’s heart took some time to calm down after that.

~

Just as he had said, Minho texted him a few days later to give him his address and set a date to meet up.

Now Jonghyun was walking around the streets in the 4th arrondissement. It was near his school and if he got the job he would be able to work between classes.

He was looking for Minho’s flat, or well, house. Since the 4th arrondissement was an old district of Paris, most houses had been remade into flats.  

Jonghyun stopped walking once he was in front of a beautiful building with ‘91’ engraved on it. He looked at the intercom and found the name he was looking for: ‘Minho Choi’. He inhaled deeply before pressing the right button. An unknown voice could be heard a few seconds later:

“Oui ? Ici la résidence du célèbre artiste peintre coréen, Choi Minho” (Yes ? This is the home of the famous Korean painter, Choi Minho)

Jonghyun furrowed his eyebrows. Someone else spoke up in Korean this time before Jonghyun could utter anything.

“Hyung ! Stop doing that all the time !”

Jonghyun could recognise Minho’s voice.

“Oui ? Qui est-ce?  Excusez-moi pour mon ami…” said Minho in French. (Yes ? Who is it ? I’m sorry about my friend…)

“Err...It’s Jonghyun”

“Oh ! I’ll let you in right away ! It’s on the third floor” he said and then Jonghyun heard a beeping noise and pulled the door open.

He walked inside the building and climbed up the stairs since there was no elevator. He tried to catch his breath once he was on the third floor and knocked on the only door of the floor. Said door was pulled open quite quickly and Jonghyun’s eyes fell on a tall and dark haired figure with very big eyes. However, what made Jonghyun’s heart stopped beating was not the size of those eyes, but their intensity. Jonghyun felt like drowning in those ebony eyes.

“Jonghyun ?” asked the tall figure, whose voice belonged to Minho.

Jonghyun blinked, his mouth letting out an almost inaudible ‘oh’, before he nodded shyly.

“I thought you would be taller” said Minho.

Jonghyun blinked once again, his face losing all its colours. Did he just imply that I was short ? he thought, frowning.

“Anyway ! Come in !” added Minho, stepping aside.

Jonghyun walked inside the other’s flat, glancing shyly around him. The flat was put in the attic, wide windows covering the walls. Overall it was quite small, it was only composed of one room for the kitchen and the living room. There was no dining table and a part of the living room was apparently used as a studio, there were a lot paintings and tools scattered all around and the floor was covered with blankets and plastic tarps. There was a door near the kitchen probably leading to the bedroom and the bathroom.

Looking at the kitchen, Jonghyun noticed that there was another man in the room, the man was slightly smaller than Minho and had very slanted eyes.

“Hyung…” grumbled Minho, apparently very aggravated by the other’s presence.

“Yeah yeah, I’m going. I will leave you and your boyfriend alone” replied the man with a smile.

A blush appeared on Jonghyun’s cheeks.

“Hyung ! He is not my boyfriend ! He might be my future model, that’s all. So stop it now, you’re making him uncomfortable,” scolded Minho, grabbing his friend’s arm and pulling him towards the front door.

Jonghyun stared at them with wide eyes and rosy cheeks.

“Fine, fine...Your future boyfriend then.”

“Hyung!”

“I’m going, I’m going,” his friend said with a bow before leaving.

Jonghyun was literally gaping. Woah that guy is so weird...But he reminds me of Taemin…, he thought.

“I’m very sorry about that...Come and sit down,” Minho said to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun sat down on the couch.

“Do you want something to drink ?”

“No, thank you.”

Jonghyun squeezed his hands together nervously, his eyes focused on his lap. Minho was still standing and he walked towards his small studio. He grabbed a folder before settling beside Jonghyun on the couch.

“Here is a bit of what I have done so far,” he said handing the folder to Jonghyun.

The latter skimmed through it. He was surprised to see so much talent.

“It’s really beautiful...Some of your paintings remind me of Vermeer’s…”

“Thank you,” said Minho humbly.

Jonghyun put the folder down after a few minutes and turned his head towards the painter.

“So...Do you think I could do the job or not…?”

“Hm...It’s hard to say with all those layers of clothes, but I think you could do…,” said the tall man looking at Jonghyun from head to toe.

A blush forced its way on Jonghyun’s face. He couldn’t help but blush whenever the painter did so much as glancing his way. Working with the tall man would definitely be a tedious work. The short man cleared his throat, his eyes fixed on the floor.

“Hmm maybe I can try something on ?...I mean the kilt….,” mumbled Jonghyun.

“Ah, good idea. Follow me”

Jonghyun stood up silently and followed Minho. The latter opened the door Jonghyun had noticed before and they both walked into a small bedroom. In the room, there was only enough space for a double bed and a wardrobe. There was also another door, probably leading to a bathroom. Minho walked to the wardrobe and took a look inside, while Jonghyun watched him carefully. After some times, the tall man pulled out a blue and green checkered kilt.

“Here you go. You can change here,” Minho said, giving the kilt to Jonghyun and a pair of black knee-length socks.

“Ok”

Minho threw a small smile at Jonghyun and left the room. The young student took a look at the kilt, biting his lip nervously. You can do it ! he thought.

He put the outfit down on the bed and took his shoes off first and his socks. Then, he undid his jeans and took them off, he did the same with his sweater and t-shirt. Once he was only wearing his briefs, he looked at the kilt and heaved a sigh. Come on...it’s not that difficult.

He put it on carefully and fastened the buckles. He then put on the socks, wincing a bit at how tight they were. He noticed that Minho had a mirror on his wardrobe and went to stand in front of it once he was done. What he saw was really disturbing, but overall it was quite comfortable - except for the socks’ tightness but they would eventually loosen up - and he was already getting used to his new attire. Now the only problem was to let Minho see him like this.

Jonghyun inhaled deeply, before walking to the door. He grabbed the handle and went out of the room hesitantly. Minho was looking for something and didn’t even notice when Jonghyun stepped out of his bedroom. The latter cleared his throat to catch the painter’s attention. Minho turned his head towards Jonghyun, his eyes widening at the sight. Jonghyun walked towards him shyly, crossing his arms to hide his bare torso.

“So ? What do you think ?” asked Jonghyun, looking at his feet.

“Perfect…It’s...Perfect. Can I ?”

Jonghyun raised his head and nodded even if he didn’t really know what he agreed to. Minho raised his hands and pulled Jonghyun’s arms away, making the short man blush and shiver.

“Are you feeling cold ?”

“No...it was just a shiver” said Jonghyun quickly.

Minho stared at him oddly before he lowered his eyes to look at Jonghyun’s torso. The latter swallowed thickly. This job looked mentally challenging. Jonghyun let out an almost inaudible ‘ah’ when Minho put a hand on his bare skin. The painter didn’t seem to notice, he was so focused on what he was doing as if he were in a trance.

“Are you free right now? I would like to sketch a bit on paper” asked Minho, his eyes staring directly into Jonghyun’s eyes and his hands dropping to his sides.

“Err...yes.”

“Great! I will pay you of course!” said Minho cheerfully.

“Ok...Er...What do I do ?”

“Oh! Sit down on the plaid, there are also some cushions. Do not hesitate to tell me if you need anything and...try to get comfortable” said Minho, pointing at a heap of cloth.

Jonghyun sat down awkwardly on the plaid. He didn’t know where to put his legs because of the kilt.

“Sit cross-legged,” guided the painter.

A blush appeared on Jonghyun’s cheeks as he followed the painter’s advice. That way it was more comfortable, but his bare legs were also more visible. He pulled at the aim of the kilt in order to try and hide his thighs.

“Relax and lean back on your hands” added Minho.

Jonghyun followed his instructions and found a position that was more or less comfortable.

“Great. Now, look at me”

Jonghyun raised his head and looked at Minho right in the eye. The latter threw him a smile and the soon-to-be model tried not to lower his eyes.

Minho started sketching on a little notebook, meanwhile Jonghyun remained still, his eyes fixed on the tall man, and let his eyes scrutinise the man’s features: mesmerising and big ebony eyes, sharp nose, full lips…

Minho was so focused on him that it made Jonghyun shiver. It’s not that bad I guess... , he thought.

~

After their first encounter, Minho only called Jonghyun again a couple of days later and set up a second meeting on a Saturday afternoon.

Therefore, Jonghyun was once again going up that same street. Once he was in front of Minho’s building, he pressed the button on the intercom and the painter let him in. He went up the stairs nervously, Minho was waiting for him with a big smile adorning his face. They talked for a bit before Jonghyun went to get changed. This time he knew what he had to do. He settled once again on the plaid, cross-legged, and Minho pulled out his notebook to resume his sketching. This time, Jonghyun’s eyes started wandering about Minho’s tall body.

“How old are you, Jonghyun ?” asked Minho all of a sudden.

“Err...21” said Jonghyun, looking up at Minho’s face.

“Oh I thought you were younger than me, hyung. I’m turning 20 soon”

Minho kept asking him questions once in a while.

Two hours later, the intercom rang. The painter heaved a sigh and stood up, meanwhile Jonghyun took this opportunity to stretch his limbs,  his eyes not leaving Minho for a second. Who could that be…, he thought. But, anyhow he was glad to finally be able to rest a bit. It was more tiring that he thought it would be.

“Résidence Choi,” said Minho into the intercom.

“[...]”

“Hyung ? Why are you here ?”

“[...]”

“Fine. Come in. I’m working though,” said Minho before hanging up and pushing a button.

The painter turned towards his model, biting his lip, while the latter looked at him questioningly.

“It’s my friend from last time. Go change, I will focus on your face for now”

“Okay”

Jonghyun stood up and hurriedly left the room. This outfit was still really awkward in his opinion.

He sat down on the bed and took off the socks. His skin was slightly irritated because of the socks’ tightness, so he took the time to rub his shins carefully. He hadn’t told Minho about it. He then took off the kilt and put his own clothes on quickly. He went back to the living room and found the man from the other day sitting on the couch, while Minho was staring at the said man with a pout on his face. He...He is adorable...

“Hyung…”

“You won’t even notice that I’m here! I promise!” said the other man.

“Fine,” sighed Minho.

Jonghyun cleared his throat to make his presence known and walked to Minho. The latter threw him a smile before saying:

“Ah, I didn’t get to introduce you properly last time. Jonghyun, this is Jinki. Jinki, this is Jonghyun.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Jonghyun with a bow.

“Nice to meet you too,” said the man with a blinding smile.

Then, Minho told Jonghyun to sit down on a chair next to his workbench so he could resume his sketching. Jonghyun glanced at Jinki while Minho was too busy gathering his tools. Jinki was playing on his phone, completely lost in his own world. Why is he here so often ? Jonghyun thought. This flat only had one bedroom afterall.

All of a sudden, fingers grabbed Jonghyun’s chin and made him face Minho. The model lost himself into the painter’s eyes.

“If you don’t look at me, it’s going to be very hard for me to sketch properly…”, chuckled Minho.

Jonghyun’s cheeks started burning and Minho let go of his chin.

“Don’t look so scared,” said Minho, ruffling Jonghyun’s hair.

Jonghyun’s eyes widened and Minho immediately dropped his hand.

“Sorry...Just...Just look manly”

Minho looked away and Jonghyun tried his best to even his breathing and to do as Minho just told him. He followed the painters instructions rigorously.

“By the way, Minho?” cut in Jinki.

Minho let out a small groan and turned his head towards the man. He hated to be interrupted.

“What ?”

“Your theme is Caber... , right ?”

“Yes. Why ?”

Minho was starting to get really annoyed.

“Isn't it weird to choose a Korean man to portray a Scottish sport ?”

Jonghyun stared at Minho whose eyes widened and mouth fell open. Jinki was right afterall. It was weird.

After a few seconds, Minho shook his head and said:

“Anyone can play this sport, hyung”

Minho resumed what he was doing, but Jinki spoke up again:

“Jonghyun ? When you’re wearing the kilt, do you keep your briefs on ?”

“Hyung!” groaned Minho.

Jonghyun had never been so red.

~

Two weeks later, Jonghyun was still waiting for Minho to call him again, but the painter had only sent him short texts about the project from time to time. For now, Minho was looking through his sketches and thinking again and again. He wanted to think things through before he would start painting. This project was really important, since it was part of his coursework.

“Hey! Jjong!” shouted a very familiar voice.

Jonghyun raised his head and met Kibum’s eyes.

“Shhh, we are in the library!” hushed Jonghyun.

The librarian was glaring at them from afar. Kibum sat down next to Jonghyun, ignoring both the librarian and Jonghyun. The latter shut his book about Cubism, he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus anymore.

“So, everything is going alright with Minho ?” asked Kibum.

“Not so loud!” scolded Jonghyun quietly.

Kibum rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, everything is fine, we met twice,”

“Great! By the way, what about we go out tonight ? It’s Thursday and students party on Thursday night!” said Kibum cheerfully, completely ignoring what Jonghyun’s reply.

“Why not. I don’t have classes tomorrow anyway”

“Great! See you tonight, I will text you. I need to find Taemin, bye,” Said Kibum standing up with a smile before vanishing into thin air. Something Jonghyun had gotten used to.

~

That night, Kibum told Jonghyun to meet up at a bar called ‘Guess Who’, a bar located in the 16th arrondissement. Jonghyun had never been then before, but the district looked quite animated.

He walked to the entrance of the bar and immediately noticed his friend who was talking with someone in front of the building. Taemin was also there. Jonghyun joined them and Kibum literally pounced on him.

“Jonghyun! You came!”

“Er..Yes ?”

“Let’s hurry! We don’t have much time! Bye Mingi~” said Kibum before grabbing Jonghyun’s hand and Taemin’s hand and dragging them inside the bar.

At first glance, this bar looked quite ordinary. The only difference Jonghyun could notice was about the dancers, there were only male dancers, no girls.

“Allons danser !” said Kibum dragging them along towards the dance floor. (Let’s go dancing)

Jonghyun had no choice but to follow the younger man who kept a firm grip on his hand. Jonghyun found himself being hurled in the middle of this mass of sweating bodies. Kibum finally let go of Jonghyun’s hand to dance with Taemin, his back pressed against his boyfriend’s chest and his arms encircling his neck, hips moving to the beat. Jonghyun tried to keep up with them, but he soon got tired and bored. He wasn’t really in the mood to be a third wheel.

“Kibum, I’m going to grab a drink” said Jonghyun quite loudly so his friend could hear him over the loud music.

Kibum nodded, his mind totally focused on his boyfriend. Jonghyun heaved a sigh and left the dance floor. He walked to the bar and asked for a mojito. He fiddled with his drink, taking a gulp from time to time.

“Oh, what a surprise!” said a cheerful voice next to him.

Jonghyun turned his head and his eyes fell on Minho’s friend, Jinki.

“Oh, hi hyung”

“What are you doing here all alone ?” said Jinki, putting an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders.

The latter watched him with wide eyes. He soon smelled the scent of alcohol and understood that Jinki was indeed drunk.

“Jin-Jinki hyung?” mumbled Jonghyun when Jinki suddenly brought his face closer.

“Dance with me. It’s sad to see you being so lonely…”

He took hold of Jonghyun’s arm and made him stand up. Jonghyun obeyed, a bit lost, and put his drink down on the counter.

“Come on!” said Jinki, dragging the poor boy towards the dance floor.

Jonghyun let him drag him, but all of a sudden he felt a hand grab his other arm.

“Hyung, leave him alone” said a voice near Jonghyun’s ear.

Minho’s voice. He was also there obviously. Jonghyun threw a glance at the painter who was staring at Jinki with an annoyed expression on his face.

“But I wanna dance with him!” whined Jinki.

“He is even more annoying when he is drunk…,” whispered Minho.

His voice and his proximity made Jonghyun’s entire body shiver. It was the first time he had felt something like this.

“Hyung…”

“Fine. I got it!” groaned Jinki as he let go of Jonghyun’s hand and scurried away.

“Forgive him. He doesn’t know what he is doing when he is drunk,” said Minho.

Jonghyun turned his head to look at the painter who was now smiling at him. The tall man took his hand in his to drag him towards the bar. Jonghyun grabbed his drink, keeping his eyes on it so he wouldn’t have to look at Minho. He was feeling weird, really weird.

“It’s the first time I see you here,” said the painter after a while.

“Err yeah…”

“I didn’t know you were…” started Minho hesitantly.

“What ?”

“I didn’t know that you...played for that team…” mumbled Minho, letting out a nervous laugh.

Jonghyun frowned at him, but Minho was avoiding his eyes. Is he embarrassed because of me ?

“What are you talking about ? What team ? I don’t really do sports…”

Minho raised his head again, wide eyes staring at Jonghyun who had a clueless look on his face. The young model had no idea about what the painter was talking about.  A smile suddenly appeared on the latter’s face.

“Tu es mignon, Jonghyun hyung” (you are cute)

Jonghyun’s eyes widened, red tainting his cheeks as he swallowed thickly and looked away. Did he just say that…? Thought Jonghyun, wondering if the tall man was flirting with him or just being friendly. The fact that Minho had said it in French was even more confusing.

“Anyway, as I was saying, do you know what kind of place it is here ?” said Minho in a playful tone.

Jonghyun glanced at him shyly, shaking his head.

“It’s a gay bar, hyung. I don’t know how you did to not notice that…”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened once again, darting about the room quickly. The dance floor was filled with men moving against one another, exotic male dancers accepting money from men way older than them, the bartender who had been ogling at Jonghyun since the beginning of the evening,....All the clues were there, but Jonghyun had just finally put them all together.

“Ki-Kibum didn’t tell me!” mumbled Jonghyun, panicking a little.

“Oh, you’re here with Kibum? It sounds like something he would do...He comes here often”

Jonghyun pondered about what Minho had just said: Kibum coming there often, seeing Jonghyun for the first time...Meaning Minho himself was coming there often and so if he was there often, he knew what kind of place it was… Is he gay?

Jonghyun didn’t even know why Kibum had brought him there. After all, he had never told Kibum about his own uality, but the thing with Kibum was that he was completely unpredictable.

“So...you...you are…”

“I am?”

“Y-you are gay?”

Minho chuckled, arching a brow.

“I thought it was obvious”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve seen my work, I only choose male models”

“But your paintings have nothing to do with your uality…” frowned Jonghyun.

“It’s always better to appreciate what you’re painting,” said Minho with a wink.

Jonghyun’s cheeks were literally burning, but right at this moment, Kibum appeared like a knight in shining armour to save him.

“Oh Minho, toujours là à ce que je vois !” said Kibum before ordering a drink. (Always here, I see)

“Toi aussi” said Minho, his mesmerising eyes finally leaving Jonghyun. (You too)

Jonghyun started fidgeting on his seat, his hands fiddling with his drink, eyes fixed on its content and a thoughtful look adorning his face. Kibum sat down with them and started talking with Minho and Taemin. Jonghyun was not really paying attention, he just threw a glance at Minho once in a while. The painter was really handsome tonight and it felt really weird to see him outside of his flat, outside of work, in a totally different context. He had his hair slightly pushed back and neatly combed, whereas usually it was unkempt because the painter had this bad habit to run his hand through his hair while he was painting. Tonight, he was wearing a white V-neck t-shirt, combined with a black leather jacket and dark jeans ; this attire was really different from what he was usually wearing which mostly consisted of baggy and old clothes.  

“Jonghyun?” said Kibum all of a sudden.

The model looked away, his eyes now settled on his friend. Kibum sent him a lopsided smile and Jonghyun knew he had been caught.

“Taemin and I are going to go home, will you be ok?”

“Yeah, just go”

“Fine. Good night to you two then,” said Kibum teasingly.

Taemin followed him after saying goodbye. An awkward silence settled and Jonghyun found himself with his eyes fixed on his drink once again. Minho cleared his throat and asked:

“Do you need to go right now or do you still have time ?”

“I have all night,” said Jonghyun cheekily, his shyness leaving him for a second.

~

This last sentence must have triggered the fact that now at 2am, Jonghyun found himself being pressed against his building’s main door, Minho’s lips melting against his. This and alcohol. Minho was holding Jonghyun’s face in his hands whereas Jonghyun had a firm grip on the painter’s t-shirt. Jonghyun closed his eyes, losing himself to the kiss. Thankfully, it was a quite deserted area at night, nobody was there to interrupt them. Minho pulled back when the need of oxygen became too important to ignore and smiled at Jonghyun.

“I really need to go”

“Fine,” said Jonghyun, breathlessly.

The model let go of the painter’s t-shirt and stepped back a little. Minho ran his hand through the shorter man’s hair fondly and his cheek one last time before walking away. Jonghyun watched him vanish into the darkness of the night, a small smile on his face.

~

The day after, Minho texted Jonghyun and asked him to meet up on Saturday in order to start the painting.

Jonghyun thought about how he now had a new reason to go there as he was heading to Minho’s flat. Once he was in front of the painter’s door, the latter welcomed him with a smile.

“How are you ?” asked Minho, stepping aside to let Jonghyun in.

“I’m perfectly fine”

Jonghyun quickly pecked Minho on the cheek, before walking inside the flat as if he did not just kiss the painter.

“Do I need to change today?” asked Jonghyun, taking off his jacket and throwing it on the couch.

He turned towards Minho, the tall man was staring at him and biting his lip.

“Yeah, go on” he said before closing the door shut and walking to his workbench.

Then, Jonghyun went into Minho’s bedroom to change. It had become like a habit now and he definitely felt less awkward about wearing the kilt. He went back to the living room once he had gotten dressed.

“Go on” said Minho, pointing at the plaid.

Jonghyun sat down, while Minho set up his easel and his tools.

“Since when have you known Kibum ?” asked the model.

He had been thinking about it for a while now.

“I met him almost ten years ago. We’ve known each other since middle school,” said Minho.

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah. We even dated for three days, Mr curious,” said Minho with a wink.

To say Jonghyun was surprised was an understatement. He couldn’t picture Kibum and Minho together.

“It didn’t really work out,” added Minho with a chuckle.

Jonghyun chuckled as well and the painter got everything ready. Shortly after, he started sketching on his canvas. Drawing, erasing, drawing, erasing. As time went by, Jonghyun felt more and more shivers ran through his body because of Minho’s captivating eyes. The painter was so focused on what he was doing.

“Time for a break,” he said after a few hours.

Jonghyun exhaled deeply. He hadn’t realised how tense his body had become. He stretched his arms out, before standing up to stretch all of his body. He joined Minho and sat down next to him in front of the workbench. Minho was skimming through his little notebook and Jonghyun gulped down the glass of water Minho had prepared. Once he was done, he put his drink on the table and leaned towards Minho. The painter was looking at his sketches of Jonghyun. The latter blushed slightly when he noticed that Minho had even drawn very little details such as the mole on his torso.

“Everything is going alright for the project?” said Jonghyun shyly.

Minho turned his head towards his model. They were so close, Jonghyun could literally count each of Minho’s eyelashes

“Yes…,” the painter whispered.

Jonghyun could feel Minho breathing against his skin. Minho’s eyes fell on his model’s lips and he put a hand on his nape to his hair, making Jonghyun shiver. The latter was the first to make a move, crashing his lips with Minho’s. The painter immediately responded to the kiss with twice as much vigour, his hand caressing Jonghyun’s skin tenderly. The model didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he kept them on his lap and grasped the kilt. Minho tilted his head, pressing mouth even more against Jonghyun’s, making the latter moan slightly. Minho let his hand brush slowly against Jonghyun’s chest. The model’s grip on the kilt tightened, so much that his fingers lost their colour. Minho was the first to pull away. They smiled at each other and Minho moved away one of Jonghyun’s strands.

“There is a very nice café not so far from here, shall we go have a drink?”

Jonghyun let go of the kilt and grabbed Minho’s hand, playing with the younger man’s fingers. He had a soft skin, but at the same time it was a bit damaged, probably because of all the time he spent painting and drawing.

“Okay, but I need to change”

“Why? I like your kilt”

“Idiot”

Jonghyun let go of his hand, laughing, and pushed him lightly on the chest before standing up. He went into Minho’s bedroom to change and started taking off the kilt. However, today the buckles were giving him troubles. Something was strange, for some reason he couldn’t undo them. His face creased with confusion as he tried to understand what was the problem, twisting the buckles in every sense possible.

“Aish, damned buckles!” he groaned.

Minho must have heard him since quick footsteps approached the door.

“Everything’s alright?” asked Minho from the other side of the door.

“Er...I think I need help”

“Can I come in?”

“Yes”

Minho opened the door and walked into the room, throwing a questioning look at Jonghyun. The latter pointed a finger at the buckles with a pout on his face.

“What did you do?” said Minho, walking closer.

Jonghyun stood up, since he had been sitting down all this time and it would be easier for Minho that way. Jonghyun was not really tall after all.

“I don’t know...It’s stuck…,” said Jonghyun, his face lowered.

“Let me see”

Jonghyun put his hands away and let Minho do as he pleased. The painter put his hands on the buckles and Jonghyun swallowed thickly, watching carefully each of Minho’s movements.

After a while, Minho finally succeeded in undoing the buckles and the kilt fell down on the floor. Jonghyun blushed and Minho took a step back, scratching the back of his head nervously and avoiding Jonghyun’s eyes.

“Er...Here you go...I will leave you alone now,” said Minho, heading for the door.

Jonghyun, under the effect of some spell, grabbed Minho’s wrist and pecked him on the cheek.

“Merci” he whispered. (Thank you)

A deep blush appeared on Minho’s face and the painter rushed out of the room, mumbling. Jonghyun’s mouth stretched into a big happy smile, his ego inflated by the younger man’s shyness. Afterwards, Jonghyun took his time to get dressed and slow down his heartbeat.

~

It took them five minutes to walk to the café. It was a rather plain and ordinary parisian café. They sat down on opposite chairs next to a window and ordered an espresso and an Americano.

“Say, hyung. Why did you choose France? Paris?” asked Minho, staring intently at Jonghyun.

“Well...I love the country, the culture, the language...a bit of everything. And also, Paris is famous for its art schools”

“But you never speak in French...I only heard you once”

Jonghyun’s cheeks turned red. It was true that the model had the habit to avoid speaking in French, simply because he was shy.

“It’s just...embarrassing...My French is really basic,” confessed Jonghyun.

“From now on, I want you to speak to me in French as much as possible, hyung”

Jonghyun’s eyes found Minho’s sincere eyes that were so mesmerising. However, before he could lose himself in those ebony eyes, he heard a piercing scream:

“Jonghyun! Minho!”

Jonghyun turned his head and his eyes fell on his friend Kibum who was with his boyfriend Taemin. The latter had an arm placed around Kibum’s waist. Jonghyun could feel the café owner’s eyes on them, he seemed to not really appreciate all the noise Kibum was making.

“Fancy seeing you here! Can we join you?” asked Kibum rhetorically as he sat down next to Jonghyun.

Taemin stared at Jonghyun and the young model stood up to give him his seat. He sat down next to Minho, keeping his eyes fixed on his jeans, while Kibum and Minho were engaged in a quite intense conversation about Picasso.

“So, the project, is everything going alright?  Kibum told me you were Minho’s model?” asked Taemin all of a sudden.

“Yeah, everything is going smoothly. It seems that…I inspire him…,” mumbled Jonghyun, looking up.

“And do you enjoy it? Modelling I mean”

“Oddly enough, yes. More than I thought I would…,” said Jonghyun, stealing a glance at Minho, who was still talking animatedly with Kibum.

“You get along pretty well, I see. I also model for Kibum once in a while,” said Taemin with a smile.

“Really?” said Jonghyun, sipping his coffee.

“Yeah, mostly nudes. And you two?”

Jonghyun accidentally coughed up what he had just drunk, a blush creeping up his face. He was seriously wondering why people kept asking him this. Would I also have to model for nudes if I keep doing this job? For Minho?

“Are you okay?” asked Minho, putting a hand on Jonghyun’s thigh.

The model tried his best to avoid the painter’s worried look and hand. He simply nodded and grabbed a napkin to dry himself. Minho had resumed talking with Kibum, but his hand was still on Jonghyun’s thigh and the model caught Kibum smirking at him.

“So, I guess you don’t do nudes…,” said Taemin.

“Err no.”

“So, you have never done that?” he asked, incredulous.

Jonghyun frowned. Is it an obligation?

He shook his head from side to side and Taemin stared at him, flabbergasted.

“Really never?”

“Never.”

“But..Why? Do you lack confidence?”

“Wh-what?!”

“Oh I know!” said Taemin with a very scary grin.

“What? What do you mean?”

Taemin put an hand his front of his mouth and whispered:

“You don’t want him to know that you’re not really that well built down there”

“Wh-What?!” uttered Jonghyun a bit too loud.

The owner sent him a dirty look, while Minho looked at him curiously.

“But, if it’s the only reason...what a shame. You know, the pay is great...Well from what I know, because Kibum doesn’t really pay me with money if you know what I mean…”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened comically, his face was so red that it looked as if it were going to explode.

“Chéri, stop torturing him,” stepped in Kibum. (darling)

Jonghyun heaved a sigh of relief when Taemin started a conversation with Kibum. He took another sip of his coffee, carefully this time. Suddenly, Minho leaned closer to him and Jonghyun had to put the cup down on the table with shaking hands.

“I guess we will have to set a new date,” whispered Minho, drawing small circles on Jonghyun’s thigh.

Jonghyun simply nodded, he couldn’t tell if Minho’s touch was soothing or suffocating. He hoped that the next time would be less mentally tiring.

-A few months later-

Jonghyun sighed as he walked out of his methodology class. This class was still so boring and he was always lost in his thoughts. This was not really something good for him because, he couldn’t help but think about Minho all the time, especially about seeing him. The painter had invited him to see his painting. His project was done. Saying that Jonghyun was dying to see it was an understatement. He couldn’t wait anymore, but Minho wanted it to be a surprise.

“Jonghyun, Jonghyun. Earth to Jonghyun” said a voice all of a sudden which brought Jonghyun out of his thoughts.

Kibum was waving a hand in front of Jonghyun’s face.

“Yeah?”

“I was saying, Taemin is waiting for me, I gotta go”

“Oh, okay… err...bye”

“Au revoir Monsieur l’amoureux” said Kibum as he walked away, making Jonghyun blush. (Goodbye Mr. In Love)

Kibum hadn’t stopped teasing Jonghyun since he and Minho had started dating. Jonghyun cursed the younger man in his head once he had left. He jumped a bit when there was suddenly a hand placed on his shoulder. He turned around and fell on very familiar eyes.

“Minho”

“Hyung, tu es prêt ?” asked Minho. (Are you ready?)

“Oui, allons-y,” said Jonghyun with a smile. (Yes, let’s go)

They walked side by side towards the school’s gates, took the metro and walked to Minho’s flat.

Once they were inside the building, Minho grabbed Jonghyun’s hand and intertwined their fingers. Jonghyun couldn’t help but smile, the younger man was so cute. They went upstairs and Minho unlocked the door to let them in. Jonghyun’s smile disappeared once he noticed that Jinki was there. The model wanted to spend some time alone with Minho, and he also wanted to avoid Jinki’s jokes.

“Hi, hyung” said Jonghyun to Jinki.

“Oh, hi Jonghyun! You’re here to see the result?”

“Yeah,” mumbled Jonghyun, letting go of Minho’s hand to take off his jacket.

“Mets-toi à l’aise,” said Minho, ruffling Jonghyun’s hair. (Make yourself comfortable)

He then walked to his workbench to prepare everything. Jonghyun smiled, put his jacket on the coat rack and joined Jinki on the couch. Minho brought his easel in front of them, the painting was hidden under a sheet.

“Are you ready?” asked the painter, excitement clearly visible in his voice.

“Yes!” said Jinki cheerfully.

Jonghyun simply nodded and Minho offered him a smile. Jonghyun took a deep breath as Minho grabbed the sheet and removed it from the canvas to show his painting: a masculine silhouette, with a toned body and broad shoulders, wearing a kilt that’s only hiding slightly the man’s crotch. His face adorned a tired and tense expression. The painting was portraying both effort and intensity.

All of a sudden, Jinki stood up and started clapping, waking Jonghyun out of his thoughts.

“Woow! It’s even more provocative than nudes!” said Jinki with a glint in his eyes.

Minho scratched the back of his head nervously. Jonghyun stood up and cleared his throat.

“I think I need a drink,” said Jinki, going to the kitchen.

Jonghyun walked closer to the easel and looked carefully at every details.

“You really did a great job,” whispered Jonghyun without looking away from the painting.

“Thanks, hyung”

Jonghyun finally looked at Minho as he approached him. He put his arms around the painter’s waist and hugged him closely. Their height difference allowed him to rest his head against Minho’s chest, just where he could feel his heart beating.

“You’re really talented, Minho”

“Well, I have a very great model,” said Minho, running a hand through Jonghyun’s hair.

Jonghyun closed his eyes and heaved a contented sigh.

“Talking about modelling, I have a new idea in mind and I will need you for that,” added Minho.

Jonghyun felt Minho’s hand the little curls of hair he had on his nape.

“There is only one condition…,” whispered Jonghyun, unable to speak normally because of Minho’s soothing touch.

“What is it?”

“Stop paying me”

Minho didn’t react at first and remained silent. After a few seconds, he pulled away and looked at Jonghyun in the eye.

“Why?” he said, frowning.

“You don’t pay your boyfriend,” said Jonghyun, biting his lip to hide a smile.

“Boyfriend?” asked Minho, getting lost in his thoughts.

“Yes,” said Jonghyun simply before pecking him on the lips.

It seemed to finally make Minho react seeing as how his eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face. The painter gave Jonghyun a tender kiss as they both close their eyes.

“Well, I guess I’m not the only one who is going crazy because of this painting,” said Jinki all of a sudden.

Jonghyun chuckled against Minho’s lips and they both laughed heartedly.

~

When he had arrived in Paris, Jonghyun hadn’t never thought about finding love there. All he had wanted was to study and enjoy his stay. But after all, life was made of unexpected adventures and Paris wasn’t called the city of love for nothing.

Hi, I'm finally posting this...I'm sorry it took me so long :(

I wrote this for a friend a while ago, it's not that long and nothing much happens but...I still hope you liked it :)

I don't know about you but I really like this painter/model relationship haha...well here it's quite cute because I love cute Jongho ♥

Anyway, leave a comment please :) that would make me really happy

Minewnnie