ig·ni·tion

The action of setting something on fire or starting to burn.

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August 8 (Wednesday)

“Kyung Mi, you seem like you were born to paint since you love it so much,” chuckled a voice. “How do you think it started?” 

“I don’t know,” mumbled Kyung Mi as she stretched her hands upwards. “I’ve always loved the hills, the plants— “ Another voice echoed in her mind suddenly and it made her realize something. 

“Ouch, Kyung Mi,” exclaimed the familiar voice mournfully. “You punched me in the face.” Upon that remark, Kyung Mi’s eyes flew open and she saw that her right arm was inches away from Gongchan’s face. Gongchan might have backed up a little after getting hit. Kyung Mi’s eyes then squeezed shut and Gongchan went to get her spectacles. 

“Painful…” mused Kyung Mi as she rubbed them tiredly. Kyung Mi felt her head getting patted.

“There, there, it’d go away soon enough,” reassured Gongchan as he carefully placed the spectacles on Kyung Mi. “There — that should be better.” Kyung Mi glanced at Gongchan who wore a big grin. 

“I wonder if I ever told you that you look pulchritudinous in spectacles,” uttered Gongchan genuinely. Kyung Mi looked aghast. 

“I didn’t even catch that word properly but that sounds horrid,” remarked Kyung Mi. The male gave a gentle sigh and tilted his head slightly. 

“So much for big words,” said Gongchan. “I meant that you look really good in spectacles.” There was a pause. Kyung Mi was sort of speechless. It wasn’t the first time she got complimented by Gongchan after so many years of friendship but still.

She decided to look at him whilst observe her surroundings discreetly as well. Maybe she would be able to read his body language or something. Perhaps it wasn’t the best decision, because she began to register certain things. Kyung Mi noted the fact that she was still on the couch with the blanket, plus the detail that the clock showed nine in the morning. Then she noticed his appearance. Kyung Mi’s eyes widened. 

“Y-You didn’t go home yesterday?!” yelped Kyung Mi, causing Gongchan to wince significantly. She hardly raised her voice at anything. Kyung Mi was filled with worry. 

“How is your father going to react— “ continued Kyung Mi when she left the sentence unfinished.

Gongchan couldn’t help but to be secretly surprised. 

“She was worried about how my father would react compared to what I could have done,” thought Gongchan. “Silly girl…” Her best friend decided to reply her with the truth. She deserved to know what happened, even if she didn’t ask. Gongchan smiled cheekily at Kyung Mi. 

“Well, after one of the movies yesterday night, you fell asleep,” explained Gongchan casually. “I guess that meant that the movie marathon was over but then a certain someone begged me in her sleep to not leave her all alone. …So what am I supposed to do with such a desperate plea?” Gongchan knew he made that part up but then again, why not.

The female’s face flushed red upon hearing that remark. 

“Gongchan, I asked you about something else!” protested Kyung Mi in her failed attempt to be angry. “I don’t need to know about my, uh, apparent— “ Gongchan messed up her hair good-naturedly. 

“Don’t be upset,” he responded with great laughter. “That part was made up by me. Anyway, my father was informed by your mother. She witnessed.” Gongchan raised his eyebrows at Kyung Mi suggestively. She frowned childishly. 

“I bet you fibbed about that part too,” claimed the girl in her disbelief. Gongchan looked at her with condescending eyes. 

“You should know by now that I wouldn’t lie about that part,” murmured Gongchan. Kyung Mi gave a slight nod and a brief silence took place.

Gongchan didn’t know how long the anomalous pause took place, but eventually he heard Kyung Mi groaning. 

“I was planning to paint today but I already took up so much of your time,” said Kyung Mi forlornly. “Why did I fall asleep…?” He couldn’t help but smile at that ridiculous sounding remark. 

“You know what?” concluded Gongchan. “I’ll go back home and I’ll come back here after lunch. It’ll work, and we’ll have plenty of time for your painting.” His eyes crinkled at the thought of it. Her eyes did not hide her astonishment, but it did not hide her sheer happiness as well. 

“Thank you!” appreciated Kyung Mi, shooing Gongchan from her sight afterwards. “Now then, go home and let me eat my breakfast.”

“Oh, such pain to be pushed away by my new found lover,” declared Gongchan pitifully as he permitted himself to be pushed out of the house. Kyung Mi yelped again. 

“Gongchan!” scolded Kyung Mi, a little embarrassed and agitated at the same time. It didn’t help that her mother saw this scenario and decided to laugh at it as well. The male gave Kyung Mi’s mother a wink and indicated that he would be back soon enough. Finally, Gongchan was out of the Han compound. Kyung Mi contently ate her breakfast, showered and other necessary things. She wore a plain white, long shirt and pants which her mother and father didn’t mind her getting some blotches of paint if any unintended splashes occurred. It was interesting how accidental of the brush or the unpredictable splash on her shirt made it creative. As if Kyung Mi was meant to be an artist all along.

Kyung Mi smiled as she made her way to her bedroom. She took a stool and after standing on it, her changed height enabled her to trace her fingers across the wooden ceiling. She around for something vital when her thumb and forefinger caught hold on it. She tugged at it and the cleverly concealed trapdoor on the ceiling opened up, with a ropey ladder which fell and reached the bedroom floor. She jumped off the stool neatly and began climbing up and into the attic. This space was not exactly crammed, but not the best one either. It was dingy with hard to reach corners, but this place was changed by Kyung Mi to be her painting room. The floor she walked on however was not neglected as she had placed some material on the floor to absorb any stray paint. It served as a simple and useful floor design.

The place was mostly dark than bright, save for the few patches in which light filtered into, even though it was about two in the afternoon. With much care, Kyung Mi lighted up a matchstick and set a tall wax candle which stood in its corner ablaze. Its petty yet providing light gave the attic a radiant glow. If people came to know that she was using just a mere candle to light the place, people would be shocked. They would have suggested her to ask her parents to get some proper lights in the attic; ones run by electricity. Then again, people have their own reasons for doing things their way. It could be plain stubbornness, but it is always good to give people the benefit of a doubt. Kyung Mi sighed as she stared at the white canvas, supported by the wooden easel.

“I’m not even sure what kind of painting media I should be using, but I guess watercolour would be the safest,” mused Kyung Mi.  Kyung Mi went over to a small cupboard which held her stash of painting media — be it acrylic, oil or watercolour — and took out a box of watercolours. She registered the detail that she had two, but she decided to take out the finishing one. Wasting isn’t something that she wanted to happen. She sat down, placing the paints in her lap and stared at the canvas. As of right now, nothing remarkable was forming in her mind. She was staring for a long time with deep concentration when she finally noticed a change on the canvas in front of her. 

“A… smiley face?” echoed Kyung Mi in confusion when she saw a tiny, pencilled smiley face at the left corner of the canvas. “I’m sure it wasn’t there before…”

She was still in a birl when she felt someone placing their hands on her head from behind. 

“I’m back,” declared Gongchan, purposefully lowering a spinning mechanical pencil in front of her. Kyung Mi turned around as she stood up; losing herself of Gongchan’s clutch and met him face to face. 

“You know that isn’t a professional thing to do,” demanded Kyung Mi. Gongchan merely smiled and tilted his head. 

“Well isn’t this a romantic thing to do,” remarked Gongchan as he looked at the lit up wax candle. Kyung Mi rolled her eyes. 

“You know why it’s being used,” remarked Kyung Mi sarcastically. Gongchan casually shrugged it off and looked at the canvas thoughtfully. 

“Euphoria, huh…” trailed off the male thoughtfully.

Kyung Mi’s countenance suddenly brightened as she dropped the watercolour box into Gongchan’s hands. 

“I just remembered one of yesterday’s ideas!” said Kyung Mi excitedly as she went to grab some brushes and a cup of water. 

“Good for you,” said Gongchan absent-mindedly. She returned, and they were working on it immediately. Gongchan gave the colours she asked for and she did the real thing — painting it out. Gongchan often marvelled at what she created and he believed that she was really talented. He didn’t mind being her assistant at all. It was no chore to him. Kyung Mi was dedicatedly painting a shade of purple when she stopped. She was pondering on what colour would fit best beside it. Kyung Mi then eyed Gongchan and smiled mischievously.

Gongchan was donning some worn out clothes, loose and fade in colour. The aforementioned male saw Kyung Mi looking at him weirdly and he grew suspicious. 

“Kyung Mi?” questioned Gongchan dubiously. “What colour do you want next?” Kyung Mi smiled sweetly and innocently edged her way closer to him. She poked her brush against the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Just thought that it needed more colour,” beamed Kyung Mi who then laughed and attempted to escape Gongchan’s impending wrath. Gongchan didn’t understand at first, but he proceeded to take a brush that used a shade of green. 

“How dare you disrespect your senior!” said Gongchan jokily as he ran after her in the attic. “Come here, you!”

After all the running, tipping some of the small watercolour containers and times of almost falling down from the attic as the trapdoor was not shut — Gongchan and Kyung Mi collapsed onto the floor with exhaustion and much laughter. 

“Look at you,” chuckled Gongchan as he noted his mechanical pencil that was lying underneath several brushes. Kyung Mi tried to scoff. 

“More like you!” corrected Kyung Mi with a smile. Gongchan’s attire was filled with random of the brush, mostly with orange and green plus his hair had a dash of pink. Kyung Mi had shades of blue, purple and red and her spectacles had a tiny speck of yellow. 

“Nice hair,” giggled Kyung Mi helplessly. Gongchan looked at himself at one of the mirrors in the attic and smirked. 

“Now aren’t you handsome,” said Gongchan aloud and retrieved his mechanical pencil, keeping it. Kyung Mi looked at herself with another mirror and laughed. 

“I am quite the sight,” agreed Kyung Mi.

Gongchan’s eyes met Kyung Mi’s and they crinkled in amusement. 

“Oh,” said Kyung Mi suddenly. “My spectacles…” Gongchan offered a hand in her direction. 

“I’ll wipe them for you,” murmured Gongchan. “My fault, after all.” Kyung Mi readily handed it over to him. 

“Thank you, and it’s not your fault,” amended Kyung Mi. Gongchan steadily wiped the spectacles with a piece of clean cloth as the owner hummed a song; eyes shut. 

“All done,” concluded Gongchan easily and returned it. Kyung Mi nodded and wore her spectacles. The both of them directed a glance at her unfinished painting. 

“I guess we should continue it,” suggested Gongchan. Kyung Mi shook her head.

“The reason why I even started that painting issue with you was because my idea died down after a while,” explained Kyung Mi. “It didn’t seem to be the idea I needed when I was painting it halfway.” Gongchan accepted the reason and casually flicked a shade of brown across her painting. Kyung Mi gave him a stern look. 

“Just because it won’t be continued didn’t mean that you could ruin it,” stated Kyung Mi. Gongchan then took this opportunity to dip his brush in some green paint and flicked it at Kyung Mi’s face. Now her face appeared to be funny. 

“Round two!” yelled Gongchan and began his getaway from Kyung Mi. Their second round of the supposed paint war was cut short though as Kyung Mi’s droplet of blue paint landed on the wax candle’s fire, extinguishing its life source.

It was dark, again. 

“…Oh,” remarked Gongchan half-jokingly. “Looks like our time in the attic is up.” Kyung Mi laughed. 

“I say no to that until we clean up the mess we made,” replied Kyung Mi. Kyung Mi lit up the wax candle once again, no longer as tall but tall enough to last an hour more. Gongchan looked at his surroundings. 

“Most of your paint is finished now,” said Gongchan solemnly. Kyung Mi smiled at that as she began keeping the watercolours. 

“Maybe someone should come with me tomorrow to buy some art supplies,” quipped Kyung Mi casually. Gongchan’s eyes flickered to hers. 

“Sure,” agreed Gongchan. “What time?” The girl thought hard. 

“Nine in the morning?” suggested Kyung Mi as she tried to rub the green colour off her face even though she had no idea where it was. Gongchan smiled as he went over to her to offer her some assistance. 

“Sounds good,” said Gongchan. She beamed. 

“You’re the best!” said Kyung Mi as she gave him the cloth that he asked for. “I’m really thankful.” Gongchan murmured as he helped to remove the unusual green mark from her face. 

“No problem at all, Kyung Mi. No problem at all.”