Prompt - A story that tells the way a writer realizes a story, and tell that story too. The things that inspire him, what makes him tell that story to people.

An alternative version of the artist and muse verse from Candy Apple Contradiction that I wrote for my college's writers group.

“So you want me to write a quintessential love story. Boy meets girl, girl does drama, they break up, the boy realizes he wants her anyways so he goes back for her” Haneul said, taking a sip of her cocktail. Shame it wasn’t stronger. “Sounds like an abusive relation to me. Can’t live with it but can’t get enough.” “All love is mental drama” Yifan agreed, taking up the cocktail cherry from her drink and eating it. “But a good writer knows how to make it appealing to the audience” he added. “Shame I at writing then” Haneul commented. “You are a bestselling writer” Yifan refuted.

“I don’t want to write about romance. My last book anyways” Haneul commented wryly. “Are you kidding me? It got positive reviews” Yifan pointed out. “From blind bats who couldn’t see that character development never happened in the story. Of course the girl is wonderful but she is unrealistic. The boy chases after her for no reason. One look? Love doesn’t happen on first sight. Love doesn’t even happen after you know a person for very long some times. The boy chases after something unattainable” she scoffed. “And gets her in the end. That’s what makes it worth it” Yifan said. “I am talking to the wrong person. You love that romantic sap” Haneul rolled her eyes.

“Yes I do. I think it is okay to let your book be an escape from the dreary reality you live in” Yifan said. Haneul looked at him thoughtfully. “So basically, you need to get laid” she deduced. “What the ?” Yifan asked. He hadn’t expected that statement. Haneul laughed and he decided to concentrate on his drink. The woman was incorrigible. Try to talk to her about anything serious and she would always distract. She could write maturely but could not deal with real life situations the same way.

“Anyhow, it’s been two months Haneul. My chief editor is concerned that you haven’t begun writing anything” Yifan told her. “I know. I love annoying that ” Haneul said. She called the bartender to order another drink. “That ‘’ happens to be the one who’ll be on your case if I can’t convince her that you do have an idea in mind and are writing something. Which I can clearly see is not the reality of the situation” Yifan told her.

“You automatically assume that I have no idea in mind” Haneul said with a knowing grin. “Well, you haven’t mentioned anything of that sort so what am I supposed to assume?” Yifan snorted. “Also, do you have an idea?” he asked curiously. “Yes I do” she said, folding her hands smugly. “Well, shoot it at me then” he prompted her. “Not here. Come to the exhibition at the Arcadia tomorrow. I have something to show you that’ll help you make sense of the idea” she told him. “Okay” Yifan agreed.

“Now let’s go dance! Do you realize that we have been in a club and all we’ve done is drink? For shame Mr. Wu, if we let the dance beats go to waste”

-x-

“Coffee?” Haneul asked as Yifan climbed up the stairs. “Did I ever tell you that I loved you?” Yifan asked, taking the cup from her. “Not enough and not in cash so it doesn’t count” Haneul told him with a grin. Yifan shook his head. He adjusted the strap of his bag and Haneul disposed of her empty coffee cup. “Come on” she said and he followed her through the doors and into the exhibition hall. One of the volunteers at the door handed him a brochure as they entered.

“The artist is Oh Sehun” he read, skimming through the paper. “I know. Slept with him once. Body of a greek god” Haneul said non-commitally. “Your exploits continue to amaze” Yifan said sarcastically. “You need to get out more Yifan. And not just to coerce books out of writers” Haneul said. He growled and she shook her head. The man was too committed to his work. She understood the love for books, but he needed a life.

“I’m looking for a specific painting” she told him. “Oh?” Yifan said, for the lack of a better response. “Yup. He was painting these around the time I met him. The theme is light and shadows, if you’ve noticed. All these paintings deal with various interpretations. But there was one that I saw him paint” she said looking around. There were paintings everywhere and Haneul kept walking around till she found the right one.

“This is the one” she said stopping in front of a painting. There was a little red dot next to the title indicating that it had been sold. (Also really expensive, Yifan noted). “This was the one” she said, gazing at it fondly. It was an abstract style painting. Black and white shadows that merged around what looked to be the silhouette of a figure. “He said, this painting was inspired by the woman he loved. And that this was his way of depicting her” she told him.

“Was it you? The one he loved?” Yifan asked her. Haneul shook her head. “No. I don’t think he was capable of loving just one person. Too restrictive for him. He was a free bird and no one could chain him down. But one woman came close” she told him. “Was?” Yifan picked up on the past tense of the verb. “He died a week ago. It’s the reason he finally got space at the Arcadia for an exhibition. A dead artist is worth more than a tortured living one” she said dispassionately. “His paintings sold quicker than hot cakes.”

“So the thing about the woman he loved. He said she was the gentlest soul he had ever met. Pure. The white to his black, the yin to his yang and all that jazz” she continued. “Ouch. Talking of another woman while taking you to bed. Couldn’t have been appealing” he joked. “Oh we talked after. You forget that my love for a good story exceeds my love for a good lay” she reminded him. “Now stop distracting me.” Yifan raised his hands in defeat.

“At least that’s what he said he used to think. Over time he realized that she had just enough dark in her as she did light. And with her, he realized that maybe his world wasn’t as dark as he thought it was” she reminisced. “That’s a romantic thought” Yifan agreed. “It was all about the light and the dark and how they interacted with each other. Ever since then, he kept trying to encapsulate the idea in a painting, but he never succeeded. This was the one that came closest to what he had in mind” she told him.

“It was a one night thing between us. But I think I learnt more from it, than I did from any other relationship I had been in” she admitted. “He told me what he thought of her and then asked me if it was a stupid idea. I told him that human nature was dichotomous at best and he had witnessed it firsthand. Then he asked me if I believed there was ever a way that he could express it in paintings. I told him that it may never be possible because I couldn’t express it in words myself.”

“But now” she said, turning towards him, “I think I’d like to try.” “You want to tell the world Sehun’s story?” Yifan asked doubtfully. “Just this one part of it yes” she nodded. “I don’t know how well that will play out. Usually writing about a real life person entails a lot of hassles for the publishing house. Also, considering how he is dead, tracking down primary sources which guarantee factually true information will be tough” he said, running his hands through his hair.

“I don’t want to tell it as Sehun’s story. And I will embellish a little of course. But the idea of falling in love with someone who was not the stereotype that he believed her to be. The idea that all of us have flaws. Perfect imperfections that are real. That is what I want to write about” she told him. “But in essence, a love story. A boy who found a girl, drama, break up, the chase and an ending. But with real people” she explained. Yifan regarded her with a thoughtful look.

“Okay” he agreed. “But you have only two months before Chief runs out of patience.” “Tell her not to get her in a twist. I already started writing it. She will have a rough draft in three weeks” Haneul dismissed. “Already started writing it? How did you know we would like the idea?” Yifan asked her with an eyebrow raised. “Because you are a romantic sap. There was no way you wouldn’t have fallen for the he-looked-into-her-soul shizz” Haneul teased. Yifan rolled his eyes.

“Come on, you have a book to write” he told her. “Wait up. Need to give in my address so that they can deliver this to the right place” she told him. “You bought the painting?” he asked, surprised. “Yeah. Couldn’t let that thing rot in some random collector’s hallway now could I? You forget that I am a er for a good story” she laughed.

“Chiaroscuro” Yifan said, glancing at the painting. “Bless you” Haneul said simply. “It’s Latin and Italian. It’s a word for how light interacts with shadow in paintings. It could be the title of your next book” he explained. “It could be. It’s fancy” she agreed. “And now I wonder why you don’t get laid. Maybe I should write a book on that too. What a riveting read it would be”

-x-