The first drawing is an ongoing topic of debate between the two them. Taehyung is adamant that she gave it to him when they first met.

It was Red Velvet’s debut promotions, and like a rite of passage all rookie groups had to go through, the four girls entered waiting rooms with a chorus of “Happiness! We’re Red Velvet” and a signed album in hand.

Naturally, everyone’s attention was on them. Aside from the fact that they were from one of Korea’s biggest companies—something that made them intimidating yet undeniably interesting—the girls, with their dip-dyed hairs and bright smiles, were just, well, pretty. The kind of pretty that made even senior groups look forward to seeing them backstage.

They, of course, were no exception. Their leader practically had to pull them back by their collars to stop them from clamoring over the signed CD as soon as the girls left.

“Look at how cute their signatures are,” Hoseok all but gushed, pointing at one scribbled like a flower then at another with a smiley face. “They’re seriously so cute. I think I just became a fan.”

“You say that about all the girl groups we meet,” Yoongi jokingly nudged him with his elbow. “As long as you don’t start shouting ‘booyah’ out of nowhere again. Please, that gets old.”

“Yeah, yeah, I promise I won’t—Booyah! Happiness!” Hoseok teased back with perfect comedic timing. Soon the other boys joined in on annoying Yoongi, waving their hands along to Hoseok’s singing, and the album was left in Taehyung’s hands.

He found himself staring at one particular signature. It must be because a bear was drawn with it, like the childhood nickname his parents had given him. If his memory was right, this was from the girl with yellow ends in her hair. He tried to picture what she looked like, monolids, full cheeks, and all.

“Seulgi,” he quietly read her name, staring at the drawing a little more before putting the album in his bag. As far as he was concerned, it was his now.

And yeah, Hoseok was right. They were pretty cute.

The second one came when they were already friends.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to realize they had a number of common interests after their first meeting. Once they did, they quickly went from backstage greetings and awkward small talk to texting about movies and songs they both liked. And there was a lot.

One day in the future he’ll call it fate. He’ll say it was a sign that they’ve always been meant for each other. At the time, though, he was just plain excited that someone else thought Gustav Klimt was a genius and Before Sunrise was a cinematic masterpiece. It was crazy to think he found someone who liked all the same things.

“Oh, you’re into drawing, too?”

Almost all the same things.

“It’s more of a pastime, really,” Jungkook replied. He held the notebook he drew on up for Seulgi to see better despite the bashful look on his face. “I’m not that good at it. My brother’s the one you can actually call an artist.”

 “This looks pretty great, though?” There was genuine admiration in her voice. “Do you mind if I see your other drawings?”

“Not at all!”

Taehyung could only watch their animated conversation as they flipped through Jungkook’s notebook. Drawing was one hobby he and Seulgi didn’t share. It wasn’t that he hated it; he just wasn’t good at it, and he was never one to dwell on the things he couldn’t do.

Now, though, he wished he had tried to improve his skills, just a little. Just enough for him to be able to join in on their conversation. There was a mix up with the room assignments and, really, when was he ever going to be in the same waiting room as her ever again?

He stared at the two still lost in their own world. He’d seen Jungkook’s works before. They were mostly just doodles and rough sketches, but with the way Seulgi’s eyes lit up with each one, you’d think he was showing her actual paintings.

It made him feel uneasy, for some reason. He hated that feeling. And so Taehyung spent the rest of their break trying to focus on his phone and not on Jungkook and Seulgi giggling and drawing in the corner. He was mostly successful.

At the end of the day, long after the girls have rushed off to another schedule, he was surprised to see a piece of paper tucked under his phone where he left it on the table.

It was a familiar drawing of a bear with two thumbs up added beside it. Below, written in what was unmistakably Seulgi’s penmanship, were the words “Why so sulky? Cheer up!”

Taehyung flushed, looking around to check if anyone else could have read it. Did he look like he was sulking the entire time? He cringed at the thought. That must have been why Namjoon kept patting his back in between recordings! It was just one embarrassment piling on top of another for him.

He groaned and began folding the paper. Still, despite everything, he couldn’t help but be touched by her small gesture. With a wry smile, he made a mental note to thank her the next time he called.

When he received the third drawing, they were still friends. Just friends.

One of the perks of being into art and having a circle of friends who were also into it was that they could meet up at said friends’ art exhibits without raising any suspicion. They were there to support the artist after all, seeing each other was just a bonus. Nothing scandalous about that.

Even as he repeated that to himself like a silent mantra, Taehyung couldn’t ignore the nervousness that swept at the pit of his stomach. He scanned the room, a frown on his face. After saying hello to just about everybody he knew—a mix of idols, artists, and models—he was starting to think Seulgi hadn’t showed up. Maybe she had a sudden schedule change she couldn’t get out of. But she would have texted him, at least…right?

Taehyung took his phone out, debating on whether or not to call her, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey there, stranger.” Seulgi beamed at him. She was holding a small bouquet.  “Long time no see, huh?”

“Hey! I was starting to think you wouldn’t show.” He smiled back, hoping he didn’t sound as relieved as he felt. “Are those roses for me? You shouldn’t have.”

Seulgi tittered at that, hiding her smile behind the bouquet. “You wish. I’ve been going around looking for Wonji so I could congratulate her. Have you seen her?”

“Not yet. Must be busy entertaining other guests somewhere,” Taehyung replied, looking around. In his search for Seulgi, he had forgotten the real reason he went to the exhibition—to support their friend. Just the thought of it made him want to pinch himself out of embarrassment.

“Want to walk around for now? We’ll probably bump into her on our way.”

What was Taehyung going to do? Say no? “Yeah…okay.”

They walked around the exhibit, stopping at something they liked every now and then to discuss it. The nervousness Taehyung felt earlier had long dissipated, now replaced with contentment. She probably didn’t know it, but talking to Seulgi had always been a source of comfort for him. Maybe someday he’d tell her.

“Ugh, I think my manager’s starting to look for me. I didn’t really tell him where I was going,” Seulgi said, frowning down at her phone as she declined a call.  He tried not to look too disappointed. “Can you give these flowers to Wonji for me? He’s seriously blowing my phone up.”

She handed him the bouquet, preparing to leave. Then, as if she remembered something, Seulgi turned back, fishing a notebook out of her bag. “Oh, right, I almost forgot to give you this!”

Taehyung watched wordlessly as she flipped through its pages, finally stopping at one and ripping it out with utmost care. “It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

It was only when he held it in his hands did he realize it was a drawing. A man and woman, facing each other on the train, deep in conversation. Below the drawing, carefully written, was a quote—

“If there’s any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something,” he read aloud. Taehyung looked up at her, eyes wide and a little lost for words. “Seulgi…this is…”

“Before Sunrise, yeah—our favorite.” She smiled. Maybe it was the lights in the room, or maybe it was his hopeful mind playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn her cheeks looked pink.

“But what for?”

“Think of it as an early birthday present.” Seulgi replied, eyes twinkling.  Taehyung had never been as awestruck by someone as was he was at that very moment. It was like he was seeing her for the first time. “Do you like the quote? There was another one I wanted to write, but it was too…romantic. It wouldn’t have been appropriate, you know, for us.”

“I think it would have fit just as well.”

A confused look was painted on her face. “You mean for the drawing?”

Taehyung grinned.  “That, too.”

They weren’t just friends shortly after that.

The fourth time, they were on a date.

“Seulgi,” Taehyung whispered. He pressed a kiss atop her head before gently shaking her awake. “Seulgi, wake up. It’s going to start soon.”

“Hmm,” she hummed. She turned in her seat and grumbled something he guessed meant ‘five more minutes.’

Taehyung gazed at her, thinking that even then, at nearly six in the morning, with her hair lazily done in a bun and half of her face hidden underneath a scarf he got her on their 100^th day together—even then, Seulgi managed to look like a work of art.

He leaned over to where she was curled up on the passenger seat and tugged at her scarf, pulling it down just enough so he could place a kiss on her lips. “You’re going to miss the sunrise. We drove all the way out here for this.”

No response. “I’m going to keep kissing you until you wake up.”

This time, despite her closed eyes, a smile spread across Seulgi’s face. “Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Depends.” Taehyung chuckled. “Now get up, I’ll bring your stuff.”

The two of them trudged across the beach with caps, scarves, and masks covering their faces. They picked a spot near the water’s edge and sat there, oblivious to the sand on their pants and coats. It was a particularly chilly morning, but the cold they felt paled in comparison to the warmth from being next to each other and the orange sky that marked the day’s sunrise.

Taehyung handed Seulgi her art materials and, without a word, she started drawing. He watched her furrow her eyebrows in concentration as she chose which colors to use, his smile slowly growing. One of the simple pleasures in his life was watching her draw. It felt the way seeing her perform on stage made him feel—it was just impossible to look away.

 They continued like that in silence, Seulgi drawing and Taehyung watching, until the pale orange sky faded and made way for shades of blue. The sheer comfort he felt nearly sent Taehyung to sleep, stopped only by the sound of Seulgi sighing.

“Alright, I think it’s finished,” she exclaimed, hands clasped. She flipped her paper so that it was facing him. “What do you think?”

“Woah,” he gasped, finally looking at her work in its entirety. He knew Seulgi had been practicing landscapes and experimenting with colors, but he could tell that she really put a lot of heart and thought into it. It was almost like seeing the sunrise through her eyes (which it technically was, considering he’d been watching her the whole time.)

“Was that a good woah or an it’s-kind-of-bad woah?”

“It was more of an I-can’-believe-I’m-dating-the-next-van Gogh one for sure.”

Seulgi laughed, half in embarrassment and half in amusement. “Well I’m glad you like it, since it’s yours. I, uh….” She buried her face deeper into her scarf, until all he could he see was her soft gaze. “…since I met you, I started looking forward to every sunrise. I’m really thankful. Happy 1000 days, Taehyung-ah."

He could only stare, caught off guard by Seulgi’s sincerity. What could he reply? There were so many things he wanted to say, so many ways to tell her how he felt. Taehyung opened his mouth, ready to just launch into the speech he had prepared earlier that day, when a large wave sent the water’s edge their way.

Their shrieks and yelps turned into fits of laughter as they clumsily gathered their belongings and raced to the car. Once inside, they tried to catch their breaths, only to burst into laughter whenever their eyes met.

“Wait,” Seulgi said as she attempted to calm herself down. Her whole body was turned to him, eager. “I want to hear what you were going to say.”

Taehyung gulped.

“Right, back to what I was saying…” From the corner of his eye, the sunrise Seulgi had drawn for him caught his attention. It jumped at him like a reminder, and before he knew it, he was rummaging through his coat pockets. When he found what he was looking for, he turned back to meet Seulgi’s expectant eyes.

“I was actually planning to give this to you later, after I said this whole speech I had planned out, but I think now’s the perfect time—“

“Wait, Taehyung, you’re not—“ Seulgi’s eyes went wide with panic; it took him few seconds to understand why.

“What? Oh, no. No, I’m not proposing. Not for a while, at least,” laughed Taehyung. He took out the folded paper he had kept in his pocket and handed it to her. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“You got me worried for a second there,” she chuckled back. It was only when she unfolded the paper that her laughter faded completely.

It was a rough sketch of a woman’s profile. She was sleeping with the bottom of her face burrowed in a scarf, her bun drooping ever so slightly from the back of her chair.

It was her. Taehyung had drawn her.

“How did you..?” she trailed off. It was one of those rare moments where he was the one who made her speechless and not the other way around. He was pretty proud of himself, to be honest.

“Why did you think I had your stuff when you woke up? Seulgi, you—” Taehyung cleared his throat, the nervousness was starting to creep back up on him. “—you were always the one drawing for me and giving me strength. You probably know by now, but I still have every drawing you’ve ever given me, even the small doodles on restaurant napkins.

You know that quote you wrote? About how there’s a kind of magic in understanding someone and sharing something? I know that you want to share your love of drawing with me, so that—that poorly drawn image of you that doesn’t do you justice at all—that’s my way of showing you that I understand, that I want to share your passions with you, too.” He paused to smile. “I’m more thankful that I got to spend these 1000 days with you. I love you.”

There was a long stretch of silence that followed. If it wasn’t for Seulgi’s voice, his heart probably would have jumped out of his chest from sheer nervousness.

“Oh, Taehyung,” Seulgi whispered, teary-eyed. Out of instinct, he reached out to hug her.

“I wasn’t expecting you to cry,” he chuckled, finally relieved. He leaned back so he could wipe the tears that were threatening to fall. Seeing Seulgi cry never failed to give his heart a little squeeze, even if they were tears of joy. That didn’t mean he could resist teasing her, though. “I sure hope you’re crying out of happiness and not out of disgust from seeing how I draw, because I’ve been practicing with Jungkook for some time now. Besides, I think it’s a better first drawing than the bear signature you gave me.”

Another long pause. This time, he knew what was coming.

“Taehyung”

“Yes, Seulgi-yah?”

“That wasn’t the first drawing I gave you, it was the bear with two thumbs up. You know my signature doesn’t count.”

“Of course it does.”

Seulgi looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. She was never going to let it go, was she?

He pulled her back into a hug, a wide grin on his face. Fine, he’d let her win this time. “Alright, alright, whatever you say, Seulgi-yah.”

He knew it was still a topic of debate, but he figured they’d have other days to argue about it. Just like they’d have other days to go to exhibits and to watch another sunrise. Soon, their 1000 days together will become 2000, and even then he was sure they’d still have an infinite amount of days to look forward to.

Taehyung only wished they were all as happy as this one.

vseul: has interactions equivalent to crumbs

me: wow. amazing. fantastic. never been done before. this deserves a fanfic.

Also, wow, the amount of self-control it took for me not to put an inkigayo sandwich joke in there lmao. Maybe I should do another 4 + 1 just for that? (seulmin? another pairing?)

I hope you guys enjoyed this one!