Masterpiece (Part One)
Fragments of MemoriesTitle: Masterpiece (Part 1/2)
Characters: IU, L
For the first time in a couple of months, another art piece had been revealed to the public under the name of ‘Lilyflower.’ No one knew who Lilyflower was—not even the smallest clues as to who this person was, including the real name or age, was available to the public. It was a mystery and a topic of much gossip in the arts industry; it was said that only an elderly man claiming to be Lilyflower’s “representative” would drop by in galleries or exhibitions every once in a while to put a new piece up on display.
Myungsoo didn’t understand. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t. He would come by the galleries and stare at Lilyflower’s works for hours, but the duration of time didn’t even seem to matter. His questions always remained unanswered at the end of the day, and all that happened was that his frustration continued to build up.
“The quality and detail of all the pieces are of a mediocre level. In terms of the composition and technicality of Lilyflower’s art is inferior to that of mine, but why is it that it’s so captivating?”
He, too, was an artist. During his earlier debut years, he’d been publicized as a star in rising, a talent. But it stopped there. He didn’t improve, they said. He got off to a good start, but his progress and development is little to none. Myungsoo didn’t understand that either. Taking the “advice” given to him by many into heart, he tried to change. He tried new ways in approaching his works. He tried to challenge completely unfamiliar areas in the field, too.
But he remained forgotten and buried. He was no longer an anticipation of the future but a disappointment of the past.
Lilyflower, on the other hand, was different. This artist appeared out of the blue one day, striking people dumbfounded by the beautifully expressed emotions and messages on a single canvas or even paper. There was something about every single work that moved the hearts of people, often leaving them at a loss for words.
As much as he hated to admit it, Myungsoo himself was one of those people. He had felt, too. The raw emotions overwhelmed him, engulfing him. Every time he’d take a look, he’d be left mesmerized. Whenever he regained his senses, however, he would feel a sense of despair and helplessness in a worse extent than he had before. He simply couldn’t grasp how and why such average, plain pieces were so much better than his.
Days in which Myungsoo was out of inspiration and desire became much more frequent. In an effort to bring himself back up from his “slump,” as he called it, he tried to spend time outside, enjoying and appreciating the environment around him. That way, he could hopefully regain some sort of reason or purpose to start drawing again.
His destination happened to be the park that day. Despite its age, the public place was well taken care of, clean, and quiet. It was the closest thing to perfect when it came to just sitting down and observing nature. Besides, the scenery was amazing.
With a mere sketchbook and pencil in hand, Myungsoo found himself taking a seat on the rim of the fountain located in the center of the park. Not too many people were present; in fact, the number of pigeons waddling around on the floor was much greater than the number of humans.
A small smile crept up Kim Myungsoo’s visage as he began to chortle to a random tune he’d picked up somewhere. He always enjoyed the peace and quiet; it was because he found more sound in silence than in a loud environment. Flipping to a random page in his sketchbook, Myungsoo then began to draw the scene projected in front of him. Every brush of the tip of the pencil against paper led to the creation of sleek contours and lines; it was a matter of time before a rough image of the park’s scenery was visible.
Next to him, a voice brought him back into reality from his own world. “It’s beautiful.”
Startled, he flinched. He’d been so engorged into his work that he realize that a woman, seemingly appearing to be around his age, had taken a seat next to him and was watching him draw the entire time. “Do you draw often?”
“I suppose so,” he responded, giving her a polite smile. “It’s kind of my job.”
She didn’t seem a tiny bit surprised. “Ah. I see. That explains a lot, you know. Your work is very well-done. Polished, too—and it’s just the rough sketch. I assumed you were a professional somehow.”
It was only then that he began to take an interest in her; the topic of art just brightened him up. “Are you familiar with this field of study somehow?”
“Well, kind of. Not too much, though.” She pursed her lips, scratching the back of her ear. “Oh, by the way. I’m Jieun. Lee Jieun.”
Myungsoo usually wasn’t the type to get close to anyone in a short amount of time. He was extremely picky when it came to befriending people; so, he preferred not to introduce himself to strangers. It seemed rude, however, to learn her name without telling her his. Without much of a choice left, he replied, “Kim Myungsoo’s the name. Pleasure to meet you, Jieun.”
“Myungsoo, hm. Do you have any other works with you that you don’t mind sharing with me? I’m just really curious.”
“Uh... I—” In actuality, Myungsoo didn’t want to show her. He was afraid. He had heard too much criticism already; he wasn’t ready to hear a clucking of tongues or to see shaking of heads by a stranger he’d met at a park. The shame would be simply devastating.
But what she said next just hit his pride, hard. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed by your own work. Every creation is precious and holds meaning. So why hide yours?”
A grimace forming on his lips, he tried not to glare at the female. “Who said I was embarrassed? I’m proud of every single piece I’ve drawn, thank you very much.”
She grinned cheekily in response. “Then you wouldn’t mind showing me a couple, right?”
He could only cede his sketchbook to her in a grudging manner. She accepted it more than enthusiastically, scanning through its contents with more care than Myungsoo thought she would. Then, he watched her carefully for her reaction. While a small smile remained on her lips throughout the entire time, he could see her expression becoming more and more serious. He could only imagine what she’d tell him when she was done; not being able to handle the imminent future, Myungsoo yanked the sketchbook away from her hands and burst up. “I-I have to go,” he told her in a hurry. “So—”
“They’re great. Your works, I mean. I knew it. They’re all just very beautiful. Do you only draw sceneries?”
Her series of compliments took Myungsoo extremely off guard. They were the first he’d heard in the longest time. He felt his face flush, and in order to hide it, he coughed, lowering his head. “No, this sketchbook just happens to only have sceneries. I draw other stuff too.”
Then, in the blink of an eye, Jieun leapt up from her spot on the fountain and clung onto his arm. “I know we just met, but please do me a favor. Please! You can’t say no!”
He blinked. “What favor?”
“Will you say yes?”
“I mean, if it’s something I can do and it’s reasonable enough—”
“Be my teacher! Instructor! Something among those lines!”
“I—What?”
Clutching onto his forearm even tighter, she looked up at him with the saddest pair of eyes she could manage. “I can draw, kind of. But I know I’m lacking. I need to be better. But look at your work! They’re all just so beautiful! Can’t you teach me? If you can’t directly help, just let me tag you along and stuff, yeah? I promise I won’t be much of a hassle! Please?”
Myungsoo bit his lips. He had to bite back the words that were just itching to pour out of his mouth: “I think you’re going to be a lot of a hassle, Jieun.”
hi guys! long time no see! as you can see... i've updated after about three months, haha. i'm just slowly starting to gear on writing again. exams are finally over (thank god) and i'm a free soul. with lots of free time. and free time means writing-- and, to be honest, there was a bit of whining here and there by pannpann but haha.
anyway, it's iu's birthday! happy birthday, lee jieun. thank you for being born and thank you for choosing to be a singer. you're literally the best thing that happened to me regarding kpop (woah. that sounded soooo cheesy. dear god). but you aren't an idol so HAHA. < 3 again, happy birthday! and for those of you that haven't listened to 'a flower bookmark' album yet... shame on you. but you still have a chance. gOGOGO.
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