ℙ𝕃𝔸𝕐 𝔽𝕆ℝ 𝕃𝔸𝕌𝔾ℍ𝕊 ✔ ¨°ʰʸᵘⁿʰᵒ°¨

¨°twenty-five°¨

On Thursday evenings, Hyunjin teaches art as a guest teacher. It was first to earn some extra money to get comfortably through the month, but now after a few months he really likes it. He has regular students who take his class. It is mainly young students who try to perfect their techniques, but outsiders are also allowed on the school grounds to practice their hobby.

Hyunjin puts his shoulder bag on his desk. In the few minutes before the class starts, he sees the students trickle into the classroom one by one. They choose their place behind an easel, the bag next to the stool, and take their painting from the drying racks.

Softly spoken conversations ensue between the students who are seated next to each other. They set up their stuff; mixing paint, putting clean brushes in glass jars, fill a bowl with water and kitchen paper for later. It's an automatism that Hyunjin knows all too well. Mixing colors is his favorite activity. There are so many colors to create. A drop of yellow and that blue turns into a sea green. If you add magenta to that again, the pink eats up the green and turns into black. Just like that.

The sound of the brush sweeping across the canvas is also something the artist appreciates. It calms him down. Grounds him. Takes him into the world that he paints. Hard strokes. Soft curves. The hairs of the brush can be traced on the canvas. They tell the viewer what emotion the artist was feeling at that moment.

"Mister Hwang?" Hyunjin looks up and recognizes the young student. Noa, an international student from the States. Her natural blonde hair ghost just above her shoulders and her light-blue eyes are partly hidden behind a thinned-out fringe. 

"Yes, Noa?"

"I heard it is allowed to bring someone with to try out and see if they like it?" Hyunjin nods with a smile. Maybe she brought another international. He likes seeing different cultures interact with each other. Colors are seen differently in each and every country. Have a different meaning. Our perception of the primary color blue is not the same as, like for example, in the States. 

"Who did you bring?" She didn't need to reply, Hyunjin's eyes zeroed in on the entrance of the classroom and sees a very familiar male walk in. Taecyeon. The man that modeled naked for him. The one who Minho punched in the face. The man who doesn't stop calling him, after saying so many times he should. And also the man who made Hyunjin's Wednesday turn sour after all the texts and calling, that he'd ran straight into Minho's arms—longing for that hug and warmth. 

"Taecyeon.." Noa isn't aware of their history, so the artist tries his best to stay professional. "Trying art class?"

The tall man has a shit eating grin on his face when he stops next to Noa in front of Hyunjin's desk. His hair is modeled neatly in a side part. He wears a suit jacket with a moss-green turtleneck and black slacks paired with dress shoes. The man looks good. Wasn't it for his stalker behavior, Hyunjin would likely have meet with him again after the club. But the dude doesn't know what no means, and that's huge turn-off. 

Besides, Minho.. Only his name fluttering around in his mind makes the artist's heart go all boomboomboom. Hyunjin's  eyes are closed off from the rest of the world, fully focused on the handsome brunet. Nobody matches him. Even his flaws are what attracts the blond. His grumpy side. His lack of responding on their group chat. Stealing Hyunjin's favorite house socks. The pestering. His weird humor. The whole Lee Minho package. Hyunjin wants it all, and nobody else.

"Mister Hwang. I am. I got intrigued after witnessing a live paint session myself. And I know Noa from work. She works part-time at my firm to earn a little extra on the side and she told me about this class. So can I join tonight?" Taecyeon lips curl into a mischievous smile. His dark eyes wander over Hyunjin's face, he can feel his stare burn on the lower half. Unconsciously, he bites on his bottom lip, sending mixed messages. But he's uncomfortable, feeling his skin crawl in the male's presence.