glass | gyuricky

three.

Gyuvin and Gunwook had art twice a week this semester, as usual, on Mondays and Thursdays, which meant the next time Gyuvin saw Ricky was two days later. He still winced a little every time the name flashed through his mind; he was not yet used to calling a teacher by his first name, given he'd never had any teachers young enough to willingly give up the formality. He supposed he'd get used to it in time.

"We'll be sorting out mentors for your final projects very soon," Ricky began, scribbling a list of names on the whiteboard as he spoke. "There are three art teachers in this school and there's twelve of you, which means we'll each take on four students. It might benefit you to think about how you want your mentor to guide you with your final project before you make your choice. I'll need everyone to submit their mentor preferences to me by the end of the week, okay?"

"So, tomorrow basically?" someone piped up from the other side of the class.

Ricky smiled. "Basically. Glad you got it. Let's move on to the lesson content for today; history!"

An echo of groans sounded from the general audience, but they put aside their various occupations regardless, and sat up to listen. Not even the monotony of reading the history of Monet, apparently, was enough to erode the fact that it was Ricky teaching it.

"Sorry, I forgot, when was Monet born again?"

"We literally covered this last year," Gyuvin said tiredly. "If you didn't ask stupid questions just to get his attention, maybe we could actually learn something new."

The girl who'd asked the question rolled her eyes at him and sat back in her seat. "Just making sure, geez."

"Hey, it's alright," Ricky said placatingly, bending a reassuring smile onto her. "Don't be afraid to ask questions. I wouldn't have a job if you knew everything I was going to say, anyway."

It got on Gyuvin's nerves, honestly. How desperate these kids were for Ricky's attention, just because he was attractive. How Ricky himself let it happen, indulged them. Enjoyed it, maybe. He almost wished old Mrs Lee would come back. If not for the fact that Ricky'd studied sculpture and would be good to keep around while he was doing his final project, he would have ignored him entirely. Gyuvin had better things to do than watch some girls feed a man's ego twice a week.

"Gyuvin?"

"What?" Gyuvin looked up from the origami rose he was folding.

"Monet's legacy, his rejection of traditional painting techniques. What do you think that tells us about his art?"

"It wasn't always intended to be a grand gesture, or a revolution against all history," Gyuvin answered. "He tried to adapt to the conventional realism techniques of his era, his earlier works tell you that. He just found his own style later on."

"So you think the techniques he's world-renowned for were a fallback option because he couldn't conform to the conventions of his time?"

"No, that's not what I mean. He rebelled against the restrictions of painting later on, but that was after he'd already established his own style and found his footing in the Parisian art community. We should be examining his legacy through the lens of his art, not the other way around."

Ricky gave him a curious look, a smile ghosting across his face. "I like that idea. Does anyone else have any thoughts?"

Gunwook leaned over the table to whisper in his ear. "Something about him screams dark academia."

"I wonder why he's teaching here, in some small town high school, and not like an art college or something," Gyuvin shot back. "It's not like there's a lack of those in the country."

"Be grateful you finally have a teacher who knows the first thing about sculpture," Gunwook said. "It doesn't matter to me because my final project is gonna be a painting and Mrs Lee has been helping me with that since summer break, but we can't screw up our finals if we want to get into any reputable arts schools."

"Yeah I know," Gyuvin answered, sighing. "But the girls are probably gonna take up all his mentee spots. I'll figure something out."

"Just give him a chance, okay?" Gunwook said, giving up. He knew how stubborn Gyuvin could be when he had his ideas about people. "I think there's a lot you can learn from him."

Gyuvin shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see."

The door to Ricky's classroom was ajar, later in the day after Gyuvin's classes had ended. He wondered if Ricky had already left, as he peered around the corner to look into the classroom.

He hadn't. Ricky looked up from whatever he was working on at his desk just then, catching Gyuvin's eye. "Hey, Gyuvin."

"Hey." Gyuvin pushed the door further open so he could come in, then closed it again.

Ricky got up from behind his desk and walked around to the front, leaning against the edge of the table. The sleeves of his white button-down were rolled up to his elbows, Gyuvin could see the muscles in his forearms twist when he moved; truly the hallmark of a sculpture major. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd really appreciate it if you would be my mentor for the final project," he said, perching himself onto a table facing Ricky. "I know we get to submit preferences, but I also know the teachers get the final say."

"You're right," Ricky answered. "We do."

"Look, I need to do well for my final," Gyuvin continued. "I really wanna go to Korea National University of Arts when I graduate. I know you graduated from there, I want to learn from you. Will you teach me?"

Ricky stood up, then, from where he'd been leaning on the teacher's table. Ricky was taller than him now, because Gyuvin was sitting, though he supposed the height difference couldn't be much when they were both standing. Ricky fixed him with a look, a little curious, a little surprised, a little like he'd expected this to happen, all at once.

"Of course I will," he said finally. "Your idea interested me the most, actually, out of everyone in this class. I'd be happy to work with you."

Gyuvin smiled, breathing a little sigh of relief. It wasn't like he'd expected Ricky to say no. It also wasn't like having Ricky as his project mentor would make him an immediate shoe-in for a spot at Korea National University of Arts, but he couldn't shake the glow of academic validation, no matter how small.

"I'll give you my email, okay?" Ricky said, scribbling something on a slip of paper with a fountain pen. "You didn't have a proper concept draft ready for me on Monday, so I want something from you this weekend. A sketch, a description, anything."

Gyuvin pretended to groan. "Homework already?"

"In my inbox by Sunday night. Or there'll be..." Ricky looked up, offering him the slip of paper, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "You know. Consequences."

"Please, like you'd drop me," Gyuvin laughed, challenging. "Would you?"

Ricky narrowed his eyes for a second, pretending to consider it. "No," he said finally. "But you'll do the work still, won't you?"

"Yeah I will," Gyuvin answered, giving in. "See you on Monday..." He trailed off. He was somewhat getting used to calling him Ricky behind his back, but calling him that to his face just seemed...

"Ricky," Ricky finished for him, grinning. "Forgotten my name already?"

"How could I ever?" Gyuvin retorted, mirroring his smile. "See you on Monday, Ricky."

"See you, Gyuvin."