off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ sixty nine

Despite not needing him for another art assignment, Yanmei found herself in her art studio with Hanbin. It hadn’t been planned at all; he had messaged her out of the blue, explaining that he'd recently started to draw, and was interested in getting her opinion on it, and hopefully, a few pointers. Needless to say, Yanmei had been surprised. The last time Hanbin had tried his hand at drawing her, he'd pretty much vowed to never pick up a pencil again.

She'd hesitated at first, her dispute with Hao still fresh in her mind. But Hanbin had nothing to do with their conflict, at least not at the root. He'd been a good friend for her, always showing up when she needed him for something. It only made sense she would do the same, too. And so, she'd agreed to see him today. Specifically because she knew Hao wouldn’t be at home. She certainly couldn’t deal with another one of his tantrums.

"Okay," Hanbin started as he sat down on the stool opposite her, "promise you won’t laugh."

"That again? I already told you, I don't make promises I can't keep."

As he pulled his little notebook out of his bag, Yanmei scooted her stool closer to his. She hadn’t judged the distance accurately enough, because her thigh brushed against his. Immediately, Hanbin flinched, and the notebook almost flew out of his hands. He blinked, his cheeks turning redder by the second. Quite frankly, he looked a little too cute when he was embarrassed. Trying not to look like a fool, Hanbin cleared his throat and pulled all of his focus back onto his sketchbook. But the blush didn't leave his face.

"So, uh, here they are. I drew these over the past few days."

A small smile on her face, she took a look at the pages filled with charcoal doodles. Most were of faces, all very different, with that same amateur charm that had been in that one doodle he'd made of her. Only these seemed to be a little more true to life, a little more inspired, and each was better than the first. Of course, it was no masterpiece, no one could become a master artist in the span of a few days — had that been the case, Yanmei would be akin to a goddess by now. The line weight was clumsy, the strokes too short, the proportions too distorted. But through every portrait, she could feel Hanbin's dedication and hard work.

"They're not bad," she said. "Obviously, it's not perfect, but you can actually see the improvement with every drawing. That's a good sign, it means you can only get better at it. And honestly? These are quite cute!"

The softest smile drew itself on his face, as he looked up at her. "Thank you. I know you're just saying that, but I like the compliments."

"Hey, I'm serious. I think you should try to do very quick doodles, or rather, gestures, to loosen up and train your muscle. You’ll see a lot of improvement in little time. I think you're on the right track."

Honestly, there was nothing Yanmei wanted more than to share her love for art with those around her. There was nothing quite as fulfilling as being able to put to paper something that only existed in her mind. Drawing had become her favorite way to express her deepest emotions, when words simply couldn’t convey them. She hoped everyone would give it a chance, one day, and if they needed encouragement to keep at it, she was more than willing to provide it.

God, sometimes she sounded just like Ms. Jung. The horror.

"How come you've started drawing all of a sudden?" she asked, curious. She still remembered the first time she'd realized how amazing it felt to create. "Is it because of Irang? I know she likes to draw, so did you two have some brother-sister bonding?"

In response, he laughed, before shutting his notebook closed. "No, it's not because of Irang. It's you."

Any snarky response Yanmei might have prepared died in her throat. She found herself speechless, her eyes searching for any hint of a joke in Hanbin's face. But as always, he couldn’t be more serious. It seemed he did not realize it, but his words could so easily be misinterpreted...