Steal His Heart - Hyunlix

Chosen Family

"Good evening..." the artist started shyly. He hated public speaking.. always had.. especially when it came to something as vulnerable as his art. Don't get him wrong.. he loved making art and showcasing it.. it just wasn't often that he had to explain the meaning behind it. He liked to let the art speak for itself.

He let out a slight shaky breath and then a chuckle at the irony. He was trying to put some philosophical and poetic story behind art... because that's what people expected. That was, until his eyes landed on Felix, who simply looked at him with prideful eyes and a bright smile. The sight still made his heart flutter.. but there was also a sense of comfort. And it hit him.

"I know that I'm supposed to tell you what the artistic process was like and the grand story behind the collection.. but actually, what you are witnessing on these walls is a picture into my mind the last couple of months." He continued with more confidence. His eyes were locked with the big brown ones across the gallery.

"The collection is disorganized and a little messy... There is no perfect story to be found in it because it's like an intermission. The artist who made these is not the same one that stands before you today. My hands painted them.. but the eyes through which I saw them.. changed." His nerves fell further when Jeongin give him a hint of a smirk. His eyes trailed back to the person that really mattered.. the one that had given him the answer he didn't know he was looking for.

"A very wise person told me they could see the world as I see it through my art. Like they could borrow my eyes for a little while if they wanted to escape their own view of the world. What that person doesn't know.. is that my view of the world changed because of them. What they didn't know.. was that the beauty in the world only grew in my eyes because of them. It's something you can see throughout the collection. I used to see aspects of beauty of the world..but it was dull, diluted. Then, a little glimmer of hope and brightness formed and it started a battle. The dark and light contrast was a fight within myself to trust the joy.. A fight to learn the balance between the bad of the past and the potential of a future where the bad isn't as consuming. And, finally, it was the fear and betrayal that comes with realizing your own mind had you locked away when you didn't even know it. To realize that although it can be beautiful in its own right.. the neutrals that used to dominate my art were my own diluted viewpoints.. my safety net. It wasn't until I found my own brightness that I unlocked a new sector of myself as an artist that I hope to showcase more in the future. Thank you." He finished, not once breaking his eye contact with Felix, who had been so entranced in the speech that he didn't realize the second set of eyes that were currently watching him.

"He really loves you." A woman's more soft voice snapped him out of his love bubble. The tone itself was almost a sigh. He turned back around to face the person the voice belonged to with a blush covering his cheeks.

"I'm sorry for ruining it if he hadn't said it yet.. but you can see it in his eyes." She continued, understanding that Felix didn't really know how to respond. She reached out her hand.

Felix hesitantly held it and she softened her eyes intentently. "Thank you for bringing his smile back." She stated sweetly. There was a twinkle in her eyes that he found so familiar.. it was the same twinkle that he had noticed in the artist's eyes when he looked at something he found beautiful. Something that made him appreciate life.

He smiled softly in return and nodded his head.

Hyunjin's dad cleared his throat behind them, causing both to look at him questioningly.

"Hi..." He started sheepishly. "My name is Lee.. I'm.. uh... Hyunjin's dad."

Felix's confused expression turned into a smile once again. He immediately felt the intimidation leave his body. Despite the fact that the man was tall and had a bigger build like his son, he seemed like the most awkward out of them all.