Uninspired!

Perfect Inspiration

The buzz and bustle of people inside the gallery were almost too much for Eunhyuk to handle. It was the opening night of his show and he felt like he was going to vomit all over the gallery's concrete floor. Eunhyuk was always nervous when exhibiting his work, but this collection was special. He'd spent two years working on the painting in this collection. They represented his darkness moments and his rebirth back into the world.

"You've outdone yourself this time, Eunhyuk-ssi." Leeteuk, the gallery owner, complimented as he handed Eunhyuk a glass of champagne. "It tells a story. I can feel the emotion in each piece. I also love the introduction of the red into the blue."

"Thank-you," Eunhyuk answered as he eyed each of his paintings hanging about the gallery floor.

They'd been hung in a specific order, so that they developed and evolved as the observed moved passed them. The first few paintings were a deep blue. They featured Donghae's image upon them, different aspects of his face present in multiple pieces in various ways. With each painting, the blue faded away and a bright red bled into them. They were abstract and caked with layers upon layers of paint. There was deep emotion in each stroke and glob of color.

"Where did you find the inspiration to finish this?" Leeteuk asked, "It's the best work I've seen from you."

"I met someone," Eunhyuk admitted, taking a sip of his champagne and looking about the room in search of the man he longed to see again. "He pulled me out of the darkness."

It had been three days since Eunhyuk had seen or heard from Heechul. After Heechul had fallen asleep in his arms, Eunhyuk had slipped out of bed and grabbed his camera. He took pictures of the sleeping escort to use as inspiration. Each shot of Heechul's beautiful sleeping face was now plastered in a mixed media piece covered in red and blue acrylic and glossy black and white photo paper. It was one of Eunhyuk's favorite pieces, and seemed to be attracting quite a crowd around it.

When Eunhyuk had awoken later that day, Heechul had been gone. The escort left without a word or even a note. Eunhyuk even noted that Heechul had taken his card from the kitchen counter. This worried him greatly. It seemed as if his newly found muse had left him forever. An overwhelming sadness filled Eunhyuk's heart as he moved away from Leeteuk and over to the centerpiece of his entire collection.

Hung in the middle of the gallery was a large canvas covered in subtle oil paints. It depicted Heechul's nude form lounging in Eunhyuk's unmade bed. Heechul's pale skin was lit by delicate blue hues and the background around him bed bright reds. He looked beautiful upon the canvas. Eunhyuk felt as if he could stare into his dark eyes forever. This piece was his favorite. It was the best in the show, and the guests also felt the same.

There was a large crowd gathered around Heechul's painting. They were whispering and critiquing the work in hushed tones. Eunhyuk listened carefully to their words and smiled sadly to himself with each comment. They were in love with the painting and the beautiful man upon it. Everyone wanted to know who he was and how they could meet him. Heechul was the star of the show and it made Eunhyuk sad that his inspiration wasn't here to witness it.

An hour before the gallery was to close, Eunhyuk found himself sitting at a tiny table in the corner sipping his fourth glass of champagne and trying not to cry. Though his show was going great, Eunhyuk was depressed. Even if it had been a long shot, he'd hoped that Heechul would have come. He wished that the man who had affected him so deeply would have come to see the results of his inspiration. Deep down, Eunhyuk wanted Heechul to be a part of his life; he needed him to be.