Miss Imperfect // lee minhyuk (#24)

29

Minhyuk

"So what is this new project that you are working on?" I was handed a cup of coffee given to me by a regular customer that I often meet up with, he is also one of my closest friends since university days and he was one of them who told me that I should pursue a painting career for the rest of my life, I went towards that life and he was the one who invested in my first few projects so that I would have enough money to buy art supplies and also to keep myself alive while I work.

Because of him, I was able to survive for the first few years as an unknown painter and of course my ex-girlfriend was there as well but she was doing another form of art and it doesn't require a lot of time to work on one art piece, but we still managed to earn some money after the end of the 3rd year. And the thing about working in the art industry is that although it is tiring and tedious to paint one entire series in a few months without stopping for a break, the returns are quite high than I have expected and there is a chance that we might get noticed as well.

And I did get noticed for my unique art style and that helped me gain a lot of following and soon I was earning more and more money on a single painting and then I was able to purchase a decent apartment after my 5th year in the career and I was single after the failed engagement with my fiancee, if I had joined another career and did something that my parents wanted me to do, I don't even think that I would ever be earning this much money on a yearly basis.

Jobs like this can be tiring and be looked down upon by a lot of people and it can be rather unstable as well because we don't get money monthly but by per project and after each event, if we fail to attract enough people to get interested in our artworks, we wouldn't be able to make any money at all. Of course, there will be people who will buy artefacts and old but valuable paintings but my paintings are still too early to be called an artefact, it is not even a legendary painting.

I am still a painter who needs a lot of improvement on my skills and I have to do a lot of projects to earn that kind of a respect from the other painters and the senior painters in the industry, it will take me a long time to get there and I can say that I am on the pathway towards the highest possible level of being a world-renowned painter and be inspired by many rookie painters who will look up to me in the future.

But it is too early for me to call myself that and I should humble myself down as much as possible, every painter in the industry have one ultimate goal, which is to earn money from our paintings that we spend months and months of perfecting it in order to be able to be shown to the public and to be able to place a price tag on it, and sometimes to get some recognition and popularity.

"I won't tell you about that, I don't plan on telling anyone about it before it gets released," I told him.

He sulked and crossed his arms over one another. "What is this, Mr Lee? Are you proud that you are a nation known painter now? Why can't you let me know the details of your new project?"

I took a sip of my cup of coffee. "I don't exactly count it as a project as I don't plan on selling it, it is a project that I have started because of a special someone."

"But you don't have a special someone, you have been single for the past 4 years and you don't even come out of the house. How do you even have the time to meet someone?" He gasped. "Is she--"

I rolled my eyes at him. "She is not some random sex doll that I have purchased off the internet, you have said to me that I should spend the rest of my life with an AI robot because it is low-maintenance and she will never leave my side unless I throw it away but she is not a doll."

"Then what is she?" He gasped again. "Don't tell me--"

"Stop going to weird and random conclusions, Yook SungJae! She is not a doll nor a pet, she is not a goldfish or a love pillow. She is definitely real, the last time I checked she came over to my house and ate a whole box of fried chicken." I yelled at him and he immediately shuts his mouth.

"So she is real... What is her name? How old is she? What does she work as?" I put one finger up to stop him. "But I am just so curious about the mysterious girl that you have been dating, you haven't dated anyone ever since Kim SoHye and I was so worried that you will not love anyone after her. I bet that she is extremely special and good looking that made you break that record of not dating anyone for the past 4 years."

I smiled at the thought of SooNa who should be handling clients in her office at this point in time. "She is a very special person to me and I am glad that I have met her when I am least expecting it, she was just there next to my apartment and it took me so long to notice that she was there. She is a lawyer working at the law firm just across the street from here, this should be the building that she works in." I pointed a finger towards the building that is facing in our direction. "And she is the same age as you but she has already made a name for herself at that age, she is very smart and she knows how to make me happy. She is an impressive woman and I am glad that I have met her."

He looks at me with a look of disgust. "I can see that it is written all over your face. So you are doing a project just for your girlfriend, it is such a sweet thing that you are doing for her."

"It is, I am planning to finish the project before her birthday so that I can gift it to her as a birthday present. Isn't it a good thing?"

He nodded. "I am glad that you are smiling, you stopped smiling ever since she left you and this new lover of yours have made you break the curse."

"It did." I nodded, smiling to myself again.

He clasped his hands together. "Very well then. How much do you think that you can earn from this project?"

"Nothing. I am doing it for her happiness and it is priceless." I gained a snicker from him. "Don't be jealous, you will know that feeling if you will stop breaking their hearts and finally settling down with someone who will stop you from fooling around and I am afraid that day is very far away."