Stray Gods (SLOW UPDATES BUT NOT ABANDONED)

Chapter 38

'Welcome to my studio,' Hyunjin spoke proudly as he opened the door for you. You looked around in complete awe. You had never been in Hyunjin's studio before. He had always been very secretive about it. Never revealing its location to any of the other guys either. You had always imagined his studio to be similar to his room, only larger. A big mess with paint, tools, and canvasses scattered around the room. But nothing was further from the truth. The studio was organized, and neat - not even a single scrunched-up, discarded concept drawing on the floor. In fact, it looked more like a storage room than a studio. Beautifully decorated canvasses were neatly stacked in racks alongside the walls. In the corner were a few statues hidden underneath white blankets to keep them dust free. There was only one painting hung on the wall. It had different colours, almost like a rainbow with a bright white dot in the middle, which almost seemed to be radiating into the bright colours. There was only a small area of the studio decorated to be used as a painting and drawing station.

'It's a bit of a mess, sorry,' Hyunjin said sheepishly as he stared at your face unsure of what to make of your reaction. You looked at him incredulously before bursting into laughter.

'A mess?' You laughed,' Hyunjin I've never seen a space this organized apart from Seungmin's room,'

Hyunjin chuckled and led you deeper inside.

'What are these?' You asked him, immediately walking over to the nearest rack of paintings.

'These are paintings I acquired for clients. They'll either be shipped out soon or personally delivered by me,' Hyunjin explained.

'Ah right,' you said with a nod, looking at all the paintings in the racks and admiring them, trying to see whether you could put them into categories like Hyunjin had taught you.

'I'm guessing those are also for clients?' You asked him, pointing at the several covered-up statues in the corner. Hyunjin nodded.

'Also for clients?' You asked, pointing at the paintings nearest his easel.

'Erm no,' he said, suddenly looking a bit bashful, his cheeks slightly pinkening. 'They're mine,'

'Yours as in, you bought these, or yours as in, you made these?' you asked, but when you took a step closer, you recognized the style, realizing the answer.

'I've made them,' he said, a hint of pride in his voice. You let your fingers slide over the edges of the painted canvases, scanning their images. On the back of the rack, there was a large painting with a white sheet over it.

'What's that one?' you asked curiously, looking at Hyunjin. His lips curled into a mysterious smile.

'That one is a surprise,' he said mysteriously. You gave a pout, hoping he'd reveal more but he didn't give in, and cleared his throat, straightening his face. 'However, I didn't bring you here to look at more paintings,' he explained with an almost business-like voice. You arched a brow at him and once again he looked at you playfully. 'You trust me?' he asked, less playfully and more serious, a glitter in his eyes.

'With my life,' you replied softly under your breath, not even having to think about the answer. A soft smile appeared on his face.

'Close your eyes,' he spoke, his voice almost a whisper. It wasn't hard to do as he told you. Normally you would've been skeptical if any of the boys would've told you to close your eyes for them. Too many pranks had put you on high alert. But being alone with Hyunjin in his studio that he hadn't shown to anyone else, the day the two of you had had, and the way he was talking and the look in his eyes was enough for you to obey him without any thought.

'Today I have told you a lot about art,' he spoke, his voice calm and relaxed. You could hear his footsteps move around you. 'But everything I said didn't actually matter,' he continued. You frowned, your eyes still closed, feeling slightly confused. 'Art isn't who painted it or when or how. Art isn't measured by its worth in money, or its fantastical backstory, or its ranking in its category,' Hyunjin explained, still pacing around you. He left a silence for a second as you waited for him to continue talking, his footsteps stopping.