STRAY // JJK x HYBRID (bunny)✔️ Re-Writing

·CHAPTER 4·

BO-YOUNG

"So, you're an artist?" I make small talk, hoping to alleviate the awkwardness in the air. Jungkook nods, though he looks unsure.

"It's not like I make any money off it, it's more of a hobby," he tells me solemnly.

"Do you have more pieces you could show me?" I ask. I see him perk up slightly, his eyebrows raising slightly.

"I didn't think you'd be interested," he comments as he lifts himself from the armchair, disappearing into one of the two doors branching off the wall on the other end of the apartment. He quickly returns, carrying a large hardcover sketchbook under one arm. He takes a seat next to me on the couch, flipping through the sketchbook.

"This is my most recent sketchbook. I can't let you flip through it freely, but I can show you some pieces," he tells me, patting the cushion next to him to invite me to scooch closer. Once I'm next to him, he places the sketchbook between us, one half resting on his leg and the other on mine.

"I mostly work with pencil and charcoal, though I paint too," he tells me as he flips the page, revealing a beautiful pencil sketch of a butterfly.

"I think I've seen that type of butterfly at the park," I say, to which Jungkook hums.

"Yeah, that's where I found my reference. I drew this sitting on the same bench I was on when I spotted you."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just Google a reference?" I question.

"Easier, yes, but this way the drawing is unique," he explains.

He peeks at the pages, flipping past one before opening it again to a page, this time one with a charcoal portrait of a man. He looks perfect, much in the same way as Jungkook does—with a slim face and full lips like that, I expect the man on the page is a model. As I look closer at the page, I notice the date in the corner. This drawing seems to be from yesterday.

"That's Jin," Jungkook says, his voice suddenly quiet as he looks sullenly at the man's face. "It's been over half a year since I last saw him."

"A friend of yours?"

"Yeah, the oldest in the group. He's been abroad for quite a while, but we're hoping he'll be back for Halloween."

"Are all the people in your friend group this drop-dead gorgeous?" I ask.

Jungkook laughs. "I suppose you could say that."

He flips the page again, but it's blank.

"I haven't gotten past this point; as I said, this sketchbook is my newest," he says.

"Any plans for this page?"

"None at all," he chuckles. "You know, I'd love to draw you if you'd let me."

"Me?" I ask incredulously, caught completely off guard by his proposition. "I doubt I want to follow the last drawing—imagine flipping the page from your ethereal friend only to find a dishevelled hybrid," I laugh.

"Don't say that—I think you look great," he reassures me.

I purse my lips, debating with myself for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Okay then, I suppose it couldn't hurt. It's been a long time since I last saw myself properly."

Jungkook lights up, his bunny teeth on full display as he grins. He takes out a large pencil case, unravelling it to reveal an assortment of different pencils and compressed charcoal sticks, each neatly organised in sections. I wonder how he makes sense of it all.

"That's a lot of pencils," I can't help but mutter.

"Of course, I have charcoal pencils and graphite over here, each a different softness," he explains. "This cost me a fortune."

"I- I didn't know there was more than one kind of pencil," I say. I hear Jungkook laugh, shaking his head slightly.

He turns to face me, sitting on the couch sideways with his legs crossed. I mirror him. He looks at my face, scanning over my features.

"Draw me like one of your French girls~" I snicker, watching as Jungkook stops in his tracks and facepalms loudly. "Don't look at me like that—you know I had to say it," I justify, my chuckles sounding dangerously close to cackling.

When his pencil hits the page, my nerves skyrocket. Every few seconds, his eyes lift from the page and glance at me before returning, the scratching of the lead against the paper quickly following. I feel strangely vulnerable, not knowing what it is he's looking at.

"Jungkook, are you a dog or cat person?" I ask him, trying to find a distraction through conversation.

"Dog," he quickly replies, his eyes not leaving the page as he lightly scribbles before switching pencils. "I actually have a dog, but he lives at my parents' place. I've recently been considering adopting either a pet or a hybrid to fill the silence."

"Cool," I say. "I had a pet once too—well, he wasn't really my pet, we just hung out. His name was Pig; he was a common squirrel I fed when I first came to this city. Eventually, Pig brought a bunch of his buddies, and the park ended up adopting a 'no feeding the wildlife' policy."

Jungkook laughs. "Why Pig?"

"He was a greedy bastard," I snort. "Sometimes, he stole the food right out of my hands."

After a while, I notice Jungkook looking up at me more often without continuing the drawing. I see him press his tongue against his cheek, squinting his eyes at me.

"You moved," he states.

"Sorry...?" I apologise and subtly trying to adjust my position back to how it was before. Despite my effort, Jungkook doesn't seem satisfied. He reaches over, carefully tilting my head slightly, before assessing my position once more.

"There we go," he says quietly before continuing. I try to stay in the position, but my back keeps aching from staying still for so long.

"Please tell me you're done soon," I plead.

"Don't rush me. This is exactly why Van Gogh cut off his ear."

"That is... very incorrect," I point out, but he doesn't seem to be paying me any mind as he leans in really close to the drawing, presumably adding fine detail. After a few final lines, he dramatically lifts his pencil off the page.

"Okay, it's done!"