i just have to get this out there..... this smut chan fic is KILLING ME I literally had to do over 3 rewrites because I wasn't liking how its turning out 💔💔
I just wanted to let you know that from what has been going around on X and instagram, the product photo on the this post <https://www.tumblr.com/cupioyennie/820320188166733824/i-have-thoughts-that-i-cant-speak-out-loud-right?source=share> is AI.
Apparently it's a customised bodysuit with no picture of the product as of now. Loved the post and the picture. Went feral over it like a very normal person and reblogged it too but unfortunately, it's AI generated ㅠㅅㅠ
So yeah just wanted to let you know
:]
OMGGG I'M SO SORRY I DIDNT KNOWWW??? I'll deffo remove it (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ Thank you for letting me know Love !!! <333
LOVE LETTER — 002: some nights, beauty looked back at me.
AN ART GALLERY COULD NEVER BE AS UNIQUE AS YOU
Or: after getting mistakenly stuck in an empty museum after hours, you thought you'd have to spend your night alone with statues and paintings that seemed to stare at your soul and know your secrets in the dark, thankfully, there seemed to be somebody else stuck there with you— Your classmate, Hyunjin from your fine arts class
Fic includes: fluff, forced proximity trope, museum trip gone wrong, Locked-in-together, meaningful convos, slow burn(ish), art students romance , classmates-to-implied!lovers, romcom (if you can perceive it that way??), many dialogues
Wc: 8.3k (WOW)
Jiji notes: first fluff fic !! Thank you so much for all the love on the previous fic !! I absolutely died writing this... this is half not proofread since I'm starting to doze off rechecking everything 😭 Hope you all enjoy this Hyunjin fic !! Reblogs, comments, and likes are very well-appreciated. Enjoy reading !!
You were screwed.
Really really screwed.
Putting off a MAJOR assignment for your fine arts class proved to be the wrong choice, Mr. Kim—your Fine Arts professor—had assigned the project weeks ago.
The task itself sounded simple enough on paper. Visit a museum of your choice, select several pieces that stood out to you, and analyze how the artist conveyed emotion using color, composition, lighting, and depth. Then compile your observations into a reflection paper worth a terrifying percentage of your final grade.
Then, for reasons still unknown to you (and maybe the rest of the class), he expected all of those observations to be condensed into a four-thousand-word reflection paper due tomorrow.
But in your defense, you wanted to go the day after he assigned it, but, there were far too many people in the museum, so you pushed it back to next week, but then you and your friends went out and other tasks piled up so you pushed it back it again—
Okay who were you kidding, you really procrastinated this task because there had been TOO much time and it'll just be easy, I mean, there's only a certain word limit! Surely, after buying your favorite cup of iced coffee from that café a few blocks away from your university, those words will come to you. Until you blinked and then… It was the day before the submission date.
So here you were, standing in front of the nearest museum in your area that now loomed like a death sentence, dolled up to the best you could, armed with a notebook and pen and your camera to take notes and references and actually ace this.
With a dramatic sigh, you adjusted the strap of your bag and stepped through the museum's glass doors.
The familiar scent of polished floors and old paper greeted you immediately. Visitors drifted from exhibit to exhibit in quiet murmurs, their footsteps softened by the vastness of the building.
You paused near the entrance, then one of the staff handed you a museum map, which you briefly thanked her for with a quick smile. Stepping aside, you unfurled the museum map with all the confidence of someone who absolutely knew what they were doing. Mostly. A little.
You did not know what you were doing.
At all.
Standing there, staring at the detailed map, as different floors were revealed right before your eyes.
Contemporary Art Wing.
Modern Art Gallery.
Special Collections.
Sculpture Hall.
How exactly were you supposed to get four thousand words out of this? With so much to choose from?? What would be the best one so your reflection would stand out??
You stared at the map for a moment longer before shoving it back into your bag and deciding to trust your instincts.
A decision that, historically speaking, had never worked in your favor.
———— ⁀જ➣
After spending at least 30 minutes observing paintings, sculptures, reading plaques, and capturing photos on your camera, you could confidently say you were losing your mind.
30 minutes of walking around with barely 2 pages filled up with information that would be helpful in your four–thousand–word reflection.
Passing through another archway to a bigger room with more paintings, you took a couple of photos, being more discreet and dying hoping the other visitors won’t think you were photographing them when it's just the paintings you wanted pictures of. Then you walked a couple of steps, staring at a more grand painting.
Pulling out your notebook you quickly jotted down a few words. “The artist uses blue tones to convey—” …Convey? Convey what?!? Sadness?? Taxes?? Impending deadlines?? The wish to turn back time and wished you'd done this reflection paper earlier so you'd spend your actual weekend just relaxing?? A fish?? Wait— a fish??
…Now you think that actually doesn't make sense…
You were practically tearing your hair out. Frustrated that you'd put off this task for so long, you could practically cry.
Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration.
But still.
Scanning the room, you wondered if perhaps you were simply missing something. Maybe there was some deeper meaning hidden within the painting that your sleep-deprived brain refused to understand.
Surely someone else here had figured it out.
A tall man, carrying a black bag with a sketchbook and notepad in his hands seemed to stare at you. You stared back. Hey, you knew this guy! It was your classmate from Mr. Kim's class!
Hwang Hyunjin.
Right.
That was his name.
The quiet guy from Mr. Kim's class who always sat near the windows and somehow managed to fill entire notebook pages with sketches before the lecture had even ended.
Great, now a classmate of yours had seen you go mental over this assignment, evident with the way he was weirdly staring at you. You decide to look away first, and walk out to another room.
That's until you kept seeing him. Again, and again, and again, and again. Even he seemed to get weirded out by this coincidence, weirded out enough to confront you when you were standing in front of one of the more famous artworks.
“Have you been following me?” He asks, you stare. He stares back once more. “I could ask you the same thing,”
For a moment, neither of you said anything. You. Him. The painting. Then you. Then him. Then the painting again.
"...So are you here for the reflection too?" you finally asked. Hyunjin stared then raised a brow.
"You mean the assignment due tomorrow? Unfortunately."
A pause.
Then:
"I thought I was the only one who left it until the last minute." He mumbles, almost like he was a little embarrassed he's put this off for so long. "Oh, trust me," you sighed. "You're definitely not."
“Okay but have you written anything yet? For the reflection?” You ask scooting a little close in his personal space to try and take a peek at his notes.
“Yeah, I've got some notes here and there,” Hyunjin replies, tilting his notepad to give you a better look at his observations and… They were neat, not just neat, but also detailed. “Wait… do you actually understand half the things Professor Kim talks about??” You ask, puzzled and surprised, marveling at his memos.
“No.” Hyunjin replies, way too quickly. “Not really,” Hyunjin rubs the back of his neck. You laugh, expressing the same predicament “I don't either, but how did you even observe all this?”
“I've always been pretty connected to art. Interpreting the messages comes a little easier, I guess.” You stared at him. Then in his notepad. Then back at him.
"You're telling me you can just look at a painting and immediately understand what it's trying to say?"
Hyunjin frowned. "I mean... not immediately."
You pointed at the page in his notepad. "Hyunjin, you have three paragraphs written about a bowl of fruit."
"It wasn't just a bowl of fruit."
"It was literally a bowl of fruit."
"It represented abundance." Hyunjin argues,
"It represented groceries." You retort.
You narrow your eyes and look at his notes once more, then back to the paintings spread out in front of you both. “You're telling me you looked at this for five minutes and got all of that?” Hyunjin nods.
“That's absolutely ridiculous!” You blurt out, hands on your hips, jabbing a finger at the papers on Hyunjin's hands while he scoffs. “I prefer to call it talented.” He corrects, meanwhile you mimic him talking with your hands as a way to annoy him “I prefer annoying.” You reply.
For the first time since the conversation started, a smile tugged at the corner of Hyunjin's lips. You stared at him for a moment, unsure whether to be impressed or mildly offended.
On one hand, Hyunjin had somehow managed to gather enough observations to fill several pages of notes while you'd spent the last thirty minutes questioning whether a painting was secretly about fish.
On the other hand, he was being strangely helpful about it. Which was unexpected.
You didn't know Hyunjin particularly well, but from the few months you'd shared Mr. Kim's class, he'd always struck you as the quiet type. The kind of person who sat near the windows, occasionally sketching in the margins of his notes and only speaking when he absolutely had to.
Yet here he was, willingly helping you.
Well.
Helping might've been a strong word.
"Come on." He urges, turning around to walk out of the area, giving you some time to catch up. You blinked “What?” You asked puzzled. Hyunjin adjusted the strap of his bag before gesturing towards a staircase at the far end of the gallery. "There's another gallery upstairs."
You followed his gaze before looking back at him, unaware of what he’s hinting at. "...And?" "The paintings there are easier to analyze." He explains. For a moment, you were unsure why he would’ve wanted you to come, and there was no way he thought that explanation was sufficient.
“Was that your attempt at helping me?” You ask, voice trailing off cautiously while narrowing your eyes, head tilting in a curious manner. The question seemed to catch him off guard for a second. Only a second. "It was." he hums. And you couldn't help the short laugh that escaped you. The confidence was almost admirable.
"You make it sound like I'm some sort of charity case." A faint smile tugged at the corner of Hyunjin's lips as he shifted his sketchbook and notepad beneath his arm. "You kind of are." you gasp. The audacity. Actually, the nerve. You had known this man for all of ten minutes outside of class and he was already insulting you.
"That's offensive." You said, crossing your arms defensively as you stared down at him, though it was a little harder for you to look intimidating, not when he was taller than you were. He didn’t even look up from his notepad, scribbling something down. "Is it?"
"Extremely."
"You thought blue represented taxes." He finally glanced up, a deadpan expression on his face that made you want to kick him in the shins. You immediately pointed an accusing finger straight at his chest. “In my defense, I was brainstorming!”
“You also thought it represented fish.” He teases, eyes twinkling with amusement at your frustration. “I said I was brainstorming,” you muttered, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks as you lowered your hand.
A quiet laugh escaped Hyunjin’s lips. Not even a proper laugh. Just enough for his shoulders to shake slightly, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons. And for some reason, that felt like a victory earned.
The walk upstairs was surprisingly easy. Somewhere between leaving the previous gallery and reaching the next floor, the conversation had shifted away from the assignment entirely.
Hyunjin had somehow managed to spend five minutes passionately explaining why a sculpture made out of scrap metal was "misunderstood."
“Here we are,” Hyunjin began, turning around while his hair almost whipped you in the face. “And we’ll collaborate on this and get ourselves a four-thousand reflection paper.” His eyes got this shine to it, almost excited to be talking about something he’s passionate about, but before you could protest, Hyunjin was already heading toward another painting.
“Okay, don’t think about what the painting means.” Hyunjin explains, leafing through a new page on his notepad and handing it to you, as well as a pen.
“Then what am I supposed to do?” You asked, taking the pen and paper from his hands, the soft ‘click!’ of the pen drowned out by the sounds of the soft chatter of the other visitors. “Look at it.” Hyunjin motions, like whatever he was trying to get you to do made sense while you just tilted your head in confusion.
“I am looking at it though,” You murmur, scribbling words on the pages. “No. Like, really look, like write what you’re feeling when you see it.” He clarifies, glancing over your shoulder to see what you have written.
Then a sudden silence from him makes you look over in nervousness and he's just staring at the words you've written.
Silence.
More silence.
"...Hungry?” The delayed reaction kills you. You whine and were just this close to tearing your hair out. “I know! I know! I’m sorry!! I’m just not really that good at this!” Meanwhile, Hyunjin just sighed, shaking his head while he tried a new approach
"Okay. Let's forget symbolism." Hyunjin expresses with his hands, flipping a new page on the notepad again for you to write even better ideas, while you nod eagerly, just quite happy to really move away from that topic.
"What color do you notice first?" He asks you, pointing toward the painting, voice gentle and eyes squinted. “Red.” You confidently answer, quickly writing it down on the page while he nods approvingly.
“Okay, good. Now why do you think the artist used red on the portrait?” He asks, steering you to an answer that maybe you'll find much easier than right up asking for the symbolism head on.
“Maybe they used red because the picture looks like the girl hates the guy… but has to hide it??” You pondered while you wrote more down next to the “Color” column you've done.
“Actually, better question. Why are you talking to me like a kindergarten teacher?” You turn towards him while he just looks even more endeared, nodding eagerly, “Hey! But it worked! That's exactly what the artist was trying to portray!!”
Your eyes lit up, gasping loudly, “Wait? IT'S THAT EASY?!” Something bright immediately appeared in Hyunjin's expression, and he nodded so fast. “YES YES!! YOU UNDERSTAND RIGHT??” You then whisper-cheer, making little jumps of joy for finally understanding such a complex painting, while Hyunjin completely matches your energy.
From afar, you both looked like energetic and happy puppies jumping for joy when they heard their owners say ‘walk’
It went further on like that, Hyunjin was more patient in trying to help you. He made the effort of knowing how to make you see stuff like that easier, and to you, it makes you really stare at him.
He wasn't trying to be an arrogant teacher or look in disdain when you didn't understand, though he was dramatic, he was passionate in explaining, clearly showing his love for this craft.
“Okay, c'mon! Let's do some more!” Hyunjin offers, quickly pacing away to the next area while you quickly catch up.
Most of the time, Hyunjin helps you grasp the symbolism and understand and answer the professor's questions. (Albeit the teasing mixed in when you do mess up). But, slowly but surely, your own notes started to actually be legible and filled with observations that will help you to write your own paper.
After observing one of the sculptures, your head was sort of in another space, so suddenly, you blurted out a question without thinking. “So, why fine arts anyway?”
Hyunjin seemed to pause, pondering that question for a moment, before you quickly regained your senses and were about to apologize. “Oh my god— I am so sorry, you don't have to answer that—”
“No, no, it's okay, I don't mind answering,” Hyunjin reassures you with a small smile. "I don't think I just don't think I ever considered anything else.” You hum, that was intriguing. So it really was possible for people to know what they wanted even at such an early age.
“Drawing was the first thing I was ever good at, so I kept doing it.” You quietly considered his answer as the two of you wandered toward the next exhibit. There was something oddly admirable about them. That realization shouldn't have surprised you.
Not when every time Hyunjin talked about art, he suddenly transformed into an entirely different person.
But not everyone got to say they’d found the thing they loved. You certainly hadn’t, at least not yet anyway. Still, it was strange hearing someone speak so confidently about their future. Most people your age seemed to be making it up as they went. Yourself included
Meanwhile Hyunjin somehow sounded like he'd already known the answer for years. “How about you? Why did you choose Fine Arts?” Hyunjin inquires, turning towards you, interested in your answer. “I actually wanted something practical at first. Something stable. But I just… kept gravitating towards the creative side of things.”
“So you could say I wasn't really that brave enough to choose Fine Arts at first.”
Hyunjin seemed thoughtful about it, nodding. “Well, I’m glad you chose Fine Arts, maybe that's what your heart really desires, that's why you kept gravitating towards it.” A captivating answer. Hyunjin seemed really perceptive, maybe emotionally or intelligently, you weren’t sure yet.
“I… haven’t thought about it that way yet, that answer’s annoyingly wholesome.” Hyunjin laughs at your answer, bumping your shoulder with his. “Maybe you just need a change of perspective.”
You stare, a small smile creeping up your face. “Has anyone told you that you sound like a motivational poster?” Hyunjin gasps, offended, a hand over his heart. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever been compared to!” You both share a laugh, quickly stifling it once some visitors turned to stare. Which made you laugh more.
Then, your eyes catch the familiar sign of a café downstairs. Some relaxation after all this searching for answers for your reflection paper would be helpful. "I think all this perspective-changing has made me hungry." You comment, and as if on cue, Hyunjin’s stomach growled, embarrassingly loud while he flushed a bright red, awkwardly laughing, “Yeah… I think I’m pretty hungry…”
“There’s a café downstairs,” you pointed out, tilting your head toward the lower floor. “We could grab something and compare notes.” Hyunjin glanced over the railing before looking back at the stack of papers in his hands. “That's probably a good idea.”
“Honestly,” you said, tucking your notebook beneath your arm. “A whole day of analyzing art and you’ve been the only person that actually got me to understand all this” Hyunjin blinks, shoving his things inside his messenger bag. “It’s no big deal really. I just saved you from writing our thousand words about fish.”
“And now I can actually identify symbolism.” You mused, a grin tugging at your lips in amusement as you both walked side by side out of the exhibit area “You're welcome.” Hyunjin vocalizes while you roll your eyes with a small laugh
“Don't get too proud. I still think the fish theory had potential.” You tried to convince him of it, meanwhile he just stares judgementally at your claim, eyes squinting. “It really didn't.” You snorted, earning an exasperated look from him before the two of you started toward the staircase.
By now, the museum had begun to quiet down. The crowds from earlier had thinned, leaving only scattered visitors drifting between exhibits. The golden afternoon sunlight poured through the large windows, casting long shadows across the polished floors.
For the first time all day, you weren't thinking about your reflection paper.
Which was probably concerning.
Because it was still due tomorrow.
Yet somehow, discussing fruit paintings and being bullied by Hwang Hyunjin had become significantly more interesting.
———— ⁀જ➣
You both finally reached the area. It was a little bit busy with people having hushed conversations, people still keeping in mind that they’re in a museum. “Let’s go order? You can sit down,” You offer, pointing towards one of the few empty seats around the area. “It’s okay, I can come with you, I want to say my order myself” Hyunjin insists so you agree.
After waiting a bit in line, Hyunjin lets you order first. Humming, you carefully consider your order. “I’ll have… one iced coffee please, and also… maybe one Lemon Tart. What about you, Hyunjin?”
Hyunjin leaned forward to look at the menu, humming as he finally chose his order. “Uhm… one iced vanilla latte, with an extra shot and could you change the milk to oat milk? And uh… could you have less ice on that? And oh! One pump of hazelnut please”
The more Hyunjin explains his order, the more you stare in disbelief, side-eyeing him. You would’ve taken him for an Iced Americano kinda guy but with so many tweaks and changes… no wonder he wanted to order his drink himself. “And could I please order four of the breadsticks? Yes— the one with sugar! Thank you!”
After a bit of back and forth about who’ll pay, Hyunjin insists and throws distractions at you (literally and figuratively) he manages to pay (which you swear you'll treat him next time), you both were finally handed the receipt and your orders. Carrying each of your trays, you scanned the area to find some open space for the both of you to sit.
“Over there!” Hyunjin calls, immediately beelining and deciding to lead you both to a booth just right where the sunlight hits just perfectly. You both set your trays down, removing the pastries and drinks from it to set the trays aside.
Your conversations started to flow slowly but surely, like a river steady with the rush of its waters. One of the things you found favorable, was when you both started to share and compare notes for the paper, while also sharing some of your food with each other.
Bit by bit, you found yourselves drifting away from the conversation of your classes and more about yourselves, getting to know more about each other rather than just ‘classmates’.
Your eyes catch a glimpse of the sketches on his sketchbook and you couldn't help but ask. “How long have you been drawing?” You ask, stabbing your fork over the lemon tart and scooping it up to eat it, “I mean, you must be good at drawing right? I've seen you sketch a little bit in class.”
Hyunjin nodded, sipping his weird concoction of a drink, “I've actually been drawing since I was a kid,” You looked at him in surprise, there’s always a huge population of kids always drawing but very few actually took that to their adulthood. “Seriously?” You press.
“Yep,” Hyunjin agrees, popping the ‘p’ sound, “My parents had to hide the walls from me.” Hyunjin grins. A laugh escaped you before you could stop it. “You were one of those kids?”
“I was an artist.” Hyunjin corrects you.
“You vandalized your own house.” You pointed accusingly, while he gasps, a hand on his chest, quick to defend his case. “I decorated it!”
“That is not the same thing.” You shake your head with feigned disappointment while Hyunjin merely shrugged, as though there was absolutely no difference. It was alarming how committed he was to defending childhood crimes.
“Okay, but what job are you taking after?” You pressed even further. The more you knew about Hyunjin, the more it made you feel like you’re slowly unraveling chapters of his life that you’ve never known before. And in turn, Hyunjin himself was having fun talking to you.
He’s always thought of you as this weird classmate that keeps answering all the professor’s questions even the simplest ones and for a while now he’s… embarrassingly thought of you as a Teacher’s pet when you’re just mostly genuinely looking to learn more about everything.
“I've actually been really interested in concept art lately, and I think that’ll be my dream profession” Hyunjin remarks. “Oh! Concept Artist… like for movies?” You question, sipping the rest of your drink.
Condensation covers your fingertips, a big temperature change to the late afternoon sunshine illuminating half the spot of your booth.
Whilst Hyunjin visibly shines “Yes, yes! Like for movies, games, or animation!” He says with much excitement. “How about you? What job are you taking?” As much as Hyunjin doesn’t want to say it, he doesn’t really see you in the artist direction… but hey! That’s just his judgement, maybe you will be an artist.
“Actually I want to be a museum curator someday,” You dwell on it for a tiny bit, “But really I don't know why I chose museum curation. I can't even understand half of these paintings." You chuckle, a subtle jab at your own shortcoming in this area.
"That's not true." Hyunjin quickly interjects, “We exchanged notes and look,” Hyunjin points to one of the pages you've written “You remembered the artist's name."
"And the year it was painted." He points again, "And the historical context."
"And the exhibition it came from, among the other symbolism you understood, this is what you wrote.” and then Hyunjin points toward you and himself
"You notice different things than I do, and I think that's okay.” He smiles and snorts “And I think that helps more with the job you want more than you realize.”
“I appreciate you saying that, really. It means a lot more than you realize.” You reply, voice with a hint of warm sincerity. Hyunjin gives you a toothy grin, brushing off the gesture as ‘only stating the facts’.
You both let the quietness seep in, taking in the soft ambiance around you. There was soft music playing around the café area, the conversations of people, the shutters of cameras of people taking selfies, and the distant announcement of a staff member overhead you both.
“Can I be honest?” Hyunjin suddenly pipes up, he catches your attention while you instantly grin. Huh, that's peculiar. You've known him for such a short time but he's already been making you smile when all he did was talk.
“Oh no, that usually means you're about to insult me." You teased, poking his arm.
"I thought you were kind of a teacher's pet at first.” Hyunjin finally expands on his answer. While you gasp me, pointing to yourself “Me??? Teacher's pet???” You stared in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Hyunjin looks flustered at your expression, quickly scrambling to try and explain. “You always answer every question Mr. Kim has!! That seems like a teacher's pet behavior to me!” He whines, burying his face in his hands.
“I even thought you were the type to be terrifyingly organized and… I don't know, finish assignments weeks early?” Hyunjin slowly shrugs while you nearly choke on your drink, pointing to the giant stack of your notes piled up on different sheets.
“Organized?? Look where that got me… You really think I'm organized and finish my stuff on time?” Hyunjin suddenly bursts out laughing while you playfully hit his shoulder exclaiming that “it wasn't funny!”
Huffing, you crossed your arms and finally let him in your thoughts too. “Well I honestly thought you hated everybody,” Now, this time, it was Hyunjin's turn to look surprised
“Do I really give off that energy?? I swear I'm not mean!” it was obvious Hyunjin didn't want to be perceived in that way, while you reassure him that it's not in the serious ‘mean guy’ way.
“I mean what am I supposed to think when a pretty guy in class takes the corner spot next to the windows other than said guy being brooding and hating everybody??” You explain, Hyunjin blinked. "Pretty guy?" His whispers flustered, and suddenly the floor looked interesting.
"...don't let it get to your head.” You say passively, as if unaware of the impact such simple words had, because what? You were just stating facts.
“And I already had this idea that you're this artsy genius—” And you couldn't help but sneak in, “which, like, I'm kinda right about that— but you also look like you secretly judge everyone??”
“ATTENTION MUSEUM VISITORS!! The museum will be closing in 30 minutes!” An automated female voice was heard throughout the speaker, broadcasting it throughout the whole general area.
Hyunjin didn't pay much mind to the announcement, 30 minutes? You both could wrap this up quickly and continue your talks outside, it wouldn't take too long after all. And surely, you'd be listening to the announcement too and remind him in like… 15 minutes that you guys had to go.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be the biggest mistake Hyunjin ever made. Because you were thinking the exact same thing. Hyunjin was probably listening to the broadcast and would remind you in 10 minutes you had to go, right?
Well, apparently not when you both decide to take a last quick look around the museum to really milk out all the information you could get before finally leaving.
Until… just one more exhibit became one last painting to ‘This one, I swear It's the last!’ to one last sculpture to one last picture…
Now, the venue started to get quieter and quieter, the janitors starting to mop everything up and staff doing their final rounds as the final announcement rang out.
“ATTENTION MUSEUM VISITORS!! The museum will be closing in 5 minutes! Please head to the nearest exits and we hope you had fun and come to visit again soon!” The automated female voice rang out once again.
The automated voice faded, leaving behind only the quiet hum of the air-conditioning and the occasional footsteps of museum staff.
You glanced toward the nearest hallway. "...Five minutes?" You muttered. "Hm?" Hyunjin was still squinting at a painting.
"Shouldn't we be leaving?" You ask, taking the time to look around the corner and the people starting to trickle out. "We should." Hyunjin agreed.
Neither of you moved.
"Definitely." You nod,
"Absolutely." He confirms.
Another pause.
"...Wait, did you finish your notes on this one?" Hyunjin asked, pointing toward the painting he was observing just a second earlier.
"No...” You reply, giving a onceover to your notes that had only a few missing information but had most of the key points you needed.
"Me too." Hyunjin quickly shuts his notepad quickly, tucking it beside his sketchbook. He knows he's lying. He could probably write more than four-thousand words with the information he's jotted down
And somehow, that became the reason the two of you stayed. Just one more painting. One more sculpture.
One more discussion about why abstract art was either genius or someone's expensive cry for help.
And one more chance at getting to know each other more on a deeper and personal level. You both decided to sit at the leather museum benches to talk "Do you ever regret choosing Fine Arts?" Hyunjin’s voice rings out once again.
"Sometimes." You responded as soon as Hyunjin asked to borrow your camera. You lended it to him with the warning of stealing his sketchbook if he drops or breaks it. "Really?" He comments, adjusting his grip on your digital camera before taking some shots of the scenery around.
"Mostly when I realize everyone around me seems more talented." You shrug, peeking over his shoulder to look at the photos he’s taken, surprised that even his artistry and his love for it shines through even through photography.
"That's stupid." He immediately interjected, hands on his hips as he seemed almost surprised that You had even that kind of thought. Then again, you did say you wanted something stable and practical at first rather than something creative.
"Excuse me?" You scrunched your eyebrows, standing up straighter, almost as if you’re ready to argue back with his comment, in which Hyunjin quickly saved himself from it with his response. "Not you. The thought.” he quickly clears up.
You sigh in relief, lightly scolding him that he should make that clear before you accidentally hit him with your bag or something, but with this atmosphere, you decided to ask something again.
“Do you ever get scared?” And Hyunjin admits that he does. He’s been harboring deep-seated insecurities and fears that he thinks he won’t be good enough, worrying his art won’t make it or worries that he’ll disappoint himself.
Your face pulls to an empathetic expression, hesitating to rub him on the back in comfort thinking it’ll be a little too far right now so you just opted to pat him on his shoulder instead. It was obvious these were his raw feelings and you didn’t want Hyunjin to feel as if he’s getting judged by laying all his feelings out.
And you finally admit it to him too. That you’re terrified you'll never become a curator because you don't understand symbolism as naturally as everyone else, worries that you’ll regret this job even if it’s something you were genuinely interested in.
The silence sets in, Hyunjin scoots a bit closer into your space. He nudged your shoulder with his and he sent a small, almost shy smile your way. “Maybe, if we graduate, I’ll give you some of my paintings. You can use it for your first experience as a curator.” Hyunjin offers while you blink in surprise “Free of charge, I swear.” he says raising a pinky and linking it to yours
You couldn’t help but let out the fit of giggles bubbling up your throat. “Sure, I’ll hold you up to that, you can’t charge me, okay??” You confirm while you didn’t even notice the burning stare Hyunjin was currently sending your way.
His eyes bore onto yours, his head ringing with the thought that you looked really pretty happy and laughing.
And because they're so caught up in this conversation, laughing and talking inside their own little bubble while absentmindedly wandering through hallways…
Neither of them notices how empty everything's become. No visitors, no voices, no footsteps, no staff, and dimmed to barely any lights at all.
It both pulls you out when the eerie quietness finally hits you. You tapped his arm, “Hyunjin? What time is it?” You asked and he looked at his watch and there, like the tiny little clock hands mocking him, it revealed to already be 6:30 pm.
You both went quiet. “Oh my god.” You reply in disbelief. Both your eyes widened like saucers.
Then, like a comedy film, you both immediately stood up, shoved your things in your bags and practically tripped over each other running down the swirls of staircases down to the main entrance.
Hyunjin reaches for the museum doors.
Click. Nothing.
He blinks and pulls it again to try.
Click.
"...Huh.”
You both stood there in solemn silence.
"...Hyunjin?" You call out.
"...Yeah?" He answers just as quickly.
"Tell me that sound is not what I think it is." You plead.
“WHAT.” You screamed, hands tightening around the handles of the door. You pulled and pulled but they definitely didn't budge, probably chained off from the outside and keyed or something like that.
“OH MY GOD, MR. KIM'S GONNA THINK WE ELOPED.” You panic, meanwhile Hyunjin looks over in embarrassment,
“THAT'S WHAT YOU FIRST THOUGHT???” He questions, yelling just as in the exact same tone as you. Looking at Hyunjin who looked as equally as panicked as you, you tried to defend your case before he grabbed your wrist.
“Okay, we have to try all the doors, maybe there's still somewhere open???” Hyunjin starts running, dragging you along with him as you both sprinted along the now quiet and dark hallways of the museum as night slowly settled.
You pulled out the map hidden between the deep depths of your tote bag and directed you both where you needed to go and where the exits were.
You tried all the exits.
None of them led to the hope you both had of it being opened.
Hyunjin, also out of desperation, suggested leaving through the emergency exits since for sure they'd always be open, but you prevented him from it, saying museums always had those loud alarms at doors and they don't want authorities arresting them thinking they're some thieves.
“You know this is all your fault, if you hadn't been so insistent in entering the sculpture rooms, I would've been at home already” you accused, jabbing a finger in his direction. Technically, that was what held you both up.
“W-well! It's not my fault I didn't hear the announcement! It's completely your fault for not telling me it'll be 5 minutes before closing!” Hyunjin argues, stepping forward, clutching his bag.
“What?!? I thought you were listening to it so I didn't pay attention!!” You retorted back though your voice started to falter.
“Well I thought you were listening to it!!” His voice starts to lose its fire too, then you both just stare in disbelief. Okay so that was both definitely you guys’ fault no questions asked…
“Le–Let’s just call security!” You redirect, flustered as you cover your face while Hyunjin just nods, pulling out his phone and taking the map from your hands and looking for any help service phone number before punching the numbers in and letting it ring.
A few rings echo out before somebody picks up. Hyunjin talks to them, having a rather pleasant conversation while trying to explain the predicament of you guys’ situation.
You strained your ears to try and listen, Hyunjin must've gotten the hint because he pulls the phone away from his ear and turns it on speaker for the both of you to hear.
“—Yes, I completely understand… But unfortunately, we can't immediately help you out, Staff and security has just clocked out and we have to go through procedures and safety measures before letting you both out. We might be able to rescue you both out in a few hours.”
Out in a few hours. A few hours. Few hours. Hours. Then that service guy had the audacity to hang up first! While you groan, there was no way you were stuck here with Hyunjin for indefinite hours??
You both slumped against the entrance sofas, letting its weight pull you both in as Hyunjin complained
“Oh my god… we can't even be rescued immediately…” Then your stomach growled, quickly clutching it as if that would conceal the sound it made.
“I have some leftover breadsticks here if you're hungry…” Hyunjin offers, opening the flap of his bag and taking out the crinkly packaging. His breadstick was originally 4, and he'd saved 2 of it for a snack supposedly later at home.
He unwrapped it and handed you one of the sugary treats, “Thank you Hyunjin, You're saving my life out here…” you thanked him with a small bow before munching on the snack, instantly devouring it.
You both finish the breadsticks in silence while sitting on the sofas. Hyunjin sighs dramatically. "Well." He turns to you "We live here now.”
“Speak for yourself.” You huff “I’m claiming the Renaissance wing." You stand up gathering your things to walk around and presumably go to the supposed ‘Renaissance wing’
"The sculpture hall is mine!" Hyunjin yells out, a claim as he too, gathered his things and jogged to catch up with you, dusting his clothes off from the powdery sugar the breadsticks produced
"Good.” You nod “We can visit each other on weekends." You turned to face him and pointed towards the now empty front desk "Don't forget to pay museum tax!” You beamed before quickly slipping away
Hyunjin was left to his thoughts for a moment before sighing "...I'm taking back the breadstick."
Once again, you both started to wander around. looking around the area and seeing the museum in a different lens. If you thought the museum was pretty in the golden hour, it was even prettier when the moonlight and stars lit the path and streamed through the big glass windows.
Finally, you saw the museum through the eyes of an actual visitor. With no obligation to be here just for the assignments, or the notes. You're here now, just because.
Moonlight coming through the giant windows, no crowds, no chatter, and no announcements, just the steady shuffle of your steps and Hyunjin's next to you, this place felt almost magical.
You both finally stopped in the Renaissance wing and decided to sit on the floor in front of a huge painting. In the silence with nothing to do and no service, Hyunjin starts to sketch.
The soft pencil strokes and erasure easily gets swallowed by the whole space, but you just watch. His eyes transfixed on the page in front of him, meanwhile, your eyes studying his concentrated face instead.
Hyunjin's hair falling into his eyes, haphazardly tucked behind his ear before it falls down again, his tongue poking out slightly when he makes more of the harder sketches.
And, after a rough sketch, Hyunjin started to use pastels, messily coloring them in and letting the colors bleed into each other as his fingertips stained with color.
And without thinking—
"You know…” You start, inching closer, though Hyunjin doesn't seem to notice. “Hm?” He hums in response, head tilted but his eyes still never left the page and his fingers didn't stop to move
"You're prettier when you're concentrating." When those words fell out of your mouth, it's like somebody told him he had an insect on him with how he froze. His hand was still clutching an oil pastel hovering mid-air.
"Pretty?" He squeaks, head snapping to look at you, almost giving himself whiplash. While you just nod to agree. “Yeah…? Something wrong?”
"Again." Hyunjin's demand spoke faster than he could think and even he looked surprised at his demand. “What?” You asked, trying to clarify if that you heard was right. But he quickly steered the conversation away replying with a quick “Nothing.”
"No, what?" You insisted, now leaning closer while Hyunjin started to lean back. “...Nothing.” But the way his ears turned red told another story, and the way his eyes darted around to avoid yours told you something he didn't need to say.
Unfortunately for him, at this angle, you happened to notice his sketchbook. And— "Oh my god." You gasp, eyes widening, a genuine reaction being pulled out from you.
"...What?” Hyunjin asks worriedly, looking around if you had seen something he hadn't or something of that sort.
“Hyunjin." You call again, eyes focused on the page he was currently coloring in. “What??” Hyunjin is confused but your answer—
"Is that me?" Your voice sounded strangely soft, looking up to gaze at him while his hands quickly tried to cover the pages.
Because maybe throughout the whole day, without realizing it— He's been sketching and coloring you in with life.
Earlier when you were looking at paintings.
When you laughed (though it was more of a rough draft than a sketch as if drawn in a hurry).
When you held your iced coffee. When you were writing notes. Your confusion over symbolism.
Just tiny little doodles. Not even consciously. He just did it.
And Hyunjin internally ascends to heaven. Because he genuinely didn't realize he'd filled three pages with sketches of you. He shut his sketchbook immediately and shoved it at the bottom of his bag as if he could will you hard enough to forget what you just saw.
"Soooo." Unfortunately, you didn't. "Teacher's pet, huh?"
And Hyunjin wants the marble floor to swallow him whole.
———— ⁀જ➣
Around much later that evening, you both ended up laying on one of the benches— err… more like you both pushed together two completely opposite sofas to rest on and turn to a ‘bed’— Talking. Mostly about stupid stuff.
Like his favorite movies and yours, Your thoughts on the worst professors on campus, childhood memories, dream vacations, plans for the future… the type of stuff your own friends couldn't even pry out of you unless you were probably under anesthesia.
And the more you talked, the easier you found it to relax in his presence. He was romantic, deeply empathetic and had such a fresh perspective on life and a different view from yours that it genuinely helps you reconsider things you were so confident in before.
And suddenly, it's already 8 PM. Then 9pm. Then 10 pm. And neither of you noticed
Because somewhere between the fruit paintings, the weird coffee order, fish symbolism, and getting locked inside a museum—You both forgot the other was practically a stranger that afternoon when you arrived.
Eventually, somewhere between arguing over which animated movie had the better soundtrack and Hyunjin insisting that his breadsticks were the only reason you'd survived the night, exhaustion began to settle over the two of you.
Conversations became quieter. Laughter turned softer and the museum that had seemed so intimidating hours ago now strangely peaceful.
And before either of you knew it, the darkness outside the large windows had slowly melted into shades of blue and gold.
Morning had arrived.
Or—At least, that was what you assumed when your phone vibrated in your hand.
"Hm…?" You blinked groggily, lifting your head from where you'd somehow fallen asleep against the sofa. Beside you, Hyunjin was equally disoriented, blinking slowly as his hair stuck out in every direction imaginable.
You would’ve laughed at him, he looked like he lost a fight in his sleep. But, then voices started to echo throughout the dark hallways. Footsteps too. And suddenly, two security guards rounded the corner.
"There they are!" One exclaimed pointing to the two of you, while you and Hyunjin practically sat upright. "Oh thank God!" you nearly cried.
"We're so sorry!" Hyunjin blurted out immediately, bowing before you'd even managed to stand.
After an embarrassing amount of apologizing, explanations, and being told several times that this wasn't the first time someone had accidentally gotten locked inside, the two of you were finally escorted out.
The cool morning air hits your face almost instantly. And for a moment, neither of you moved. Because somehow, after spending an entire night together,
It felt… weird to say goodbye.
Hyunjin adjusted his bag over his shoulder, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "So…”
"So…" You repeated, shuffling on your feet awkwardly as your fingers started twiddling with a loose thread from your tote bag. Neither of you seemed willing to leave first.
"...See you tomorrow?" Hyunjin asked quietly.
You smiled. "Yeah." A pause. "See you tomorrow."
And somehow, those three words made Hyunjin smile harder than anything else that night.
———— ⁀જ➣
The next morning was quick to arrive. Just as quickly as your sleep had almost been. You quickly got ready and packed your bag and basically sleepwalked to your class, which was ironically, Your Fine Arts class.
You barely had any sleep, because after getting stuck in that museum, you had to stay up doing your paper so you'd have something to submit. So, by the time you fell asleep, the birds were already chirping.
About to slump in your usual seat, you heard a familiar voice call out. “Hey, over here,”
You look over. Hyunjin, and he's already sitting by the windows. Your usual ‘Brooding and hates everyone’ guy, except now he's waving and smiling.
Hyunjin patted the empty seat beside him and he immediately but quietly slid over to make room for you and you sat down.
And without even looking up from his sketchbook, Hyunjin greets you with no fail "Morning."
"Morning." You reply, a yawn you quickly hid behind your hand as you stretched
"Did you sleep at all?" Hyunjin asks, looking over in concern, breaking his gaze from his sketches. "Three hours." You sighed, rubbing your eyes and Hyunjin chuckled, humming in amusement
"Same." He responded and you were quick to quip back "Good, I would hate it if I got so little sleep while you got like a beauty rest or something” you teased, obviously a jab at his dramatic but loveable over-the-top nature
“Haha, very funny,” he rolls his eyes affectionately. Then there was a strange pause, as if Hyunjin hesitates a little, but nonetheless Hyunjin casually reaches into his bag.
Then, he places something on your desk. You blink. "...What's this?" You inquired, fingers brushing the edges of the paper, pulling it up to your face to see its details.
And it's a tiny sketch, not a grand masterpiece, just a quick pencil drawing that kind of tells you it's well-thought out but Hyunjin wants to keep it in its ‘raw state’.
You.
The sketch was you, standing in front of a painting and your expression in the sketch was clear enough that you knew why you were making that completely confused look.
Letting your gaze travel over its details toward the bottom, under the sketch, written in messy handwriting:
"Blue still doesn't represent taxes btw”
You stare and then Hyunjin suddenly turns red. "Don't make a big deal out of it." He quickly defends, crossing his arms as if acting indifferent (when he's clearly failing to do so)
"...Hyunjin." you call out, and even just hearing your voice, Hyunjin could already tell you were smiling way too happily. "What." He grumbled.
"Did you draw me?" You asked with glee, looking back at the sketch then at him, pointing towards the paper and yourself.
"No." He lies, turning his head away while you shoot him a weird look "...Hyunjin, this is literally me."
"It's someone heavily inspired by you." Hyunjin corrects you, trying to snatch back the sketch as if regretting even pulling it out.
"HYUNJIN." You started to laugh, switching it from one hand to another so he wouldn't reach it.
"STOP LOOKING AT IT." Hyunjin demands, trying to reach for the sketch but you put up quite a strong fight. And before you can tease him further—
Professor Kim walks in, forcing you both to act like nothing happened as you slipped Hyunjin's sketch inside your notebook.
Now, maybe procrastinating wasn't your brightest decision. Maybe getting locked inside a museum overnight definitely wasn't. That wasn't even on a normal person's bucket list for sure!
But as you looked over at Hwang Hyunjin, who was pretending not to panic while you admired the tiny sketch he'd given you, maybe some things had a funny way of working out.
Can i please be on ur taglist? Ur r so incredible and I cannot wait for more fics from u!!!🫶🏻🫶🏻
HII !!! YES OF COURSE !! And thank you for the support I'll be putting out more fics soon !! I have some ideas already, just need to write them out, so stay tuned !!
I would like to be apart of your taglist if you have one cuz I want to see where your journey on tumblr will take you, and if not feel free to ignore this.
And also, idk if your requests are open but I’ll ask anyway cuz why not “the worst she could say is no” and all the jazz, anyway:
Fluff req: really pastel coded gn reader who wears lots of frilly layers but has a bunch of tattoos underneath X oblivious Han where he somehow ignores all signs of a punk past and gets embarrassed when the truth comes out (nothing serious)
And the smut req: trans fem tall reader X whiny Han where she pegs him on the wall cuz he was too fidgety and desperate.
Ofc you can ignore all of this and Ik it’s kinda a lot, but if not then take your time and pls tag me.
Have a good whatever time of day it is!
HI HII YES I CAN DEFFO ADD YOU ON MY PERMA TAGLISTT !! and dwww my requests are open !! I've just recently put it on my bio for ppl to see easier hehe
And basing on these requests... I think you really like jisung idk.... HWHSHA but I will deffo do those requests sometime!! Just give me a few weeks to push out some of my other stories and I'll get to yours !! Ty for the support !!! 🫶🏼🫶🏼
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
jacobvanloon
romaincrisis
snowghoul
origamiaround
baratheonpilled