it's not sungha's best work. capturing the essense of another human being had never been his forte, the strokes of his paintings taking on a rather abstract approach, but the point of studying is to explore other areas of the same subject. while he wouldn't normally choose to challenge himself on this front, it's about time he does—what better way than to start now, with a companion he's still getting to know, bit by bit. conversations with wonhee have never been boring, albeit different than usual. it's easier like this though, no false pretenses and fake smiles in order to facilitate and insignificant small talk.
"i did figure that you're the type to keep going until you gain what you wanted," sungha comments, based off of the short time he has managed to acquaint himself with wonhee as a classmate, as an individual. "have i been boring you lately, then?" he asks, although there is no hint of malice or offence in the way he phrases his question. "i've never seen as myself as an entertaining person though." to any wandering ears, he sounds like a humble student seeking no praise to be sung in his name, but he uttered no lie. routine and order is all he needs to continue his day-to-day life, following a schedule he set for himself, like a robot following his own programming.
"i'm a little offended," he says, the only lie of the day. "being told i'm less charming than a rat hurts even my feelings, you know." he pauses for a moment, scanning his gaze over his efforts so far. in his opinion, it isn't up to par—but it's an unfinished piece, and sungha would have to keep going. "would you rather paint a rat instead of me?" he jokes, his tone levelheaded and calm, although his demeanor rarely strays from that state in the first place. "maybe that would be cuter, compared to me."
he moves to mix a few colors in his tray to achieve the one he desires, working slowly but surely. there's no pressure of a deadline, at least not yet. the blending of different colors is almost therapeutic to watch, but the serenity of the view is mildly cut short by wonhee's claims, which causes sungha to laugh a little. "i wouldn't call myself the nicest person around the block, but if a rat is smarter than me, i doubt i'd be able to pull off everything you're saying i'm capable of."
sungha hums though, not fully dismissing the light accusations that wonhee is making just yet. "i have no reason to pull such a grand scheme simply to get you to sympathize with me either. besides, eventually, that would only turn you against me once you break free from my supposed web of lies. i think making an enemy out of you would only disturb my peace in campus, more than anything." sungha peeks behind his canvas, catching a quick glance upon the other student. "i do apologize for not asking my own questions, i figured i'd learn more about you through the questions you ask, and how you respond to my answers."
once more, he returns his attention to the canvas. "i do wonder why you're curious though. am i someone that acts incredibly strange to you? too robotic? i've heard that comment before from someone else, though i always thought i was simply being a good student and establishing an easy-to-follow routine for myself."
when sungha asks if he's been boring lately, wonhee decides not to respond directly. instead, he shrugs one of his shoulders and smiles—listening as his new friend divulges that he doesn't feel entertaining, and that he's offended by earlier comments pertaining to rats. wonhee's not feeling any specific need to apologize to him or acknowledge his self-deprecation. rather, he chooses to ask another question. an annoying habit of his, sure, but more often than not, it works in his favor.
"have you ever interacted with a rat?" his query sounds inane when it leaves his mouth, which widens his smile a little. "my neighbor had one. they're actually quite intelligent. their cuteness is subjective, but they're honestly really cool little creatures." pausing for a moment, he turns back toward his canvas and hums. he eyes it for a few seconds, then decides it's time to start laying the foundation for sungha's facial features. carefully, he begins to map out the placement of his subject's nose.
focusing, he sketches a rough outline and nods along as sungha goes on with their conversation. "the thing is, i have a hard time believing that anyone is truly nice. well, actually, maybe they're nice, but they're seldom kind." with that, he sighs. he hates being so gloomy and cynical, but he can't help but feel like most people nowadays lack a sense of community. he's including himself in this, too. it makes him wonder if there's a deeper meaning in how unified people seem in this slightly individualistic era.
"good to know you wouldn't go to such lengths just to pull a fast one on me. also, you're not wrong. i much prefer to be the one to ask the questions instead of the one answering them. guess that'll make me a good therapist in the future..." maybe it's presumptuous of him to make such predictions, but wonhee likes to think that he'll get a lot out of his education; that he'll put all he's learned to work and be helpful someday.
that's his main goal, really. even now with sungha, he may be approaching this rather casually, but he does hope that he can prove that he's a safe space for him to talk about things. "i'm a curious person naturally. i wouldn't say you're too strange or robotic. well, some of our interactions have unsettled me a little, but not in a bad way. if anything, it's made you mysterious to me. i like solving mysteries." his intention isn't to be flirtatious, but he realizes that his comments could be interpreted that way. he's eager to see how sungha responds to it.
"has anyone ever told you that you have a nice nose?"


















