The veins on the back of his hands danced elegantly with every soft movement. The mahogany pencil between his fingers had been a present from his uncle upon his return from Cuba.
He traced the accents of the soft wrinkles around the baby's eyes as she smiled. Her creases were all in the right places and she giggled at his notions, her mother not paying attention to her.
Hyuk smiled softly at the child three chairs away from him as he drew her portrait carefully. He placed his left arm over his work as to keep the strangers around him from seeing.
When he finally finished, he held it up closer to his face and the sun behind him beamed through the beige canvas. It revealed the young stranger's face and he smiled contently before placing it into his old folder of artwork.
Just then, his phone rang the familiar yet annoying sound knowing perfectly well who was on the other line.
"Hel-"
"Where the hell are you?", his father's voice boomed from the other side.
Hyuk yanked the phone away from his ear momentarily before bringing it back to a safer distance. "What do you mean, you said the meeting wasn't for another hour."
"Yea, and it's passed one now."
His eyes widened and he quickly began to pack his things up. "Uh, I-I'm on my way."
Hyuk hung up quickly as he threw all of his belongings in his backpack and jogged lightly toward his car, not before waving farewell to the baby whose portrait he had just drawn.
"S-Sorry, I lost track of-"
"Just sit your ass down and fix your suit.", Hyuk's father commanded as soon as Hyuk arrived at the office.
Their family had been real estate leaders for decades and the tradition was about to be passed down onto him. Despite his father's adamant needs and expectations, Kwon Hyuk wanted nothing more to be apart of the business --
For his true passion was art and music and for all his life people had put him down. He could still hear the voices of his teachers and so-called friends:
you're seriously going into art?
yea, you won't make any money
your dad gives you everything -- how ungrateful are you?
Hyuk sat quietly in the office chair alongside five other CEOs and realtors of neighbouring alliances. He watched the clock tick slowly and fought the urge to throw his head back in exhaustion.
~
"Hanji!"
The said woman jolted in her place as she paused her chopping, the knife in midair.
"Sooyoung, don't do that when I'm cooking!", she scowled at her friend. The younger placed the bag of groceries she held on the kitchen counter.
"Is that any way to say thank you for running the errands?", Sooyoung jutted her lip.
Hanji rolled her eyes playfully and smiled as she emptied the contents of the bag. "Thank you. I thought you weren't coming until later, though?"
"Yea, my dentist rescheduled -- he's fully booked and had to bump my appointment for tomorrow.", Sooyoung explained earning a nod from the other.
Sooyoung plopped herself on her friend's living room couch -- Hanji had been renting the small apartment for almost three years and had promised the landlady that after her graduation, she would move out and find a more suitable place of her own.
But that was already one year ago and being a culinary graduate had its benefits when making ends and finances meet but to say she was struggling with rent would be an understatement.
"Have you started house hunting yet?", Sooyoung asked.
Hanji shrugged, "I've seen some listings but the rent is so over my budget. People are requesting a thousand and six hundred per month for a one-bedroom basement, and that's the lowest!"
Her statement made Sooyoung wince. "You know I would offer you a room at our place --"
"No, Sooyoung I can't do that. Plus, your parents also live with you and I don't wanna be a burden."
"You're not a burden -- my parents love you. We're always here, kay?", Sooyoung stood from her spot and patted her friend on the shoulder before standing next to her at the sink.
Hanji would never ask a friend for a favour and she wanted to use her saved up money on buying a home, not renting one.
"Alright, chef. What're we cooking tonight?"
--
they're back
and they're seven years younger --
because i cant get enough of this fantasy
YOU ARE READING
La Luna - Kwon Hyuk
Fanfiction"A lot can change within five years." In which she needs him the most.
