NUDES

17

The drive was fifteen minutes long.

Lisa didn't know where the hell they were going but hey, when life gives you lemons, you got to make some lemonade.

All throughout that fifteen minutes, they'd talked about their recent activities, joked around, and took various pictures (her camera was in her purse, luckily). Jeongguk even managed to make her sing along with the radio, much to her embarrassment.

Why don't you sing more often? He'd asked. Because they don't let me, that's why. She'd answered.

I'll make you sing for me then. He then gave her a smile which she couldn't decipher. Was it a joke or did he just say it out of the moment?

"Are we here?" Lalisa asked, looking up at a nearly-empty building where they parked at. It looked like it came out from a horror movie, which gave her the shivers. "Is this where we're supposed to go?"

Jeongguk chuckled, "No, darling." He replied while opening the compartment. She watched in confusion as he took a velvet piece of cloth out and showed it to her. "Tada."

"What's that for?" She asked, "Don't tell me we're doing some sort of fifty shades here?"

"It's a blindfold, Lali. A blindfold." He deadpanned, "You gotta control your arousal, sweetheart. It's hard for me." He faked tsk. When she didn't reply, he asked, "Get it? Hard for me? Because I get hard?"

Lisa squinted her eyes.

"Okay, fine." He shifted in his seat so he could fully face her. "I'll put this around your head, okay?" He instructed, pulling her shoulders so her back was facing him.

"I'm getting nervous about this surprise of yours." She admitted as his fingers grazed her temples. He tied the cloth not too tightly and gave the knot a pat. "All done?" She leaned back on her seat.

"Yep." She could hear him fiddling with the compartment and something else. "Lis, what number is this?"

"The fuck am I supposed to know? You blindfolded me, duh." She snapped, "I can't see anything."

"That's the purpose of the blindfold, kitten." He pinched her nose and she tried to smack his hand, but failed ultimately. "That's a sad attempt for trying."

"At least I tried."

She felt the car move again. It drove straight, headed towards God knows where. Lisa could only wait in anticipation.

The car slowed and she felt Jeongguk park it once more. He turned off the engine and went out out, leaving her - or so she thought. Seconds later, her own car door opened and his hand held her own, leading her out.

"Wait a sec, darling." The car door closed from behind her. She felt his hands on the knot of the cloth, readying to pull it, "Three, two, one."

As soon as the blindfold was removed and she opened her eyes, the words Brushes and Easels Artspace greeted her.

"What..." She whispered and looked to the side to see him smiling softly at her, "What is this place?" She had never once stepped into this part of Seoul, and seeing this in front of her made her feel overwhelmed.

The building in front of them was at least two stories high, with modern exterior and the words Brushes and Easels Artspace displayed above the front door in wide, chunky letters. Brushes, canvasses, paints, and everything Lisa ever wished for can be seen from inside the building, which made her heart pump faster.

"You said you wanted to paint, right?" She nodded, "Yet you never have the time. So here we are now," He gestured to the building and put his hands in his pockets, "You're finally going to paint, Lali."