MC could not help the frown she wore as she walked into the cramped, dirty atelier and, in the setting sun, found the gleaming cans of paint her beloved purchased over a week ago still unopened. While there are splotches of ink all around the space, the walls are covered with newly-developed film, rather than the canvases that once were his main dedication.
It was not like Jihyun to leave new art supplies unused for so long. Even when his other artistic exploits kept him busy, like his foray into sculpting and music, he would still find time to sketch and paint. These, however, had remained unbothered by the bristles of his brushes, had yet to see the sparkle in his mint-green eyes as the new colours sparked inspiration in his heart.
It was impossible not to notice the lack of sketching he did lately when he finally emerged into their bedroom from his atelier or from fieldwork, looking for inspiration at parks and forests that surrounded their home. He used to spend the time observing the flow of light over the natural landscape, repeating experiments or researching subjects. The books on history and technique are replaced by a slew of photos after photos that seemed to have an almost touristic quality to them, of uninspired gazes and repetitive montages.
The nights he did spend with her, away from his photography work, were quiet, with him being circumspect about what he had been doing over these days, without his former excitement of what was going on in his mind and the incredible things he planned on creating. He would also spend more time away, as the brunt of the work was done in the field during the day, and the long evenings were dedicated to developing film and editing fruitlessly files on the computer.
MC quickly found herself missing the faint noises of charcoal on paper or his steady brush strokes that came from the door when she travelled through the hallways of the house. Even when she had gone to visit him while he worked, she had not found a single sketch pad or canvas in sight, only endless photography paper strewn with those pictures of the blue sky and the sun and it worried her to no end.
She is no stranger to having a block on her artistic side, even if her own did not involve painting or drawing, but she had never seen Jihyun go through such a time, though she were not sure who was having a harder time about it, her or him. She loved to watch him work on his art. It was as peaceful for she as it was for him, and if she were being honest, she is absolutely smitten with how often he sketched or painted she but to see him not even touch his paint or sketch pad to draw the flowers they saw on their walk or the mountain after a fresh blanket of snow lay atop it made her want to cry, even if she had not seen that same pain in his own eyes.
Furthermore, photography felt as something of the past, something done for and inspired by a part of his life that did not belong to her, that did not involve her, and that has brough upon much pain and suffering for them both. She wonders if this experiment was underlying something bigger about the state of their still very new marriage.
There was something else beyond those green orbs she loved so much, something she could not quite place her finger on, some form of frustration, sadness or longing, maybe a bit of all of the above or more.
Heaving a deep breath at the thought of her beloved suffering in this way, with her resolve set in stone, she grabs the paints and go to work.
MC honestly had no idea if this would work but she had to try and what better way to try to bring out his creative side than to create herself, show him what beautiful things could be made with the different and vibrant shades of his new paint. Perhaps seeing them laid out in front of him in the style of her own work, even if she is not very good at it, would help spark some kind of inspiration in his heart, bring back the twinkle in his eyes each time he saw his supplies.
When the sun faded and only dark night leaked through the windows, she lit the lights and continued to work, humming and smiling at her creation, pouring all of her love and hopes into the canvas she dug out from his desk drawers, in hopes it could help him. She has no idea how much time passed before she heard the creaking of the door and turned away from her project on the floor.
Jihyun stood in the doorway, unmoving, eyes blown wide, flickering between she and the mess she had made on the floor. Under his gaze, she smiles shyly but she does not avoid his eyes as she wipes a bead of sweat from her face, feeling the paint on her fingers coating her cheek in the process. Taking quiet steps through the threshold of the room, the door clicking closed behind him, he smiles at the gold yellow adorning her skin, a perfect complement to her burning cheeks and the yellow glow of light that lit his way to her.
"I-I was just... Well, you see..."
MC does not know why she were finding it so hard to speak under his loving gaze but she continues despite her rambling words. She gingerly gestured to the paints.
"I noticed that you had not opened them, or... That you have not sketch at all really recently. Of course, that's fine! You aren't obligated to be productive, and if she need some time off, you're entitled to it. I... I, um... It sounds silly now that I say it out loud, but I thought maybe it could help inspire you to sketch or paint again! I…"
Her words are cut off when his gentle fingers caress her cheek, smearing the wet paint on her skin even further. Sher heart skips far too many beats when he pulls his fingers away from her and examines the golden yellow now staining his gloves with a bright smile.
The young man had not thought the world could look vibrant against the sickly shine of their hallway lights but like many things in this world he had yet to understand when it came to her, things that could not be explained by anything other than love, he was shown another way of viewing the beauty of life, the beauty of she. It sparked the fire that Jihyun had found hard to light himself over this past week and as he looked up from his hand to meet her loving gaze once more, he could not wait to see what other colours and hues MC would paint his world.
With a quiet breath that stole her own and his warm lips pressed to hers, he whispered, "I finally know what I'd like to paint next."