Reason Ch 4
Title: Reason Ch 4
Author: limnological
Rating: PG
Pairing: YoonYul
Description: AU, painters!YoonYul
Chapter 4
They switch roles, Yuri asking the questions and Yoona answering them.
“Birthday?”
“May 30th, 1990.”
“Siblings?”
“One older sister. Currently in the fashion business.”
“Model?”
Yoona laughs softly.
“No, she is a designer.”
Yuri laughs cheekily.
“Your laugh - Is your sister not model-material?”
“Oh no. I think she’s beautiful and could walk the runway if she wanted to, but she prefers designing clothes. And she’s a bit short.”
“Ah, not as tall as you?”
“Unfortunately for her, I was given the height genes.”
Yuri laughs and she finds that Yoona is quite the humorous girl as she learns more and more about her.
--
“Do you remember my penny story?”
“Of course.”
“I remember my mom caught me once picking up a penny. She scolded me and told me it was a dirty thing to do. I simply told her that money is the dirtiest thing in the world. There is no way you can get your hands on it without dirtying yourself. Suffice to say, she didn’t scold me for it again.”
“Ah…” Yoona nods her head in understanding, and then her brain begins to understand the underlying meaning. “Did you become ‘dirty’ after you touched money?”
Yuri looks at Yoona, smiling a sad smile.
“I was hoping you would understand what I was trying to say. I did become ‘dirty’ in a sense. I fell prey to its power. I did requests after requests, leaving no time for me to create the artworks that I wanted to create. And eventually, the ideas and will to create for myself faded away. I had clients to keep satisfied, money to make. It is hard to admit, but I think money has become the sole driving force behind my works.”
“What about now? Are you still doing requests?”
“No, I’ve stopped taking them. An old friend told me I had become money hungry. It didn’t sink in until they made me look at my latest works. And by look, I mean truly look.”
“Ah… But your latest works were sold for less than a dollar.”
“That’s a story for later.”
Yoona takes a sip from her iced tea.
“I see. Well… I think you should create for yourself, and only yourself, even if you are given requests. It might sound selfish, but I find that the best works are when the artist creates for themselves.” Yoona looks into her eyes and smiles cheekily. “And I think that’s when you truly enjoy something you do - when you do it for yourself.”
Yuri stares back into those doe-like eyes and smiles as well.
“Yes. That’s true.”
--
“Try blending those colors together more.”
Yoona does so and Yuri shakes her head. Lightly, she wraps her fingers around Yoona’s wrist and guides her hand where Yoona had missed. Instinctively, Yoona turns her head to look at Yuri, instead of the painting. Their faces are only a few inches apart and Yoona takes note that Yuri has an attractive jaw line.
“Like that.”
Quickly, she looks back at the painting.
“Oh, okay.”
She had no idea what Yuri just did, but she pretends she does.
--
Yoona follows Yuri around her private art gallery. The walls are covered with paintings she has collected and paintings of her own. Each one of them makes Yoona want to stand still and marvel at how beautiful and captivating they are.
“…And this one is the last one I’ve done that wasn’t a request.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Yoona scans the majestic painting, struck by the magnificent colors blended together to create the perfect hues of the ocean. There is a dolphin jumping out of it, its leap displayed perfectly, as if it were real. She looks down to the nameplate and reads it softly.
Jessica.
“Do you normally name your paintings after people?”
Yuri shakes her head.
“There are only seven paintings I have named after people. Those people are significant individuals in my life, so I dedicated a different painting to each.”
“Ah, so this one is for Jessica?”
“Yes, a childhood friend.”
“The one who told you about the money?”
“Yes, that was her.”
Yoona nods her head, wondering what this Jessica person was like. She pushes that thought away as another curious thought enters her head.
“Ahh… Yuri?”
“Mhh?”
“May I see the paintings in the art studio? The ones covered?”
Yuri hesitates to answer and Yoona feels like she stepped onto a boundary she shouldn’t have crossed.
“Sorry, I -“
“It’s alright. I should show you. Come with me.”
Yuri leads her back to the art studio and Yoona bites her lip feeling like she has wronged Yuri. They reach the art studio and Yuri unsheathes all of the covered canvases.
There are five in total, each different in the subject matter. One is a portrait, another a landscape, the third a beach, the fourth a city, and the fifth isn’t describable as it’s too dark to see. They all have something in common though.
Each is unfinished.
Yoona steps forward, analyzing each one silently. They all scream potential, but only one really captivates her.
The beach. In it, there are silhouettes of eight people holding hands, while the sun is setting with strong colors of orange and pink. Yoona feels ridiculous, but she swears she can almost feel the amount of love poured into this one painting. There’s something about it that just pulls her eyes to stare.
“I’m guessing this is when your creativity block happened.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you’ll ever finish these?”
Yuri shakes her head.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a shame.” Yoona speaks, eyes still pulled in by the painting. “I would really like to see this one finished. It’s my favorite from you so far.”
--
“Why have you been selling your artworks for less than a dollar?”
“Each and every thing has a value to it. That value is determined by the individual who beholds it. I believe the value of a painting or any artwork should be determined by the artist.”
Yoona scribbles the new information down.
“Then, your last artwork, a request, was valued at 10 cents to you?”
“Correct. I created what the client wanted, with little of my heart put into it. I simply had no interest in the subject matter.”
Yoona remembers the painting. It was a self-portrait of a wealthy man. She couldn’t recall his name, but that didn’t matter right now. Her brain begins to piece together the logic of Kwon Yuri.
“Are you implying that he is worth 10 cents?”
Yuri’s eyes become hard and she lets out a slight scowl.
“He was nothing, but a cocky man who only has interest in himself, a businessman who crushed the innocent and manipulated his way to the top using unjustifiable means. I only fulfilled his request because he was an old friend of my father’s. I sold the self-portrait to him for the worth that he is.”
“So you judge the client to decide the value of your artwork?”
“Not just the client. The subject matter is also very important to me. The time, effort, and heart put into an artwork are all determining factors for worth along with the client if he or she requested it.”
“Isn’t that a bit judgmental though?”
Yuri’s eyes widen slightly and then she lets out a small chuckle.
“…You’re much more forward than I thought you were.”
“I’m an honest person.”
“That’s good. Honesty is an attractive quality to have.”
Yoona’s ears redden at the compliment.
“…Thank you.”
Yuri plays with the straw in her iced tea.
“… It is judgmental, which is why I make sure to know who my client is before deciding the value. I don’t mean to be critical of them, but it’s how I think the value of my artwork should be determined. No one else has to follow this method and I am completely fine with that.”
Yoona nods, taking in all the new information.
Kwon Yuri has yet to stop surprising her with her personality.
--
“Today’s lesson - Paint as lightly as you can.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound too hard.”
“I will be your canvas.”
“What?”
Yoona’s eyes widen.
“If you can paint on my stomach without tickling me, then you will pass today’s lesson.”
An incredulous look overtakes Yoona’s face.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Yuri smiles at her.
“Nope.”
“Sometimes, I think you totally BS your lessons.”
Playfully, Yuri sticks her tongue out at her.
“Never said I didn’t. Besides, you’re the one who wanted to study under me.”
Yoona wonders why she’s studying under Yuri.
Oh right, because she was assigned to.
--
Next thing Yoona knows, she’s dipping her forefinger in paint and wiping it across Yuri’s white tank top covered stomach.
“Hah.. ha.. stop. Try again.”
Yoona gives her a skeptical look.
“I swear you’re laughing on purpose.”
It has been ten minutes since they started, and Yuri has yet to stop laughing when Yoona tries to move her hand.
“I’m not! Really.”
“Really?”
“Yes - Why are you looking at me like that?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Yoona shows a toothy grin and then begins tickling Yuri with both her hands. The older girl lets out a gasp and starts to laugh uncontrollably. She tries to fight back, to stop Yoona’s hands, but the younger girl is relentless. Laughter fills the room as Yuri is suddenly backed up against the wall.
“Hah… S-stop! Ahahaha!”
Yoona doesn’t stop and Yuri ends up slumping down the wall, laughing while tears begin to form.
“I’m not stopping. This is what you get for giving me such a weird lesson today!”
Yoona continues tickling her and finds Yuri’s laugh to be infectious. When she slows down, Yuri takes the chance to overpower her. She returns the tickles and finds that Yoona is also ticklish.
It’s not until a few minutes later when the tickle battle ends. Both girls are laying on the floor side by side laughing softly, stomachs hurting.
“That… was… fun.”
Yoona tries to catch her breath after mumbling the words.
“Fun…” Yuri whispers the word and then glances at Yoona, grinning. “I think you just taught me a lesson instead.”
Yoona turns her head to look at her.
“Hmm? How so?”
Yuri changes her view to the ceiling.
“It’s good to have fun once in awhile.”
“Correction, it’s always good to have fun. Especially if it’s your job.”
Yuri just hums in agreement as they lay there.
“Fun.”
She whispers it softly again and smiles.
So that’s what she’s been missing for awhile.
Author: limnological
Rating: PG
Pairing: YoonYul
Description: AU, painters!YoonYul
Chapter 4
They switch roles, Yuri asking the questions and Yoona answering them.
“Birthday?”
“May 30th, 1990.”
“Siblings?”
“One older sister. Currently in the fashion business.”
“Model?”
Yoona laughs softly.
“No, she is a designer.”
Yuri laughs cheekily.
“Your laugh - Is your sister not model-material?”
“Oh no. I think she’s beautiful and could walk the runway if she wanted to, but she prefers designing clothes. And she’s a bit short.”
“Ah, not as tall as you?”
“Unfortunately for her, I was given the height genes.”
Yuri laughs and she finds that Yoona is quite the humorous girl as she learns more and more about her.
--
“Do you remember my penny story?”
“Of course.”
“I remember my mom caught me once picking up a penny. She scolded me and told me it was a dirty thing to do. I simply told her that money is the dirtiest thing in the world. There is no way you can get your hands on it without dirtying yourself. Suffice to say, she didn’t scold me for it again.”
“Ah…” Yoona nods her head in understanding, and then her brain begins to understand the underlying meaning. “Did you become ‘dirty’ after you touched money?”
Yuri looks at Yoona, smiling a sad smile.
“I was hoping you would understand what I was trying to say. I did become ‘dirty’ in a sense. I fell prey to its power. I did requests after requests, leaving no time for me to create the artworks that I wanted to create. And eventually, the ideas and will to create for myself faded away. I had clients to keep satisfied, money to make. It is hard to admit, but I think money has become the sole driving force behind my works.”
“What about now? Are you still doing requests?”
“No, I’ve stopped taking them. An old friend told me I had become money hungry. It didn’t sink in until they made me look at my latest works. And by look, I mean truly look.”
“Ah… But your latest works were sold for less than a dollar.”
“That’s a story for later.”
Yoona takes a sip from her iced tea.
“I see. Well… I think you should create for yourself, and only yourself, even if you are given requests. It might sound selfish, but I find that the best works are when the artist creates for themselves.” Yoona looks into her eyes and smiles cheekily. “And I think that’s when you truly enjoy something you do - when you do it for yourself.”
Yuri stares back into those doe-like eyes and smiles as well.
“Yes. That’s true.”
--
“Try blending those colors together more.”
Yoona does so and Yuri shakes her head. Lightly, she wraps her fingers around Yoona’s wrist and guides her hand where Yoona had missed. Instinctively, Yoona turns her head to look at Yuri, instead of the painting. Their faces are only a few inches apart and Yoona takes note that Yuri has an attractive jaw line.
“Like that.”
Quickly, she looks back at the painting.
“Oh, okay.”
She had no idea what Yuri just did, but she pretends she does.
--
Yoona follows Yuri around her private art gallery. The walls are covered with paintings she has collected and paintings of her own. Each one of them makes Yoona want to stand still and marvel at how beautiful and captivating they are.
“…And this one is the last one I’ve done that wasn’t a request.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Yoona scans the majestic painting, struck by the magnificent colors blended together to create the perfect hues of the ocean. There is a dolphin jumping out of it, its leap displayed perfectly, as if it were real. She looks down to the nameplate and reads it softly.
Jessica.
“Do you normally name your paintings after people?”
Yuri shakes her head.
“There are only seven paintings I have named after people. Those people are significant individuals in my life, so I dedicated a different painting to each.”
“Ah, so this one is for Jessica?”
“Yes, a childhood friend.”
“The one who told you about the money?”
“Yes, that was her.”
Yoona nods her head, wondering what this Jessica person was like. She pushes that thought away as another curious thought enters her head.
“Ahh… Yuri?”
“Mhh?”
“May I see the paintings in the art studio? The ones covered?”
Yuri hesitates to answer and Yoona feels like she stepped onto a boundary she shouldn’t have crossed.
“Sorry, I -“
“It’s alright. I should show you. Come with me.”
Yuri leads her back to the art studio and Yoona bites her lip feeling like she has wronged Yuri. They reach the art studio and Yuri unsheathes all of the covered canvases.
There are five in total, each different in the subject matter. One is a portrait, another a landscape, the third a beach, the fourth a city, and the fifth isn’t describable as it’s too dark to see. They all have something in common though.
Each is unfinished.
Yoona steps forward, analyzing each one silently. They all scream potential, but only one really captivates her.
The beach. In it, there are silhouettes of eight people holding hands, while the sun is setting with strong colors of orange and pink. Yoona feels ridiculous, but she swears she can almost feel the amount of love poured into this one painting. There’s something about it that just pulls her eyes to stare.
“I’m guessing this is when your creativity block happened.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you’ll ever finish these?”
Yuri shakes her head.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a shame.” Yoona speaks, eyes still pulled in by the painting. “I would really like to see this one finished. It’s my favorite from you so far.”
--
“Why have you been selling your artworks for less than a dollar?”
“Each and every thing has a value to it. That value is determined by the individual who beholds it. I believe the value of a painting or any artwork should be determined by the artist.”
Yoona scribbles the new information down.
“Then, your last artwork, a request, was valued at 10 cents to you?”
“Correct. I created what the client wanted, with little of my heart put into it. I simply had no interest in the subject matter.”
Yoona remembers the painting. It was a self-portrait of a wealthy man. She couldn’t recall his name, but that didn’t matter right now. Her brain begins to piece together the logic of Kwon Yuri.
“Are you implying that he is worth 10 cents?”
Yuri’s eyes become hard and she lets out a slight scowl.
“He was nothing, but a cocky man who only has interest in himself, a businessman who crushed the innocent and manipulated his way to the top using unjustifiable means. I only fulfilled his request because he was an old friend of my father’s. I sold the self-portrait to him for the worth that he is.”
“So you judge the client to decide the value of your artwork?”
“Not just the client. The subject matter is also very important to me. The time, effort, and heart put into an artwork are all determining factors for worth along with the client if he or she requested it.”
“Isn’t that a bit judgmental though?”
Yuri’s eyes widen slightly and then she lets out a small chuckle.
“…You’re much more forward than I thought you were.”
“I’m an honest person.”
“That’s good. Honesty is an attractive quality to have.”
Yoona’s ears redden at the compliment.
“…Thank you.”
Yuri plays with the straw in her iced tea.
“… It is judgmental, which is why I make sure to know who my client is before deciding the value. I don’t mean to be critical of them, but it’s how I think the value of my artwork should be determined. No one else has to follow this method and I am completely fine with that.”
Yoona nods, taking in all the new information.
Kwon Yuri has yet to stop surprising her with her personality.
--
“Today’s lesson - Paint as lightly as you can.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound too hard.”
“I will be your canvas.”
“What?”
Yoona’s eyes widen.
“If you can paint on my stomach without tickling me, then you will pass today’s lesson.”
An incredulous look overtakes Yoona’s face.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Yuri smiles at her.
“Nope.”
“Sometimes, I think you totally BS your lessons.”
Playfully, Yuri sticks her tongue out at her.
“Never said I didn’t. Besides, you’re the one who wanted to study under me.”
Yoona wonders why she’s studying under Yuri.
Oh right, because she was assigned to.
--
Next thing Yoona knows, she’s dipping her forefinger in paint and wiping it across Yuri’s white tank top covered stomach.
“Hah.. ha.. stop. Try again.”
Yoona gives her a skeptical look.
“I swear you’re laughing on purpose.”
It has been ten minutes since they started, and Yuri has yet to stop laughing when Yoona tries to move her hand.
“I’m not! Really.”
“Really?”
“Yes - Why are you looking at me like that?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Yoona shows a toothy grin and then begins tickling Yuri with both her hands. The older girl lets out a gasp and starts to laugh uncontrollably. She tries to fight back, to stop Yoona’s hands, but the younger girl is relentless. Laughter fills the room as Yuri is suddenly backed up against the wall.
“Hah… S-stop! Ahahaha!”
Yoona doesn’t stop and Yuri ends up slumping down the wall, laughing while tears begin to form.
“I’m not stopping. This is what you get for giving me such a weird lesson today!”
Yoona continues tickling her and finds Yuri’s laugh to be infectious. When she slows down, Yuri takes the chance to overpower her. She returns the tickles and finds that Yoona is also ticklish.
It’s not until a few minutes later when the tickle battle ends. Both girls are laying on the floor side by side laughing softly, stomachs hurting.
“That… was… fun.”
Yoona tries to catch her breath after mumbling the words.
“Fun…” Yuri whispers the word and then glances at Yoona, grinning. “I think you just taught me a lesson instead.”
Yoona turns her head to look at her.
“Hmm? How so?”
Yuri changes her view to the ceiling.
“It’s good to have fun once in awhile.”
“Correction, it’s always good to have fun. Especially if it’s your job.”
Yuri just hums in agreement as they lay there.
“Fun.”
She whispers it softly again and smiles.
So that’s what she’s been missing for awhile.