[Oneshot] Inspiration - Request #3
Title: Inspiration
Pairing: HeechulxSungmin(main),
Summary: Heechul was his inspiration until the very end.
Rating: G
For: sungminnie012
Cameras blindingly flash, pens fly across blank notepads, mics are shoved in my face and reporters and guests, family and friends wander the vast studio.
“Sungmin-sshi!” A reporter cries, “Please give us a word about this new studio you have opened!”
Quickly composing myself, I smile towards the camera. “Fresh Start is my new gallery where all my works, old and recent, will be displayed for the public. Things, such as my paintings, potteries and sculptures will be presented.”
More reporters and cameramen surround me, so I take time turning and looking at each person. Although my patience was thinning rapidly.
“There will be special occasions where I will hold an auction for my work. All the money earned from the event will be donated to a charity organization.”
After ten more minutes of endless questions and me answering, I excuse myself and quickly, but respectively, walk towards the pottery section of the studio.
‘Too many reporters… I don’t remember inviting this many.’ I think to myself, fixing the collar of my shirt.
“This place is looking good dongsaeng.” Long arms drape over my shoulder as the scent of fresh coffee beans hit me.
“Hyung! You made it!” I chirp happily.
Yesung grins and ruffles my hair, to which I groan and annoyingly style back into place, as he walks ahead of me and does a one-eighty turn.
“Of course I made it! Can’t miss such an important day for my favorite dongsaeng!” He winks and stops in the middle of the room full of pottery - vases and bowls, earthenware and stoneware - various sizes and colors fill the small section.
I smile and feel myself - mind and body - relax at the welcoming sight. Pottery was what got me into the fine arts. Was what got me here today.
Was what made him proud.
“Earth to Sungmin!” Yesung says, waving a hand in front of my face. “You okay?”
I shake out of my thoughts and nod. He grins and motions towards the various potteries displayed around us. “These are amazing,” he sighs, eyes twinkling. “Ryeowook would’ve loved to come and see this.”
“How’s Ryeowook hyung doing lately? Getting any better?” I inquire. My heart flutters with worry when a frown paints across Yesung’s forehead.
“He’s…” Yesung shakes his head, as if to clear a bad thought away. “Nothing to be worried about!” He says cheerfully. “Wookie’s doing just fine, so you, Mister famous-potter, just focus on today and not embarrassing yourself in front of the camera.”
I scowl and push Yesung away when he pinches my cheeks and coos. Before I can give him a good smack, he is whistling away and looking at more potteries. Suddenly, the whistling dies down and he slows to a stop in front of a certain display.
“Hyung?” I call, frowning.
“Is this…” Yesung whispers, eyes slightly glassy and void of thought.
I look to the display, and my heart clenches with sorrow. In a small glass box, was a deformed mug, a side of the rim uneven and the shape of the body a squiggly circle. The painting on it was no better, mismatching colors of red, blue and pink in random designs. A small kitty could be found prancing on the bottom rim of the vase. All in all, it looked as if somebody sat on it and then tried to stretch it back to its original shape.
As if being hit with a hammer, memories resurface, bringing sudden tears into my eyes. Blinking them away, I turn to see Yesung with a soft smile on his lips while his eyes were full of grief.
He was thinking the same thing as I was.
“Excuse me… are you Lee Sungmin-sshi?” A soft, low voice says.
Immediately, Yesung gives me an understanding look, makes an ‘okay’ sign with his fingers and slowly walks away.
I compose myself before turning around to greet the guest. “Yes, I am. What can I do for you?” I keep a professional façade while my eyes takes in the beautiful man before me. An internal turmoil takes place as the said, beautiful, man smiles softly and whispers in an alluring voice to match his looks.
“I’m just an reporter wanting to ask you some questions.” He waves the pen and paper in his hand.
I smile. “Would this reporter have a name?”
He chuckles, and I swore he winked at me as he said, “Kyuhyun.”
+
“Now, the final question.” Kyuhyun says, looking up from his paper, “which piece of work are you most proud of?”
For fifteen minutes we have stood in the pottery gallery, him asking me questions and me answering. But it was obvious that both of us weren’t all that focused, since he has only filled in half a page of what I’ve been saying, and that we were more interested in each other. (I’m well aware of people when they try and flirt with me. And in Kyuhyun’s case, he is doing very well.)
I don’t hesitate to point towards the deformed vase, standing proudly among the more proficient vases in the room. I smile softly when Kyuhyun raises an inquiring eyebrow.
“Any reasons why?” He says. His warm dark eyes stare into mine, and a sudden urge to blurt out my deepest secret hits me.
My eyes fall to the ground and up to the glass case securing the vase. “Let me tell you a story Kyuhyun-sshi…”
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(18 years ago)
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“Heechul-hyung! Look what I made!”
The said male turns around, stops mid-stride and takes out his headphones as his middle school uniform flaps by an evening breeze. His lips curl into a grin as he watches the small, chubby kid of six jog up to him with a bright smile.
“Careful, you’re going to trip if you run like that.” Heechul comments, slinging his bag higher on his shoulder as the tiny child catches his breath.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, tiny hands hold up an object wrapped in pink tissue paper. “Open it!” he shouts. “It’s for you hyung!”
Pretending to be annoyed, Heechul rolls his eyes and takes the gift. But, really, he was touched and happy that his little friend was so thoughtful. “Fine. Better not be anything like… I don’t know, mud or something.”
Carefully unwrapping the paper, Heechul stares at the gift with a curious gaze. But soon, his eyes sparkle and a smile touches his lips as he brings the gift closer to his face.
The little boys cheeks flush pink as he squirms on the spot. He looks at the ground, then to the taller male, and then to the ground again. Nervous and hoping that Heechul will like his gift; the boy bites his bottom lip and fiddles with the strap on his backpack.
Suddenly, Heechul breaks out into a laugh and ruffles the boys hair with a free grin plastered on his lips. “Thanks.” He says, “You made this at school?” Heechul chuckles when the little boy suddenly brightens up and nods furiously.
“Our teacher brought in clay for us last week! And she said to make a gift for a special person.” The boy’s smile falters, as his voice gets a bit quiet. “Everyone made one for their mommies,” He looks up to Heechul and smiles again. “But I made one for you hyung!”
Heechul doesn’t miss how a sad look crosses the young boys face at the mention of a mother. His jaw involuntarily clenches, but he tries to relax. “Why didn’t you make one for your dad then?”
The little boys eyes widen at the mention of his father, he then motions for Heechul to lean over closer with his tiny hands. “Don’t tell daddy… he’ll get jealous again.”
Heechul is forced to pinky promise before he is able to get back up. “Come on, I’ll walk home with you.” The gift still in his hand; a small mug, deformed in shape and size, but the hard work and effort was clearly visible to the teen. (Heechul notices a small splatter of pinkish-red on the handle, but he shrugs it off and admired how it would make a nice paperweight for his desk.)
“Do you like it?” The kid says timidly, unable to look up at Heechul. He pouts when the older male continues walking ahead of him.
“Hyung~” he calls, half whines. “Do you like it?” His eyes grow large and glassy. Heechul refuses to look into those eyes, and continues, purposely, taking long strides.
He grins when he hears small feet hitting the dirt path and running up behind him. “Hyung!” Came the whiny voice again. If it weren’t so whiny, it would’ve been cute.
Sighing, Heechul stops and turns to see the little boy standing a few meters behind him. He grins and motions for the boy to come closer.
“I don’t like it,” He starts, smirking when the young boy stops suddenly and pouts at him.
“I love it. It’s perfect.” He finishes, smiling. “Come on Sungmin-ah. That old man who calls himself your father, is probably waiting for you.” Heechul says, turning swiftly around on his heels and walking.
His smile widens when he feels a small hand gripping the edge of his school jacket and hears the quiet musical words of, “You’re welcome, hyung-ah.”
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(9 years later…)
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“Oi! Lee Sungmin! HALT!”
Shoulders tensing and legs speeding up on their own accord, Sungmin ignores the giggles and points he gets from passing classmates. He rushes around the corner and off the school grounds when he is finally caught.
“I take my precious time off to pick up your ungrateful butt from school, and you dare to ignore me?” Came the infuriated and just plainly annoyed voice. The arm around Sungmin’s neck tightens with each word.
“I never asked you to.” Came the choked response and the flail of hands. Sungmin sighs with relief when the arm loosens. He grumbles and picks up his backpack from the ground as he shoots a glare towards the older, unwanted, male.
Heechul smirks and runs a hand through his bright red hair when a couple of girls pass him, giggling and waving. Sungmin groans and begins to walk the opposite way, he shouts when Heechul grabs his collar and puts an arm around his shoulder.
“Where did that cute boy go?” Heechul says dramatically. “Oh woe, how I miss him so. Such an adoring little boy that would follow me everywhere, yelling ‘hyung! Hyung!’”
Sungmin frowns and pouts. “That was years ago.” He growls when Heechul pinches his cheeks. “Hyung!” He whines.
Heechul smirks. “At least that whine of yours is still the same.” He cackles out a laugh when Sungmin runs after him with his bag over his shoulder and ready to strike.
After much persuasion on Heechul’s part, Sungmin agrees and rather reluctantly eats dinner with the hyung he used to admire years ago.
“So… almost done middle school.” Heechul comments, talking through a mouthful of bulgogi. (To which Sungmin grimaces and scowls about proper manners. And to which Heechul rolls his eyes and chews even more messily.) “Wasn’t that when I moved into the apartment next to you and your dad?”
Sungmin nods, more focused on eating. He motions for a bypassing ajumma to bring some more water.
Heechul chuckles and drowns the small cup of soju he ordered. (Sungmin raised an eyebrow at him and warned that he was not helping back a drunk-tard home.) “Time flies… Last time I remember you was when you were six and I was in middle school.”
Sungmin chokes on his meat and gulps down the water, ignoring the amused grin on Heechul’s lips. “Bb-but you saw me and my dad last week!” He says, coughing.
Heechul shakes the chopsticks in his hand. “No no, I said remember, not saw.” He sighs. “I liked you so much better when you were in diapers. You weren’t so… snarky.”
“I’m not snarky.” Sungmin huffs. “And I did not wear diapers when I saw six!” he adds. Heechul smirks and leans forward, eyes twinkling with its usual sparkle.
“Are you still in denial, Sungmin-ah?” He says, laughing when Sungmin throws a lettuce at his head.
“Shut up, hyung.” Sungmin states. Although he can’t help the twitch of his lips when Heechul makes a hilarious fake-hurt face.
After 3 bowls of rice, 3 plates of meat and 4 more bottles of soju for Heechul and coke for Sungmin, it was time to go home… or rather, drag Heechul home and then take the bus back to Sungmin’s house.
“I said I wasn’t going to.” Sungmin grumbles, stopping to catch his breath and shrugging his bag higher on his shoulder. “I told you I wasn’t going to.” He roughly pinches Heechul’s arm for affect. “But why do you torture me so?!” Sungmin growls, shifting Heechul’s arm around his shoulder so that he could walk a bit more easily.
Heechul simply snorts and tries to walk on his feet, but just trips - taking himself and Sungmin down. (“I. Hate. You.” Sungmin barks.)
A walk that would’ve taken 15 minutes, took exactly 45 minutes, not counting the flight of stairs since the elevator was under repair. (“WHAT?!” Sungmin shouts, mouth hanging open in despair.) Sungmin finally unloads the excess weight onto a bed and plops down onto the floor.
“I hope your hangover hits you hard.” Sungmin growls. He gets to his feet and gives one good, long look at the sleeping figure.
Heechul was just as outgoing and beautiful as ever; just like when Sungmin first met Heechul when he was at the tender age of fifteen. He was currently in his last year in college, attending the Seoul Arts Institute College while his family - mother and sister - were down in Busan.
Sungmin looks around the dark room and immediately scowls. “This is a pigsty!” he whispers, mortified. Not having the heart to flick on the lights and see the room in the light, Sungmin decides to just tuck Heechul under the covers and sneak back out into the safety of the night air.
But just as he is about to get up and leave, Sungmin catches a familiar object on the bedside table, the only spot that was actually clean. His eyes widen in surprise, and then soften as he looks back to the peacefully sleeping elder. The mug, his mug, that he made and gave to Heechul some years ago, was dust free and sitting daintily on top of a stack of papers.
“He kept this junk?” Sungmin murmurs.
“What do you want to be when you grow up, Sungmin?”
“I don’t know…”
“I think you should be a potter, an artist! Then you can dedicate all your work to me!”
“Dad will get jealous of you… again.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
The old conversation resounds in his mind as he stares at the deformed object that was supposed to be mug. It was his first try at anything close to pottery and art, but it certainly wasn’t his last. A smile forms on his lips when he remembers the countless paintings and sculptures he would give to Heechul after school, and remembers how his dad got incredibly jealous when Heechul would pop up at his house couple hours later to show off his latest present.
Later that night, Sungmin stays up in front of his canvas until dawn breaks (from his better judgment, since he had a test that morning) and Heechul finds himself a new painting to hang in his living room by that afternoon.
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(5 years later…)
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“Happy almost 20th Birthday!” Heechul coos, pinching Sungmin’s cheeks and snapping the elastic under the younger males chin. He chuckles when Sungmin growls and the friends around them snicker.
“Celebrating the New Year and a birthday, now isn’t this a special day?” Yesung comments. He slings an arm around Heechul’s shoulders and grins happily. Ryeowook nods and walks up next to Yesung, handing him a drink.
“How’s the new station working out for you, Heechul-hyung?” Ryeowook asks. Everyone groans as they have already heard about how fantastic it is, or how exhilarating it is, or how he has already made friends with Lee Hyori. Heechul was 29 and an assistant PD who dreams of someday, running his own show - whether it be a drama, variety, documentary. While most of his friends were out looking for a wife, or serving the country, he was making his dream a reality.
Sungmin walks away as Heechul begins his tale to innocent Ryeowook, who just listens attentively. He has already heard the story for the 9th time, and didn’t need a 10th.
Dancing to three more songs and singing to four more, Sungmin laughs and takes a breather from the high of the night’s party. He steps out onto the balcony and envelops himself in the cool January air.
“Shut up guys! The countdown is starting!” Yesung shouts, standing on the coffee table and shouting over bopping heads.
Sungmin shakes his head and grins as he stares up at the moon and listens to the people counting down (10! 9! 8! 7!…) in the room.
“3… 2… 1…” Sungmin whispers. He covers his ears when his friends go ballistic and whoop for joy, or just because, as the New Year begins.
“So that nobody else can say it first, Happy official Birthday and New Year.” Heechul says, stepping onto the balcony and joining Sungmin.
“Happy New Year, Hyung.” Sungmin whispers, staring up at the stars. After a thought he adds. “And thanks..”
Heechul raises an eyebrow. “For what? It is natural to say Happy Birthday on someone’s birthday you know.”
Sungmin ignores the comment. “For everything.”
Heechul shudders and narrows his eyes at his dongsaeng. “Why are you so mushy all of a sudden?” He chuckles when Sungmin sticks his tongue out at him.
“Because…” Sungmin continues, wanting to finally tell the one person that has stuck with him through the years. “You gave me my dreams, you gave me inspirations. So I wanted to thank you for that.” Sungmin smiles softly and turns to Heechul when there isn’t an answer.
“I gave you inspiration?” Heechul says incredulously. He just grins and shakes his head. “Of all people… well, then I’m glad I was able to. But Sungmin-ah, you were a bright kid from the start, you never needed me, or anyone, to push you in the right direction.”
Sungmin just shakes his head; a silent no. Sighing, Heechul just shrugs and slings an arm around his dongsaeng’s shoulder.
“Whenever you give me your art, it makes me incredibly happy. And weirdly, makes me feel… proud of you.” Heechul says, squeezing Sungmin’s shoulder. “But no matter what, you’re the little brother I never had. I’ll always be here to help.”
Sungmin smiles and looks at Heechul with twinkling eyes. “Thanks Hyung.” He pauses. “You’ll always be my hyung… always.”
They stand under the moonlit sky as the first snowflakes fall in the New Year.
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(7 months later…)
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“The gallery is closing soon!!”
“Just. Wait. I’m. Almost. There.” Heechul gasps, cursing when a red light stops him. He takes the time to catch his breath.
“That’s why you should’ve taken my offer when I asked you to come to the gym with me.”
Heechul raises an eyebrow, not that Sungmin could see. “You expect me to sweat? I don’t think so.”
“Well hurry up if you want to see my display!” Sungmin says impatiently.
“Okay, Okay.” Heechul says, continuing with his jog-walk across the intersection. “Two more blocks and I’ll be ther-“
“WATCH OUT!”
A scream.
Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!
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(Present day…)
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Kyuhyun’s pen drops to the floor. He blinks and leans on his heels with anticipation. “Was he… hit?”
Sungmin smiles softly and bends down to pick up the discard pen from the floor. His eyes glaze over, as he stays crouched on the floor.
“Sungmin-sshi?” Kyuhyun murmurs.
Sungmin feels a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looks up to see Yesung looking at the display of Heechul’s mug with an unreadable expression. Tears welling up in his eyes, Sungmin rises and lets a smile paint across his lips.
“The day my first artwork was displayed in the new gallery was the day Heechul’s reality became a dream again.” Sungmin whispers, letting a tear roll down his rosy cheeks.
Kyuhyun can’t help but to feel his stomach clench with grief for this artist and the unknown man. He turns to see the display of the mug, standing proudly in the midst of the skillful potteries. His eyes then travel down to the small plaque, inscribed with the words,
~Inspiration: In the memories of Kim Heechul
The one who started this for me
I’ll always be grateful
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A/N: I really hope I didn’t fail at this. I hope you liked this Jisun! Sorry it took Soooooo freakishly long! Blame school! (now imma going to go and study). Hope this is something that you was expecting
… J