Work Text:
taehyung absolutely loves his job. there are benefits of owning a small, public art display across the street, just right down from the road that connects his house and the record shop that his best friend, seokjin owns. the place is quite quaint, warm and therapeutic. he mostly rented out the hall as a joke, when he was back in college—but after he hung a few frames of his own artwork and some fake remakes of famous paintings, he didn’t quite expect people to take it as a serious place of interest, and to come and view paintings; paying for it even—he was never actually confident he could make a living out of his passion. his father always told him that he would be of no good and sometimes, it really got to taehyung’s head. the art gallery is always something that serves as his reminder to always prove people wrong no matter what. it’s almost his home now, since he spends more time in the gallery rather than experience sitting on the couch in his house and lounging which seems like a luxury for him now.
running the art gallery has always been a pleasure, he loves seeing the surprise on the viewers’ faces when they meet someone like him, someone as young as him, take up so much interest on art and everything that came with it. to rent out such a huge art gallery, fully renovate it and contact so many dealers and hire a shitload of curators (whether they were pretentious or not, he didn’t give two fucks) to explain and artistically describe the paintings was another life-taking job, but at the end of the day, he loves it. the day he put out ads on the internet to find people to work in his art gallery, that’s when he realised that the world is a cruel place and isn’t very kind to students pursuing fine arts or sculpture—because in his dad’s words, “fine arts is for losers who are too lazy to do anything better in life. you could just find a girl and i’ll just marry you right off, that is so much better.” his mom was really supportive of his interests, though. she funded his entire education and even the initial costs to set up the gallery. he’s moved to seoul now and he terribly misses her from time to time and facetiming alone doesn’t help at all.
taehyung loves his job because, currently he’s sitting on a lavish, red colored sofa at the far end of the hall, bent over his knees and hands clasped at the emptiness of it all, just some careless whispers and laughs by namjoon and hoseok near the entrance desk and he lets out a small smile watching them—hoseok has been flirting with namjoon ever since they joined for work at almost the same time and that has been well over two years now. namjoon is clueless as ever, yet he always leans into hoseok’s touch and smiles at him like he couldn’t live without him. taehyung promised hoseok he wouldn’t break it to namjoon, though. he loves watching both of them like that, hopelessly whipped for each other but so oblivious. he could, to some extent say that he is jealous and wants something like that—some innocent flirting, some lame pickup lines, cute dates, hand-holding and maybe throw in some mind-blowing sex and he is set for life if he has this career forever.
he adjusts his white, pinstriped pants and tucks his red shirt in again as he gets up on his feet to let out a sigh. the gallery was tailored exactly to his likes—minimalistic and elegant yet eye-catching. the entrance is graced by wooden doors, custom made again (it costed his mother a fortune but he’s proud that he repaid the amount with interest ) and as soon as one enters, the cream colored walls are adorned by paintings and photographs from an upcoming artist called giuliana roberts that he happened to stumble upon on tumblr at 3 a.m in the morning. their latest collection centres around the lives of working women and their simplest desires in the form of beautiful metaphors and complex brush strokes that instantly made taehyung fall in love and end up emailing them within the span of an hour. he can’t forget the rush that he felt that night—it felt surreal to even own an art gallery, let alone buying original pieces to display in it.
to the right of that collection, sits ramya, the receptionist—taehyung’s internship buddy who came from a similar background as his but from india. she smiles at him as he walks around absentmindedly, hands behind his back on the polished wooden ramp where new centre art pieces are revealed every month. she sits behind a matching cream colored fixed desk, legs propped up into the chair for warmth. a little further away from her begins the sculpture exhibits—mostly by amateur sculptors. he takes pride in finding new artists, he sends a sulking namjoon often to universities, asking him to scout for new sculptors in exhibitions every now and then. the roof is translucent, allowing light to fall on the pieces naturally, illuminating the place like a temple. abstract art pieces hang in intricate frames, fitting themselves snugly into the space that’s carved for them.
a little further in, many replicas of famous paintings made by his classmates are displayed, their favorites and his own, from picasso and monet to salvador dali and jack pollack. towards the left of the wall is a section for paintings that are on sale, showcasing too many artists, that it takes up an entire side. finally, at the end of the gallery where taehyung sat earlier, a special collection of paintings hang, artificial lighting shines upon them with a golden nameplate below it, saying
jack volhard . 2017.
“taehyung-ah, seems like we have a storm coming our way. yeongshil university just called and they just told us that they’re gonna be coming here as a field trip or something.”
“oh shit, when?” taehyung clicks the heels of his shoes as he walks towards ramya as she begins to read the details she just wrote down. namjoon and hoseok seems like they’ve woken up from the flirting slumber and they’re looking up attentively at ramya and what she’s about to say.
“uh, they said four p.m. but—”
“wait. today?”
“yep.”
namjoon groans and crosses his arms, “what’s with universities literally informing a minute before they’re gonna arrive, i really don’t get it.”
“don’t get all dramatic, namjoonie. we have about—” ramya checks her watch, “an hour to set up before they come. business has been boring today, i’m sure at least a thirty of them will pay to see the stuff here and supposedly, learn. ” she airquotes the ‘learn’ and taehyung laughs at that.
setting up the gallery consisted mainly of putting their best ‘do not touch’ signs and dividers between the exhibits because these students can definitely get frisky even though they are grown-up twenty year olds. the gallery was a popular choice among local universities for a short excursions of sorts, mainly because, rather than showing just old paintings, it holds more importance and value to the newer and modern form of expression. ramya takes care of most of the things around the area, namjoon and hoseok just philosophy their way through the paintings and pieces. taehyung’s just… taehyung—he walks around the place like a visitor and blends in with the occasional crowd and no one notices a thing, he’s lost count of the amount of times he’s been asked out in the very gallery that he owns and yet, he never wishes to reveal it to anyone.
about an hour later, two young people approach the doors and taehyung assumes it’s the representatives from the colleges and his head snaps up from his fruit ninja dojo in a second when he sees them.
“welcome to sublime galleria, i presume you’re from yeongshil. i hope you guys have a good time here, can i know how many of y’all are here so that i can make arrangements?” ramya goes into professional mode, namjoon and hoseok just stand quietly with a smile plastered on their faces.
“uh, we’re about twenty eight of us. oh and here you go,” the girl reaches into her bag and pulls out an envelope with a cheque inside. “we didn’t know how much we had to pay—”
“that’d be 218,600 won, please and thank you.” the girl hurriedly sighs and writes the cheque for the quoted amount and signs it.
the students start filtering in slowly, one by one and then in groups of three and four; chattering and loud just like how taehyung was back in college. the guys slowly begin to become quiet as hoseok subtly stares them down (in a polite manner, of course). a group of girls enter behind them, plainly dressed and looking like the life had been drained out of them, but there is enthusiasm nonetheless; the want to learn more about art hovering over their bored minds. taehyung assumes that everyone had assembled at the portico and signals namjoon to go welcome them into the tour but the rep steps in and starts counting each one of them.
“...twenty-five, twenty-six. guys, who’s missing? please check.” she walks around frantically like she’s stressed and places her hand on her head.
“j-jungkook, i think. and his friend yoongi.”
“sorry! sorry! yoongi almost bit my ear off back there, i hate him. yoonie, apologize to them.”
“no apology for that. you deserved that, brat.”
perhaps, the boy and his friend were a bit too loud and they look around to see their entire class staring at them in disbelief and it fucking included the gallery staff. one boy (jungkook? taehyung thinks) is scrawny and lean but buff somehow and manages to hide his body behind a big, yellow bomber jacket; his hair is parted by the cold wind from outside and he has really huge eyes for his face. the other one; although small, he looks fierce but has an aura of a marshmallow and taehyung can’t help but smile at their little exchange.
“chungoo, your gay is showing.” one girl says a little loudly in a joking manner and the boy just sticks his tongue out playfully. namjoon laughs under his breath, taehyung is endeared.
“ahem. now that you’re all here, shall we start?” they all collectively mutter a yes.
“split yourselves into three groups, please. it’s easier to curate that way.” a momentary chaos occurs as the students walk here and there to be in a group and when it’s done, namjoon leads with the first group, taking them straight to sculpture section first whereas hoseok leads the second group to the famous paintings section in order to take turns. the third group, the smaller group, it has about six people only and it includes jungkook and yoongi. jungkook bites his nails in a split second when he has nothing to fidget with in his hands.
“fucking gallery is understaffed, we gotta wait till one of the groups have finished.” unfortunately, taehyung hears that from a sufficient distance. innocent little jungkook, or so he thought, had a potty mouth. he watches jungkook walk to ramya’s desk, hands shoved into the pockets now.
“do we gotta wait till one of the tours are over?” ramya looks up to an impatient jungkook, eyes widened and ramya really doesn’t want to say no to a face like that.
“yes, i’m afraid.”
“tch.” he leans back up and looks around the entire place and scans it with his eyes. taehyung’s currently standing near the entrance, beside a cupboard and pretending like he isn’t hearing anything that he's saying but in reality, every word that the boy says, he wants to braid them on a wreath and wear it on his head (where did that thought even come from? he does not know.)
jungkook's eyes catch hold on taehyung's lean figure and a small smirk comes up on his face. "what about him? he's been here a while and i don't think he's a visitor at all. i mean look at the way he's standing, like a nonchalant, 'come-at-me-bro' kinda guy. tell him to guide us." ramya chokes on her spit at the back of her throat and taehyung stifles a giggle that if escaped would have been loud enough to be heard in the next building.
"i—um." she nervously snickers and jungkook just raises his eyebrows and looks at her questionably. "wait, you're serious?"
"yuh-uh! now keep it coming, i paid for this and now i get what i want, no?" jungkook looks over again to taehyung's side and taehyung just pretends to be clueless and holds in his breath for the right time. yoongi facepalms himself behind jungkook.
"wow, okay. i don't know how to say this but i can't do that because he is the o—"
"i'm coming! i heard you call me, ramya!" taehyung hurries over before she could spill anything and the expression on jungkook's face is so satisfied, he's crossed his arms now, skirting looks from taehyung's toes to his face and it doesn't go unnoticed by him, he just hangs his head lower in embarrassment.
"taehyun—"
"what, you should've just told me that i had work to do." she is genuinely so confused that it's amusing to taehyung at the moment. taehyung positions himself in front of the two girls and the four guys and begins off.
"why don't you guys go on a bit and i'll be right there?" he watches as jungkook rolls his eyes and walks a bit further away, hand locked with yoongi's.
"taehyung, baby, what the fuck are you doing?" ramya whisper-yells into taehyung's face as soon as they're gone and taehyung just has a simple laugh for her in return.
"he's cute." taehyung says amidst his fit.
"sure, sure. whatever the fuck you're doing, don't get it out of hand. go on now, they're waiting for you." taehyung just walks to them slowly and leads them patiently to the amateur artist section.
"welcome to sublime galleria! i think it's your first visit to our gallery and i really hope that you could have some fun and maybe get some education." the girls right in front of him share a giggle and whisper something in each other’s ears and taehyung can do nothing but brush it off and begin his tour.
“okay, peeps. i’m taehyung and i’ll be your guide for today!” he clasps his hand in amusement and smiles widely and the looks he gets from the students are beyond boring.
“just get on with it, for god’s sake. it’s not like we wanted to come here.” it’s jungkook saying that and taehyung immediately shuts his mouth and hangs his head in defeat. he looks over to ramya’s desk and she is sending him a staggering expression, conveying, ‘you asked for it, you get it.’
“okay, fine. now here, we have a painting named field flora by kate havekost. this is very recent, created in the summer of this year. the minimalist nature of this piece is its highlight and the colors that it shows is—” taehyung is interrupted by the same voice. jungkook steps a bit forward and has one hand placed under his chin, and all he says is, “what prompted the artist to create this piece?”
“i’m sure we’ll get to that. i’ll continue what i was saying. field flora has an interesting choice of flowers as shown in composition. the flowers chosen are orange-red poppies, cornflowers and daisies. as you can all see, the red is more prominent in the piece, and it almost overshadows the other constituent flowers in the painting. the cornflowers provide a more subtle texture—”
“i think the cornflowers provide relief from the bursting red that the poppies throw and that’s why they’re situated in the crevices and the edges. poppies are more beautiful nonetheless, but focusing on the cornflowers and daisies, you forget about it for a minute.” jungkook pipes in and his entire group stares at him in disbelief, yoongi even opening and closing his mouth like a gasping fish.
“g-good observation. mr.—?”
“jungkook, jeon.” he says with a playful smirk painting his face and taehyung doesn’t know what game he’s playing.
“yes, that’s one good way to put it, mr. jeon. but like i was saying, the style of painting is minimalistic and the usage of watercolor and gouache has solidified the image in our brain. the picture itself is a leisure piece, drawn by the artist during their time in prague. i’ll give y’all some time to look at it.” taehyung says and steps aside from the painting and watches the students revel at it, discussing about it.
“i don’t think this was just a leisure piece.”
“i believe it is, jungkook.”
“something must’ve prompted them, they can’t just—”
“do you own this gallery or do—” taehyung stops himself at the right time. the boy was beginning to get on his nerves and he wasn’t quite sure if he was doing it on purpose. jungkook just closes his mouth as taehyung just stomped off to the next painting, ignoring his existence. maybe taehyung made a mistake in judgment, he should’ve just stayed in his fucking place and let ramya finish her sentence and maybe, jungkook wouldn’t be so disrespectful then. nevertheless, when he glances over towards a clueless, confused jungkook, his heart jumps a little.
“next exhibit guys.” he calls them over and they flock aimlessly.
he sees jungkook say something to yoongi, eyes flickering over towards taehyung momentarily. taehyung just sighs, he could at least be discreet about it. yoongi just slaps his back and jungkook laughs brightly. taehyung wishes he didn’t see the way jungkook’s eyes curve up the same way his lips pull up, he looks down to his shoes abashedly.
“this one is called rebirth by harry virdy. the painting showcases the innocence of a girl in the form of a portrait. it features traditional art styles, usage of watercolours on paper alone to bring out the emotion that is captured in the piece.”
“i think you should talk about the subtle hints of flowers and butterflies that are shown as if it’s accidental but in actuality, isn’t.”
“oh yeah, i see that now. thanks, jk.” one guy fixes his glasses and looks at the painting closely. taehyung takes a deep breath and tries to his maintain his composure. jungkook catches taehyung’s straight face and sends a cocky smile his way. did taehyung actually put himself in jeopardy because this guy looked so fucking cute even when he was mocking him?
“the centre of attraction in this piece is the way the eyes have been painted and how the colors are a bit muted near the mouth. it can be interpreted as a result of a painful life a girl has to live.”
“guess the owner of this gallery has a huge soft spot for watercolor. bet their favorite artist is monet.” he says loud enough to yoongi and they just share a small laugh. taehyung’s favorite artist is van gogh, fuck him. (monet is tied for first place, but don’t rub it on his face.)
jungkook finishes laughing and slowly walks over to the next exhibit without a word, hands tied behind his back. taehyung is sighing and he doesn’t want to call him back over, he’s tired.
when jungkook hops over to the next exhibit, he pauses and freezes completely. his mouth goes slack and his eyes are fixated on the details and colors of the painting. taehyung smirks.
“this one is my personal favorite. it’s called gardener and the centre of the universe by jana brike. it’s a piece from back in 2016 and as you can see, it makes complete usage of symbolism and the sensuality is fully captured in the way it has been composed, raw and exposed but in such a tender way.” the students look at it in such an awe, taehyung is proud of himself for going lengths to buy the painting, it’s his best effort, he would say.
“i really don’t have the words to explain this painting, it’s—” he notices jungkook intently staring at him, rather than looking at the art while he’s explaining. his eyes aren’t blinking, his lips are pulled in a thin line but it appears as if he’s smiling at him. he feels the skin under his face flame up, and the words get stuck in his throat. the others turn back to look at taehyung because of the long pause and taehyung doesn’t really snap back into reality but when jungkook starts talking again, “i guess mr. taehyung is at a loss for words because of how good the art looks.” his smile turns more cockier and taehyung bites the inside of his cheek to keep him from smiling harder. as much as he’s annoyed, he wants to kiss the cocky smile away from jungkook’s mouth.
“ahem. i can say, jungkook here, isn’t wrong.” taehyung sneaks a glance at jungkook while he says it and this time it’s yoongi’s turn to be confused as his friend shows a pink tint on his face and turns his head away.
“this painting was inspired by naivety and the thin line between womanhood and girlhood. the transitioning is often blurred and it’s often that a girl lives in the disguise of a woman. the sexuality of a woman is considered as an oppressed subject and sex isn’t something that should be censored as it is an essential part of our living and existence. the artist has chosen various— please, stop staring at me, jungkook. as much as i love the attention, i can’t concentrate.” after he admits it out loud, the gravity of the situation that he’s thrown himself into, hits him. he just gave jungkook the benefit of the doubt. nice. the students look at jungkook and taehyung back and forth confunded, and taehyung panics for a minute. he begins walking away to the painting right across the room and the students follow him like a herd of sheep.
“i-uh. i’m pretty sure y’all know about this one here. do i really have to explain this?” he points to pablo picasso’s the old guitarist and yoongi just balks. “do you really work here or did you just happen to come over because my friend over here looks like a meal? i didn’t pay for shit like this, man.” and yoongi had hit the nail on the head. was jungkook really worth blowing off his cover? the answer is yes. jungkook smiles hard and slaps yoongi’s butt from the back, laughing like they’re up to something.
“uh. okay, okay. don’t be like that.” taehyung sulks as he stands in front of the old guitarist and he begins, “as you know, this painting revolves around the struggles of picasso in barcelona as a street artist. the elements in the painting is devoid of detail and only focuses on the color blue and its dullness, signifying tragic and melancholic themes. the subject appears to be muscular but he’s also approaching death, but basks in the little comfort in the world and accentuates the misery of his situation.”
“and also, the only color shift expressed is the little warmer shade of brown in the guitar. the color stands out amidst the blues and acts as the center and focus. it’s like the guitar is all he has and it comes to represent the guitarist’s world and hope for survival.” jungkook says.
“yes and—”
“the usage of oil on panel puts a more theatrical and dramatic mood on the painting and blends the colors without diminishing the brightness. it’s also two dimensional as is our life in our last moments.” jungkook has a twinkling smile at the end of his explanation and taehyung’s blood is boiling and he really might die of how confident, beautiful and annoying this boy is.
“why don’t you sign up for this job instead, i’ll just you know, resign. ” he just walks away, clutching his belt loops in his fingers and clicking his tongue in disapproval.
“what, i told you not to jump out your fence, little tiger. s’fine, art students are snobby nowadays and you know it.” ramya says, penciling a new character into her journey as she speaks. taehyung tsks, and walks away from there too and seats himself on the sofa at the ramp on the far end of the hall with a sulk and pout on his face. he really was like a five year old throwing a tantrum for an unavailable lollipop. he turns his face away when a perplexed and baffled jungkook and friends are discussing amongst themselves when hoseok appears out of nowhere and helps them walk to the sculpture section. taehyung notices the way his eyes search for him after he had left them, something kicks at the pit of his stomach.
after about forty five minutes of trying to beat his opponent’s frenzy mode score in fruit ninja, he gives up. a minute later, jungkook’s figure appears near the deck and taehyung’s heart goes frenzy mode. since the deck is a dead end, there wasn’t really anywhere to run to. he maintains his composure and pretends like he’s doing something very important on his phone when jungkook sets his eyes on him.
“oh there you are.”
“what, here to steal what’s mine again?” he motions to the sofa. when jungkook shakes his head with a smile and then looks up from taehyung’s pouting face, his face goes still.
“oh my fucking god.”
“what now?” taehyung follows jungkook’s line of sight and notices he’s sitting right below the golden sign that says jack volhard, 2017.
“no fucking way. please tell me it’s an original! oh my god.” jungkook’s hands curl into his fists and he’s hopping on spot. his face is priceless as taehyung watches the excitement creep into him.
“it’s an original. mr. volhard is our dear friend, by the way.” taehyung boasts.
“what! no. i’m such a big fan, like such a big fan that i could frame their grocery lists and call it art, you have no idea, oh my god. do you have any idea what kind of artist you got to display here? you guys are so fucking lucky, fuck.” this was jungkook’s true self, taehyung assumes. a fanboy.
“we could like, arrange for a visit here, if you want.” taehyung fakes a cough and looks at jungkook, milking the boy’s emotions to the fullest so that he can see the various expressions the boy can pull off. taehyung could make him even happier, he could see the boy revel in amusement if he wanted to, shroud in happiness if he wanted to. in a minute. he really wanted to somehow make jungkook the happiest guy ever.
“what do you mean, if i want? i owe you? this is too good to be true, i can’t believe it. of course, i would want it. oh my god.” taehyung smirks.
“then apologize, it’s rude to interrupt someone while they’re talking, jungkook.”
“oh shit, i’m so sorry, that was totally intentional.” he whispers but he’s still smiling.
“i just wanted to throw you off track, because like, you’re cute and stuff.” jungkook’s blushing with his head bent.
“where are all your artistic words now, hm?” taehyung laughs. “and now for that, i’m going to bring mr. volhard here. but before that, you have to close your eyes until i tell you to open them.”
“what, why?”
“just do it.”
“okay.” jungkook places his hands on his hand with a huge smile knitted onto his lips. taehyung wasn’t lying when he said he could have the boy revel in amusement, shroud in happiness in a minute. what jungkook didn’t know that he was talking about jack volhard to jack volhard himself—kim taehyung aka jack volhard. he hurriedly fixes his hair, wets his lips and pulls up his sleeves before the big reveal.
“open them.”
“you’re standing in front of jack volhard, bub.” taehyung has a million dollar, teeth showing smile on his face but jungkook is not impressed.
“sick joke. you’re not cute, fuck off.” he’s almost about to leave, he quickly turns around on his heels but taehyung catches hold of his wrist before he does.
“i swear to god, no, i swear on my puppy, yeontan that i am jack volhard.”
“name his third to last painting.”
“freesia.” taehyung’s determined to prove himself.
“birthday.”
“second to last day of the year.”
“his favorite style.”
“realism.”
“how many paintings have been published?”
“seventeen published, twelve unpublished, four works in progress.” jungkook’s eyes widen.
“twelve unpublished? what is that man doing not publishing my beautiful babies?” taehyung smiles, reaches out for jungkook’s hand.
“how about—i show all your unpublished babies back at my home? it’s right around here.”
it takes a significant amount of convincing for jungkook to agree to come back to taehyung’s home later in the evening, the boy is stubborn as a duck or maybe he’s just starstruck beyond belief.
(“i’ll cut off your balls if you’re lying, i don’t care if you’re cute. i watch a lot of game of thrones and i love the bitch, cersei.” he had said.)
as they were leaving, ramya gets a phone call and she picks up promptly.
“oh. yes, ma’am. yes, ma’am. just a minute—” she puts a hand on the receiver and shouts, “taehyung-ah! ms. diane wants to speak to you, it’s urgent.”
taehyung shows her the gesture to cut it out, slashing his neck multiple times before jungkook turns back and looks at him.
“no, she wants to talk to you. she’s not listening to me, she keeps saying she wants to talk to the damn owner because the shipments are messed up.” jungkook whips his head around skeptically and stares down a taehyung who has the smile of a two year old who just ate chalk.
“for the record, i’m the owner of this place and ifoundyoureallycutewhichiswhyicameover! i’ll see you later, jungkook!” and taehyung just runs as jungkook hides a blush behind yoongi’s jacket.
one year later,
“hey baby, happy birthday! look, i got you a present. you’re gonna be so excited!”
wrappers fly around everywhere and right in the middle of the box,
“a framed grocery list. wow. are you ever gonna let me live it down? ”
“no,” taehyung kisses jungkook’s forehead, “because, you’ve never been more cuter than that day.” jungkook pouts even more. “but then, i realised you’re more beautiful to me every passing day and that i would stare at you any day rather than art.” taehyung finally kisses the pout away with jungkook melting into his touch.