Chapter Text
People are nice, aren’t they? With just one look you can get lost in all sorts of memories and daydreams. The way I think of it, people allow us to explore ourselves and bring new and old sensations and emotions. They make us feel alive.
When Taehyung met Jeongguk he really didn’t think his life would change. Let’s be serious, about how many painters' way of seeing things would change after meeting two of their admirers, who also happen to be father and daughter? Probably just a few, if not none.
Summer was ending and as usual Taehyung had a new exhibition after months of creative exploration with his feelings. Months spent trying to figure out the best way to express his feelings through art, and with this collection he genuinely did.
New beginnings.
This was the title and the theme of the exhibition. He really wanted to leave his past behind and see things from a new perspective, experience fresh emotions and live through changes. The past few months weren’t easy and he was very happy with the outcome of the exhibition.
The collection was composed of seven big paintings and an infinite number of representations of flowers. Every kind of flower: daisies, carnations, tulips, lilies and so on. In Taehyung’s mind this was like representing himself. His first ever drawings and paintings were of flowers. Hell, his own body was covered in tattoos portraying flowers. Even though the main subject was flowers and their meanings, this doesn’t mean Taehyung didn’t try to make this showcase free of interpretation. Every painting could be made personal by any visitor of the gallery.
Art in general, does not have a concrete definition. Not everyone feels and lives the same emotions, they don’t think the same way and don’t appreciate the same things. Without people’s different perspectives, art would be meaningless. This is exactly what Taehyung loved about art in general. Sure, having a collective idea is great, but his emotions were always at its best when he read what other people thought about his paintings. He loved looking at their expressions while they were admiring his paintings, it made his heart swell.
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The exhibition had been open for a few days when Taehyung decided to go and see it himself. He didn’t actually feel self conscious or insecure about this collection, but it was like lying bare in front of someone: every raw emotion that he felt and was eager to feel could be perceived by admiring those paintings. Every time a new collection of his came out, he would get anxious and excited about the response it would get. Not that he cared about others opinion, he loved what he created and more than that, he did that for himself not others but seeing a positive impact was always a good thing for his confidence.
This was probably one of, if not his most important exhibition. The paintings were so personal, representing his desires, wishes and hopes. With these pieces he wanted to start a new way of seeing art and of expressing it, and he hoped that this message was perceived by the admirers.
He was in front of his most important piece of this gallery.
Aubade.
The painting illustrated, with warm colors, water lilies during the morning hours of the day. In the foreground there were different lilies of distinct colors on rounded, variously notched, waxy-coated leaves on long stalks; the stalks rose from thick, creeping underwater stems that were buried in mud. The lily started as a bulb in the mud, only to blossom brightly above the surface. The water was reflecting the sky colors, a mix of orange and rose matching the beautiful colors of the flowers’ petals. In the background, instead, the sky was drawn accompanied by little clouds.
He chose this specific flower because lilies are known to symbolize beauty, devotion, purity, transformation and rebirth. It symbolizes that no matter where you come from or what mistakes you’ve made in your past, there is the opportunity for redemption with pure intentions. Lilies are also often gifted to grieving people, but isn’t death literally the step before rebirth? This is why, in Taehyung’s perspective, lilies fully represent this collection and what he, himself, was trying to achieve.
He was looking at the painting when a pretty little girl came running to it, admiring it with big doe eyes and amazed expression. She was so cute, looking at it attentively, deeply immersed in the nice colors. So lost in the painting that she didn't even see that her father wasn't near her anymore.
Not even a minute later, someone who could be her father from their resemblance and doe eyes came running after her.
“Jeon Eunjoo, how many times do I have to tell you to not leave my side while we are surrounded by so many people? I know you’re excited bub, but please tell appa when you want to go somewhere.” said her father while taking a deep breath and looking at his daughter with worried eyes.
“I’m sorry appa, but I really liked this painting.” said Eunjoo in a small voice, nearly whispering, feeling bad for worrying her father.
“It’s okay baby. Do you want appa to carry you?” asked her dad while caressing her hair.
“Yes, thank you.” she said softly. Jeongguk took her in his arms and got near the painting again. “It’s so pretty appa. It looks like your pretty drawing.” she said alluding to Jeongguk's tattoos.
“It does, doesn’t it? They’re some really beautiful lilies baby.” he said while kissing her cheek.
“Do you think it has the same meaning as your drawing appa? Do you think the artist wants people to love him too? We should give him lots of love.” She was looking so mesmerized at the painting, completely caught up by it.
Taehyung’s breath hitched.
Most people usually don't even think about the painting’s meaning, they would just admire it for a few minutes, take some photos and then move to the next one, but this little girl, Eunjoo, was looking so lovingly and captivated at his piece. She was making Taehyung feel so emotional and warm inside, her words were warming his heart.
“I don’t know sweetie, these lilies are different from my tattoo, so they could have a different meaning too. But I’m sure the artist appreciates our love for his painting baby.” her father said while looking at her lovingly.
“It is really pretty appa” she whispered softly before resting her head on her father's shoulder. "Flowers are so pretty." She sighed. "I wanna play with them now, appa. Wanna go and make pretty crowns with you."
"We could go tomorrow since it's already late, what do you say? Tonight we could see this exhibition and then play together tomorrow?" Jeongguk proposed instead.
Jeongguk's face softened as she nodded sleepily at his response. Taehyung turns and looks back to the painting, pretending that he didn't spend the last few minutes looking and listening to their conversation. After a few minutes the father asked the little girl if she wanted to leave or stay for another few minutes and after receiving confirmation from her, they went to the next painting leaving Taehyung alone.
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A few days later, Taehyung finds himself in front of a green cafe, bursting with flowers and plants. Fairy Garden Cafe. The unexpected sight and smell of nature within the city was what drew Taehyung and his artist's eye. In front of the main door there were tables for those who preferred staying outdoors and not near so many flowers. Despite the large windows, the interior was shaded by the plants and created a sense of privacy and mystery. Entering, the furniture was earth tone blending with the various flowers and plants. Some of them were hanging from the ceiling while others were just placed on the tables, but the most pleasing thing in Taehyung's opinion was the big tree that was positioned in the middle of the cafe. It was surrounded by two round tables, one taller than the other and on both of them were placed small bushes. The tree rested in a wide space and was reaching up to the ceiling with lights falling off its branches.
Taehyung entered the cafe and was immediately met with the pleasing fragrance of the coffee beans blended with the scents of blooms. He went towards the same table he had been sitting all week, which had an amazing view towards the tree and the beautiful scenery that could be seen from the windows. The cafe was crowded at this hour but it still felt very warm and homey to be there.
Taehyung wasn't really a coffee type of person so he ended up ordering some tea accompanied by some sweet snacks.
He wasn't there for any specific reason, just observing his surroundings. For Taehyung, it was nice sometimes to just sit at a table and sip from his tea. He liked watching people, obviously not in a creepy way but he usually found inspiration for its pieces by being in pleasing lively places like this. In this specific case, being in a cafe full of so many flowers was very satisfying and had a truly positive affect on his emotions.
"What do you think about the New Beginnings exhibition?" suddenly a voice said near him, startling him. Taehyung was way too lost in his thoughts to even acknowledge that someone sat near him and asked a question.
"Excuse me?" he turned towards the direction the voice came from and froze. In front of him sat the father of the sweet girl he saw at the gallery.
"About the painting. I saw you when my daughter ran towards the painting in front of you. You seemed entranced by it." the stranger answered Taehyung while smiling shyly.
"Um..." Taehyung started vaguely looking away. "That painting is actually my favourite from that exhibition and the whole collection itself was pretty interesting." It felt really weird to talk about his own art in that way but it's not like he could have said that those paintings were made by him. He was an artist with an alias.
"I know, right? My daughter and I liked it a lot too." his face softens while mentioning his daughter. Taehyung hummed. "Ah, I'm so sorry. It must feel so weird that I approached you after remembering you." He added, scratching his neck and chuckling nervously.
"Oh no, don't worry. It's fine, I don't mind." Taehyung said back to him. "What was so great about the painting?"
Jeongguk seemed lost in his thoughts for a second before answering. "I'm not exactly sure. My daughter loves it because it is a beautiful representation of lilies. She adores them, she actually loves all flowers and their scents. For me, I might be biased because of my daughter's opinion but it's the only piece that really caught my eyes along with Roses Blossom." He seemed so happy while talking about his daughter, it was really endearing for Taehyung to look at his facial expressions.
Roses Blossom. That was one of the hardest paintings Taehyung has ever made. Not hard as in actually painting it but what he wanted to represent was so hard for him to create. It is easy to imagine and associate words and real life things with art, but it's not easy to actually put it on canvas. More than that, it's easy to have it in your mind but creating something with all your thoughts? A mess. The main idea for Roses Blossom was to show with his art what he feels for it, how he craves it. He spent weeks only on that piece and more than once he was tempted in just letting it be and not include it in the collection. It for sure wasn't easy but he was so proud of it.
Jeongguk stopped for a second looking at Taehyung smiling before adding "Don't get me wrong, all the paintings were great and you could feel and see the painter's hard work and passion, but those two made me feel what they wanted to express through this exhibition."
"Your daughter looked amazed that day, she was very adorable." Taehyung answered smiling. "Express through that exhibition... what do you think they wanted to portray?"
"Lilies are known to symbolize fresh life and rebirth. The collection itself is called New Beginnings so it's easy to understand its purpose. Roses obviously symbolize love, but in this case I believe they stand for loving their passion for art; they also stand for purity, same as lilies, so they could also be a reminder to cleanse their mind, to take care of themselves. " He was so energetic while answering, it made Taehyung smile both from his expression and his interpretation. "Oh sorry I'm babbling. I'm Jeon Jeongguk by the way." he smiled sheepishly.
"That's an interesting take on the exhibition Jeongguk, I thought you just liked the flowers." Taehyung chuckled. "Nice to meet you too, I'm Kim Taehyung."
"Nice to meet you too. Do you mind if I keep you company while you take your tea?" Jeongguk asked in an optimistic tone.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind some." Taehyung really liked Jeongguk. He seemed like a nice guy to be around, and in addition to being a caring father Taehyung loved his way of seeing his art.
Their first meeting ended up with both of them sharing Taehyung's sweets and talking more about art and flowers.
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In the next few weeks they continued seeing each other at the Fairy Garden Cafe. Taehyung learned that Jeongguk is the owner and head baker of the cafe, making most of the sweets they eat.
Once again, Taehyung decided to spend some of his free time in the cafe to relax with some tea and the flowery atmosphere. Or at least this is what he was telling himself and not that he was looking forward to seeing a specific guy with two beautiful doe eyes.
He entered and immediately went to his usual place. After ordering some sencha tea, he looked around and noticed some new flowers, sunflowers specifically. They were so gorgeous, bright, warm and reminded him of summer days. They are known to symbolize adoration and longevity, they provide warm energy and, well, sunflower seeds are quite tasty in Taehyung's opinion.
While admiring the new addition of the cafe, a warm cup of tea slided in front of him. He turned and saw Jeongguk wearing a small smile.
"Hello there, did you perhaps order some sencha tea?" Jeongguk giggled.
"Good afternoon to you too, Jeonggukkie. How are you?" Taehyung asked while taking the cup of tea in his hands and taking a sip from it.
"I'm doing really well, great even. Some new flowers arrived today and I'm very delighted by them, they made me smile all day." Jeongguk looked briefly at the sunflowers with a pleased expression. "What about you?"
"They are really pretty. They caught my attention as soon as I entered. I'm doing fine too, couldn't wait to come and spend some time here surrounded by the amazing scent."
"Busy day?" Taehyung hummed approving Jeongguk's question. "Will you ever tell me what you do? Wanna be sure I'm not letting a criminal in my small cafe." Jeongguk giggled softly and Taehyung had to physically hold himself from cooing, Jeongguk's laughs were so cute and sweet. They cheered his soul, spreading warm feelings and contentment inside.
"Hmm, I'm not a criminal. And I told you, it's not something that I can reveal easily."
"Are you a spy then?" Jeongguk asked while raising his eyebrows.
"Am I what? No Jeongguk, I'm not a spy. If I were a spy, why would I spend my afternoons in this cafe drinking tea and eating sweets?" Taehyung answered confusedly as he put down his tea cup on the table. The light mood became a tense one after that phrase.
Jeongguk's question was a common way to break the ice while getting to know someone but at the same time Taehyung's identity wasn't something simple.
"What if you're working undercover for the competition, hyung?" He added jokingly. Jeongguk then looked up at him for a moment before replying. "Sorry hyung, you're right. Knowing about your job won't really change anything, ignore me." He picked up his own drink and took a sip out of it trying to avoid Taehyung’s gaze.
Taehyung just sighed before reaching over and grabbing the younger's wrist.
"Look, I can't tell you what my job is as of right now, but I can assure you that it is nothing dangerous or illegal, okay?" He took hold of his fingers. "And you can be sure that I'm not on the competitor's side, I love your sweets way too much to do that. I promise that I will tell you, but right now I can't. Don't worry your pretty head about it." Taehyung said apologetically.
Jeongguk nodded. "It's fine hyung, don't worry." He answered while Taehyung took his hand and held it gently. He really wished he could tell Jeongguk, it's not like he is an idol, but he couldn't completely trust someone he met barely two weeks ago. He was sure the younger wouldn't do anything to hurt his image as an artist even if he knew he was the Vantae, but he couldn't do it just yet.
They sat for a few minutes in silence before starting to talk about different topics, starting with the sunflowers again. Jeongguk explained how he fell in love with them while taking Eunjoo out and he couldn't resist buying them. He loved every kind of flower and till now he never realized how pretty sunflowers were, how much they caught the attention and how pleasing they were.
Somehow the topic switched to tattoos and they started talking about their own tattoos, both of them had a lot of flowers (and other designs) on their body, symbolizing a lot of things. They didn't actually get into details about them but it still was an easy topic to travel in. Jeongguk also explained the way Vantae's art inspired a few of his own (which his daughter happened to love and always play with and color them because she's a little artist - Jeongguk's words). This really made Taehyung emotional. Knowing someone loves your art so much to get tattoos inspired by it really touched Taehyung's small and sensitive heart.
While they were talking, the sound of the front door opening and closing broke the atmosphere. Taehyung had his back towards the entrance so he couldn't see who came in, but Jeongguk's expression told him everything. Jeongguk's face softened and he smiled widely.
Taehyung turned towards the entrance of the cafe and saw a guy their age coming towards them while holding the hand of a little girl. As they came closer, Taehyung recognized the little child as Jeongguk's daughter and immediately his face broke into a soft smile.
Eunjoo looked lovely, she was wearing a black shirt with different drawings in brown and yellow on it with a brown skirt. Her hair was tied up in two space buns with some messy curls, adorned with a crown of daisies making her look like a little princess.
She ran to her father as soon as she saw him. As she got near him, Jeongguk moved his chair a bit to let her sit on his lap.
"Appa!!" She exclaimed as she got near Jeongguk.
"Hello sweetie, how was your day?" he asked while looking at her and rearranging her skirt.
"I played so much appa! Made cute drawings with Mr Park, then Yoonie oppa came and we played in the park and collected flowers and made pretty crowns and bracelets!" She was so excited while answering, softly bouncing and smiling. "See, look appa I have one myself." She added moving and lowering her head.
"Yeah? That sounds like fun. Oh I can see sweetie, the crown is really pretty."
"It was so much fun appa!" Jeongguk nodded, smiling. God, his daughter was so cute, it made his heart hurt.
"Why don't you go to the counter and get some sweets?" As soon as he said this Eunjoo got off her dad's lap and ran towards the counter. When Jeongguk was sure of Eunjoo's position, he looked towards the guy that entered with her. "Thank you Yoongi hyung for taking her from kindergarten and staying with her, she must have been a handful." He said while Yoongi sat near them.
"Don't worry, you know I don't mind taking care of her. Besides I got to make daisy crowns and bracelets, not everybody can say they had this opportunity with Jeon Eunjoo." He chuckled, teasing him and then turned towards Taehyung.
"Hyung don't brag about it." He whined. "You know I hate not spending time with her. Oh hyung, this is Kim Taehyung. We met at the exhibition I told you I would take Eunjoo to some weeks ago." He added, smiling.
"Nice to meet you Taehyung-ssi, I'm Min Yoongi." Yoongi presented himself while extending his hand.
Taehyung took his hand and shaked it lightly while saying, "Nice to meet you too."
Soon Eunjoo came back with a plate full of sweets and macarons. She ate them while the guys talked for a bit. Taehyung was introduced as "appa's friend", she of course couldn't remember him from the exhibition and it's not like he was lying saying they were friends. Eunjoo was usually wary around strangers or people near her and tended to be very protective of him, but strangely enough that didn't happen with Taehyung.
Eunjoo offered Taehyung a vanilla macaron saying that it matched his blond hair, to seal their new friendship. Or at least this is what she whispered to her Jeongguk’s ear.
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On one of their "tea dates" they exchanged numbers and started texting each other when they were apart. Especially on those days when Taehyung didn't have enough time to go to the cafe or Jeongguk's shift wasn't at the same time as the moments Taehyung spent there.
They texted plenty, sometimes it was just a good morning text or a good night one, other times they sent one another memes or small jokes, in others they talked about art or tea and sweets recipes.
Jeongguk seemed to make sure he texted Taehyung at least once a day. Now as Taehyung was working on a new painting, his phone beeped with a new message.
From: Jeonggukie at 6.45pm
hyung
you didn't come today:(
how are you?
look what i baked today (๑˃ᴗ˂)
*sent photo*
Taehyung was surrounded by his canvases and paints, he was struck with inspiration last night after staying with Jeongguk at the cafe and right now he was coloring what he spent all night drawing and sketching. As he finished the first layer he decided to take a break to let it dry. He was quite content with his progress and while waiting he thought of checking his phone.
To: Jeonggukie at 6.59pm
Hello Jeonggukie
I'm fine, how are you?
That cake looks tasty!
From: Jeonggukie at 7pm
i know, right?
eunjoo said so too (≧◡≦)
i'm great, thank you
will you come tomorrow? You could try it
To: Jeonggukie at 7.05pm
I sure will
From: Jeonggukie at 7.03pm
great hyung ٩(◕‿◕)۶
see you tomorrow. good night ✫彡
To: Jeonggukie at 7.05pm
Nighty Jeonggukie, sleep well
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The next day Taehyung, true to his words, went to the cafe. He entered the shop and was met with Jeongguk already beaming at him.
"Good afternoon hyung, the usual?"
"Hi Jeongguk, yeah a cup of sencha please. I would also like to try the new cake that one of the bakers showed me yesterday, not sure if you know about it" Taehyung grinned.
"Oh yeah, I heard he prepares great sweets." he smiled. "You can go and choose a table hyung, I’ll be right there." At that Taehyung nodded with a "Sure" after paying and went towards his usual table.
After a few minutes Jeongguk reached his table with both their drinks and the new sweet. They talked for a few while sharing the cake when suddenly Jeongguk put down the fork. He looked almost shy at Taehyung before talking again.
"Will you go out on a date with me, hyung?"
Taehyung was on his way to drink his last sip of the tea when he sputtered at the sudden question. He didn't manage to save himself from coughing and nearly choked while Jeongguk got up immediately and started patting his back. After Taehyung stopped, he went back to his seat and looked at him nervously, Taehyung was taking his sweet time answering and Jeongguk was already starting to think that probably he wasn't interested, that he maybe didn't read the situation well. He rushed to add. "I mean you don't have to. You can ignor-"
"I would love to Jeonggukie." Taehyung interrupted him and put his hand on Jeongguk's on the table.
"Really it's fine don- What?" Jeongguk asked, surprised.
"I would love to go on a date with you Jeonggukie." he affirmed again, beaming. Jeongguk blushed and flipped the palm of his hand up, taking hold of Taehyung's hand and intertwining their fingers.
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