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Yoonchae has always been known as quiet.
It’s the first word most of her friends would use to describe her when introducing her to someone new.
When she had first met Sophia as her suitemate, she had only said about ten words to the girl before retreating back to her room.
“Hi, I’m Yoonchae. I’m from Korea. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hey! I’m Sophia.”
She had moved in on a Monday, a week before classes started. She had to move in early due to her parent’s schedule, but she didn’t really mind. She was excited to be in a place by herself, it made her feel independent.
She spent most of the week holed up in her room; meaning all she really did was watch Korean shows, practice English, and force her body to adjust to the different time zones.
Sophia had checked up on her everyday, and she also mentioned that she was an international student too—from the Philippines. That had made Yoonchae feel closer to the girl, they were both away from home.
Although Yoonchae still didn’t talk that much, she let Sophia hang out in her room on the weekend. The older girl will tell her stories about the Philippines, and also secret routes and study spots on campus.
Yoonchae had learned that they were one in the same coin. Sophia had also wanted to pursue a career of surgery—like Yoonchae—and she was also studying biochemistry (which is similar to biology). The more she learned about her, the more she admired her—she doesn’t show it to Sophia, but she thinks the older girl feels it anyways.
So yeah, Yoonchae is quiet.
“Hey! You seem lost? Do you need help?”
It was the first day of classes, and Yoonchae’s maps aren't working (curse the bad service on campus). She left her dorm forty-five minutes early just in case this happened, but she has been walking in circles for about thirty minutes already.
She looks up from her phone to see a girl with a bright smile. She’s a bit shorter than Yoonchae, and she has pink highlights that look like they’re fading out.
Yoonchae stares at her—wide-eyed—for two beats. She wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to her, let alone offer her help.
“Um. Yes.” Yoonchae internally cringes at how awkward she sounds.
“Where are you trying to find?” The girl steps a bit closer and peers onto her phone, trying to see where she was searching up.
“The arts building.” She had to choose an art credit to take, and she had chosen a drawing class.
“Oh! I’m heading in that direction, just follow me. I’m Megan by the way!” The girl—no, Megan had extended her hand out for her to shake.
“Yoonchae.” She gives Megan a light shake before letting go. They walk beside each other in silence—well, the silence only lasted about two minutes.
“So, what’s your major?”
“Biology.”
“Wow, you’re smart! I’m a dance major with a minor in psychology.”
“Cool.”
Yoonchae internally cringes again. She can tell it’s rude—how she’s speaking—but she’s just not used to short conversations.
“You don’t talk much do you?” She turns to look at Megan. The girl was still smiling like Yoonchae didn’t just speak awkward one word sentences to her.
“Not when there isn’t much to talk about.” Megan’s smile still didn’t falter. Yoonchae could tell Megan didn’t care that she was being curt. It was like she wanted to get to know her more still.
“You observe a lot, don’t you?”
“Sure.”
Yoonchae wasn’t sure. Maybe she observed a lot—maybe she was just quiet.
She does notice how Megan is fiddling with the hem of her shirt, obviously noting that she is somewhat nervous. She also notices how the skin on her lips are peeling, some spots brighter red than others.
She also notices how Megan has a shiny smile (whatever that means), and pretty eyes. Eyes that make her feel like if she stares at them for too long she’d get lost in them.
So, maybe Yoonchae is observant.
“Well, we’re here.” They stop in front of a tall tan-bricked building. Yoonchae would’ve expected something more pretty for an art building, but who is she to complain?
“Thank you.”
“If you’re free after class, we should grab lunch. I’ll be on the fourth floor.” Megan waves a goodbye to her before heading into the building—leaving Yoonchae standing outside.
She shakes her head (trying to get rid of the interaction that just happened) and steps into the building. She heads to the second floor, where it smells like old paint and graphite.
She walks into room 208 (where her class is held) and is met with tables that look like they were meant for a lab. They were big and spacious, and only could seat four people.
Yoonchae spots an empty seat that’s closer to the corner of the classroom and chooses to sit down there. There’s already a girl there with headphones in, Yoonchae doesn’t think she’ll talk to her.
However, nothing is truly predictable.
“Hi!” The girl takes off her headphones and faces her. “I’m Manon, nice to meet you.” She gives her a small wave and a bright smile.
“Yoonchae.” She awkwardly waves back.
“You an art major?” Yoonchae shook her head.
“I’m biology.” She sees Manon smile at her again.
“That’s so cool! I’m a music major, but art's always been my safe space. There’s so many things you can create with just paper and a pen.” Yoonchae sees how Manon moves her hands animatedly as she talks.
“I like art too. You don’t need to speak to feel.”
“That’s true—“
Manon gets cut off by the professor walking in and clearing his throat.
“Welcome class, to art 111 section 501. If you realize you are in the wrong class, please leave now.” Yoonchae looks around to see that no one has moved.
“Well then, I’ll be your professor for this semester. Today, we will be going over the syllabus.” She starts tuning out her professor and lets her mind drift.
The interaction she had earlier comes to her thoughts. She hasn’t decided if she’ll accept lunch with Megan yet. Maybe she should, the girl was night enough to show Yoonchae where the building was.
Or she could not go to lunch with Megan and just move on with her semester without talking to her again.
However, Yoonchae isn’t that mean, plus Megan does seem nice. Maybe she’s a bit intrigued about the girl.
“Finals, yes!” That’s what startles Yoonchae out of her thoughts. She looks up to the screen and sees her professor scroll to the midterms section of the syllabus.
“Your only major assignments in this class will be your Final. You have until the week before finals to submit one piece.” Yoonchae groans. She already can tell she’ll hate only having her grade based on one thing.
“Of course, you will check in with me periodically so I can check your progress. This will count for attendance points, which is twenty percent of your grade.”
At least that’s something.
“You may be wondering, what is the theme?” Yoonchae hopes it’s something easy. Something that she can complete in two weeks and not worry about it for the rest of the semester.
“What is your boldest stroke?”
Yoonchae could hear some classmates laugh at the word “stroke” (so immature), but she feels genuinely confused.
What does that even mean?
“I don’t get it.” She whispers out to herself.
“Me either.” She hears from beside her. Yoonchae snorts at Manon’s comment.
“Since all of you look a bit confused, let me explain a little. There is a difference between a good painting and a great painting and it’s typically five strokes, and it’s typically the boldest ones.”
Her professor pauses for a moment and looks across the room, like he’s searching for something in their eyes.
“I want to know what is your boldest stroke—is it one big one, is it noticeable, or is it just something sitting on your paper? What makes your piece a great one instead of a good one. It of course doesn’t have to be a painting, but give me something."
Yoonchae sighs. Maybe his explanation made it more complicated. She knew she was in for a ride this year.
“Since we got through the syllabus, class is dismissed early. Next class you will use it to start brainstorming ideas.”
Yoonchae can already feel a headache coming about. She really doesn’t know what she could possibly make.
“See you Wednesday?” Manon says to her as she gathers her bag.
“Yeah, I’ll see you.” Yoonchae gives her a small smile before quickly heading to the door.
She decides to head to the fourth floor where Megan said she’d be, but she realizes she has no idea what room the girl is in.
She decides she’ll wait by the stairs since Megan would have to go down them eventually. She patiently waits and checks her emails while waiting for the shorter girl.
“Yoonchae!” She looks up to see Megan jogging toward her. “You actually waited.” Yoonchae shrugs her shoulders as she follows her down the stairs.
“You helped me this morning.”
Honestly, Yoonchae could've just gone on with her day and not had lunch with Megan. She’s already thanked the girl, there wasn’t a real reason to get lunch with her.
But here she is, in the line with Megan.
As she waits, she recognizes the person in front of her. She taps on the black-haired girl’s shoulder.
“Sophia?” The older girl turns around and gives her a smile.
“Yoonchae! How was your first class? Wanna eat together?” She notices Megan who is beside Yoonchae in line.
“Is this your friend?” She nods and looks between the two girls.
“Megan, this is my suitemate Sophia.” She can see Megan’s eyes light up, like she’s excited to meet new people.
“Hi! I’m Megan. Yoonchae was lost this morning so I helped her out.”
“Oh! That’s great. Nice to meet you.”
Yoonchae feels awkward between the both of them. She can tell they’re going to get along really well, she just doesn’t know how she feels about it.
As the like kept moving, she grabs her food and follows them to a vacant table.
She watches as the both animatedly talk about their interests, high school life, and their childhood. She sits there and observes their conversation, opting to not join in.
So yeah, Yoonchae is quiet, but she likes it that way.
-
When she thinks of Megan, the first word that comes to her is “loud”.
Megan who is currently talking about how she wants to create a tier list of what apples are the best. Megan who insisted that she and Yoonchae should walk together on Mondays and Wednesdays to the art building, and then have lunch with each other after.
It had been three weeks since the first day of school—three weeks since she met Megan.
Yoonchae has learned many things about her; like how she’s allergic to grass and cinnamon, how she wears contacts but prefers her glasses, how she’s bisexual.
When Megan asked her “What about you? Are you anything?”, she didn’t know what to say. She had never given a thought about her sexuality—in Korea it wasn’t a common topic—but when Megan asked her, it started to make her think.
She wasn’t sure, maybe she did like girls.
(Maybe she liked Megan?)
“Hey are you even listening to me?”
Yoonchae’s chain of thoughts break as she looks to see Megan with an annoyed look on her face.
“Yes?” She could tell Megan didn’t believe her.
“What apples did I say deserve to be on the bottom?” Yoonchae sighs, clearly not knowing the answer. “Granny smith, I knew you weren’t listening.”
She rolls her eyes as she gives Megan the apple on her tray.
“Leave Yoonchae alone, she’s probably worried about her art piece. Every time I’m in her room I see a blank canvas on her desk.” Sophia adds as she chews on her food.
“Apples don’t inspire me.”
Truthfully, nothing really inspires Yoonchae. Nothing screams “my boldest stroke” to her. She knows she has to produce something soon since they have to do an attendance check next week.
“You’ll figure something out soon.” Megan gives her a sympathetic smile before going back to her topic on apples.
“Yeah, you’re artistic. Manon told me.” Megan’s friend, Daniela, says to her.
Yoonchae’s been thinking more lately. She thinks about how she misses home, how her stupid art professor is confusing, how Megan—
She stops her train of thought before it can complete. She doesn’t know what's gotten into her. She’s never thought about someone.
She abruptly stands up, making the other three girls at the table slightly jump. She decides that she needs to leave before her thoughts—about Megan—can consume her.
“I need to go…work on my project.” She says quickly before giving a chance to the other girls to respond.
Maybe she just needs a change of pace.
She decides to head back to her dorm to try to create something.
On her desk there’s pencils, brushes, and oil paints all laid out. The mess makes her annoyed, how can she work in such an environment? She decides that she’ll just rent a private room in the art building to start her painting.
She meets Manon half-way there, and offers the older girl to join her. She knows Manon had barely started on her piece, just like her.
“You don’t have anything that inspires you?” Manon is pacing around the room (she says it helps her think better).
“Not really.” Yoonchae shrugs her shoulders and follows Manon with her eyes. It starts to make her dizzy so she decides to look back at her canvas.
“What did you like to do in Korea?” She was caught off guard by that question. No one (besides Sophia) has really asked her about Korea.
Yoonchae thinks about it for a moment.
“I liked the park, and the beach.”
Manon stops in front of her and smiles.
“Then do that. Paint the park or beach you’d see in Korea.” Maybe Yoonchae should, that was a good idea. She decides to pick up green paint and squeezes it on her canvas.
“Have you decided what you’re doing?” She sees Manon sit back down in front of her own canvas.
“I think I’ll draw the mountains and sheep in Switzerland.”
Yoonchae hums and continues to spread green all over her canvas.
“I still don’t understand what should be our boldest stroke.” Manon speaks up again as she’s sketching out the shapes of the mountain.
“Me either.”
They stay in the room until Yoonchae’s next class. She was able to finish most of the background of her painting. She was just missing something—maybe a swing set or a slide.
Maybe those would be her boldest strokes.
-
She turns it in the next week to her professor.
She had honestly thought it turned out good. Of course there was still a good amount of shading she had to do, but the painting felt like it was almost complete.
Or so she thought.
She gets it back the next class with a sticky note on it that says “see me after class”. That makes her shiver in her seat, she doesn’t even know what her professor would want to talk about.
“I don’t think it’ll be bad, maybe he just really likes your panting?” Manon peaks over to read the sticky note on her canvas.
“Then he would’ve said ‘great job’ on the sticky note.” Yoonchae tries to even out her breath, trying to not show that she was nervous.
“Fair point.”
As class ends, she takes a deep breath and heads to her professor’s desk.
“Miss Jeung?” Yoonchae nods her head and shows him the sticky note on her canvas.
“Ah, yes. I wanted to talk to you about your painting.” She nods again, signaling him to continue. “Well, frankly, you could do better.”
Yoonchae is confused. He has never seen her art before, what would he know about her doing better?
“There’s something dull about your painting—like you were just painting mindlessly. It looks like you’re almost completed, yes?” She nods her head for the third time and fiddles with the sleeve of her shirt.
“Your boldest stroke isn’t here. I don’t see it. I don’t feel it. I suggest you start over, think it over again.” This frustrates her. What does he even know about her?
The painting was nearly perfect, it had actually been one of Yoonchae’s best works.
“Okay, sir.” She sighs and makes her way out of the room. As she walks out, she spots familiar pink streaks beside the door.
“Hey, I didn’t see you by the stairs. Thought you were caught up in your class.”
“Yeah, my professor had to talk to me.”
The pair started making their way to the dining hall again. Megan bumps her shoulder against hers, like she was trying to cheer her up.
“What about?” Yoonchae sighs, maybe Megan could help her understand.
“He said that my painting is dull, my boldest stroke isn’t there. I just don’t understand.” She says as she holds up the canvas for Megan to see. She sees the dancerl squint her eyes at the painting, like she was observing it intently.
“Honestly, I couldn’t help you. I think it looks great.” Yoonchae sighs again and puts the painting into her art portfolio bag.
They walk beside each other in silence, until Megan speaks up again.
“I know what will cheer you up.”
Yoonchae turns her head to look at Megan, she really doesn’t know what will cheer her up.
“They’re serving Korean food at the dining hall today!” Megan gives her a big smile and loops her arm around hers to rush her.
“Oh.” Yoonchae’s brain short-circuits for a second. Not at the mention of food, but at the warmth on her arm from Megan’s arm.
She shakes her head before responding again.
“I guess that sort of makes me feel better.”
(She doesn’t mention how it’s the warmth and not the food.)
-
Yoonchae hears a knock on her door the next day. She checks her phone to see that it’s 5 a.m. in the morning. Who could possibly be knocking at her door at this time?
She sees through the peep hole that it’s Megan standing there, with a hoodie that drowns her and a large smile.
How did Megan even find out what dorm she lived in? She doesn’t even talk about herself that much.
She opens the door—before she can get a word in—and Megan starts speaking.
“Yoonchae! Grab your canvas. I think I know the perfect thing for you.”
She’s a bit confused. What is Megan even saying?
“C’mon, get dressed and get your canvas, please.” She decides to comply anyway. Maybe Megan did have a good idea.
(However, usually she doesn’t.)
That’s how she ends up in Megan’s beat up M3 with her canvas (that’s been painted over with white) and her bag of paints.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“No! Of course not. I was driving around the other day, and I think I found the perfect place.”
She hums and takes a look out the window. It’s still dark outside, but she can see that the sun is ready to peak out.
The drive is about twenty minutes, and Yoonchae could feel her eyes start to droop towards the end of it.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep. We’re basically here.” She looks around them, and is confused.
They’re on the shoulder of a road that’s surrounded with trees. Maybe Megan is trying to kill her.
“There’s nothing here?” Megan puts the car in park and opens the car door. Yoonchae decides to also set out the car, hoping Megan is right about this.
“We have to walk a bit silly.” She feels the dancer grab her arm and lead her further into the trees. She feels something small bloom in her chest—maybe it’s warmth—as she lets Megan drag her.
After walking for about three minutes, what was in front of Yoonchae amazed her.
It was a wild flower field that had many different colors of flowers; some vibrant yellow, some pink, some pure white. She has never seen anything like this—the way that the field looks like it goes on infinitely, the way the sun was starting to rise, and the way Megan looked at her with a beaming smile that said “I told you so”.
“Wow.” She managed to breathe out. She sees Megan pull out a blanket from her bag and place it down, before sitting and patting the spot next to her.
“Right? I discovered it ‘cause my car broke down the other week near here, and while waiting for Lara to come help me I stumbled upon it.”
Yoonchae sits adjacent to her—not too close but not too far—and props her canvas in her lap. She feels like something has possessed her, her brush hits the canvas before she could even think about it.
She paints the vibrant flowers in front of her, she paints the yellow peaking out from the sky as the sun rises, and she stares at the look Megan has on her face.
Megan looks ethereal.
She looks amazed at the scene in front of her. Yoonchae’s jealous that the sun kisses her pink highlights just right—that she looks cute with her mouth gaped open.
“What are you sitting like, behind me?” Yoonchae jumps as Megan turns around.
“I want to see the whole scene.” She admits quietly, but Megan still hears her anyway.
“So, I’m part of the scene?” She can see Megan’s shit-eating grin and hear the smugness in her voice.
“I didn’t say that.” Yoonchae rolls her eyes and continues painting on her canvas.
“You wound me.” She hears Megan drop her head back and lay next to her. “Let me know when you’re finished. I’m gonna close my eyes for a bit.”
Yoonchae looks down to see Megan with her eyes closed and notices how her breath evens out. She chuckled lightly, of course Megan would be tired—she probably didn’t even sleep last night.
She decides she can stop painting after ten minutes, she could just finish the tiny details in class. Yoonchae looks back down besides her again, and sees how peaceful Megan looks sleeping there.
She didn’t have the heart to wake her up just yet, so she sits there in silence—her hand lightly brushing Megan’s bangs out of her face.
It makes Yoonchae slightly blush. Normally Megan is loud, but right now she looks so quiet.
The kind of quiet you would want to come home to after a busy day. The kind that lingers, but is never awkward. The kind that makes you feel understood.
The kind that feels bold.
The kind Yoonchae likes.
Before she lets herself think too much again, she lightly shakes the shorter girl’s shoulder.
“Wake up, we have class in like, two hours.” She sees Megan stir.
“Five more minutes.” Yoonchae shakes her shoulder again, harder this time. “Okay, okay! I’m up! I’m up!”
Megan quickly shoots up and stares at Yoonchae.
“You’re mean, you know.”
“I finished twenty minutes ago.” Yoonchae deadpans.
“Oh.”
Megan gets up and dusts off her jeans.
“Well, I would say today was successful?” She gives her a wide grin that almost reaches her eyes.
“Yes. Thank you, Megan.”
“You’re welcome ‘Chae. Now c’mon, we can even grab coffee before going to campus!”
Yoonchae smiles, one with teeth, as she watches Megan rush to her car. She can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Megan is like the sun to her.
Yoonchae shakes her head and quickly gathers her things—chasing after Megan.
“Wait up!”
-
Ever since they went to the flower field, there’s a feeling in her chest she can’t quite place when she’s around Megan.
So, Yoonchae does what she’s best at doing.
Staying quiet.
She stays quiet from afar, observing Megan.
(Avoiding her.)
She observes her in the library at 3 a.m. in the morning, she observes her when she’s dancing in the art building, she observes her when she’s at the dining hall eating alone.
Yoonchae can only observe her. It’s what she knows.
She makes sure Megan never spots her observing. She purposefully takes a different route to the art building, eats at different times, and even declines Sophia’s offers to hang out with Megan.
She can tell she isn’t being subtle, but she just needs time to think about everything.
“Miss Jeung, I think this new painting is an improvement. But tell me, what is your boldest stroke?” Yoonchae is currently standing in front of her professor again, her sticky note saying the same thing as three weeks ago. This time however, she meets him at the end of the day.
She can’t understand why he keeps singling her out. She doesn’t see Manon here talking to him after every check.
“Probably the sun that’s peaking out through the flowers.” She sees her professor’s eyebrows knit together.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” Truthfully she doesn’t, but she thought he’d buy it.
“Take time to think about it. It’s not due for about another month and a half.” Yoonchae nods and packs her canvas into her portfolio bag. She sighs deeply before walking out of the classroom.
What she wasn’t expecting to see outside was a very upset Megan.
“You’re avoiding me. Did I do something wrong?” The shorter girl was often quick to the point, Yoonchae enjoyed that sometimes—but this was not one of them.
Yoonchae shakes her head, she’s afraid if she speaks she’ll say something wrong.
“Then why are you avoiding me?” She shrugs and tries to push past the dancer. “No! Stop.” She feels herself getting yanked back by her arm.
“Stop trying to avoid me! Even Sophia’s confused about it. You haven’t talked to me in like three weeks and I see you turning in a different direction when you see me.” So maybe Megan noticed way more than she thought she would.
“Let go, Megan.” She says quietly as she tries to free herself from the grip.
“No! You need to tell me if I’ve done something wrong. I don’t like not talking to you. I don’t understand!”
“Just let go, Megan.” She says a bit louder, still trying to pull herself away.
“Can you just stop! What could I’ve possibly done to piss you off so bad that you ignore me?” Yoonchae is aggravated now.
“Just let go!” That’s what makes Megan let go. She covers her mouth, not expecting herself to scream. “I’m sorry. You haven’t done anything. It’s me, I'm lost in my head.” She looks down on the floor, staring at Megan’s shoes.
“Okay. Follow me.” Yoonchae looks back up at Megan in confusion.
“What?” However, the shorter girl doesn’t respond, she just takes Yoonchae’s arm again and leads her to her car.
Yoonchae reluctantly gets in.
The drive is awkward, she can almost cut the tension in the air with a knife. She isn’t sure if she should say anything, but she doesn’t anyways.
It isn’t until Megan stops when Yoonchae realizes where they are.
The flower field.
She could see the sun setting in the horizon as she stepped out of the car.
“Sometimes, I come here alone—to clear my head. This might do you some good.” Yoonchae trails behind her as she walks through the trees.
She could see the dancer already laying down in the grass, looking up as the sky began to darken more.
“You can’t really see the flowers at night, but the sky is really clear.” Yoonchae lies down, head to head with Megan.
They lay there in silence, watching as the moon revealed itself from the horizon. Yoonchae can see the stars more clearly now.
“Do you see those seven bright stars?” Megan speaks up again. She studies the sky closely before spotting them.
“Yeah.”
“If you trace them, it makes Orion.” Megan points her finger up, tracing the stars. Yoonchae couldn’t really see it from where she was laying, but she followed her finger anyway.
“Who?” Yoonchae squints her eyes, trying to imagine what he looks like.
“He was a skilled huntsman. Some say he had a partner, Artemis, who was known to be the goddess of hunting.” Yoonchae hears Megan take a small pause before continuing.
“She had a brother, Apollo, who was jealous of their friendship. He thought it would ruin Artemis’ purity, so he tricks her into killing Orion.”
“What happens after?” Yoonchae is genuinely curious about the story. She didn’t know the dancer knew so much about the stars.
“Artemis places him in the sky, making him a constellation.” She thinks about what Megan said for a beat, trying to process the story.
“Why did she put him up there?” She can feel Megan tip her head to the side, facing her.
“Becuase of grief and love, but I also like to think she put him up there to protect him from Apollo. She was also goddess of the moon, and in the stars is where she could keep him the closest.”
Yoonchae fully turns her head to face Megan. She stares into her eyes—getting lost in them. She can see how they sparkle under the night sky.
She doesn’t really know how to respond to the dancer’s story. She wonders if she would place Megan in the stars if she was the moon.
Maybe she would.
Maybe she wouldn’t.
Maybe it would be too complicated if she wanted to, or maybe it would feel just right.
She sees Megan jerk her head quickly, to look back at the sky.
“Yoonchae! A shooting star, make a wish.” She sees Megan pointing at the sky again, and looks to where her finger leads.
She sees the star travel along Orion, it was the brightest star she’s ever seen. She understands why they’re meant for good luck, she feels hopeful under it.
I wish to find out what my boldest stroke is.
-
It’s about three weeks before she has to submit her final painting. She still hasn’t figured out how to improve, and decided to get help from Manon (who submitted her painting a week prior).
They sit outside of the library, at one of the picnic tables that have been worn out by the weather.
“Prof said my painting was basically perfect. Well, he didn’t say perfect, but he said that I've found out what my boldest stroke is.” Manon says as she chews on a granola bar.
“How did you figure it out?” Yoonchae fiddles with her sleeve as she studies the older girl’s piece. “I still don’t get it.” She mumbles out.
“I thought about what would push my boundaries so I could take a risk. What would turn my painting from a good one to a great one.” She takes a beat to think about what Manon had said.
What could she add that could risk her whole painting?
And then it hits her. What she wants to take a risk on—what she’s almost dying to take a risk on.
“I’ve got it! Thank you Manon.” She rushes to the art building to rent out a private room where she could finish.
She sets out her art supplies all over the table and starts to get working. She can feel it in her bones, she can feel what her boldest stroke is.
After being hunched over her canvas for what felt like an eternity, she’s finally finished.
“This is perfect.” Yoonchae holds out her painting in front of her. She couldn’t wait to show her professor.
(Even if he’s the one who’s been criticizing her
(He was right all along.))
She makes sure to arrive at her class early the next morning, buzzing with excitement.
“Miss Jeung, you're here early.” Yoonchae nods and hands him her canvas.
“I’m finished.” She watches as he studies it, she’s nervous that he’ll tell her to change it again.
“This is perfect. I can feel this painting. Is this your boldest stroke?” Her professor points to the middle of the painting.
“Yes. Yes it is.” Yoonchae smiles fondly at him, finally she understood the prompt.
“Very well then. This is great. I’m proud of you.” He writes something down on a sticky note and places it on her canvas before handing it back to her. “Make sure to scan it to turn it in on the online submission.”
“Okay, thank you sir.” She could tell she was grinning ear to ear by now. She was proud of what she made, and she can’t wait to show people (or someone).
She looks at the sticky note on her canvas that her professor had left.
“Love is bold.”
-
Yoonchae breaths out her mouth as she stops in front of Megan’s dom. She ran here, not wanting to miss the shorter girl before she headed to class.
She knocked furiously at the door, not wanting to waste another moment. As Megan opens the door, she holds up the painting to her face.
“This is my boldest stroke.”
In the middle of the flower field is a painting of Megan; one with her looking behind her and smiling softly. A painting where Yoonchae didn’t even have to pull out a picture of the dancer to remember where all her features are.
She just knew.
She can hear Megan’s breath hitch, she feels her palms getting sweaty. She’s about to put down the painting before the shorter girl finally speaks up.
“Me?”
Yoonchae shyly nods her head.
“Yeah.”
Megan brings up her hands to cup Yoonchae’s cheeks, and leans in to kiss her. The kiss is everything she imagined—it’s delicate like the flowers at the field, but also bold like her painting of Megan.
She pulls away gently and opens her eyes to an already blushing Megan.
“Wow.” Megan giggles at her.
“Was that okay?” She can see the other girl nervously looking into her eyes.
“More than okay.” Yoonchae gives her a smile, one that almost reaches both of her ears.
She steps inside Megan’s dorm, and places her painting down on her desk. She turns back around to face Megan again.
She brings her hand up to Megan’s face, tracing her jaw with her fingers—before giving her a peck on the lips.
For once in her life, she wasn’t quiet. She felt like she was loving loudly.