Secrets In Paintings (Kyusung Fest Fic) 1/2
Title: Secrets in Paintings (Part 1/2)
Pairing: Kyusung
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I'm from Ohio...not too many hot korean idols to own or make money of off. So do you think I'm doing that with these boys?...didn't think so
Summary: Kyuhyun's grandfather leaves Kyuhyun a special pen that changes his life. Though he might need a little push from a friend for the biggest change.
~
"Hold on, I need to find something to write it down on." Kyuhyun said as he searched around the old desk to find a piece of paper and a pen. "Aha, found it. Alright, what was it again?" As the person on the phone repeated their information, Kyuhyun attempted to write down the information, only to find the pen not working. "Hold on, this pen isn’t working." He tried to scribble on the paper he found, along with a couple others, until he accidentally ran it over one of the paintings hidden on the desk. The pen all of a sudden drew a green line on the painting and Kyuhyun freaked once he saw what he did. "Um, I’ll call you back. You could just text me the info. I need to make sure I didn’t just damage one of my grandfather’s paintings." Kyuhyun ended the call and pulled the painting the rest of the way out from under the stack and examined the damage. He ran a finger over the green line and luckily it brushed away. Kyuhyun quickly brushed off the rest and sighed in relief when there was no damage done.
"Kyuhyun?"
"Oh, aboji. What’s up?" Kyuhyun asked once he realized his aboji was standing in the doorway.
"Everyone is waiting for you to pick which room you want for your bedroom. Also while you’re here, your grandfather said in his will that there was something for you in his desk there."
"Alright, I will be there in a few. Don’t choose for me." He shouted as his aboji walked away. Kyuhyun searched the desk for anything addressed to him and found a small package in the same drawer he had found the weird pen. He opened the package to find an old book along with a note.
Dear Kyuhyun
With my passing, I would like you to have my pen. I know that sounds odd to say, but as you read the book in this package you will understand what the pen is and how to use it.
When you were a child, you would play with this pen all the time and I knew you would be the one to appreciate the pen the most. I saw your joy of looking at paintings as a child and I hope you haven’t lost that love for beautiful paintings. You were the only other one in our family to truly love your great grandmother’s paintings.
The book will be your guide, it will teach you everything I knew on how to use the pen. There are blank pages at the end, so feel free to add anything new you discover. Also my journal should be somewhere in the study, after you start using the pen, you can read through it and see all of my adventures with it.
Sincerely,
Your Grandfather
"So there is something special about this pen?" He asked himself as he studied the pen. It looked just like some old fashion pen with carvings on it. His grandfather was into antiques and artwork, so a pen like that seemed normal to him. Knowing that his family was waiting for him to decide which of the three remaining bedrooms he wanted, he grabbed the book and went upstairs. He picked the corner room with a view of the garden and it also happened to be the one furthest away from his sister and parents’ room. It wasn’t long before the truck with their furniture arrived, so he didn’t have the chance to read the book yet before he was helping move stuff around and unpacking boxes. When they called it quits for the night, Kyuhyun’s room was mostly set up and he sat on his bed before pulling back out the book he had hidden in his desk.
My mother often told me stories of art holding magic and told me of these interesting adventures that she took, but as a young kid, I thought it was just a fairytale. However, in an odd turn of events I find myself in possession of a pen that I’m told can take me into the world of the arts. Though after having the pen for an entire day, I still don’t understand how to use it.
"That still doesn’t tell me anything." He read a couple more entries before glancing over at the clock on his desk. Kyuhyun sighed once he noticed the time, it was already going on one in the morning. Deciding he should call it quits for the night, he placed the book back in the drawer and went to sleep.
"Kyuhyun! Wake up!" Ahra yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Kyuhyun groaned but rolled out of bed and groggily made his way downstairs where everyone else was waiting for him.
"Morning sweetie." His omma greets when he enters the kitchen. He gave her a soft grunt in reply as he sat down at the table, ready to go back to sleep. "Kyuhyun, sit up and eat breakfast."
"So did you find whatever your grandfather left for you?"
"Yeah. It was just a small package."
"And what was in it?" His aboji continued to ask.
"A letter and a notebook, nothing much." ‘Yeah, I’m going to tell my parents that he left me a journal about a special pen and that pen.’ Kyuhyun sarcastically thought to himself.
"That’s it? That doesn’t seem like anything special. I thought you got along with your grandfather?"
"It means more then you think, but it’s something for me only."
"Alright if you say so." He aboji said in defeat, not pressing the issue further. After breakfast he headed into the study and locked himself in the room to continue reading the book, only emerging for lunch and dinner.
It’s been over a week since I received the pen and I finally learned the two symbols I needed to actually use the pen. I already figured out, on accident, that the pen only work on a painted canvas. From some of the research I’ve been doing, I assume the pen can be used on other painted surfaces but I have yet to figure out how to get it to work.
There are two basic symbols that apparently give the pen the ability to send the user in and out of the world of arts. Although I have discovered both symbols, I am unsure of which is which symbol and have yet to try them.
Underneath the entry were two symbols. Both were circles with a triangular design in the center. The one on the left stared with a line splitting the circle in half and diagonally going to the left edge then up at an angle to cross the first line towards the top. The right symbol had the first line starting at the center of the top edge of the circle but went towards the right instead of straight down like the other, but the second line met the same point as it did on the first symbol. The last line crossed back to the right almost straight across but a little further up the side. Underneath the two symbols the words enter and exit were crossed out multiple times on either side until his grandfather obviously figured out that the right one was the entrance symbol and the left, exit. Kyuhyun read a couple more entries before deciding to give the pen a try.
"How hard can this be, I mean grandfather figured out most of it, and I have the book with me." He told himself as he walked over to one of his favorite paintings in his grandfather’s study. The painting was that of a park in the Victorian era with people relaxing in various ways, sitting under the trees or by the river, walking along the path, or watching clouds. Since he first encounter with the pen made him accidentally write on a painting, he knew that he wouldn’t damage the painting. He carefully copied the symbol onto the painting and watched as the whole thing began to glow and a force pulled him forward as he clutched onto the pen and book.
"What? Where am I?" He looked around and saw the exact scene from the painting, but everything looked real. He could feel the wind blowing, watched as people who were frozen now moving around, and hears random chatter from various people in the park. He spun around shocked, expecting to see his grandfather’s study, but instead found the rest of the park.
"Am I really in the painting?" He wandered around lost for a little while before he actually decided to try and speak with someone. Surprisingly enough, the people knew they were a painting and had a lot of information to share. Kyuhyun had chosen to speak to a man sitting on a bench, looking at the river.
"Paintings freeze a moment in time and when someone who is able to enter the world of art enters, time resumes again." He explained to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was looking through his grandfather’s book, comparing notes.
"But what if someone paints a fantasy scene, or just one that wasn’t based from a real moment in time?"
"I actually do not know the answer to that. You’ll have to figure that out on your own, or with the help of another person from the outside world."
"There are others? I mean I know my grandfather entered this world but he passed the pen onto me."
"I personally know of three. One comes and goes as he pleases and usually keeps to himself. The second I heard became trapped while the last I haven’t heard from in a while. It’s a little sad since he was the one who would talk to me often, I wonder what happened to him. Now what was his name again…Cho something."
"Cho Donghyun?"
"Yes, that was it. Cho Donghyun."
"That was my grandfather, he died a couple months ago. My family just moved into his house and he left me his pen and book about how to use it that he had written over the years."
"So you’re his grandson?"
"Yeah, my name is Cho Kyuhyun. What’s yours?"
"My name?" The man laughed. "I forgot my name long ago, before your grandfather was even born. He did however, give me a name since he didn’t like not having a name to refer to me by."
"That sounds like my grandfather. So what did he call you?"
"He named me Mr. Gang. He said it meant Mr. River."
"Well that’s creative." Kyuhyun said sarcastically.
"I didn’t mind, I rarely ever leave this spot and I was happy enough to have a name again." The two talked for a little while longer before Kyuhyun needed to return.
"I leave you here then. I need to return back to the outside world before my family wonders where I disappeared."
"I understand. Visit when you can Kyuhyun, I always enjoy having someone to talk to." Mr. Gang said as he bid Kyuhyun goodbye. He watched as Kyuhyun drew the exit symbol on a tree and disappeared in a flash of light. "I didn’t know you were back there."
"I just stopped in and saw you talking to the boy."
"Worried? He is Donghyun’s grandson."
"I don’t know yet. Donghyun obviously trusted him, but you never know." The man hidden behind the tree said before leaving the painting and reverting it to it’s frozen state.
~
Kyuhyun spent the next few days in the study either reading his grandfather’s book or talking with Mr. Gang in the painting. He has only wandered into a different painting a couple of times, much preferring the Victorian park.
"Hey this one is about Mr. Gang." He said as he was reading through the book.
I finally came up with a name for the gentleman I continuously speak with in the painting. I was so determined to find a name for him since he said he long forgot his own and I can’t keep calling him sir or mister. I decided on calling him Mr. Gang since he is always sitting by the river. I know it’s not very creative but I couldn’t come up with anything better and he seemed to like it.
However, I was a little shocked to find him talking to a young boy. The boy was only probably a little older then my little Kyuhyun, who just turned six. In the years that I have been traveling into the world of arts, I have never come across someone so young who can enter paintings. He was a quiet boy and didn’t share his name but I hope to see more of him in the future. It’s good to keep kids interested in artwork, and what better way then to go into the paintings themselves. Maybe I’ll bring Kyuhyun with me one day.
"I wonder where that guy is now? Maybe he’s one of the three Mr. Gang was talking about. I’ll have to ask him later."
"Kyuhyun!" Ahra shouted.
"What?!" he shouted back, not getting up.
"Come here!" Kyuhyun sighed but got up anyways and headed towards the living room where his sister was. "Jeez, when someone calls for you, get up and see what they want. Don’t just shout back."
"Alright, I get it, now what do you want?"
"Wookie called, said you weren’t answering your phone and to meet him over at the usual café."
"I didn’t even hear my phone." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw eleven missed calls, nine from Ryeowook, and too many texts for his phone to handle. "Oops. I guess I’ll be out then."
"Listen for your phone in case either Omma or Aboji need you, You don’t want to miss a call from them."
"I know. See you later." Kyuhyun waved as he grabbed his jacket and walked down to the café he and Ryeowook usually meet.
"What have you been doing that you don’t notice your phone going off a billion times." Ryeowook said as soon as he saw the younger walking up.
"Reading."
"Reading? Really? You don’t mean playing video games?"
"Nope, this time I actually mean reading." He said and pulled out the book to show his hyung.
"Wow, I’m surprised. But seriously, you were so into reading that, that you couldn’t realize your phone was going off?"
"Yeah, my grandfather left it for me to read."
"Speaking of which, how was the move?"
"My parents are still working on moving some things around in the house but my stuff is all taken care of. I’ve just been looking through the stuff my grandfather left me."
"What is that book anyways?"
"I can trust you, right?" Kyuhyun asked, looking around nervously.
"Yeah. I mean, we’ve only been friends since we were in elementary school." Kyuhyun nodded and motioned for Ryeowook to lean in closer.
"Well my grandfather left me a magic pen, I know that sounds weird but it’s true. I can use it to go into paintings."
"What? That’s crazy."
"No, it’s true. I’m not lying to you."
"I’m going to want some proof of this."
"Next time you’re over I’ll show you. This book explains how to use the pen and my grandfather’s trips. And there are apparently others who can enter the paintings too."
"That sounds awesome, but I still need proof."
"Alright, are you free tomorrow?" Ryeowook nodded. "Fine, come over tomorrow and I’ll show you."
"Why not tonight?"
"You have your class. Don’t think I forgot your schedule just because I ignored the world for a couple days."
"I’m just surprised you know what day of the week it is." Ryeowook laughed at the glare he received from the younger before deciding it was time for him to go and the two parted ways. Instead of returning home, Kyuhyun headed towards the art museum that was just a few blocks away. The museum at one point showcased a couple of his great grandmother’s paintings, but they were given to another museum years ago. It had been awhile since he had last visited the museum and there were a handful of new paintings on display but one in particular caught his eyes. It was a painting of vibrant green hills that were obviously the foothills to larger mountains in the distance, though the size of these hills were large enough to be thought of as mountains themselves. Although the painting was rather simple, it was well drawn and Kyuhyun could really feel the serenity of the place without even stepping into the painting.
"Kim Yesung." He read the author’s name from the plate posted next to the painting. "Art-like voice? Doesn’t seem like a name for a painter." Kyuhyun shrugged and walked around the museum for a little longer before he found his way back to the same painting. He checked around for anyone else nearby and when he found none, he pulled out the pen from his bag. After one last check, he drew the sign on the painting and disappeared into the world of art. A gentle breeze and soft bird chirping in the distance welcomed him. Kyuhyun wandered around the hills for a while, searching for the best place to sit and enjoy a good view, however, there were too many to choose from. When he finally found a spot, he pulled out his grandfather’s book and continued reading, hoping to find out a little more information about the boy.
"What are you doing here?" A voice asked from behind Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun jumped at the sudden voice and looked back to see a man around his age standing there, glaring at him. "I asked you a question."
"Oh sorry, I just thought I would enjoy the scenery for a while."
"How did you get here?"
"I saw the painting in the museum and thought it would be a nice place to sit, so I used the pen." He answered, showing the other his pen.
"In the museum? Are you crazy? Stupid amateur, you could threaten this whole world. What if someone saw you?"
"There was no one around, I made sure of that."
"Yes but when you jump into this world, the symbol remains for a moment on the painting and there is a flash of light. Anyone could have seen that." The guy was obviously ticked off at Kyuhyun and getting angrier by the minute.
"Sorry, I’ve only been using the pen for a few days and I haven’t finished reading my grandfather’s book about it yet. I’m still learning." Kyuhyun defended himself.
"Well I can’t have an amateur running around and threatening the secrecy of this world."
"Well if you’re such a know-it-all about this world then teach me."
"You sure? I’m not going to be a friendly teacher." He asked a little smugly.
"Yeah, teach me."
"Fine, we can start tomorrow, I’m busy tonight. Now get out of here and make sure you check that no one is around first." He said as he started walking away.
"How do I do that?" Kyuhyun asked, completely confused about the idea.
"You seriously don’t know?" Kyuhyun shook his head and the other sighed. "Stupid, you don’t know anything. Here draw two circles parallel to each other with a line connecting them."
"Uh, where?"
"In the air of course. You don’t need to physically draw on anything in this world."
"Really? I always use a tree or something similar." Kyuhyun could tell that the other was trying to hold back his annoyance and not snap at Kyuhyun before he drew the symbol. An image of the outside world appeared in front of him and he could see if there was anyone lingering around the painting.
"That symbol allows you to see back to the other side of the painting and around it so you can safely go back to the outside world without being seen." He explained and tried to walk away again before Kyuhyun stopped him one last time.
"Hey, if you’re going to teach me, I need to know what to call you."
"My name is Jongwoon, you can call me that."
"Oh well I’m Kyuhyun." He shouted after Jongwoon, who just waved him off. Once the coast was clear, Kyuhyun made it back into the outside world and headed home.
The following day, Kyuhyun made his way back inside the world of arts to meet with Jongwoon, making sure to use the Victorian Park painting in the study instead of going to the museum.
"So you made it." Jongwoon said as Kyuhyun walked up behind him.
"You heard me?" Kyuhyun asked, shocked that the other knew he was there without even looking.
"I’m here during most of my free time, so I know the moment anything changes. How do you think I knew you were here yesterday?"
"Oh, really? What gave away the fact that I was here yesterday?"
"The clouds, if I was the only one here then they would have just begun but instead they were already a couple minutes in. So obviously someone else had to be here. Anyways, You obviously know how to enter and exit the World, as well as view the outside world. What else do you know?"
"Uh, I leaned how to move between paintings…though that was probably a little obvious too. I think that’s all I really know."
"Okay, I guess I can work with that." Jongwoon finally stood up and faced Kyuhyun and began going over various techniques when using the pen. They were working for a couple of hours when Kyuhyun’s phone went off.
"Cell phones still work in the world of arts?"
"Yeah, your phone registers as being in the location of the painting you are in. So as long as the painting is within service, you have service."
"Really? Awesome. Oh sorry I do need to answer this one." He apologized before walking a little ways away and answering his cell. "Hey Wookie."
"Where are you? Ahra said you were in the study, but I don’t see you."
"Oh sorry, I stepped into a painting, I’ll be there in a couple minutes. Wait for me."
"Yeah, yeah I’ll wait." Ryeowook sighed as Kyuhyun apologized one last time and hung up.
"Sorry, my friend is waiting for me. I didn’t realize it was already time for me to go. Next time?"
"I’m here usually everyday."
"Thanks Jongwoon. And thank you for today’s lesson." Kyuhyun went back to the Victorian Park painting and used the technique that Jongwoon showed him the day before to see Wookie sitting at the desk, looking through the drawers. Deciding it was safe, Kyuhyun jumped back into the outside world, shocking Ryeowook with the bright light. "Do you believe me now?"
"Did you seriously just walk out of that painting?"
"Yup. Is that proof enough for you?"
"Possibly. I think I need to get over some shock first. I mean my best friend has a pen that allows him to go in and out of paintings." Ryeowook answered in a bit of a daze.
"There’s more too."
"More?"
"Yeah. I meet another guy like me, though he is more skilled then I am. He agreed to teach me though because he doesn't want any harm to come to the world of arts."
"There are others?"
"I know, I said the same thing when I was first told. He’s kind of mean and distant but means well in the end so I don’t mind."
"I think I’m in complete shock about this whole thing."
"Sorry. I just didn’t want to hide this from my best friend."
"It’s not that. It’s just insane yet incredibly awesome all at once and it’s a lot to take in. Let it all set in first before my head explodes." Kyuhyun laughed a little at his friend’s gestures during his explanations but understood what the other was saying.
"Go home then. You’re just going to be in a daze anyways. Call me tomorrow when you are on your way."
"Why when I’m on my way?"
"So if I’m in there again, I won’t have to make you wait." He said pointing back to the painting.
"Oh, I’ll see you tomorrow then."
~
"You really are here all the time." Kyuhyun stated as he walked up to Jongwoon the next day.
"I told you I was. I take it you have more you want to know?"
"Yeah, there were some things I was curious about that Mr. Gang couldn’t answer."
"He is only a painting. Would’ve been good to ask your grandfather but he is no longer here so I hear."
"Yeah, he passed away and Mr. Gang said it would be best to ask someone from the outside world, and well you’re the only other one here that I know."
"There are not a lot of us, as far as I know. There are only a couple I’ve met."
"Yeah, which is one question I had. Mr. Gang said he met three, my grandfather, I assume you, and another he said became trapped. What does that mean?"
"Being trapped basically means your body died so you can never leave the World of Arts, or apparently the painting you were in."
"How does that happen?"
"In this world there is no need for food or sleep since it’s a painting so your body basically adapts to that and you don’t feel hungry or tired while here. But obviously the moment you go back to the outside world, it will catch up with you and you will feel hungry or tired. However, if you stay in this world long enough for your body to have died in the outside world, then you can’t go back, you are trapped here. As far as we can tell, you also can not leave the painting you were in and you loose your ability to move around. I guess you could say you become part of the painting, someone like Mr. Gang."
"Seriously? That’s kind of creepy."
"Yeah, so make sure you keep track of your time in here unless you want to end up like he did."
"Did you know him?"
"A little. He was arrogant and annoying, so I can’t say I’m upset about what happened. Your grandfather on the other hand, I’m sorry he’s gone."
"Uh thanks. He mentioned you in one of his entries. Well, only one that I have read. It was of the first time he saw you in this world talking to Mr. Gang."
"You know, this isn’t the first time we’ve met."
"It’s not?" He asked confused as the other stood up.
"Nope. I’ll show you later, unless you read about it in your book there first. See you later." Jongwoon said and gave a quick wave without even looking back and disappeared from the painting."
"What? How can he just say that and leave? Jeez that guy." Kyuhyun grumbled about the other leaving until his phone rang. "Hey Wookie."
"What’s up? You sound annoyed, should I turn around and just go home? Cause I’m only a block away."
"No, you’re fine. Jongwoon just said something and left. I’ll tell you about it when you get here."
"Okay, see you in a couple minutes." Kyuhyun hung up and went back to the study after stopping to say hi to Mr. Gang real quick.
"I still got here before you. Just barely but still, how did that happen?" Ryeowook said as Kyuhyun entered the study.
"Sorry I said hi to Mr. Gang real quick. And I bet you were like two houses down when we hung up."
"So who’s this guy who annoyed you?"
"Jongwoon, he’s another guy who can go around the world of arts, he said he would teach me anything I want to know. But today he said that this was not our first time meeting and then left."
"That’s weird. Any idea when you guys would’ve met?"
"Nope." Kyuhyun sighed and laid his head down on the desk.
"Just ask him next time. Anyways, are you going to tell me more about this pen and the world of arts?"
"You can read it in grandfather’s book. I haven’t finished it but you can read it if you want."
"Really?" The younger nodded. "Cool, I’ll have it back to you in a couple of days."
"You read way too fast for an art major."
"I’m not an art major. I’m doing music composition. I’m just taking art classes on the side for a possible minor since I love that too."
"Close enough." The older lightly hit Kyuhyun in the head, refusing to argue with the younger. The two decided to head out to their usual café and just talk for a while and Ryeowook began reading Kyuhyun’s grandfather’s book. Kyuhyun was a little glad he had someone else to talk about the book with, since he was having a hard time keeping it to himself. Ryeowook took the book home with him that evening, promising to return it two days. When Kyuhyun went back into the world of arts the next morning, Jongwoon was still nowhere to be seen.
"I wonder what he’s doing?" Kyuhyun asked no one. Instead of waiting around in Yesung’s painting, Kyuhyun headed back to the Victorian Park and spoke with Mr. Gang until he felt it was time to go back to the outside world. Kyuhyun waited until after dinner to return to Yesung’s painting and this time Jongwoon was in his usual spot. "You’re late." Kyuhyun states as he sits down next to the other.
"I didn’t know I had a time I was suppose to be here. I usually just come whenever I feel like it."
"Well for the few days I have known you, you have always been here at the same time."
"My schedule is not that consistent. It’s odd for me to have the same time free everyday. So get used to not knowing when I’ll be here."
"Fine. Anyways, you said this wasn’t our first time meeting. If not, then when was the first time?"
"You haven’t read about it yet?" Kyuhyun shook his head. "I’m sure he wrote about it in there."
"I’m not the fastest of readers."
"I see that. Well come on, I’ll show you." Jongwoon said, standing up and walking back up to the top of the hill they were on, Kyuhyun following behind.
"Where are we going?"
"You’ll see." He said and held out his hand for Kyuhyun to take. Kyuhyun instead just looked at the outstretched hand strangely. "You can travel with another if you are in physical contact with them. So just grab my hand, it’ll be a lot easier this way."
"So you can travel with another?" Jongwoon sighed and forcefully grabbed Kyuhyun’s hand.
"I just said that you could as long as you have physical contact." Not letting the other say anything else, Jongwoon pulled him forward into a new place. Kyuhyun lost his balance when Jongwoon pulled him, and stumbled into the new room. When he found his balance again, he looked around at the dark room.
~ Part 2~
Pairing: Kyusung
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I'm from Ohio...not too many hot korean idols to own or make money of off. So do you think I'm doing that with these boys?...didn't think so
Summary: Kyuhyun's grandfather leaves Kyuhyun a special pen that changes his life. Though he might need a little push from a friend for the biggest change.
~
"Hold on, I need to find something to write it down on." Kyuhyun said as he searched around the old desk to find a piece of paper and a pen. "Aha, found it. Alright, what was it again?" As the person on the phone repeated their information, Kyuhyun attempted to write down the information, only to find the pen not working. "Hold on, this pen isn’t working." He tried to scribble on the paper he found, along with a couple others, until he accidentally ran it over one of the paintings hidden on the desk. The pen all of a sudden drew a green line on the painting and Kyuhyun freaked once he saw what he did. "Um, I’ll call you back. You could just text me the info. I need to make sure I didn’t just damage one of my grandfather’s paintings." Kyuhyun ended the call and pulled the painting the rest of the way out from under the stack and examined the damage. He ran a finger over the green line and luckily it brushed away. Kyuhyun quickly brushed off the rest and sighed in relief when there was no damage done.
"Kyuhyun?"
"Oh, aboji. What’s up?" Kyuhyun asked once he realized his aboji was standing in the doorway.
"Everyone is waiting for you to pick which room you want for your bedroom. Also while you’re here, your grandfather said in his will that there was something for you in his desk there."
"Alright, I will be there in a few. Don’t choose for me." He shouted as his aboji walked away. Kyuhyun searched the desk for anything addressed to him and found a small package in the same drawer he had found the weird pen. He opened the package to find an old book along with a note.
Dear Kyuhyun
With my passing, I would like you to have my pen. I know that sounds odd to say, but as you read the book in this package you will understand what the pen is and how to use it.
When you were a child, you would play with this pen all the time and I knew you would be the one to appreciate the pen the most. I saw your joy of looking at paintings as a child and I hope you haven’t lost that love for beautiful paintings. You were the only other one in our family to truly love your great grandmother’s paintings.
The book will be your guide, it will teach you everything I knew on how to use the pen. There are blank pages at the end, so feel free to add anything new you discover. Also my journal should be somewhere in the study, after you start using the pen, you can read through it and see all of my adventures with it.
Sincerely,
Your Grandfather
"So there is something special about this pen?" He asked himself as he studied the pen. It looked just like some old fashion pen with carvings on it. His grandfather was into antiques and artwork, so a pen like that seemed normal to him. Knowing that his family was waiting for him to decide which of the three remaining bedrooms he wanted, he grabbed the book and went upstairs. He picked the corner room with a view of the garden and it also happened to be the one furthest away from his sister and parents’ room. It wasn’t long before the truck with their furniture arrived, so he didn’t have the chance to read the book yet before he was helping move stuff around and unpacking boxes. When they called it quits for the night, Kyuhyun’s room was mostly set up and he sat on his bed before pulling back out the book he had hidden in his desk.
My mother often told me stories of art holding magic and told me of these interesting adventures that she took, but as a young kid, I thought it was just a fairytale. However, in an odd turn of events I find myself in possession of a pen that I’m told can take me into the world of the arts. Though after having the pen for an entire day, I still don’t understand how to use it.
"That still doesn’t tell me anything." He read a couple more entries before glancing over at the clock on his desk. Kyuhyun sighed once he noticed the time, it was already going on one in the morning. Deciding he should call it quits for the night, he placed the book back in the drawer and went to sleep.
"Kyuhyun! Wake up!" Ahra yelled from the bottom of the stairs. Kyuhyun groaned but rolled out of bed and groggily made his way downstairs where everyone else was waiting for him.
"Morning sweetie." His omma greets when he enters the kitchen. He gave her a soft grunt in reply as he sat down at the table, ready to go back to sleep. "Kyuhyun, sit up and eat breakfast."
"So did you find whatever your grandfather left for you?"
"Yeah. It was just a small package."
"And what was in it?" His aboji continued to ask.
"A letter and a notebook, nothing much." ‘Yeah, I’m going to tell my parents that he left me a journal about a special pen and that pen.’ Kyuhyun sarcastically thought to himself.
"That’s it? That doesn’t seem like anything special. I thought you got along with your grandfather?"
"It means more then you think, but it’s something for me only."
"Alright if you say so." He aboji said in defeat, not pressing the issue further. After breakfast he headed into the study and locked himself in the room to continue reading the book, only emerging for lunch and dinner.
It’s been over a week since I received the pen and I finally learned the two symbols I needed to actually use the pen. I already figured out, on accident, that the pen only work on a painted canvas. From some of the research I’ve been doing, I assume the pen can be used on other painted surfaces but I have yet to figure out how to get it to work.
There are two basic symbols that apparently give the pen the ability to send the user in and out of the world of arts. Although I have discovered both symbols, I am unsure of which is which symbol and have yet to try them.
Underneath the entry were two symbols. Both were circles with a triangular design in the center. The one on the left stared with a line splitting the circle in half and diagonally going to the left edge then up at an angle to cross the first line towards the top. The right symbol had the first line starting at the center of the top edge of the circle but went towards the right instead of straight down like the other, but the second line met the same point as it did on the first symbol. The last line crossed back to the right almost straight across but a little further up the side. Underneath the two symbols the words enter and exit were crossed out multiple times on either side until his grandfather obviously figured out that the right one was the entrance symbol and the left, exit. Kyuhyun read a couple more entries before deciding to give the pen a try.
"How hard can this be, I mean grandfather figured out most of it, and I have the book with me." He told himself as he walked over to one of his favorite paintings in his grandfather’s study. The painting was that of a park in the Victorian era with people relaxing in various ways, sitting under the trees or by the river, walking along the path, or watching clouds. Since he first encounter with the pen made him accidentally write on a painting, he knew that he wouldn’t damage the painting. He carefully copied the symbol onto the painting and watched as the whole thing began to glow and a force pulled him forward as he clutched onto the pen and book.
"What? Where am I?" He looked around and saw the exact scene from the painting, but everything looked real. He could feel the wind blowing, watched as people who were frozen now moving around, and hears random chatter from various people in the park. He spun around shocked, expecting to see his grandfather’s study, but instead found the rest of the park.
"Am I really in the painting?" He wandered around lost for a little while before he actually decided to try and speak with someone. Surprisingly enough, the people knew they were a painting and had a lot of information to share. Kyuhyun had chosen to speak to a man sitting on a bench, looking at the river.
"Paintings freeze a moment in time and when someone who is able to enter the world of art enters, time resumes again." He explained to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun was looking through his grandfather’s book, comparing notes.
"But what if someone paints a fantasy scene, or just one that wasn’t based from a real moment in time?"
"I actually do not know the answer to that. You’ll have to figure that out on your own, or with the help of another person from the outside world."
"There are others? I mean I know my grandfather entered this world but he passed the pen onto me."
"I personally know of three. One comes and goes as he pleases and usually keeps to himself. The second I heard became trapped while the last I haven’t heard from in a while. It’s a little sad since he was the one who would talk to me often, I wonder what happened to him. Now what was his name again…Cho something."
"Cho Donghyun?"
"Yes, that was it. Cho Donghyun."
"That was my grandfather, he died a couple months ago. My family just moved into his house and he left me his pen and book about how to use it that he had written over the years."
"So you’re his grandson?"
"Yeah, my name is Cho Kyuhyun. What’s yours?"
"My name?" The man laughed. "I forgot my name long ago, before your grandfather was even born. He did however, give me a name since he didn’t like not having a name to refer to me by."
"That sounds like my grandfather. So what did he call you?"
"He named me Mr. Gang. He said it meant Mr. River."
"Well that’s creative." Kyuhyun said sarcastically.
"I didn’t mind, I rarely ever leave this spot and I was happy enough to have a name again." The two talked for a little while longer before Kyuhyun needed to return.
"I leave you here then. I need to return back to the outside world before my family wonders where I disappeared."
"I understand. Visit when you can Kyuhyun, I always enjoy having someone to talk to." Mr. Gang said as he bid Kyuhyun goodbye. He watched as Kyuhyun drew the exit symbol on a tree and disappeared in a flash of light. "I didn’t know you were back there."
"I just stopped in and saw you talking to the boy."
"Worried? He is Donghyun’s grandson."
"I don’t know yet. Donghyun obviously trusted him, but you never know." The man hidden behind the tree said before leaving the painting and reverting it to it’s frozen state.
~
Kyuhyun spent the next few days in the study either reading his grandfather’s book or talking with Mr. Gang in the painting. He has only wandered into a different painting a couple of times, much preferring the Victorian park.
"Hey this one is about Mr. Gang." He said as he was reading through the book.
I finally came up with a name for the gentleman I continuously speak with in the painting. I was so determined to find a name for him since he said he long forgot his own and I can’t keep calling him sir or mister. I decided on calling him Mr. Gang since he is always sitting by the river. I know it’s not very creative but I couldn’t come up with anything better and he seemed to like it.
However, I was a little shocked to find him talking to a young boy. The boy was only probably a little older then my little Kyuhyun, who just turned six. In the years that I have been traveling into the world of arts, I have never come across someone so young who can enter paintings. He was a quiet boy and didn’t share his name but I hope to see more of him in the future. It’s good to keep kids interested in artwork, and what better way then to go into the paintings themselves. Maybe I’ll bring Kyuhyun with me one day.
"I wonder where that guy is now? Maybe he’s one of the three Mr. Gang was talking about. I’ll have to ask him later."
"Kyuhyun!" Ahra shouted.
"What?!" he shouted back, not getting up.
"Come here!" Kyuhyun sighed but got up anyways and headed towards the living room where his sister was. "Jeez, when someone calls for you, get up and see what they want. Don’t just shout back."
"Alright, I get it, now what do you want?"
"Wookie called, said you weren’t answering your phone and to meet him over at the usual café."
"I didn’t even hear my phone." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw eleven missed calls, nine from Ryeowook, and too many texts for his phone to handle. "Oops. I guess I’ll be out then."
"Listen for your phone in case either Omma or Aboji need you, You don’t want to miss a call from them."
"I know. See you later." Kyuhyun waved as he grabbed his jacket and walked down to the café he and Ryeowook usually meet.
"What have you been doing that you don’t notice your phone going off a billion times." Ryeowook said as soon as he saw the younger walking up.
"Reading."
"Reading? Really? You don’t mean playing video games?"
"Nope, this time I actually mean reading." He said and pulled out the book to show his hyung.
"Wow, I’m surprised. But seriously, you were so into reading that, that you couldn’t realize your phone was going off?"
"Yeah, my grandfather left it for me to read."
"Speaking of which, how was the move?"
"My parents are still working on moving some things around in the house but my stuff is all taken care of. I’ve just been looking through the stuff my grandfather left me."
"What is that book anyways?"
"I can trust you, right?" Kyuhyun asked, looking around nervously.
"Yeah. I mean, we’ve only been friends since we were in elementary school." Kyuhyun nodded and motioned for Ryeowook to lean in closer.
"Well my grandfather left me a magic pen, I know that sounds weird but it’s true. I can use it to go into paintings."
"What? That’s crazy."
"No, it’s true. I’m not lying to you."
"I’m going to want some proof of this."
"Next time you’re over I’ll show you. This book explains how to use the pen and my grandfather’s trips. And there are apparently others who can enter the paintings too."
"That sounds awesome, but I still need proof."
"Alright, are you free tomorrow?" Ryeowook nodded. "Fine, come over tomorrow and I’ll show you."
"Why not tonight?"
"You have your class. Don’t think I forgot your schedule just because I ignored the world for a couple days."
"I’m just surprised you know what day of the week it is." Ryeowook laughed at the glare he received from the younger before deciding it was time for him to go and the two parted ways. Instead of returning home, Kyuhyun headed towards the art museum that was just a few blocks away. The museum at one point showcased a couple of his great grandmother’s paintings, but they were given to another museum years ago. It had been awhile since he had last visited the museum and there were a handful of new paintings on display but one in particular caught his eyes. It was a painting of vibrant green hills that were obviously the foothills to larger mountains in the distance, though the size of these hills were large enough to be thought of as mountains themselves. Although the painting was rather simple, it was well drawn and Kyuhyun could really feel the serenity of the place without even stepping into the painting.
"Kim Yesung." He read the author’s name from the plate posted next to the painting. "Art-like voice? Doesn’t seem like a name for a painter." Kyuhyun shrugged and walked around the museum for a little longer before he found his way back to the same painting. He checked around for anyone else nearby and when he found none, he pulled out the pen from his bag. After one last check, he drew the sign on the painting and disappeared into the world of art. A gentle breeze and soft bird chirping in the distance welcomed him. Kyuhyun wandered around the hills for a while, searching for the best place to sit and enjoy a good view, however, there were too many to choose from. When he finally found a spot, he pulled out his grandfather’s book and continued reading, hoping to find out a little more information about the boy.
"What are you doing here?" A voice asked from behind Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun jumped at the sudden voice and looked back to see a man around his age standing there, glaring at him. "I asked you a question."
"Oh sorry, I just thought I would enjoy the scenery for a while."
"How did you get here?"
"I saw the painting in the museum and thought it would be a nice place to sit, so I used the pen." He answered, showing the other his pen.
"In the museum? Are you crazy? Stupid amateur, you could threaten this whole world. What if someone saw you?"
"There was no one around, I made sure of that."
"Yes but when you jump into this world, the symbol remains for a moment on the painting and there is a flash of light. Anyone could have seen that." The guy was obviously ticked off at Kyuhyun and getting angrier by the minute.
"Sorry, I’ve only been using the pen for a few days and I haven’t finished reading my grandfather’s book about it yet. I’m still learning." Kyuhyun defended himself.
"Well I can’t have an amateur running around and threatening the secrecy of this world."
"Well if you’re such a know-it-all about this world then teach me."
"You sure? I’m not going to be a friendly teacher." He asked a little smugly.
"Yeah, teach me."
"Fine, we can start tomorrow, I’m busy tonight. Now get out of here and make sure you check that no one is around first." He said as he started walking away.
"How do I do that?" Kyuhyun asked, completely confused about the idea.
"You seriously don’t know?" Kyuhyun shook his head and the other sighed. "Stupid, you don’t know anything. Here draw two circles parallel to each other with a line connecting them."
"Uh, where?"
"In the air of course. You don’t need to physically draw on anything in this world."
"Really? I always use a tree or something similar." Kyuhyun could tell that the other was trying to hold back his annoyance and not snap at Kyuhyun before he drew the symbol. An image of the outside world appeared in front of him and he could see if there was anyone lingering around the painting.
"That symbol allows you to see back to the other side of the painting and around it so you can safely go back to the outside world without being seen." He explained and tried to walk away again before Kyuhyun stopped him one last time.
"Hey, if you’re going to teach me, I need to know what to call you."
"My name is Jongwoon, you can call me that."
"Oh well I’m Kyuhyun." He shouted after Jongwoon, who just waved him off. Once the coast was clear, Kyuhyun made it back into the outside world and headed home.
The following day, Kyuhyun made his way back inside the world of arts to meet with Jongwoon, making sure to use the Victorian Park painting in the study instead of going to the museum.
"So you made it." Jongwoon said as Kyuhyun walked up behind him.
"You heard me?" Kyuhyun asked, shocked that the other knew he was there without even looking.
"I’m here during most of my free time, so I know the moment anything changes. How do you think I knew you were here yesterday?"
"Oh, really? What gave away the fact that I was here yesterday?"
"The clouds, if I was the only one here then they would have just begun but instead they were already a couple minutes in. So obviously someone else had to be here. Anyways, You obviously know how to enter and exit the World, as well as view the outside world. What else do you know?"
"Uh, I leaned how to move between paintings…though that was probably a little obvious too. I think that’s all I really know."
"Okay, I guess I can work with that." Jongwoon finally stood up and faced Kyuhyun and began going over various techniques when using the pen. They were working for a couple of hours when Kyuhyun’s phone went off.
"Cell phones still work in the world of arts?"
"Yeah, your phone registers as being in the location of the painting you are in. So as long as the painting is within service, you have service."
"Really? Awesome. Oh sorry I do need to answer this one." He apologized before walking a little ways away and answering his cell. "Hey Wookie."
"Where are you? Ahra said you were in the study, but I don’t see you."
"Oh sorry, I stepped into a painting, I’ll be there in a couple minutes. Wait for me."
"Yeah, yeah I’ll wait." Ryeowook sighed as Kyuhyun apologized one last time and hung up.
"Sorry, my friend is waiting for me. I didn’t realize it was already time for me to go. Next time?"
"I’m here usually everyday."
"Thanks Jongwoon. And thank you for today’s lesson." Kyuhyun went back to the Victorian Park painting and used the technique that Jongwoon showed him the day before to see Wookie sitting at the desk, looking through the drawers. Deciding it was safe, Kyuhyun jumped back into the outside world, shocking Ryeowook with the bright light. "Do you believe me now?"
"Did you seriously just walk out of that painting?"
"Yup. Is that proof enough for you?"
"Possibly. I think I need to get over some shock first. I mean my best friend has a pen that allows him to go in and out of paintings." Ryeowook answered in a bit of a daze.
"There’s more too."
"More?"
"Yeah. I meet another guy like me, though he is more skilled then I am. He agreed to teach me though because he doesn't want any harm to come to the world of arts."
"There are others?"
"I know, I said the same thing when I was first told. He’s kind of mean and distant but means well in the end so I don’t mind."
"I think I’m in complete shock about this whole thing."
"Sorry. I just didn’t want to hide this from my best friend."
"It’s not that. It’s just insane yet incredibly awesome all at once and it’s a lot to take in. Let it all set in first before my head explodes." Kyuhyun laughed a little at his friend’s gestures during his explanations but understood what the other was saying.
"Go home then. You’re just going to be in a daze anyways. Call me tomorrow when you are on your way."
"Why when I’m on my way?"
"So if I’m in there again, I won’t have to make you wait." He said pointing back to the painting.
"Oh, I’ll see you tomorrow then."
~
"You really are here all the time." Kyuhyun stated as he walked up to Jongwoon the next day.
"I told you I was. I take it you have more you want to know?"
"Yeah, there were some things I was curious about that Mr. Gang couldn’t answer."
"He is only a painting. Would’ve been good to ask your grandfather but he is no longer here so I hear."
"Yeah, he passed away and Mr. Gang said it would be best to ask someone from the outside world, and well you’re the only other one here that I know."
"There are not a lot of us, as far as I know. There are only a couple I’ve met."
"Yeah, which is one question I had. Mr. Gang said he met three, my grandfather, I assume you, and another he said became trapped. What does that mean?"
"Being trapped basically means your body died so you can never leave the World of Arts, or apparently the painting you were in."
"How does that happen?"
"In this world there is no need for food or sleep since it’s a painting so your body basically adapts to that and you don’t feel hungry or tired while here. But obviously the moment you go back to the outside world, it will catch up with you and you will feel hungry or tired. However, if you stay in this world long enough for your body to have died in the outside world, then you can’t go back, you are trapped here. As far as we can tell, you also can not leave the painting you were in and you loose your ability to move around. I guess you could say you become part of the painting, someone like Mr. Gang."
"Seriously? That’s kind of creepy."
"Yeah, so make sure you keep track of your time in here unless you want to end up like he did."
"Did you know him?"
"A little. He was arrogant and annoying, so I can’t say I’m upset about what happened. Your grandfather on the other hand, I’m sorry he’s gone."
"Uh thanks. He mentioned you in one of his entries. Well, only one that I have read. It was of the first time he saw you in this world talking to Mr. Gang."
"You know, this isn’t the first time we’ve met."
"It’s not?" He asked confused as the other stood up.
"Nope. I’ll show you later, unless you read about it in your book there first. See you later." Jongwoon said and gave a quick wave without even looking back and disappeared from the painting."
"What? How can he just say that and leave? Jeez that guy." Kyuhyun grumbled about the other leaving until his phone rang. "Hey Wookie."
"What’s up? You sound annoyed, should I turn around and just go home? Cause I’m only a block away."
"No, you’re fine. Jongwoon just said something and left. I’ll tell you about it when you get here."
"Okay, see you in a couple minutes." Kyuhyun hung up and went back to the study after stopping to say hi to Mr. Gang real quick.
"I still got here before you. Just barely but still, how did that happen?" Ryeowook said as Kyuhyun entered the study.
"Sorry I said hi to Mr. Gang real quick. And I bet you were like two houses down when we hung up."
"So who’s this guy who annoyed you?"
"Jongwoon, he’s another guy who can go around the world of arts, he said he would teach me anything I want to know. But today he said that this was not our first time meeting and then left."
"That’s weird. Any idea when you guys would’ve met?"
"Nope." Kyuhyun sighed and laid his head down on the desk.
"Just ask him next time. Anyways, are you going to tell me more about this pen and the world of arts?"
"You can read it in grandfather’s book. I haven’t finished it but you can read it if you want."
"Really?" The younger nodded. "Cool, I’ll have it back to you in a couple of days."
"You read way too fast for an art major."
"I’m not an art major. I’m doing music composition. I’m just taking art classes on the side for a possible minor since I love that too."
"Close enough." The older lightly hit Kyuhyun in the head, refusing to argue with the younger. The two decided to head out to their usual café and just talk for a while and Ryeowook began reading Kyuhyun’s grandfather’s book. Kyuhyun was a little glad he had someone else to talk about the book with, since he was having a hard time keeping it to himself. Ryeowook took the book home with him that evening, promising to return it two days. When Kyuhyun went back into the world of arts the next morning, Jongwoon was still nowhere to be seen.
"I wonder what he’s doing?" Kyuhyun asked no one. Instead of waiting around in Yesung’s painting, Kyuhyun headed back to the Victorian Park and spoke with Mr. Gang until he felt it was time to go back to the outside world. Kyuhyun waited until after dinner to return to Yesung’s painting and this time Jongwoon was in his usual spot. "You’re late." Kyuhyun states as he sits down next to the other.
"I didn’t know I had a time I was suppose to be here. I usually just come whenever I feel like it."
"Well for the few days I have known you, you have always been here at the same time."
"My schedule is not that consistent. It’s odd for me to have the same time free everyday. So get used to not knowing when I’ll be here."
"Fine. Anyways, you said this wasn’t our first time meeting. If not, then when was the first time?"
"You haven’t read about it yet?" Kyuhyun shook his head. "I’m sure he wrote about it in there."
"I’m not the fastest of readers."
"I see that. Well come on, I’ll show you." Jongwoon said, standing up and walking back up to the top of the hill they were on, Kyuhyun following behind.
"Where are we going?"
"You’ll see." He said and held out his hand for Kyuhyun to take. Kyuhyun instead just looked at the outstretched hand strangely. "You can travel with another if you are in physical contact with them. So just grab my hand, it’ll be a lot easier this way."
"So you can travel with another?" Jongwoon sighed and forcefully grabbed Kyuhyun’s hand.
"I just said that you could as long as you have physical contact." Not letting the other say anything else, Jongwoon pulled him forward into a new place. Kyuhyun lost his balance when Jongwoon pulled him, and stumbled into the new room. When he found his balance again, he looked around at the dark room.
~ Part 2~