Stone Cold Perfection 3/4
Title: Stone Cold Perfection
Pairing: Wonkyu
Rating: PG-13 (angst, swearing, mild violence~)
Genre: College!AU, angst, sci-fi, art~
Summary: Kyuhyun is finishing his final project before he can graduate art school. He has to create an extremely detailed sculpture from marble. What he doesn't know is that his work will result in something special.
a/n: part 3. not as much angst. more sad/angsty than angry/angsty.
also, there'll be an epilogue. ^^
Tea.
Such a glorious thing.
Eunhyuk handed Kyuhyun a cup and smiled a tiny little smile as they sat in Kyuhyun's kitchen.
10:25am.
"What's a famous fashion designer like you doing back in Korea?" Kyuhyun asked taking a sip of his tea.
Eunhyuk still remembered how Kyuhyun liked his tea since he put in a passionfruit teabag.
Eunhyuk was used to the snark, and after a couple years away, it was nice to see it hadn't left.
"I'm back because I got a phonecall from Minho."
The words stung. Kyuhyun had been avoiding Minho. He locked him out of his studio even though Minho had only come by a few times out of earnest concern for one of his best friends. Kyuhyun felt horrible.
"When?"
He took another sip of tea, not looking up at Eunhyuk. He knew he'd only meet a gaze that told him he was being an insensitive asshole...
"Last week. He said you locked yourself in the studio and wouldn't let anyone in. He said you wouldn't return his texts or calls or even come to help out with your studio art 101 class anymore. He doesn't deserve that Kyuhyun."
"Yeah? And who are you to tell me how to go about my business? You know I don't work well with other people around."
"So you didn't work well freshman year when we would sketch at all hours of the night and make fail!ramen because we can't cook?"
Another hit to his pride. Why couldn't he just be honest?
Kyuhyun set his tea down and looked up at Eunhyuk, finally. Eunhyuk looked worried. Kyuhyun didn't mean for that to happen. All he did was worry people anymore. He wanted to take care of himself but everyone was so concerned all the time. He didn't need their help. He didn't need their moral support. He was fine on his own............
He figured if he kept repeating this to himself, it might come true.
Too bad it didn't.
He needed his friends.
But...
"It's not that, Eunhyuk. You know it. I just.........I don't know what it is."
He looked away from his friend. He couldn't take it, the concern, the worry. He didn't mean to make him worry. He didn't want Minho to be hurt because he locked him out.
He just wanted....................he wanted someone to love. It wasn't something any of his friends could help him with, actually. It wasn't anything that could be solved by his rampage in the studio this morning. It was up to him. It was his fault, he felt. Kyuhyun just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd never find anyone to love him, and that was why this sculpture was so important. It didn't help that his dreams kept pushing him to work, and what kind of fucked up mindset did he have that finishing this sculpture and making it perfect would provide him with someone to love?
Maybe it was the idea that someone would be inspired by his artwork and stroll up at the gala opening for the senior show and fall for him because of his creation. Its perfection. Its impeccable detail. Its exquisite style. Everything about it.
That was it.
Right?
He didn't really expect....
"Sorry, Kyuhyunnie. I've got to call Shannon. Something about an emergency with the clothing transport for the pieces to get to fashion week in Paris. I'll be right back." Eunhyuk said, getting up from his chair, dialing a number feverishly. He walked away and Kyuhyun took another sip of tea.
No. He was being crazy.
There was no way in hell that could ever happen.
Even less of a chance would there be of him admitting that it was what he wanted.
He downed the last of his tea and shuffled over to the sink, placing the cup in the warm water.
It stung.
He looked down at his hand and saw more cuts revealed from a few hours ago. Which reminded him....
Eunhyuk walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table behind Kyuhyun.
"Eunhyukkie... how did you manage to get into the studio? I locked the door..."
He asked without turning around.
Eunhyuk scoffed.
"I used the spare key under the potted plant next to the door. You didn't expect me to forget it was there, did you?"
Shit.
Kyuhyun had completely forgotten about that key.
But somehow he was thankful for it now.
"Thanks, Eunhyuk."
"Anytime. Now, go to sleep."
Kyuhyun turned around and smirked at the man before going into his bedroom.
He took off his stained tshirt and opted for a hoodie and a pair of gym shorts before crawling beneath the covers.
His brain shut off in record time that morning, well, around 11:30am anyway.
-------------------------------------------------------------
No dreams of Choi Siwon that morning. Nor for the next couple of weeks.
It was driving Kyuhyun crazy to say the least.
Every morning he woke up frustrated at the lack of another Choi Siwon dream...
He had "2" weeks to complete his sculpture and he had made his way up to the chest and arms finally after a month of working on the lower half, which admittedly was too much time since now the most intricate work had to be done and he had to relive the horror of his fall/his scratching the nose.
It was April 18th. The project was due on May 13th. Theoretically he still had 3 weeks, but if he thought it was two, then he would work harder.
Eunhyuk had left back to the States. Zhou Mi was readying himself for his return to China. Changmin was booking plane tickets for Paris. And Minho, well, he passed his tryout and was now part of the national team.
He was the one sitting in the studio as Kyuhyun worked diligently on the shoulder muscles of his figure. slowly but surely, chiseling away. Bits and pieces of marble dusted the floor, and Minho sat on the table next to Kyuhyun, swinging his feet back and forth, texting someone on his phone. Who it might've been, Kyuhyun was unsure of. It could be anyone from a coach to a trainer to that cute freshman girl from his "Color and Tone in 19th Century Portraiture" class.
All Kyuhyun cared about was how amazing the shoulders and back of his figure were turning out to be.
The pose of the figure was an upright pose. The legs were slightly spread, about shoulder width apart, and the torso turned slightly to the right, so the chest faced more right than center. The right arm was slightly behind the waist of the figure and the right should vaguely leant down. The face would look straight on toward the audience and have a subtle confidence about it.
In the face though, which would make or break the figure, is the expression he keeps debating in his head.
In his dreams, Choi Siwon never stops smiling. It's a pleasant, warm smile, that means so much more than it shows, but how much is Kyuhyun really willing to risk on the success of his figure just for a smile in his dreams?
He was brought back to reality as he heard Minho finish a sentence. About what, he had no idea.
"What did you say?" Kyuhyun asked without looking up. He continued to tap into one of the various lines of definition on the back and shoulders.
"I said who are you sculpting, Kyuhyunnie? It doesn't look like anyone we know." Minho replied cocking his head to the side a little.
"It's because it's not."
"Is he made up then?"
"Obviously."
"Did you make him up?"
"OBVIOUSLY."
"Why?" Minho asked earnestly. Kyuhyun could hear it in his voice.
How the fuck was Kyuhyun supposed to answer that without sounding like a pathetic little pussyshit?
REALLY.
"Oh because I'm lonely and I want to find someone like him~" or "Because sometimes Minho things just get tough and I want someone to love me because I can't take not having anyone anymore~" or even "Because he's perfect and in my dreams he's real and if I sculpt him then he can be real enough for me to maybe love, even though I know it's fucked up and my life is a joke~ but you understand, right Minho?~"
Great fucking question, Minho. Way to go.
Kyuhyun sighed, looking up at Minho and lowering his tools.
"Because I couldn't sculpt Changmin without him being a dick about it, and I figured an idealized male figure was a surefire way to win the senior gala. Plus, I can do this in my sleep. Make sense now?"
Minho wasn't satisfied.
"You're lying to me." Minho said with a smirk. He jumped off the table and proceeded to stalk around the figure. He eyed it closely, moving his hands along the smooth marble, both wiping the excess dust off of it and testing its smoothness.
The silence worried Kyuhyun.
He knew a smartass comment was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.
"You dream about this guy, don't you?" Minho said as he rounded back to his place on the table and looked at Kyuhyun with a smirk.
Kyuhyun could just hear the satisfaction ooze out in his voice.
It was disgusting how well Minho knew him. Changmin and Zhou Mi would say the same though if either of them ever saw the sculpture though, to be fair.
Which was why he hadn't let them in yet.
"Minho-"
"It's fine. You don't have to tell me. He's really goodlooking, Kyuhyun. I can't blame you. He's perfect. I bet he has a name too~"
Kyuhyun glared at Minho. He was going too far now. He was mocking his art, and if there was any mutual agreement in this group of friends, it was that mocking any of the friends' art was unallowed. Everyone's work was special. Constructive criticism was fine, welcome actually, but this wasn't working.
"Stop Minho. You can leave if this is what you came to do." He said gruffly before bending back toward the shoulder of his figure.
"I didn't mean anything, Kyuhyunnie. I was just curious. You're going to win. You know you will. So I was just wondering why the extra effort? Plus, if you didn't win, we couldn't be friends anymore. I don't associate with losers."
"Nor do I. Shouldn't you be practicing for the exhibition game on Monday? You don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of the entire country, let alone that girl from your portraiture class." Kyuhyun said with a hint of venom in his voice.
No one fucks with Cho Kyuhyun and comes away unscathed.
Not even his best friends.
"We all know I'm going to be starting and that in about 6 months I'll be captain. Just watch. If I'm not, I'll buy you dinner." Minho said, picking up his backpack.
"Is that a promise?" Kyuhyun said with a smirk.
Sometimes he felt bad for giving Minho so much shit, but he gave it right back so it really didn't matter anymore.
"Only if you buy me a dog when I win the bet." Minho replied putting an arm around a now standing Kyu.
Kyuhyun smiled and put an arm on Minho's waist.
"You bet. Australian Shepherd, right?" He looked up at him. The younger was a couple centimeters taller than he was, not that Kyu minded or anything...
"Named Arnie."
"Why the fuck would you name a dog that?"
"Because I can."
"Right."
"Shut up. It's cute!"
"If you're an 80 year old blind woman living in Finland. Yes. Then it's cute."
Minho punched his arm before hugging him.
"I'll see you soon, right Kyuhyunnie?" Minho said as he walked toward the doorway, speaking over his shoulder.
"Just call me." Kyuhyun shouted up to him.
"Will do. Enjoy your dream man~" Minho replied, turning the corner out of the doorway just in time to miss being hit with a small mallet Kyuhyun launched at him.
It took another chip out of the wall.
Hopefully this statue would appraise well because with the damage he's done to this place, he'd need all the profit from the art show donations to his future work to pay for the damages to the studio.
He sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and looked up at his work.
He'd been working endlessly on the figure. Day and night. For 1.5 months now. It usually takes much longer for statues like this to be done, but Kyuhyun was determined. More determined than most.
Another day or so and he would be finished with the chest and arms, detailing them to his best ability.
Then he would be able to work on the face and head, adding some detail to the hair.
Again though, what to do with his expression?
"If he smiles, then it loses its mystique..........but Choi Siwon never stops smiling. How can I make him perfect without the smile? It'll drag down the value for donators......but still. It's my statue. He's my.........."
He paused.
"He's my man. I can make him however I want."
Another pause.
"Ewwwww. What the fuck are you turning into, Kyuhyun? When did you start saying mushy shit like that? Stop it. It's just a sculpture. It's just a sculpture. Nothing more. Just. a. sculpture."
He shook his head and ruffled his hair a bit, watching as pieces of marble fell to the floor.
He examined his hands again, opening and closing them slowly.
His long fingers had numerous cuts and gashes, all clogged with marble dust and old pieces of bandaid.
As he finally looked at the damage done to his hands, he started to feel it in other places.
His shoulders were tense. He tried to lift them up and pop them back into place, but the tension was too much.
His back also ached. He tried to pop it as well, turning at the torso and holding onto a table leg, but only a couple of places cracked.
Everything hurt.
He looked up again at the statue and the blank face that looked forward in such a way that was already more distinguished than he could have anticipated.
The pose itself added so much to the sculpture and the white marble made it impeccable.
It really was going to be perfect.
Choi Siwon would be perfect.
Even with his freckle.
Kyuhyun smiled to himself and stood up.
He grabbed his notebook and made a small scribble in the center of a new page.
April 18th: Remember, I love you.
He picked up his fine point chisel, a small mallet, turned on some Brahms, and went back to work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 weeks later, he was finished.
Choi Siwon was finished.
Chapter 4 (final chapter!)
Pairing: Wonkyu
Rating: PG-13 (angst, swearing, mild violence~)
Genre: College!AU, angst, sci-fi, art~
Summary: Kyuhyun is finishing his final project before he can graduate art school. He has to create an extremely detailed sculpture from marble. What he doesn't know is that his work will result in something special.
a/n: part 3. not as much angst. more sad/angsty than angry/angsty.
also, there'll be an epilogue. ^^
Tea.
Such a glorious thing.
Eunhyuk handed Kyuhyun a cup and smiled a tiny little smile as they sat in Kyuhyun's kitchen.
10:25am.
"What's a famous fashion designer like you doing back in Korea?" Kyuhyun asked taking a sip of his tea.
Eunhyuk still remembered how Kyuhyun liked his tea since he put in a passionfruit teabag.
Eunhyuk was used to the snark, and after a couple years away, it was nice to see it hadn't left.
"I'm back because I got a phonecall from Minho."
The words stung. Kyuhyun had been avoiding Minho. He locked him out of his studio even though Minho had only come by a few times out of earnest concern for one of his best friends. Kyuhyun felt horrible.
"When?"
He took another sip of tea, not looking up at Eunhyuk. He knew he'd only meet a gaze that told him he was being an insensitive asshole...
"Last week. He said you locked yourself in the studio and wouldn't let anyone in. He said you wouldn't return his texts or calls or even come to help out with your studio art 101 class anymore. He doesn't deserve that Kyuhyun."
"Yeah? And who are you to tell me how to go about my business? You know I don't work well with other people around."
"So you didn't work well freshman year when we would sketch at all hours of the night and make fail!ramen because we can't cook?"
Another hit to his pride. Why couldn't he just be honest?
Kyuhyun set his tea down and looked up at Eunhyuk, finally. Eunhyuk looked worried. Kyuhyun didn't mean for that to happen. All he did was worry people anymore. He wanted to take care of himself but everyone was so concerned all the time. He didn't need their help. He didn't need their moral support. He was fine on his own............
He figured if he kept repeating this to himself, it might come true.
Too bad it didn't.
He needed his friends.
But...
"It's not that, Eunhyuk. You know it. I just.........I don't know what it is."
He looked away from his friend. He couldn't take it, the concern, the worry. He didn't mean to make him worry. He didn't want Minho to be hurt because he locked him out.
He just wanted....................he wanted someone to love. It wasn't something any of his friends could help him with, actually. It wasn't anything that could be solved by his rampage in the studio this morning. It was up to him. It was his fault, he felt. Kyuhyun just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd never find anyone to love him, and that was why this sculpture was so important. It didn't help that his dreams kept pushing him to work, and what kind of fucked up mindset did he have that finishing this sculpture and making it perfect would provide him with someone to love?
Maybe it was the idea that someone would be inspired by his artwork and stroll up at the gala opening for the senior show and fall for him because of his creation. Its perfection. Its impeccable detail. Its exquisite style. Everything about it.
That was it.
Right?
He didn't really expect....
"Sorry, Kyuhyunnie. I've got to call Shannon. Something about an emergency with the clothing transport for the pieces to get to fashion week in Paris. I'll be right back." Eunhyuk said, getting up from his chair, dialing a number feverishly. He walked away and Kyuhyun took another sip of tea.
No. He was being crazy.
There was no way in hell that could ever happen.
Even less of a chance would there be of him admitting that it was what he wanted.
He downed the last of his tea and shuffled over to the sink, placing the cup in the warm water.
It stung.
He looked down at his hand and saw more cuts revealed from a few hours ago. Which reminded him....
Eunhyuk walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table behind Kyuhyun.
"Eunhyukkie... how did you manage to get into the studio? I locked the door..."
He asked without turning around.
Eunhyuk scoffed.
"I used the spare key under the potted plant next to the door. You didn't expect me to forget it was there, did you?"
Shit.
Kyuhyun had completely forgotten about that key.
But somehow he was thankful for it now.
"Thanks, Eunhyuk."
"Anytime. Now, go to sleep."
Kyuhyun turned around and smirked at the man before going into his bedroom.
He took off his stained tshirt and opted for a hoodie and a pair of gym shorts before crawling beneath the covers.
His brain shut off in record time that morning, well, around 11:30am anyway.
-------------------------------------------------------------
No dreams of Choi Siwon that morning. Nor for the next couple of weeks.
It was driving Kyuhyun crazy to say the least.
Every morning he woke up frustrated at the lack of another Choi Siwon dream...
He had "2" weeks to complete his sculpture and he had made his way up to the chest and arms finally after a month of working on the lower half, which admittedly was too much time since now the most intricate work had to be done and he had to relive the horror of his fall/his scratching the nose.
It was April 18th. The project was due on May 13th. Theoretically he still had 3 weeks, but if he thought it was two, then he would work harder.
Eunhyuk had left back to the States. Zhou Mi was readying himself for his return to China. Changmin was booking plane tickets for Paris. And Minho, well, he passed his tryout and was now part of the national team.
He was the one sitting in the studio as Kyuhyun worked diligently on the shoulder muscles of his figure. slowly but surely, chiseling away. Bits and pieces of marble dusted the floor, and Minho sat on the table next to Kyuhyun, swinging his feet back and forth, texting someone on his phone. Who it might've been, Kyuhyun was unsure of. It could be anyone from a coach to a trainer to that cute freshman girl from his "Color and Tone in 19th Century Portraiture" class.
All Kyuhyun cared about was how amazing the shoulders and back of his figure were turning out to be.
The pose of the figure was an upright pose. The legs were slightly spread, about shoulder width apart, and the torso turned slightly to the right, so the chest faced more right than center. The right arm was slightly behind the waist of the figure and the right should vaguely leant down. The face would look straight on toward the audience and have a subtle confidence about it.
In the face though, which would make or break the figure, is the expression he keeps debating in his head.
In his dreams, Choi Siwon never stops smiling. It's a pleasant, warm smile, that means so much more than it shows, but how much is Kyuhyun really willing to risk on the success of his figure just for a smile in his dreams?
He was brought back to reality as he heard Minho finish a sentence. About what, he had no idea.
"What did you say?" Kyuhyun asked without looking up. He continued to tap into one of the various lines of definition on the back and shoulders.
"I said who are you sculpting, Kyuhyunnie? It doesn't look like anyone we know." Minho replied cocking his head to the side a little.
"It's because it's not."
"Is he made up then?"
"Obviously."
"Did you make him up?"
"OBVIOUSLY."
"Why?" Minho asked earnestly. Kyuhyun could hear it in his voice.
How the fuck was Kyuhyun supposed to answer that without sounding like a pathetic little pussyshit?
REALLY.
"Oh because I'm lonely and I want to find someone like him~" or "Because sometimes Minho things just get tough and I want someone to love me because I can't take not having anyone anymore~" or even "Because he's perfect and in my dreams he's real and if I sculpt him then he can be real enough for me to maybe love, even though I know it's fucked up and my life is a joke~ but you understand, right Minho?~"
Great fucking question, Minho. Way to go.
Kyuhyun sighed, looking up at Minho and lowering his tools.
"Because I couldn't sculpt Changmin without him being a dick about it, and I figured an idealized male figure was a surefire way to win the senior gala. Plus, I can do this in my sleep. Make sense now?"
Minho wasn't satisfied.
"You're lying to me." Minho said with a smirk. He jumped off the table and proceeded to stalk around the figure. He eyed it closely, moving his hands along the smooth marble, both wiping the excess dust off of it and testing its smoothness.
The silence worried Kyuhyun.
He knew a smartass comment was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.
"You dream about this guy, don't you?" Minho said as he rounded back to his place on the table and looked at Kyuhyun with a smirk.
Kyuhyun could just hear the satisfaction ooze out in his voice.
It was disgusting how well Minho knew him. Changmin and Zhou Mi would say the same though if either of them ever saw the sculpture though, to be fair.
Which was why he hadn't let them in yet.
"Minho-"
"It's fine. You don't have to tell me. He's really goodlooking, Kyuhyun. I can't blame you. He's perfect. I bet he has a name too~"
Kyuhyun glared at Minho. He was going too far now. He was mocking his art, and if there was any mutual agreement in this group of friends, it was that mocking any of the friends' art was unallowed. Everyone's work was special. Constructive criticism was fine, welcome actually, but this wasn't working.
"Stop Minho. You can leave if this is what you came to do." He said gruffly before bending back toward the shoulder of his figure.
"I didn't mean anything, Kyuhyunnie. I was just curious. You're going to win. You know you will. So I was just wondering why the extra effort? Plus, if you didn't win, we couldn't be friends anymore. I don't associate with losers."
"Nor do I. Shouldn't you be practicing for the exhibition game on Monday? You don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of the entire country, let alone that girl from your portraiture class." Kyuhyun said with a hint of venom in his voice.
No one fucks with Cho Kyuhyun and comes away unscathed.
Not even his best friends.
"We all know I'm going to be starting and that in about 6 months I'll be captain. Just watch. If I'm not, I'll buy you dinner." Minho said, picking up his backpack.
"Is that a promise?" Kyuhyun said with a smirk.
Sometimes he felt bad for giving Minho so much shit, but he gave it right back so it really didn't matter anymore.
"Only if you buy me a dog when I win the bet." Minho replied putting an arm around a now standing Kyu.
Kyuhyun smiled and put an arm on Minho's waist.
"You bet. Australian Shepherd, right?" He looked up at him. The younger was a couple centimeters taller than he was, not that Kyu minded or anything...
"Named Arnie."
"Why the fuck would you name a dog that?"
"Because I can."
"Right."
"Shut up. It's cute!"
"If you're an 80 year old blind woman living in Finland. Yes. Then it's cute."
Minho punched his arm before hugging him.
"I'll see you soon, right Kyuhyunnie?" Minho said as he walked toward the doorway, speaking over his shoulder.
"Just call me." Kyuhyun shouted up to him.
"Will do. Enjoy your dream man~" Minho replied, turning the corner out of the doorway just in time to miss being hit with a small mallet Kyuhyun launched at him.
It took another chip out of the wall.
Hopefully this statue would appraise well because with the damage he's done to this place, he'd need all the profit from the art show donations to his future work to pay for the damages to the studio.
He sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and looked up at his work.
He'd been working endlessly on the figure. Day and night. For 1.5 months now. It usually takes much longer for statues like this to be done, but Kyuhyun was determined. More determined than most.
Another day or so and he would be finished with the chest and arms, detailing them to his best ability.
Then he would be able to work on the face and head, adding some detail to the hair.
Again though, what to do with his expression?
"If he smiles, then it loses its mystique..........but Choi Siwon never stops smiling. How can I make him perfect without the smile? It'll drag down the value for donators......but still. It's my statue. He's my.........."
He paused.
"He's my man. I can make him however I want."
Another pause.
"Ewwwww. What the fuck are you turning into, Kyuhyun? When did you start saying mushy shit like that? Stop it. It's just a sculpture. It's just a sculpture. Nothing more. Just. a. sculpture."
He shook his head and ruffled his hair a bit, watching as pieces of marble fell to the floor.
He examined his hands again, opening and closing them slowly.
His long fingers had numerous cuts and gashes, all clogged with marble dust and old pieces of bandaid.
As he finally looked at the damage done to his hands, he started to feel it in other places.
His shoulders were tense. He tried to lift them up and pop them back into place, but the tension was too much.
His back also ached. He tried to pop it as well, turning at the torso and holding onto a table leg, but only a couple of places cracked.
Everything hurt.
He looked up again at the statue and the blank face that looked forward in such a way that was already more distinguished than he could have anticipated.
The pose itself added so much to the sculpture and the white marble made it impeccable.
It really was going to be perfect.
Choi Siwon would be perfect.
Even with his freckle.
Kyuhyun smiled to himself and stood up.
He grabbed his notebook and made a small scribble in the center of a new page.
April 18th: Remember, I love you.
He picked up his fine point chisel, a small mallet, turned on some Brahms, and went back to work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 weeks later, he was finished.
Choi Siwon was finished.
Chapter 4 (final chapter!)