Answer (one shot)
Title: Answer
Pairing: Jun/Ohno
Word count: 9889 words
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, drama, friendship
Disclaimer: I only borrowed their names.
Summary: Free Style Gallery had just opened its branch in Tokyo, giving Jun more chance to visit and choose his favorite artworks. Unfortunately, he was involved in an accident on his first visit to the gallery, which led him to find the true identity of the mysterious artist…
Note: It is unbeated, so there are a lot of grammar errors.
More notes at the end ^_^
Thanks to eiko_lotus for the brainstorming and the idea of Ohno lying to Jun. Sorry for the absence of particular scene, ^^v
“Nino, look at this,” Jun handed the magazine to his friend who lazily took it from him.
“What am I suppose to look at?” Nino asked, giving the magazine back to Jun.
“This,” Jun pointed at the article at the end of the page which was written inside a small box. It was almost hidden by the main article about the newly opened museum in Okinawa.
Nino took the magazine again and narrowed his eyes to read the article. “The Free Style Gallery will be opening in Tokyo this month, following the success of its first branch in Nagano.”
“Good news for me, a very good news,” Jun said, smiling at Nino. His friend gave him a questioning look and then shook his head.
“Don’t tell me that you’ll buy more painting from that gallery,” Nino said, looking around the wall. “We’re running out of space.”
“Well,” Jun replied, following Nino’s gaze. “Those paintings are my lucky charm, Nino. Our sale increases every time I buy the new work from that gallery.”
“Look,” Nino said with a more serious tone. “You’re too obsessed with that unknown painter, J. Our shop is fine, even without those paintings. We have enough of decoration, if you add more paintings on this wall, it’ll be over-decorated and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Nino left him towards the kitchen without waiting for Jun’s answer; they would open the shop in a few minutes. It was Friday, which meant there would be more customers visited their shop. Jun and Nino opened a small coffee shop near Ikebukuro station. It was Jun’s dream since he was in high school, he took a short course to learn how to become a barista and that was when he met Nino. It was a coincidence that Nino possessed the same dream. Two years later, they finally could open the shop which they named ‘Sugar’.
Jun glanced once again at the magazine, to the article of Free Style Gallery. He knew the manager of this gallery, a man named Sakurai Sho. Jun had met him every time he visited the gallery in Nagano to purchase the paintings. Perhaps, Nino was right that he was too obsessed with the mysterious artist. The artist never revealed his name, let alone appeared on TV or magazine, Sakurai did all the promotion and sale on his behalf.
Jun loved art and he was strangely attached to the paintings from Free Style Gallery. He had bought four so far and proudly used them as the decoration on the wall of the shop. He went all the way to Nagano to buy a single painting which price couldn’t be considered as cheap. Every time he did that, Nino would raise his brows in disagreement and jokingly tell Jun that he had been tricked by the unknown dark magic in those paintings.
He closed the magazine and put it on the shelf before flipping the ‘closed’ sign to ‘open’ and joined Nino in the kitchen.
***
Free Style Gallery was opened at the end of June; when the rainy season finally over. It was located in Kagurazaka, in one of the slopping streets with so many cafes and coffee shops on either side. The gallery was sandwiched between a souvenir shop and a café. Jun wiped the sweat on his forehead as he walked under the bright sun, it was still nine in the morning, but the temperature was so hot that literally melt him down.
As he approached the gallery, he could see Sakurai through the glass window, he was explaining one of the paintings to a potential buyer. Jun could understand why the owner of the free style hired someone like Sakurai. He was very good in convincing people; some even bought the painting without intending to do so at the beginning.
Jun entered the gallery, the cool air from newly installed air conditioner hit his skin. He inserted the handkerchief into his tote bag and stepped to the narrow space of the gallery where most of the paintings were displayed. Sakurai was still busy serving the other customer; he recognized Jun when he entered and gestured to him to wait until he finished. Jun didn’t mind, since he loved observing the paintings as long as he could.
The newest collection of the paintings carried the same theme; they were all portrayed the beauty of the sea. The canvasses were painted in pretty blue color which gave fresh nuance; a perfect color for summer. Jun was looking closely at the most attractive painting with a portrait of a man looking the sea from the top a rock, when someone dropped a heavy object just above his toes.
It was too fast that Jun couldn’t analyze what was happening; he saw a glimpse of a man with brown hair who suddenly came from the opposite direction of the gallery, he felt something hit his bare foot, some stinky liquid smeared his shirt and the last thing he knew was he fell down to the floor. The next second, he felt unpleasant pain on his right foot.
“I’m so sorry, are you hurt?”
Jun heard a voice from the man who also fell down to the floor, but at least he wasn’t bathed in the liquid which Jun recognized as the paint. He managed to answer, but the strong smell of the spilled paint hindered him from breathing. He coughed and tried to stand, but the pain on his right toe was unbearable.
“What is happening here?” Jun heard Sakurai’s surprised voice.
“I slipped,” the brown-haired man murmured. “I don’t get used to this slippery floor, Sho-kun.”
“Are you okay?” Sakurai asked Jun who grimaced in pain.
“I think I broke some bones,” Jun replied, examining his foot which was bleeding. It was a complete unfortunate for him that he only wore sandals. A pair of beach sandals Nino bought for him last summer which lay a few inches from Jun’s foot in a sad condition.
“I’m so sorry, Sir,” the man apologized again and this time, Jun could his face clearly.
The man’s eyes were barely opened as if he hadn’t slept for days; his brown hair was sticking everywhere and his skin was so tanned. He was also bathed in paint, but not as bad as Jun.
“We have to get you to the doctor,” Sakurai said, glancing at the sleepy man with a frown on his lips. “Can you stand up?” he asked Jun.
Jun tried to get off of the floor, but his toes was too hurt. Sakurai hurriedly took a chair for him meanwhile the sleepy man helped him to sit down. Even in his pain, Jun still admired the man’s strength when he supported Jun’s weight to prevent him from losing his balance.
“I’ll take him to the clinic, Sho-kun,” the sleepy man said to Sakurai. “There is one at the end of the street.”
“I can go there by myself,” Jun said, grimacing from pain. He looked at the painting on the wall, feeling relieve that the paint didn’t spill all over these artworks. “It’s lucky that none of the paintings are affected,” he said to Sakurai.
“You shouldn’t think about it, I’ll call a cab,” he said and disappeared towards the door, leaving Jun with the awkward sleepy-man beside him.
“Sorry for this,” the sleepy man apologized again.
“Can you do something to clean my face off this damn thing?” Jun asked, hoping that he didn’t look like a clown with blue paint liquid on his face.
“Oh,” the sleepy man said as if just realized that Jun was covered in liquid. “Wait a moment.”
He came back with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and it was even stingier than the paint, but Jun had no choice than accepting his destiny. He let the man clean up his face and took a clean towel to cover Jun’s bleeding foot. When he was done, Sakurai entered the gallery and announced that the taxi had arrived.
“I can go by myself, you don’t need to accompany me,” Jun said, rising from the chair and intending to walk towards the exit, but his right leg won’t move.
“Don’t be stupid,” the man moved quickly to support him and once again Jun felt an incredible strength albeit the man’s skinny figure. Jun averted his gaze away, it was such a terrible day for him. He was looking forward for this day and it was ruined by a clumsy-weird-sleepy cleaning service guy of the gallery. He concentrated his weight to his left leg and with the support of the sleepy-man, they got in to the cab.
“My name’s Ohno,” the man introduced himself out of the blue as they sat down on the passenger’s seat of the taxi.
“Whatever,” Jun replied coldly. He should have thanked the man, but he was too angry right now. He was bathed in paint from head to toes and his foot was throbbing like hell; it was the last thing Jun could imagine happened to him on his first visit to Free Style Gallery.
“I’ll pay for the hospital bill,” Ohno said as the taxi departed.
Jun didn’t answer; it went without saying for Ohno to pay for the hospital bill along with taking responsibility for Jun’s clothe. But Jun was too upset to say something, he still couldn’t believe it happened to him. How could he explain to Nino that he had to work with crutches from tomorrow onwards? Furthermore, he had to cancel his plan for hiking this weekend; he grimaced as he remembered that the hiking fee was unreturnable and it wasn’t cheap either.
The taxi reached the ICU a few minutes later; two young nurses hurried to Jun and helped him to the moving bed.
“You don’t need to accompany me,” Jun told Ohno.
The man stayed where he was and watched as the nurses pushed the bed towards the ICU room. The doctor who took care of Jun was a young man who introduced himself as Koizumi; he told the nurse to help Jun cleaning his face and this time, they did it properly and without stinky liquid.
Koizumi, meanwhile, performed Rontgen on Jun and told him that his toe was broken.
“It’s not that bad,” the doctor said. “You only broke a few minor bones, it will be healed in three months.”
“I can’t believe it, I have to go hiking this weekend, Doctor,” Jun said stubbornly.
“I understand your feeling, but all you need is taking a rest,” Koizumi replied with a smile on his lips.
Jun looked at his toe which was wrapped tightly in bandage. Koizumi gave him check-up schedule and wished him to get well soon before sending Jun home.
Ohno was waiting outside; his hand was holding a paper bag with ‘Versace’ sign on it. The nurse who pushed Jun’s wheelchair thought that Ohno was Jun’s company, she approached Ohno and explained Jun’s condition before he could say anything.
Ohno nodded and thanked the nurse, he offered to push the wheelchair instead, ignoring Jun’s protest.
“It’s for you, no laundry will accept clothes with paint all over it, so it’s better for me to buy you a new one,” Ohno said while putting the paper bag on Jun’s lap.
“Wait, wait, Versace?” Jun asked, lifting the bag and showing it to Ohno, confirming that the man didn’t take the wrong item.
“That’s the closest I could find around here. Sorry.”
Jun averted his gaze from Ohno to the Versace sign on the bag; whether Ohno was too stupid that he couldn’t distinguish the most expensive brand in the world or he had too much money that buying a Versace shirt wasn’t a big deal. The first possibility seemed more likely; Ohno didn’t look like a filthy rich guy. What kind of rich guy carried a paint can everywhere?
“I didn’t ask for it,” Jun said, feeling so disturbed with his own speculation about Ohno.
“You didn’t, but I have messed your shirt, so…”
“I can’t have it,” Jun cut the man impatiently. “You already paid for the hospital bill, I can’t receive something like this from a stranger.”
“Technically, you’re not a stranger to Free Style Gallery,” Ohno said, smiling for the first time.
The smile was innocent and sincere, as if Ohno never spilled any paint on Jun’s face and never dropped a heavy can on his toe.
“I never saw you before,” Jun answered. “Are you a new employee?” he asked. He forgot his grudge towards this guy for a while as he remembered his visits to the gallery. Sakurai was the only guy he met. Perhaps Ohno was a newly hired manager or something alike, but a manager should have dressed like Sakurai - with suit and tie - not a dull T-shirt with too much dirt on it.
Ohno thought for a while before answering, “Sort of.”
The answer was blur, but it was none of Jun’s concern. Ohno resumed pushing the wheelchair towards the lobby and called for a taxi.
“I’ll accompany you back,” Ohno said.
“You don’t need to, I can find my way home,” Jun heard himself said.
“Walking with crutches need some practice, you’ll stumble on your feet and will break another bone,” Ohno argued while taking a pair of crutches from the nurse.
Jun raised his brow; Ohno’s way of talking was somehow convincing and there was a commanding nuance in it which made Jun agree in the end. He found himself sitting awkwardly inside the cab with Ohno beside him again. He mentioned his address to the driver and leaned his head to the seat.
He fished his phone from his jeans pocket and found two miscalled from Nino. The guy had sent a message, telling Jun that he was in their shop at the moment to interview a man who applied for part time job.
Jun hurriedly gave Nino a phone call, telling him that he would be late and left the interview in Nino’s hand. He didn’t explain the accident because he didn’t want Nino to freak out - he would be freak out after all once Jun appeared in front of their shop with a pair of crutches and paint all over his clothes.
“You own a shop?” Ohno asked when Jun ended the call.
Jun nodded. “A small coffee shop, I run it with my friend,” he added. His anger had gone, perhaps he was too exaggerated everything. It was an accident after all.
“I should invite Sho-kun to visit, he loves coffee very much,” Ohno said with the same innocent smile he gave Jun before.
“Sure, nobody will spill a paint on you in our shop,” Jun said with sarcasm, but Ohno took it as a joke since he chuckled amusingly.
“I take it as a forgiveness,” Ohno said. “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.”
“Will Sakurai-san fire you for endangering a customer?”
Ohno rubbed his chin, “Maybe,” he said.
“He should give me 50% discount next time,” Jun mumbled.
“Do you like paintings that much?” Ohno asked.
“Yes,” Jun answered immediately. “I love art works and the paintings from Free Style Gallery are my favorite. The way the artist drew them is one of a kind, the paintings always have something details and the more I look at it, the more I find something new inside it. They’re like magic, you know,” Jun unconsciously smiled; he was always in high tension every time he explained about the paintings he got from Free Style. He was addicted to them in the strangest way possible; perhaps Nino was right that he was caught by some kind of magic power.
“Mmmm,” Ohno nodded. “The artist must be glad to hear your compliment.”
“He never makes public appearance, though,” Jun said. “I’m afraid that he’s an old man or woman with strange fashion. I mean Yayoi Kusama has unique fashion.”
Ohno chuckled, “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Haven’t you met the artist?”
Ohno shook his head. He was about to say something else when the taxi stopped, they have arrived in front of Jun’s shop.
Ohno helped Jun getting off the taxi and handed him the crutches. “I can accompany you for the upcoming checkups,” the man said.
“I know the way to the hospital, Ohno-san. Thanks for taking me all the way here and thanks for this,” Jun lifted the Versace bag.
“My pleasure,” Ohno said. “I have to go back, I’ll tell Sho-kun to give you discount for your next purchase.”
“Thanks,” Jun answered. He watched Ohno as he entered the taxi, the man waved at Jun until the car turned left on the first venue.
Jun looked at the Versace bag and shook his head; today was perhaps the weirdest day in his life. He carefully stepped towards the entrance of his shop and found Nino was one of the tables, typing something on his laptop.
“Welcome ba…what the fuck is happening?!”
Nino’s reaction was exactly like what Jun have imagined. He helped Jun to sit down and took care of the crutches.
“What happened?” he asked again with worried tone.
“Accident,” Jun said, not knowing where to start.
“Did you try to run away after stealing that?” Nino asked, pointing at the Versace bag on the table with suspicious gaze.
“Worse than that,” Jun said. He explained the accident briefly to Nino, when he finished, his friend gave him a disbelieving look.
“And that guy bought you Versace?” he confirmed.
Jun nodded. “I think he has no idea what Versace is.”
“That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard,” Nino shook his head.
“Forget about the Versace,” Jun said. “I will not be able to work with this toe.”
“Nobody forces you to work with that condition,” Nino rolled his eyes. “We will get a help anyway.”
He returned his attention to his laptop and showed the screen to Jun. “I’ve just made a note about the guy I’ve interviewed today. His name is Aiba Masaki, he seems nice and a hard worker. I think we should hire him.”
“If you said so,” Jun took a brief glance to Aiba’s profile - to a smiling picture of him which showed a positive vibe, something that made people trust him.
“He can work as soon as possible, I can only work at the kitchen with this condition,” Jun said.
“Don’t be stupid, J.” Nino shook his head. “I can handle the shop, take a rest.”
“I’ll die from boredom if I have to stay in my room the whole day,” Jun growled.
Nino gave him a don’t-mess-up-with-your-health look and heaved a deep sigh. He had known Jun for years; he had enough experience in handling Jun’s stubbornness and he always chose to let Jun do what he liked in the end.
“Don’t overwork yourself or I’ll burn that Versace,” he threatened.
Jun laughed. Nino always had something funny to say and he always succeed in boosting Jun’s mood. They talked about tomorrow’s preparation, including calling Aiba to inform him that he could start working the next day.
Their flat was above the shop, there were only stairs which forced Jun to use his ass to climb them. Nino laughed at him amusingly.
“Good night, J,” Nino said, closing Jun’s door. “Call me if you need anything from downstairs.”
“I’m fine,” Jun smiled at his friend.
He fished the Versace shirt from its bag as Nino closed the door. It was the latest arrival, with soft blue color and simple pattern. Jun touched the soft cloth and doubted that Ohno didn’t know about this brand. Perhaps he was too desperate in finding a replacement for Jun’s shirt.
Jun quickly took a shower, trying hard to keep his toe off of water. He changed to pajamas and lay down on the bed. His muscles ached everywhere and he just realized how tired he was. He closed his eyes and dozed off in no time.
***
“J, stay upstairs,” Nino said with fierce gaze as Jun tried to climb down to their shop the next morning.
“I only broke minor bones, Nino,” Jun argued. “I still can brew coffee or sit down behind the cashier desk, don’t worry too much about me.”
Nino rolled his eyes in annoyance; “I’ll step over that toe to make you suffer then,” he said.
Jun laughed and carefully climbed down the stairs; he no longer crawled on his ass this time. He poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Nino.
“You’re still act the mother hen with that toe,” Nino said, taking the cup from the tray.
“You’re welcome,” Jun replied, smiling. “I can’t let my business partner starve because of his lack of attention at his own healthy.”
“Coffee doesn’t count, though,” Nino said while carefully sipping the coffee.
They ate sandwiches from yesterday for breakfast and started the preparation to open the shop. The supply for the cakes usually come at eight in the morning; Jun waited for it while watching Nino clean the tables.
“That’s our new employee,” he told Jun when a man approached the glass door and pushed it open.
“Sorry, I’m late, there’s a little trouble on the subway,” he explained.
“We’re just started,” Nino waved it off. “Please meet my colleague, Matsumoto Jun. You can call him J, he likes it or whatever preferable for you. He broke his toe yesterday, so he can’t charm the ladies with that face for the time being because he needs to stay at the kitchen.”
“Thanks for the nice introduction, Nino,” Jun said. “Nice to meet you, Aiba-san and please don’t trust a single thing Nino said about me, he’s the one who charms the ladies.”
“If you said so,” Nino shrugged and smiled to Aiba.
“Nice to meet you, Matsumoto-san,” Aiba replied, bowing slightly at Jun.
Aiba was tall and slim; his bangs fell naturally on his forehead, his smile reminded Jun of a young enthusiastic boy.
“Nino will tell you what to do, he’s a nice mentor,” Jun said, glancing at Nino who shook his head.
The day passed like usual and Jun was glad that Aiba worked so efficiently. He had chats with the customers and Jun could see that a few of middle aged women were drown to his handsome feature.
They were about to close when two men got off the taxi in front of the shop. Jun had left the kitchen to tell Nino that they were running off milk stock when the taxi arrived. He recognized the two men immediately, he glanced at Nino who usually made a harsh comment towards late customers, but he was occupied with Aiba this time who was telling him some old jokes.
The one who wore suit pushed the door open, followed by Ohno whose worn-out T-shirt was stained with something looked like paint, what a weird combination, Jun thought as he welcomed them.
“Good evening, Sakurai-san, Ohno-san,” Jun greeted them. He never thought that Ohno would visit this soon.
“Sorry for coming this late,” Sakurai apologized, glancing at Ohno who chose to observe the shop’s interior.
“No worries, customers are our priority, please take a seat,” Jun said, gesturing to them to sit down.
“Is your toe alright?” Sakurai asked.
“I only broke minor bones, not a big problem,” Jun replied. He took a seat beside Sakurai and told the man to look at the menu. “Sorry, I can’t stand up for a long time, it’s still throbbing.”
Ohno joined them, he offered a smile at Jun and praised the interior. “You have an originality.”
“Thanks,” Jun replied to the man. “What can I get for you?” he asked.
Sakurai mentioned his order along with Ohno, even though the latter didn’t say anything. Jun passed it to Nino and resumed the talk with the two men, even though he mostly talked with Sakurai since Ohno chose to stay silent all the time.
Both of them left twenty minutes later. Nino collected the cups and glanced at Jun with weird gaze.
“You’re blushing,” he said.
“I’m not,” Jun cupped his own cheeks under his palms. “Why would I?”
“I don’t know, they’re quite handsome after all,” Nino replied.
Jun didn’t reply, he particularly didn’t feel something special about Sakurai and Ohno’s visit. They apologized deeply for the accident and wished Jun to get well soon. What bothered him was Ohno’s silent observation. The man was listening to his and Sakurai’s talk, but Jun could feel his gaze on him. When Jun turned to the man; he gave him the innocent smile, just like the previous day when he accompanied Jun to the hospital.
***
Jun’s check-up schedule was on Thursday afternoon; he headed the hospital by taxi after having lunch. He only needed one crutch to support his balance since his toe wasn’t that hurt. He was about to enter the hospital lobby when someone’s voice called his name.
“Jun-kun!”
He turned quickly to the caller and saw Ohno was approaching him. He wore a simple navy-blue T-shirt with short pants. A baseball cap was decorating his head. Nobody called Jun with ‘Jun-kun’ for ages and he was kind of pleased when he heard Ohno called his name.
“Ohno-san, what are you doing here?” Jun asked.
“Accompanying you,” he said as if it was the most ordinary thing to do.
“I don’t…I’m fine,” Jun couldn’t find the right words to describe that he didn’t need the man’s presence on his check-up.
“Don’t you have works to do?” Jun asked, continuing his steps towards the lobby.
“Sho-kun doesn’t mind my absence from the gallery,” Ohno replied, grinning.
Jun heaved a deep breath; it would be a waste of time to tell this man to leave so he let Ohno tail behind him as he walked towards the doctor’s room.
The doctor still examined another patient when Jun arrived, a young nurse gestured him to sit down and wait for a moment. Ohno sat beside him and looked at the wall across from them with the utmost interest.
“Is the painting I wanted to buy still remain unsold?” Jun asked to break the ice.
“Sho-kun has kept it for you,” Ohno replied.
“Do you know why the artist doesn’t show up in public? I mean his art works is acknowledged by many people and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who wants him to hold an exhibition,” Jun turned at Ohno.
The man looked at the ceiling and thought for a while before answering. “Maybe because he doesn’t want unnecessary attention from the media or the people around him. He can’t create something original if people keep on bugging him.”
“It’s kind of a waste; he could have gone to international exhibition with his talent.”
Ohno chuckled and mumbled something like sometimes arts are good enough to be kept for yourself. It wasn’t clearly spoken, so Jun could tell that Ohno was talking to himself.
They fell to an odd silence; Jun looked at the busy nurses who walked back and forth to do their job. He turned at Ohno who sat closely on his left side and their gaze met. The man’s eyes were looking through him as he said.
“Your eyes are beautiful, you shouldn’t wear glasses.”
Jun couldn’t help himself from blushing as he heard the compliment; he had heard the same compliment for many times before this. The flirting customers always tried to steal his attention every now and then. But none of them gave an impact like Ohno’s words which were spoken with casual tone, yet it carried a deep meaning.
The nurse approached him and told him that the doctor was ready; Jun was glad that he could escape from Ohno for a while. He stood up and followed the nurse to the doctor’s room.
Ohno was still there when Jun finished; he smiled at Jun and approached him.
“I have to go back,” Jun said. “Nino is waiting for me.”
“Do you any plans this weekend?” Ohno asked.
“I’m working,” Jun shrugged.
“Give me two hours of your time, there’s a place I want you to visit,” Ohno said.
“Where is it?”
“You’ll find out on Saturday,” Ohno replied.
Jun nodded; he usually declined such invitation, but he couldn’t do it right now. Ohno seemed too persistent and even if he turned him down, he would keep on insisting to go - just like what he did when he gave Jun the Versace shirt.
“I’ll pick you up at your shop,” Ohno said in high spirit as Jun agreed.
Jun went back to his shop and spent five minutes in the restroom just to look at his own eyes. Ohno’s compliment had aroused something in him; all of a sudden, he wanted to hear it again.
“J, are you alright?” Nino called while knocking the restroom door.
He wore his glasses and opened the door. “I’m fine, Nino. Can I leave two hours after lunch time on Saturday?”
“What is it? A date?” Nino asked, smiling amusingly.
“No,” Jun shook his head. “I have no time for such thing.”
Nino’s lips curved in a weak smile and returned to the kitchen. Jun followed him and poured himself a cup of coffee. He listened to Nino and Aiba who talked about the World Cup match the night before.
The rain poured outside the window, sending a pleasant chill to the room. Summer had just begun, which only meant one thing for their coffee shop: adding the cold brew in their menu book.
Jun’s eyes moved to the paintings on the wall; he never get bored looking at them. It felt like looking into the mysterious smile of Monalisa. The more he looked at them, the more curious he had become. He wondered what kind of person painted these masterpieces; why didn’t he/she consider for an exhibition. He was sure that the artist would line up with the other well-known painters in Japan, or perhaps owned a private museum like Yayoi Kusama.
Part 2
***
Pairing: Jun/Ohno
Word count: 9889 words
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, drama, friendship
Disclaimer: I only borrowed their names.
Summary: Free Style Gallery had just opened its branch in Tokyo, giving Jun more chance to visit and choose his favorite artworks. Unfortunately, he was involved in an accident on his first visit to the gallery, which led him to find the true identity of the mysterious artist…
Note: It is unbeated, so there are a lot of grammar errors.
More notes at the end ^_^
Thanks to eiko_lotus for the brainstorming and the idea of Ohno lying to Jun. Sorry for the absence of particular scene, ^^v
“Nino, look at this,” Jun handed the magazine to his friend who lazily took it from him.
“What am I suppose to look at?” Nino asked, giving the magazine back to Jun.
“This,” Jun pointed at the article at the end of the page which was written inside a small box. It was almost hidden by the main article about the newly opened museum in Okinawa.
Nino took the magazine again and narrowed his eyes to read the article. “The Free Style Gallery will be opening in Tokyo this month, following the success of its first branch in Nagano.”
“Good news for me, a very good news,” Jun said, smiling at Nino. His friend gave him a questioning look and then shook his head.
“Don’t tell me that you’ll buy more painting from that gallery,” Nino said, looking around the wall. “We’re running out of space.”
“Well,” Jun replied, following Nino’s gaze. “Those paintings are my lucky charm, Nino. Our sale increases every time I buy the new work from that gallery.”
“Look,” Nino said with a more serious tone. “You’re too obsessed with that unknown painter, J. Our shop is fine, even without those paintings. We have enough of decoration, if you add more paintings on this wall, it’ll be over-decorated and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Nino left him towards the kitchen without waiting for Jun’s answer; they would open the shop in a few minutes. It was Friday, which meant there would be more customers visited their shop. Jun and Nino opened a small coffee shop near Ikebukuro station. It was Jun’s dream since he was in high school, he took a short course to learn how to become a barista and that was when he met Nino. It was a coincidence that Nino possessed the same dream. Two years later, they finally could open the shop which they named ‘Sugar’.
Jun glanced once again at the magazine, to the article of Free Style Gallery. He knew the manager of this gallery, a man named Sakurai Sho. Jun had met him every time he visited the gallery in Nagano to purchase the paintings. Perhaps, Nino was right that he was too obsessed with the mysterious artist. The artist never revealed his name, let alone appeared on TV or magazine, Sakurai did all the promotion and sale on his behalf.
Jun loved art and he was strangely attached to the paintings from Free Style Gallery. He had bought four so far and proudly used them as the decoration on the wall of the shop. He went all the way to Nagano to buy a single painting which price couldn’t be considered as cheap. Every time he did that, Nino would raise his brows in disagreement and jokingly tell Jun that he had been tricked by the unknown dark magic in those paintings.
He closed the magazine and put it on the shelf before flipping the ‘closed’ sign to ‘open’ and joined Nino in the kitchen.
***
Free Style Gallery was opened at the end of June; when the rainy season finally over. It was located in Kagurazaka, in one of the slopping streets with so many cafes and coffee shops on either side. The gallery was sandwiched between a souvenir shop and a café. Jun wiped the sweat on his forehead as he walked under the bright sun, it was still nine in the morning, but the temperature was so hot that literally melt him down.
As he approached the gallery, he could see Sakurai through the glass window, he was explaining one of the paintings to a potential buyer. Jun could understand why the owner of the free style hired someone like Sakurai. He was very good in convincing people; some even bought the painting without intending to do so at the beginning.
Jun entered the gallery, the cool air from newly installed air conditioner hit his skin. He inserted the handkerchief into his tote bag and stepped to the narrow space of the gallery where most of the paintings were displayed. Sakurai was still busy serving the other customer; he recognized Jun when he entered and gestured to him to wait until he finished. Jun didn’t mind, since he loved observing the paintings as long as he could.
The newest collection of the paintings carried the same theme; they were all portrayed the beauty of the sea. The canvasses were painted in pretty blue color which gave fresh nuance; a perfect color for summer. Jun was looking closely at the most attractive painting with a portrait of a man looking the sea from the top a rock, when someone dropped a heavy object just above his toes.
It was too fast that Jun couldn’t analyze what was happening; he saw a glimpse of a man with brown hair who suddenly came from the opposite direction of the gallery, he felt something hit his bare foot, some stinky liquid smeared his shirt and the last thing he knew was he fell down to the floor. The next second, he felt unpleasant pain on his right foot.
“I’m so sorry, are you hurt?”
Jun heard a voice from the man who also fell down to the floor, but at least he wasn’t bathed in the liquid which Jun recognized as the paint. He managed to answer, but the strong smell of the spilled paint hindered him from breathing. He coughed and tried to stand, but the pain on his right toe was unbearable.
“What is happening here?” Jun heard Sakurai’s surprised voice.
“I slipped,” the brown-haired man murmured. “I don’t get used to this slippery floor, Sho-kun.”
“Are you okay?” Sakurai asked Jun who grimaced in pain.
“I think I broke some bones,” Jun replied, examining his foot which was bleeding. It was a complete unfortunate for him that he only wore sandals. A pair of beach sandals Nino bought for him last summer which lay a few inches from Jun’s foot in a sad condition.
“I’m so sorry, Sir,” the man apologized again and this time, Jun could his face clearly.
The man’s eyes were barely opened as if he hadn’t slept for days; his brown hair was sticking everywhere and his skin was so tanned. He was also bathed in paint, but not as bad as Jun.
“We have to get you to the doctor,” Sakurai said, glancing at the sleepy man with a frown on his lips. “Can you stand up?” he asked Jun.
Jun tried to get off of the floor, but his toes was too hurt. Sakurai hurriedly took a chair for him meanwhile the sleepy man helped him to sit down. Even in his pain, Jun still admired the man’s strength when he supported Jun’s weight to prevent him from losing his balance.
“I’ll take him to the clinic, Sho-kun,” the sleepy man said to Sakurai. “There is one at the end of the street.”
“I can go there by myself,” Jun said, grimacing from pain. He looked at the painting on the wall, feeling relieve that the paint didn’t spill all over these artworks. “It’s lucky that none of the paintings are affected,” he said to Sakurai.
“You shouldn’t think about it, I’ll call a cab,” he said and disappeared towards the door, leaving Jun with the awkward sleepy-man beside him.
“Sorry for this,” the sleepy man apologized again.
“Can you do something to clean my face off this damn thing?” Jun asked, hoping that he didn’t look like a clown with blue paint liquid on his face.
“Oh,” the sleepy man said as if just realized that Jun was covered in liquid. “Wait a moment.”
He came back with a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and it was even stingier than the paint, but Jun had no choice than accepting his destiny. He let the man clean up his face and took a clean towel to cover Jun’s bleeding foot. When he was done, Sakurai entered the gallery and announced that the taxi had arrived.
“I can go by myself, you don’t need to accompany me,” Jun said, rising from the chair and intending to walk towards the exit, but his right leg won’t move.
“Don’t be stupid,” the man moved quickly to support him and once again Jun felt an incredible strength albeit the man’s skinny figure. Jun averted his gaze away, it was such a terrible day for him. He was looking forward for this day and it was ruined by a clumsy-weird-sleepy cleaning service guy of the gallery. He concentrated his weight to his left leg and with the support of the sleepy-man, they got in to the cab.
“My name’s Ohno,” the man introduced himself out of the blue as they sat down on the passenger’s seat of the taxi.
“Whatever,” Jun replied coldly. He should have thanked the man, but he was too angry right now. He was bathed in paint from head to toes and his foot was throbbing like hell; it was the last thing Jun could imagine happened to him on his first visit to Free Style Gallery.
“I’ll pay for the hospital bill,” Ohno said as the taxi departed.
Jun didn’t answer; it went without saying for Ohno to pay for the hospital bill along with taking responsibility for Jun’s clothe. But Jun was too upset to say something, he still couldn’t believe it happened to him. How could he explain to Nino that he had to work with crutches from tomorrow onwards? Furthermore, he had to cancel his plan for hiking this weekend; he grimaced as he remembered that the hiking fee was unreturnable and it wasn’t cheap either.
The taxi reached the ICU a few minutes later; two young nurses hurried to Jun and helped him to the moving bed.
“You don’t need to accompany me,” Jun told Ohno.
The man stayed where he was and watched as the nurses pushed the bed towards the ICU room. The doctor who took care of Jun was a young man who introduced himself as Koizumi; he told the nurse to help Jun cleaning his face and this time, they did it properly and without stinky liquid.
Koizumi, meanwhile, performed Rontgen on Jun and told him that his toe was broken.
“It’s not that bad,” the doctor said. “You only broke a few minor bones, it will be healed in three months.”
“I can’t believe it, I have to go hiking this weekend, Doctor,” Jun said stubbornly.
“I understand your feeling, but all you need is taking a rest,” Koizumi replied with a smile on his lips.
Jun looked at his toe which was wrapped tightly in bandage. Koizumi gave him check-up schedule and wished him to get well soon before sending Jun home.
Ohno was waiting outside; his hand was holding a paper bag with ‘Versace’ sign on it. The nurse who pushed Jun’s wheelchair thought that Ohno was Jun’s company, she approached Ohno and explained Jun’s condition before he could say anything.
Ohno nodded and thanked the nurse, he offered to push the wheelchair instead, ignoring Jun’s protest.
“It’s for you, no laundry will accept clothes with paint all over it, so it’s better for me to buy you a new one,” Ohno said while putting the paper bag on Jun’s lap.
“Wait, wait, Versace?” Jun asked, lifting the bag and showing it to Ohno, confirming that the man didn’t take the wrong item.
“That’s the closest I could find around here. Sorry.”
Jun averted his gaze from Ohno to the Versace sign on the bag; whether Ohno was too stupid that he couldn’t distinguish the most expensive brand in the world or he had too much money that buying a Versace shirt wasn’t a big deal. The first possibility seemed more likely; Ohno didn’t look like a filthy rich guy. What kind of rich guy carried a paint can everywhere?
“I didn’t ask for it,” Jun said, feeling so disturbed with his own speculation about Ohno.
“You didn’t, but I have messed your shirt, so…”
“I can’t have it,” Jun cut the man impatiently. “You already paid for the hospital bill, I can’t receive something like this from a stranger.”
“Technically, you’re not a stranger to Free Style Gallery,” Ohno said, smiling for the first time.
The smile was innocent and sincere, as if Ohno never spilled any paint on Jun’s face and never dropped a heavy can on his toe.
“I never saw you before,” Jun answered. “Are you a new employee?” he asked. He forgot his grudge towards this guy for a while as he remembered his visits to the gallery. Sakurai was the only guy he met. Perhaps Ohno was a newly hired manager or something alike, but a manager should have dressed like Sakurai - with suit and tie - not a dull T-shirt with too much dirt on it.
Ohno thought for a while before answering, “Sort of.”
The answer was blur, but it was none of Jun’s concern. Ohno resumed pushing the wheelchair towards the lobby and called for a taxi.
“I’ll accompany you back,” Ohno said.
“You don’t need to, I can find my way home,” Jun heard himself said.
“Walking with crutches need some practice, you’ll stumble on your feet and will break another bone,” Ohno argued while taking a pair of crutches from the nurse.
Jun raised his brow; Ohno’s way of talking was somehow convincing and there was a commanding nuance in it which made Jun agree in the end. He found himself sitting awkwardly inside the cab with Ohno beside him again. He mentioned his address to the driver and leaned his head to the seat.
He fished his phone from his jeans pocket and found two miscalled from Nino. The guy had sent a message, telling Jun that he was in their shop at the moment to interview a man who applied for part time job.
Jun hurriedly gave Nino a phone call, telling him that he would be late and left the interview in Nino’s hand. He didn’t explain the accident because he didn’t want Nino to freak out - he would be freak out after all once Jun appeared in front of their shop with a pair of crutches and paint all over his clothes.
“You own a shop?” Ohno asked when Jun ended the call.
Jun nodded. “A small coffee shop, I run it with my friend,” he added. His anger had gone, perhaps he was too exaggerated everything. It was an accident after all.
“I should invite Sho-kun to visit, he loves coffee very much,” Ohno said with the same innocent smile he gave Jun before.
“Sure, nobody will spill a paint on you in our shop,” Jun said with sarcasm, but Ohno took it as a joke since he chuckled amusingly.
“I take it as a forgiveness,” Ohno said. “I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done.”
“Will Sakurai-san fire you for endangering a customer?”
Ohno rubbed his chin, “Maybe,” he said.
“He should give me 50% discount next time,” Jun mumbled.
“Do you like paintings that much?” Ohno asked.
“Yes,” Jun answered immediately. “I love art works and the paintings from Free Style Gallery are my favorite. The way the artist drew them is one of a kind, the paintings always have something details and the more I look at it, the more I find something new inside it. They’re like magic, you know,” Jun unconsciously smiled; he was always in high tension every time he explained about the paintings he got from Free Style. He was addicted to them in the strangest way possible; perhaps Nino was right that he was caught by some kind of magic power.
“Mmmm,” Ohno nodded. “The artist must be glad to hear your compliment.”
“He never makes public appearance, though,” Jun said. “I’m afraid that he’s an old man or woman with strange fashion. I mean Yayoi Kusama has unique fashion.”
Ohno chuckled, “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Haven’t you met the artist?”
Ohno shook his head. He was about to say something else when the taxi stopped, they have arrived in front of Jun’s shop.
Ohno helped Jun getting off the taxi and handed him the crutches. “I can accompany you for the upcoming checkups,” the man said.
“I know the way to the hospital, Ohno-san. Thanks for taking me all the way here and thanks for this,” Jun lifted the Versace bag.
“My pleasure,” Ohno said. “I have to go back, I’ll tell Sho-kun to give you discount for your next purchase.”
“Thanks,” Jun answered. He watched Ohno as he entered the taxi, the man waved at Jun until the car turned left on the first venue.
Jun looked at the Versace bag and shook his head; today was perhaps the weirdest day in his life. He carefully stepped towards the entrance of his shop and found Nino was one of the tables, typing something on his laptop.
“Welcome ba…what the fuck is happening?!”
Nino’s reaction was exactly like what Jun have imagined. He helped Jun to sit down and took care of the crutches.
“What happened?” he asked again with worried tone.
“Accident,” Jun said, not knowing where to start.
“Did you try to run away after stealing that?” Nino asked, pointing at the Versace bag on the table with suspicious gaze.
“Worse than that,” Jun said. He explained the accident briefly to Nino, when he finished, his friend gave him a disbelieving look.
“And that guy bought you Versace?” he confirmed.
Jun nodded. “I think he has no idea what Versace is.”
“That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard,” Nino shook his head.
“Forget about the Versace,” Jun said. “I will not be able to work with this toe.”
“Nobody forces you to work with that condition,” Nino rolled his eyes. “We will get a help anyway.”
He returned his attention to his laptop and showed the screen to Jun. “I’ve just made a note about the guy I’ve interviewed today. His name is Aiba Masaki, he seems nice and a hard worker. I think we should hire him.”
“If you said so,” Jun took a brief glance to Aiba’s profile - to a smiling picture of him which showed a positive vibe, something that made people trust him.
“He can work as soon as possible, I can only work at the kitchen with this condition,” Jun said.
“Don’t be stupid, J.” Nino shook his head. “I can handle the shop, take a rest.”
“I’ll die from boredom if I have to stay in my room the whole day,” Jun growled.
Nino gave him a don’t-mess-up-with-your-health look and heaved a deep sigh. He had known Jun for years; he had enough experience in handling Jun’s stubbornness and he always chose to let Jun do what he liked in the end.
“Don’t overwork yourself or I’ll burn that Versace,” he threatened.
Jun laughed. Nino always had something funny to say and he always succeed in boosting Jun’s mood. They talked about tomorrow’s preparation, including calling Aiba to inform him that he could start working the next day.
Their flat was above the shop, there were only stairs which forced Jun to use his ass to climb them. Nino laughed at him amusingly.
“Good night, J,” Nino said, closing Jun’s door. “Call me if you need anything from downstairs.”
“I’m fine,” Jun smiled at his friend.
He fished the Versace shirt from its bag as Nino closed the door. It was the latest arrival, with soft blue color and simple pattern. Jun touched the soft cloth and doubted that Ohno didn’t know about this brand. Perhaps he was too desperate in finding a replacement for Jun’s shirt.
Jun quickly took a shower, trying hard to keep his toe off of water. He changed to pajamas and lay down on the bed. His muscles ached everywhere and he just realized how tired he was. He closed his eyes and dozed off in no time.
***
“J, stay upstairs,” Nino said with fierce gaze as Jun tried to climb down to their shop the next morning.
“I only broke minor bones, Nino,” Jun argued. “I still can brew coffee or sit down behind the cashier desk, don’t worry too much about me.”
Nino rolled his eyes in annoyance; “I’ll step over that toe to make you suffer then,” he said.
Jun laughed and carefully climbed down the stairs; he no longer crawled on his ass this time. He poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Nino.
“You’re still act the mother hen with that toe,” Nino said, taking the cup from the tray.
“You’re welcome,” Jun replied, smiling. “I can’t let my business partner starve because of his lack of attention at his own healthy.”
“Coffee doesn’t count, though,” Nino said while carefully sipping the coffee.
They ate sandwiches from yesterday for breakfast and started the preparation to open the shop. The supply for the cakes usually come at eight in the morning; Jun waited for it while watching Nino clean the tables.
“That’s our new employee,” he told Jun when a man approached the glass door and pushed it open.
“Sorry, I’m late, there’s a little trouble on the subway,” he explained.
“We’re just started,” Nino waved it off. “Please meet my colleague, Matsumoto Jun. You can call him J, he likes it or whatever preferable for you. He broke his toe yesterday, so he can’t charm the ladies with that face for the time being because he needs to stay at the kitchen.”
“Thanks for the nice introduction, Nino,” Jun said. “Nice to meet you, Aiba-san and please don’t trust a single thing Nino said about me, he’s the one who charms the ladies.”
“If you said so,” Nino shrugged and smiled to Aiba.
“Nice to meet you, Matsumoto-san,” Aiba replied, bowing slightly at Jun.
Aiba was tall and slim; his bangs fell naturally on his forehead, his smile reminded Jun of a young enthusiastic boy.
“Nino will tell you what to do, he’s a nice mentor,” Jun said, glancing at Nino who shook his head.
The day passed like usual and Jun was glad that Aiba worked so efficiently. He had chats with the customers and Jun could see that a few of middle aged women were drown to his handsome feature.
They were about to close when two men got off the taxi in front of the shop. Jun had left the kitchen to tell Nino that they were running off milk stock when the taxi arrived. He recognized the two men immediately, he glanced at Nino who usually made a harsh comment towards late customers, but he was occupied with Aiba this time who was telling him some old jokes.
The one who wore suit pushed the door open, followed by Ohno whose worn-out T-shirt was stained with something looked like paint, what a weird combination, Jun thought as he welcomed them.
“Good evening, Sakurai-san, Ohno-san,” Jun greeted them. He never thought that Ohno would visit this soon.
“Sorry for coming this late,” Sakurai apologized, glancing at Ohno who chose to observe the shop’s interior.
“No worries, customers are our priority, please take a seat,” Jun said, gesturing to them to sit down.
“Is your toe alright?” Sakurai asked.
“I only broke minor bones, not a big problem,” Jun replied. He took a seat beside Sakurai and told the man to look at the menu. “Sorry, I can’t stand up for a long time, it’s still throbbing.”
Ohno joined them, he offered a smile at Jun and praised the interior. “You have an originality.”
“Thanks,” Jun replied to the man. “What can I get for you?” he asked.
Sakurai mentioned his order along with Ohno, even though the latter didn’t say anything. Jun passed it to Nino and resumed the talk with the two men, even though he mostly talked with Sakurai since Ohno chose to stay silent all the time.
Both of them left twenty minutes later. Nino collected the cups and glanced at Jun with weird gaze.
“You’re blushing,” he said.
“I’m not,” Jun cupped his own cheeks under his palms. “Why would I?”
“I don’t know, they’re quite handsome after all,” Nino replied.
Jun didn’t reply, he particularly didn’t feel something special about Sakurai and Ohno’s visit. They apologized deeply for the accident and wished Jun to get well soon. What bothered him was Ohno’s silent observation. The man was listening to his and Sakurai’s talk, but Jun could feel his gaze on him. When Jun turned to the man; he gave him the innocent smile, just like the previous day when he accompanied Jun to the hospital.
***
Jun’s check-up schedule was on Thursday afternoon; he headed the hospital by taxi after having lunch. He only needed one crutch to support his balance since his toe wasn’t that hurt. He was about to enter the hospital lobby when someone’s voice called his name.
“Jun-kun!”
He turned quickly to the caller and saw Ohno was approaching him. He wore a simple navy-blue T-shirt with short pants. A baseball cap was decorating his head. Nobody called Jun with ‘Jun-kun’ for ages and he was kind of pleased when he heard Ohno called his name.
“Ohno-san, what are you doing here?” Jun asked.
“Accompanying you,” he said as if it was the most ordinary thing to do.
“I don’t…I’m fine,” Jun couldn’t find the right words to describe that he didn’t need the man’s presence on his check-up.
“Don’t you have works to do?” Jun asked, continuing his steps towards the lobby.
“Sho-kun doesn’t mind my absence from the gallery,” Ohno replied, grinning.
Jun heaved a deep breath; it would be a waste of time to tell this man to leave so he let Ohno tail behind him as he walked towards the doctor’s room.
The doctor still examined another patient when Jun arrived, a young nurse gestured him to sit down and wait for a moment. Ohno sat beside him and looked at the wall across from them with the utmost interest.
“Is the painting I wanted to buy still remain unsold?” Jun asked to break the ice.
“Sho-kun has kept it for you,” Ohno replied.
“Do you know why the artist doesn’t show up in public? I mean his art works is acknowledged by many people and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who wants him to hold an exhibition,” Jun turned at Ohno.
The man looked at the ceiling and thought for a while before answering. “Maybe because he doesn’t want unnecessary attention from the media or the people around him. He can’t create something original if people keep on bugging him.”
“It’s kind of a waste; he could have gone to international exhibition with his talent.”
Ohno chuckled and mumbled something like sometimes arts are good enough to be kept for yourself. It wasn’t clearly spoken, so Jun could tell that Ohno was talking to himself.
They fell to an odd silence; Jun looked at the busy nurses who walked back and forth to do their job. He turned at Ohno who sat closely on his left side and their gaze met. The man’s eyes were looking through him as he said.
“Your eyes are beautiful, you shouldn’t wear glasses.”
Jun couldn’t help himself from blushing as he heard the compliment; he had heard the same compliment for many times before this. The flirting customers always tried to steal his attention every now and then. But none of them gave an impact like Ohno’s words which were spoken with casual tone, yet it carried a deep meaning.
The nurse approached him and told him that the doctor was ready; Jun was glad that he could escape from Ohno for a while. He stood up and followed the nurse to the doctor’s room.
Ohno was still there when Jun finished; he smiled at Jun and approached him.
“I have to go back,” Jun said. “Nino is waiting for me.”
“Do you any plans this weekend?” Ohno asked.
“I’m working,” Jun shrugged.
“Give me two hours of your time, there’s a place I want you to visit,” Ohno said.
“Where is it?”
“You’ll find out on Saturday,” Ohno replied.
Jun nodded; he usually declined such invitation, but he couldn’t do it right now. Ohno seemed too persistent and even if he turned him down, he would keep on insisting to go - just like what he did when he gave Jun the Versace shirt.
“I’ll pick you up at your shop,” Ohno said in high spirit as Jun agreed.
Jun went back to his shop and spent five minutes in the restroom just to look at his own eyes. Ohno’s compliment had aroused something in him; all of a sudden, he wanted to hear it again.
“J, are you alright?” Nino called while knocking the restroom door.
He wore his glasses and opened the door. “I’m fine, Nino. Can I leave two hours after lunch time on Saturday?”
“What is it? A date?” Nino asked, smiling amusingly.
“No,” Jun shook his head. “I have no time for such thing.”
Nino’s lips curved in a weak smile and returned to the kitchen. Jun followed him and poured himself a cup of coffee. He listened to Nino and Aiba who talked about the World Cup match the night before.
The rain poured outside the window, sending a pleasant chill to the room. Summer had just begun, which only meant one thing for their coffee shop: adding the cold brew in their menu book.
Jun’s eyes moved to the paintings on the wall; he never get bored looking at them. It felt like looking into the mysterious smile of Monalisa. The more he looked at them, the more curious he had become. He wondered what kind of person painted these masterpieces; why didn’t he/she consider for an exhibition. He was sure that the artist would line up with the other well-known painters in Japan, or perhaps owned a private museum like Yayoi Kusama.
Part 2
***