The Painter and the Prince Who Cannot Be Painted novel · Chapter 8 of 24
Chapter 8: The Other Way
That night, Gyeol sat so still for the portrait that Do-yun wanted to throw the charcoal at him.
He sat facing the lamp with his back straight and his hands on his knees.
His eyes were steady, his mouth was calm, and for an hour the face did not move once.
Do-yun drew the line of the brow, and the line of the nose, and then the shape of the eye.
By the time he reached the mouth, his hand had begun to shake.
"It's too good," he said finally. "You're being too good."
"You wanted me to hold still."
"I wanted the real you."
"The real me." Gyeol's mouth curled at last. "Is that who you want to paint?"
"Yes."
"Then you should know what the real me wants."
He stood up, and the whole room seemed to get smaller.
He crossed to the low writing desk in the corner.
It stood on four short legs, just the height of a kneeling man's hip, and Gyeol rested one hand on its edge.
"Come here."
Do-yun put down the charcoal slowly.
"You don't give the orders," he said.
"No. I'm asking."
Gyeol's voice was soft and very steady.
"For one night, Do-yun, I'd like you to be the one who holds still. Will you let me?"
Do-yun's mouth went dry.
He had spent his life behind a brush.
He looked, he drew, he saw, and nobody ever looked at him.
He walked over and stood in front of Gyeol, a head shorter, and looked up.
"What would you do?" he whispered.
"Take your clothes off, and I'll show you."
Do-yun's hands went to the ribbon of his jacket.
It was harder than undressing Gyeol had been.
He was the one being watched now, and Gyeol's eyes followed every movement without any pretense.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–6 of The Painter and the Prince Who Cannot Be Painted are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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