Mabel

8

Wow, Kai is a lot easier to talk to with a little alcohol in his system.

We're seated in a small corner booth of a dimly lit barbeque place called Arirang? (Kai chose the place). 

If he hadn't already told me that he belonged to one of the student houses on campus, I probably would've been making that assumption right about now, considering his tolerance is absolutely off the charts.

Because 'a little alcohol' is what he called it, while I would be black-out drunk with the same amount.

But a student house? Ah, so that's how he knows Talia. The university's student houses are famous for their parties.

I thought it was strange that they somehow became friends in classes considering Talia goes into study lockdown in lectures and she's pretty much unreachable until the class is over ( I know this because I once came to get a key from her since I left mine in my other jacket and I had to actually ask the lecturer to tell Talia for me because no amount of shaking her shoulders would snap her out of it.)

Kai is laughing, rosy-cheeked and all smiles and I really, really like the sight.

"You don't drink?" He asks once he notices I haven't touched the bottles of Heineken on our table, and have instead been alternating between sketching this ethereal radiance before me and nabbing anything off of the sizzling grill built into the table once it's cooked with the precision and swiftness that only comes with someone who's had several years of eating with three, occasionally five, food-loving college students.

I do drink, just not often. My tolerance, unlike the boy opposite me, is terrible and thus I only drink cocktails because a) they've barely got any alcohol in them, and b) I'm a classy bitch.

Kai laughs in ripples when I tell him this and wow, I wish I could add audio into my art, somehow.

The table's cleared once we're done eating, and Kai breaks out his work only to have me shamefully admit that I actually know nothing about physics and failed it in high school.

"I thought you said you knew!"

Never trust Mabel Ortega under the influence of thirst, buddy.

"I know how to fail it."

Somehow, Kai finds my answer entertaining enough to forgive me, and he studies with a smile on his face for a little while, while I busy myself capturing the moment on paper.

By the end of the night, I have quite a few nice sketches and I'm genuinely a little excited to hand them into Kang.

I figure I should probably ask Kai to use him as my subject.

But my incredibly smart brain generates that thought only after I get back to the apartment.

And thus, begins a habit that's a little harder to break than I'm willing to try.

<・)))><<

Kang thinks my sketches are wonderful, as I half-expected and I fight to keep the grin on my face as he says, "I can't wait to see where this goes, Mabel. You could really make a career out of this."

Portraiture... my entire life...

There's a bead of sweat forming on my forehead, I can feel it. But then, I think over the idea of drawing portraits of Kai... my entire life...

And decide that, yeah, that's a little better I guess. Portraiture isn't that bad, really. A few pencil sketches here and there and I don't even need to go to the library anymo—

"It's important to use different media and such, though. Why don't you go back to the library and," Kang continues.

Externally, I force a smile and nod.