A painting I received by accident - Pastel portrait

"I'm really tired today..."

On the way home, my body heavy. Having just finished an exam, I'm feeling a bit restless. The reference books in my bag weigh down my shoulders. Since I have to cross the neighborhood park to get to where I live, I sometimes sit on a park bench and zone out. Today, too, I plopped down on the bench. I need to catch my breath.

"Wow, look at the weather."

The weather was surprisingly nice. I turned my gaze to the cherry blossom trees across the street and saw someone sitting on a camping chair instead of a perfectly good bench.

"What are you doing?"

The man was painting at a metal easel. His tangled, dyed hair and a white hood pulled over his head, streaked with colorful paint, he glanced at the tree beside him before moving his brush again. He seemed to be painting a cherry blossom tree. Normally, I wouldn't have paid any attention, but now I was deeply curious about the painting.

"hey?"

"....."

I approached him and spoke to him, but he didn't respond, as if he was focused.

"hey!"

"Oh, surprise!! Why, what? Do you have business with me?"

The man, his eyes wide with surprise, took off his hood. From here, he looked quite young.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. I just wanted to see what you were drawing."

"What should I say again?"

The face, which had seemed momentarily flustered, quickly brightened. The man showed me the painting without a trace of hiding it. I suddenly let out a gasp.

A vibrant tree, its deep green leaves and branches blending together, is captured on the canvas. It feels as if the leaves could flutter at any moment.

"It's amazing. It's exactly like this tree!"

"It feels good to be praised."

"You deserve it. You draw well."

"Hmm."

Suddenly, he stared at me intently, so I cowered and looked around.

"..Do you have a busy schedule?"

"no."

"Then can you give me some time?"

"yes?!"

I couldn't react properly to the absurd remark. What are you going to do to me?

"I'm going to draw a portrait for you."

"Why me?"

"It's pretty when you look closely."

I almost got yelled at... How can you say something like that so casually? The part that says "after looking at it closely" did bother me, though.

"Just face me for 10 minutes. It won't take long to draw."

Since I had nothing else to do, I readily agreed and sat down in the spare chair. The man quickly finished sketching with a pencil. His hands were incredibly fast.

"Now you can move as you please."

After finishing the sketch, I started coloring. It seemed like the process of pouring the paint onto the palette and applying it with a brush took longer. After 30 minutes, the man showed me the finished painting, saying it was finished. The soft colors of the skin and hair were meticulously rendered. It was a beautiful painting, realistic yet also imbued with a dreamy atmosphere.

"Wow..! It's so pretty."

"Do you like it?"

"Of course!! Thank you!"

"What's this? I should go now, I haven't had lunch."

The man greeted me with a bright smile and walked away, carrying an easel, paints, and brushes. What on earth does he do? He looks about my age, but I can't tell his age. Still, his skill is impressive. As I examined the painting, I noticed some writing scrawled on a corner of the drawing paper.

Choi Yeonjun

I think that's the person's name from earlier. Is there a chance we'll meet again? I wish I could see more pictures like this.