ғʟᴀᴍᴇs ᴀʀᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴛᴏᴏ

A DAFFODIL'S PORTRAIT ( writing for dasom / @dasom-bh )

EVENT

DECEITFUL TREAT ( writing for dasom / @dasom-bh )

COLDER THAN ICE ( writing for xiaolin / @bhxiaolin ) dropped

A MERRY GUILTY CROCUS ( waiting for yujin / @yujinbh )

A GALA'S FLOWER ( writing for honey / @honeyxbh ) dropped

MARKET FINDS ( waiting for zaia / @zcicsbh )

STARTER FOR YUNA ( writing for yuna / @yunabh )

one can typically find rivers hidden in the shadows where the spotlight pays him no mind. he basks in the comfort of the unseen and ignored - especially when surrounded by those of higher status and means. this year’s gala seems to be an exception, however, as rivers positions himself in the dead center of the audience where the nobles looking to bid have found themselves. rather than the scowl he usually wears, rivers face is devoid of all emotion doing  little to give anyone a peek into his most inner thoughts as he raises his bidding paddle up to join those who also desire ownership of the unclaimed mine within the forest’s depths.

( ... ) daewon's chest feels constricted upon seeing the second painting; the earlier smile has now long since vanished, replaced with a deep frown. the woman's black hair and ruby lips resemble those of im hyejin. from her updo to the gentle yet poised expression on her face, she is emulating every bit of his mother's grace.

rivers supposes that one benefit to social outings such as the mugunghwa gala  is that he’s able to see his private pieces finally see the light of day. maybe it’s pride or ego - self-satisfaction - that drives the effort he puts into showing up and cooperating with the organizers and nobles during times like this. rivers isn’t one to boast about his skills or pieces in any given situation, but there’s no doubt that he’s proud of his private works.

he doesn’t expect much in the moments he’s given the opportunity to pass them along to another collection. hell, he doesn’t even care about hearing feedback or criticism about them - well, because - someone being willing to purchase a piece says enough, does it not?

so despite it feeling like one of his treasures is being handed off to a stranger every now and then, part of rivers still feels satisfied in knowing that his paintings are fulfilling a need somewhere else. 

of course, that’s usually in specific cases. in this instance however, where his work is displayed under a pseudonym where no one is truly quite aware of who the artist behind the pieces are - rivers can’t deny the curiosity that peaks when he finds someone lingering in front of them. even more so when it happens to be someone he’s quite acquainted with that seems to have completely lost the smile he had been wearing seconds ago.

“is it so distasteful?” rivers asks aloud as he approaches daewon from behind. “in comparison to the other pieces, you seem to have an awfully strong reaction towards this one.”

contemplating the entire week on whether or not she should get motivated to participate in the events, 𝐙𝐀𝐈𝐀 decided to stop playing games and get back on track with her social life especially.once she heard about a baking competition that had been planned, there was no way she was going to miss out on the festivities. baking was among many of the young woman's hidden talents that many have yet to see.even though it was a competition, 𝐙𝐀𝐈𝐀still enjoyed the process of creating greatness to make any stomach happy.

finding herself spending more time in the market than usual, she was still indecisive on what to make. while distracted from actually trying to figure out which ingredients to look for first, she overheard a voiceasking her a question.turning her head in the direction of where the voice was coming from, she glanced over and noticed it was a male's presence now occupying the empty space next to her.laughing softly, she responded, 'if you had your eye on it first, go ahead and take it.i'm just navigating around attempting to gain ideas and still don't even know what to purchase.'

her reaction takes rivers by slight surprise. he’d half expected her to sneer or even ignore him. it was the usual reaction he received after all. but the nonchalant way she replies while seemingly minding her own business clashes against the sour and bitter taste that sits at the back of his throat and mind.

rivers hadn’t been prepared for someone who was going to treat him so…

the grinch in him subsides for a split second and before rivers realizes it, he’s speaking to her again. “was there something specific you’re looking for?” he assumes she’s not too familiar with the weed that she allows him to take - granted, he would have fought for it if she had claimed she was going to buy it - considering she doesn’t seem to pay much mind to it to begin with.

( ... ) “At least you didn’t get hurt, right?” Was the first thing he said to Rivers as he finally looked down at him, his tone sounding a bit sad. “I’m sorry.” Yujin tried again. “I just spent a lot of time picking that one, it’s been through generations of kings and my mother would’ve loved it. Did any of your belongings get damaged?”

rivers doesn’t recognize the voice right away, but it’s gentle - though noticeably upset - when it addresses him following the aftermath of colliding bodies. his first reaction is to turn and look at the package that had fallen taking obvious damage from its contents breaking immediately upon impact with the ground. he’s not surprised however when he does finally turn to greet its supposed owner and sees yi yujin of the gladiolus household.

“i’m fine.” rivers answer is coarse and to the point. he hadn’t been carrying anything of note and he doesn’t necessarily feel apologetic considering that it wasn’t exactly his fault for what happened. but the younger male’s civility triggers a small inkling of guilt within rivers paired with the fact that he still hasn’t blamed rivers for the mishap. so rivers does the unsaid and retrieves the package from the ground before properly addressing yujin.

“dandy.” rivers adds on a lighter note. as much as he wants to turn away and go on his merry way, rivers knows that this is a relationship he shouldn’t intentionally let sour on his own accord. “perhaps, there may be another set from the seller you purchased from? i’m more than… happy to help replace the tea set.”

"i'd live my damned life ten times over before choosing to live someone else's miserable life in beonhwa."

"if the art i make doesn't say it, then the smoke in my hand should."

"i don't have a favorite person. but if i had to choose the one person i hated least in all of beonhwa it'd probably have to be beonhwa's librarian assistant daewon."

"everything."

rivers does not take this question fondly. there weren’t many memories that he recalled so. he ignores this blatantly before retrieving a smoke from his pocket and leaving.

(but for the sake of answering of course lol, see below!)

rivers’ most fond memory is one from his childhood when he was sick. the elder that took care of him watched over him carefully, monitoring his fever and cooking a soft porridge that nursed rivers back to health. of that memory, rivers recalls the gentle caress he received on his head while laying in bed.

the second would be when the elder encouraged rivers’ curiosity in exploring art, and praised his natural talent for it. it was the first time he had ever felt supported in doing something for himself- that helped him identify something about himself.

rivers… isn’t quite as fond of the sweetbrier tea house. in actuality, he doesn’t go there enough to have much of an opinion but he supposes, if he did have a table there… “ having to sit with three people would be too excessive. i’d rather have a table to myself.”

in the back of his mind however, three names cross his mind. of all the people in beonhwa, rivers supposes that im daewon would probably be the one person he’d be able to tolerate. the second would be jeong siwoo (for extremely questionable reasons). and lastly, he figures it’d be amusing to trap kang dasom at a table with him in a place as public as the sweetbrier tea house where she has to mind her manners.

the second question prompts a bitter scoff from rivers. “wishes don’t come true. what’s the point of wasting time wondering something like that?”

despite his choice of words, if there was one true wish that rivers ever had the chance of getting granted in this lifetime, it would have been the convenience of living alone- completely isolated. the truth was that rivers was more than capable of doing so but there were certain luxuries (read smokes and painting materials) that he wouldn’t have easy access to if he did choose to live somewhere devoid of people.

rivers actually scoffs at the question, although there seems to be a small hint of a smile on his lips. it was probably the most childish question he’d been asked in years. on any given day, he might have replied with a snap… but he had gotten a good night’s sleep so, the hound in him is kept at bay for another moment.

“the only list i’m on is the list that people seem to keep when trying to find someone to blame for their mishaps.”

( ... ) "could you tell us about your dish in a bit more detail, mr. cho?" even the single sentence was difficult to make out as she struggled to suppress the uncomfortable desire to cough.

rivers wears nothing but an innocent smile as his dish is presented to the judges of the baking contest. a simple sugar cookie fruit tart.

if anyone were to say anything, it was highly uncharacteristic of rivers to be partaking in something as such- much less with a smile that seemed to insinuate that he actually enjoyed being there and participating. but the thing is, rivers had a questionable aptitude for baking he never quite revealed to anyone and well - paired with his artistry - could anyone really suggest there was more to his willingness to take part? 

“of course lady kang,” rivers nods as he dives into his prepared speech. “today i present to the judges of beonhwa, a simple but revitalizing dessert. the sugar cookie crust was made specially with the crocus flower to enhance its sweetness with the natural flavor of honey. alongside the berries that have been placed on top, they are complemented by the lilacs you see to offer a small zest with it’s citrus taste.”

it seems good tidings do come with the holiday season.

after the excruciating year rivers has had with the citizens of beonhwa being a little more hostile towards him than they usually are for some reason, rivers has come to the conclusion that he’d like to pay it forward - by entering the crocus baking competition. now, by the time the competition had been announced, the judges were still unknown but rivers had already knew what he would submit.

something sweet, that would perhaps leave people a little more perplexed with how much it would leave them wanting more - with regret later trailing after.

there’s a certain floral vendor that he has his eyes set out for, knowing they’ll carry the slightly toxic flower he’s in search for. however, when he finally finds spots the stall, he finds that someone else seems to be hovering over the jimson weed that he’s hoping to purchase and hurriedly takes the open space beside them.

rivers has never quite been one fond of socialization, whether that be due to an innate trait or an effect of the life he had led previous to beonhwa. however, there’s one event that he does go out of his way to make sure that he can secure an invitation someway or another - mugunghwa’s esteemed and renowned gala during the crocus celebrations.

as someone who didn’t exactly hold a reputable status amongst the people of beonhwa, it always came as a shock or distaste to some when they realized who rivers was and the fact that he was freely present at the luxurious event. however, with his established connection as a talented artist - disregarding his past affiliations - no one truly argued against his attendance. 

so rivers enjoys what he can, especially the time that is spent examining other pieces of art displayed for auction through the night much like his own that had been submitted under a pseudonym- from a private collection of his personal pieces of work. it’s a sight to behold, seeing the number of pieces displayed together in one room but there’s only one thing that rivers is truly there for that night that keeps him sticking around a little longer than usual.