𝑪 𝑯 𝑨 𝑷 𝑻 𝑬 𝑹 𝑻 𝑾 𝑶

KIM TAEHYUNG WAS SAID TO BE A GENIUS, a man so talented with his art, so controversial yet thought-provoking that he rivaled even the greatest artists of the Renaissance Era of art.

Many would disagree. They say his art is lewd, disgusting, disgraceful. To so shamelessly display something meant to be kept private, to bring light to the sacred act of intimacy. Especially living in a relatively conservative country like Korea. He was highly scrutinized for his paintings of nude bodies, sexual intercourse, the raw human form as well as human nature without any censorship.

Taehyung saw himself simply as an artist, a painter. He learned long ago that you are never as great as those who praise you to be, but you are never as terrible as those who criticize you say. It is better to be neutral about yourself, your work as to not get a big head or to despise what you do.

But lately, Taehyung found that he hadn't been able to live up to his golden rule of neutrality. Every brushstroke, every actual stroke of his hips, he finds that it's all...redundant. It seemed to be a blur of bodies, paint, and one-night stands as inspiration for his art.

It was beginning to feel less like he was doing something he loved and more like he was completing a task, doing a job. Inspiration was fleeting and the desire to even walk into his studio was nowhere to be found.

Until he saw her, the beautiful woman who walked up to him with Jimin.

She was rather small, a nervous little thing who had come into the Red Room for a job interview wearing a silk blouse and high-waisted jeans that hugged her form just right. With plump lips, glossy in a deep shade of blood red and eyes so pretty and delicate, looking at his through long, dark lashes. Dirty blonde coils of her dyed Afro framed her face in the most beautiful way possible.

She looked like a princess.

Venus. Roman goddess of beauty. She didn't disappoint.

The moment he saw her, something came alive within him. Taehgung wanted to paint her and only her, to have her in every position possible. Inspiration seeped into him, like a dam within his mind had finally been broken through, flooding with thoughts of only her.

Never before has Taehyung been so thankful to have a photographic memory, to be able to close his eyes and see her sitting there beside him hours after he met her as if she were still there.

He knew that he had to have her as his muse. He's never necessarily had one specific muse before. It was more like he would sleep with someone and then paint their interactions (with their permission of course). But if anyone were to be the source of his inspiration, the reason he once again became impatient to get home and paint, then it ought to be her, Venus Bernard.

"What do you mean "another job"?" She tilted her head to the side, a bit of unease finds its way into her wide eyes and she shifts in her spot next to him. Taehyung didn't intend to make her feel uncomfortable. She could always decline his offer if she didn't want to take up the job as disappointed he would be.

Taehyung figured he couldn't outright tell her he wanted to fuck her so that he could be proud of his paintings once more, not that he'd have a problem doing so, but he wouldn't want to scare the poor woman off. She already said she wasn't used to the BDSM scene.

"Well, I'm a painter. I'm surprised you didn't know, actually." He admitted offhandedly, though he couldn't blame her. His name was far more famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) than his face. "But I'm in search of a muse, an outlet of inspiration for my art and I think you'd be a good candidate."

She was surprised by his offer. A muse? How could she possibly be a muse? She was just some random girl, set apart by the color of her skin in a mostly homogenous country. Wouldn't he want someone widely accepted by the society in which he lived?

She didn't know that the very fact that she was different was why he wanted her.

"How much would it pay?" That's all that really mattered to her. Taehyung liked her forwardness. She knew her priorities, a quality that he admired in anyone, especially her.

The left corner of his downturned lips tugged into a smirk. "Straight to the point, I see." He hummed rhythmically, amused by the way her eyes widened in reaction to his words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude!" She was quick to correct any assumptions made by her tone of voice.

Taehyung couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. She was cute just as she was beautiful. He was sure he'd have his fun with her. "It's okay, princess. No offense taken." He hadn't really set a salary for being his muse, he's never had to hire one. Of course, he pays part of the money he got for his art with the person depicted in the art, but he's never had a standard person.

So, he'd ballpark it.

"55,000 won every hour it takes me to finish a painting."

Venus choked, eye blowing wide at such a number. "55,000 won, are you insane?" He had to be fucking with her. That much for her to simply sit there and let him paint her? What the fuck was he trying to paint? Her vagina?

Taehyung cocked a carved brow at her. "Is that not enough? I can raise it to 60,000 won." This man had to be insane she thought. That much money each hour she was working. How rich was this man that he just had that much money to give away to her?

There had to be something up. The offer was far too good to be true. Venus should think about this with caution.

"Can I have time to think about it?" She wasn't in any position to refuse or accept this offer on the spot. It would be the smartest move to think about it and then come back to him only once she was sure. If Taehyung was an artist then maybe she could do some research on him beforehand.

Taehyung thought it was smart as well and because of that, he agreed. "Of course, take your time." He reached into the coat of his suit and pulled out a pen hidden in the pocket seen on the inside of it. He took one of the red napkins that adorned the side table and scribbled something down on it before passing it to her.

His large hand, decorated in a vast assortment of rings, reached out towards her face and gently brushed her hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her.

"Text me," Taehyung said as he got up, adjusting his suit jacket. He gave Venus one last lingering look before walking away, off to his own business.

Venus watched his retreating figure before looking down at the napkin he had given her. Written down in perfectly elegant script was 'Text me, princess' along with his phone number written beneath it.

She'd say that went well.

-

Venus was exhausted by the time she got home, stumbling through the front door of her apartment, kicking off her shoes beside the door carelessly. She let out a yawn, letting the door swing shut and lock automatically. The light of the hall was shut out, leaving her sitting in darkness with only the pale moonlight streaming through the open window on the opposite side of her living room.

After her "interview" with Taehyung, Venus was approached by Jimin who asked her how it went, already acting as a friend right off the bat. He was particularly excited when she told him that Taehyung asked him to be her muse, talking about how lucky she was. It seemed as though he had a little bit of a crush on the man which was understandable. When he pushed her hair out of the way, she was sure her lungs were going to give out.

They exchanged numbersbefore she left. Jimin told her to call or text if she ever had any questions or was simply looking to hang out. He seemed like a sweetheart.

Venus longed for sleep. She couldn't get undressed and slipped into bed faster, wrapping herself in her duvet for warmth. She took her phone and turned it on to pass the time. The whole drive home, her mind was plagued with thoughts of Taehyung. His oceanic voice echoed in her ears and his piercing eyes were tattooed to the back of her eyelids. Every time she blinked, she saw them, him.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she was simply itching to look him up.

Character by character, Venus typed his name into Google with her lips caught between her teeth. It took only a second for the screen to load up the information on him.

The screen was adorned with multiple pictures of Taehyung's regally gorgeous face. Some were taken of him simply on the street, living out his life as anyone else would, and others were of professional photoshoots from the magazines he's been featured on

Venus scrolled past all of this to read up on him.

'Kim Taehyung is a Korean artist famous for painting graphic, risque subjects such as sex and nude bodies. Public opinion of him and his work is heavily polarized. Some see his art as groundbreaking commentary on society and a beautiful depiction of human nature while others heavily criticize him and his art for blurring the line between privacy and professionalism.'

Venus's face was almost as hot as a stove, suddenly flustered to know what the subject of his art was about. He wanted her to be his muse which entailed her most likely being naked at some point.

Imagining him, those dangerously beautiful eyes, staring upon her bare body as he painted every feature he saw. Every feature. A gentle shiver skid down her spine at the thought.

The fact she was even imagining such a scenario was a problem. It was a job, not something for her to fantasize about but dear fucking god if it wasn't a tempting scenario.

Venus definitely needed to think on this longer than she originally intended.

*.✧ Kᴀʏs Eɴᴅɪɴɢ Nᴏᴛᴇs

I decided to change Taehyung's occupation. Originally he was a CEO of a sex toy company but I thought the CEO cliche was overused and the fact that he was a CEO was really unimportant and inconsequential to the original plot. Him being a painter will be more involved with the plot.

He also has photographic memory here. Just keep that at the back of your mind for later. Idk how much it'll come up but just know that it's a thing.

And here is today's TSA:

"I once tried this hook up website a few years ago. she had a pretty luxurious home accompanied by a small puppy. We fucked upstairs and somehow the dog found it's way into the room and started licking me. The bitch yelled at it and wanted to yank it from me a throw it out of the room but I pulled the guy away from her claws and brought him home with me. Yeontan was a cute baby, you wanna see his puppy pictu-"
-Taehyung before the Yeontan cut the cameras

Thank you all for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed and I wish you all a wonderful day/night.

사랑해

~Kay (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)