The Irony of Being a Blind Photographer

A V x MC one-shot

I wasn't always blind. Before Rika became the leader of Mint Eye, I was devoted to her. I worshiped the woman, the blind devotion went far enough to where I would let her hurt me to prove myself. All I remember from the night that she blinded me was the doctors saying something about cortical blindness. I don't think that they knew exactly what was wrong though, because my vision came back after a while. It was only recently that it started to go again. When MC joined the RFA, I couldn't see out of my right eye; my vision left that eye first. When my sight didn't return, I knew that it was time to finish up my days in photography.

Ironic isn't it? A partially blind man is a full time photographer. Before I left for my last trip, I reviewed all of my past photographs. The majority of them were photos of the sun. To Rika, I was her sun; I had to prove that to her everyday, which resulted in those photographs. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. The chat-rooms from the RFA messenger passed by everyday, as much as I wanted to join them, I couldn't. My mind was still weak and scared of abandoning Rika. My heart however; knew that she never saw me in the same light ever since Mint Eye.

My phone rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. I answered the ringing device without checking the caller ID. "Hey, V. I'm just calling to give you an update on MC's safety." Seven said through the phone. "Ah. Thank you, Luciel. How is she?" I asked while looking over my suitcase and camera bag. "She's fine. MC likes to go out a lot. I'm guessing just to walk around town. No worries though, I'm keeping an eye on her through the cameras." The hacker said cheerfully, the clicking of keyboard keys was in the background. "Thank you Luciel. I'm going on a trip tomorrow, I don't know if I'll be back in time for the party. I need to ask you to do something for me though." I told him, swallowing my fears. "Whatcha need? I can do just about anything." Seven said proudly. I chuckled and looked at the clock. "Text MC and have her go to the café I visit regularly. I would like to talk to her before leaving." I said softly. Seven grunted a quick sure, then hung up the call.

My mind screamed at me to not meet her, that Rika still loved me. I had to dismiss it, she wasn't the same woman that I loved, she had changed drastically. Most of the change was due to her mental issues, which I tried to support and heal, but she was too far gone. This isn't a date. It's just a simple meeting. I thought while walking out of my home. I couldn't lie, seeing MC interact so sweetly with the other members did make me jealous. She seemed perfect, her words touched everyone around her, she didn't harbor any hostile feelings toward me. I walked down the streets of the city to reach my own little getaway near home, the café.

I inhaled deeply once I reached the little shop. The smell of coffee visibly relaxed me. While I waited for MC, I sat down at one of the tables. I didn't know what she looked like, so I started trying to paint a picture of her inside my mind. The end result ended up looking like Rika, making me wince. I sighed and looked around, the world was slightly blurry. This was because my vision in my left eye was slowly going. Each day it got worse, I typically carried a cane around to help but, since I know these streets so well, I didn't think it was necessary.

A woman walked up to me, her brown bangs covered her eyes. She was wearing black leggings under a black skirt, a tan sweater was pulled over her chest. Her long brown hair fell to the middle of her back, flying behind her as she walked. Her voice was soft and sweet, just like the words she typed in the RFA messenger. "Hello, are you V?" The woman asked sweetly. I nodded and held out my hand to her. She took it, her small hand fitting into mine perfectly. I brought it up to my lips and pressed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Yes, I am. Its an honor to meet you MC." I said while trying to memorize her features. "Seven said you wanted to talk to me, is everything alright?" MC asked. Her voice was like sweet chimes, the caring tone she used made my heart swell. "Everything is fine, I just wanted to meet the newest member of the RFA. Would you like something to drink? I'll pay, my treat." I asked while offering my arm to her. She took it while laughing softly. I don't think I could ever get tired of hearing that laugh.

She ordered a hot chocolate, I got a coffee for myself. I paid, apologizing to the cashier for being slow as I motioned to my glasses. We went back outside, the evening had grown slightly chilly. MC smiled as we sat down. "You do know what I do for a living right?" I asked while pulling out my phone. She nodded and blew on her drink before taking a sip. "I've only seen one of your pictures, I would love to see more though!" The girl said while flashing a bright smile in my direction. I chuckled and pulled up some pictures, giving her my phone so that she could look through them. MC pointed out her favorites as she passed them, her eyes lit up in excitement. "I would love to photograph you some day." I said softly. She blushed and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I suppose I should explain something." I muttered while brushing my teal hair out of my face. "A long time ago, Rika hurt me. The trauma given to my head caused me to go blind for a while before my vision came back. However, the tragedy of this situation is that I am going blind. I cannot see out of my right eye, and the vision in my left is quickly going as well. I was going to leave on a trip tomorrow to photograph my final days with sight, but after seeing you; I changed my mind. I would be honored if you would let me photograph you MC." I explained while looking into her eyes.

MC thought for a moment before nodding. "V... Isn't there a treatment where your vision can get fixed?" She asked, her sweet voice was laced with concern. "There is, but I haven't had the strength to get it done." I told her. She grinned and grabbed my hand, her fingers slipped between mine. "I'll make a deal with you. I will let you photograph me if you get the treatment done." Her deal was enticing, I wanted to take it. "Are those the only terms to your deal?" I teased while squeezing her hand. "Nope! The other terms are that you need to tell me what you want for your birthday and... instead of calling this a meeting, call it a date." MC giggled. I blushed and nodded. "I haven't thought about what I wanted for my birthday for a long time but... How about a cactus?" I said quickly. Something about cacti soothed me, maybe it was that they never died, or that they came in different shapes. MC laughed and pulled me into an embrace, her arms wrapped around my neck. I pulled her closer and hugged her back, her small frame fit mine almost perfectly.

We let go of each other and decided that I was time to part ways. I kissed her knuckles again and waved goodbye as she walked back towards Rika's apartment. I happily walked back home, humming to myself. I pulled out my phone and called the doctor that my best friend, Jumin Han, recommended to me. The doctor picked up quickly and gladly accepted my request for the procedure. I entered my home and laughed to myself. I had only met MC today but, I felt so connected to her. I shrugged off my light grey cardigan and hung it on one of the chairs. I walked the length of my home, running my fingers over my hanging photographs. I walked back to my bedroom, flopping down on the bed. I had a long day tomorrow. Thoughts of the perfectly photographable woman floated around in my mind, slowly pulling me into a deep sleep.

My alarm woke me up at six in the morning. I groaned and shut the screaming alarm off. I quickly showered and got dressed for the day. Before I left my house, I sent a quick text to MC, telling her that I was on my way to the operation. I called Jumin, knowing that he would be getting to work by now. He picked up the phone after a minute and grunted a quick hello. "Hello Jumin. I wanted to tell you something." I said while flagging down a taxi. As I was getting in, i dropped my phone, not hearing his reply. I searched the ground with my fingers, quickly picking up the device. "Are you alright?" Jumin asked. "Yes, I'm sorry. I dropped my phone." I quickly told him before shutting the taxi's door. "What is your news?" My friend asked, concern barely detectable in his voice. "I'm on my way to get the cornea transplant. I'm getting the treatment." I said softly, trying to not alert the driver. Jumin gasped from the other end of the call and swore. "What made you do it? I've been asking you to get it done for years!" He said bitterly. "I met with MC last night, she convinced me." I told him. He groaned and said something to his assistant. "I'll be over at noon. Call me when the operation is finished. See you in a few hours." The man said before hanging up. I quickly told the driver which hospital to go to before taking a picture of the world outside of the taxi window. The sunrise cast a light pink hue on everything, making my mood brighten just a bit. Truth be told, I was terrified to get the operation done. Having my complete sight back was like a dream.

The taxi made it to the hospital, I paid the driver more than I should have. I walked into the sterile building and tapped my cane on the ground. I heard the doctor muttering to someone, so I called out for him. "Hello V! We are ready for you, just sit down in the wheelchair and hold on." The doctor chuckled as he took my cane from my hands. My nerves shot up to the roof as I sat down, the wheelchair moved immediately. I could barely make out the operating room, the lights were blinding. The nurse helped me out of the chair and onto the table. The doctor wheeled his tools over and some anesthesia. He smiled as he placed the mask over my nose and mouth, telling me to breath in slowly. I did as he said and slowly fell under the spell of the gas, the room went black.

When I woke up, there was cloth over my eyes. I could hear voices from beside me. I groaned and touched the bandages over my eyes. "Jihyun! You are awake!" Jumin's voice said from my right side. I blindly moved my hand, searching for something to grab onto. His hand grabbed mine and he gently squeezed, letting me know that he was there. "Was the operation successful?" I asked, my throat suddenly getting very dry. I heard the doctor say something cheerfully before speaking to me. "I think it did! Are you ready to have the bandages taken off?" He asked. I nodded and squeezed Jumin's hand, his were shaking. The doctor gently started to take the bandages off, shielding my eyes from the room. Once they were off, I was instructed to slowly open my eyes. I obeyed, the harsh light of the room stung my eyes. I blinked a few times as the world came into focus. The doctor was grinning at me so, I smiled back. I looked around the room, blinking multiple times to focus. "Can some lights be turned off? I can't focus well." I asked. The nurse turned a light off and immediately the room came into focus. I could see every detail, from the pattern on the blanket to the worry in Jumin's eyes. I laughed and stared at my best friend. "You really need to sleep more, I can see the dark circles from here." I laughed. Jumin smiled and let go of my hand before grabbing his phone. "Can I go home? The hospital is making me nervous." I asked while standing up. The doctor nodded and let Jumin walk me out.

Outside the hospital, the RFA members were waiting. I looked at each one of them, drinking in every detail of their faces. There was one person I couldn't recognize though. "Your eyes! Are they better?" Zen and Yoosung asked while hugging me. I nodded and stared at the woman beside Jaehee. Luciel waved his hand in front of my face and smiled. "Can you see me?" He asked sarcastically. I threw my hand over my eyes and laughed. "No! I cannot!" I dropped my hand back down and saw the unfamiliar woman right in front of me. She was holding out a small cactus with a red flower on top of it. My mind clicked and I smiled brightly. "MC... so this is what you look like." I said while gently touching her cheek. She blushed and handed me the cactus. I took it and inspected it. "This is beautiful, thank you." I said to the blushing woman. Jaehee hugged me and muttered words of congratulations. Since some of the members had jobs and school, we all parted ways. MC stuck close to me, her arm hooked onto mine. "I loved the picture you sent me this morning. It was an amazing thing to wake up to." She said as we walked back towards my home. "If you liked that one, then you'll love the ones hanging up at home!" I said while staring at her.

We made it back to my house, I unlocked the door and let her go inside before me. I heard her gasp as I set the cactus down on my counter. "These are amazing! How do you take them? You have to show me one day." MC giggled while running her fingers over the frames. I smiled and grabbed my camera, setting it up right next to her. I took pictures of her as she fawned over my old photographs, the look of pure joy on her face was the best thing to photograph. She looked at me and laughed as I kept snapping pictures. MC grabbed me and pulled me next to her so that the camera lense was facing both of us. She took the camera from me and started taking pictures of the two of us. Before she finished, I took the camera back from her. "Hey! I wasn't done!" She laughed while reaching for it. I took pictures of us trying to grab the camera from each other. She ran to my bedroom when she had caught the camera from me. I laughed and followed her, brushing my teal hair out of my eyes as I followed.

MC was waiting for me on my bed, her hair fanned out behind her as she snapped pictures of herself. I crawled next to her and joined in her photos. Before she set the camera down, I captured pictures of me kissing her cheek gently. The girl blushed and set the device down, looking into my eyes. "You are so much more beautiful than I imagined." I said as I gently ran my hand down her cheek. "You look happier now that you can see." MC muttered while scooting closer to me. I grabbed the camera again and held it above us. "There's just one last picture I want to capture." I told her quietly. She smiled and looked down. I tilted her chin up and softly kissed her, snapping a picture to forever this moment. She kissed me back and smiled. We laid there for hours, talking and going through the pictures we took. MC eventually fell asleep on my chest, I smiled and took one more picture.

The days were filled with moments like that. MC and I moved in together. She helped me get my photography business started. There was no mention of Rika or Mint Eye when we were together. MC quickly became my muse, the photos I took from there on out always had her influence somewhere. I was a blind photographer, except the only thing I was blinded by was love for a woman.