His car was parked perfectly in the basement of a downtown skyscraper. Without saying anything, he opened his car door, ran around to the passenger seat, then forcibly removed Alain’s body from the car.
The one who was forced was struggling as he tried to escape, but René’s strength was apparently greater so that his arm didn't manage to escape the painter’s grip.
They then headed to the elevator. As soon as the elevator door opened, René immediately dragged Alain inside. He pressed the button with the number 17, and as the elevator started moving upward, no one made a sound.
The elevator was very luxurious. The four sides were made of shiny material, even able to reflect their reflection like a mirror. It was from the reflected image that René could see the frightened expression of Alain, who was standing beside him. Did he look like a kidnapper now?
One heavy breath, and René spoke up, “I don’t m
Alain immediately ran towards the elevator after successfully escaping René’s residence. He repeatedly pressed the button to go to the ground floor, and then he slumped weakly onto the cold elevator floor. His right hand held his left chest. Now and then, his left hand also wiped the tears that for some reason, fell by themselves. “How can I be like this? Why does it suddenly hurt so much that I want to cry?” The feeling struck a moment after his eyes made contact with the mysterious painting shown by René earlier. At first, it was just a little tightness in his chest, but as the painter went further to tell the story, the feeling got worse. He even cried for a moment before he ran away from his lecturer’s residence. He hoped that René wouldn’t have the chance to see his tears. His body felt weak. He couldn’t even move his legs to get up even after the elevator had arrived on the ground floor, and the door started to open. He was just about to
“You scared the poor boy, dude.”That was the first response he got from Damien Lau after he finished telling the whole story.The doctor visited him today, and he served some mineral waters to him. He was just a bachelor who didn’t really care about food at home and only had mineral waters with him.Despite being a bad host, the painter still dared to pour his heart out by telling the story that bothered him since yesterday. Yeah, he had told his friend about his ‘experience’ with his student yesterday.“He was so weird yesterday, Dam. He didn’t believe in what I said and just left me like that.”He could hear his best friend sigh heavily. “You are the one who’s being weird,” the doctor commented. “How could you forcefully grab your student to your house like that? You look like a pedophile by doing that. No wonder he was scared and left you.”René scowled
He never needed an alarm to wake up in the morning. His eyes always opened automatically when morning came, and the same habit happened this morning too.His eyelids began to open slowly, revealing the beautiful emeralds that had previously been hidden in the thin flesh blanket. His hands felt around, and the soft texture was immediately felt by his sense of touch. He woke up in his bed today, not on the work chair in his studio.The painter sighed. Perhaps his mental disorder had completely healed, and he didn’t need to expect the existence of mysterious paintings anymore. It was also possible that the mysterious paintings actually mean nothing at all.Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, an imaginary dimension that seemed to have its own power to create works that he didn’t recognize. Yes, perhaps he should learn to forget everything. Everything was meaningless. The girl named Park Ah Reum was not real, and his student named Alain Kim
A man in formal attire was walking down an alley. He was not alone because beside him was walking a beautiful lady with shoulder-length hair. The lady’s delicate hand was perched on the man’s right arm as if to show a right of ownership.The link was only released when the man pressed a bell near a door. No need to press the bell repeatedly and also wait for a long time because the door opened from the inside immediately.“Oh, you have come?” That was the greeting they got from a man who just opened the door for them. The man, who just opened the door, turned his gaze to the lady and asked lazily, “You came too, Elloise? I thought you had forgotten about me after marrying my best friend.”Damien snorted loudly at those words. “Be polite to my wife, or I’ll go home doing nothing here, René Huang?”René immediately smiled sulkily at the older man. “I was just kidding, Dam,” he s
Last week, René only painted once in his sleep, which was when he painted a man who looked just like him. A different phenomenon than usual because he brought his painting equipment into the bedroom without realizing it when the sleepwalking symptoms hit him. After that, he wished he subconsciously would paint again, but nothing happened when he woke up in the morning. This morning was the same. He woke up in his bed, and no painting was produced. That meant, he didn’t get any additional clues today. Instead of getting a hint as an enlightener, his vision was getting bleaker. Perhaps his mental disorder was entering a void period, and he couldn’t do anything about it. No matter how much he wanted to reveal everything, he had no control over his subconscious. All those mysterious images come and go beyond the control of his brain and heart. If Damien’s assumption last night was correct that he and the man in the painting were two different people, then who exa
The painter didn’t lie when he said he would buy Alain a drink in the cafeteria. The painter’s steps stopped in the cafeteria, and Alain could heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the painter wasn’t kidnapping him again. The tall men were both standing in front of the vending machine in the cafeteria. “What do you want?” “Can I get a Sprite?” “Of course.” René obeyed Alain’s wish. He took a can of Sprite that had come out of the machine and handed it to the student. “You don’t drink?” Alain asked when he realized that René only bought a drink for him and didn’t buy himself a drink. Instead of answering, the painter immediately sat down on one of the cafeteria chairs. Inevitably, Alain also sat across from him. “I’m not thirsty right now,” the painter replied. “Drink first, and then we’ll talk.” Instead of opening his drink can, Alain put the can on the table, then looked at René probingly. “Why are you so eager
Alain didn’t react at all, and he still blinked innocently in front of René. The latter patiently waited for a response and didn't say anything either.“You believe in the theory of reincarnation? You’re a very devoted Buddhist, aren’t you?”“It’s not about whether I’m a Buddhist or not, but It’s about my analysis of everything that happened.”René tried not to get angry at the student. He had come to a conclusion after a series of mysterious paintings in his sleep, and he had thought about it deeply too, but the student seemed to be taking it lightly.The painter slightly glared at the student, and the said student was frowning at him. If René could guess what was on the student's mind, then it seemed like the student was thinking hard right now.“Okay," Alain finally replied. "Let’s say the two of us are indeed reincarnations of them. Then, what else? Why
They waited until the class was empty before they finally interacted. There was nothing to hide, but the two subconsciously didn’t want the other students to notice their interaction. Maybe they didn’t want anyone to misunderstand and give another meaning to their interaction. Not many words were spoken when they interacted in the classroom. Without further ado, René immediately invited Alain to walk to his car, which was parked in the campus parking lot. They walked hand in hand, but there was still some distance between the two men. Apart from not wanting to cause misunderstandings, they also felt quite awkward because it was the first time the two of them walked normally like this―previously, René always dragged Alain when they were walking together. René used a Germany-manufactured sedan when he when to teach his students at the campus. The black car was parked neatly with a row of other lecturers’ cars. After unlocking the car, the painter immedi
They didn’t speak to each other. In the black car, the two of them still refused to unlock their lips to produce any words. It had been five minutes since they left Brielle Park’s residence, but they were still reluctant to leave the basement of the building. They were already in the car, but the painter had not yet started the engine. The sound of gasping breaths was heard. It was the only sound that filled the silence in the car. “Your friend is very strange,” René finally broke the silence that had been enveloping them for a few minutes. Alain turned to René and put on a guilty expression. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’ve known her for a long time and know about her past, but I didn’t expect her to be like that.” René sighed again. He was wrong for being suspicious of the girl named Brielle Park. He thought the chubby-cheeked girl would be able to give him a clue, but he was wrong. He couldn’t judge people with the surname only. "What do y
The girl was certainly surprised to see who the two guests were. She reflexively covered his face with both hands. “Oh my! What are Alain Kim and Mr. Huang doing here? I look very bad right now! It's so embarrassing!” She squeaked loudly with a slightly hoarse voice. Seeing the adorable attitude, Alain chuckled as he stretched out his hand to keep Brielle’s hand away from her face. “We came to see you. Why are you hiding your face, huh?” He asked softly. “My face must be really ugly right now. I haven’t even showered yet. I'm so smelly!” Again, Alain chuckled as his hands ruffled Brielle’s messy hair. “I thought your face was the same as always.” And Brielle’s hands automatically beat Alain’s body because of the man’s words. They continued to immerse themselves in their worlds until finally, René cleared his throat to interrupt. The painter felt awkward to see their ‘intimate’ interaction. He could see their close relationship, and that made h
They waited until the class was empty before they finally interacted. There was nothing to hide, but the two subconsciously didn’t want the other students to notice their interaction. Maybe they didn’t want anyone to misunderstand and give another meaning to their interaction. Not many words were spoken when they interacted in the classroom. Without further ado, René immediately invited Alain to walk to his car, which was parked in the campus parking lot. They walked hand in hand, but there was still some distance between the two men. Apart from not wanting to cause misunderstandings, they also felt quite awkward because it was the first time the two of them walked normally like this―previously, René always dragged Alain when they were walking together. René used a Germany-manufactured sedan when he when to teach his students at the campus. The black car was parked neatly with a row of other lecturers’ cars. After unlocking the car, the painter immedi
Alain didn’t react at all, and he still blinked innocently in front of René. The latter patiently waited for a response and didn't say anything either.“You believe in the theory of reincarnation? You’re a very devoted Buddhist, aren’t you?”“It’s not about whether I’m a Buddhist or not, but It’s about my analysis of everything that happened.”René tried not to get angry at the student. He had come to a conclusion after a series of mysterious paintings in his sleep, and he had thought about it deeply too, but the student seemed to be taking it lightly.The painter slightly glared at the student, and the said student was frowning at him. If René could guess what was on the student's mind, then it seemed like the student was thinking hard right now.“Okay," Alain finally replied. "Let’s say the two of us are indeed reincarnations of them. Then, what else? Why
The painter didn’t lie when he said he would buy Alain a drink in the cafeteria. The painter’s steps stopped in the cafeteria, and Alain could heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the painter wasn’t kidnapping him again. The tall men were both standing in front of the vending machine in the cafeteria. “What do you want?” “Can I get a Sprite?” “Of course.” René obeyed Alain’s wish. He took a can of Sprite that had come out of the machine and handed it to the student. “You don’t drink?” Alain asked when he realized that René only bought a drink for him and didn’t buy himself a drink. Instead of answering, the painter immediately sat down on one of the cafeteria chairs. Inevitably, Alain also sat across from him. “I’m not thirsty right now,” the painter replied. “Drink first, and then we’ll talk.” Instead of opening his drink can, Alain put the can on the table, then looked at René probingly. “Why are you so eager
Last week, René only painted once in his sleep, which was when he painted a man who looked just like him. A different phenomenon than usual because he brought his painting equipment into the bedroom without realizing it when the sleepwalking symptoms hit him. After that, he wished he subconsciously would paint again, but nothing happened when he woke up in the morning. This morning was the same. He woke up in his bed, and no painting was produced. That meant, he didn’t get any additional clues today. Instead of getting a hint as an enlightener, his vision was getting bleaker. Perhaps his mental disorder was entering a void period, and he couldn’t do anything about it. No matter how much he wanted to reveal everything, he had no control over his subconscious. All those mysterious images come and go beyond the control of his brain and heart. If Damien’s assumption last night was correct that he and the man in the painting were two different people, then who exa
A man in formal attire was walking down an alley. He was not alone because beside him was walking a beautiful lady with shoulder-length hair. The lady’s delicate hand was perched on the man’s right arm as if to show a right of ownership.The link was only released when the man pressed a bell near a door. No need to press the bell repeatedly and also wait for a long time because the door opened from the inside immediately.“Oh, you have come?” That was the greeting they got from a man who just opened the door for them. The man, who just opened the door, turned his gaze to the lady and asked lazily, “You came too, Elloise? I thought you had forgotten about me after marrying my best friend.”Damien snorted loudly at those words. “Be polite to my wife, or I’ll go home doing nothing here, René Huang?”René immediately smiled sulkily at the older man. “I was just kidding, Dam,” he s
He never needed an alarm to wake up in the morning. His eyes always opened automatically when morning came, and the same habit happened this morning too.His eyelids began to open slowly, revealing the beautiful emeralds that had previously been hidden in the thin flesh blanket. His hands felt around, and the soft texture was immediately felt by his sense of touch. He woke up in his bed today, not on the work chair in his studio.The painter sighed. Perhaps his mental disorder had completely healed, and he didn’t need to expect the existence of mysterious paintings anymore. It was also possible that the mysterious paintings actually mean nothing at all.Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, an imaginary dimension that seemed to have its own power to create works that he didn’t recognize. Yes, perhaps he should learn to forget everything. Everything was meaningless. The girl named Park Ah Reum was not real, and his student named Alain Kim
“You scared the poor boy, dude.”That was the first response he got from Damien Lau after he finished telling the whole story.The doctor visited him today, and he served some mineral waters to him. He was just a bachelor who didn’t really care about food at home and only had mineral waters with him.Despite being a bad host, the painter still dared to pour his heart out by telling the story that bothered him since yesterday. Yeah, he had told his friend about his ‘experience’ with his student yesterday.“He was so weird yesterday, Dam. He didn’t believe in what I said and just left me like that.”He could hear his best friend sigh heavily. “You are the one who’s being weird,” the doctor commented. “How could you forcefully grab your student to your house like that? You look like a pedophile by doing that. No wonder he was scared and left you.”René scowled