As soon as he arrived at his flat, Brielle Park had been waiting for him at the door. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes stabbed into Alain’s eyes; demanding an explanation.
Zhou Yongliang could only sigh at the sight. He had expected it, so he wasn't surprised by the girl's appearance.
“At least, let me go in first. There’s no way we can talk outside like this, right?”
The girl still glared dangerously at Alain even after the man had voiced his request. Alain knew that his best friend was so stubborn, so he patiently waited for the girl to relent.
After contemplating it for a moment, Brielle finally shifted her body from the door, letting the owner of the flat open the door before leading the way to the residence.
The owner of the residence entered the room, took off his shoes, and put them on the shelf. Brielle followed closely behind him.
It wasn't the first time the pretty girl visited the flat, so she felt like she was at her own home now.
Alain ignored his best friend as he put his black backpack on the sofa and went to the kitchen.
Without uttering any words, he took a bottle of water from the fridge, then moved to grab two empty glasses from the cupboard, and then brought them back to the living room.
Brielle Park was waiting for him with an annoyed expression in the room.
The residence wasn’t big, but it couldn’t be said to be small either.
Inside the flat were a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and also a kitchen that was connected with the dining room.
The atmosphere was calm in the humble residence. The arrangement was also quite neat. At least, Alain was comfortable living there for the last three years.
“So, can you explain it now? What were you talking about with the painter earlier?”
Alain had not even sat down on the sofa, but his best friend already showered him with questions.
He did not immediately answer his friend’s question. What he did was pouring the water into one of the empty glasses, then gulped it slowly. He was thirsty, but his best friend didn’t seem to give him time to just quench his thirst.
"If you were that curious, then you shouldn't have left us alone earlier. You could've listened to our conversation directly."
Alain was so indifferent when he spoke, and Brielle fumed when she heard the tone.
"I'm not such an insensitive person like you, Alain!"
Alain raised his eyebrows when he heard his best friend's word. He was about to question what his friend meant, but when he looked at the girl's expression more intently, he could see that the girl was not in the mood to elaborate on what she meant.
Alain finally chose to give in.
“We didn't talk about anything important earlier,” he finally answered after thinking for a while. But, the answer didn’t seem to satisfy his best friend, so he added, “He just asked if I knew a girl named Park Ah Reum. I said no, but he kept forcing me to remember the girl.”
Brielle looked confused after Alain told her the truth.
“Who is that girl? Is she his girlfriend or something?” The long-haired girl asked confusedly.
Alain sat down beside his best friend before answering, “I don’t think the girl is his girlfriend. He said that the girl’s face is similar to mine. He asked if I have a relative with that girl.”
Brielle, who was sitting beside him, didn’t give any response to his explanation. It was quite unusual, and Alain couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
“Even though you two just knew about each other lately, he’s already done that to you?”
“Huh? He did what?”
Really, Alain didn’t understand what his best friend’s question meant.
Realizing that the innocent man didn’t understand what she meant, Brielle turned her body to face Alain, then started to speak seriously, “That’s the classic way, Al. In line with: ‘You are similar to someone who always appears in my dreams,' or ‘Have we met before? Your face is familiar to me.’ I didn’t expect a famous painter like him to use that ancient method to flirt with you.”
Alain blinked slowly as he tried to comprehend the series of explanations from his best friend.
And, as soon as he understood it, his eyes immediately widened. “It is impossible!” Unconsciously, he screamed at the girl. “He can’t possibly try to flirt with me! We’re both men, so how could he be interested in me?”
Suddenly, Brielle’s index finger rose right in front of his face. The slender finger swayed to the right and left rapidly. “Homosexuals are not uncommon in this era, Alain,” she said confidently. “Besides, there has never been any news about him dating any girl. He is a famous painter, but there’s no scandal about him for years. He may be gay, right?”
Alain hastily pushed Brielle’s finger away from him. “You say you admire him, but you can easily call him gay? What a loyal fan!”
Brielle shrugged and turned her body again, no longer facing the handsome man. “I’m just thinking realistically. Even so, I know that it will be difficult for me to accept the reality if he’s really gay. Especially, if it turns out that the person he likes is you, Al. I really don’t want to accept the possibility!”
Alain snorted loudly. How could his best friend have such thoughts? What was so special about him that made René ‘bend’? It seemed impossible.
Choosing to dismiss Brielle’s completely absurd hypothesis, Alain’s brilliant brain suddenly realized one strange thing. “Hey, Brielle Park,” he called softly. “Could it be that the girl Mr. Huang was referring to is your relative? Brielle Park and Park Ah Reum. You two share the same surname, right?”
René didn’t have a teaching schedule on campus today, but the Head of Department asked him to come to talk about something. The painter, despite being lazy, didn't have any other choice than to comply with the request. The famous painter predicted something bad would be happening, and it turned out his prediction was accurate. The Head of the Department asked him to revise the plan of lecture activities that he had made and submitted to the department’s administration. The Head of the Department said that several activities were not relevant to the current conditions, and there was also a change in the student assessment system on their campus, which the painter missed in the document. As a result, René was required to revise the lecture plan he had made. There was no prior notification about the revision, so René did not bring his laptop to campus today. Fortunately, the campus staff let him use the computer belonging to the department administration, which
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
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