“That’s all for today. See you again next week,” René ended his lecture today.
The students showed a happy expression before they started leaving the classroom.
The lecture went smoothly. He explained some drawing theory and the technique, and the students seemed to be interested in what he was explaining. He was slightly in doubt about that, though. He wasn’t sure whether the students were interested in the course of his handsome face.
No one could deny that his handsome face was like a magnet that attracted the people's attention. He didn't know whether he should be happy about that or not.
He was about to pack his things up, but then his sharp eyes caught a glimpse of someone walking toward the door. Subconsciously, he left his bag and rushed to catch up with the person.
He then stopped right in front of the person, making the said person halted his steps as well and looked up at him confusedly.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Huang?” The young man asked him with his puzzled look.
René looked awkward as he cleared his throat. “Can I have a talk with you for a moment?” He asked the clueless student.
The student, Alain Kim, glanced at his side and found Brielle Park gawked at the handsome painter.
“What do you want to talk about with me, Sir? You can talk to me now,” the student replied.
René peeked at the girl as well. It was obvious that he didn’t want the girl to be there with them. He wanted to have a private talk, but the student was insensitive. Or perhaps, he simply didn't care about his wish.
“I want to talk in private with you,” the painter said as he turned back to Alain.
He glared at the shorter boy as if trying to intimidate the innocent student.
The innocent student didn't look frightened, though. Instead, the shorter man scowled at him before he said, “You can talk to me here, Sir. Brielle is my friend. It’s okay if you want to talk to me here.”
René glowered at him even more. 'What's so difficult about talking with me alone?' He grumbled inwardly.
“Ehm...” Both men turned to the girl who suddenly broke the tense atmosphere. The girl looked a bit timid when she continued, “I’ll take my leave first. I have an appointment with my friend, so I have to go now.”
The handsome painter raised his eyebrow as he stared at the long-haired girl. He didn’t have a good impression of the girl, but it seemed that the girl knew him better than her friend. She could read the situation so well.
“I don’t know that you have an appointment with someone today,” Alain stated while staring at the pretty girl.
René could see the young girl became more awkward after she heard her friend’s words. He sighed heavily. The student named Alain Kim was truly an inconsiderate person.
“We should let Miss Park leave first. Her friend must have been waiting for her.”
Alain turned to the taller man and frowned at him. He was about to argue, but Brielle spoke again.
“Mr. Huang is right. I need to go now, Sir.” She then turned to her best friend. “I’ll call you later, Al. Bye.”
The girl then left the two men in the empty classroom. The two men looked stiff as they stood facing each other.
“She called you Al? Aluminum?” The painter broke the awkwardness.
Alain turned to him as he sighed. “It’s not aluminum,” he replied. “Anyway, what do you want to talk with me, Sir?”
It was time for René to prepared his mentality. He was not sure, but it was the only way for him to find out.
“Do you know a girl named Park Ah Reum?” The painter asked softly.
Unexpected to him, the student furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Who is Park Ah Reum?”
The streaks of hope that living in his heart for a moment died in an instant when he heard the student’s question.
“You don’t know her?” The painter asked weakly.
He could see the student tried to recall the memory in his head as he frowned deeply. He patiently waited for an answer. Secretly he hoped the student could give him information about the girl.
“Sorry, Sir. I’ve never heard of that name before.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Can you try harder? Maybe she’s your sister or something. Her face looks a lot like yours. You guys are even like twins.”
Now, Alain looked annoyed. Why was the painter suddenly urging and forcing him? Hadn’t it been said clearly that he didn’t know the girl?
“I really don’t know who Park Ah Reum is. I’m sure that I don’t have any relatives with that name.”
“But, there really is a girl who looks like you, Alain. I’m serious.”
Alain scowled as he tried to hold back his anger. It was only then that he realized that the young painter had abandoned formality when he spoke to him. Somehow, it all made Alain annoyed even more, and he no longer wanted to give respect to the painter.
“Sorry, Mr. Huang. I don’t have time for nonsense like this. I’m sorry—”
“Wait.”
Alain’s steps were halted because a hand was holding his arm.
As if realizing that he had been presumptuous, René let go of Alain’s arm and mumbled an apology.
“I didn’t talk nonsense. I also have proof. I can show the proof to you if you—”
“Sorry, Mr. Huang. I don’t have time.”
And the younger man immediately walked away from the painter. Perhaps, in his eyes, the painter was no more than a mad man who talked nonsense.
Meanwhile, René couldn’t do anything and just stared blankly at Alain’s back that moved away from him so fast. He just lost his only clue.
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