Take a Break
@adjongin
Areumās hair was tied up in a messy bun, her jacket carelessly tossed over a chair. Paint supplies surrounded her on the tables and the floor. Her lower lip was sucked between her teeth as she mixed two colors, letting out a groan when the balance, once again, wasnāt as perfect as she wanted it.
The painting she was working on was of two horses and their riders taking a break by a pond in a forest - and it was large, large enough that she regularly had to adjust the easel in order to get to the top of the canvas.
Dramatic music played in the background as she worked and hummed along. Sheād started a few hours ago - her arms were starting to hurt and she could fall asleep at any moment, but Areum was nothing if not determined.
There was paint on her white tank top, some even splattered down her legs. It would have to be a problem for her future self to deal with, she decided, leaning in close as she worked on getting the reflection of the horses just right. All this work was starting to make her thirsty, and she reached for one of the two mugs set on the table next to her. One was labledĀ āpaint waterā, the otherĀ ānot paint waterā. A gift from her brother.
Exhausted and overworked as she was, Areum didnāt turn to read the label of the mug, and slowly brought theĀ āpaint waterā mug closer and closer to her lips.
Youād think a college library would be easy to find, Jongin did, but he was also very wrong. He was already taking a gamble on the fact that an art school would have any of the books he needed, but worst case scenario he was hoping he could swindle someone into logging into one of the computers for him so that he could access their database of academic journals and not completely waste a trip. But even the most mediocre plans of men go awry as he found himself deep in a building full of art studios.
Eventually, he gave in to the fact that he was hopelessly lost and began to enjoy the building by peeking into the rooms through the windows in the doors to admire the various paintings and sculptures and dubious piles of objects that may have been art or possibly just junk tossed into a spare room. It wasnāt until he rounded his third corner that he actually came across a room with someone in it. She was so absorbed in her painting that she didnāt seem to notice the boy watching her through the window or the fact that she had picked up the mug clearly labeled āpaint water.ā
He didnāt react at first assuming she was just holding it in her hand to clean a brush, but it quickly became apparent that that was not her intention. Jongin tapped his knuckles against the glass, but it wasnāt enough to catch her attention over the sound of the music coming from inside. Another tap, louder this time, but still, nothing. There was a brief moment in which he debated letting her drink the water just to see what happened but that ended in a disaster and a ruined painting in his mind, and he didnāt want that. It was beautiful, and he couldnāt let all the care and attention she had been putting into the horseās reflection just go to waste.
āDonāt,ā he said just loud enough to be heard over the music as he popped his head inside the door. āThatās the wrong cup,ā he explained from the doorway using the door as makeshift shield between him and the fact that there was no way he could have known she grabbed the wrong cup if he hadnāt been watching her like a creep through the door. There was no way he was getting out of this one easily. āIt- uh, looks great,ā he offered, awkwardly gesturing towards the painting. He really didnāt think this one through.













