Red String (Series #1) \\ Ateez ✔

iv. ten-fifty-nine

JANGMI

"Jangmi!"

A sudden voice from behind called. It was as if the ice that struck me on my shoes shattered as my gaze swept at the back.

Yeonjun, with the blinding neon green tuxedo of his barged into the washroom, His expression wrought with worry. "Are you okay? I've been looking everywhere for you!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing off the tiled walls.

A long silence followed, tension thick in the air until the door creaked open again behind him. Yeonjun was taken aback to find a few girls with whimsy dresses staring at him, their smiles slowly fading away as they looked at him with scrunched brows.

Then that is where realization dawned.

This unfilial cousin of mine just barged Inside the female's comfort room!

Embarrassment flooded Yeonjun's cheeks as he realized the situation with just a glare from me. "Uh... sorry, wrong bathroom," He muttered, backing away sheepishly.

I hastily stepped forward, shooting the maidens with an apologetic glance before it turned into a sharp glare again. "You lettuce head, what are you doing in here?" I hissed whilst pushing him out of the bathroom.

"You can't just barge into the women's bathroom like that! What were you thinking?" I shook my head in disbelief, the internal crisis from earlier vanishing from his antics. "Next time, knock and wait outside like a normal person. You hear me?"

"But I was just worried about you!" Yeonjun protested, trying to defend his innocence. "You disappeared like a flash and I couldn't find you anywhere. I didn't mean to cause a scene." An exaggerated sulk sprawled his lips afterwards.

"The lights were just too overwhelming, they made me dizzy," I lied through my teeth, trying to downplay the situation with a sigh. "Let's just go back to the event."

My heels twisted and I began to walk within the hall. Yeonjun lingered behind me like a lost puppy, the guilt from his impulsive actions evident in the air.

We continued our walk in silence, the tension easing as we both got lost in the captivating artwork surrounding us. Despite the awkward start, it felt good to have my cousin by my side, even if he did have a knack for getting himself into trouble.

My eyes wandered over the surroundings, taking in the numerous paintings adorning the partitions. A pinch of Greek ambience filled the air of the building, and I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty I had failed to admire earlier.

Yet from the corner of my eyes, a certain painting suddenly drew my attention.

My legs stopped as my head swept to the wall before me, the white hue was the first thing to ever catch my eyes—White roses.

Deciding that it might be nice to distract myself with the artwork, I took a good look at it.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Yeonjun followed my gaze, his eyes lighting up as he admired the details of the art.

Not a doubt at all. It was breathtaking; the painting was a woman draped in white, poised gracefully amidst a field of white roses. Above the night was a moon that hung like a silent guardian in the sky. It was a reminiscent of a Renaissance masterwork, a creation so exquisite it seemed destined for a place of honor in a grand museum in France.