King Kim :: 왕김

장 12 십이

NAM-JOON

"Here," Raena says, handing my backpack and carries a dark navy-colored shirt, "I found your backpack, but your clothes were gone." I sit against the wall and grab my bag as she hands me a new shirt. "I think the other boys might have taken them. But, I found this one in the lost and found. It looks to be your size." She sheepishly smiles down at me as I am still half-dressed.

A chill goes down my spine from a cold drift gusting against my skin from the empty hall. I grab the shirt from her hand and hastily put it on. As I tug the shirt down over my head and onto my body, I find that it has a tight grip on my arms and my chest.

I sigh. It's a size too small. I can easily see every crease and curvature on my body.

Raena keeps her stare frozen on me. I glance down at my shirt, thinking something was wrong. I look back in confusion.

What is she looking at?

"Oh, um, I—" She breaks out of her trance. Her cheeks are flushed. "I really like that color on you."

I try hard to suppress my laugh, but this girl is truly something else. 

How can someone be so awkward but yet can do it in a winsome way? 

She pushes her glasses closer to her face once more.

"I mean, uh," She tries to explain, "The navy really brings out your eyes. It complements your skin tone nicely." She rubs the back of her neck as her eyes begin to wander down the hall. It had seemed like she was searching for a way out of the conversation.

I slightly grin to myself and bite the inside of my cheek, still holding back the laughter. I have never been told I look good in navy, but oddly enough, her comment gives me some type of happiness.

This is the first time I have smiled since leaving Iskoia, and it actually feels nice.

I continue to stare back at her as she anxiously looks around. My eyes were taken directly behind her to a sight of an art piece hung on the wall. Looking further down the hall, I find multiple works on display in a gallery fashioned way.

I push myself up from the floor, allured by the piece on the wall, walking closer to it. I begin to view more of its refined details and features. With all the colors sporadic across the canvas, I observe in awe.

"Oh, and so this is the art hall," Raena says, gesturing to the whole hallway.

My eyes lingered carefully over the work, appreciating every aspect of it. This was amazing.

"This is where the art club meets to hang all their exceptional art pieces," Raena says. "It's rare people come down here. Not a lot of people come to look. It's really—" 

Cutting her off, I finish her sentence for her while keeping my gaze on the painting, "Unfortunate."

"Yeah," She quietly sighed to herself, "Unfortunately."

I leisurely move down the hall, looking at every display, making sure I feel the message from every artist. But one, in particular, makes me stop. This painting had contrasted entirely from the rest. It was dark and moody, just like a night sky. Almost as if I were magnetized, I am pulled in its direction. Raena follows closely.

For a whole moment, I stare into its compelling darkness—the black sky and its twinkling stars all framing around a full moon centered directly on the canvas.

Why did this look so familiar? 

My mind is taken back to the night I was taken from Iskoia. The sky was clear, and the moon was full and bright, just like this one pictured. All I could think about was my father, Yeong, and the whole kingdom. I absolutely despise the feeling of unknowing, especially when it comes to my own country and the lack of control I have over it. So many questions run through my head.