The World Inside Our Dreams: Book One

In Hye

"Ready?"

I fix my bow tie on my uniform and happily nod at my best friend. She takes my hand and we excitedly run to the competition room.

Hyorim lets go of my hand when we enter the quiet room. It's the largest room in this school. There are groups of people everywhere and then solo artists like us that stand by our canvases. Unfortunately, I've been put on the other side of the room far from Hyorim. So I give her a small smile before walking in our separate directions.

I let out a small breath. I rehearse what I practiced for my painting explanation. It's easy. It's my family. What I truly find beautiful and real in this dark world. For once, I decided to ignore the nightmares and the dark memories that haunt me. I erased the blurry pale faces filled with tear stains so I could draw my sisters. It's my best work yet. It was worth staying up all night for.

I wish they were here. It would have made it easier to give my explanation. All I have to do is find their eyes and the world makes sense. New colors arise form each new day with them. I'm genuinely glad I came back from my escape trip with Hyorim. Though our plans went sideways a bit, at least I still have my family, unlike Hyorim.

I see a man in a suit and tie approach my painting. I straighten my shoulders and give him a small smile. I wait for him to stop in front of my canvas with his hands in the pocket of his suit pants.

"Tell me what this is about," he quietly says.

I give him a nod and start my rehearsed explanation. He seems bored halfway through and my heart starts to pace. I look for help or any escape from my nervous heart whispering to stop.

But then he says, "Are these real people?" He interrupts my explanation as I watch him come closer to my painting. "And this...setting...Is it a real place?"

I follow his gaze and hesitate. I always do when I have to explain my living conditions. I clear my throat and nod. "Yes. These are my sisters and this is my home."

"Home?" His brows rise in surprise as he looks back at me. "Why does that look like a shack rather than a home?"

"It's the most beautiful home for the people in the painting."

"Is it for its creator?"

I hesitate again and his eyes seem to burn through me. Does he know me? Does he know of my sisters and their scandal with the Park family?

When I can't seem to answer, he finally smiles and walks away without another word. He leaves me with an echo of his question. Is it enough for its creator? Is it possible that the girl in the picture and the creator live in the same world?

The heaviness of that daunting question slowly fades away when time passes by and I continue to give more rehearsed speeches. At one point, Hyorim passes by as she takes a break to look at other paintings and gives me a thumbs up from behind a judge I was presenting to at the time. My heart always flies when she's around.

I find myself taking a sip of water during our last break. The last round is much more rigorous and is in front of the entire audience of judges. I ignore the nervous pit in my stomach as I take small bites of the snack that In-joo prepared for me. I really wish she was here now...

"Hey. Why if it isn't one of the scandalous Ohs?"

I turn from taking a drink of water and see a group of girls approaching my painting. I swallow down my fear. They started picking on Hyorim and me when my sister finished off the Park scandal.

Their leader scoffs at my painting and says, "What's this? A picture to blame another rich family for embezzlement?"

The girls around her laugh and my heart begins to grow small. It's in these moments that I wish I would have never come back. But I bare the pain of their stabbing words as I keep silent. Unlike my sisters, my biggest weapon is silence. It's the only one I've ever known as I let their leader give my shoulder a push. I stand my ground. I look behind me to make sure that my canvas is secure from falling.

She comes closer to my canvas with her devious smirk. She crosses her arms on her chest and says, "So this is how the thieves look like in portrait? You should have drawn a prison uniform on your eldest sister and a bottle of tequila in your other sister's hand instead."

"Stop," I firmly say. "Don't speak of my sisters in that way. They may have faults, but at least they're much more humble and honorable than you'll ever be."

I regret letting In-kyung's character come over me as I watch the girls behind their leader gasp. Their leader lets a flash of surprise run through her expression before smirking again. She takes the cup of juice from one of her friends and leans by my canvas as she says, "Oh don't worry, In-hye. I'll make sure to make it up to you!"

Her eyes shine with her devious smile as she takes a drink of her juice but before I can react, she lets her wrist fall so the juice can spill over my canvas.

My gasp makes the girls laugh and giggle as I run to get paper towels. I pass by Hyorim that speaks to one of her few friends after the scandal. She calls out to me, but I let the world around me fade as I try to save the only world I know of. But it's too late. The stain has ruined my world and I watch its colors disintegrate in front of me.

"Five minutes until presentations, people!"

"Oh! We should get going, ladies!" Their leader claps her hands excitedly and they start to walk off giving me their last smirks. But their leader stays behind and proudly smiles at my defeated state. "It feels good to have my honor back and put people back where they belong."

I hate her. I hate this school. I hate this day.

I watch contestants get their canvases ready and I sadly look back at mine. Stains of red and orange cover all over my canvas; almost as if there's a fire in the painting. My heart turns to ashes with my burning veins. I angrily take my canvas and start out the back door. I hear running steps coming after me but I keep walking forward. I don't stop for Hyorim this time.

My vision blurs from the angry tears running out one after the other. I wipe them away with a clenched jaw as I arrive in my neighborhood. I stop by the nearest garbage can and throw it there. I don't look back at it as I stomp up the stairs to my stupid apartment. Just when I was starting to convince my heart that this home is all I ever need, I let my anger tell me otherwise.

I should have never listened to my sisters. I should've never come back. Life is better far away from this place.