Paint Our Love (Hiatus)

Chapter One

   *Important message in AN don't skip*

All around me people are rushing to catch their flights. I never expected the airport to be this busy on Christmas. It's so early in the morning, the sky is still dark. I'm sitting in my terminal waiting for my flight to start boarding.

   Back home all my family members are probably still asleep. My mother wasn't happy that I couldn't wait until after Christmas to leave for Korea. Instead, we had Christmas dinner a few days ago and my going-away party. There wasn't much I could do to change this outcome though. I have plans in Seoul for New Year's.

  If three years ago you told me I would be a famous artist living in Korea I'd think you were crazy. After this flight that will be a reality though. I still cannot believe how popular my work has become these past few years. Now after years of hard work and practice my skills have provided me the opportunity to live a life I've always dreamed about.

    My flight gets called so I stand up and grab my carry-on bag. After I board the plane I settle into my little cubicle. First class is nice, especially since the flight is so long. Now is a great time to catch up on some sleep. With my headphones on, the song Spring Day by BTS floats into my ears. After a few songs, I drift into a deep sleep.

    Halfway through my flight, I wake up. To pass time, I decide to go over my agenda for the next two weeks. The first few days are blank which gives me time to settle into my new house. 

   On New Year's Eve, I have a party at the Leeum Museum. I'm attending as a special guest as the party is to celebrate not only the new year but also the opening of my new exhibition. A few months ago the museum contacted me interested in displaying some of my work. After a lot of planning, I picked out thirty paintings and shipped them to Seoul.

   Half of the paintings will be auctioned off and the proceeds will be spilt among different charities. The most going to ISPCAN. (The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) It's a good opportunity to build my clientele list and give back to those in need.

   When I booked my flight, I paid in advance for inflight WIFI. For the rest of my flight, I binge watch Blue Exorcist on Crunchyroll. When the plane starts to descend I put away my laptop and peer through the tiny window next to me. I'm deathly afraid of heights but something about flying through the clouds fascinates me.

    After I grab my luggage I make my way to the exit. I ordered a cab as soon as we landed and it should be waiting for me. The middle-aged taxi driver helped me load my bags into the trunk and then opened the door for me to get into the back seat. Once he starts the taxi, I give him my address and he pulls away from the airport.

    My house is in a gated community. Earlier this year I made trips to Seoul to house hunt. Once my offer got accepted I hired an interior designer. I have yet to see inside the house since she started working on it.

   The taxi pulls in front of my house. I pay and thank the man before I exit the taxi and grab my bags. The house is a  three-story white house with modern architecture. It has a total of eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gym, a home theater, and an office.

   It's more than I would ever need, but it was the last available house in this neighborhood hood. This is one of the most popular high-end neighborhoods. In the center of this gated community, there is a private park with a pond. My property is surrounded by a large black iron fence.

   As I walk through the front door my jaw drops the designer did amazing. I'll have to send her a little appreciation bonus. The one room I asked her not to touch is my bedroom. I prefer to be the one to set that up. The first thing to do is to set up blackout curtains in my room as my sleep schedule is a bit irregular.

   The next few hours are spent on unpacking my belongings that arrived earlier this week. I finish setting up one of the bedrooms that I turned into my new art studio. My phone starts ringing, the caller ID displays the name Bella. I press answer.

  "Autumn come back to Iowa. I miss you already!" She whines through the phone causing me to giggle.

  "Common Bells I haven't even been gone a full day. Don't worry you should be getting your passport in the mail soon. Once it arrives you can come to visit me." I reassure her.

   "It feels like an eternity though. I keep thinking about your apartment sitting empty. How we'll never have ice cream and horror movie nights there anymore. I feel so alone, you are the only person I have and you left me." Her voice quivers which makes my heart break.

   Bella is like my sister. I'm certainly her family. We met our freshman year in high school and instantly became inseparable. A year after we graduated her parents found out she is a lesbian and her whole family cut contact with her.
  
   She hasn't heard from them since. It's been almost four years. At first, she was devastated and homeless as she was kicked out. I helped her get on her feet. Luckily the apartment next to mine was available.

   I sigh and swallow my guilt before I answer. "Bells I can help you apply for a visa. The only thing is, you will struggle a little at first. You don't know any Korean. But I can help you study and I can get you enrolled in classes."

  "Autumn I'm scared to leave America what if my family wants to reconcile?" She questions in a quiet voice.

   "Bells it's more likely you will win the lottery before that happens. America sucks anyways. Listen I know it's hard that I left the country. I didn't have a whole lot of options though." At this point, I'm growing tired but I can't just hang up.

   "You could have just moved to a different state. You didn't have to leave the country. You have only ever lived in Iowa. Any other state would feel like a whole different country. " She protests.

   "Bella listen. I wouldn't be safe anywhere in America. He's still out there somewhere. Since felons can't leave the country I'm safest here. He could and would find me no matter where I moved within The United States. Listen Bells everything will be fine. We will work out a solution I promise. But for tonight I have to go. I love you okay." My tone is laced with sadness and pain. Bells must notice because she doesn't argue anymore.

   "I love you too. Goodnight Autumn." Her response is quiet then she hangs up.

   Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. I've been trying to avoid thinking about my dad. We haven't had a relationship since I was twelve. By age sixteen I tried cutting him from my life completely. He continued to stalk me though.

   In recent years after I started becoming famous a switch in him flipped. He became aggressive. Breaking into my apartment a few times. Luckily I was never home.

   Ugh, I need to stop thinking about those memories. All they do is cause pain. Instead of continuing my self-pity party, I head to my room. I slip all my clothes off and climb between the black silk sheets. It's not long before doze off.

   It's Wednesday which means the New Year's party is tonight. I slip into the outfit for tonight. It's a black dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a slit that starts just below the middle of my right thigh. The fabric clings to my curves.

  As I'm putting on my black heels, my cat rubs against my leg. I picked Army up yesterday from the quarantine center. Army was not happy about the move and her quarantine period. She follows after me as I head downstairs. I open the front door and she stares up at me.

   "Don't worry. Mommy will be home later tonight." I tell Army before I close the door behind me.

AN: This is my first time writing a BTS fanfic. I don't know how often I'll update as I work full-time. Autumn is fluent in Korean, I on the other hand barely know any. So from here on out automatically assume all dialogue is spoken in Korean. If I mean for the characters to speak in English, the dialogue will be bolded. All characters besides BTS are fictional characters or loosely resemble real people. Thank you for reading.