Picture Perfect | k.th

Chapter 18

I quietly snuck into the lecture hall that was already bustling with students and lessons. I speed-waddled over to where Haru was sitting who had so graciously saved me a spot.

She wiggled her eyebrows at me, "Well well, look who's here later than me!" She gave me an amused once over, "So on one hand, you've got these awful worry lines creasing your forehead, but on the other hand, this is the first time in a while you've looked slightly relieved. You even did your makeup today and dressed up in a cute fit."

"My fits have been cute," I scoffed.

"Comfy cute. But some items in your closet have been dying to come out," she joked.

"Oh~ I bet that's where they went hmm? Little dog walk?" I rolled my eyes.

She grinned, "Of course. Well anyway, I'm glad to see you kind of getting back to normal, whatever it was that caused it."

I averted my gaze slightly, plastering on a smile. Everything was most certainly far from normal, but if it would get her off my case, I could fake it.

"Nam is bringing in a guest artist today. Apparently this is super important for our final. Something about a real experience behind an artists' train of thought," Haru explained. "Also it's someone we've already studied art by."

Haru didn't seem too interested, but stuff like this was right up my alley. Though there was an awful lot of nonsense going on in my life, there was nothing like art, the artist, and its history to pull me away to a beautiful world of creativity in a falsified reality.

It tickled the most wonderful nerve in my body to interact with artists.

I tapped my pencil excitedly against my notebook. I needed something like this after having to take care of those boys for the past couple of days. Whatever he had done to them was brutal. Thankfully, they were almost fully mended.

Professor Nam glanced at his watch, brightening a little bit. We all anxiously watched the hall doors for our surprise visitor.

Now what I was expecting was any of the artists we'd studied. The known artists. Many of whom painted and drew hauntingly beautiful art of how they perceived the world around them.

What I did not expect was to bring in the artist that presented art to us anonymously. I didn't expect to be met with the artist that almost killed my seven dearest boys by trapping them in magic paper.

I should have.

Hyungseo trotted grandly into the hall as if the stage had been set for its final act and he was ready to bring it to the coup de grace.

My excitement was quickly replaced with burning anger and anxiety.

Worry for the boys grew rapidly in my heart. Did he know they were here? Did he already get to them?

I shot a quick text to Taehyung, praying to the universe above that he and the others were completely unscathed.

God when did my life turn into some action thriller drama.

"Students, you may remember the painting we studied earlier this year called Kim Taehyung. Based on the model that was beautifully depicted as real as the person himself. The artist at the time was anonymous, but to help us prepare for our final, he has offered to come in today and do a live session with us as he goes over some of his artist process. This is of course not linear, but it is vital that you take notes on his particular method," Professor Nam explained. "Without further ado, let me introduce Mister Lee Hyungseo!"

The hall erupted in intrigued applause, quietly observing the new painter.

My attention was entirely fixed on him. No matter how hard I tried to move my gaze, I absolutely couldn't. Maybe it was my innate love for thrill and action, but my fear gave me a burst of adrenaline that made me eager for confrontation. Or maybe it was my urgency to preserve the budding safety Taehyung and I were willing to build with each other.