Turning The Page

Chapter 5 - Revelations

The weekend arrived and Yoongi picked Eun-Ji up for the drive to his friend's house. They drive into a pretty neighbourhood filled with traditional Hanok houses, stopping outside the gates of one of them. They unpack the car and go through the gates into a pretty courtyard filled with potted plants in greens, pinks and purples as well as a few trees and shrubs. The timber and white building looked beautiful with its decorative lattice panels, and Eun-Ji breathed deeply at the fresh air that had a dampness to it from the rain the night before. They entered the house and dropped their bags before Yoongi set up his easel and canvas, ready to start. Eun-Ji explored the house with its traditional character and touches of modernity. When she saw Yoongi was almost ready, she headed outside.

"Where did you want me?" she asks.

"If you pull up those doors then just there is perfect. You get yourself comfortable and I'll start," Yoongi replies. "Oh, and there are some cushions in that box there," he adds, pointing to a built-in storage on the deck.

Eun-Ji took out a cushion and sat down to take in the beauty of the courtyard. She'd only been sitting there a while when a cute black cat with a tiny white crescent patch on his tummy walked over to her and looked at her for a fuss.

"Well, hello there little one, aren't you cute?" she says giving it a fuss.

"That must be Jojang. My friend told me he spent a lot of time here when he was working on the house. He's the neighbourhood cat and doesn't have a fixed home so everyone takes care of him," Yoongi says, "although he said he usually asks for fuss and then leaves."

"Well, we don't have any food for you, but I can give you all the fuss you want," Eun-Ji says to Jojang who meows and climbs onto her lap before curling up and purring. "Is it okay if he stays here?" Eun-Ji asks Yoongi, who smiles.

"If you're happy with him there, if he stays long enough, he can be in the painting," he replies. "It looks more homely with him there," he smiles as he continues to paint.

Jojang moves a few times but eventually falls asleep purring gently and Eun-Ji leans back on her hands slightly to stretch her back out.

The time flies with Yoongi having his head down painting while Eun-Ji fussed and plays with Jojang. Before they know it, the light is fading and Eun-Ji has spent lots of time thinking, a single tear runs down her face without her knowing. Yoongi notices when he looks up and walks over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks reaching out to wipe the tear but when Eun-Ji looks up to respond more flow. "Oh Eun-Ji, come..." he says going to comfort her.

"Yoongi please, just..." she begins wiping her face. "I'll be fine, please just give me some space," she says turning away.

"Okay," Yoongi replies. "We can finish the painting tomorrow; you go inside and rest up for a bit," he continues, going back over to the easel to tidy away while Eun-Ji gets up and goes inside.

When Yoongi was done, he moved the canvas and easel to a side room and walked into the sitting room where he found Eun-Ji curled up on the sofa hugging a cushion. At first, he thought she was asleep but as he approached, he noticed she was crying silently. He crouches down next to her and brushes a hair from her face.

"What's wrong?" he asks stroking her arm and trying to get her to look at him.

"Yoongi please, just leave me alone," she snaps shrugging his hand away. "Just stop fussing as it's really not helping," she adds turning over and curling up tighter into a ball.

Yoongi stands up and starts walking outside before looking back at her still crying. He sits outside on a chair and stares up at the sky unsure what to do as part of him wanted to respect her wishes and the other part wanted to hold her tight, but he knew she'd hate him for that. His heart broke that she was pushing him away because in all the years they had known each other he'd been the one she could talk to but now she wouldn't even do that. He took out his phone and ordered some food, knowing it would be a while he decided to go for a walk to clear his head.