Affection's Facade

Disassociated & lost

Tae-hyung's present pov

The gentle strokes of my brush moved effortlessly across the canvas. The night had draped the room in a shroud of silence, perfect for the soft bristles' whispering against the canvas.

Painting had always been my sanctuary, a world I retreated to when words failed and emotions clouded. Tonight, more than ever, I needed that escape.

I felt a soft presence behind me. A gentle voice broke the rhythm, "You didn't have to fold Hae-mi's clothes, you know." So-yeon's tone carried a note of gratitude, but her eyes held questions she wasn't asking.

Turning my head slightly, our eyes met for a fleeting moment. Without uttering a word, I gave a gentle nod.

"It's late, and you're still up painting. Are you alright?" She asked.

" You ask me that a lot, almost sounds like you're scared of something," I said.

There was a momentary silence, as I began another stroke on the canvas, then another. I hesitated, letting the paint swirl a tad longer on the palette. "I'm alright," I murmured, to her lack of response, my voice carrying a calmness I didn't quite feel inside.

The memory of the hospital visit weighed heavily on my mind, but I wasn't prepared to divulge that secret, at least not now. Perhaps it felt wrong to be concerned about someone who had accused me, an accusation that brought me to the brink of arrest and then vanished. The fear that her depiction of me to the police might have been how she saw me haunted me, leading to my growing resentment towards her. Yet, she appeared more frequently, and witnessing her struggles intensified my unease. In truth, I preferred to harbor animosity towards her when she was thriving. Seeing her in pain muddled my feelings, and confused me.

So-yeon stepped closer, the faint aroma of her night cream wafting to my senses. "You know we have maids for the laundry. You don't have to do everything yourself." She said trying to start a conversation.

The corner of my lips curled into a half-smile, capturing the blend of warmth and playful chastisement in her words. "I know," I replied, setting the brush down for a brief moment to choose another.

So-yeon studied my face for a moment, her gaze searching. I could tell she wanted to push, to delve deeper, but she refrained.

I paused, my brush hovering mid-air as I dipped it into the black paint, fixated on the thick pigment, lost in contemplation.

Something was gnawing at me more than anything. The look in Elera's eyes as she sat in that hospital bed was unnerving. I could barely recall any other time when I'd seen her so visibly frightened.

Breaking the silence, I asked, "So-yeon, what did you and your mom discuss with Jae-Joon?"

So-yeon hesitated, a shadow of unease crossing her face. "She wanted to make sure he recognized his role as Elera's husband. You know how protective she is of her daughters," she explained in a tempered tone.

I chuckled, "Elera does have a mother, you know."

She smiled softly in return, "You know what I mean. How my mother thinks of her as her own."

I nodded in acknowledgment.

"I get the protectiveness. But what landed her in the hospital? One moment she's here, intoxicated, and the next, she's hospitalized."

Taking a deep breath, So-yeon replied in haste, "Min-Ji and Jae-hoon... they slept together. Elera witnessed it. It was too much for her. She tried to... end her own life."

" Doesn't sound like her," I stated.

"Getting drunk isn't her thing either. Maybe that's why she came here, looking for me," she whispered.