Painted Love | Hwang Hyunjin

14

In the afternoon, I was quietly painting in my studio while Hyunjin sat next to me, watching intently. "You look beautiful while painting," he said. "Don't distract me!" I protested, trying to focus on my brushstrokes. Just then, three men in suits and a woman in a stylish black dress entered, looking around. I glanced at Hyunjin, confused, and then stood up to greet them.

"Hello, can I help you? Or would you like to look around? I'm actually painting right now, so you're welcome to watch," I offered with a smile. The tall, blonde woman with piercing blue eyes approached me kindly. "Are you Kang Mui?" she asked. I nodded. "The one and only," I replied, quickly wiping my hands on my pants to shake hers. Hyunjin stood up and joined me, and the woman smiled at him too.

"I'm Hannah Montgomery from the Elysian Art Gallery in New York," she said. "We saw your paintings in an online article and would like to offer you a solo exhibition at our gallery." I stared in disbelief, then slowly turned to Hyunjin. "Mui, that's amazing!" he said, gripping my shoulders.

"I-I don't know what to say," I whispered, beginning to smile. "You don't have to decide right away," Hannah continued. "You would need to stay in New York for four months to prepare and promote the exhibition. We'll provide housing, so don't worry about that. We also need about thirty paintings from you."

"Thirty paintings?" I asked, shocked. She nodded. "If you don't mind, we'll look around to maybe choose some already, so you don't have to create too many new ones," she suggested. I nodded. "Yes, please have a look. The ones on the left side are mine!" I explained.

As the woman and her colleagues wandered off to examine my work, Hyunjin beamed at me. "I'm so proud of you!" he said, pulling me into a hug. I smiled and hugged him back. "This is my dream... a solo exhibition... I don't even know what to say," I said. "You have a lot of paintings of your boyfriend," one of the men noted. "Oh, yeah... it's a bit weird, but if I just start painting without thinking, it always turns out to be him," I explained, pulling away from Hyunjin.

"We want all of them," Hannah said. I choked on some air. "Huh?" I asked. "We thought of three themes with ten paintings each. One could be love... it fits perfectly," she explained. I stared at Hyunjin. "Uh... he's kind of famous here, and nobody is really supposed to know that he has a girlfriend," I explained. "Just an idea. Think about it," she said, handing me a card. "Call me when you've decided. Here's a suggested payment, if that helps," she added, handing me an envelope. "We'll pay you half before and half after the exhibition. I'll wait for your call. Have a nice day!" With that, they left.

I opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Holy shit," I exclaimed. Hyunjin looked over my shoulder. "500,000 won for thirty paintings? That's not worth it," he said skeptically. "Hyunjin, that's in dollars," I corrected. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, his mouth falling open. "You will do it, right?" he asked. I looked up at him. "I-I don't want to leave you for four months," I whispered, my eyes suddenly tearing up. "Hey, don't cry! This is your dream, right?" he asked, cupping my face. I nodded slightly. "It's not because of the money... I would've done it for 500,000 won... but having my own exhibition is just crazy... and then in freaking New York City!" I whispered, still dumbfounded.

"Do it. Don't let me hold you back. We'll make it work, Mui. It's only four months. We'll FaceTime every day, and it will work," he assured me. "But what do I tell her about the paintings of you?" I asked. "People will find out about us eventually. This way, it'll be on our terms. Let's just tell the world," he whispered. Tears began to fall from my eyes. "This is truly the best day ever," I whispered. He chuckled and brushed away my tears. "Call Hannah and tell her you're in. And I'll soon tell everyone that you're mine," he whispered.