The Vanishing Portrait

chapter 6

The portrait of Lady Aerin hung like a shadow in the dim basement of the Kim Gallery, its eyes seeming to follow Y/N as she stood frozen before it. The cold, silent air in the room pressed against her skin, thick with an unsettling energy. She could still feel the pulse of her heart, fast and erratic, in her chest. The woman in the painting—the one who had captured her attention the moment she laid eyes on her—was not merely a painted figure. She felt real, alive even, as though she might step out of the frame at any moment.

Y/N stepped closer, her hand hovering just inches from the frame, an inexplicable pull drawing her nearer. The voice that had whispered in her mind earlier, urging her to free her, echoed again in her thoughts. She quickly turned around, hoping the sensation would fade, but she was alone in the basement, with only the strange portrait and her own racing thoughts for company.

Taking a deep breath, she resolved to push aside her unease. *You’re here for a reason,* she reminded herself. *This is part of the mystery you need to uncover.*

The basement, usually a quiet, almost forgotten space of the gallery, felt much different now. It was as though something ancient had awakened, something tied to the very soul of the gallery itself. It unnerved her, but her curiosity drove her to search for answers.

Y/N turned her attention back to the portrait, carefully inspecting every detail. The woman in the painting wore a royal gown, embroidered with gold and intricate patterns that shimmered faintly in the dim light. Her face was soft yet melancholy, eyes wide and filled with an emotion that Y/N couldn’t quite place. A sadness, yes, but something more... urgent. She could almost hear the woman's voice pleading, though the room remained eerily silent.

*Lady Aerin,* Y/N thought, her mind racing. The name felt important, but why? There was something about the painting's presence—something both beautiful and sorrowful—that made it difficult to look away.

Suddenly, the basement door creaked open, and Y/N spun around, startled. The figure standing in the doorway was none other than Kim Taehyung, his dark eyes locked onto hers with a focus that made her heart race.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of authority. “What are you doing down here?”

Y/N swallowed, trying to steady her nerves. “I—I lost something. A ring, actually,” she stammered, glancing nervously back at the portrait. “I thought I’d check here, since... well, it’s where I found it the first time.”

Taehyung didn’t say anything for a moment. His gaze drifted toward the portrait, his expression unreadable. A muscle in his jaw twitched. He had been quiet, but there was an intensity to his silence that Y/N could feel deep in her chest.

“This portrait,” Y/N ventured, her voice barely a whisper, “I’ve never seen it before. What is it? Why is it here?”

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed, and for a split second, she thought she saw something shift in his expression. Something almost like... guilt. But it was gone before she could fully grasp it.

“Lady Aerin,” he replied, his tone cool but distant. “She has a... history with my family.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. The name had a weight to it—one that carried with it centuries of secrets. She dared not ask more, but the questions were flooding her mind.

Taehyung took a few steps toward the portrait, his movements slow, deliberate. “This painting has been here for as long as the gallery itself,” he continued. “It’s a reminder of a past we’ve tried to forget.”

Y/N couldn’t tear her gaze away from him, nor from the painting. “What happened to her?” she asked quietly, her voice betraying the fear and curiosity that had taken root inside her.

Taehyung’s lips tightened, but he didn’t respond right away. For a moment, there was an odd stillness between them, like the air itself had held its breath.

“She was once a part of my family,” Taehyung said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “But that’s a story for another time.”

Y/N nodded, though the weight of his words hung in the air. She wanted to press him further, but something in his expression told her that now was not the time. His eyes flickered briefly back to the painting before he turned to leave.

“You should go,” he said, his voice steady, though there was a tension beneath it. “The basement is no place for you.”

Y/N hesitated, glancing once more at the portrait. “Will you tell me more about Lady Aerin? About what happened?”

Taehyung paused at the door, his back to her. For a long moment, he didn’t speak, and Y/N almost thought he wasn’t going to answer. But then, in a voice that barely reached her ears, he said, “Maybe one day. But not today.”

And with that, he was gone, the door closing softly behind him.

Y/N stood there for a long while, her mind spinning. She didn’t understand what had just happened. Taehyung had been so calm, yet there was an underlying intensity in his words. The portrait, Lady Aerin’s tragic eyes, and Taehyung’s strange response—it all felt like part of a puzzle that she was only beginning to piece together.

But what was the truth behind Lady Aerin? Why had Taehyung’s family kept the portrait hidden away, and why did it seem so... alive? Y/N couldn’t ignore the pull she felt toward the painting, nor could she shake the nagging feeling that the woman in the portrait was reaching out to her, desperate for something—perhaps for freedom, or for revenge.

With one last glance at the dark basement, Y/N took a step back and slowly made her way up the stairs, her mind buzzing with questions. But one thing was certain: the deeper she delved into the mystery of Lady Aerin, the more she realized that the line between the living and the dead was not as clear-cut as she had once thought.

And her connection to the portrait—whatever it was—was only beginning to unravel.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped in her tracks. The sound of faint footsteps echoed from the direction of Taehyung’s office. Could it be... him again?