Bandaids & Punches ✔️

3. Priority: Be Humane

January 24, 5:09 P.M.

"Fresh fishes at lowest prices!"

"Buy two toys and get one free!"

"Fruits for sale, fruits for sale!"

The vendors of Samsongpyeol street market chant their daily taglines as Haneul walks around searching for something interesting to buy. Chief Min kicked him out of a meeting after he failed to pay attention to his words. It wasn't his fault, he blames Jisoo for distracting him. It's been two days, and the younger has still not replied to any of Haneul's messages and calls.

Xue Yang hired him as a doctor at the fight club but informed him that it would take at least a week to set up the room completely. Until then, Haneul didn't have to come to the club. The doctor notified Yang beforehand that his day job is already hectic and he makes no promises of working regularly at the fight club. The sole purpose of him asking to get hired is to confront Jisoo, but Yang doesn't need to know that. He'll leave as soon as he gets his answers and never look back. Getting involved with the underworld isn't a smart idea, it's a given. It'd complicate things for him in the long run just as Jisoo had stated. And that confuses the blue-head even more as to why would Jisoo go for something he strongly opposes.

Haneul skips through the market and throws heart-warming smiles at the old people selling their items. Their enthusiasm never fails to put him in a pleasant mood. Since he was a child, he had frequently come to places like these with his grandmother. The older woman always reminded her grandson, "no matter what status we hold in society, true love and respect come only when you're humane first." She would give small but powerful bits of advice, which eventually got inscribed in Haneul's heart. Coming from a well-off background, he's never been deprived of any luxury, be it buying branded goods on a whim or discarding them without a second thought. But his haelmoni insisted on looking at people lower than them in status to make Haneul understand their lives and be more empathic.

In the middle of the market, Haneul spots a girl on a motorized wheelchair selling paintings. She has a few landscape canvases and some abstract paintings hanging on the bulletin board behind her. Haneul has had a fair share of art museum visits, even though he never did understand why most of the paintings were put up and sold for such high prices. His mother is one such woman, buying off pieces to put up in their mansion. Closing in further, Haneul sees the girl's face light up upon his arrival. She has small, feline eyes, soft cupid lips, and a mole near her eyebrow. The unwashed paint on her cotton overalls and hands hint at the paintings being her own.

"Show me your best paintings," Haneul states, his voice smooth but humble.

The girl nods enthusiastically and skims through her work. She presents three square canvases to Haneul; a night sky in winter with a child playing in the snow, Vincent Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night', and finally a man enclosing a girl with his large, white wings. "Do you want any?" she asks with hopeful eyes and a nervous smile.

"What do all these mean?" Haneul inquires instead.

"This one is when I saw a child at the park, laughing with no worries, living in the moment. I think we all should do the same." Her lips curve up slightly, recalling the scene. "This is a replica of the original work." She points at the Van Gogh painting. "And lastly, this is a guardian angel protecting his person, a reminder that someone will always be there. For me, it's my brother!" Another heartwarming smile makes its way onto her face, cherry lips spreading wide.

Haneul observes the pieces. The dark and light hues come together and blend, forming the characters in the paintings. The strokes are done skillfully, highlighting the minute details. "I'll take the first and third one," he says, reaching for his wallet.