Art Room

Kim Hyun-gi's POV

"Sorry about Lee Hae-young," Bae apologized, as she led me through a dimly lit passage way after the staircase, "She isn't like any of us."

"That's okay." I said, wondering what that really meant.

I watched Bae's hair swing from side to side as I followed her from behind. It glistened, even under the dim lighting of the passageway. As I watched it swing, I noticed oily stains on the back of her tunic. It made me realize that it wasn't the natural silkiness of her hair. It was merely the overuse of hair products.

Bae stopped at one of the doors in the passageway and opened it.

"You may get in first." She said

"Thank you."

As I entered, I was instantly struck by the charming decor of the room. The walls were adorned with violet and maroon music notes. Delicate pink roses adorned the window sill in neat flower pots, attracting bees for pollination. On either side of the room, there were two spacious beds with lavender sheets and pillows. The meticulous color coordination of everything in the room created a stunning visual that resembled a picturesque scene from where I stood.

"Hello? Eyes over here." Bae clicked her fingers at me

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm just love how the room is decorated. Did you decorate it yourself?"

"Yes, I did. It took a lot of work to get those music notes right, and to water all these flowers every single day. So, don't mess anything up. Clear?"

"Um, sure..."

"The rules are simple. Firstly, that's my side of the room," she pointed to the bed on the left side of the room, "And that's your side. Clear?"

"Clear." I said, "But do we still share the table, even though it's on your side?"

"As I said, you stay on your side, and I stay on my side." She faked a smile at me, "Clear?"

"Clear." I said, trying my best to smile back

"By the way," She said, scanning my clothes from top to bottom, "Where did you get your clothes from? The dumpster?"

"I...um..."

I was beginning not to like her very much, but I had no choice but to cooperate with her. We were roommates after all, and I needed her to be my friend.

"Nevermind. We'll fix that anyway."

She opened the wardrobe and grabbed something which appeared to be the same clothes and shoes she wore.

"I apologize for my rude manners, but this," she wagged her finger at my clothes, "is a fashion no-no."

"A fashion no-no?" I asked, confused

"You know, clothes that look like trash. That's what you're wearing right now. So, here you go." She handed me the clothes and shoes

She wasn't wrong though. The clothing I was wearing belonged to James. They were far too big for me, and they even had ketchup stains (well, I hoped it was ketchup and not blood).

"This is your uniform. You must have it on at all times during school hours, or else Miss Chan won't be happy with you. Clear?"

I nodded, then took the clothes out of her hands. She turned around to give me privacy to dress.

"So, where are you from?" Bae asked, her back still turned to me.

"I'm from the forest." I said

There was a pregnant silence between us. I didn't see why it was a problem that I came from the forest. Different people came from different places. The forest was just one of those different places.

"Are you serious?" Bae asked

"Very serious."

"...okay. Did you live with your parents?"

"My parents abandoned me in the streets when I was a baby. A Caretaker had been taking care of me from birth. But now I live with a middle-aged hunter named James. We met a few days ago, and are still getting to know each other." I smiled at the thought of James. His touch still lingered on my hand. It made me feel good, to be opening up to someone my age. However, I wasn't sure if Bae was impressed at all.

"Wait, whaa--! Hold on, is what you're telling me true, or are you just making this up?" She asked

"It's all true. It isn't the best life, but I don't mind opening up about it to you. That's how people make friends, right?"

"Err...sure?" She said, uncertain

As I spoke to her, the thought of James suddenly disappeared, and the bitter memories from my past crawled into my mind. The unhealed wounds were slowly opening up again, wanting to be felt, just like in the old days. The feeling of nostalgia weakened my happiness, and was forcefully pulling me back into the dark hole of my past. I guessed opening up about my past before fully healing from it wasn't such a good idea.

"Kim Hyun-gi, are you done yet?" Bae asked

"Um, yes!" I quickly wiped the tears forming in my eyes, "How do I look?"

She turned around and examined the uniform on me. The material of the tunic itched on my skin and the shoes were too big on my feet. I guess that was the curse I got for having a lissome body.

"Nice fit, except the shoes, but we'll deal with that later."

Suddenly, a bell rang loudly nearby, bitterly hurting my poor eardrums.

"That's the bell!" Bae exclaimed, pulling me by the arm "Quick! Let's get to class. We can't be late."

"Oh, okay!"

------------------

Our footsteps echoed through the hollow walls of the passage way as we made our way to our classroom. My footsteps were louder than Bae's, considering how big the shoes are. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't even walk like a civilized girl in them. But it wasn't my fault that they didn't have extra shoe sizes available. They had no right to reprimand me for stomping my feet like Bigfoot wearing kitten heels.

"Kim Hyun-gi," Bae said," Would you mind to stomp your feet less and walk more like a girl? It's very uncivilized."

I spoke too soon.

As we walked deeper down the hallway, I noticed a large, decoratively carved door with vines and roses growing at its edges. I wondered if the room behind it was as enchanted as the door looked. My excitement grew, hoping that my class would be within that door.

I was curious to know what was behind that door, so I increased my walking pace to overtake Bae. As I approached it closer and closer, it seemed as if the vines and roses started to move around themselves. I thought it was merely my eyes seeing things, but I reached for the door knob anyway.

Before the tip of my finger could even touch the gold-plated door knob, Bae called from behind me.

"Kim Hyun-gi, our class is here."

I turned around and found her holding the door knob of a smaller door. A dull door.

"What's in this room?" I asked curiously about the room with the enchanted door

"Don't know." Bae shrugged, "But you shouldn't get too close to it. Miss Chan never allows us in there. It's part of the school rules."

I looked back at the door. Were my eyes fooling me when those vines moved by themselves? I must've been hallucinating or something. I shook my head, and let those thoughts disappear.

"Come on! We're late!" Bae exclaimed

We both sprinted into the room with the small door. The room was spacious just like the others. But this time, everything was filled with so much colour. It was as if a rainbow puked all over the place. I assumed it was an Art class. Different colours of paint were decoratively splashed all over the walls. The tables and chairs were arranged in rainbow coded rows. Even Miss Chan's table had a touch of art to it. It was white with black polka dots all over it. The chair was light grey, which pretty much matched the table.

"Get in ladies! There's no time to be slacking." Miss Chan commanded, snapping her fingers

We scrambled to two open seats and sat down immediately. Miss Chan may have been a friendly woman, but when it came to a person's timing, she was a feisty one.

"Ladies, what is rule number 6 in the rule book?" She asked, squinting her eyes at us with disappointment.

"Always be on time, no matter what." All the girls said in unison. I just sat there and looked stupid

"Is that clear, Kim Hyun-gi?" She asked, looking at stupid little me now. I froze for a few seconds before I could answer.

"Y-yes, Miss Chan." I said, with a nod

The girls around me giggled after my response. They were never going to like me.

The class had begun. My very first class. Miss Chan started explaining the history of different types of flowers and plants. I didn't understand what any of it had to do with Art, but I listened anyway. This was my first time learning something. I was finally doing something useful with my life. Something that I didn't have to regret and beat myself up for. My past was being pushed aside and new beginnings were coming through to me. New beginnings meant a new me.

"And so with that being said," Miss Chan concluded, "You girls will be painting a portrait of your favorite flower. It can be any flower that comes to your mind first. A rose; a lily; a tiger lily; an iris; anything! All you have to do is use your colourful imaginations and put it on paper. What is our art motto, ladies?"

"Knowledge comes from the brain, but art comes from the heart." The girls said

"Take note of that, alright Kim Hyun-gi?"

"Yes, Miss Chan." I sighed. I needed her to stop targeting me, because the other girls found it very amusing. Being a joke was the last thing I needed to be.

"Okay. Everyone get to your painting boards. It is time to paint!"

We all got up from our seats and walked to the back of the class where the painting boards were. As I walked past the tables, I didn't realize that someone stuck their foot in front of me until I tripped and fell onto the ground.

All the girls gasped at the sight of me. Have they never seen someone fall before, or was that forbidden in the rule book too? But when I felt a cold breeze brush against my butt, I realized my pride had crumbled into a million pieces .

"Hahaha!" Lee Haeyoung, the cheeky girl, bursted into laughter, "Kim Hyun-gi isn't wear any underwear!"

It was her who tripped me. What on earth did that girl have against me? I had never even spoken to her before. I guessed that her role in the school background was being The Bully.

"Oh my!" Miss Chan rushed towards me and pulled my dress down so that it covered my butt

Bae had her eyes covered with her hands, but the other girls couldn't help but stare in shock. I felt a tear flow down my cheek. Those girls made it clear that I didn't fit in with them, just like Lee Haeyoung. I was meant to be a nobody, just like when I lived in the orphanage. I didn't belong there. The city wasn't a place for forest girls like me.

"Lee Haeyoung! How could you?!" Miss Chan yelled, her face turning a red colour

"It was an accident, I swear. I don't know how my foot got there." Lee Haeyoung said, trying her best not to laugh. No way was she going to fool Miss Chan.

"You have caused enough mischief for one day. Go to my office, now!"

"Cool! That means no class for me today." Lee Haeyoung said, and skipped happily out of the class.

Miss Chan helped me up to my feet and dusted my dress for me. I didn't dare to look up at the other girls staring at me. I wasn't ladylike like they were. I was a creature that came from the forest.

"Uh..." Miss Chan was lost for words. The joyful spirit of the Art class was dead now. There was no use of making good artwork now. I was nothing but a disappointment to everyone. If I couldn't fit in for just a few hours, then I had no chance.

The only thing I could do was run. I rushed past Miss Chan and ran out of the room. It didn't matter where I went within the building. I just needed to be out of that classroom. Away from everyone.