Chapter 2.

The night came suddenly, darkening every corner of the building, the dusty, coold corners seemed colder but she didn't mind, it had it's charm, the little place she rented with the last of her money. She just finished her second painting. Two dark , slanted eyes staring under a shrouded hood. Adding sparks of green gave them almost a crazy looking glaze. Her mouth moved with the slow drumming from from the other end. It pulsated in even paces, just like a pulse of a living being. Clear, regular pulses with small intervals.

Just like breathing.

A new sketch was already forming. Her fingers were always itching, pen in hand, mindlessly scribbling curves, straight lines, dots, creating, forming. Even in her sleep, her fingers fidgeted like they were inprisoned by an invisible force and they wanted to break fee.

Beep

Beep

The shrill tone of the house bell rattled her. Frowning she walked to the front door, she kept it unlocked, there were just the three of them anyways, and opened it. Kyung stood smiling.

˝It's time for dinner, wanna join us?˝

˝Dinner?˝

˝Yes, it's already 8 p.m.˝ - Oh, she turned around and shrugged. If she ate now, she could work more later. Kyung laughed and she raised an eyebrow.

˝There's a paint brush in your hair˝

˝Yes, it keeps it from my face˝- Lee Ann walked out calmy without even shutting the door. The floor smelled moldy and old, creaking under her shoes. Kyung was at her side in an instant, still smiling and trying to start a conversation.

The walk was short and they stood in front of a beaten up door, the wood softly moving to the beat coming from the inside. Kyung pulled the handle and let her inside.

˝Come in, make yourself comfortable˝- He smiled widely and took of his shoes. The apartment was an exact replica of hers, the only difference was a few speakers and an old computer by the window. The other boy was sitting in front of it, big headphones over his ears silently bobbing to the music and scribbling down. ˝He's working, don't mind him, as soon as the ramen smell spreads he'll join us˝- Kyung explained.

Lee Ann watched the boy work silently. She sat beside him and let her mind wander. The steady beat was lulling her to sleep, images dancing behind her eyelids. Something took her hand. Flustered she opened her eyes and found herself staring at two narrow eyes. Examining her like an alien.

˝You...˝- he said sharply.

˝Me...˝- She countered slowly. The power of his stare was fierce, she felt like he stared into her soul. A frown stretched on his features but then he grinned and her heart did a somerhault. His eyes tranformed from the narrow, coldness to twinkling warmth. ˝Do you have a pen and paper?˝

His eyes turned confused and he tore her a page from his notebook while giving her his pen. It was yellow BIC pen with a chewed on cap. She took on the details of the paper, it was older, the edges flipped and the surface indented with the remnants of hangul of the previous page. Tracing some choal would let her read the whole thing again..

Her hand moved slowly on the paper, leaving only light marks with the pen. She wanted to leave room for additional changes, she wanted to capture the way his eyes smiled. Immersed in her thoughts she didn't see his hand reach for another pencil and sketching on his notebook as well. He'd glance up and then down, mimicking her perfectly. Kyung stared from the kitchen – Perfect wierdos..

The smell of ramen filled her nostrils and her stomach let an embarassing roar. Someone laughed and she found herself staring back at him.

˝You're good, I'm Jiho˝- He bowed his head slitly and she peered at the top of the bleached hair. The strands seemed soft and puffy and she wanted to touch them, to feel the texture and transfer it to a canvas. She showed him her sketch with a small smile.

˝It needs more work, Ann˝- Bowing her head her eyes fell on his notepad. A rough sketch, similar to a caroon like of her. Her eyes were drawn bigger and her nose and lips pointed outwards forming a pouting espression. He added her messy bun and even shaded the paint brush holding it. ˝That's great for such a short time˝

˝Ah, it's bad. I went to college for art but I suck kinda...this is my life˝- He turned with excited eyes and showed the computer. Ann snorted lightly and then Kyung waved a plate between them.

˝Love birds, dinner's readdddy˝- His voice came out sugary sweet and Jiho punched his arm.

˝You're rude, gimme that˝- A faint rosy hue was on his cheeks. Ann's fingers itched, she needed a light rosy color and a soft, round brush. The ramen smelled divine to her empty stomach and she thanked and bowed for the steamy bowl she recieved from Kyung. It tasted cheap and fake but for her hungry tummy and thin wallet it was heaven and she wasn't alone. The boys chatted quite lively, bickering often like an old married couple and smiled a lot. They were dreaming of fame, rappers they wanted to be. It explained the artificial heart beat she heard that day, song beats.

˝What are you doing in this shithole? You obviously can paint great, so why?˝- Kyung asked. He had sneaked a few glances at her apartment and the paiting she was working on. The eyes seemed kinda familiar but he decided to keep it to himself, bribery power should be used wisely.

˝I got kicked out. My parents dissoved me as a failure, so I'm doing all I can, paint˝- Lee Ann said normally like it didn't bother her. In fact it didn't much, her parents were absent most of her childhood, nanny's always around and an empty manor around her. She only missed the security she had, now she had to think about spending money, what and how to eat. At first she didn't know how to wash clothes or do the bed – the fact that servants did that to her made her incompetent. Two years had passed since she lived on her own, other than loosing a bit of baby fat she was still alive and healthy.

˝Woow...˝- Kyung said holding his chopsticks awkwardly, he glanced up to Jiho. Jiho nodded and got up. He retrieved an old box and pushed it to her.

˝Open it˝- Curiously Ann put her chopsticks and bowl down and opened the thin tin box. Papers, wish stars and other bits were strewn away. An eyebrow raised and a confused look made the boys laugh.

˝Wish box, whenever you need a goal or something to remind yourself, peek into it, see it written down and find strenght I guess. Shit happens in life, you know˝- He was struggling now. Embarased and slightly flushed cheeks. She really wanted to paint him, instead she ripped a piece of her sketch and scribbled on it.

May your muse always be in front of your eyes

˝Pretty˝- Kyung commented. Jiho still avoided her eyes but smiled. Wrapping it with a random rubber band she placed it into the box and gave it straight to Jiho.

˝You know keep my wish˝- The smile she recieved made all of her painting nerves tingle.