All of her life, Yaebin has been told what to do and how to act.

Sit up straight. Don’t interrupt. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.

A particular rule comes to Yaebin’s mind: Don’t stare.

And yet, it’s practically impossible to heed her mother’s advice in the presence of the visitor at her classroom doorway. In the deep depths of her mind where her common sense has quickly disappeared to, Yaebin knows she shouldn’t stand there with her eyes wide and practically hanging open like a fish out of water, but her sweaty palms and slightly elevated heart rate tell her that there’s no rational thinking now with this Minkyung Kim nearby.

“Eunwoo er- Ms. Jung, “ Minkyung backpedals, “mentioned that you are a new Kindergarten teacher this school year.” She walks into the room without waiting for Yaebin to respond, and with each step she takes, Yaebin feels even more frozen in place.

In college, Yaebin had studied art history extensively; she couldn’t get her hands on enough textbooks and in depth analyses about centuries worth of styles and artistic movements. Classical Greek art, in particular, was Yaebin's favorite to study, and she’d quickly become infatuated with the way the culture had portrayed the female body in the form of marble sculptures. Unfortunately, she’d never had the chance to travel to see such artworks in person, but Yaebin is fairly certain that she’s seeing the living, breathing equivalent right inside the walls of Forest Meadow Elementary.

Yaebin straightens her spine and shyly tucks her blonde hair behind her ear. “Yes,” she responds softly.

With the tiniest hint of a smile, Minkyung leans against one of the empty desks and crosses her arms over her chest. She says nothing, but Yaebin can practically feel her staring.

Analyzing.

Judging.

If she could just think of something to say, something smart or funny or witty to impress, she might not feel so self-conscious on the receiving end of Minkyung Kim's stare. But Yaebin's sense of humor isn't exactly everyone's cup of tea, especially in this professional setting... not to mention she's been known to freeze up around pretty women. All she can muster is a few stuttered vowels before Minkyung interrupts with a chuckle.

“Well, I do look forward to seeing you around the halls of Forest Meadow. See you soon, Yaebin.” She says goodbye with a quick bow of her head. Her hips swish softly in her fitted pants as she walks out the door, and Yaebin is left alone with the echoes of Minkyung’s high heels against the tile.

It isn’t until Minkyung is long gone that Yaebin finally notices that, despite having not given it, she’d been addressed by her first name.

When Yaebin returns home to her apartment later in the evening, she pulls out an old Strathmore pad from her art supplies along with a few worn brushes and a gently used set of watercolors. Since her unexpected meeting earlier in the day, a burst of creativity swirls around Yaebin’s head – creativity that she does not intend to let slip away. She fills a mason jar with some cool water from the faucet and sets up her supplies on the hardwood floor of her living room. Yaebin sits with her legs crisscrossed and lets the brush flow naturally, not thinking about lines or structure.

It isn’t long until the thick paper is decorated with swirling curves of deep pink and lilac. However, Yaebin can’t seem to replicate the shining and rich red of Minkyung Kim’s blouse. The image of it is clear in her mind, but the actual shade is difficult to name. Scarlet? Cherry? Apple? Yaebin stares at the palette of paint, but even with her expertise, the perfect match seems almost impossible to find.

‘Minkyung Red’ is the only way she can categorize it, and Yaebin determines that the only way she’ll be able to replicate it how she would like is to see more of it firsthand.

If she can see it again firsthand.

In the hustle and bustle of moving to a new town, Yaebin has met countless people, many who have bounced out of her life as quickly as they bounced in. None of them have had a real lasting impression, but if the odd, butterfly-like feeling in her stomach is any indication, meeting Minkyung was not by chance.

Over the years, Yaebin has attended dozens of artist talks. Their processes have always fascinated her, and to hone her craft, she’d felt the only real way was to study the methods to their hypothetical madness.

“When the right subject or theme comes along, and inspiration strikes you just so, it will all come naturally,” they’d advised. “Do not fight it. Do not question it. Let it overwhelm you. Good art should be terrifying.”

Yaebin looks down. The pink-ish hues now fade into a deeper red. It’s not quite there, not quite Minkyung Red, but it’s getting closer.

Yaebin sets the paintbrush down against the metal lid of the palette and cracks her neck. She’s suddenly aware of how long she’s been sitting in the same position with her upper body leaning slightly forward over the sketch pad. The muscles down her neck and upper arm ache. She stretches, long and slow, and groans loudly.

The chime of her cell phone forces Yaebin to take a much-needed break. She stands with a low grunt, the joints in her knees popping as she does so, and walks into the kitchen to the charger plugged into the corner of the room. There’s no voicemail or text message – nothing particularly new, Therese laments – so she determines she must have received an email. She opens the app with a tap of her thumb and scans through the array of emails she’s gotten since focusing on her artwork. There’s an Urban Outfitter's ad and a reminder from AT&T that her bill is due. Further down, there’s an email from [email protected] with the subject line of “OPEN HOUSE”.

Reluctantly, Yaebin opens it.

Good evening, FME faculty and staff,

A reminder that the Forest Meadow Elementary open house will be Monday evening for new students and their parents before the first day of school. In the past, this has been a great way for us to open the line of communication and hopefully encourage parent-teacher dialogue through the school year. 

All faculty and staff are required to attend. Providing light refreshments in your classroom is encouraged. Please call or email me with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Have a great weekend, and let’s start the new year out with excitement and enthusiasm!

  Principal Jonathan Freeman