-Chapter Eight-

Butterfly

No matter how much he felt for her and no matter how much she was bothered by him there was still this thick invisible wall dividing them. There was this line drawn in the middle of them, separating them from each other. There were together skin touching skin but then there was still this invisible thick wall in between them.

‘May I have the attention of everyone,’ Sohee said against the microphone she was holding as she stood in the stage as every attention drifted on her. ‘What is a confession?’ she started as she scanned the whole gymnasium. ‘When you open your dictionary it will say that confession is noun and it is the act of confessing. And today we will see the confession of our 20 participants on Choi University’s annual Picasso with the theme of Confession: I was born for this,’

Claps filled the whole gymnasium as Sohee smiled to everyone. ‘Good Morning everyone I am An Sohee,’ she said bowing down. ‘And I will be your host for this event,’

‘I’m sure you are all excited to see what the talented students of our university came up with. We will not make you wait any longer as we will reveal all 20 artworks one by one starting from Joon and his work Blaze,’ Sohee announced as every attention drifted to the said painter as he slowly pulled the black cloth covering his artwork revealing it to the public as Sohee walked her way to him. She handed her the microphone as the painted read the metal plate he received a while ago. After doing so he then placed the metal plate on the holder of the wooden stand supporting his painting.

Every eye was focused on each painter as they get their highlight, much like his friends who were listening carefully at each contestant yet he was there staring at her as she was sitting at on her seat together with her co faculty members.

She was wearing a long sleeved dark blue vintage styled dress, her hair tied neatly on a bun and he can’t even think how it was possible that everybody sitting next to her wear all wearing makeup and dresses more expensive and eye catching than hers but she still stood up among the rest. It was like her skin was glowing and her beauty was shining.

And in the middle of that crowd she was the only one he could see. His heart fluttered as it thumped impatiently in his chest, his stomach soon was filled with butterflies as a small smile curved on his lips.

For the first time in his life, he wanted to win. He wanted to win so badly.

He needed to win.

‘Lastly will be our last minute participant G-Dragon with his work butterfly,’ Sohee said as she walked towards Jiyong and he felt suddenly nervous like he was melting. Every eye was on him, some are even whispering words of admiration for the young painting prodigy. Sohee smiled at Jiyong as Jiyong stared at her for a moment before exhaling hoping his anxiousness will leave his body together with that sigh, hoping to breathed out all the butterflies inside his stomach

He glanced at Dara as she was staring at him. And it made him more nervous. He swallowed hard as he soon gently removed the black cloth covering his work as it was slowly revealed in the public’s eyes.

Everyone stared at his artwork with awe and expression beyond admiration, beyond amazement as his art seemed to come to life before their eyes that the whole place was consumed with silence. Sohee was not able to say anything as she kept her eyes on his painting.

It was painting of a boy painting blue butterflies in a canvas as he was lying on the floor with the butterflies coming to life, but that’s the only thing you’ll see if you were standing close to it. It looked like a simple painting as you stood close to it but as you distanced yourself from the painting the image you’ll see will soon be changed. It was an optical illusion. The painting was a big optical illusion.

Dara stood in her seat as she stared at his painting. She stared at the boy and a girl lying facing each other, lips almost touching each other. The boy was staring at girl who has her eyes close oblivious on how the boy was looking at her lovingly, more on longingly.

The boy was longing though they were together, lying close, almost touching yet he was deeply longing for her.

‘Good morning to everyone,’ Jiyong started as he held the microphone tightly as Dara’s eyes drifted on him. Their eyes met and it was as if everything faded to black, like they were the only one inside that huge gymnasium. Like they were the only one existing. ‘I am G-Dragon,’ he said as he bowed down and then stood up meeting her eyes once more.

‘The title of the painting is butterfly,’ he started. ‘I guess you all know why,’ he said chuckling still with eyes not leaving her like they are just talking like she was standing just right in front of him. ‘I actually didn’t understand the prompt,’ he laughed as everyone stared at him in disbelief, even his friends. ‘What I understand was there was confession, and then there was this I was born for this,’

‘The first time I hold a paint brush I know I was born to be a painter, to be artist,’ he said chuckling. ‘But now,’ he trailed off as he stared at his painting. ‘I think I was born for something bigger than being a painter, being an artist. I was born for something different I couldn’t just pinpoint what it is but I’m sure it is giving me millions of butterflies inside my stomach,’

He chuckled as he bit his lips eyes drifting back to her. ‘But I guess soon I’ll find out. What I wanted to say here is you can’t limit yourself by telling you were born for this or that, you are born for everything. Don’t limit yourself if you made someone smile then you were born to make that someone smile. If you help an old woman cross the street then you were born to help her cross the street,’