It was turning to dusk by the time they said their goodbyes. The cool and calming evening breeze caressed her face, making her walk back to the hotel an enjoyable one. BoA couldn't hold back her smile as she walked, thinking about the day's events. She had had fun. More so than she thought she would.

Shin was someone who shared her passions and it was almost too much of a coincidence that they met. Maybe she was fated to meet him and...

"Snap out of it!" BoA said aloud to herself. She wasn't supposed to be having girlish fantasies right now. She still had a fiance waiting for her in Korea and who was Shin anyway? A man she knew him for less than 24 hours and yet...

BoA sighed, what was she thinking? So lost she was in her thoughts that she suddenly realized she had walked the wrong way. This wasn't the way back to the hotel.

She had ended up at some other part of the beach. A little further out at sea, there was a small promontory which was only visible at low tide. At this moment, she saw that a couple had climbed onto the top of it to watch the sunset in each other's arms. The scene before her brought back memories of how, once, Jung Hoon and her had also watched the sunset together. But it also reminded her of how she was always in his shadow. Everything about her was associated with his name. People knew her as Jung Hoon's fiance-to-be, Jung Hoon's girlfriend or the Cinderella lucky enough to marry the son of rich businessman...sometimes she even doubted if these people even knew her name.

Shaking off her thoughts, she sat down at a nearby bench and allowed her vision to rest upon the gorgeous sight of sunset. As her mind slowly settled down; brushing away all the lingering thoughts that troubled her, she found her heart at ease. And suddenly, Lady Muse seemed to flow into her spirit.

Swirl of turbulent colors;

BoA's lips curved up to a sweet smile as she chorused softly to herself.

dying down into darkness.

Nature never failed to amaze her. The blend of colors, although contrasting, was in perfect harmony with one another.

Closure to an episode of life,
yet a start of a new beginning.

BoA smiled to herself, she knew what scenery she wanted Shin to paint now.

*

"I know what I want you to paint for me now! Are you alright with taking some time off today?"

Jae Joong raised his eyes from his food to see her standing in front of him, her smile, ever so radiant, wisps of stray hair blowing across the sides of her face...

Then he roused himself from his trance, clearing his throat, "Why...why yes of course," he said, embarrassed that he had been staring at her for so long.

BoA smiled, "Perfect! But this scene can only be painted in the evening. So will you be free then?"

Jae Joong nodded, "Yes, definitely!"

"Great!"

A moment of silence came in between them.

Jae Joong cleared his throat, breaking the awkwardness, "So Violette, what are you doing today?"

BoA sat down on the seat beside him, "I was about to ask you that," she said cheerfully, her eyes dancing. "I was thinking of some sight seeing today and then during the evening you could do the painting."

Jae Joong smiled in agreement, "Let's do that then! I know of a few cool places to go to."

BoA tossed her head, and then rested her chin on her hand, a smile playing on her lips. "Well, so do I."

Jae Joong laughed and then reached for his bag, "Then we'd better get going if we're to see all of them by evening!"

He was about to walk away when BoA called to him. "Erm...Shin? You haven't paid for your food."

His face turned a light crimson, "Right...I forgot," he mumbled sheepishly and hurriedly walked back to place a few bills on the table.

The next moment, he caught hold of her hand, pulling her along, "Okay, let's go!"

BoA let him lead her on, acutely aware of the hand that held hers and suddenly, she felt shy.

*

The day passed very quickly and they went to see sights such as Fort Charlotte, Adelaide Village, Coral World etc... It was pure fun.

"These are artificial?" BoA exclaimed, pressing her forehead to the glass to get a closer look at the corals.

"Apparently." Jae Joong said, flipping through the brochure. "This is the largest man made reef in the world."

BoA seemed totally amazed by the artificial corals, "That's incredible. The corals look so real and the fish are actually feeding off them!"

Jae Joong smiled silently by the side, amused by her reactions. Underneath that air of sophistication that surrounded her, she had a child like innocence about her.

Just then, BoA looked at her watch and realized it was nearly time to go. "Time sure flies. It's nearly evening."

Jae Joong took one last look at the corals through the glass, "Well let's start heading back then?"

BoA nodded and followed him out of the stationary boat.

*

"I had fun today," BoA said, as they walked back to the main beach.

Jae Joong smiled, "Yeah me too."

They walked for awhile in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Thanks Shin," BoA said softly, her voice full of gratitude. "I'm really glad to have met you."

Jae Joong stopped in his tracks. It was in spending this time with her that he felt like he had found himself again. With her, he could truly be himself. He was truly happy to have met her and this time in the Bahamas. He wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else.

"Violette there's something I want to say..."

"Oh look we're here!' BoA exclaimed, cutting him off. She ran ahead to the bit of beach a short distance away, beckoning him to follow.

When he caught up, she turned to him, smiling. "Can I request for you to paint this lovely sunset for me? It's beautiful."

Jae Joong looked out towards the horizon. The sun was now a great red ball of fire in the middle of the sky which was streaked with orange.

Taking out his paint materials, Jae Joong sat down on the sand and began to paint.

BoA stopped him, "Hang on!" She gave a polite smile before she continued, "I have one more request...will you paint this scenery with me sitting on that rock over there?" she asked, pointing to the promontory which was now visible again because of the low tide.

"It'll turn out to be just your silhouette though," Jae Joong said.

BoA nodded, "That's how I want it to be. If you need me to adjust my positioning just give me a shout alright?"

Jae Joong smiled, "Yup. Be careful while you climb up that rock!"

It wasn't long before BoA had positioned herself on the top of the rock. She sat with one leg tucked under her while the other was raised so that she could rest her arm on her knee. Then she turned to look off into the sunset, her long hair billowing in the wind.

After awhile, she heard Shin's voice yelling, "Perfect, Violette! Just remain like that!"

BoA continued to maintain her position, her eyes taking in the breathtaking view. She watched the sky turn from orange to purple and watched the birds circling the sea. Here, where she was alone, a good few meters away from anyone, she let her thoughts wander.

"I'm just myself now." She thought, "Whether it be Violette or BoA, it's just me now...not Cinderella or the future Mrs. Kim Jung Hoon."

At this moment, BoA realized that she was free. She was BoA Kwon and she was free to be herself. She had a say in her own life and in love. She did not need to force herself to marry someone whom she knew wasn't the one for her. Her own happiness did matter.

Time seemed to pass quickly and before she knew it, she heard Shin calling out to her.

"It's done!"

With that, BoA climbed off the rock and made her way back to the beach where Shin was waiting with the finished canvas in his hands.

"I hope you like it," Jae Joong said as he handed the canvas to her.

BoA looked at it and she couldn't help but gasp when she saw it.

It was perfect.

The coloring, the mood, the depiction...everything!

"Shin..." BoA started, her voice soft, "I don't know what to say. It's wonderful...beyond wonderful. You truly are an artist."

Suddenly, BoA felt herself being pulled into his arms. She gasped, nearly dropping the canvas.

"Shin...what..."

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude, "You're the first person to ever call me an artist."

Her praise meant the world to him. It was the first time someone had ever praised him for his work. Whenever he showed his father his paintings, even as a kid, they were always brushed aside. Nobody paid any attention to them and no one cared.

All his father cared about were his grades in school and the business so it wasn't long before painting seemed like a waste of time to his father. Jae Joong continued to paint, but in secret ensuring that his father didn't see. If he did, he would have gotten scolded for slacking off on his studies.

"Shin..."

Before she could say anything else, he released her, a smile on his face. "Well, since my work is beyond wonderful, maybe I should start charging you a fee!" he said teasingly.

BoA was thankful that it was quite dark so he couldn't see her blush. "It really is a beautiful piece of work!" she insisted.

Jae Joong shrugged, "Hopefully your poetry will be just as good!" he said, giving her a playful wink.

"It will be!" BoA said, indignant. "You'll be blown away. "

Jae Joong laughed, "We'll see about that tomorrow. It's getting dark now, we'd better head back."

"Tomorrow, I will present you with a poem worthy of this piece of art," she said in a confident tone, grinning, as she recalled her composition back at the beach while she was alone.

Jae Joong smiled, "As I've said, we'll see about that."

Copyright Alexis 2008-2011