Her eyes were cold and dead.  It makes one wonder how her smile would look like.

“Hello, my name is Jessica Jung.  Please take care of me!”  She gave a bow and the teacher instructed her to take her seat.  She was placed on the second to the last row and the second column near the window.  She liked her place well enough.  It would be nicer to be by the window, though- she thought as she glanced at the seat beside her.

“Hi there, I’m Kwon Yuri.”  The owner of the seat she wanted beamed at her the second they made eye contact.  “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”  She answered softly so as not to be noticed by the teacher.  She also immediately turned to her front and dazed towards the board.  The rest of the first period passed by quickly and so did the second and third.  She then found herself walking towards the changing room to get dressed for PE.  Jessica would have loved to stroll but she was not permitted the time.  She sighed at the thought and continued her walk until Yuri fell in beside her and spoke, “Hey there.”  Jessica jumped up in surprise, her heart beating wildly.  “Oops, sorry if I scared you” and again, Yuri beamed at her and Jessica could not help but smile back.  The two of them went to change and to class together.  Somewhere in the middle of the class, they decided to eat lunch together.  Yuri offered to help Jessica get familiar with the school in exchange for walking home together with her later.

The fifth period was History, and Jessica, no matter how much she loved the subject, found it a torture after doing so much physical activities.  Her eyes were starting to drop when Yuri tapped her shoulder.  “Sica, the teacher’s eyeing you.  Wake up.”  And Jessica immediately shot her eyes open.  Warily, she looked at the teacher, finding out that Yuri was right.  She looked down at her textbook and hoped that the teacher would let her pass just this once.  He did, thankfully.

The bell rang signalling that it was time for lunch.  Yuri took Jessica’s hand, half-dragged and half-led her to the smallest building in the campus.  It was the Arts building.  Below was the room for painting, sculpture, wood carving, and other art projects.  Above was the music room.  They sat on the floor beside the grand piano and ate there.

“Do you know how to play?”  Yuri asked when they finished eating lunch.  “No, not really” Jessica replied meekly.  She wanted to ask if Yuri could play but then she heard the piano when she had parted her lips to speak.  “Do you know this song?”  Yuri asked and Jessica nodded.  “Would you sing it for me then?  I don’t have a very good voice.  But you look like you can hit the notes.”  Jessica could not sing for her though.  Yuri judged right, but Jessica was shy.  She was not accustomed to singing for others apart from her family because there, she would be singing with her sister and that eased some of the pressure.  Having no other thoughts, she lied, “I- I can’t sing.”

“And you can’t lie as well it seems.”  Yuri said nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off the keys.  Jessica flushed at the remark.  ‘How could she read someone like that so easily?’  Jessica would have given everything to be able to read people.  But somehow, God did not see it fit for her.  Instead, He gave her other talents for which she was thankful for… most of them anyway.

“I-

“Don’t be shy.  You have nothing to be shy about.  Go on, please.”  And after that bit of urging and a puppy dog’s eyes directed at her, Jessica finally sang.

“Baby you’re all that I want

When you’re lying here in my arms

The bell rang for the last time that day.  Yuri and Jessica packed their things and headed out of school.

“So, how did you find your first day?”  Yuri inquired as the two of them were seated on the swing eating ice cream.  “It’s okay.  And I have you to thank for that.  As you may know, I’m really, really shy so I find it really hard to approach others.  It’s only when they talk to me that I start loosening up a bit.  But they find that hard because of my looks.”  Jessica smiled weakly as she finished her sentence.

“Well, you are still shy to me.  But, I’m gonna have to disagree with the ‘looks’ part.  I think you’re very pretty.  And that cold aura you give off makes you so much more gorgeous, if truth be told.”

The two of them continued to hang out with each other.  They ate lunch at the music room, played songs afterwards, had snacks in between their walk home, and spent the weekends together at Jessica’s home.

Yuri was enough for Jessica – more than enough, even.  She did not find the need to be with others so long as Yuri was with her.  But, as the days went by at school, there were some that she met and became friends with.  One day, Jessica finally convinced Yuri to let their new friends eat lunch with them at the music room. 

“It’s on you if this goes bad.”  Yuri threatened.

“It won’t, I promise.”  And with that, Jessica dragged Yuri inside the building where their friends were waiting.  “Hi guys!”  Jessica greeted, Yuri only smiled, and their friends greeted back.  They then ate and told stories shifting from one topic to the next.  Then the topic changed to ghost stories and Ye-eun, who has been in the school since first grade, told the story about the one haunting their school.  Yuri shifted on her seat.  She did not like the story so she glanced at Jessica to ask her if she could leave for a while or perhaps change the topic.  Jessica looked back at her, but her eyes were cold and Yuri knew at once that she could not do what she wanted.  And so, she unwillingly listened while wishing for the bell to ring quickly.  It did not until Ye-eun was about to finish.  “The painting is still here, you know.  That’s why the school’s still being haunted.”

The five of them came back to class with the story still stuck in their minds.  Jessica, most of all, was bothered and Yuri knew that.

On their way home, they bought a bag of chips and stopped by at the park to eat it.  Yuri knew that Jessica would ask about the story again so she took it upon herself to speak first.

“It’s like Dorian Gray of the dead.  So long as the painting remains, the ghost will prowl around.”

“So, if the ghost sees the painting, then the ghost will be gone?”

“Yep”

“What if the painting gets destroyed?”

“Then the ghost will remain in this world forever.  That’s its one difference from Dorian Gray.”  Jessica nodded.  Yuri could see that she was deep in thought.  “So~ do you know where the painting is?”

‘I knew it.’  Yuri thought as she gulped the slump in .  Jessica saw what she did and immediately, she flashed a wide grin.  “You do know where it is!”  She bolted up, took Yuri’s hand and started to drag her.  “Come on!”

“But, Jessica-

“Oh come on, Yuri!  Don’t be such a chicken!”  But Yuri still hesitated.  She did not know if this was such a good idea.  “Jessica, I don’t think this is a good idea.”  And that made Jessica stop on her tracks.  She turned her head towards the taller girl, “Just trust me on this one, okay?”  She could be very selfish at times, most of the times, really- Yuri thought.  She sighed and Jessica took that as her agreement and so they continued to walk on.

They climbed the wall at the back of the school so as not to be seen by the guards.  They then hurriedly walked inside the Arts building.  They entered the painting room.  The sun has still not set so they did not need the lights.  Jessica was thankful for that meant a smoother operation.  Yuri, on the other hand, still felt wary so she stayed by the door just in case anything was to happen.

“Where is it?”  Jessica asked, looking straight at Yuri's brown eyes.  Yuri pointed at the biggest painting inside the room.

“The Last Supper painting?”  Jessica asked, confusion written all over her face.

“It’s behind it.”  Yuri said and Jessica’s mouth formed an ‘o’.  She skipped towards the painting and grabbed its bottom.  “Woah~ it’s kinda heavy.”  Jessica announced but Yuri would not be swayed by that.  “Hey, you only made me agree to accompany you and point where the painting is.”  And for once, Jessica did not argue with Yuri’s decision.

With all her might, Jessica lifted the painting and set it down on the floor.  When she looked up at the wall again, a white cloth hung and Jessica knew that what she was looking for was behind it, so she did not hesitate and quickly pulled the cloth down.  And there it was.  She took it down and stared at it, marvelling at how beautifully it has been done.  But there was no mistaking that the girl with the jet black hair was more beautiful in person than in a painting.

After some more moment of staring, Jessica set the painting gently on top of the table, poured the entire content of the alcohol she always carried in her bag, and threw a lighter on top of it.  When she was sure that everything has turned to ashes, she walked outside the room and called on Yuri who was wearing a confused, worried, and weary face.  But instead of asking, she grinned at the girl and led her inside.  Together, they hung the white cloth and the Last Supper painting back to its original place.  Yuri gave a last lingering look and so did Jessica.

Her eyes were cold and dead.  But somehow, Jessica knew that her smile would melt anyone’s heart.  And it gave Jessica solace that from now on she’s the only one who would see that smile.