Note: All the places, characters, and scenes are purely fictional.

If it wasn't because of the small stone in the middle of the street, or if it wasn't because of the heat of the sun overhead her, if it wasn't because of the crumbling sound of her stomach, Kim Lip could be found dead at this very moment.

She was carrying her last batch of paintings on hand and her stomach was voicing her hunger. She slightly punched it with her fist to ease it for a bit longer. She's almost there. Don’t get her wrong, she has money to buy food. She wanted to finish everything today. Not tomorrow, not next week. So, work now, eat later.

She got annoyed by the heat, punching her stomach lightly when she blindly stepped on the stone in the middle of the street, causing her to stumble on the concrete. She cursed under her breath. It’s obvious, as a mother and as an artist preparing for an exhibit, there are indeed a million things running through her head. But does it need for her to stumble on the floor just to wake up? Like, literally wake up?

A loud horn from someone's car cut her thoughts drastically. Kim Lip's vision was still blurry because of panic but somehow she saw a figure, who she quickly concluded, was the one who horns the car. "What the are you doing!?" Said the man. "If you want to die, just jump off a building!" Then he sprinted away from the scene as nothing happened.

Kim Lip's breathing is starting to block. This is usual, especially when she’s stressed. But today, it's a different story. She realized that she almost died, almost hit by the car, but luckily she was still breathing. The stone that she thought was unlucky of her, brought her to earth instead of hell. "Calm down, calm down." She whispered to herself, grasping her chest, punching it lightly for every second or two, stabilizing her rhythm of breathing. She pulled herself, as well as her paintings, to the pavement beside the street.

"Kim Lip!" A voice behind her. "What happened?" Her best friend, Jiwoo, rushed in her direction, helped her to stand up. Jiwoo offered a hand to her best friend to lean on but Kim Lip, on the other hand, was still out of this world. She was still stuck at that moment where she was almost hit by the car. That miraculous moment deserves praise. Kim Lip thought. Jiwoo pats Kim Lip’s pants to take off the dust from her clothes. Jiwoo took another look from her best friend, head to toe. "Are you okay?" Jiwoo asked.

Kim Lip shook her head to set the things inside her mind aside. "Yes," her voice was tiny. She then quickly stands, carrying the painting from the cold concrete. "Is everything already settled inside?" Kim Lip added. Jiwoo pauses, frowned. Her best friend walked past her, ignoring the fact that Jiwoo was concerned about her.

Jiwoo wasn't surprised that Kim Lip prioritized what's best for her exhibit, which will happen next month, even after she almost died today. All Jiwoo could do at this moment is to sigh heavily.

Jiwoo witnessed how her best friend changed over the past five years. This isn't how it is supposed to happen, this shouldn't be the route Kim Lip took, but Jiwoo knows that it takes a lot of effort and time to accept a bad past. It takes a lot of acceptance to allow yourself to move on. She always prays that one day Kim Lip will accept the fact that she has nothing to do with the accident, that it wasn’t her fault at all.

Kim Lip turned her head, looking at Jiwoo, waiting for her answer. Jiwoo noticed it so she quickly said, "Yeah. Everything is there as you planned." Jiwoo ran a hand through her hair then followed Kim Lip inside the building.

Kim Jungeun, also known as her artist name Kim Lip, is one of the famous painters in the city. Many people love her works since it's out of this world. Mostly, she makes abstract arts or paintings with deeper meaning. Some well-known celebrities ask Kim Lip to repaint their expensive bags. Kim Lip is a perfectionist, a meticulous person. And with that being said, her works are too.

Kim Lip was just one of those normal people who's chasing their dream. She wanted to be a painter when she was younger. However, she was forced once to take another path. Her father is a politician. He wanted her to take law so she could follow his steps as a politician one day. But before she could enroll herself in law school, clearly the worst decision, she met this person. Her name is Jinsoul.

She met Jinsoul when she was in her senior year. The two of them are like cats and dogs, forever have different perspectives in life, opposite opinions towards their study, yet later on, Kim Lip realized that meeting Jinsoul was a blessing in disguise. When Kim Lip started to get to know her, she learned the spirit of ‘follow your dreams no matter what.’ Jinsoul isn’t rich like her but she can still give anything to other people. Every time she fails, she can still smile. She needed to skip school for two years due to financial issues but she didn’t blame anyone for that, not herself, not her parents. Instead, she understood the situation. It was all her parents could provide at the moment.

Jinsoul is a smart person. She loves to join competitions, school or out of school. She loves to debate as she wants the people to hear her voice. She was born to be a leader. She’s in love with math. Actually, she graduated in college with straight A’s in mathematics. But that isn’t just the reason why Kim Lip fell in love with her. It’s her compassion for helping people and her passion for her work. She also took good care of Kim Lip. She wasn’t just a good partner but also a good mother to their child. She was Kim Lip’s wife. Was. Unfortunately, she died five years ago.

Kim Lip the lights as she entered the premises. The light quickly spreads, enlightening the venue of her choice for the exhibit. She looks around, checking if she set her canvases in the right places. As she remembered, the batch she's carrying is the last batch before calling it a day. But her meticulous eyes quickly notice the space in the corner right portion of the building.

"Jiwoo?" She called with a little annoyance in her tone. "I thought everything is here? Why is that part empty?" Kim Lip pointed out the location for Jiwoo to look at.

"Oh?" Jiwoo walked across the room to where the empty wall is. She raises her hand in the air, in front of it, and sways it lightly. "This is where the featured painting will be placed."

"I wasn't informed that it's invisible" Kim Lip bites. Jiwoo bit her lower lip. She knows Kim Lip too well that her sarcasm wouldn't hurt Jiwoo anymore but patience. Patience, Jiwoo. She whispered to herself.

"Unfortunately," Jiwoo quickly added before Kim Lip could say more. "I already called the charity earlier this morning to ask about the painting. They told me that it's still unfinished and the earliest day they could deliver it will be in three days."

Kim Lip holds an exhibit twice a year. This is her third year and the second exhibit for this year. Half of the profit she'll get from her exhibit will be donated to the charity of her choice. In exchange, the charity will provide her a painting to be featured in her exhibit. Regardless of whether it was made by a professional or a direct member of the charity. As long as it carries the name of the charity. This year, they have the 'Moonlight Shines' charity, the house for blind children.

"What? How come—" Kim Lip asked, still annoyed.

"Jungeun." Jiwoo suddenly called. Jiwoo always thought that calling Kim Lip by her real name helps her best friend to calm down. That’s how she does it for the past years.

On the contrary, Kim Lip cringes as Jiwoo mentions the name. She didn't cringe because she doesn't want Jiwoo to call h