Drying her hair using a towel, Dara approaches the table in her living room and leans down to pick up the glossy envelope on top of it. She smiles, seeing her name printed on it.

l’amour est l’art
To: Ms. Park Sandara

It was an invitation to an art exhibit she has been looking forward to for weeks now. She still cannot believe that she was able to get invited on that exclusive event, and it was all thanks to her friend.

As if on cue, her phone starts ringing, and the name of the person who was able to get her the invite registers on the screen. She immediately drags the answer button.

“Hello, madame,” smiling, she greeted.

Mrs. Lin Yeonjung, the art teacher of the kids on their neighborhood park and the friend who gave her the invitation, chuckles from the other line. “Looks like someone is excited,” she teased.

“I am more than excited, if that’s even possible!” She was rewarded by a hearty laughter from the woman on the other line. “Thank you for getting me this invitation, Yeon. It hasn’t sink in to me that I’ll be going to this exhibit today. This is so wonderful!”

“Well, you deserve that, Dara. You’ve been assisting me since day one, volunteering to be my assistant in my art classes. It will be considered as a break from all the stress.”

“You know that I am not pressured to do that, and you know how much I love doing that. So, I don't feel any stress at all over volunteering for the kids.”

“I perfectly know, although you’ve been really busy being an official preschool teacher too,” Yeonjung sighs and there is a hint of smile as she speaks again. “The kids love you. I am also glad that I was able to find a friend who is into art as well, living just around the neighborhood.”

“What can I say? I can’t thank you enough for introducing me the beauty of it in college.”

“Nah. I was just there to stir that passion you always have in you. Anyway, what time will you be going there?”

“I just need to fix myself and off I go,” she explains and walks toward her room. “You know, I am still hoping that you will be there to look around with me.”

“Sadly, I can’t,” and she’s fully aware why— Yeonjung is already  few weeks away from giving birth. Although with that said, she has not filed a leave for her art class duties at their city office yet. “I am also going to file for a leave, next week. I just hope they can find a substitute, a good one to add to that, before my husband and I leave for Jeju Island.”

“I am sure, they will. You should not worry about that anymore.”

“I am still hoping that you will be my substitute.”

“And no matter how much I wanted to, I can’t,” she said followed by a soft sigh.

After exchanging few more messages and asking her to send Yeonjung’s regards to Cielo, the woman behind the exhibit, they bid goodbye to each other and Dara starts preparing for today’s agenda.

~~~~~oOo~~~~~

“PMO Tower,” Dara reads on her mind and glances at the invitation on her hand. She smiles and with a nod, enters the building.

Walking toward the reception area, she adjusts her eyeglasses and offers the receptionist a smile who gladly returns the gesture.

“Good morning. How may I help you?” The receptionist with the name KC on her nameplate, asked.

“Good morning. I am here for the art exhibit at the 12th floor,” she said.

“May I see your invitation, please?” 

Still wearing a smile, she hands her the envelope and patiently waits. There were noises behind her but she was too busy staring at the receptionist that she did not bother throwing a glance at the commotion. 

The other receptionist next to KC  stopped typing on her keyboard and abruptly stood up before bowing her head to the newcomer.

“Good morning, Mr. Kwon,” she said, making her buddy to temporarily stop and bow her head to Dara’s left.

“Good morning,” said the familiar voice. 

This time, Dara finally turns her head the side and finds a certain Mr. Kwon, standing there and staring at her. He is not wearing a face mask nor a mask. 

She gasps. “Jiyong!”

He stood there, wearing a white button down shirt which was neatly tucked in on a pair of black slacks, with sleeves rolled up showing his forearms. He was also wearing a pair of black leather shoes, and his hair was neatly styled, finishing his perfect look.

“Good morning to you too, Dara,” he said, finally breaking a smile on his thin lips. “What brings you here?”

She adjusts her glasses and shyly smiles back at him. “I’m here for an art exhibit. How about you?”

“Well, I’m here to work,” he nods at the receptionist and accepts the invitation she is about to hand to Dara. “Let’s go,” he said.

He starts walking ahead of her, leaving her with no choice but to run after him. They keep on ending up in that same scenario, she noticed, and she can only shake her head.

She offers the staff who are staring at them a polite bow and a smile. Some of them bothered returning the gesture.

She gasped when her forehead suddenly collided on something solid. She rubbed it and looked up only to find Jiyong looking down at her with an amused smile on his lips. She cannot help but to throw a glance at his chest and back to his face.

“Sorry,” she mumbled and looked down.

“No worries. Go on,” he urged and she stared up at him, confused. He cocked his head to the side making her to turn her head toward her right— the automatic turnstile is waiting for her to pass through, with him holding a card near its sensor.

“Oh.”

She moved past it and Jiyong followed after. He rested a hand on the small of her back making her to shudder a little at the warmth of his touch against the fabric of her top,  and gently nudged her. With this, she walked forward until they stopped in front of an elevator. It was only this time that he pulled back his arm.

“I didn’t know that you are interested in art,” he said while waiting for the elevator.

“I am,” she simply responded.

“Do you do art?”

“Just a little.”

“Hmm… Interesting. Maybe you can show me some of your works someday?” He looked at her.

Dara’s eyes widen a little and felt her cheeks getting warm. She looked down to avoid his gaze. “I… They are not good.”

“I will not force you if you don’t want to show me.” She just nodded her head in response. “Was that a yes or a no?”

“A maybe,” she tilted her head up and grinned at him. Jiyong