My eyes floated over the dull interiors of the worn out office. The bleached blinds, the grey desktop scattered with grey pens, black pencils and printed paper also standing atop the grey plastic counter was a small black computer. Yes, my father's taste in colour was never to be trusted.

All of the sudden, that familiar sense of tiredness took over my body yet again. I sighed, settling down on the 'modern' jet black chair, hearing the wheels squeak as I pulled it towards the table. I spotted a golden frame propped up on the counter and frowned, before picking it up and dropping it right back into the dustbin where I had thrown it the day before.

"Sweetheart, you don't throw away the picture of your to-be husband now, do you?" The deep tone of my father's voice reached my ears as he strode into the office in an all grey suit which matched my grey pencil skirt which he insisted on me wearing to work. For the first time in my life, I saw the man stoop and pick up the picture and prop it up against my desk. "You don't get fellows like Kim Jongin very easily." He said, looking at me, challenging me to oppose him.

"I've never met him to agree or disagree with you abeoji." I replied slowly, meeting his eye as he leaned back on the grey desk. It creaked loudly as it hit the wall.

"What more do I need to say JungHa-ah? He's a year older than you, he's the son of my business partner Kim HyunBin-sshi and he's very smart, doing a PHD in quantum physics!" My father exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"He's doing a PHD in quantum physics," I echoed, staring at the excited man in front of me "When I marry him, he's going to tell me that my entire life is an illusion, that I am an illusion! I won't even be able to have a normal conversation with him!" I retorted, crossing my arms across my chest and leaned back into my chair.

"Well, you took the easy way out, learning those pansy subjects. I never asked you to not take up science and how does it matter anyway? My little Princess will still be taken care of, after all, he will be inheriting HyunBin-sshi's money, which I can tell you, is not little." He replied, reaching for my hand and patting it, while smiling awkwardly.

"I don't like physics,"I whined, before pausing "so,why are you here? It's not often you drop by." I asked, realizing that the person standing in front of me was my almost always missing father.

"JongIn-ah wished for a picture of you, and we are going to give him one, our family style!" He declared as I groaned "Now get home, you have the painter coming home to do a portrait of you," he sniffled "My little Princess, finally getting her portrait done!"

"Abeoji, why don't we just-"

"No, no, tradition is tradition."

"But it's the twenty first century!"

"No more from you! Out!" He said, pushing me out of my cabin and leading me to the elevator. "The chauffeur is waiting for you down stairs and the maids have set some lovely clothes for you to wear for the portrait, the artist will be there when you get home." He instructed, hitting the ground floor button and the close button before leaving me all alone in a grey box, which took me down to a blinding white reception. I quickly made my way across it, hearing my heels clacking against the floor, I resolved to throw them off the moment I got into the car which was waiting right outside the greyish building.

The sky looked dull through the dark tinted windows, I reached to my feet and yanked off the black heels my mother had got me and sighed, relieved. As much as I loved my parents, and as much as they loved me, they had no idea how to show their love. They showered me with gifts(including a shocking revelation that I was engaged to some fellow), money and other frivolous items that I never wanted.

I just wanted them to love me, accept me for who I was, and let me love whomever I wanted. But, they trapped me at home, put me in an all girls school (where I wasn't allowed to communicate with half the girls as they were BELOW me)and just made me a puppet. But I didn't want to be a girl who sat at home, I wanted to see the world for what it was. I wanted to see beyond the blacks, greys and whites that surrounded me all the time.

The car halted in front of the giant house, which I was to call my home. The chauffer opened the car door and the door man opened the door, I dropped my heels onto the shoe-rack and slipped on my white soft slippers. I made my way to my room.

"Welcome back Ma'am. Your father wished you to change into this," MinAh, my personal maid popped in from my extensive closet, handing me a pearl white chiffon dress, it was plain, flowy with a boat neck. I sighed, dragging my feet into the bathroom, slipping on the dress tiredly. MinAh did my hair up in an elegant bun and led me to the terrace where the artist sat.

She looked around at the surroundings, observing with such tranquility, like she had everything she ever wanted, like she had seen it all. Her skin shone in the pale sunlight, her eyes were pretty as was her face. Everything about her made me envious. She turned to me and smiled slightly.

"I'm Seo Young. I'll be doing your portrait."

"Lee JungHa, nice to meet you." I replied awkwardly, bowing to her, observing her thoroughly, taking some sort of an instant liking for her.

"Please, you needn't be so formal. Do have a seat." She said, indicating to the seat in front of her. I did as I was told, looking at her. Her pretty face scrunched up ever so slightly as her eyes scanned my face and her hand skillfully moved across the canvas with a pencil, the sound of which reached my ears through the silence, it made me jolt ever so slightly, it sounded so beautiful.

"Tell me about yourself, JungHa-sshi," She said, looking at me over the easel "how come a young girl like yourself is getting a portrait painted?"

"My to-be husband wanted a picture of me and it's a family tradition to get a portrait of yourself painted." I replied, looking down, remembering the conversation with my father.

"Ah, so, what's he like?" She asked.

"I don't know. I've never met him." I replied, feeling even more trapped than I had ever before.

"Huh? So, you don't know him?"

"I don't know him. I don't love him." I said, looking straight at her, my heart tightening, I was tired, I was so tired of being stuck in this house, having all the terms of my life dictated to me, being expected to be something I didn't want to be at all.

Her eyes widened, as she stared at me,silently picking up her pencil yet again and sketching on the canvas again, before finally picking up her wooden palette and squeezing in some black paint on it.

Jet black. That was exactly how I was feeling. Closed in and unable to breathe.

I stayed there, staring into space, listening to the paint brush on the canvas for god knows how long till she called for my attention.

"I'm done." She said, picking her her canvas.

"I want to see it!" I exclaimed, shooting up from my seat as she clutched at the canvas.

"Not yet, I'll get it framed and send it to you."

I looked back up at her and nodded. Somehow, my respect for her had increased through the silence. I wanted to be just like her, a free bird, exploring the world through colour.

A free bird gliding through the sky.