Chapter 7

Follow Me - Pt. I

The next morning, it was time for Seonyul to go back to class for the start of a new semester. The bad weather from last night seemed to have moved on somewhere else, as the sun was slowly making its appearance behind the small clouds that were left in the sky.

As she woke up, she went on with her morning routine, slowly preparing herself for her first class of the day. She was too preoccupied to make sure that she didn't forget her school stuff or being late, that once she stepped outside, she didn't notice a black car, suspiciously parked a little bit further away from her house, and moving once she stepped away from her drive way, in her own car, officially making her way to school.

♦ - Lunch time

The weather outside was still warm despite the endless amount of snow, but it didn't stop Seonyul from having a little time for herself as she was headed outside on the campus, finding a little free spot on a bench, enjoying her hot chocolate while she took out her scrapbook and started to draw in it.

Any time of the year, she would go out during her lunch time and sit in the same spot, her snack on one side and her scrapbook on the other, putting her earplugs on and would start listening to music, losing herself in her world as she would draw to no end. Anything that would pop out of her mind, following the guidance of her hand, her pencil would do the magic of putting it out on paper.

The moment she put her earplugs on and hit play, she saw a familiar pet coming towards her and smiled. She took out some small treats from her bag and opened it, waiting for the little creature to hop on the table so she could greet it.

"Hello there, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Ever since she sat on that picnic table, on her first day of school, she's been seeing the stray cat at least two to three times a week by her side. He didn't have a collar around his neck, which made her think that he was either abandoned or simply a street cat.

The little pet came towards her, and like she predicted, hopped on the table so he was sitting in front of her scrapbook, meowing at her. She opened the small plastic back where there were treats and fed him. She let the little plastic bag open, letting the cat reach into it as he starts to eat while she just sit and calmly stares at him, taking a sip of her hot chocolate from time to time.

On the other side of the street, a black car was parked not far away from the campus, two men comfortably sitting inside as their heads were turned towards the girl sitting on a wooden table, petting a cat as the winter's weather didn't seem to be bothering her at all. Just last night, the oldest of the two was ordered to carefully and secretly watch over the lady, making sure she would be safe and not get into any danger coming from his world.

Sipping his hot cup of coffee, he couldn't help but let a small smile appearing at the corner of his lips as he watched the girl making a new friend.

Friendly

Delicate

Sweet

Gentle

Characteristics that were evoking her personality whenever he would think about her. She was innocent and she had to stay this way. It was out of the question for her to get involved and yet, a feeling deep inside of him told him other wise. This gut feeling was making him uncomfortable whenever he would lay eyes on his younger brother, the reason his guard was so high around the girl. She needed protection, not only from the way he lives but from his brother as well.

This is where comes the big brother act. Like the protective kind, he would do anything to let her live the way she is now: seeing the world in colors. Her vision seemed way more optimistic than his and it was best this way. 

There was fifteen minutes left until Seonyul's next class. She packed up her stuff back in her backpack and got up from her seat, the cat following her sudden moves from his eyes. Finally up on her two feet, she the animal for the last time, bidding him goodbye and leaves, making her way back inside the building and straight to her next class.

As she was walking away, the stare from the man in the car hasn't been looking away since she stepped foot outside in the first place. He looked at the time and assumed that she was going back inside to start her afternoon classes. All he does is simply wait until her day is over, making sure that nothing will happen to her when she will go back home. Like his promise, he'll keep a close eye on her.

He just has too.

She finally made it to her next class just in time.

She found herself a seat among the other students when the teacher stepped in the classroom.

Placed in a circle in the center of the class, the teacher stepped foot inside that circle while the students were sitting in front of their typical drawing table with their white canvas ready to be used. After the teacher's instruction about what the students have to do today, she let them start their work. Seonyul took out the drawing sketches she had in her bag and took out the one she was drawing earlier during her break. Placing it by her side, she took a pencil and started her work. The more she was focusing as she let herself go, the more she felt herself getting drawn into her own art work as she was portraying the dark orbs that gazed at her on the night of he masquerade ball, those same dark orbs that sent chills down her spine whenever she would think about him. They were dark because of the pain, the sorrow, the anger, the bitterness, anything that could change a person to a cold state of pure hatred.

The simple move of her wrist holding onto that piece of graphite was able to capture the feeling of that hypnotizing gaze through the support of the grand white piece of paper she used to draw the boy with the golden hair. She caught herself staring into the two eyes she drew herself and she felt as if he was staring back at her, following her small movements from her seat, as if the real thing was standing inches away from her. For some odd reason, the beating of her heart increased little by little. She lightly grazed across her drawing, having the brief moments flashback in her mind, from the ball to the impromptu kiss.

Her first kiss was one of pain.

He was hurt and that small gesture was the one to make her realize that he wasn't hating, he was simply sad.

In the bottom of her heart, something was making her ache at that stare. As if, he was trying to tell her something, but because she was so innocent, so clueless of the world surrounding her, she couldn't understand what he was trying to show her.

As she was still drawing on her canvas, her teacher was standing behind her and observing her student's work. She was impressed with what she was able to do, seeing and understanding what she was conveying through her piece of art.

The final result was soon seen as the teacher dismissed her students, letting Seonyul the only one in class still in a daze in front of her drawing.

"Seonyul? Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"Class is over…"

"Oh, sorry"

"It's okay. I like what you did just now. Your drawing is very realistic. I can already see the emotion through the way you made the eyes of the portrait look. It's remarkable."

"Oh, thank you"

"There is a new exposition at an art gallery tonight, if you're interested. I personally know the artist and I would like you to meet him if you want"

"Oh! I would love too!"

"Great! Here's the address. It's starts at eight o'clock. You can bring a plus one if you want. The more the merrier."

With a last thank you and goodbye, the teacher left the classroom, leaving Seonyul alone. Hearing the door closing behind her, she turned back to her canvas staring straight at the pair of dark eyes that were drawn on the piece of paper. She lets out a sigh and starts packing her stuff so she could be headed to her last class of the day.

But before leaving, she takes her phone out, thinking about her plus one for tonight's exposition. She sends her message and walks out of the classroom, waiting for her answer, a small glint of hope flashing across her eyes.

While the student was at school, Cheondung was in his bedroom, laying around in his bed.

There was nothing else to do since nothing was happening and he didn't know what to do.

He wasn't able to properly sleep through the night, so whenever his eye lids were slowly closing, he would drift off to dreamland only to jerk up from his bed, bids of sweat appearing all over his body.

Nightmares were preventing him from having a proper sleep.

From his haunted past, he couldn't close his eyes without having the images floating in his mind, hurting his weak, ice - cold heart.

Only since the famous masquerade ball has he been dreaming about her. That one stranger that made him want to play a little bit. There wasn't any valid reason as to why he wanted her in particular, he was just bored.

And boredom made him think about her.

He remembers the warning he got from G.O and frankly he didn't care about it at all. He wasn't going to be the one to stop him from getting what he wanted and right now, he wanted her. She got him curious since the first time he saw her and couldn't find a reason as to why she, in particular, was the one that was able to draw his attention.

Despite the confused thoughts, he wanted to do something about it and the reflection from that night, a couple of days ago, was still lingering deep in his mind.

That little princess… I want her