III

“Beautiful piece like usual, Sojin-sshi… I am reminded again every season that I made a very good decision to invite you to Hansegae.”

Sojin smiled and bowed her head politely to Headmaster Won. “Thank you, sir.”
Her painting showed a dark pool of swirling water in which fish swam, some deeper than others. It was simple but colorful and vivid, as if you could sense the depth of the water.

“So, what do fish symbolize anyway?”
The question came from an unfamiliar voice – yet, she had definitely heard it before. And annoyingly, the tone sounded sort of… mocking.
 

“Ah, Student Park Chanyeol,” Headmaster Won called. “… I didn’t know you attended our exhibits.”
“It’s my first, sir,” Chanyeol replied with a hearty chuckle. “Decided I’d… culture myself.”

Sojin immediately narrowed her eyes. What was Park Chanyeol, the ladies’ man of Hansegae, doing at the Autumn Exhibit? He didn’t attend school functions – for all she knew, he was too busy trying to please the young female students to make time for anything cultural.
 

“It’s a really nice painting,” he commented after the headmaster made his exit. He flashed that famous charming smile. “It’s really, um, pretty and… filled with nature.”

“Thanks.” She faked a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. What kind of lame compliment was that?

Chanyeol could see that Sojin wasn’t the type of girl who thought clueless guys were cute. He actually had an impressive IQ – he just didn’t use it often. But it was time. Time to bring on the genius.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “So the stormy water symbolizes hardships, right? And the fish can’t beat the storm even in their element… It represents the truth that in life, there are inevitably struggles that people won’t be able to overcome, no matter how prepared they are.”

Sojin stared blankly. Did that intellectual speech just come out Park Chanyeol’s mouth?

He grinned – he wasn’t done. “And about the fish – the ones swimming calmly in deep water are the ones who understand this and have stopped fighting it…” He paused, relishing the look of shock on her face. “But the fish closer to the surface are clueless to this truth, which is why you painted them thrashing and attemping to survive the storm.”

She slightly nodded, trying to swallow the fact that he had just interpreted her painting down to every detail.

He could tell she was blown away… He knew he was impressive, whether or not she admitted it. He cocked his head smugly. “So, you’re trying to tell people to wake up and realize they can’t win in life? … Geez, how depressing,” he joked casually with a chuckle.
He fixed his blazer lapels before flashing her another charming smile. “… But I really meant it when I said it was pretty.”

And coolly, without waiting for her reply or reaction, he walked casually to the next painting and chatted up the artist. He resisted the urge to turn around and look back at Sojin – he wanted to see if she was staring at him with those pretty eyes of hers.
He had completed his goal to make an impact on her tonight.

Being unable to resist, he glimpsed back at her – she looked deep in thought, as if she was trying to process what he had just done.
He patted himself on the back. He hadn’t just made an impact on her tonight – he had made a deep crater that he couldn’t see the bottom of. Perfect.

###

“Who do you keep looking at?” Heejae asked, noticing Sojin’s eyes flickering back and forth.

“No one,” Sojin responded a little too quickly, immediately refocusing on her best friend and her lun