Jong Hyun’s POV

I carried on days as usual but became nervous with even the mere thought of seeing Ah Youngie again at the meeting on Friday. However I was nervous for nothing because she never showed up. Her secretary came in her place to present her work. I grew worried about the reason why she didn’t come to work. Was she sick? But then when I got the pamphlet for her art exhibit I assumed she was simply busy doing the final touches on the gallery.

“Jong Hyun shi!” I recognized the voice as Jin Se Yeon’s.

“Hello.”

“Hi. I was wondering if you would like to go to Yura’s art gallery with me on Sunday.” She smiled, eyes filled with expectation.

“Sure. Shall I pick you up so we can head there together?” My response definitely took her by surprise. I guess after I saw Ah Youngie, her arrival gave me a sense of closure that I needed all along to move on. I was officially moving on from her.

“That would be perfect. Great. Do you think we have to bring like a gift or something for Yura. It is her first exhibit in Korea.”

“I’m not sure.” I replied, catching the way Se Yeon shi grinned. She became a nice colleague of mine. I noticed the hints she gave me and how she went out of her way sometimes to hang out with me. I wasn’t blind to her actions but just not touched by them, since I was so occupied with finding Ah Youngie and telling her the truth. Se Yeon shi would have fit my ideal type before I met Ah Youngie. She was mature, diligent, kind, and took care of herself well. But now my ideal type would always be Ah Youngie. Someone with a distinct, infectious laugh, stunning smile, lively personality, and the purity and innocence of an angel. She was an angel to me.

On the day of the exhibit I picked up Se Yeon to head to the location where the gallery was being held. She stood, waiting outside her place donning a blue striped dress. I parked in front of her. She grinned, buckling in before we were on our way. She had a fruit basket in her lap. I didn’t get Ah Youngie a gift, thinking it would be wise to keep some distance.

“You look good. This is the first time I seen you in casual wear.” She giggled at my outfit. Since it wasn’t a work related event I dressed very casually. I wore a white v- neck tee shirt with distressed black jeans.  

“Uh… Thank you. You look nice as well.” I said, concentrating on driving safely. Ever since the car accident I respond to even the slightest close calls of an accident occurring fearfully. My heart rate goes up whenever a car swerves close enough to hit me. The damages from the car accident were beyond salvageable. Emotionally and physically.

We got out of my car, the tall banners and a lady and man greeted us.

“Welcome to artist Yura Kim’s exhibit!” They cheerfully said. We entered the building and what a fascinating sight it was. Painting took up practically every single space on the walls. People were going upstairs, walking around viewing the artwork, or chatting about a specific painting.

“Wow. Yura’s very talented.” Se Yeon shi spoke, staring at the painting in front of us. The title of it was Laughter. The titles were written in Korean and French. The painting was of a girl laughing. The crinkles in her eyes expressed raw joy.

“The name of this exhibit is Healing. Artist Yura Kim wanted her viewers to be healed from any sadness with the bright, bold, eye catching colors and positivity that exudes from her lively paintings.” One of the people overseeing the gallery explained to us. I nodded, carrying on to the next painting.

“Hey! Jong Hyun ah!” Woo Bin, Se Jun, Sung Joon, Young Kwang, Soo Hyuk, and Hyeri waved to me.

“You guys are here! How have you been Hyeri?” I asked politely.

“I have my eyes on you Jong Hyun shi. Yura’s back and you’re here.” She pointed two fingers at my eyes with a glaring expression.

“Ahh you’re Hyeri? Yura’s sister! Nice to meet you!” Hyeri looked dumbfounded until Soo Hyuk whispered something into her ear. Her face softened and a huge smile appeared on her face.

“How about we all say hi to Yura? She’s somewhere around here. Come on!” Hyeri exclaimed, motioning Se Yeon shi over. I didn’t go with them. I strolled around the gallery examining the paintings. I understood why she titled this exhibit Healing. Her paintings showed little actions that were capable of healing someone. Emotionally that is. I saw paintings that showed laughter, smiles, friendship, hugs, self- love, food, family, and even adorable pets. I inferred that painting these brought solace to Ah Youngie, healing her from the scar I left her and from the loss of Ae Ra. Out of all the paintings one managed to evoke emotion from me. It was titled Tu Me Manquez. Unlike all the other paintings this one didn’t have a translation.

It was a painting of a little girl with dark brown hair that was tied into two pigtails. Her large eyes represented the innocence and curiosity of a toddler. The adorable little girl in the painting had on a Minnie Mouse jumper and her hands formed a heart. She was smiling so widely, her eyes crinkling up.