TATMFL - 38

The weather had warmed up, and Ra-on finally decided to work on her piece outdoors. It was an assignment she needed to complete before midterms, with the theme left open to interpretation.  

She chose to depict a cherry blossom tree that had survived the winter and begun to sprout tender green buds in the spring. Landscapes always felt more comfortable for her.  

Picking up her brush, Ra-on prepared to paint without sketching an outline first.  

As she was deeply focused on painting, using a nearby tree as her model—  

“Ra-on-ah.”  

A familiar voice called out from behind her. The caller was careful, wary of startling her while she was absorbed in her work.  

Ra-on, who had been about to pack up since it was around the time Hye-sung would arrive, set down her brush and turned around.  

“You’re early...?”  

But as she turned, she froze.  

“Hello, junior.”  

Standing next to Hye-sung, smiling with his eyes crinkled, was Do-Kyung, waving at her.  

Ra-on hadn’t heard anything about Do-Kyung joining her lunch plans with Hye-sung. She gave an awkward smile and looked at Hye-sung.  

“...Are you eating together too, senior?”  

“Oh, I ran into him at school—it’s been a while since he’s been here. So I invited him along.”  

“I see...”  

Unaware of Ra-on’s discomfort, Hye-sung cheerfully spread out a picnic mat on the grass.  

“I ordered food on the way, so it should arrive in about thirty minutes.”  

With the weather warming up, Hye-sung began preparing for their outdoor lunch. As Ra-on glanced sidelong at Do-Kyung, he seized the moment to speak up.  

“My junior doesn’t seem too thrilled to see me.”  

It wasn’t like she’d be happy to see him after just running into him two days ago.  

But since she couldn’t say that outright, Ra-on replied indifferently.  

“That’s not true. I just didn’t expect you to come.”  

Do-Kyung, who had already settled comfortably onto the neatly arranged mat, draped his arm over Hye-sung’s shoulder. With a tone that feigned regret—but a mischievous glint in his eyes—he said:  

“Hye-sung insisted on treating me. I couldn’t refuse.”  

Casually mentioning Hye-sung’s name, Do-Kyung looked pointedly at him with a smug expression.  

Ra-on eyed him suspiciously.  

...There was no way Hye-sung had insisted on this. It was just like Do-Kyung to rudely tag along whenever they planned something together.  

Watching Do-Kyung smirk knowingly at her reaction, Ra-on grew certain of her suspicions.  

After a brief period of silence, it seemed he was starting again.  

Ra-on crossed her arms, already predicting another post on the school’s social media showing Do-Kyung and Hye-sung side by side.  

She knew exactly what he was doing. Ever since he realized she often searched for pictures of them together, he made sure to act overly friendly with Hye-sung—even when she wasn’t around.  

He’d sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Hye-sung or even drape his arm around him as if pulling him close. Sometimes, they even leaned their faces close together.  

Each time, she tried not to react the way he wanted, but she couldn’t stop her eyelids from twitching or her lips from trembling involuntarily.  

It wasn’t jealousy—it was just the mere presence of Do-Kyung beside Hye-sung that irked her.  

With growing unease, Ra-on stared at Do-Kyung’s hand resting on Hye-sung’s shoulder. Her eyes widened suddenly.  

“Senior, would you like some water?”  

Hye-sung, who had always seemed uncomfortable with Do-Kyung’s physical contact, was now smiling warmly and leaning closer to him.  

Not only did he not resist, but he even adjusted his posture to make Do-Kyung more comfortable.  

Only now did Ra-on notice the unmistakable friendliness in Hye-sung’s gaze toward Do-Kyung. Blinking in confusion, she struggled to process what she was seeing.  

“Hye-sung-ah...?” The unspoken call lingered on the tip of her tongue.  

Seeing Ra-on’s bewildered expression, Do-Kyung burst into laughter, having watched her closely the entire time.  

“Senior?”  

Tilting his head in confusion at the sudden outburst, Hye-sung found himself pulled even closer by Do-Kyung, who shrugged nonchalantly.  

“I told you, Hye-sung insisted on treating me to lunch!”  

His triumphant expression clearly declared that this wasn’t some random intrusion.  

“...No.”  

Rarely flustered, Ra-on alternated her gaze between Hye-sung and Do-Kyung, unable to hide her bewilderment.  

Hye-sung, still smiling brightly, explained:  

“I owed him a favor. So I invited him to lunch as a way to repay him, Ra-on-ah.”  

“...A favor?”

“Yes.”  

As Ra-on thought, What could Hye-sung possibly need help from Do-Kyung for?, she suddenly bit her tongue and closed her mouth.  

She remembered the day Hye-sung had collapsed. He believed Do-Kyung had saved him.  

When Ra-on glanced at Do-Kyung with a skeptical look, he simply shrugged in response.  

Finally, Ra-on nodded reluctantly.  

“I see. Then you should definitely treat him to a meal...”  

As she muttered this to herself, Hye-sung’s attention had already shifted elsewhere.  

Looking at the ink painting on the canvas set up on the easel, he asked:  

“Is this for your graduation piece?”  

Having mostly regained her composure, Ra-on removed her apron and replied:  

“No, it’s for an assignment.”  

“You’re really good,” Hye-sung said admiringly, alternating his gaze between Ra-on’s painting and the tree that served as its model.  

Beside him, Do-Kyung also examined the painting with an impressed expression. Even someone unfamiliar with traditional Eastern art like him could tell it was quite impressive.  

“Our junior has talent, doesn’t she?”  

Ra-on blinked, surprised by the unexpected compliment.  

“Right?”  

Encouraged by Do-Kyung’s praise, Hye-sung began chattering enthusiastically, listing off Ra-on’s accomplishments in a way that made her feel awkward.  

“When she was younger, she won awards at every competition she entered!”  

He went on about how her family home was filled with trophies and certificates, pulling out his phone as he spoke.  

“Do you want to see some pictures? I don’t have anything from when she was very young, but starting from high school, we’ve taken photos of every single one of Ra-on’s paintings.”  

Both Ji-An and Hye-sung had always treated Ra-on’s artwork as if it were masterpieces. The photos Hye-sung now showed were part of a long-standing tradition between them, documenting her works since they decided her pieces were worth preserving.  

“Oh, is this from high school?”  

Do-Kyung pointed to one photo, prompting Hye-sung to nod and zoom in.  

It was a picture of Ra-on in her school uniform, smiling in front of a painting while holding a flower. She looked youthful and slightly embarrassed, scrunching her nose as she smiled. Something about her innocence felt strangely unfamiliar to Do-Kyung, who wore an odd expression as he stared at the image.  

After gazing intently at the photo, Do-Kyung glanced sidelong at Ra-on, who was sipping water with her usual indifferent demeanor. Catching her questioning look—What?—he shrugged and returned his attention to the phone.  

As Hye-sung explained each photo, Do-Kyung’s eyebrows tilted ever so slightly with each new image. A faint wrinkle formed between his brows.  

In most of the photos, Ra-on was smiling. Not once did she avoid the camera.  

And then it hit him—the reason why the Ra-on in these photos felt so foreign. He had never seen her smile so brightly, so openly.  

“…”  

Another realization dawned on him.  

Unlike himself, Hye-sung seemed to take it for granted that Ra-on could smile like this.  

Do-Kyung’s lips pressed into a tight line.  

A strange unease churned in his chest, as if something heavy had coiled tightly inside him. His interest plummeted.  

With a sudden jerk, he leaned back, drawing Hye-sung’s puzzled gaze.  

The thought of Ra-on wearing that same bright smile while with Hye-sung’s oblivious face made his stomach churn with irritation.  

Do-Kyung’s eyes turned toward Ra-on.  

By now, she was engrossed in looking through the photos with Hye-sung, a faint smile playing on her lips. Even that smile felt unfamiliar to him.  

At that moment, Do-Kyung instinctively understood something.  

He would never see Ra-on smiling like that—like a flower in full bloom.  

His pupils narrowed sharply, the tension in his gaze unmistakable.  

Meanwhile,  

“Ji-An said he’s going to buy all the pieces from your graduation exhibition and display them in his studio later.”  

“At that rate, it’ll be less of a studio and more of a gallery, won’t it?”  

Though Ra-on responded dutifully to Hye-sung’s words, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Do-Kyung, who had suddenly fallen silent.  

His frozen expression resembled that of a wax figure.  

‘…What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?’  

Just as Ra-on’s eyes narrowed in discomfort, their gazes met abruptly, leaving no room for her to look away.  

The intensity of his glare made her shoulders reflexively tense.

It was at that moment.  

“Delivery’s here!” A loud call rang out, and Hye-sung sprang to his feet. Unaware of the intense eye contact between Ra-on and Do-Kyung, he smiled brightly.  

“I’ll go get it.”  

As he left, an uncomfortable silence settled between Ra-on and Do-Kyung.  

The stillness was something Ra-on had never experienced while with him. She furrowed her brow ever so slightly at the unfamiliar tension.  

That was when Do-Kyung spoke.  

“Ra-on-ah.”  

Calling her in a low voice, Do-Kyung leaned forward, bracing himself with one arm as he closed the distance between them.  

His movements were deliberate, almost predatory, pinning her in place like prey caught in a spider’s web. Ra-on felt frozen, unable to move or look away.  

Do-Kyung said:  

“Smile for me.”  

“Are you out of your mind?”  

Ra-on’s face, stiff with tension, twisted involuntarily.  

Her reflexive response carried a tone of disbelief, as if she couldn’t fathom the absurdity of what she’d just heard.