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ACT I; SCENE II
L A T I B U L E a hiding place; a place of safety and comfort
BEING a lover of art Taehyun Lee loved everything that inspired him, that moved something within him, that caused his hands to be stained with paints and his fingers to stroke perfect curves of a painting. And the woman in front of him and his painting was no other than art in living, breathing form.
Brown eyes; the first art that artist in Taehyun noticed in her.
Rosy cheeks; the second hue he saw in her face.
The curve of her eyebrows, the slope of her nose, the softness in her features, the pinkish lips; Taehyun could see a masterpiece meant to be painted in front of him. And his painting seemed dull in front of her.
"Yes."
Her soft voice startled Taehyun and he came back to his senses.
"What?" Taehyun asked.
She smiled. "Yes, I like the painting. But I'm wondering what the artist might be thinking when he painted this?" She turned back towards the painting, examining it with the same interest and intrigue as before.
"He was thinking about winter nights. The cold wind, the silence, and the blues of winter."
She turned back towards Taehyun, her eyebrow quirked up, a question in her eyes. "How do you know that?"
Taehyung's lips formed a soft smile. "I am the artist."
Her eyes widened. "Oh my God. You are Taehyun Lee?" Her words and her tone conveyed disbelief.
Taehyun nodded, his smile widening.
He looked cool, calm, and composed from outside, but on the inside, the artist in him was jumping up and down in giddiness for being recognised.
The woman extended her hand towards him. "It is nice to meet you, Mr. Lee. I'm Akemi, the author of Winter Blues."
It was Taehyun's turn to widen his eyes in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was standing here, talking with the author of one of his favourite books of all times, conversing about his painting. He just couldn't believe it. Lucky things and miracles didn't happen to Taehyun. So how did he suddenly meet Akemi, the author of the book that had been inspiration for a lot of his artworks?
Akemi let out a chuckle, pulling back her hand that Taehyun forgot to shake.
"I...didn't expect this sort of reaction."
"I'm just..."
"You're just?" Akemi raised her eyebrows.
"I'm so honoured to meet you, finally. I've been waiting for your new works but I think you're on some sort of hiatus?" It was more of a statement than a question.
Winter Blues had been published two years ago. Two years, since Taehyun had been waiting for another book by this mysterious author that didn't like spotlight. No wonder why he couldn't recognise her. He had never seen her before.
She nodded. "You've read my works?"
"Yes, I have. And I absolutely love them. In fact, this painting is inspired from your book."
Akemi's eyes widened, her mouth fell open upon this revelation. She just couldn't believe that she had actually inspired someone. She wanted to jump up and down in joy.
"I... I am so honoured to know that. Thank you so much." Her eyes were glazed over and Taehyun understood how she must be feeling. Because the artist in him had felt that too when he was recognised for his talent and not because of his friend.
And even though Taehyun was never a spontaneous person, being the person who had to have everything planned to perfection, he did something out of the blue. He asked Akemi to have some tea with him.
And surprisingly, she had smiled and had said, "Lead the way, Mr. Lee."
. . .
NOTE: Here's the second chapter. Also a writer and a painter. I couldn't help myself. Sorry. The chapters are gonna be shorter because sometimes shorter chapters are more impactful. And this is a novella. So I hope you guys are liking it so far.
