“Eh, eh? Sorry? Ah, are you perhaps talking about what you said to me before?”

As Fei Ling suddenly lowered her head and apologized, Jinho became fl.u.s.tered instead and asked back.

Jinho bent his back to match Fei Ling’s eyes and continued talking.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t that hurt by it anyway…”
“No.”

Fei Ling cut Jinho’s reply in half, and raised her head.
At the same time her eyes, ears, and ponytail p.r.i.c.ked up. Fei Ling raised her white index finger and shook it as she continued.

“If someone were to say the same thing to me, I’ll definitely get angry. No, rather than ending with just being angry, I’ll definitely say something back. There are dreams I have and the things I want to do. To judge such things with but one or two pieces of work, there isn’t anything more rude than that.”
“Um…”

At Fei Ling’s words, Jinho quietly groaned.

Seeing the sympathetic side of Fei Ling who seemed cold and calculative at first, Jinho lightly smiled. Thankful merely for her consideration, Jinho raised Fei Ling.

“Rather than that, I’m thankful for your consideration. I understand what you mean, so you don’t have to apologize anymore.”

“Eh?”

Fei Ling abruptly grabbed Jinho’s hand and pulled.

“Let’s go to my room.”
“Miss, miss Fei Ling’s room?”

At various thoughts, Jinho’s face momentarily felt hot, but at Fei Ling’s next words Jinho let out a hollow laugh.

“Yes. I saw Mr. Jinho’s artworks, so this time I’ll show you my works and let’s critique them.”
“Ah, aah.”

So that’s what she meant. Jinho scratched his cheek that became red for no reason and calmed his breath.

As Jinho fell into worldly thoughts and didn’t answer back, Fei Ling’s expression slowly turned dark. Is he perhaps going to refuse? But that’s not good…
Seeing Fei Ling, who bit her red lips with a worried expression, Jinho quickly nodded and replied with a smile.

“Sure, I’d like to. Then, Mr. Laurong and Ma’am, excuse me for a moment.”

At Jinho’s words, the two adults lightly smiled in a.s.sent. Although they had not talked for long, since Jinho’s acts were good, the two adults didn’t seem to be worried.

Fei Ling’s room was located in a corner of the second floor.

‘Is it really okay to barge into a girl’s room like this?’
“Come on in.”

Without even a sign of worry, Fei Ling fully opened the door and led Jinho inside. With an awkward movement and a small apology for coming in, Jinho went inside, and then exclaimed.

“Wow.”

Fei Ling’s room was neatly cleaned.
The paint on the walls was clean as if newly painted, and the tidily organized objects seemed to show Fei Ling’s personality. At Jinho who continued to look around, Fei Ling waved at him and called.

“Over here. The portfolio is currently in the main house, but I’ll show you my most recent works.

You can just call me Fei Ling.”

Asking him to call her without honorifics, Fei Ling opened her art bag and one by one, took out the artworks inside.
Seeing a total of five pictures, Jinho genuinely exclaimed in awe.

“These are… quite amazing.”

“Yes. The balance, hues, and harmony. None of them are missing. Did you draw all these by yourself?”

“It’ll be a waste to say it twice. May I take a closer look?”
“Feel free to look as much as you need.”

As soon as Fei Ling said those words, Jinho hung the pictures on easels.

Starting with a portrait, Jinho held his chin and a.n.a.lyzed the picture from top to bottom. One of his eyes naturally closed.

But even so, Jinho’s eyes detected problems.

“It’s too colorful.”

“It’s good to try various ideas, but the colors are too gaudy. You gave about… approximately one to seven levels of tone? Of course miss Fei Ling’s ability is proficient enough to express this much tone in hues, but that instead made the picture too flashy and seems to have killed the artwork’s mood. If you look at it, rather than a portrait, the gaudiness steals the eyes. The colors hide the picture.”

“And this still-life painting. Here, did you perhaps use two tones to show scratch effect?”

“Well, I kinda got it after taking a look. But the detail is too much here too. The feel of the original still-life is dead, and this picture only emphasizes miss Fei’s techniques. In other words, you could call it a picture for showing off.”

Jinho’s sharp critique continued on once again.

And so, when Jinho went on to talk about the fourth picture, Fei creased her brows at Jinho’s critic.
It’s not that she didn’t understand Jinho’s explanations, but rather because she had only listened to criticisms, they began to feel excessive.

“Say, Mr. Jinho.”

“The part you’re talking about right now. As you said, adding a color definitely changes the meaning, but is it really possible to change it so excessively?”

The fourth picture was an abstract painting.

In Fei’s painting, a total of three hues were colorfully sprayed. To emphasize the aesthetics of the white s.p.a.ces here and there, she purposely used only three dark colors. But Jinho suggested that to make the best use of the effect, it would be better to add another mild color.

Jinho, who quietly listened to Fei’s thoughts, nodded in understanding and,

“May I borrow a brush and a paper?”

“I’ll borrow them for a bit.”
“… Here.”

After taking the brush from Fei, Jinho placed the paint on a palette.
Jinho, who stared for a moment at the empty paper and Fei’s picture, slowly started to move his hand, and slowly, a shape was formed.

“…!”

The picture Jinho drew was exactly the same as Fei’s picture. Besides tiny differences, it was precisely the same. Looking at the two pictures that seemingly seemed like an exact copy, Fei’s lips slowly parted.

‘He can copy my picture just from taking a look…?’
“Now, take a look here.”

Seemingly uninterested in what Fei was thinking, Jinho dabbed his brush on a new paint and continued to talk. It was a color completely opposite of the three Fei had chosen; yellow. Carefully, as if to lightly lay the yellowed brush on top, Jinho dabbed the picture.

“!”

At the same time Fei’s eyes became round.

Just by adding a single color… as Jinho said, Fei’s picture seemed to took on a deeper layer.

‘For a while I thought something was missing, and it was that.’

“…ah, yes…”

Fei answered with a slightly dejected voice, but Jinho didn’t seem to have noticed. Jinho became excited again and continued to critique the next picture.
Jinho in Fei’s eyes was brightly laughing and looking over the picture. Just like a child who for the first time found fun in drawing.

‘I was once pa.s.sionate like that too.’

“Yes, I’m fine. Please continue.”

As Jinho noticed Fei’s complexion turning slightly bad and worriedly asked, Fei answered energetically.

Eventually the two’s discussion changed, instead of exchanging each other’s critique, to one sided teaching and learning.

At the same time Jinho felt thirsty from talking on and on for tens of minutes and left saying he was going to get some water.
Thanks to that, Fei was able to concentrate more on her notes, and quietly read the words on the notebook.

“… no way.”

And broke down.

And he was right in front of her.
Jinho, who came up with a cup of water in each hand, handed one to Fei.

“Aren’t you thirsty? Here, have a drink.”

“?”

Fei seemed to become dejected during the short while he left, Jinho who didn’t know the reason could only raise a question mark on his face.

“Thank you very much for the meal. When I get a chance next time, I’ll definitely come holding something in my hand!”
“Hoho, that was just a joke. If I can have such a fun conversation again, you’re always welcome. Careful on your way home.”

Laurong’s family shortly saw Jinho off, who went home, and entered the house again.
Laurong went to the bathroom saying he was going to take a shower, and his wife stayed in front of the TV saying she had a drama to to watch.

“Haa, huu.”

And Fei sat in front of an easel and calmed her breath.
In front of her were the five artworks that Jinho critiqued.

“Then… let’s begin.”

End.

Translator : CSV

Proofreader : Kerrigan