Realism
I had already served breakfast and was getting ready because, thanks to Mrs. Park, who seemed to want to do everything she could to get rid of her husband, was going to drive me to college. I put on a pair of jeans that were very tight on my body, a royal blue blouse with short sleeves and a tempting neckline, white sneakers because, after all, I was going to college and not to a nightclub, put on some perfume, and I was ready to go. He had asked me to wait for him at the main entrance to the house, and so I did, my heart beating so fast that I was afraid everyone in Seoul would hear. I was nervous about getting into a car with him and even more nervous about not wanting my aunt to know. I get a text message and see that it’s from Jin’s brother. As Jin had asked his brother to help me, and he had immediately offered to help me, Jin gave me his brother’s contact details, and we had been messaging each other since yesterday. I was really excited about meeting him and, by coincidence or fate, we were in the same class.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up, the coffee machine broke, and I had to wait for the technician. To make it up to you, I’ll buy you a coffee later and take you home. I’ll wait for you at the college gate!”
I smiled as I read the message and was happy to think that I wouldn’t be so lost. My thoughts were soon interrupted when I saw Mr. Park came out of the main entrance of the house wearing a black suit that made him even more attractive and exuding a woody scent that drove me crazy.
“Shall we go?” Mr. Park asked, his voice smooth as he approached.
“Yes,” I replied eagerly, feeling a flutter of nerves in my stomach.
He walked off, and I followed him to the garage. He unlocked the doors of the beautiful sports car, but I didn’t know enough about cars to know which one it was. He got into the car and after a few seconds he lowered the window and asked me.
“Aren’t you going to get in?” Mr. Park inquired, a hint of impatience in his tone.
“Oh, sorry! Excuse me,” I said, flustered as I hurried to the passenger side.
I knew he didn’t want to take me and was only doing it because his wife practically forced him to, so I was feeling a bit bad. The car smelled of his perfume and that intoxicated me for a few moments. I remember earlier when he held me down so that I wouldn’t fall and glued his sweaty body to mine. I wanted to lick every drop of sweat off his body, my intimate area contracted at the thought of this shirtless man and I pressed my thighs together in search of some relief. He started the car and used only one hand to steer while the other rested on his thigh. I don’t know why, but seeing that man making turns with only one hand on the wheel was extremely sexy to me. I kept looking at his hands, every tattoo, every line. I began to imagine those hands roaming over my body and I looked away, trying to keep control.
“Are you excited?” Mr. Park’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me back to reality.
“Very excited! I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time!” I replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“I wonder. Do you draw? Do you make sculptures? What kind of art do you practice?” he asked, his curiosity evident.
“I draw!” I answered, feeling a surge of excitement at the chance to share my passion.
“And are you good at it?” he inquired further, genuinely interested.
“I can’t say I don’t draw for visual aesthetics, I draw to express what I feel rather than to actually show it,” I explained, hoping he would understand.
“That’s admirable! Most people want to expose themselves more than express themselves,” Mr. Park remarked, his gaze briefly meeting mine.
“Do you like art, Mr. Park?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He grimaced and I laughed.
“Apparently not,” he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“No! It’s not that, it’s that it hurts my ears to hear you call me Mr., you can call me Jason,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“No! If my aunt hears she’ll kill me, and I don’t think your wife would like it either,” I responded, feeling a mixture of nerves and amusement.
He laughed out loud and threw his head back.
“My wife doesn’t care what they call me, and I don’t see either of them here,” he chuckled, pretending to look around.
“Tell you what, when we’re alone you can call me Jason, when there are other people you can call me Mr. Park, okay?” he suggested, a playful glint in his eyes.
“I like Mr. Park. Mr. Park…” I repeated in a sensual tone before realizing what I had said, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Oh my God! I’m sorry I thought too much,” I apologized, feeling mortified.
He started laughing, and I just wanted a hole in the ground to open up, so I could get out of there.
“You’re blushing!” he teased, enjoying my embarrassment.
“Hey, it’s okay! I like authentic people who say what they think. I always seem to be struggling to figure out whether people are telling me the truth or bluffing, so when I see someone like you who doesn’t calculate every word they say, it’s kind of – A relief…” Mr. Park admitted, his voice softening.
I was still dying of embarrassment, but I could tell he was being sincere.
“I’m sorry though, that was totally inappropriate,” I apologized again, feeling flustered.
“Well, the first time I saw you was even less appropriate,” he remarked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Oh my God! Can we please forget about this?” I pleaded, feeling mortified.
“And you think it’s easy, Jane?” he asked, his voice tinged with amusement.
He takes a deep breath as if he’s trying to contain his thoughts, just as I was, but it’s getting harder and harder.
“I’m sorry!” I stammered, feeling guilty for making him uncomfortable.
“For what?” he inquired, his gaze intense.
“For making Mr… – You… Taking the trouble to bring me here today,” I clarified, feeling grateful despite the awkwardness.
“All right, I can’t deny Jiji anything,” he admitted, his tone softening.
“You must love her very much,” I remarked, genuinely curious.
“Yes, I do!” he replied, his voice filled with sincerity.
Like a slap in the face, those words brought me back from the pink cloud I’d been on since I got into this car.
“You make a beautiful couple!” I commented, trying to hide my disappointment.
“Everyone says that, but not everything is what it seems!” he replied cryptically, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled by his sudden change in tone.
“Nothing, never mind, in time you’ll see, and besides, we’re getting there,” he said, changing the subject abruptly.
I could see the college campus from afar, and I was impressed by how big the place was and how organized it looked.
“Look, Eunji is already waiting for you!” Mr. Park pointed out, breaking the silence as we approached.
I looked at the door of the college where he said he’d be waiting for me and saw a handsome, tall man with very fair skin and pink lips fiddling with his cell phone. I didn’t expect him to be so handsome. Jason stops the car, and before he gets out, I look into his eyes, which are glazed over by my cleavage.
“Thank you so much!” I express my gratitude as I step out of the car.
“Make yourself available!” Mr. Park responds with a casual tone before driving off.
I approach Eunji with a smile, feeling a mixture of excitement and curiosity about this new acquaintance. His eyes light up as he sees me approaching.
“So, welcome! Jin has told me a lot about you and I have to say he wasn’t lying when he said you were beautiful!” Eunji greets me warmly.
“Thank you! You’re very kind!” I reply, feeling a bit flustered by his compliment.
“So, you said you had to go to the desk first, right?” Eunji asks, guiding me towards the college entrance.
“Yes!” I confirm, grateful for his assistance.
“Then let’s go!” he says cheerfully, leading the way.
We walk around the college, and I notice that there are very few foreign students. Everywhere I look, I only see natives, and that starts to bother me.
“What’s the matter?” Eunji notices my expression.
“Nothing, it’s just all very different!” I reply, trying to shake off my unease.
“You’ll get used to it over time,” Eunji reassures me.
“I hope so!” I respond, trying to sound optimistic.
“At least you’re not alone. On my first day here, I didn’t know anyone, and I was totally lost!” Eunji shares his own experience.
“I can imagine!” I empathize with him.
“I’m very shy, so to this day I hardly know anyone, but at least the teachers and the ladies in the canteen I know well,” Eunji admits, showing a glimpse of vulnerability.
He was very sweet, and talking to him was very easy. We went to his desk, and I quickly handed over the missing documents. Soon, we were off to our first lesson, which was realism. To test our skills, the teacher asked us to paint the first thing that came into our heads. Eunji was sitting next to me, and I didn’t want him to see what I was drawing, so I leaned an elbow on the table and tossed my hair to one side to hide my drawing. No matter how hard I thought, I could only think of Jason’s eyes, of that perfect body that mesmerized me, but none of that was as fixed in my mind as his hands on the steering wheel of the car, so I decided that this would be my drawing.
I concentrated as much as I could, giving my all to the drawing, portraying every detail of his tattoos, every line on his fingers. When I was finally satisfied with the result, I finished the drawing with my signature. I looked over and saw that Eunji was staring at me, and when he realized that I was staring at him, he disguised it. The teacher went from table to table commenting on each drawing. When he looked at mine, he thought for a few minutes before commenting.
“I see a lot of passion in this drawing. Are those your boyfriend’s hands?” the teacher inquired.
“No!” I denied quickly, feeling a flush of embarrassment.
“Well anyway, congratulations, you’ve managed to portray realism very passionately in this drawing!” the teacher praised.
I was happy with the compliment, and when the teacher looked at Eunji’s drawing, he smiled at me.
“It’s beautiful, but even though you’ve drawn a portrait, the illustration at the back breaks the realism. If it was just the portrait, it would have been perfect!” the teacher critiqued.
He looked at me once more and then at Eunji.
“Is that how you see her?” the teacher directed his question to Eunji.
Eunji lowered his head, smiling shyly, and I was already curious to see the drawing. The lesson ended, and I approached him, smiling and still curious to know what his drawing was about. We went to the cafeteria, and instead of coffee, we ended up ordering two milkshakes. We walked to the bus stop, and I was happy that he was taking me home because it was very late, and I would easily get lost if I were alone. The bus arrived, and when we got on, we sat next to each other, shared a pair of headphones, and went the whole way listening to music and talking about the lesson.
We got off the bus, and the stop was a bit far from home, so we walked leisurely while looking out at the beautiful starry night. I looked at him smiling, and the smile he gave me back was breathtaking.
“What?” Eunji asked, noticing my gaze.
“I’m curious!” I replied, feeling a surge of courage.
“About what?” Eunji inquired, his eyes curious.
“About your drawing,” I admitted, feeling a bit nervous.
He blushed instantly and looked away from me.
“What? Aren’t you going to show me?” I teased gently, trying to lighten the mood.
“Maybe one day…” Eunji replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
“Don’t do that, I’m curious!” I encouraged him, hoping to see his artwork.
He smiled even more, and I was completely melted by the way his eyes smiled at me.
“Fine, I’ll show you my drawing if you show me yours!” Eunji proposed, his tone playful.
I looked away, feeling hesitant. I couldn’t show him because he knew Jason and could tell those hands were his.
“Maybe one day!” I replied, evading the request.
He smiled, and we continued walking down the dark street until we saw one of those expensive-looking cars parked and moving in a very peculiar way. My gaze and Eunji’s crossed, and we turned red and started laughing when we realized that there was someone having sex in there, but as it was none of our business, we continued on our way as normal, getting closer and closer to the car. Until the couple got out and, even in the dark, I saw them saying goodbye with a hot kiss while the man squeezed the woman’s ass, and she giggled almost hysterically.
“Babe, I have to go now!” the man announced reluctantly.
“Oh, babe, just one more kiss!” the woman pleaded, unwilling to let go.
“You said that twenty minutes ago!” the man teased.
“I always want more! You know I love you!” the woman confessed.
“I love you too, but I have to go!” the man insisted.
She replied slyly and kissed him again. When she let go of him, and he got into the car, another car drove past with its headlights on, illuminating the street, and I could finally see who the woman who had got out of the
When she let go of him, and he got into the car, another car drove past with its headlights on, illuminating the street, and I could finally see who the woman who had got out of the car was. When she saw me, her look of happiness crumbled, and she ran up to me with a look of despair on her face.
“Jane?” she called out to me desperately.
I tried to pretend I hadn’t seen her and kept walking, but it was too late.
“Jane, please don’t tell Jason any of this! I can explain!” she pleaded with urgency.