The only exception

Part TWO

"You don't have a maid." Jisoo said as she was looking around the house I've grown up in.

"We do, but Mrs. Im would only visit during the morning and afternoons to clean."

I guided her somewhere, and there we found ourselves in the kitchen to ask what she wanted.

"You have wine?"

"You want to get drunk?" I didn't mean to blurt it out; it just came out naturally.

She chuckled, "No, it's just... wine helps me work better."

I could not disagree with her. It's true, wine does help you work better. So, without a doubt, I went through the cabinets, trying to find the wind glasses, even though I had no clue where they were.

After a few seconds, I thought I found it, but then I realized it was champagne flutes. I could not help but feel sheepish and slightly upset when I could not find what I was looking for. I was certain Mrs. Im once told me that it was here somewhere.

"I think I can't find the wine glass,"

"I wouldn't mind if you offered me to chug the bottle instead of sipping from a wine glass," she said, and I couldn't help but laugh, only to stop when I noticed her staring at me.

"Has anyone told you that you're more beautiful when you laugh?"

I bit my bottom lip, blushing. Lately, ever since she came, she has been taking all of her chances to shower me with compliments.

"Jennie did, once." I say

Jisoo smiled before breaking our eye contact and taking a pair of glasses. I took the wine, and before I knew it, we had arrived at the basement, where I had kept the art materials that I had brought for myself.

I could hear the clink of glasses, and when I glanced at Jisoo, she was pouring the wine for me and for herself.

"Here," she said, and I took it, sipping as I started to pull on the dusty white clothes. Jisoo was helping me pull them, and after a couple of minutes, when we settled down, I gave her a seat.

"I started art at a young age," she starts, glancing at me to acknowledge if I was listening or not. I glanced up and met her eyes. "I like to believe my grandfather was the reason why. We made a bet, daring me to sketch our neighbor's roof, and when I found it so perfect, I didn't stop bragging about it for days with Jennie, until my parents brought me some art materials I didn't know existed. Of course, when I had the skills, I immediately felt I ought to pursue it. My grandmother and some other relatives believe that my involvement in the arts is a disgrace to the family. I love them and hate them for that, but that's family, I guess."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I hummed and sipped my wine. I could feel her eyes on me.

"I heard from Jennie that you stopped art because of your mother. But you managed to stand back, not because of your mother, but for yourself."

I wasn't mad at Jennie for exposing me to her sister like that. I understood, Jennie was bad at lying, while I was the opposite. I understood.

"I did. She was my main inspiration, and after she left, I didn't really have any more inspiration left, so I stopped. I don't really know when I started again, but I do remember waking up and just doing art sometimes, because fuck it. I wouldn't let my mother stop me from doing what I wanted just because she left." Although, I sometimes feel lonely to have no one beside me to cheer. My mother was with me throughout my discovery of liking art, and when she disappeared from my life, I felt like a stone left by a traveler only because he was interested in another stone whose value was greater than mine.