Paint Me Naked

III

'Just once. Till she's ready to fight for her own fears.'

--

Chapter 3

But it didn't last for one night.

When days went dark, when the sun starts to lose its light, when the night comes, Chaeyoung would knock on her unnie's door and would usually ask, "Can i sleep for another night with you unnie?"

Ms. Minatozaki would oppose and would probably say, "The spider in your dreams is long gone, remember when we fought it together last night? we scared it away, it'll never come back." because she sleeps better when there's no one around, but the glint on Chaeyoung's eyes and the way her voice trembles with fear keeps haunting her, so she lets her sleep in her room for the second time around.

Chaeyoung snuggles close to her while hugging the stuffed animal she bought for the young one.

It feels a bit crowded when that toy gets in the way, but Chaeyoung seems to be fond of its fluffiness so she just lets her be.

A night became for a whole week, then a month, then a year. Now Chaeyoung is an eleven year old girl who sleeps with her unnie every night.

"I'll clean the bathroom for the whole year unnie, just please don't be mad at me."

A worried Chaeyoung standing by her door greats her. Chaeyoung was holding a brush that's soaked in red paint, making her fingers be colored in red and also staining her white dress red.

"Just for a year?" She sternly asked.

Chaeyoung's eyes dart somewhere else and couldn't face her unnie's eyes at the moment.

Then there came a chuckle, "I was only fooling with you. Why would you do that though?" She knows what's bothering the young one, though she made fun with it at first. And it seems like that didn't work too well.

Chaeyoung starts twisting her toes on the rugged floor, "I cannot do what you told me to." She mumbles.

Her unnie's brow raised, "And that is?"

She then looks up and speak out her thoughts, "To make the brush dance against a canvass in excellence like you."

Chaeyoung waves the brush she's holding in the air and sways it around even more, and this is making Ms. Minatozaki smile.

She taps her pencil on her working desk, "Have you ever cleaned a bathroom before?" The older questioned.

The confidence in her eyes showed, "Mm.." Chaeyoung nods slowly.

She doesn't know if she'll get mad or what. Simple because those hands aren't meant for cleaning dirty stalls, nor her bathroom.

It's for creating masterpieces. It's for bringing out the best of everyone's wildest dreams, for the greatest imagines ever sketched.

She believes this, and this is why she pursue the world of painting. It's where she can express herself truly without saying any word.

And it's on the viewers own perspective on how they'll understand every lines of her brush makes.

She also believes that the smaller their brains are, the little amount of meaning they'll find.

And oh how that takes her back to the time her parents despise her, and all because she wants to draw the figures in her dreams.

"Such a waste of time, you'll never gain anything from your stupid hobby."

Sana's grip on her pencil could burn by just having that memory cross her mind.

"Don't be mad, I can start cleaning the bathroom now!"

Chaeyoung's distinct voice brings her back to reality, so she shakes her head to get rid of the worst of the worsts experience she have had in life and tried to focus on what she has today.

Her latest works.

Wealthy clients.

More paintings.

And Chaeyoung.

Her supposedly successor.

But since the kid has no clue where to start painting, she'll try her best to figure out a way to teach her.

Wishing that somehow Chaeyoung could adapt at least a thing or two of her skills.

The kid is still young, she can still develop so much more than what Sana already have.

So starting today, Ms. Minatozaki will be teaching Chaeyoung how to paint like her.

"Can you teach me how you made your paper hearts?"

Chaeyoung's head tilts, confused why her unnie asked her that. "Eh?"

Sana stood up from her chair, "Let's start with shapes Chaeyoung-ah."

She held the younger's hand and lead her to their somewhat art room where bunch of canvasses and other painting materials are stored. In short, the place where Sana feels the freedom her parents forbids her to have when she was younger.

Chaeyoung tugs the hem of Sana's shirt, "Uhm.. unnie, am I still cleaning the bathroom?"

Sana kneeled down and says, "No, silly."