Tear

~22~

Taehyung watched as a brooding expression took over Mrs. Hwang's face. She stepped forward, gesturing at the table.

"And what is this?"

Ae Ra swallowed hard. "I've been painting."

Mrs. Hwang scoffed. "You've been painting all this time? I thought you gave those silly dreams up. How many times do I have to tell you? Painting is going to get you nowhere in life. You're making pictures no one is ever going to notice. We need to put an end to this once and for all."

Before Ae Re could react, her mother grabbed the brush in her hand and snapped it in half like a twig.

"I want you to throw all this away and come home now. And here I thought I could just grab a cup of coffee before my evening meeting."

Ae Ra's eyes were filled with hot tears. Her cheeks burned as other eyes in the café focused on her.

"Mrs. Hwang, this isn't Ae Ra's fault. It's mine. I found out recently that she used to paint and this café needed new artwork. I work here, and heard they would pay the artist well, so I recommended Ae Ra."

Mrs. Hwang's expression lightened a bit as she faced Taehyung. "I know you're trying to help and clear things up, but things are already very clear to me. Sorry to make a scene. Ae Ra, get up now!"

Ae Ra scrambled to her feet and flashed Taehyung one last pitiful look before her mother wrapped a firm hand around her wrist and dragged her out of the café. Taehyung collapsed in the seat she had been sitting in. He stared at the broken brush in front of him. Even though painting didn't mean much to him, his heart hurt seeing it. All her paints were set up so neatly, and she had sketched out a beautiful design.

It's all my fault Taehyung thought as he packed up her stuff and stored it with his messenger bag in the back.

"What was that about?" Taeil asked once Taehyung joined him behind the counter.

"Ae Ra loves to paint. But she her mother doesn't want her to pursue a career in painting." Taehyung suddenly remembered Baekhyun had attached a mic somewhere on him and was listening to every single word. He had to be careful not to say too much. "Whatever, not my problem."

"You don't care? She looked so upset. Doesn't that bother you?" Taeil tried to gauge his colleague's complete change in character.

"I have better things to worry about than some stupid girl who wants to paint."

Taeil bit his lip. "That's a bit harsh. Well, I guess I have to respect your opinions."

Ae Ra sank into her bed, wishing she could be anywhere but here, trapped in her house under her mother's watch. What scared her the most was the lack of conversation. She expected her mother to scream her lungs out until Ae Ra's ears bled. But this time, they had walked home in silence. She cancelled her meeting and collapsed on the sofa to watch a show on her favorite cooking channel.

"Knock knock." Hyunjin cracked open the door and made his way to Ae Ra's bed. "Hey, you okay? What happened?"

"Mom found out I still paint. She caught me painting in a coffee shop and made a spectacle of it in front of Taehyung."

Hyunjin's eyes widened. "Wait, Handsome Hyung 1.0 saw this happen? That's embarrassing."

Ae Ra sat up, glaring daggers at her little brother. "You don't have to remind me."