Several years later
Heels clinked the pavement as you ran to the room. It was the worst possible day to get into a car accident. Luckily, it was a minor bump and you were okay. The insurance was taking care of it as you hail a cab to work. On the drive over, you went through the monologue in your head to explain to the director. The woman could make the devil shiver with fear and you wanted to have this job for the rest of your life.
"You alright miss?" the cab driver asked.
"I'm late for a meeting." you answered honestly. You quickly wiped the sweat away and tried to relax.
"Ah, I see. I'll get you there as soon as possible." he cheered. Then pressing the gas pedal, you jolted backward. Upon arriving, the man hadn't expected this location. He thought it would be some investment firm based on your previous reaction. Instead, he saw the city's biggest museum of art, Reino.
You handed a stack of cash to the man, not having enough time to count it. Seeing that it was a lot, the man promised to come back later tonight to drop you off at home. You flashed him a grateful smile before running on inside. Just as you got to the door, someone stopped you from going any further.
"Taehyung, will I die today?" you asked. The boy laughed as he fixed your hair, tucking it carefully behind your ear. It wasn't part of his job description, but as your assistant, he couldn't let you go into a meeting with flying hair.
"Maybe, but she seems to be in a good mood today for some reason." he commented, it gave you a little bit of hope. Nonetheless, your heels were clinking as Taehyung followed effortlessly behind you with his long legs. On your sprint, you didn't have time to appreciate the latest installment and exhibit you worked hard to put together. There's a small pain in your chest every time you look at them, a constant reminder that you'll never have anything displayed. Right now, you were only focused on staying alive and having a job.
You saw her silhouette through the mosaic door. You never found a function for it aside from amplifying your terror. Your knuckle landed softly on the door and knocked a few times. "Come in." she chirped instantly. When you entered, she sat at the other end of the relatively small oval table. There was no used since it would just be the three of you this morning. You bowed to her apologetically before taking your seat. Taehyung took his place right next to you and clicked his pen open.
You exhaled. "I'm so sorry for being late Director Song, I got into a car accident..." The woman held her hand up with eyes closed. Her mini bangs and dessert-inspired jewelry were awful and you bit your lips to swallow back the comments.
"I don't want to hear you right now." she hummed. Apparently she has been meditating and getting angry will mess up her zen. Taehyung joked that her zen was messed up long ago. "I wanted to meet with you about the next exhibit we're hosting, it's going to be a little different from the other ones we've done."
"Different how?" you questioned. You already felt the tiredness of your shoulders. Anything the director had a vision it was your task to complete it. No matter how difficult and daunting it might be. Once, you had the drive across the country to pick up a specific paint for the wall to match her ideals. And unfortunately, you'd do it all over again because this was where you wanted to be, no matter how you're not very valued.
Despite the title of the curator, you were more of a donkey, being swayed and bombarded by those with money and power. The director was no different, she only got the job because it was her family business. In fact, you didn't think she could distinguish between acrylic and water paint.
"I want to display photos." she expressed with her hands creating an arch as if whatever she was saying was so life-changing.
"Photos?" Taehyung perked up in his seat, the boy was a lover of photos and aspire to be one himself one day. Anytime he went on his photo shooting adventures, he would show you the best ones. You might be biased but you know his pictures were better than any professionals out there.
"Have you heard of the photographer Mono?" she leaned forward with curious eyes.
Mono, you repeated in your mind. The name was familiar. As curator, you had to at least familiarize yourself with famous or up and coming artists. "I thought he was abroad right now."
"He will be back at the end of the week for a charity event. Contact him and schedule a meeting." she demanded. "I heard somewhere that he has a collection of photos he had never shown the world before. I want Reino to become the first museum ever to hold that exhibit."
You frowned, "How do you know he'll agree?"
"That's not my job, that's yours." she said plainly before standing up from her seat. As she walked towards the door, she stared down at you. "Don't disappoint me, or consider your position disposed." Then the mosaic door slammed shut. Your head landed on the table as Taehyung patted your back. The boy had also been there with you through everything and seeing you upset was something he hated.
"We'll get through this, noona."
"Thanks, buddy." you smiled softly. You couldn't drag him into these any longer, or else it would cost him his job as well. Heading back to your office, you were determined to at least get a response from the mysterious man. The first thing you saw when the office door swung open was your painting. It was no longer just a splash of colors, but it was completed with all details from that day, at least the ones you wanted to remember. The important thing was that it's completed and you'll never go back to it.
Jimin, whenever he visited, would always question why you chose to hang it up. Despite it being the endless reminder of your heartache, it was also your motivation to be better than those people. After that day, you stopped given up your dreams of becoming a painter, it was useless, you knew it. You continued to study art and worked your way up the ladder to become curator of Reino. It was easy considering you did everything you could to get him out of your head, and working was the only way. The accomplishment was not small, and you finally felt that you belong in this world. Still, you wish it had happened another way, without the sad ending.