"Good morning, what can I get for you?"
"I need a 12 x 16 sized universal canvas."
"How many pieces?"
"Ten pieces, please."
I patiently waited for the cashier to get what I needed. I'm here at a Craft Supplies Store near the apartment. I didn't bring a lot of painting canvases with me since these are available here anyway.
I glanced at the La vendemmia which is located across this shop. People are still lining up to get inside. I'm not yet planning to purchase an artwork or some vintage materials from that store.
"Do you have any more additional supplies to buy, Sir?" the man asked while packing my order.
I shook my head. "That's all I need... Thank you." I said after paying.
I'm having second thoughts about lining up at that store... maybe I could find something related to Iseul. There's a long line here in front of La vendemmia, but my feet dragged me to fall in line too.
"I'm sorry to say this but the store can accommodate only six more customers. We can't let more people enter, but do come back next week for our new releases!" a staff member from La vendemmia announced.
I heard some customers' disappointment after hearing the announcement. I just got here and the line's been cut off. I'm all out of luck I guess. Next week, I'll try to come here again.
It's almost sunset and I'm walking back to the apartment while carrying this pile of canvases.
"Yohan! Hey, man. What's up?" Luke greeted. He's smoking while leaning on his window.
"Nothing much. I bought these, I'm out of stock." I raised my hand to let him see what I bought.
"I see, you must've been painting these past few days?"
"Not really, I've been visiting art galleries. I'll go inside now, I need to cook dinner." I excused myself and Luke subtly waved goodbye.
I placed my supplies inside the bedroom. I walked towards the kitchen to find something to cook. I ended up cooking fried chicken and some rice. While waiting for the rice to cook, I hung the clothes that I washed. I did the laundry a while ago before buying. So much for living alone.
After eating, I sat on the balcony and watched the sun as it left. The sky's dark already, which means I should start painting Iseul. I went inside my bedroom to get my art materials and made my set up in the living room.
I played classical music while painting. I can relax painting in this way. And just like what I said, I painted patiently unlike what I did last time. Iseul's face is easy to remember, but it's challenging to give justification to her beauty.
"Well that looks better."
She's here. I didn't even glance at the mirror. Iseul is standing beside me and looking at my work which is just halfway done.
"Glad to hear... you appeared already, I'm not even done yet." I continued stroking my brush.
"You want me to leave and wait for you to finish?" she laughed sarcastically. She's undoubtedly short-tempered.
"What? No." I placed the paintbrush in a glass full of water to stop.
"Continua. You can finish that, I'll stay here. It's boring to see ghosts every single second."
She roamed around my room like what a normal visitor does. A lady in a black dress with long hair is wandering inside my apartment. People would get frightened if they saw her.
I exhaled and continued painting. I'm just adding details to her face then I'll proceed with her hair.
"Iseul, can I ask you about your past?" I said.
She nodded and said. "Bene."
"Were you some artist's model when you were alive?"
"No. Before, people here hated the oppressed, and I'm one of them." she said. She's sitting on top of the kitchen counter with her legs crossed. "Poor citizens were not really welcomed."
"But you live on this island? Why aren't you welcomed?" I asked.
She gasped. "Est."
"I'm sorry?"
"Argh. The East, people with no talent, money, and connections live in the East. Those darned artists."
"Is that why the East is not easily accessible? For people there to... not get on this island?" I felt sad all of the sudden.
"Si. But hurting them is forbidden now. I'm their last vittima."
"The last what?"
"Argh! it's so hard talking to you. I'm their last victim! Because the news spread almost beyond the island, they stopped hurting people to protect this stupid island's name."
"Nari, I met Nari." I stood up. I tried to change the subject first, I don't want Iseul to burst into anger again.
Her eyes looked up, trying to remember who Nari was.
"Nari, the old woman at a Korean restaurant. She said she gave you this." I showed her the tassel Nari gave me.
Her eyes formed an 'o' when she saw what I was holding.
"Dios mio, why do you have this?"
"Nari gave it to me and she told me you live in the East."
"That stupid woman, she's still talkative as ever. It's been a long time since I saw this tassel."
"Don't say that to her, she said you're her chingu. And she wanted to help you." I said. I placed the tassel on top of the counter beside Iseul.
"If she's really my chingu then she should've helped me... Porca miseria. But I can't blame Nari, she's old." She laughed.
"You're so harsh to her, she really cares about you."
"Yeah right. What did she even tell you about me? She must have been sharing stories about me to customers! Like how I wanted to learn hangul, or the time she bought me a hanbok and gave me this tassel."
"You sounded like you heard what she said," I went back to my seat and continued painting. I'm still mixing acrylic paints to create my desired color.
"I heard once, and I don't want to hear those things again. She's my only friend here, she shouldn't be talking about me. She's the most stupid person I know. Lei è stupida!"
"Stop calling her stupid, Iseul." I said, protecting Nari from her harsh words.
"She is! She should be keeping her mouth shut that we had connections. Bad people might go to her because of my name." she looked at the floor and pursed her lips. "She might get dragged into this mess. But I'm glad... after a decade, she's still safe. Grazie per avermi fatto sapere."
"Could you please speak English if you don't want to repeat things?"
She frowned at me. "You're so annoying! I said thank you for letting me know she's safe."
"Oh, and I'm going to the East six days from now... to your old home."
She immediately stood up, her mood changed again.
"What?! You're even more stupid than Nari!"