Diamond Dust — Chapter 10

YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE YOURSELF SICK. SLOW DOWN A LITTLE.

I SKIPPED LUNCH SO WE COULD FINISH SHOOTING WHILE WE STILL HAD NATURAL LIGHT.

AHH, THAT'S BETTER! I FEEL ALIVE AGAIN.

LET'S LOOK AT THE PHOTOS WE TOOK!

WHOA, WHAT IS THIS?

MR. LIU, DID YOU STRIP YEEHYEON WITH THE LENS OR SOMETHING?

PFFFT

WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT...?!

YOU CAN PRACTICALLY FEEL THE LUST RADIATING OFF THESE SHOTS. IF YOU WENT A LITTLE FURTHER IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BOUDOIR SHOOT.

YOU HAVE TO BE A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH YOUR SUBJECT TO GET GOOD PHOTOS.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, DELETE THEM.

COME ON!

WHO SAID I DON'T LIKE THEM?

YOU DIDN'T JUST STRIP HIM DOWN, YOU PRACTICALLY MADE LOVE TO HIM.

THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!!

OH WOW, THIS ONE'S REALLY GOOD TOO. AND THIS ONE.

WHICH ONE SHOULD WE POST?

YOU HAVE A NICE BODY.

EXCUSE ME...?

WOW...

I NEVER NOTICED BEFORE SINCE YOU ALWAYS WEAR LONG PANTS.

AND I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN YOU WITHOUT A STRIPED TEE, EITHER.

OH...

TO HIM, I'M JUST A SUBJECT FOR THE CAMERA, NOT SOMEONE HE'D EVER HAVE FEELINGS FOR.

THAT MUST BE WHY HE CAN SAY THINGS LIKE THAT WITHOUT BATTING AN EYE.

HMMM...

ISN'T SAYING SOMEONE HAS A NICE BODY BASICALLY SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

I TRIED TO MAKE IT SOUND AS NEUTRAL AND MECHANICAL AS POSSIBLE, LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING SEXUAL ABOUT IT...

BUT MAYBE THERE'S JUST NO WAY TO SAY IT SO THAT IT DOESN'T COME OFF LIKE THAT, ESPECIALLY COMING FROM ME.

RIGHT, SURE. LIKE ANYONE WOULD BELIEVE THAT.

MR. LIU, YOU CAN MESS AROUND WITH ANYBODY ELSE, BUT NOT OUR LITTLE YEEHYEON.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

HM... THINK ABOUT WHAT?

Y'KNOW, ALL THOSE DIRTY FANTASIES IN YOUR PRIVATE ADULT WONDERLAND.

YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.

I MEAN, SURE, YEEHYEON'S SLENDER, GOOD-LOOKING, AND HIS SKIN IS PRACTICALLY GLOWING, BUT...

LUCKY FOR ALL OF US, HE'S NOT MR. LIU'S TYPE.

ISN'T THAT ALSO SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

OH, RIGHT! MR. LIU'S INTO BIG, MUSCLY GUYS!

I SAW ONE AT HIS PLACE LAST TIME!

WAIT, SERIOUSLY? LIKE GYM BROS?!

JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS AT MY PLACE DOESN’T MEAN WE WERE TOGETHER.

AND KWON JUHAN, YOU’RE REALLY IN NO POSITION TO COMMENT ON ANYONE ELSE’S TASTES.

OH, COME ON, MR. LIU. YOU’RE A GOLDEN ALPHA!

YOU CAN HAVE ANYONE YOU WANT, UNLIKE ME.

HUH...?

DID I IMAGINE IT, OR WAS HE JUST LOOKING AT ME?

YOU ALL TALK LIKE I’M SOME KIND OF PLAYER.

IS IT REALLY SO SCANDALOUS TO SLEEP WITH SOMEONE YOU AREN’T DATING?

DELICIO HAMBURGER AND SNACK

BY THAT STANDARD, NONE OF YOU ARE EXACTLY PARAGONS OF VIRTUE EITHER.

WHATEVER YOU DO IN A CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP IS NOBODY ELSE’S BUSINESS.

EXACTLY. IT’S YOUR LIFE.

LOOK, THERE ARE ALREADY ENOUGH CRITICS CALLING ME SLEAZY, SAYING I SLEEP AROUND FOR WORK. I DON’T NEED TO HEAR IT FROM YOU ALL TOO.

IF I WERE REALLY OUT THERE GOING WILD, I WOULDN’T BE SO OFFENDED BY IT.

WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING YOURSELF SO HARD? YOU KNOW WE’RE JOKING...

HMM...

OR IS IT JUST THAT YOU DON’T WANT YEEHYEON TO GET THE WRONG IDEA?

WHAT DO YOU THINK, MR. SEO YEEHYEON?

LOOKING AT THE PHOTOS MR. LIU TOOK, I DON’T THINK THE COMMENTS ABOUT THEM ARE COMPLETELY OFF BASE. CARE TO COMMENT?

UH...

I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU’RE COMING FROM, MR. LIU.

HAHAHA!

OOOH! WELL PLAYED, YEEHYEON.

HAHA! SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE PRETTY CUTE SOMETIMES.

HAHAHA

HE SMILED...

THAT PICNIC IN THE MESSY BACKYARD OF A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE...

...BENEATH THE SOFT SUNLIGHT OF AN EARLY SUMMER AFTERNOON...

FELT AS SURREAL AS CRASHING THE MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY ITSELF.

EVERYONE ELSE LOOKS SO BRIGHT AND FREE, LIKE THEY ACTUALLY BELONG IN WONDERLAND...

...AND YET I FEEL LIKE I'VE JUST FALLEN DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, A STRANGER TO THIS PLACE.

YUNI, ARE WE DONE SHOOTING?

YEAH, WHY? WANT TO GO CHANGE?

YES, AND WASH MY FACE...

REMEMBER THE ROOM WE CAME THROUGH EARLIER?

THE GUEST BATHROOM IS RIGHT NEXT TO IT. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME!

IS THIS YOUR HOUSE NOW?

USE WHATEVER YOU WANT IN THERE.

THANK YOU.

THIS IS SUCH A CALM, QUIET HOUSE.

I THOUGHT HE WOULD LIVE IN A SLEEK HIGH-RISE...

IS THIS THE LIVING ROOM?

THERE'S A LONG, WINDOWLESS HALLWAY...

IT REALLY FEELS LIKE I'M ALICE ABOUT TO FALL INTO WONDERLAND.

YUNI NOONA COULD BE THE MARCH HARE WITH BLACK FUR...

...AND JUHAN WOULD MAKE A PERFECT MAD HATTER.

THAT MAKES MR. LIU THE WHITE RABBIT WITH THE WAISTCOAT.

THE GUIDE LEADING ALICE...

...INTO WONDER-

AS SOON AS I TURNED THE CORNER, IT FELT LIKE I'D BEEN STABBED IN THE GUT WITH A KNIFE.

IT WAS LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF IN THE MOST PEACEFUL OF PLACES.

YEEHYEON, DID YOU FIND THE ROOM?

I THOUGHT MY DIRECTIONS WERE TOO VAGUE, SO I CAME TO CHECK...

OH, THAT PAINTING.

DO YOU LIKE IT?

THE ARTIST WAS ONLY 16 AT THE TIME IT WAS PAINTED.

IT'S PRETTY AMAZING, RIGHT?

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN IT?

ISOLATION...

HAHA...

NO ONE'S EVER GUESSED THAT BEFORE.

MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE YOU WRITE THE INTROS FROM NOW ON, YEEHYEON.

MOST PEOPLE SAY IT'S ABOUT LOVE OR ROMANCE BECAUSE THE COLORS ARE WARM, AND EVEN THOUGH THE STYLE IS BOLD...

...THE TWO FIGURES SEEM AFFECTIONATE, BECAUSE THEY'RE LEANING ON EACH OTHER.

HOW DID YOU KNOW?

I THOUGHT I, OF ALL PEOPLE...

...UNDERSTOOD HOW SUDDEN AND BRUTAL LIFE'S LITTLE JOKES CAN BE.

BECAUSE THIS IS MY PAINTING.

WHEN LIFE DECIDES TO PLAY TRICKS...

...THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO BUT FALL FOR THEM, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

MY DAD WAS A PAINTER. MY MOM WAS A CARTOONIST.

WE MIGHT'VE BEEN POOR, BUT AT LEAST WE WERE HAPPY.

IF THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM...

OTHER KIDS SAY THEIR PARENTS LOVE THEM MORE THAN ANYTHING...

...BUT YOU DON'T LOVE ME THE MOST.

WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? OF COURSE WE LOVE YOU THE MOST, YEEHYEON!

NO, YOU LOVE EACH OTHER MORE!

WHY CAN'T I BE PART OF THAT? I WANT TO BE THE ONE YOU LOVE MOST, TOO!

HEY, YEEHYEON...

WANT TO HEAR HOW YOUR MOM AND I FIRST MET?

I GREW UP FAR AWAY, BY THE EAST SEA.

I WAS A PRETTY GOOD STUDENT AND MANAGED TO GET INTO A COLLEGE IN SEOUL, SO I MOVED UP HERE.

MY FAMILY ALWAYS HOPED I'D GO TO A GOOD SCHOOL AND GET A GOOD JOB...

...BUT I LOVED PAINTING SO MUCH THAT I SECRETLY QUIT COLLEGE AND WENT TO ART SCHOOL INSTEAD.

BASICALLY...I LEFT MY FAMILY AND MY HOME.

ACK!!

AND DID YOU KNOW THAT MOMMY'S DADDY AND GRANDPA...

WERE BOTH FAMOUS PAINTERS?

WOW...

MY DAD WANTED ME TO STUDY WESTERN PAINTING...

...BUT I WANTED TO BE A CARTOONIST. SO I LEFT HOME...

AND MET YOUR FATHER AT ART SCHOOL.

OH!

YOU LEFT HOME TOO, MOM?

YOU TWO ARE REALLY ALIKE...

THAT'S RIGHT.

IF WE DIDN’T HAVE EACH OTHER, WE MIGHT HAVE GIVEN UP. BUT TOGETHER, WE CAN LIVE TRUE TO OURSELVES.

THAT’S WHY YOUR MOM AND I...

WE’RE PARTNERS.

THAT’S SOMETHING EVEN MORE SPECIAL THAN BEING IN LOVE.

THEY WERE LOVERS, PARTNERS, AND COMPANIONS. THEIR BOND WAS UNBREAKABLE.

SO OF COURSE, WE LOVE YOU MOST, YEEHYEON!

YOU CUTIE!

HAVING PARENTS WITH SUCH A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WAS A WONDERFUL THING.

THEY ALWAYS LISTENED TO ME, CARED FOR ME, AND MADE SURE I KNEW I WAS LOVED.

BUT EVEN SO, I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE.

I FELT THE SAME IN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER KIDS TOO.

THEIR FRUSTRATIONS WITH THEIR PARENTS WERE NOTHING LIKE MY OWN...

SO THAT SMALL, QUIET EMPTINESS WAS SOMETHING THAT ONLY I CARRIED.

WITH BOTH OF THEM BEING ARTISTS, IT WAS ONLY NATURAL I PICKED UP A BRUSH AS I GOT OLDER.

MAYBE I CLUNG TO ART TO FILL THAT EMPTINESS.

THE SUMMER I TURNED 16, I WON AN AWARD AT A MAJOR GALLERY FOR ONE OF MY PAINTINGS.

THAT PAINTING...

...WAS CALLED "ISOLATION."

SUKI KIM...?

YOU MEAN THE SUKI KIM, THE MASTER OF EASTERN PAINTING?

YEAH! SHE WROTE THE JUDGE'S REMARKS FOR YOUR PAINTING HERSELF.

CONGRATS, YEEHYEON!

THANKS TO THAT, MOM RECONNECTED WITH HER FAMILY...

...AND NOT LONG AFTER, HER LONG-RUNNING COMIC WON AN AWARD, TOO.

EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL, IT WAS ALMOST SCARY.

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LOOKS LIKE THE AWARD CEREMONY RAN A BIT LONG. SHE TOOK A TAXI, SO SHE SHOULD BE HERE SOON.

DID YOU BUY FLOWERS TO CONGRATULATE HER, YEEHYEON?

YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD KID.

THOSE PEACEFUL DAYS FELT LIKE THEY WOULD LAST FOREVER.

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS...

...AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR...

LIKE NOTHING WOULD EVER CHANGE.