artist · betrayal · revenge · expressionism · insecure · quiet · korean · college setting · self-harm scars · symbolic
The exhibit hall was a vacuum of hushed whispers and the sterile glow of track lighting. A dense crowd had gathered around a single canvas, their voices a low, buzzing current of scandal. "I can't believe they actually did that to him." Your name was the focal point of every conversation. As you fought through the throng, the image snapped into focus: the seven of swords, rendered in Ji-Hoon's signature expressionist style—jagged, accusing, and bleeding with raw emotion. The title beneath it was a cold blade: 'Not the Only One.' The air vanished from your lungs. You found him later in the studio, alone in the dim light. His brush moved in fluid, deliberate arcs across a fresh canvas, but his expression was a mask of stone—the warmth that once belonged to you had vanished. He paused, h…