Chpt. 1 Art Exhibition

July 1st, 2016,

It was the day Lyrios Flynn, a teenage artist, had been waiting for. His painting was part of the exhibition, and as he saw it being admired by many people, he couldn't help but feel proud. A smile spread across his face as he thought, "Finally, my hard work has paid off!"

What made this moment even sweeter was that Seryna, the girl he had admired for the past three years, was there to see it. She was his colleague, and he had often wondered if she would attend the exhibition. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he searched for her familiar face.

That's when he spotted a girl standing in the corner, intently studying the paintings. But to his surprise, she wasn't looking at his piece. Instead, she was focused on the painting beside his, created by an artist named Unknown. Lyrion's curiosity got the better of him, and he approached her.

"Hey, why don't you look at the painting beside this one?" he asked, nodding towards his own artwork. "More people are drawn to it, anyway

The girl looked up at him, seemingly unwilling to engage in conversation. Her gaze scanned him from head to toe before she responded, "I only look at what is mine. You don't have to ask people to pay attention to your art. People have their own eyes for good ones, and I think yours lacks..."

Lyrion's eyes narrowed as he looked at his art piece, feeling a sting from her words. "What do you mean my piece is lacking? How can you judge my work without knowing how much time I devoted to it?"

The girl's expression remained calm, and she continued, "I was just voicing what I saw. It's merely advice."

Just as she was about to say more, her phone rang, cutting off her words. Lyrion wanted to ask her about it, but the crowd had grown thicker, and he lost sight of her.

...***********************************************...

A week had passed since the exhibition, and Lyrion found himself running out of paints. He decided to head to the convenience store early in the morning to restock. As he entered the store, he noticed it was relatively quiet.

Lyrion was browsing through the art supplies when he spotted his colleague Seryna's friends, squealing happily while on their phones. He approached them and asked, "What's going on? Did something good happen?"

Dianne looked at him with a surprised expression and said, "Lyrios! So you're here to buy some paints?" She noticed the paints in his hands. "Actually, your friend Seryna is now engaged to Jake! You know him, right? The handsome musician from our school."

She tilted her phone to show him a live video of Jake and Seryna, who were hugging and looking happy. "Oh, yeah, they're perfect," Lyrion said, trying to sound casual. He excused himself, paid for his paints, and left the store.

As he walked out, Lyrion couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Three years of waiting, and it had all been for nothing. He walked to the park, letting the fresh air calm him down. He sat on a bench and mumbled to himself, "Agh, it's frustrating! How come I ended up like this? I just want to die right now..."

Just then, a voice behind him said, "Your paints are all scattered. Someone might step on them." Lyrion turned around to see the girl from the exhibition standing behind him. He quickly gathered his paints, and she handed him one that had rolled away.

"Your feelings mustn't be affected," she said. "It was just an obstacle. No need to fool yourself; there's no use clinging to impossible matters."

Lyrion was taken aback. How did she know what had just happened? "How come you knew about it?" he asked.

"I accidentally eavesdropped on your conversation a while ago," she replied. "She is engaged, the girl, the reason why you participated in the exhibition the other day."

Lyrion sat back down on the bench, feeling a mix of emotions. "Yes... You got it," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Whatever, it's none of my business. I'll be off."

The girl turned away and left. A minute passed, and Lyrion decided to head home. As he approached his dorm, he was surprised to see the girl again. She was the new tenant next door.

"So you're the new tenant?" Lyrion asked, feeling a bit stunned. "Oh, surprised it's you again..."

"Yes, I'm temporarily here for a month," she replied. "My aunt is on vacation, so I occupied her place. Nice to meet you, then."

With that, she closed her door, leaving Lyrion feeling a bit dazed. He shook his head, opened his dorm door, and stepped inside, still feeling a bit fuzzy.

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