Solflare: The Painter's Secret

Birds covered their little ones with their feathers as the coldness struck Bastion City. Snow had fallen and crammed the street like sand.

The snow kept on falling as children ran across the streets.

"Hey," a boy wearing a jacket with Baek’s name tag on it screamed. "Take this." He hurled a folded snowball at his colleagues, then set out running.

Shadows stretched across the road at every junction the kids moved past. They had no fear at first until they walked past the Storm Mansion’s gate.

"Guys, run!" they screamed at each other and ran as if their days on earth had been numbered.

Right after they vanished from sight, dried leaves fell from the trees at the other side of the iron gate. They floated in the air and finally landed softly on the ground.

Footsteps echoed softly from the garden.

Min-ji stopped right in front of the apple tree. "Shit, I failed this time too?" She watched the roots at the base of the tree while hitting the bark with her palms.

"That was the perfect plan. Why didn’t it work?" she screamed, lifting her head toward the branches of the tree.

On it, two squirrels had exited from their nest and were staring at her.

"What are you looking at?" Min-ji crouched down for a stone and then hurled it at the innocent animals.

Her chest rose and fell as memories of Darian rejecting the plan she proposed to let Zoe Qing get back into the Baek family filled her mind.

"Wait," a smile tore across her face as she looked at her palms. "Maybe I didn’t do something right. Yeah, maybe that’s why I ended up failing."

She turned and looked at the lighted building, then grinned.

The two squirrels peeked their heads out and watched the angry human walk back to the mansion.

As soon as Min-ji entered, she shifted her expression.

Zoe sat on the sitting room couch, one leg crossing the other. She held her phone as if it were more precious than her life.

"Ooohh," Zoe murmured softly.

"Aunty, what is it?" Lily asked, shifting her attention from the mathematical equation she was solving.

Zoe smiled at Lily. "Nothing. I just thought he had replied to the message I sent him."

Lily placed the pen on the book, then stood up. "Is it about brother?"

Zoe nodded.

"Don’t worry, he promised to come back no matter what." Lily smiled back at Zoe, then picked up her smartphone. "Take this, maybe he will reply to mine faster than yours."

"Aww, you’re such a sweet girl." Zoe cupped Lily’s cheeks. She brushed the little girl’s hair backward. "Thank you."

The mansion held its warmth while the outside dwelt in heavy coldness.

...

Inside the Qings’ farmland, plenty of their hard-earned crops were rotting. Rice got infected with diseases, mushrooms became toxic, and tomatoes became infested.

"Dad," Jony, the little boy who had been raised on the farmland, turned toward his father. "Why are the crops dying no matter how much fertilizer we give them?"

His dad, the man who always wore a blue shirt, crouched down to Jony’s level. He placed a hand on Jony’s hair, then sighed heavily.

"Son," the father breathed heavily. "Not everything needs to thrive smoothly."

"What do you mean by that, Dad?" Jony asked, confusion filling his gut.

The father smiled, then shook his head. "Son, in this life, some things come to stay. But others come just to be seen."

Jony shifted his gaze from his dad and looked at the rabbit’s den that was now filled with vegetable remains. "Then why do they have to suffer before they die?"

The father lifted his eyes to the star-filled sky. "Only the gods know what is best."

As the farmer and his child moved back to their house for warmth, Kira stood in front of the white mansion, smoking.

"This tastes better than all the ones I have used." Delight filled her eyes as she inhaled and exhaled the tobacco.

Inside the building, the lively walls had lost their joy. Even the chandelier that glowed with grace now burned the skin.

Darian stood in front of the library door. "Dad, how are we still going to take care of the affairs of Thule if we can’t even manage our own home?"

Hu Qing threw a sharp glance at him, then shook his head. ’What a waste of blood,’ he said in his head, then picked up his telephone.

Darian moved a step forward, a faint laugh escaping from him. "Dad, don’t tell me you’re going to call the Baek family again."

Hu Qing didn’t speak. He simply cut off the line, then slammed his fist on the table. "Get the fuck out!"

Darian raised both hands. "I’m sorry if I irritated you." He moved to the door, opened it, and stopped.

He hesitated for a while, then turned. "All this would have been solved if you hadn’t loosened your guard on Zoe. Allowing her to do what she thinks is right has caused us our downfall."

Before Darian could close his mouth, Hu Qing threw the telephone at him. The telephone smashed against the door as Darian ducked.

"I said fuck off!"

Hu Qing’s voice echoed like a howl in the mansion as Darian walked out, laughing.

Birds burst from their nests as the shout escaped from the building and spread into the remaining part of the Qings’ land.

...

Meanwhile, as Thule’s streets chilled, Agathan’s streets had warmth.

Countless ladies in clothes that exposed half their bodies walked sluggishly through the hallways of La Crusa Hotel.

Inside room number 616, Nora lay flat on the white bed. Her body was so visible through the transparent nightgown she wore. She crossed her legs while watching D.D. Demon change his clothes.

"Darling," she called out with a sweet and charming voice. "Where are you going at this late hour?"

Demon didn’t look at her or respond at first, but a few minutes later, he looked at her and grinned from the corners of his eyes.

He zipped the sharp-metal belt, then walked to her. "Darling," he wrapped his palms around Nora’s face. "I need to take care of something myself."

Nora straightened. "What is it? Tell me, maybe I can come with you."

Demon smiled, shaking his head. He held her tight, tighter than he had ever done throughout their three years of marriage. "No, stay here. I’ll be back before it gets too late."