THE MY GREAT PAINTER SYSTEM
'Blood of a Patriot'

In front of the second floor of a dwelling, Sean calls Ellian back and not long after the girl gets out. He greets Sean and lets him in his house.

“You stay here?” Sean asked pleasantries.

“Yes, but both of my parents work abroad and I only live with an older brother, but he is not home, he is so busy working and rarely comes home,” clear Ellian.

Hearing that, Sean could not hold his saliva. How can a normal guy like Sean be alone with a beautiful girl in the house?

Sean's dirty thoughts soon vanish when a painting steals his attention. A painting with a size of 2x1 meters hanging on one of the walls looks striking. The red color dominates the painting and pieces of steel appear to be submerged in it. 

Sean's admiration was evident in his eyes and the Ellian who realized it only smiled. He looked back at the painting deeply. “Name ‘Blood of a Patriot’, Good, No?”

“This painting is not only good, but very outstanding. I can feel a soul in it.” Sean replied in awe.

Sean looked back at Ellian who was swept into the beauty of the work. The painting was a type of surrealism that was already in step. There are not many painters of surrealism because of the difficulty of the idea of a more fantasy-like picture.

Judging from the detail of the lines and the continuity between the selection of suitable colors, the painting was painted with a difficult and time-consuming technique in the process. Truly an artist's masterpiece.

In the corner of the painting, the painter's initials are printed. KK and on the Second line written another name ‘Karrin’. Seeing the name Karrin makes Sean just raking no stranger. The young man tried to dig into his memory, but no one with the name Karrin found in his memory.

“Who is the painter?” Sean seemed so enthusiastic.

Ellian just smiled, she knew that not only Sean could judge the painting well. People who are laymen of art also admire it and even the painting is often bargained for a high price. However, the painting was never sold and continued to hang on the wall of the Ellian house.

“My brother painted it.” Ellian answered proudly.

“Your brother is a painter?” Sean asked again.

Sean's question made Ellian lower his gaze and he was forced to smile wryly, “He used to be a world-recognized painter, but he had already stopped painting. His ability suddenly disappeared and he never did it again. Meanwhile, 'Blood of a Patriot' was his last painting."

It is truly unfortunate that a painter with such amazing work stopped his career. Moreover, losing the ability in one night is impossible, except like what Sean had experienced in the past.

"Sorry, did your brother have an accident?" Sean's curiosity made him ask again.

The Ellian who was beside him shook his head, there was an indescribable sadness in his eyes. "It's not like that. I don't know exactly what happened either. As I recall, during a storm at night, brother came home in a state of chaos and said that he couldn't paint anymore."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you something that made you sad" Sean said.

They end the conversation and return to the original purpose of Sean's arrival. With so strict, the young man taught the Ellian the early stages of painting.

***

Three hours Sean was stuck at Ellian's house. He planned to finish the lesson today and told Ellian to practice diligently. However, when Ellian escorted Sean out.

"Sister?" Greet Ellian to the man.

Unintentionally, Sean's gaze turned to the bespectacled man whom Ellian had called brother. However, the young man was so shocked by what he found.

"K-Kenzo Karrin?" Sean unknowingly uttered a name.

Sean realizes that the initials 'KK' in the painting are Kenzo Karrin. It was totally unexpected!

"Do you know each other?" Ellian's question made the two men turn to her. No one wanted to answer him first, but in the end Kenzo gave a statement to him.

"Sean Herdian, I met her once in the gallery. Back then, brother also gave her a business card." Kenzo's words made Sean feel happy. Even though it was only once they met, great painters like Kenzo still remembered his name correctly.

"Right, I wanted to file one of the paintings in the gallery where your brother works." Sean confirmed the truth of Kenzo's story to Ellian.

Ellian's expression looked bright and both of her eyes widened happily. "Is this a coincidence? As I told my brother I had a tutor who was willing to teach me how to paint and Sean was the one.

Kenzo Karrin turned to Sean and smiled. "I've heard it from my sister, thank you for teaching her the art and if Sean's pleased, can we talk alone. There's something I want to talk about."

'Deg!'

Sean's heart thumped because it was too happy, without being able to refuse Sean agreed to the invitation from Kenzo Karrin.

***

"What do you want to talk about?" Sean asked after a long pause the two were silent.

"I will choose a place to talk, he replied.

The two men got into a black sedan and were driven by Kenzo. The man in glasses stopped his car in front of a cafe. Sean and Kenzo Karrin sit facing each other after ordering drinks.

"I want to pose as your teacher." Kenzo Karrin said those words with complete calmness, different from Sean who choked after downing americano before him. Luckily, Sean did not spit the liquid into Kenzo's face.

"What did you just say? Did I not hear wrong?" sean said in a coughing voice. However, the man before him did not react.

"Do I have to repeat it again? I told you that I volunteered as your teacher. What about your opinion?"

A great painter with the work 'Blood of a Patriot' volunteered to become Sean's teacher? How could this opportunity be denied him, being a disciple of a great painter like Kenzo Karrin, but there was something that made his heart feel heavy.

"I was just thinking about what Ellian said about you. Can you do it?" Sean talks about Kenzo who can't paint anymore. However, realizing his words were wrong in speaking, Sean apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I only heard you from Ellian. Even so, I'm glad you're my teacher."

Kenzo smiled slightly as he downed the cup in front of him. "Everything my sister says is true, but that doesn't mean I can't do it. I want to make your painting bigger than mine. You're gonna be a great painter going forward."

The praises of Kenzo Karrin make Sean fly in wishful thinking, but he regains consciousness of something. "Why did you just teach me, not your own sister?"

"I don't want to share my knowledge with just anyone and only the aspiring great painter I want." Kenzo Karrin's explanation sounds so cruel to Ellian, even though the girl looks so admiring her own brother. Of course he wanted Kenzo as his tutor, not Sean who was just a budding painter.

"There's one more question." Sean hesitated a bit about saying it, but as Kenzo Karrin stared intently, he had no other choice. Why should I? I'm sure you'll easily find a talented painter rather than me."

The question made the atmosphere between them quiet. No one said, until Kenzo Karrin smiled to himself. "Because Sean reminds me of my old self."

They ended the conversation with a deal. Kenzo Karrin is Sean's teacher!