THE MY GREAT PAINTER SYSTEM
Traumatic story of 'Hidden Paradise'

The promised day happened. Sean picks up Steven Smith and with permission from their homemaker's mother goes downtown. There they took out a picture book and painted together casually

Steven Smith is not a friendly person, he is more silent and says words that need to be said without affixing a little pleasantries. However, Sean can see his interest in painting so high, let alone his painting is good enough for just an ordinary High School boy.

It's just that .. Sean did not run out of thinking why the system chose his paintings to be a collection in the Vase Art Gallery.

Although Steven Smith's painting was quite interesting, he did not find anything special in his painting. Sean smiled bitterly, apparently he realized that the standard given was too high. That was because Sean was always dealing with the works of famous painters made him dissatisfied just by looking at the work of novice painters.

The young man could not only judge from Steven's work simply because he had not seen his painting called ‘Hidden Paradise’. To approach this teenager alone is so difficult, let alone having to question things like the ‘Hidden Paradise’ painting he has? Truly a mission that is not as young as usual.

Sean looked back at Steve Smith's drawings in his picture book. However, in the middle of it Steven realized, he turned back Sean's gaze with a disturbed expression.

“If there is anything you want just say it, don't constantly look at me as hard as you can.” The teenager spoke curtly, but those words did not manage to change Sean's expression.

“Painting technique you have is not a sharpened technique in a short time. How long have you been studying painting?” Sean's gaze was firmly attached to the fingertips of Steven Smith.

Although Steven Smith listened to Sean's question, he switched back to his picture book and ignored Sean without the slightest explanation.

“You don't want to answer?” Sean kept a close eye on Steven Smith, before long he raised his hand and gave up. “Alright, it doesn't matter you don't answer it. I'm bored here, for now we will look for another spot to be used as an object.”

“Ah, the beach is not far from here. The sunset there is so beautiful, let's go,” Sean said excitedly.

Sean packed his equipment so that Steven who was suddenly fixated could only follow Sean without being able to explain his thoughts.

By using a taxi they arrived at a beach that Sean had talked about before. It is 4 pm, soon it is a beautiful time to get the best spot in this place.

Sean walked up to the shore and sat down on a pedestal. Steven who had not spoken just kept silent and sat down hesitantly, but Sean ignored the quiet boy. He didn't want to lose an important spot at sunset so he immediately moved his brush and Steven followed in his footsteps.

Just as the sun was already touching the horizon, the blue sky became pseudo. Yellow clouds gather above the sky and make beautiful decorations above the undulating sea level. All the colors turned red and Steven's hand shook suddenly.

Seeing that something was wrong, Sean's attention turned to the teenager sitting beside him. “What's up?”

There was no answer, except for Steven's wide-eyed forward. His body remained vibrating, even his tremors radiating at the ends of Steven's brush. It made his painting exposed to graffiti from his own brush.

“No! No!” Steven's voice came out from his mouth which also shook, while his gaze remained locked on the red sky with the half-circle of the sun already embedded in the horizon.

The teenager's face looked very pale and he didn't look well. Steven clutched his own neck and made oxygen stop in his throat. Simultaneously, Steven showed abnormal signs. Both of his legs were moving irregularly and both of his hands were lashing out in unguided air. There was also a sound of Steven moaning.

‘Shop!’

Accidentally the paint on Steven's palette spilled over his picture book so Sean could see the twilight spot on the beach in the object of the painting being completely red by the paint. Not knowing how to act, Sean tried to read through the situation.

At the moment, Steven looks like Sean in the past. She was terrified of something, like a recall of a traumatic event that made her feel like a half-crazy person.

“What makes you like this?” Sean's eyes darted in all directions, trying to figure out the cause of Steven's fear, but nil. He can't find her. 

Without a second thought Sean took off his jacket and bowed over Steven's head.

“Tan easy, relax. You've not seen it.” Sean said and the words Steven could hear very clearly. However, the sound of his breathing was still fierce. 

With his head covered in a jacket, Steven could not see anything, but he could hear Sean guiding him.

Steven Smith regulates his breathing so that little by little oxygen can enter the space in the lungs. A little quiet, Sean pulled his jacket back and it looked as if Steven was still in a state of shock.

"Better we get back soon." Sean's suggestion was the only speech Steven Smith could follow. They cleaned up their equipment and hurried away.

...ΩΩΩΩ...

The taxi Sean and Steven were riding had the goal of returning to the orphanage. However, upon arriving at the place, Steven held Sean by pulling the end of his sleeve.

"What's wrong?" Sean asked, but Steven Smith just looked pale. "You don't want to go back? Or is there some other place you want to go?"

That one thing interested Steven a little. He began to raise his eyes and nodded.

Despite not speaking, Steven Smith asked Sean to go somewhere. For Sean the place was no stranger because already once he passed the path that would lead him to a lake.

Sure enough, as per Sean's conjecture they arrived by the lake behind the orphanage. Steven did not stop at that place, but he walked straight until he arrived at an uninhabited old hut.

"What is this place?" asked Sean who could not stop his curiosity.

Steven Smith looked over and started talking. "There's no name for this place, I used it to hide something.

"What's that?" Sean's question was answered with silence. However, when Steven Smith opens the door to the shack, Sean can see a great masterpiece from a high school boy like Steven.

A large painting hung on the wall of the hut. The state of the painting is maintained because it is wrapped in plastic so that the dust is only attached to the outside.

With a fixation, Sean approached the painting and rubbed the dust with his hand. "That's amazing!"

"The name is 'Hidden Paradise'. I painted it about 3 years ago." Steven looked a little open despite not being able to maintain eye contact. "After that incident, I could no longer paint properly."

From the painting, Sean can find out something that the trauma from him comes from the painting 'Hidden Paradise'.

'Hidden Paradise' is a painting that takes a lake object with an unusual viewpoint. The surface of the lake is red in rhythm with the twilight clouds that Steven described at that time. However, the red color was too thick with the surrounding background filled with flames.

"Fire?" Sean's eyes were wide-eyed to be aware of something. Without taking out what he was thinking, Sean ran out of the hut and saw the condition of the lake he had passed before.

Steven who followed behind him also stared at the view of the lake in the middle of the twilight. "Right, 'Hidden Paradise' is a painting of a burning lake."

The blue-eyed teenager sighed and stared around the lake. “I've lived in an orphanage for a long time, I don't even know who my parents were before. In the orphanage I grew up and only had painting talent. There are no interesting objects that I can use to pour my imagination, but when I find this lake I can do well" continued Steven. Sean could only listen to the teenager with interest.

Steven Smith explains the beginnings of 'Hidden Paradise'. While he was in that place, Steven was caught in a fire. There was no way out, so he was stuck in that place alone. Assuming he would not survive, Steven painted the scene one last time before he fell unconscious.

Luckily Steven survived the incident and his painting was successfully secured from the blaze. However, after the traumatic incident, she lost her painting skills.

"You want to keep painting?" sean asks at the end of Steven's story.

Steven Smith nodded and did not look a hint of doubt in his eyes. "My goal is to get close to you because of that."

"I can do it for you, but instead give me 'Hidden Paradise' and I will guarantee you a career in the art world.

With that they cannot avoid agreeing.