They did not have to walk that far before they reached the last art gallery.
The huge room was filled with paintings behind transparent glass cases pinned to the walls.
These paintings were arranged in a row and had a golden plaque under each one containing the name of the artist.
There were also some sculptures of different things placed at random spots in the room.
Shae Harris dragged him to the first painting.
It was of a heavy downpour and an endless ocean.
Noi Karn gazed at it quietly.
At this point, he couldn't see color, so he could only vaguely guess what the painting was about by its shapes.
"This is a painting of the earth flooding and everyone submerged in the sea," Shae Harris explained.
"No, it's obviously about the barren earth being filled up and the sea returning," Ming Jun said, gesturing at different parts of the painting.
"Why can't it be about the water going up in droplets from the sea?" Wei Zhi also began to speculate.
"I think it should be about a planet containing only water," Mori Aoi said.
"Old man Yi, judge for us," Shae Harris turned to Yi Zheng, who was a step behind the group.
"I think that the artist understood what they wanted to show," Yi Zheng said.
"So what you mean is that you don't know," Shae Harris said, rolling her eyes.
"I might not know, but at least I'm not as stupid as all of you," Yi Zheng snorted.
"You—" Shae Harris huffed and pointed at him but eventually wilted.
Yi Zheng was so scary.
So she avoided his gaze and took Noi Karn to another painting.
This time, it was of stars raining down and the ground destroyed by flaming balls of fire.
"Now it's obviously a planet where there is a meteor shower every night," Shae Harris said.
"How did you figure it out to be a daily occurrence?" Noi Karn asked in surprise.
"The people running around looked like they knew this would happen," she said, gesturing at a person in the painting.
"Don't listen to her nonsense, it's obviously a painting about the beginning of an apocalypse where gates descended," Ming Jun said.
"You're both wrong, it's obviously about the fact that a meteor will eventually slam into the earth," Wei Zhi said.
"I think it's a planet where there are a lot of stars at night," Mori Aoi said.
Shae Harris wanted to ask Yi Zheng again.
But his face, which looked at her like she was stupid, dissuaded her.
She pouted and took the youngest to the next one.
This time, it was of the full moon, which shone a dazzling light on the people below who kept checking their hands.
"This is about human life in the night," Shae Harris said.
"It's about a mystical realm where the moon offers its power unto the humans below at certain times," Ming Jun said.
"It's about the moon poisoning the humans," Wei Zhi said.
"It's about how the full moon can shine in the dark," Mori Aoi said.
This series of random answers to the meaning of different paintings continued.
Noi Karn just looked at each painting silently while listening to their responses.
Though exaggerated, it still provided him with a form of assistance.
He could use the colors described to supplement the image he could see and finally cement it with his imagination, thereby forming the full image in his head.
As for the meaning of those paintings, or what feelings they evoked in him—
he didn't know.
He just felt like everything was swirling around in his head.
But the sense of accomplishment he thought he would feel wasn't one of those emotions.
Noi Karn had always thought this should be what he wanted.
To be able to experience the art he could only dream about, up close.
To live as a normal person and not someone burdened by his lack of vision.
And he had done that.
He had met a group of people so mad as to treat him like he could see.
To point at something and ask him what he thought even though they knew he could not see.
He had achieved everything he could have asked for.
But was that really what he wanted, or was it something he only dared to limit himself to?
What even made him fall in love with art so much?
Noi Karn thought that he loved art because it was something he could never do.
It was an act that would never be a part of his life.
A blind man cannot paint because he cannot see the colors in the first place.
A blind man cannot play an instrument because he cannot see where the key is.
A blind man certainly can never watch a movie.
A blind man can never make a movie.
So many restrictions, yet this is something I have always wanted.
Is it just to torture myself into never forgetting my hatred?
Or is it because the goal is so beyond my reach that I could give myself an excuse for never striving toward achieving it?
Noi Karn had a million thoughts in his head, and sometimes none at all.
"You okay?"
A hand was pressed to his forehead.
He looked up to see Mori Aoi looking at him in distress.
"Fine," Noi Karn muttered.
She let out an "oh" before squeezing his hand in comfort.
"You guys look!" Shae Harris said excitedly while pointing at a sculpture.
It was of a man and woman embracing, with the woman placing her head on the man's shoulder.
"What?" Ming Jun asked, confused.
"Look at where her eyes are facing," Shae Harris chuckled.
"But her eyes are hidden in the man's shoulder," Ming Jun said.
"Come closer," she beckoned him.
Ming Jun came closer curiously.
"Woah, the eyes are looking at something," Ming Jun said in surprise.
"It's facing that one over there," Wei Zhi said, pointing at another sculpture of a man in a robe holding a bag of gold.
"Do you know what that means?" Shae Harris asked.
"The woman was in love with the rich man," Mori Aoi said while looking at the sculpture sadly.
Ming Jun and Wei Zhi looked at her in shock.
Translation: How did your mind go there??
"Of course not," Shae Harris snorted.
The two boys looked at her in surprise.
Translation: I didn't expect you to be the sensible one.
"She obviously cheated on her man but was betrayed," Shae Harris said.
The two boys rolled their eyes.
Translation: I'm the stupid one for trusting you.
"The rich man was the one who betrayed her," Mori Aoi said, frowning.
"Or she was just rejected because she was ugly, then went to lie against him," Shae Harris said, crossing her hands.
Mori Aoi replied that the man holding the woman had a disgusting smirk—
meaning that the rich man sold her off to another man.
Shae Harris shot back that the husband was probably planning on carrying out revenge, because he caught her trying to cheat.
The argument was interrupted by Ming Jun.
He found a sculpture of an old man in a posture of handing something.
Shae Harris once again pointed out that the old man was glaring at the first sculpture.
And his posture was facing the rich young man.
Mori Aoi pointed out that the old man had his pockets bulging, with a piece of paper sticking out.
Then Shae Harris saw another piece in the clenched hand of the rich man.
Mori Aoi saw that the rich man had his feet facing the girl, but his face was turned away with his jaw clenched.
Wei Zhi also saw that the woman had her hands raised in the rich man's direction as if pleading.
"That's it!" the two girls exclaimed.
"You girls were actually looking for something?" Wei Zhi asked incredulously.
"And you actually found it," Ming Jun exclaimed.
"It's actually quite simple," Shae Harris said.
"The rich man and the poor woman fell in love," Mori Aoi said, smiling.
"But the father did not agree," Shae Harris said.
"So he paid another poor man to frame her," Mori Aoi said angrily.
"Then provided the evidence that the poor woman was cheating and only after his money," Shae Harris continued.
"The rich man then abandoned her without listening to her explanation," Mori Aoi said, clenching her hand.
"So in conclusion, all men are scumbags," Shae Harris said, giving the three male sculptures the middle finger.
Ming Jun and Wei Zhi could only clap.
They had heard of the saying that girls like to overthink—
but never had they agreed with it as much as they did now.
These two managed to create a new series just from looking at random sculptures.
"That's not the end yet, so why are you already clapping?" Shae Harris looked at them like they were stupid.
"There's still more!!" Wei Zhi asked in surprise.
"But you guys have mentioned all the sculptures," Ming Jun said in confusion.
"Brother, why are you following along!!" Wei Zhi turned to him in shock.
"Obviously there's still one more person," Shae Harris said, raising a finger.
"Who is it then?" Wei Zhi asked curiously.
"Oh, now you want to believe us," Shae Harris said in disdain.
Wei Zhi chuckled.
"It was the sculptor himself," Mori Aoi answered.
"Eh???" the two boys exclaimed.
"The sculptor was in love with the poor woman too," Shae Harris said.
"But he was no match for the rich man, so he gave up," Mori Aoi sighed.
"After finding out what happened to her when he left to study sculpting—" Shae Harris started.
"He sought justice for her by making these sculptures," Mori Aoi lamented.
Ming Jun and Wei Zhi too looked at the woman in pity.
"I really want to smash these three scumbags," Shae Harris waved a fist.
"But what did the rich man do? He was also a victim," Noi Karn, who had been listening silently, asked.
"He did not allow her to explain, meaning he never trusted her," Mori Aoi answered.
Just then, there was a sizzling sound.
They all watched in shock as the sculptures of the three men turned to ash.
The black cat came from behind the rubble.
Shae Harris was the first to clap, followed by Mori Aoi, then the boys.
Yi Zheng rolled his eyes at these idiots.
"Justice is served!" Shae Harris exclaimed.
"Then what do we do now?" Ming Jun asked.
"I have the perfect place," Shae Harris said, then dragged the youngest to a small shop beside the room they just vacated.
She sat him down at a table and went into the small shop.
She then returned with a sketchpad and some paint.
Mori Aoi followed behind her with paintbrushes and a canvas.
"We can't leave without donating a painting," Shae Harris said, dumping the contents on the table beside Noi Karn.
Noi Karn looked at her blankly.
"You do remember that I'm blind, right?" he said.
"I remember, but I'm sure you can do it," Shae Harris said reassuringly.
"I can't see, so I should do what exactly?" Noi Karn asked, astonished.
"We will help," Shae Harris said.
"That's green," she said, moving his hand over to a bottle.
"That's red," Mori Aoi said, moving his hand.
"That's yellow," Wei Zhi said, moving his hand.
"That's blue," Ming Jun said.
"That is the canvas, and this is the brush," Yi Zheng smiled and walked over.
He led Noi Karn's arm over to the brush, then to the canvas.
"The rest is up to you," Shae Harris clapped.
"I…I don't know what to paint," Noi Karn trembled.
"The most important thing is to remember that art is an expression," Mori Aoi said, rubbing his head.
"So have fun," Ming Jun put a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax and just feel it," Wei Zhi put his hand on the other shoulder.
"Like this," Shae Harris grabbed his hand.
Then she guided him to dip the brush in paint and splash it on the canvas.
She giggled as some of the paint splashed on her.
Noi Karn seemed to have understood the elusive feeling he had since the beginning.
He dipped the brush randomly and drew random lines and shapes on the canvas, depending on his feeling.
This continued silently until his shirt was covered in paint and the canvas was full.
Noi Karn dropped the brush and took the painting off the canvas.
Then he turned to show it to the others.
They clapped their hands furiously.
After that, Shae Harris personally took it back to hang with the other paintings.
There was already a glass case waiting for him with his name.
"It's amazing," Shae Harris said.
"Yeah, it is," Noi Karn said proudly.
He thought to himself that the answer was right in front of him.
Noi Karn actually wanted to be an artist.
He wanted to create paintings for those who could see—to see what he couldn't.
He wanted to show the entire world what he could see.
Now he had the courage to pursue his dream.
And to also eventually start living.
Noi Karn wanted to truly start living in all aspects, along with everyone.
It was getting dark, and Yi Zheng led them out.
A day after that, Noi Karn disappeared.