Kim discovered his powers at a museum trip in middle school. He was instructed by teachers to see past the paintings, to dive in and find the deeper meaning. As he kid who had never appreciated art Kim decided to try focusing on art for the first time. He choose a landscape and began to concentrate on all what his teacher told him to look for. Kim expanded his vision, surrendering his eyes to the light, imagining the forest landscape expanding and surrounding his body. He stepped forward, in a trance, and when he snapped back to reality he found himself holding a handful of leaves.
Over the years he tried many different paintings and portraits. If it was large enough to put his hand through, then he could take from it. At first it became a sort a secret hobby for Kim. He would take a girl's pearl earrings, then put them back before anyone noticed. He couldn't use his power when there two of the same pictures next to each other, and the items faded away if he forgot about them. A baseball bat he pulled out of a magazine disappeared once he put it in his closet and played with something else. He was careful to never pull out anything too big or expensive in case there were any real world consequences to his actions. It was a harmless kid's game to Kim.
After a few minor misadventures with other children and his powers, Kim decided to stop using them. He pulled out a pair of bikes for him and his friend Yung but during a race Kim became too focused on competition. Yung's bike disappeared beneath him and Yung went skidding face first into the street, breaking an arm and badly scraping his legs and face. Kim resolved never use his taking power again unless he really needed to and was sure he could control it.
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Years later, Kim had to drop out of college. His family was never well off and he found that his savings couldn't keep up with college expenses. It was hard finding work, especially in a Korean dominant neighborhood on the East Coast. Money was tight everywhere and his family didn't have any room for him in their business. He would have to use his power again. Kim was careful, he took from high-end fashion magazines, the ones with the men in super slick coats showcasing expensive watches. He would take the watches and sell them as genuine, which they were, and when he was well out of reach with fake contacts information set in place, he'd forget that the watch ever existed.
Kim improved his skills, memorizing several items even when they're out of sight was a skill that soon became easy and yielded a high return. He couldn't make consumables like food or drugs since he couldn't imagine them being digested and the items lost their form. His proudest new skill became the ability to pull forth items that are not visible but implied. A money clip from the rich man, golf balls from a caddy's bag, eventually even money from the wallet of some model's pants. Kim used the money in much the same way as his watches. Let the cashier put the bill into the drawer, give him back change, and then walk away before they chance to count the money. Now he had goods and real cash, while the hapless clerk comforted imaginary twenties. Kim would never have to work again, as long as people's greed and sense of value outweighed their doubt.
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Pretty heavy story for a joke picture, right? I'd definitely like more assignments like this. When I signed on for the Mass Communication major I hoped to pursue more creative endeavors. I can't see myself showing off the other blogs to people, but this entry I would like to share. This works shows my skill in creative writing and atmosphere, skills that are stifled in essays and classwork. This is an assignment that doesn't feel or read like an assignment, it's a story.
Works Cited
"Hey, He Stole That Paintings Wallet Picture." Break.com. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. .
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