Chapter 61
I’m translating the chapter into HTML-formatted English now, keeping narration natural and turning the teaser into styled in-universe blocks where required.CHAPTER_TITLE: The House Built for Tomorrow
The day after he received the completion call from Director Min Tae-hoon, Si-woo went down to the provinces and brought his mother back with him.
On the drive up to Seoul, Mrs. Gong sat in the passenger seat, stroking the Chanel bag on her lap over and over again.
"No, Mrs. Gong. You'll wear out the leather."
"Honestly. I'm touching it because I'm afraid to use it. I made up my mind and took it out of the wardrobe just because we're going to Seoul."
"I bought it so you'd use it often and show it off to everyone around you. What a waste."
"Oh, it's just too expensive. I'm too scared to carry it around."
Even as she said that, she held it tight against her chest.
His mother was giddy like a girl.
More than the fear of leaving behind the place where she had lived her whole life, her anticipation for the future she would share with her son seemed far stronger.
Before long, the car turned into the alleys of Yeonnam-dong.
Just a few months ago, this had been a construction site where only a steel frame stood skeleton-like against the sky.
When they arrived, Mrs. Gong's eyes went wide.
"Oh my... goodness."
There was no trace left of what had been there before. The exterior was built from tightly stacked premium black bricks, exuding a heavy, commanding aura that overpowered the neighboring buildings.
It had a weighty elegance, yet it was refined. The whole place looked like a work of art.
"Is... this really the same house from back then?"
"Come on, Mrs. Gong, don't be shocked yet. Let's go inside."
After they passed through the gate formed by a towering wall, Director Min Tae-hoon, who had been waiting inside, came out to greet them with a bright smile.
"Welcome. I've been waiting."
"Director Min Tae-hoon, you must have had a hard time. Even the exterior is pure art."
At Si-woo's praise, Director Min's mouth split into a broad grin as he gestured toward the interior.
"Hahaha. The exterior is only the beginning. The place I put the most effort into for Kim Si-woo's mother is right here."
Following Director Min's lead, they stepped into a courtyard where the first-floor yard and second-floor terrace were organically connected.
A cry of delight burst from Mrs. Gong's lips.
"Wow...!"
From the outside, no one could see in, so he hadn't known. Inside, warm sunlight poured down like a waterfall.
"As you can see, we've completely blocked the view from outside. But through the specially designed skylight and carefully calculated angles, natural light comes in perfectly."
Director Min pointed to the flowerbeds, where fine soil had been laid out neatly.
"I heard that you like plants, ma'am, so we designed the first floor for a kitchen garden and the second-floor terrace as a greenhouse where flowers can be grown even in winter. It also has an automatic watering system, so you can tend everything without much effort."
"Really? Oh, is this a dream or am I awake?"
Mrs. Gong didn't even think of going inside right away. Instead, she stepped onto the soil laid out on the ground first.
"If I plant lettuce here, it'll grow beautifully. And over there would be perfect for all kinds of flowers."
Director Min smiled with satisfaction and added, "As an architect, I've never had a more rewarding project. Thanks to Mr. Kim Si-woo entrusting me with full discretion and generously supporting the highest-grade materials, this became a wonderful building."
When they opened the front door and stepped inside, the high ceilings and open living room greeted them.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the alley scenery of Yeonnam-dong hung like a painting, but from the outside no one could see in. It was a comfortable fortress.
Mrs. Gong stood in the middle of the living room and slowly looked around the house.
It seemed to summon, like a flash of memories, the exhausting years in which she had raised him while moving from a semi-basement one-room flat to worn-out multi-family homes.
"Si-woo."
"Yeah?"
"It feels like a dream. Do we really live here now?"
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Yeah. I told you, didn't I? Once it was finished, we'd live together."
Si-woo slipped an arm around his mother's shoulders.
"You don't have to go back down anymore. The moving company will take care of everything. You can just stay in this house, plant flowers, go out to nice places when you feel like it, and live comfortably."
Instead of answering, his mother squeezed his hand tightly.
Warmth flowed from the roughened knuckles.
That evening, they sat facing each other at the large dining table.
Outside the window, the night streets of Yeonnam-dong glowed softly.
His mother kept setting down her spoon and laughing to herself.
"What's so funny, Mom?"
"Nothing. I'm just happy."
She set her spoon aside and looked at him seriously.
"Si-woo. Thank you. Thank you for being born as my son, thank you for growing up so well... I didn't really give you much, but now I'm the one living in luxury. I really am."
Seeing his mother with red-rimmed eyes made the bridge of his own nose sting before he knew it.
More than the hundreds of billions of won he had earned from relics. More than fame. More than social status. In this moment, his mother's smile felt like the most precious reward of all.
* * *
Shin A-young sipped her coffee as she scrolled through the comment section under the article open on her monitor.
It had only been a few days since the article about Si-woo went up, but the comments had already surpassed several thousand.
Clicking like on amusing comments and disliking strange ones had become, in its own way, a newly developed hobby.
- Eterna Gallery's eye for talent is insane. Seriously. Recruiting Kim Si-woo was a godlike move lol.
The corners of Shin A-young's lips lifted slightly.
Her finger moved naturally to the like button.
Click.
As she scrolled down, Shin A-young's delicate brows drew together.
- Isn't all of that staged? They're filming for Nutflix these days, right? lol. Isn't this just a setup to boost the ratings?
Click.
Dislike.
- Was it really Kim Si-woo who found it? Maybe somebody just brought a fake over and he staged the whole thing?
Shin A-young gave a snort.
As someone who had watched him with her own eyes, the comment was absurd.
Even this counted as a comment?
Dislike again.
She kept scrolling.
She was about to take another sip of coffee when she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
The voice was her secretary's.
"Representative, Adviser Kim Si-woo is here."
Shin A-young quickly moved the mouse and turned off the screen.
"Tell him to come in."
The door opened, and Kim Si-woo stepped inside.
"Welcome."
Shin A-young rose from her seat to greet him warmly.
"Did you and your mother look around the new house together?"
"Yes. It's the first house that's ever been in my name, so it feels a little strange. My mother really loved it too, so I'm glad."
"That's a relief. I'm glad she likes it."
Shin A-young gestured toward the guest sofa.
Once the two of them sat facing each other, the secretary brought tea and left.
"Ah, and I heard from Fine Art Crossier."
Shin A-young picked up a document from the table.
"The Munch Museum has finally confirmed it as authentic. The paper composition, the graphite composition, and even the handwriting analysis all point to it being genuine."
He already knew from the status window, but hearing an official confirmation still put him at ease.
"That's a huge relief."
"As it happens, the Munch Museum contacted us directly."
Shin A-young smiled meaningfully.
"They're asking us not to put it up for auction, but to sell it straight to them, right?"
He caught on immediately and asked back, "Right. If it goes to auction, the price will shoot through the roof. An early sketch by Munch, especially a study containing the prototype for The Scream, would have museums and collectors all over the world rushing in."
Si-woo scratched his chin.
"The price will go up a lot, then."
"At this rate, the Norwegian government might even step in directly. Munch is Norway's national painter, after all, and a source of national pride. It'll be a matter of pride, too."
Shin A-young lifted her teacup and took a sip.
"What would you like to do, Si-woo? Auction it, or make a direct deal?"
He thought about it for a moment.
"For now, is the Munch Museum coming here in person?"
"Yes. The key people from the museum are flying to Korea next week. They seem to be moving quite urgently."
"Then let's meet them then, talk things through, and work out the terms. I doubt they'll come in acting high-handed, and they won't ask for easy terms either."
"Good. Let's do that."
As she organized the papers, Shin A-young said, "Oh, and there's one more thing I wanted to tell you. The gallery expansion."
She took out another new file from the drawer.
"Take a look at this. First, we're planning to proceed with the surrounding construction slowly."
He accepted the file.
On the cover, it read: Eterna Gallery Expansion Project Proposal.
"The first thing we need to do is build a cafe and a bakery."
Shin A-young continued her explanation.
"Like we talked about before, we need a space where visitors can rest. Right now, they see the exhibition and leave immediately. But if there's a cafe, they'll stay a while, talk, and naturally spend more time here. I want to turn it into a cultural space, not just a gallery."
"That's a good idea."
"We already secured the land, so construction will begin soon."
He turned the page.
"As for the bakery, we're not planning a regular bread shop. We're bringing in a famous master baker and a dessert pastry chef to develop sweets that match the exhibition concept. Bread shaped like the ceramics in the gallery, cakes inspired by various paintings, things like that."
"Not bad."
"And next are gallery goods."
She flipped to the next page of the report.
Under the title Gallery Goods Business Plan, a variety of products were listed.
"For now, we want to put them up online first and test the waters. If the response is good, we'll expand in earnest. If not, we'll change direction."
"What kinds of products are you thinking about?"
"Well, here's what we discussed with the staff."
Shin A-young leaned forward and pointed at the report.
"Posters and art books are obvious, of course. In addition, accessories, stationery, and fabric products inspired by the collection. If we bring in collaborating artists and release them as limited editions, collectors will love them."
As she spoke, Shin A-young showed him a proposal sheet covered with different illustrations.
"This is an umbrella. When you open it, Shin Yun-bok's Chunggeum Sangnyeondo and Wolha Milhoedo are printed on the inside, so using it on a rainy day feels like stepping right into a genre painting."
"Oh. That's really clever. Though if it were mine, I don't think I'd be able to use it. I'd be too afraid of ruining it."
Shin A-young gave a small laugh and explained the next item.
"There's also a box music box for The Singing Bird. When you open the lid, an enameled bird rises up and actual birdsong plays. It's a high-end limited edition. Since the price point is high, we're only planning to make a small quantity."
If the Nutflix documentary aired, it would be a product that doubled the emotion of the moment.
"We could also put Yi Yuk-sa's poetry on wireless earbud cases. Or put Shin Yun-bok's paintings on tumblers. If we use thermochromic ink so the moonlight becomes clearer when you pour in a hot drink, I think people would really respond to that."
"That's good. If it goes up on social media, anyone would want to buy it. It's perfect for people's tastes these days."
"Exactly. And someone suggested making the Baekje Maitreya Seated Buddha into an incense holder. The smoke would rise from the top of the statue's head. Or we could turn it into a bedside lamp for sleeping so light comes out of it."
He looked over the proposal slowly.
"The staff's ideas are fresh and varied."
"Right? I was surprised too."
Shin A-young wore a pleased expression.
"Oh, and there are a few more."
She turned another page.
"A paperweight modeled after the plaque for Daegwangmyeongjeon. A paperweight engraved in King Sejo's calligraphy with the words 'All phenomena are impermanent.' It's heavy and elegant, so it'd be great for a study or office. Perfect as a gift for lawyers or businesspeople."
"Practical."
"Unfortunately, it's still only in the planning stage. We'll put a few test products up online in small quantities first and adjust according to market response."
Shin A-young smiled.
"It'd be a problem if we made everything at once and ended up sitting on inventory. We're trying to go with a lean startup approach."
"Still, I'm sorry I can't help more."
"No need. Just being the face of it is enough, Si-woo."
Seeing him apologize, Shin A-young answered with practiced ease.
* * *
The screen was pitch black.
In the silence, the faintest sound of a winding spring drifted out at regular intervals.
Click, click.
Then the screen brightened, revealing a garden in London rendered in very low saturation.
[Do you remember?]
A caption appeared at the center of the screen and then vanished.
Next came an extreme close-up of Grandma Anna's deeply lined eyes and the wrinkles at their corners.
[More than eighty years have passed.]
The camera shifted to Kim Si-woo's hands.
He wound the cool metal spring and let it go.
The gears that had been still began to mesh and turn, and in that instant the screen suddenly switched to black and white, revealing an old photograph.
Inside the photo was a Jewish family smiling in the sunlight.
That happiness lasted only an instant.
Then came the heavy sound of boots, ominous and threatening.
The vibration crashed over the audio.
The screen cut rapidly from one image to the next.
Red flags bearing the swastika flapped in the wind.
Flags lining both sides of the street rippled as if they were swallowing the whole city.
The image changed again.
A train station belching smoke amid the harsh blare of horns.
The platform was chaos, packed with people.
People dragging all kinds of luggage. Families clinging to one another and crying. The sharp shouts of soldiers echoed through it all.
The screams of people boarding the train after losing the hands of those they loved.
Without a sound, it became even more tragic.
A father handed Anna a bird box.
She held it close to her chest with care.
Her father, wearing the saddest eyes imaginable, forced a smile and waved.
The family growing farther and farther away.
The father's silhouette vanished into the smoke.
In a flash, several scenes passed by in short, second-by-second fragments.
A scene in Hong Kong's Cat Street, where someone catches a pickpocket and picks something up from a stall.
The bird box discovered there.
The Black Christmas in Hong Kong.
A mother and daughter being dragged off to Stanley Internment Camp.
Back in the present, the production team scrambling to track down every scrap of information they could find.
And then.
The screen returned to the peaceful garden in London from the beginning.
The sound of the train horn had, by then, been replaced by the clear cry of The Singing Bird.
A beautiful bird spread its wings and rose upward.
Its jeweled feathers flashed in the sunlight.
Its small beak opened and closed, releasing a pure melody.
Grandma Anna's eyes changed as she listened.
A gentle smile spread across the once-rigid line of her mouth.
A trembling hand reached toward the object she had forgotten for so many long years.
The screen went dark again.
Then a gold logo in the shape of a winding spring slowly appeared and turned.
As soon as the teaser went up, YouTube exploded.