The Arrival of a World-Renowned Scholar
Incheon International Airport.
The afternoon sun poured through the enormous glass windows.
The arrivals hall was crowded with people.
The sound of travelers’ suitcase wheels.
Overlapping with the public-address announcements.
Voices bright with the joy of reunion.
Among them, several people emerged through the VIP passage.
Familiar faces Kim Si-woo had already seen once before.
Helena Vik and Ingrid, from the board, were the first to catch his eye.
Helena raised a hand and gave a light wave.
"It’s good to see you again."
But at the center of the group stood one more unfamiliar figure.
Neatly dressed in a black coat.
His silver hair was combed back with care, and beneath the deep lines of his face, a gaze both gentle and sharp showed through.
He looked to be well past seventy.
And yet his back remained straight.
Helena came forward first and spoke.
"Mr. Si-woo. I watched the documentary. It was truly moving. I’m already worn out from waiting because I want to see episode two as soon as possible."
Si-woo had expected this topic to come up.
In just one day, Singing Bird had shattered all kinds of records.
It had taken the number one spot on Nutflix in country after country.
Even now, he could feel the eyes around him noticing him, recognizing him.
"Wait, isn’t that Kim Si-woo, the appraiser?"
"Are they filming something again?"
"I’m watching Singing Bird!"
"I’m looking forward to episode two too!"
Leaving those voices behind, he returned Helena’s greeting.
"I’m glad to hear you’ve been well too, Ms. Helena."
"Yes. Ah, right. We have an important guest with us today. Let me introduce him."
With a meaningful smile, Helena introduced the elderly gentleman beside her.
Her voice dropped a notch.
It was a solemn tone, the kind used to introduce a leading actor on stage.
"This is Director Arne Farn, the director of the Munch Museum."
Arne Farn.
The moment he heard the name, Si-woo’s expression changed ever so slightly.
Being the director who led the Munch Museum was impressive enough, but this man was a giant who had once served as president of CIHA, the prestigious International Committee of the History of Art in Europe.
A living authority on Expressionism.
A man like that had come all the way to Korea in person.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I read your book, Director Farn, The Landscape of Munch’s Soul."
Farn’s book on Edvard Munch, The Landscape of Munch’s Soul, was required reading at art schools around the world.
It was no exaggeration to say that the book had profoundly shaped the interpretation of Munch’s work.
Farn extended his hand with a kindly, wrinkled smile.
"You read my book? I’m grateful. It is my honor to meet the first discoverer of The Scream sketch."
He spoke in the calm, measured voice of a scholar.
But still.
"The first discoverer of The Scream?"
Si-woo looked at him in confusion and asked again.
Farn’s white eyebrows curved gently.
"If one discovered the first sketch of The Scream, I think that merits the name discoverer. Ho ho."
Si-woo thought it was just a joke.
One of those formal jokes people in the arts liked to make.
But the weight in Farn’s words was not light at all.
He was a man who had devoted years to Munch research.
A man who knew every one of Munch’s works as if they were printed on the palm of his hand.
For such a man to call him a "discoverer" was not something to take casually.
"I’m truly honored that you would call me that."
Si-woo bowed politely.
"Ho ho. And I myself watched Singing Bird with great interest. To be honest, I had no intention of watching it, but everyone around me kept insisting. After I did, I became greatly interested in you, Mr. Kim Si-woo, and looked into your background. You really are remarkable."
At the praise from such a distinguished scholar, Si-woo did not quite know what to do with himself.
"That’s far more praise than I deserve."
When the greeting was over, Helena turned her gaze toward Shin A-young.
"And this is Ms. Shin A-young, the representative of Eterna Gallery."
Shin A-young lowered her head with graceful composure.
"I’m Shin A-young, representative of Eterna Gallery. Thank you for making the long trip. I’ve heard your name often and know your reputation well, Director Farn."
"Not at all. I’m aware that Eterna Gallery has been making quite a name for itself across Asia lately."
"It’s an honor that you came to meet us in person like this. Thank you."
"No need. We’re honored to be hosting Director Farn."
Shin A-young pointed toward the exit.
"You must be tired from the long journey, so please get in the car first. We’ll head to the gallery."
The group left the airport.
Several black luxury sedans drove out from the terminal.
Farn looked out the window and said, "This is my third time in Korea."
At that, Si-woo looked at him.
"The first time I came... must have been about twenty years ago. I was here for a conference. It feels like a completely different country now."
"It does. Seoul is changing fast."
At Shin A-young’s words, Farn nodded in agreement.
"It’s not just the city that has my attention, but the art market as well. Twenty years ago, it was rare for Korean artists to draw attention abroad. Now the situation is completely different."
"Last year, Korean artists kept setting new auction records at Krusty, and many of them began to make names for themselves."
Farn nodded.
"That has become quite the topic in art circles."
The car entered Olympic-daero.
The Han River spread out beyond the window.
Under the afternoon sun, the water moved slowly.
High-rise apartment buildings lined the riverbank.
And between them, a bicycle path wound its way through the city.
Farn gazed silently at the view before speaking.
"I remember the first time I stood before The Scream in person. I felt something I couldn’t name, seized by a strange emotion. Fear of the unknown, dread, and the melancholy that comes with them. It was a sensation you could see and feel directly."
"Is that so?"
"And when I first saw the sketch discovered by Mr. Kim Si-woo, it reminded me of the first time I encountered Munch’s The Scream."
With that, Farn turned to look at Si-woo.
"What did you feel when you looked at the sketch, Mr. Kim Si-woo?"
Si-woo thought for a moment.
No one knew better than he did what he had felt then.
Because he had entered the memories within the sketch and experienced Munch’s memories and emotions exactly as they were.
He recalled the feeling from that time.
The terrible sound of a scream, and the sensation of the sky collapsing, of going mad.
"...I heard a sound."
"A sound?"
"Yes. A scream that felt as though it would tear my eardrums apart, and with it, a vast force of nature crushed me and left me unable to breathe. I was overwhelmed, almost like I was having a panic attack."
Farn’s eyes widened slightly.
He calmly spoke about the emotions he had felt at the time.
"It felt as though, unless I expressed that feeling on paper, I would go mad... something like that."
Silence fell.
Farn turned his gaze to the window.
"...An interesting impression. It felt as though I were listening to someone speak who had truly experienced it."
* * *
Near Eterna Gallery.
The street, which not long ago had been an ordinary commercial district, had completely transformed.
The first thing that caught the eye was the murals.
Large and small murals covered the outer walls of the buildings.
An abstract painting stretched across the entire side of a five-story building, using it as a canvas.
Massive brushstrokes flowed downward as if wrapping around the structure.
Red, blue, yellow.
The vivid primary colors clashed and burst with fierce energy.
At the entrance to the alley stood a portrait in the style of Andy Warhol.
The face of a woman wearing a hanbok was split into four panels and painted in bold color.
The collision of tradition and pop art created a peculiar atmosphere.
Below it, many people were taking photos and posting them to social media.
On one wall near a parking lot, graffiti reminiscent of Banksy had been etched in.
A man in a suit held a paintbrush instead of an umbrella and stood beneath a rain of paint falling from the sky.
Beneath it was a short phrase:
'Art rains on everyone'
Art falls on everyone.
Each work showed off its own colors and personality.
The whole street was nothing less than one enormous outdoor gallery.
Farn’s gaze stopped on one mural.
A work that filled an entire building wall.
The harmony of cobalt blue and vermilion orange.
Looking closely, everything was made of dots,
spreading outward as if emotion itself had exploded onto the surface.
"Whose work is that?"
At Farn’s question, Shin A-young answered.
"That piece is by the Korean artist Lee Soo-min, who’s been making a name for herself recently."
Shin A-young explained, "She painted it directly on this wall not long ago. I heard she worked on it every day for a month without missing a single day."
Farn nodded and studied the work.
"It’s the most photographed spot on social media. Even foreign tourists come here on purpose just to see it."
"It is interesting. A fine work."
The car moved slowly through the alley.
There were curated shops selling artists’ goods.
Canvas tote bags, art prints, handmade ceramics.
Not mass-produced commodities.
Objects touched by an artist’s hand.
Cafes stood out as well.
They were not ordinary franchise coffee shops.
They were hybrid spaces combining galleries and cafes.
Studio cafes that opened up an artist’s workspace.
Art cafes that also served as exhibition spaces.
Each one tried to distinguish itself and fill the street with character.
"Please stop for a moment."
Farn’s gaze moved toward the inside of a cafe.
Before long, he noticed something.
There were more young people here than anywhere else.
Art students carrying canvases and sketching the street.
People working in all kinds of art.
Tourists taking photos in front of the murals.
Couples browsing exhibition posters in front of galleries.
The entire street was overflowing with life.
"Ho..."
Farn murmured without taking his eyes off the window.
"Interesting. It’s especially impressive how many young people there are."
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Most art streets in Europe have become tourist zones."
Sorrow colored Farn’s voice.
"Montmartre, Chelsea, Shorditch. They have history, but in many places the vitality is gone. There are galleries, but the artists have left; there is art, but no creation. Streets that have been turned into museum pieces."
His eyes came to rest on a student sketching the street.
A female student who looked to be around twenty was sitting at one side of the road with a sketchbook open in her lap.
She was diligently copying the mural in front of her.
Beside her, a friend seemed to be holding coffee while looking at the picture.
"But this place..."
A faint smile spread across Farn’s lips.
"It’s alive."
* * *
In the end, the reason Farn had come was to finalize the contract for Munch’s early The Scream sketch, which had not yet been fully resolved.
After Helena and Ingrid returned to Norway, the board had reportedly debated many points.
The sketch’s loan terms.
The exhibition period.
Insurance issues.
And even future cooperation plans.
The problem was that this discussion could not be settled at the board level alone.
Munch was a national artist of Norway, the sort of cultural treasure the country took as seriously as a national monument.
Taking one of Munch’s works abroad was not a decision a simple museum could make on its own.
Under Norway’s Cultural Heritage Protection Act, lending a national-class artwork overseas required a strict legal process.
Approval from the Minister of Culture.
Review by the parliamentary cultural committee.
Consultation with the Foreign Ministry.
Only after passing through multiple stages could it move forward.
As a result, the discussion grew larger and larger.
Not only the Munch Museum’s board members, but the Minister of Culture herself attended the meetings.
Before long, even members of parliament began weighing in.
"We’re lending a major Munch work to Asia?"
"Isn’t this unprecedented?"
"We need to be even more cautious."
The opposition was formidable.
Not to a country, but to a private gallery?
There were voices saying Norway could not simply hand over its treasures.
Support and opposition.
Caution and boldness.
The arguments remained locked in a dead heat.
For days, the discussion went nowhere.
But everyone agreed on one thing.
'We have to bring back the early sketch of The Scream!'
And then.
Singing Bird aired on Nutflix.
The reaction to episode one was explosive.
Within a day, it had reached number one on Netflix charts across countries.
Smashing record after record, it became a global sensation.
The name Kim Si-woo began to leave its mark not only on the art world, but on the general public as well.
The mood in the meeting room shifted dramatically.
The Minister of Culture changed her position first.
"This is, in fact, an opportunity. The whole world is watching Kim Si-woo right now. If the Munch Museum collaborates with him, it will become a chance to showcase Norway’s cultural standing."
The members of parliament softened as well.
"If public opinion is favorable, there’s no reason to oppose it, is there?"
Those who had argued for caution fell silent one by one.
The legal procedures moved swiftly.
Approval from the cultural committee.
The minister’s final signature.
Everything was processed in a flash.
"To be honest with you,"
Farn said with a faint smile,
"the day after the documentary aired, the atmosphere changed completely. The minister’s office called us first. They told us to move quickly."
Helena shrugged and added, "It can’t be helped. Mr. Si-woo is someone the whole world is watching now. Everyone realized it would be their loss not to be part of this."
In the end, Director Farn came to Korea in person, and within a single day, after final negotiations, all conditions were agreed upon.
The contract was signed.
Thus, the sum of 30 million dollars,
a 50 percent share of Munch’s early The Scream sketch,
and the annual loan of one of Munch’s signature works to Eterna Gallery,
along with dozens of other pieces that would now be available for exhibition, were all secured.
And finally, Farn added,
"The Norwegian royal family has conveyed that they would like to personally bestow the Order of St. Olav upon Mr. Kim Si-woo, the appraiser."
At Farn’s sudden remark, Si-woo could not hide his confusion.