The Master's Exhibition #2
The Master's Exhibition #2
Master Baek-hyun's Exhibition
Even the teachers of the [Modern Art] Department pretended not to, but they couldn't hide their eyes full of anticipation.
It was natural to be excited if one had an interest in art.
'I'm looking forward to it.'
My own anticipation also swelled. His reputation was so high that I became curious and spent all day yesterday searching for the name Baek-hyun.
His painting, 'Gehenna,' which depicts descendants of Israel worshipping a child burning to death, reportedly sold for 300 million dollars, the highest auction price in art history.
Today, in anticipation of meeting that great artist, I specifically wore the Boots of Vitality that I had been saving until now.
[Boots of Vitality (1-star)]
- (When equipped) Stamina gradually recovers.
- (When equipped) Skin becomes vibrant.
"Oooh!"
I felt energized from the morning.
"I trust that even though there are only Queen Valtz students here, no one will cause a disturbance at the exhibition."
After receiving a moderate warning, the students walked into the exhibition hall. As it was a special exhibition for a small number of people, the interior of the building was generally dark and quiet.
"Ji-yoon-ah.. hold my hand."
"Come here."
I entered the indoor exhibition hall with Ha-yoon, arm in arm.
Many parts of the exhibition hall were still unorganized, and the exhibits were sparsely placed, making it feel desolate. It seemed they weren't fully prepared for an official opening.
'So this is Master Baek-hyun's exhibition...'
The first exhibit that greeted us at the entrance of the exhibition hall was visible.
A thick piece of paper was folded several times like a fan, then twisted diagonally with the flow.
Curves and curves, and curves.
The flow made of curves created new curves that had never existed before.
Transcendent craftsmanship and the mature expressiveness of an artist in their prime. A mere sheet of paper overwhelmed people.
"...Woah."
"..."
Exclamations burst out from everywhere.
It drew attention from the start and quickly became crowded.
"Shall we go further in?"
"Okay!"
We decided to go in a bit further.
The exhibition hall had an overall woody brown color. Thanks to this, the calm atmosphere gradually soothed the excitement of the visitors.
While we were looking around for a while, Ha-yoon couldn't take her eyes off a painting that filled a wall. I, too, was drawn by Ha-yoon's gaze and looked at the painting.
I saw a person with a distorted face in intense blood-red hues. In contrast, an overly vivid green butterfly, as if its resolution had been changed, sat on the distorted person. Just looking at it caused visual confusion, and at the same time, it was symbolic enough for even a fool to understand.
"To see this here..."
Ha-yoon trembled as if overwhelmed by the painting.
'...It's certainly overwhelming, even to me, an outsider.'
"Ji-yoon-ah, what do you think when you see this painting?"
"Well..."
There was definitely something I felt visually, but when asked to explain it in words, I couldn't say anything.
"...It's a grotesquely distorted face, but the expression itself is blank. Could the distortion in this painting signify a practical deviation rather than an emotion?"
It was the most easily noticeable peculiarity in the painting.
"Heh.. I just thought the painting had an incredible aura.. As expected, Ji-yoon, you think deeply."
'...Is this a subtle jab?'
We talked while looking at various artworks.
"What do the sunspots here mean?"
"Given their location, they're probably sunspots, aren't they? ...Did you know? Sunspots actually appear dark because their temperature is relatively lower than their surroundings. Compared to other planets, sunspots are still quite hot, but they appear dark only because they're on the sun."
There were also students engaged in discussion.
"...How on earth was this exhibited?"
A traditional Korean tiled house made of candles, with all its wicks burned down, was visible.
"Ji-yoon-ah, how much do you think this weighs?"
"Wouldn't it weigh about 300kg?"
It was so fascinating that for the first time, we discussed its weight instead of the artwork itself.
While we were talking for a long time, a voice that sounded like it was calling a subordinate came from behind us.
"What's so amusing?"
"Ah.. Haha! Yu-na-nim.."
Without thinking, I didn't call Im Yu-na, Yuna Serteiti-nim.
"Ah, hello Yu-na-yah..."
Ha-yoon, perhaps due to her protagonist character's intuition, had instinctively feared Im Yu-na from before.
'Honestly, her eyes are damn scary.'
Her eyes, which already resembled a deep abyss, felt like a frozen universe once I knew her true identity.
"Speak your mind, I'll listen to your heart's content."
Im Yu-na gestured towards the exhibit, as if telling us to speak.
"Th-that.. well.. um..."
With a stage suddenly set for us, we had nothing to say.
"..."
Ha-yoon, as if the current situation was awkward and embarrassing, averted her gaze with a stiff expression.
'...Alright, let's find an escape route!'
"Ha-yoon-ah, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
I planned to use Ha-yoon to escape the disaster that was Im Yu-na.
"Yu-na-nim, I'm truly sorry, but first, this friend..."
"What are you trying to do right now?"
With an enraged voice, her pitch-black pupils instantly dilated, covering the whites of her eyes.
"Th-that's not... what I meant..."
The space distorted and the floor vibrated.
The funny thing was that the surrounding students remained calm. I was terrified as if I had witnessed an unknown entity, but I couldn't tear my eyes away, as if I had been brainwashed. I forcibly endured the sensation of my skin being torn and closed my eyes.
"I was merely worried about my classmate."
"...Hah."
Im Yu-na pointed at So Ha-yoon with her finger and opened her mouth.
-[Confusing]
A sound, difficult to believe a human could make, akin to a whale's groan, was heard. A black lightning bolt, the thickness of a pinky finger, struck So Ha-yoon's neck.
Ha-yoon, struck by the lightning, became dazed as if she had lost her ability to speak.
"Ah.. Ah.. Ah.. Ah.."
"Ha-yoon-ah? What on earth is this..."
I couldn't accurately assess the situation. Ha-yoon shook her head from side to side as if tuning a radio frequency, then abruptly stopped.
"Ji.yoon.ah.I'll.be.back.from.the.restroom.in.a.moment."
"..."
It was a damn bizarre reaction.
Ha-yoon dragged her feet, walking backward through the exhibition. Her body twitched as if her nerves were damaged, but no one around looked at her.
"..."
I had sworn to protect Ha-yoon.. but in an instant, the worst situation had unfolded.
"Surely.. you're not concerned about a mere commoner while I'm standing right in front of you, are you?"
The surroundings shimmered as if subjected to intense heat.
"..."
Rationally, I shouldn't defy Im Yu-na.
I know that. I know, but...
I was too worried about Ha-yoon.
"...How could I possibly disregard Yuna Serteiti-nim?"
I had to choose my words carefully. If she found even the slightest fault, she wouldn't let it go easily.
"It's just.. as an outsider staying here myself, I don't wish to be suspected by the residents of this other world with whom I've become acquainted. I trust that you, with your heroic magnanimity, will understand."
I bowed my head so low that the top of my head was visible, then walked backward through the exhibition to find Ha-yoon.
"...Look at this?"
For a moment, the surroundings shimmered as if an earthquake had struck.
'I heard nothing... I see nothing...'
I tried hard to suppress my anxiety and went outside.
Ha-yoon really did walk to the restroom.
The area in front of the restroom was filled with Queen Valtz students in casual clothes. She was clearly flustered upon seeing the long line of students waiting for the women's restroom.
'Is she confused because she can't perform the brainwashed action?'
"Ha-yoon-ah, if you want to go to the restroom, follow me."
I had no intention of wasting time unnecessarily.
"Re..re.. restroom?.."
"Yes, restroom."
Fortunately, she spoke more normally than before.
I took Ha-yoon and went to find a restroom on the opposite side of the exhibition.
"Re.. restroom.."
"Ha-yoon-ah, let's go in that way."
I guided Ha-yoon into the men's restroom.
'I should prevent the annoyance of going into the women's restroom and running into a student who comes in later.'
There was no one inside the restroom.
After entering the restroom, Ha-yoon trembled, and then vitality began to return to her eyes.
"Ah.. Ugh.. ...Ji-yoon-ah, where is this?"
Ha-yoon, having regained her senses, looked around with fearful eyes.
"This is the exhibition restroom. You don't have to worry."
"I don't remember.. how I got here.. I'm scared..."
Her lips trembled as if they had a motor, seemingly confused by the unfamiliar experience.
"Ha-yoon-ah, calm down, I'm here."
"Ah... Aah..."
Her condition was more serious than I thought.
'...A scar has formed on her neck.'
On Ha-yoon's neck, there was a dark red scar that looked like a plant had taken root in the ground.
"Ha-yoon-ah.. please calm down."
Even though I pleaded, Ha-yoon couldn't calm down.
"Ah.. Aah.. Eup?!!"
I urgently shoved my tongue into Ha-yoon's endlessly trembling mouth. Ha-yoon looked at me with wide, startled rabbit eyes.
"Hwaaat.. *smooch*.. *slurp*.. *slurrrp*.. Hwaaah.. Ji-yoon-ah..."
Saliva intertwined stickily. Tongue wrapped around tongue, tightening repeatedly. Ha-yoon's tongue had a subtle grapefruit flavor. It was so faint that it was hard to notice if one wasn't concentrating, which made it all the more addictive.
"*Smooch*... Ha-yoon-ah, don't be anxious just because you can't remember. I'm here, aren't I?"
The trembling of her lips stopped, but she was still sweating profusely, seemingly anxious.
"...Yeah, I'm calm.. *smoooch*?!!"
I pushed my tongue in again. This time, I roughly explored the inside of Ha-yoon's mouth as if raping it. My intention was to quell the unknown anxiety Ha-yoon felt with a rough kiss.
"*Smoooch*.. *hwe-aek*... (*squeak*) Haaah... (*squeeeak*) Hwaaak..."
Ha-yoon gasped roughly for breath. Her tongue trembled intermittently, as if she was lightly feeling something.
"Ji-yoon-ah... *smoooch*.."
Without knowing whose saliva was in their mouths, they explored each other's. The surroundings grew warm.
When Ha-yoon seemed to have calmed down, I ended the rough kiss.
"Hwaaah.. Are you calm now?"
"...Yeah, I'm not anxious anymore."
Ha-yoon wore a slightly ecstatic expression.
She fiddled with her lips, then saw my expression and her face stiffened.
"...Ji-yoon-ah, what's wrong with your face? Are you sick?"
"..."
Actually, ever since I entered the restroom, the choker around my neck had been stinging as if it were burned. Especially when the kiss began, I felt a sensation like being scratched by a woman's fingernail.
"It's nothing."
...It *must* be nothing.
I tried hard to ignore the anxiety.
"But it's already 11 o'clock, so we can't see any more exhibits."
A lot of time had passed while I was comforting Ha-yoon.
"...I'm sorry."
"No, there's nothing to be sorry about."
'Actually, I should be the one who's sorry.'
If I hadn't gotten involved with Im Yu-na, none of this would have happened.
'What on earth does Im Yu-na want from me?'
She did find my stories quite amusing. But it was strange for her to cast a spell on Ha-yoon and pressure me to that extent.
'...What's her intention?'
To be honest, it was damn scary.
Im Yu-na's way of looking at modern people and the world, or more precisely, her 'worldview,' was different. Her elitist belief that she was of noble lineage and her view of ordinary students as commoners.
I don't know what she was like in her original world, but at least here, she was an unbearable lunatic.
'If she were merely a patient with chuunibyou, that would be one thing... but if she's a monster from a fantasy world, it's physically impossible to deal with her.'
I really didn't want to run into Im Yu-na if I could help it.
When I came out, I saw the large female teacher I had seen in the morning.
"For lunch, we're going to a famous course meal restaurant. Let's go eat quickly!"
She looked more excited than she had in the morning.
'In the afternoon, there's Baek-hyun's special lecture.. First, I should enjoy a delicious lunch.'
I tried to forget about the headache-inducing matters.