Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Double-Sided Painting
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Hyorin's painting was unique.
A transparent sky, and below it, various items laid out on a picnic mat as if they'd come for a picnic.
Just looking at that alone, it was hard to see what was so special, but Hyorin's painting had a front and back.
"It's a double-sided painting."
"Yeah. What do you think?"
Swish.
With that, Hyorin turned her painting around. Where the mat had been was now a church building standing alone on a mountaintop.
A church and a picnic mat.
I couldn't help but wonder what Hyorin had wanted to paint.
"Is there a special way to view the painting?"
At my question, Hyorin grinned and said,
"You have to go outside to see this one."
"Outside?"
"Yeah, this is a painting that only completes when two people look at it together."
Hearing that made me even more curious.
A painting that completes when viewed together—despite seeing so many paintings so far, this was a first for me.
Of course, the paintings I'd made were special too.
"Then let's go out."
At those words, we all grabbed our paintings and left the studio.
As soon as we opened the door and stepped out, a sweltering heat hit us first.
But determined to see Hyorin's painting, we endured the scorching air and went outside.
When we reached the building entrance, Hyorin spoke up.
"Kanghyeok-ah."
"Yeah?"
"You, stand here."
"Me?"
At Hyorin's request to stand in front of her, I hesitated a bit but complied and stepped forward.
Arms outstretched, we were close enough to touch.
When was the last time we'd stood face-to-face like this? Feeling a bit embarrassed, I averted my eyes from Hyorin's gaze and said,
"So, how do I look at it?"
Smiling at my question, Hyorin stretched out her arms and held up the painting.
"Like this."
And at the sight of the painting,
"Ah!"
I couldn't help but exclaim.
"Depending on the viewing angle, the painting's meaning changes..."
One side was a picnic under a blue sky.
The other side was a church under a blue sky.
But the true meaning of these two paintings lay elsewhere.
Swish.
I stretched out my arm and looked at Hyorin, who was gazing at the painting.
Then I asked,
"You..."
"Don't look at me, it's embarrassing."
"Okay..."
At her words, I lifted my head again to look at the painting.
Hyorin and I, facing opposite directions.
But the painting we were both seeing conveyed one single meaning.
'Together.'
Going on a picnic and spending happy times. And together at the church...
Just then, Jungeun, standing nearby, barged in cluelessly.
"Hey, show me too! What is it, what kind of painting?"
But I didn't want to show this painting to Jungeun.
No, more precisely, I didn't want him seeing it with Hyorin.
So I chose instead,
"Lend me your painting for a sec."
With those words, I appreciated Hyorin's painting together with Jungeun.
Of course, he seemed completely oblivious to what the painting meant.
"Wow, Hyorin's painting is really cool as expected. Hold on, let me take a photo."
Just like with me, he hurriedly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Hyorin's painting.
Click.
When we returned to the studio, Jungeun showed me his phone, saying he was done.
[Your votes are needed. Please vote for which of the three paintings is drawn the best!]
"Who won?"
"Who won? Obviously Painter Kanghyeok Lee."
"Mommy! Daeun thinks Mommy wins!"
At those words from the two, I smiled and asked,
"Who do you think won?"
In this contest, I'd overlooked one crucial fact.
Because of that, the results were truly unpredictable—no one, including us waiting for the votes back then, could have foreseen it.
"Tell us."
"Daddy, tell Daeun!"
I wanted to tell her too.
But the reason I'd cut off my words like this was because of one person's arrival.
"Huh? Weren't you out shopping? Why are you here?"
It was President Jeong.
I'd gotten a text from her in the middle of our talk saying she was here, so it seemed she'd come looking for us.
At President Jeong's appearance, Daeun and Representative Yoon greeted her a bit awkwardly.
Pfft.
They'd wanted to hear the story, but her arrival meant they couldn't, so that must have been it.
No helping it.
Swish.
At President Jeong's entrance, I stood up from my seat and said,
"Ah, perfect timing. I was just hoping if you came, I could ask you something."
"Ah, sure, ask away."
"Could I use the computer by any chance?"
"Yes, the computer?"
"Yeah, I tried on my phone, but it said the search function only works on computers."
At my words, Representative Yoon's eyes lit up.
"Is it about that painting you mentioned earlier?"
"The painting?"
Representative Yoon showed interest at the mention of a painting.
As the one who'd first proposed a solo exhibition to Daeun, her passion for artwork must surpass anyone else here.
Well, anyway, I roughly explained to the curious Representative Yoon what I'd just told the other two.
After hearing the whole story, Representative Yoon said,
"Let's go to my room."
"Yes."
"You were going to show the results directly on the computer, right?"
"Ah, yeah, that's true."
"Paintings by Painter Kanghyeok Lee and Daeun's mom—this is something I absolutely can't miss. Let's go check right now."
I wasn't sure if the emotion from back then would come through properly, but it had to be better than just describing it.
The one most excited about this story was none other than Daeun.
"I can see Mommy's painting!"
Unlike the others, being able to see the painting she'd drawn back then firsthand held huge meaning for Daeun.
After all, it revealed the feelings of the person who'd painted it.
"Then follow me."
With that, we followed President Jeong up to the top floor where the president's office was.
The second time heading there today.
It felt like déjà vu from earlier, but the situation was different.
Seeing everyone a little expectant made me smile for no reason.
Click.
Entering President Jeong's office, we all crowded around the computer on her desk without needing prompting.
"Then, excuse me for a moment."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it."
It wasn't that impressive, really.
Smiling, I logged into the school community.
It was a post from a whopping nine years ago, but it was still there.
Tap tap tap.
Since it was an anonymous board, I had to search by title, but the memory was so vivid that I remembered it clearly.
Typing in the title and searching brought up a few similar posts, and scrolling down a bit...
"Ah, here it is."
I finally found it.
Clicking the post revealed the paintings we'd photographed and uploaded back then, preserving those distant memories.
'Ah, Hyorin's in the photo too.'
Maybe because it was a transparent acrylic panel, Hyorin's reflection showed up naturally on it.
Her fresh college days look stirred up old nostalgia.
But no one else would notice Hyorin's image there.
It was special to me as her old self, but to others, it was just the painting.
'Ah, but not for Daeun.'
Since Daeun was there too, she seemed to be staring intently at the photo with Hyorin in it.
"What about the results?"
At that, I smiled and said,
"Before that, I'd like to hear your evaluations."
There was a reason I'd brought them all here myself.
I could have explained back where we'd been talking, but I chose not to.
It was because I wondered what kind of painting people would find prettier.
So I asked them to wait a bit, and soon they started sharing their opinions.
First up was Representative Yoon.
"Honestly, I think Painter Kanghyeok Lee's painting is the best. No matter where you put it, the background becomes the painting's background—like projecting your empty self onto it. It's very philosophical and emotional. If this had been exhibited, I definitely would have collected it."
It was a thorough evaluation from Representative Yoon's perspective.
'Well, that's probably right.'
I hadn't asked them to pick the one with the most votes.
Just to judge from their own viewpoints.
Next, President Jeong spoke.
"Hmm, if we're talking meaning, I actually think Daeun's mom's painting is better. You can see it from both sides, and humans all have duality, right? Good sides and bad sides. In that sense, I think Daeun's mom's painting is superior."
Both judged from their own perspectives.
And regrettably, in these evaluations, Jungeun's painting didn't get a single vote.
'Tch, no helping it.'
After those two, I finally asked Daeun.
"Daeun, whose painting do you like more? Daddy's or Mommy's?"
Daeun seemed to ponder for a moment before answering.
"Daeun... likes Mommy's more."
"Yeah? Why Mommy's painting?"
Why had Daeun chosen Hyorin's over mine?
But her following words made me nod.
"Daddy's painting is hate."
"Yeah, hate?"
"Daddy's painting is hate! So Daeun likes Mommy's more! Mommy's painting loves Daddy!"
Only then did I belatedly realize what she meant.
Smile.
'Right. Hateful feelings.'
The reason Daeun thought that was because, when I painted that, all I could think was I had to beat Hyorin for her sake.
Of course, there was care for Hyorin beneath it, but it was mostly just a desire to win somehow.
But Hyorin's painting held feelings directed at me.
Daeun had seen that clearly.
"So Daeun likes Mommy's more?"
"Yeah."
Now I'd heard answers from all three.
What was left was...
"So, what were the results?"
All three looked at me.
Smiling, I scrolled down the mouse wheel with a click and announced the results.
"The results turned out like this."
Everyone was shocked by what appeared.
"J-Jungeun took first place!"
"Why? Why did this painting win?"
It was understandable if they couldn't comprehend.
After all, a painting no one had even considered had taken first.
But this might have been the most obvious result.
And that was because...
"Ah, I get it. Why this painting won."
President Jeong seemed to have caught on.
So I smiled and explained.
Why Jungeun's painting had no choice but to take first.
"Yes, if people like President Jeong or Representative Yoon who try to see the inner meaning had voted, the results might have differed. But to the students' eyes, a well-drawn painting was the best. Honestly, among these three, they'd think Jungeun's has the highest completion."
Mine was just a frame, Hyorin's was double-sided and felt a bit awkward somewhere.
But in terms of completion, Jungeun's was the most perfect.
From the students' perspective, they had no choice but to pick Jungeun's.
"Wow... the results are shocking. I thought for sure it would be the mom's."
"No helping it."
"Still..."
Then, Daeun, who'd been quietly looking at the paintings, suddenly asked,
"But Daddy."
"Yeah?"
"Who would Daddy pick?"
"What?"
"Daeun's super curious who Daddy picks!"
I had no idea why she was asking that all of a sudden, but if it were me...
"Daddy would pick..."
Right then, I suddenly recalled the situation back then.
Jungeun taking first and yelling it was impossible, storming off alone to the supermarket for ice cream—and Hyorin's extremely shy whisper to me.
-Sorry for liking it. Happy now?
Heh.
"Daddy picks Mommy's, obviously."
Daeun smiled and asked,
"Because you like Mommy?"
At her question, I smiled and replied,
"Yeah, and because she said sorry."
Hee-!
It felt like Daeun and I shared a little secret, making me laugh naturally.
Then Daeun said,
"Daddy! Daeun wants to go buy clothes now!"
It seemed Daeun had finally grasped the true meaning of "sorry for liking it."