Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Pre-Lecture Jitters
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I rode in Jungeun's car toward the university.
In the meantime, I fed Daeun the kimbap that Jungeun had picked up on his way over.
"Daeun, yummy?"
"Yeah! Super yummy!"
It was a desperate measure I'd thought of since she hadn't eaten a proper breakfast leaving so early in the morning.
Fortunately, Daeun ate it right up.
Emboldened, I shoved a piece of kimbap into my own mouth and asked Jungeun,
"Hey, but is it really okay for me to give this lecture?"
"You're still on about that?"
"Honestly, I still don't get it. If this is really the right thing. I'm not in a position to just go around teaching anyone."
When I thought back to the guest lecturers who had visited during my school days, it made me doubt if I really belonged in that role.
And rightly so—my perspective had been completely reshaped by lectures from some of the greatest painters of our time.
Thinking about that, it was only natural to feel skeptical about whether I should be the one standing up there delivering a lecture.
But Jungeun saw it differently.
"You could say mine's the most objective job when it comes to evaluating people. You think so too, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
Being a journalist was all about conveying the facts as they were to the public.
Of course, some of Jungeun's own views might seep in along the way, but there was no denying it was a profession dedicated to delivering those facts as objectively as possible.
"In my eyes, you more than meet the qualifications. You've already held multiple solo exhibitions, and you've gotten rave reviews from critics. And there's one more thing that's most important."
"What?"
"Young blood."
"Yeah, young blood."
"Right. There are plenty of veteran painters with years of experience and gravitas. But among the young ones, no one's achieved what you have. I bet that's why the professor picked you."
That gave me plenty to mull over.
Meanwhile, Jungeun kept going.
"And you're an alum."
"Yeah."
"Practically no one jumps straight into being a professional painter right after graduation. But you did your first solo show immediately, and you've built up that much recognition since. To the students, you might as well be a god."
A god...
"You're not just hyping me up because we're friends?"
"I'm a journalist first, before I'm your friend."
Whoa, that somehow filled me with trust.
"You're only out here this early because it's you—you still don't get why, do you? If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have even come. Every time I say I'm heading out for coverage, the team leader chews me out, but when I say I'm meeting you, he doesn't say a word. Doesn't that alone show how huge your name is?"
I scratched my forehead awkwardly at that, and Jungeun, staring straight ahead, added,
"So what I'm saying is, you have every qualification for a guest lecture, so quit psyching yourself out. I told you, to the students, you're practically divine—so act like the god you are and nail it."
Somehow, his reassurance about not being nervous only made me more jittery.
Still, his words...
'Not bad at all.'
They put me in pretty good spirits.
And so, I was able to head to school with a somewhat lighter heart.
"Daeun, ah!"
"Ah!"
'Whew, I'm nervous.'
I'd arrived at school with a lighter heart, but the moment we got there, the tension that had briefly subsided came roaring back.
No matter how much I denied it, the shakes were undeniable.
We got out of the car and headed straight to Professor Im Hayoung's office.
Knock knock.
After a small deep breath, I knocked, and the door swung open amid some bustling sounds from inside.
"You're here."
"Hello, Professor."
"Oh! Daeun's here too!"
"Hello!"
The professor turned and gestured inside.
"Come on in. I was just waiting for you all."
With a slight bow, we stepped in to find Minji already there—must've come in early for work.
"You're here."
"What, you beat us to it."
At that, Minji gave me an odd look.
"What do you take me for? I work here—of course I'm clocked in."
"Oh..."
Right.
I was so tense I'd forgotten something that obvious.
Sensing my state, Minji asked,
"You okay?"
Jungeun answered for me.
"Not at all. He's been like this the whole ride."
That's when the professor sat down and spoke up.
"Kanghyeok, feeling nervous?"
"Ah, a bit. I'm trying not to, but my body's shaking on its own."
The professor covered her mouth and laughed.
"So even you get nervous, Kanghyeok."
"Yes."
"Back in that presentation class, you didn't seem fazed at all."
I gave an awkward smile at the mention of presentation class.
"Well, that was in front of friends."
"What's the difference? It's the same thing."
Same thing...
Even in the same space, standing at the podium carried a whole different weight.
The professor tried to ease my burden a little.
"No need to get too worked up. You know from attending guest lectures—it's mostly Q&A, and time flies once you start answering. Just pretend you're here to hang out."
'Hang out.'
Her words drew an involuntary laugh from me.
Could anyone really brush off a guest lecture as just hanging out?
If someone else had said it, maybe not—but coming from the professor organizing it, I couldn't help but smile.
"You sure it's okay to say that, Professor?"
"Why not? And to be frank, your presence alone is what's valuable to the students. An active pro painter who's an alum."
It echoed what Jungeun had said in context, but the vibe was totally different.
And her playful follow-up brought a smile to my face.
"So, no nerves."
"Yes, Professor. Thank you."
"Nah, I should be thanking you. Busy painter Kanghyeok Lee making time for a guest lecture."
"Ah! Professor!"
She beamed at that and turned to Minji.
"It's been a while since you were on campus, so take a tour of the grounds. It'll loosen you up naturally. Minji, why don't you show them around."
Minji stood up and said to us,
"Got it, Professor. Let's go. I'll give you the campus tour. Daeun, wanna see the school?"
"Yeah! Daeun wants to tour the school!"
"Knew it. Alright, up you go—time for that tour."
We were just getting up, led by Minji, when the professor looked at Jungeun.
"You stay behind."
"Me? Uh, me?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to you."
"W-Why me all of a sudden..."
She smiled at me as she answered his question.
"Have fun, then. See you at lecture time."
"Oh... Okay. Got it."
What could she possibly need to talk to Jungeun about?
Curiosity piqued, but Minji tugged me along, and we had no choice but to leave the office.
Click.
Once we were fully outside the building, I asked Minji,
"Why'd the professor suddenly want to see Jungeun alone?"
She gazed off into the distant hills and said,
"You know."
"What?"
"That I'm dating Jungeun."
"Oh..."
I had nothing to say to that.
We stepped out onto campus.
Like last time I was here, it really felt like a university.
"So lively."
The students' energetic vibe was a sight to behold.
But Minji shot me a weird look when she heard that.
"You really see it that way?"
"Yeah?"
"Then why do I just see students exhausted and crushed by assignments?"
Hmm... Hadn't thought of that.
Fair point—back when I was in school, I'd been living that exact life Minji described.
Maybe it was perspective; the same environment looked different depending on where you stood.
Still, it looked lively to me right now.
"Wanna grab some coffee? Professor even gave me her card for it."
"Sure."
We headed to the campus café.
Quite a line of students when we got there.
Then, someone from back in line called out to me.
"Hey, Painter!"
At "painter," every head in the café turned my way.
The sudden spotlight made me tense up, but it melted away with the next familiar face.
"Yeah, Aram."
It was none other than Aram Go.
And beside her, some welcome faces.
Haeun Park and Eunbi Kim.
Aram's friends.
"Hello! Painter!"
"Wow! You really came! We've been waiting for you, Painter!"
They all looked brighter, like they'd been doing well.
"You all been good?"
"Us?"
"Oh, us!"
The two, who'd been smiling brightly, suddenly darkened.
"W-We have. Tons of assignments, more tons of assignments, even more assignments..."
"With the grad show prep on top of assignments..."
Oh man, I'd poked a real sore spot.
But Minji's quick quip from behind snapped them out of it.
"What was that you just said?"
"Ah, T-TA!"
"Hahaha! What were we saying? Can't remember...!"
Minji's intervention swept away the gloom.
After that, she smiled and asked,
"You girls getting coffee too?"
"Yeah, coffee's the breakfast of champions!"
I chuckled and said,
"I'll cover the coffee here."
"Oh, the painter will?"
"Yeah, gotta treat you since we ran into each other."
"Whoa! Painter's the best!"
The professor had given me the card for coffee, but after freeloading a meal last time, I figured I'd cover this.
Minji seemed to pick up on it and grinned.
"You and your generosity."
"Pick whatever you want."
As I said that, I glanced back at Minji.
"Get some for the professor and Jungeun too. What does he drink?"
"Americano should do."
"Got it."
I placed the order for everyone, and soon we were all holding our drinks as we left the café.
Oh, and of course, Daeun's chocolate drink too.
Slurp!
"Yummy! Daddy, this is yummy! You try some!"
I took a sip and grinned at her, eyes widening.
"Ooh, for real. It's seriously good."
"Right? Hee!"
As we walked along laughing, Aram asked,
"But you've still got time before the lecture—why come so early?"
"Oh, just wanted to tour campus a bit and say hi to the professor."
"I see."
Something in Aram's tone suggested she had more on her mind.
So, on a hunch, I asked,
"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
She smiled awkwardly and shook her head.
Then Eunbi Kim nudged Aram's shoulder.
"Didn't you want to show him your grad piece?"
"Hey!"
Graduation piece.
Ah, so she wanted me to check out her entry for the upcoming grad show.
We were just killing time with a campus tour anyway—why not make it a studio visit instead?
Smiling at Aram, I said,
"Mind showing me your graduation piece?"
Aram panicked and stammered,
"I-I could show you, but, uh..."
Right then, Daeun, slurping her chocolate drink, piped up.
"Daeun wants to see Aram Auntie's picture!"
I chimed in with a laugh.
"I'm curious too—could you?"
Aram nodded awkwardly.
"Sure."
And so, coffees in hand, we turned back toward the building to check out Aram's graduation piece.