Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Jeon Seogu
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Click.
How long had it been since I'd last come to the studio?
'Ugh, this place looks exactly the same as back then and now.'
The moment the door opened, the sight that greeted me made my face scrunch up involuntarily.
Art supplies scattered everywhere, a filthy mess piled up with plastic sheets that looked like it could spawn bugs—it was enough to make anyone sigh.
Even if you knew about it, it was bad enough. If you saw this without knowing...
"Ugh, it's dirty."
The second the door opened, Daeun wrinkled her nose and stepped back.
At Daeun's reaction, the three of them gave awkward smiles and started tidying up around them.
"It's graduation project season, that's why. It's not usually like this."
"Y-yeah. Normally, it's super clean."
"Hey, pull this side. Ugh, I told you not to eat in the studio."
As I watched the three of them hurriedly cleaning, I asked,
"I was a student at this school too."
They froze.
Did they understand what I meant?
"Haha, y-yeah, I guess so."
"It must've been like this back in your day too, Senior."
Well, it wasn't that different.
Except back then, there was someone with an extremely neat personality, so it never got this bad.
Rustle.
As they chatted, I picked up some trash from the floor and said,
"Then let's start with cleaning. Want to help Daddy, Daeun?"
At my question, Daeun looked like she wanted to back away a few more steps, but in the end, she had no choice but to accept.
"Okay..."
She clearly hated it, disliked it intensely. But Daeun hid her feelings and smiled.
"Daeun will help Daddy."
Aw, what a good girl.
At her words, I grabbed a pair of disposable vinyl gloves from the shelf against the wall and slipped them onto her hands.
"Can't let Daeun's pretty hands get dirty."
Beam!
"Daeun's hands are clean! Now they won't get dirty!"
"Then you can help with cleaning now, right?"
Daeun nodded vigorously at my question and started picking up trash from the floor.
In this situation, the three of them...
"Ah, too cute."
"If I could have a daughter like that, I'd get married right now."
"Find someone to marry first. You can't even meet guys."
"What? You wanna fight?"
Eunbi Kim and Haeun Park glared at each other, while Aram Go, who had been watching them, let out a short sigh and said,
"You two, stop it and clean."
"Ah... Yeah, okay."
"If Aram tells us to, we have to."
I had a vague idea of their relationships.
'They seem close, which is nice.'
As I thought that and kept tidying...
Swish.
'Is that the painting they were talking about?'
My eyes caught the paintings hanging on the wall.
Quite a few works.
Most were still lifes, each focusing on a single object.
But one in particular.
The painting at the very end was different—a landscape unlike the others.
A small rural village, clouds floating in the sky, blending with little houses and lush green foliage. The serene atmosphere was exquisite.
'It was a masterpiece.'
A true masterpiece.
That's why, perhaps.
The moment I saw the painting, I knew instantly.
'No way I'd forget a painting like that.'
That it wasn't painted by me.
The style and atmosphere were similar to my own works, sure.
But even so, I was certain it was by someone else.
'No fingerprints.'
When I paint, I have a habit of smudging paint with my fingers.
I'd had this habit long before college.
Others might not notice easily, but I could tell for sure.
That's how I knew that painting wasn't mine.
Swish.
For now, since we were cleaning, I decided to check the painting later.
Thanks to the five of us, including Daeun, cleaning diligently for 30 minutes, the studio was spotless before we knew it.
"Thanks, everyone."
"Wow, so this is what it originally looks like. Let's clean up before we use it from now on."
"You just stop eating in the studio."
"Hey! Haeun Park!"
'......'
.
Were they close or not?
Daeun giggled at their reactions.
"Daddy, Daeun worked super hard!"
"Yeah. Thanks to you, Daeun, we finished super fast. Thank you, sweetie."
"Ah! Auntie thanks you too, Daeun!"
"We'll keep it clean from now on!"
Everything with Daeun was fun and happy.
Even the cleaning just now. Though it was tough work, being with Daeun made it enjoyable the whole time.
Just then, Aram Go wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked,
"So, now can you tell us whose painting that is?"
At her words, everyone's eyes turned to the landscape hanging above the entrance.
A rural scene brimming with serene emotion.
"I told you, it's Senior's painting."
At Haeun Park's words, I gave a slight smile and shook my head.
"Sorry, but that's not mine."
"What?"
"R-really?"
"No way! How could that not be Senior's? It's definitely..."
They all reacted in disbelief, but what could I do? It was the truth.
At my response, Haeun Park still couldn't believe it and asked back,
"Then whose is it?"
I didn't know either.
I had no idea who owned that painting with a style so similar yet subtly different from mine.
But then, unexpected words slipped from Daeun's mouth.
"Mommy."
"Yeah?"
Slide!
At that moment, the closed studio door opened, and someone entered.
"Why is it so noisy? How's the graduation project prep going..."
Even with time's relentless passage, Professor Im Hayoung looked just as she did back then.
"K-Kanghyeok."
At Professor Im Hayoung's shocked expression, I hardened my face.
'I never imagined I'd run into Professor Im Hayoung here.'
In my life, if I had to name the people who meant the most to me, Professor Im Hayoung, sitting right in front of me, would be one of them.
"Whew, so that's what happened."
After hearing my full story, Professor Im Hayoung's expression was quite dark.
She must not have expected Hyorin's obituary at all.
"So that little girl earlier is you and Hyorin's daughter."
"Yes. Her name's Daeun, and she's turning five this year."
"I see."
Professor Im Hayoung glanced up, looking toward Daeun playing in the studio beyond the office.
"Even after such a shock, she's not crying and holding up strong."
Not a big shock, huh.
Daeun had perfect memory that others lacked.
Right now, she was distracted by new and exciting things, but if she ever recalled memories of her mom...
She'd probably suffer from the loss until the day she died.
"She's still young. I'll have to make sure she doesn't feel Hyorin's absence."
Professor Im Hayoung smiled warmly.
"You were always like a kid, but when did you grow up into such an adult? I'm proud."
"It's all thanks to you, Professor. Without you, I'd still be wandering aimlessly."
Professor Im Hayoung waved her hands in flustered denial.
"When did you get so good at sweet-talking?"
"If you hadn't grabbed me back then, I might've become the ultimate troublemaker."
They say there's a fine line between genius and madman.
When I first entered college, I was probably right on that line.
A time when I was both genius and madman.
"Well, you were pretty crazy back then."
Did that memory come back to her?
The professor turned her head and burst out laughing.
Pfft!
"Ah, I remember. Something about art being destruction, right?"
Ah... my dark history.
"And come to think of it, you made an SNS account in your first year. 'Art World's Bad Boy' or something."
Back then, I was a bit... no, extremely crazy.
'It was shortly after enrollment, I think.'
About a month after starting school.
Back then, I was beyond hopeless, a lost cause.
"That painting at the studio entrance. Remember how hilarious that was? We kept it up so you'd never forget. Remember?"
"Yes, the studio entrance painting. W-wait, is that one mine by any chance?"
A question mark appeared on Professor Im Hayoung's face.
"What? You don't remember?"
No matter how hard I tried to recall, nothing came up.
No, even if I didn't remember, that painting wasn't mine.
Because there were no fingerprints.
But even so, I had to ask.
"Did I paint that one?"
Professor Im Hayoung gave a mysterious smile, amused, and said,
"Want me to tell you what happened back then?"
Slide.
Everyone gathered in the now spotless studio.
Click.
Professor Im Hayoung took down the landscape from above the entrance and placed it on an easel in the studio.
Daeun, watching from the side, pointed at the painting with her finger.
"Mommy!"
Yeah...
Come to think of it, she'd said the same thing earlier.
Curious, I asked Daeun,
"Was that painted by Mommy, Daeun?"
I figured from her reaction it probably wasn't, but...
She shook her head.
"No, Mommy didn't paint it."
It wasn't Mommy's after all. Then why did Daeun say that?
Just then, the professor smiled and said,
"They say genius is innate, and it looks like Daeun inherited both your geniuses. She should come to our school when she grows up."
As if waiting for the professor to finish, Eunbi Kim shot her hand up and asked,
"Professor! Can you tell us who painted it first? I'm dying of curiosity!"
Haeun Park, equally anxious, chimed in,
"I'm getting dizzy. Please tell us quick~!"
I was no different in this situation.
Who the heck painted that, for Daeun to say "Mommy"?
No matter how much I pondered, no answer came.
When curiosity peaked, Professor Im Hayoung finally spoke.
"Alright. I'll give the answer first. That painting is by someone named Jeon Seogu."
At "Jeon Seogu," Aram Go tilted her head.
"Jeon Seogu? Is that a person's name?"
Instead of confirming, the professor answered even more ambiguously.
"Hmm, it could be a person, or not. Probably."
"What does that mean?"
Just then.
Thud. Roll.
Haeun Park, listening from behind, dropped her brush and said,
"P-Professor! Th-that Jeon Seogu you just mentioned... That's not that person, is it?"
"What? You know them?"
"Hey! You don't know Jeon Seogu?"
"Jeon Seogu... Jeon Seogu..."
"No! That one of the school's three great mysteries, the most popular one."
At Haeun Park's words, Eunbi Kim's expression changed instantly.
"You're not talking about Jeon Seogu, the Bad Boy of the Art World, right?"
Whoosh!
Aram Go, apparently familiar with the name too, quickly turned and asked the professor,
"Is that painting by the Jeon Seogu they're talking about?"
Professor Im Hayoung glanced at me and replied with a sly smile.
"The Jeon Seogu you kids are talking about. That's the one."
In my immature days, Jeon Seogu was my other name.
According to the professor, that painting had to be mine...
But then, one big question arose.
'Why... don't I remember?'
Tap tap.
Daeun, sitting next to me, grinned mischievously and said,
"Daddy and Mommy did it together."
At Daeun's words...
'Oh.'
Like a dark curtain lifting, memories from the past came rushing in like waves.