Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Painting for Each Other
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Horyeong looked utterly flustered.
And who could blame him? He clearly hadn't expected Daeun to get this upset.
I wasn't much different.
Daeun, throwing a tantrum?
But even after saying her piece, she didn't calm down. Instead, she turned back to Horyeong.
"No like Uncle Horyeong!"
Whoosh!
With that, she spun around completely.
Daeun was more passionate about painting than anyone.
So it might seem like a natural reaction.
But I sensed there was more to it.
The reason Daeun had reacted so intensely.
"Could it be..."
A thought suddenly struck me.
It had been the same when she first saw Horyeong's painting.
She'd said she could feel all sorts of emotions in it.
She must have glimpsed the feelings Horyeong experienced while painting, through the canvas itself.
Joyful, happy, fun emotions.
Maybe that's why she was even angrier—because Horyeong was denying those feelings.
So I asked him again.
"You're really going to throw it away?"
He blinked, hesitating.
"Uh, well..."
He couldn't answer easily.
I worried he might still say he was tossing it, even after Daeun's outburst.
But then he smiled faintly.
"How about we try this instead?"
He didn't seem entirely devoid of attachment to his own work.
Minji had said it.
If I hadn't met Hyorin, I might have ended up in the same boat as Horyeong.
I didn't want to admit it, but I couldn't deny it.
His attitude felt all too familiar.
"What do you mean?"
I told Horyeong.
"Want to paint a picture with us?"
Today, I'd decided to look at Horyeong—someone not unlike me—with Hyorin's heart.
* * *
We headed to the studio together: me, Daeun, and Horyeong.
All the works were already hung in the exhibition hall.
The place was spotless, empty of people and pieces alike.
Creak.
We stepped inside.
A quiet, serene workspace.
Horyeong spoke up, perhaps finding the atmosphere awkward.
"It's been ages since I've been here."
"The studio's great—why haven't you used it?"
It was open to any student in our department, so I was curious why not.
"Just never felt attached."
Wow, every word dragged up memories of my past self.
"You know, it's not like we're churning out factory prints. Paintings done here still have to win people's approval, same as anywhere. That's why I hated coming."
I chuckled and said,
"It's like you're quoting my thoughts from when I first enrolled."
"Really? Even you, Painter-nim, thought the same?"
Was it a sense of kinship?
I could feel Horyeong's earnestness.
"Yeah, exactly. Modern art all boils down to money. That's all that filled my head back then."
"Wow... same here. It's an era where you can't value art without money, right?"
"And I thought, 'I won't accept that modern art. I want to be a painter judged on my work alone.'"
"Y-Yeah..."
The look in Horyeong's eyes changed as he gazed at me.
Before, it had been the eyes of someone staring at a famous painter.
Now, it felt like he was truly seeing a senior.
"No need to be so surprised. Once I got here, I realized most painters think that way."
"R-Really?"
"Yes, really. You might think otherwise, but every painter has their own way of creating."
Thanks to the director, I'd met plenty of painters.
Though not always as forced as this—more like playful encounters.
"But that's not the point. It's about painting yourself."
I slid over to the storage room I'd frequented endlessly before and pulled out three communal easels.
Horyeong hurried over to help set up for painting.
Our conversation flowed on.
"You must've heard about my situation from that special lecture."
"Ah, yeah. A bit."
"Hmm, then you know the person I met then was Daeun's mom, so I'll speak freely. Minji mentioned it earlier—said if not for Daeun's mom, I'd be just like you."
"Yes."
I smiled at his surprise and continued.
"Truth is, I skipped my graduation exhibition too. Hated the idea of anyone judging my work."
"I-Is that true?"
Was this what they call inner rapport?
Just from his face, I could tell he trusted me completely.
"But with time, I realized it wasn't judgment I hated—it was just fear of being judged."
Hyorin had pointed that out.
It wasn't simply about showing my painting to others.
"Do you know what Daeun's mom said then?"
He stared silently into my eyes, no questions asked.
I met his gaze steadily before answering.
"She felt a little sorry for it."
"For you, Painter-nim...?"
"No, for the painting."
"F-For the painting?"
"Like a child left by the riverside—worrying, and pitying it too."
The emotions during creation had been utterly sincere.
But afterward, I'd left it alone out of plain fear.
I glanced over at Daeun.
"That's probably why Daeun got mad. She can read emotions in paintings, unlike others."
"R-Read emotions in paintings?"
"Yeah. And she saw your work, told me she liked it."
I shared this for one simple reason.
To show him his painting could stir special feelings in someone.
"So, could you paint one—for Daeun?"
"F-For Daeun?"
"Yes. Not for yourself, but for Daeun."
Horyeong probably never painted for anyone else.
I'd always painted for my own satisfaction.
But meeting Hyorin, painting for her, changed that.
Art just for myself felt meaningless.
"Okay, Daeun!"
"Yeah, Daddy!"
"Want to paint one for Uncle Horyeong here too?"
"Yay!"
Then Daeun asked curiously.
"But who're you painting for, Daddy?"
I'd decided that before coming.
"Daddy's painting for Mommy."
It had been so long since I painted for Hyorin.
She might never see it, but still.
Maybe my feelings would reach the heavens.
"Yeah!"
And so we began painting for each other.
* * *
Scratch, scratch.
In the quiet studio, only the soft sounds of brushes on canvas.
*'Feels like ages since I painted with full focus.'*
It was a school studio, and for Hyorin, no less.
Any temptation to half-ass it vanished.
It really had been forever since painting for her.
I was smiling, lost in it, when...
Murmur, murmur.
Voices drifted into our studio.
*'What's that?'*
Startled by the sudden noise, I checked the time—lunch already.
Exhibition or not, students needed to eat.
Probably coming to rest and use the studio after.
Creak!
The voices grew louder, and our studio door swung open.
In came the director, leading all the students.
"Huh? You're here?"
"So that's where you were—painting."
"Whoa! Horyeong! You were at school?"
"Horyeong! Wow!"
They chattered noisily, crowding around us.
Then they started peeking at our paintings.
Aram Go spoke up, sounding shocked.
"Oh, thinking about it, I've never seen you paint, Horyeong. First time."
"Me neither! You always did it at home, huh..."
"Yeah, right..."
Maybe because of the students' talk, everyone shifted behind Horyeong to view his work.
And as if on cue, they all clamped their mouths shut.
Uncomfortable under their stares?
Horyeong's face stiffened, but he didn't chase them off.
He must've expected this to some degree.
At least that was a relief.
The director, who'd been watching it all, approached.
"Haven't seen you paint in a while."
"Ah, me?"
"You seem focused. How about we schedule an exhibition?"
As expected of the director.
She instantly saw how much care I was putting in.
An exhibition, though.
Classic director.
"Not planning one yet."
It might sound curt.
But if I didn't say it firm, she'd drag it out forever with her personality.
No, she might even force a solo show.
"Too bad."
She didn't look disappointed, though.
I averted my eyes from the director, who always eyed my pieces greedily.
Of course, since she sponsored Daeun, I couldn't fully refuse.
"But exhibiting at the gallery? I'm open to that."
"Really?"
"Yes. Better than letting them sit at home—easier to store there."
"So, using the gallery as storage?"
"Come on, not like that."
But she seemed pleased with my offer.
"Well, when it's you, Kanghyeok Lee, that's different. Fine, contact me when they're done. I'll send staff to pick them up."
"Will take about a month to finish."
"Whenever you're ready."
Somehow, I'd ended up exhibiting without meaning to.
But beyond storage, as I'd told Horyeong, I wasn't the old me.
If someone felt something special from my work, that was validation too.
As I chatted with the director about exhibiting,
"Oh..."
The students' mood shifted oddly.
First time seeing Horyeong paint?
No, not that.
Something indescribable.
Puzzled by their reaction, then—
The director, who'd been eyeing my painting, slipped behind Horyeong to view his.
She raised one eyebrow and asked him.
"What's your name?"