Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Kerry's Arrival and Bold Proposal
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11:20 a.m.
I left Daeun with the director and made it to the airport right on time.
Knowing this was Hyorin's old friend made my mind race.
How wonderful it would have been if we'd met while Hyorin was still alive.
I paced restlessly at the entrance, waiting.
Rumble—!
Foreigners started pouring out of arrivals.
I held up the sign I'd prepared so Kerry could spot me easily.
That's when, from way off in the distance, a tall woman with yellow hair came striding straight toward me.
As she approached, I was certain it was her.
Because...
From the moment she stepped into arrivals, tears had been streaming down her face nonstop.
The instant she saw me, she started saying something.
But since I don't speak English, I couldn't make out what it was.
I quickly pulled out my phone and fired up the translator app to talk to her.
"Are you Kerry?"
"Sob... H-Hyorin... she really... passed away?"
Her words came through the app, and I nodded solemnly.
She burst into even louder sobs.
Like a family member had died.
Gulping hard at how heartbreakingly she wept, I said,
"Let's go for now. I'll take you to where Hyorin is."
Nod.
Had she been grieving the whole flight?
She seemed utterly consumed by deep sorrow.
Seeing Kerry like that, I was glad I'd left Daeun behind.
Even I, who thought I was starting to feel a bit better, was getting hit with fresh waves of sadness.
And so, I headed to the orphanage with her—where Hyorin was.
Sister greeted us warmly.
"Come on in."
Kerry asked in English,
"Where is Hyorin?"
Sister replied fluently in English.
"Please follow me."
Step.
We followed her inside.
Hyorin, whom I was facing again after months.
The white urn filled me with sadness once more.
The second Kerry laid eyes on the urn holding Hyorin, she collapsed.
She sank to the floor and wept for over thirty minutes.
She said something in between, but sadly, I couldn't understand.
Still, I had a rough idea of what she was saying.
I'd been the same way.
We stayed there for a long while, weeping for Hyorin who'd left us.
Sniffle.
Was she finally calming down a bit?
She managed to stop crying and leave the room with Hyorin's urn.
"Whew, I'm sorry. I just can't believe Hyorin's gone."
Thanks to Sister, communicating was no issue.
Was that a small mercy?
"I was the same at first. By the time I woke up, Hyorin had already gone to heaven."
"Oh... I heard about your accident. You've been through so much."
Shake, shake.
The suffering wasn't mine—it was Hyorin's.
"Still, thank you for coming all this way. It must've been a long trip. You must be exhausted."
At that, Kerry finally looked around.
"By the way, I heard Hyorin had a daughter. Where is she? Come to think of it, I didn't see her at the airport."
"Oh, I left her somewhere for now. I figured it'd be too hard on Daeun."
"I see. That was wise. No need for the child to get upset because of me."
That wasn't quite what I meant...
"I understand. It's a grief too heavy for a young child to bear."
At least she understood.
"There's that, too, but she has something important coming up, so I left her just in case."
"Something important?"
"Important schedule? Is Daeun starting kindergarten or something?"
Sister looked curious at the question.
Makes sense—no chance to catch up properly since then.
"I meant to tell you earlier. In a week, Daeun's having her first solo exhibition. It was Hyorin's dream, and Daeun's making it come true for her."
Both of them were stunned.
"A s-solo exhibition? So Daeun's debuting as an artist?"
"A solo exhibition? But Daeun's still so young. Already?"
"Yes. That's why I was going to invite Hyorin's friends, and that's when I found your message, Kerry. So... would you both come to Daeun's exhibition?"
They both nodded quietly.
It had been so long since I'd seen Hyorin.
I asked the two for a moment alone.
Left by myself with Hyorin's urn, I gently caressed it.
"I should've come more often, but I came late."
-It's okay. Thank you so much for keeping Daeun's smile alive.
It might just be my imagination, but I swear I heard Hyorin's voice in my ear.
Maybe that's why I started talking to the urn like we were having a conversation, recounting everything that had happened.
"Daeun must take after you a lot."
-Of course! Whose daughter is she?
"Daeun's painting talent seems more like mine, though."
-What? Are you bragging about your own skills right now?
"Kidding, kidding. She takes after you—so smart and clever. And so cute. I swear, I'll make Daeun happy. I won't let you down."
-You'll do great. You're Kanghyeok Lee, after all. I believe in you.
"Thanks. Next time, I'll bring Daeun. She misses you a ton."
-I miss Daeun so much. Next time, bring chocolate milk.
Pfft.
"You know, Daeun loves chocolate milk just like you. We even went to the dentist because of it recently. You know."
Remembering our dentist trip with Daeun, I smiled without realizing.
"You should've seen it. She was so adorable."
Then, in my imagination, Hyorin laughed as she replied.
-And I did see it. She was really cute.
Flash!
"W-Wait... you saw it?"
I snapped out of my reverie.
After that, Hyorin's voice didn't come anymore.
Just like a dream...
We promised Sister we'd see her at the exhibition and took a taxi straight to the gallery where Daeun was waiting.
In the meantime, I chatted with Kerry using the translator.
"By the way, a week from now is a bit tight timing."
"Tight how?"
"Oh, since you came on short notice, I thought you might have to head straight back to the States."
Her eyes went wide.
"I'm staying for Daeun's exhibition."
"Really? You'll be in Korea for a whole week?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"No, not at all, but..."
She hadn't planned ahead, so her schedule must be packed.
But Kerry seemed totally fine.
"My parents handle the gallery anyway, and I just help out. I could take a month off and they wouldn't bat an eye. Plus, when I said it was for Hyorin, they just told me to go quick."
"Oh..."
Right, her dad had even wanted to meet Hyorin back then.
And while my days were jammed, running a famous New York gallery meant...
She was probably loaded.
Details aside, a week wouldn't be an issue for her.
Then, smacking her lips regretfully, she said,
"Still, it's a shame."
"What is?"
"Hyorin's dream—I wanted to make it happen for her."
"Her dream?"
"Yeah. You were close to her, so you know. Hyorin's skills were top-notch—no one could touch her."
She'd been overshadowed by me, but Hyorin's talent was seriously impressive.
"And I saw potential in Daeun's paintings, so I was going to suggest it first. How about a solo exhibition at our gallery?"
"Really!"
While I was in the hospital, I'd skimmed their chats.
She'd shown a few of Daeun's paintings, calling them her daughter's work.
To think she was planning a solo exhibition...
"So disappointing. I wanted to host Hyorin's dream exhibition—and Daeun's first one..."
Was she sincere?
I'd thought she was just a passing acquaintance.
But clearly, to Hyorin, Kerry had been more than that.
Makes sense—she'd been so sad parting with Kerry after studying abroad.
Then Kerry said something unexpected.
"I missed the first chance, but I won't miss the next."
"Next?"
What could that mean? I wondered.
She explained.
Something pretty shocking.
"Yeah. I'm buying all of Daeun's works. Every single one she painted."
"All of them?"
"Yes. I'll buy them all. Daeun's paintings."
If she'd said this when the exhibition came up, I'd have just been surprised.
But now? My thinking was different.
There were already quite a few—no, a lot—of people who wanted Daeun's paintings.
So I smiled awkwardly and said,
"Oh, that might not... work."
Kerry's face filled with question marks.
The moment we arrived at the gallery, Daeun popped out in a surprise attack.
Thanks to the heads-up I'd given, Kerry played up her shock.
"Oh my! What! You scared me! So you're Daeun. Nice to meet you. I'm Kerry."
I got that she was happy to meet Daeun.
But speaking English, Daeun wouldn't...
"Hello! I'm Daeun! Auntie!"
"Yeah? W-What, Daeun? When did you learn English..."
Not perfectly fluent.
But Daeun introduced herself in English.
Not conversational yet, but impressive enough to stun.
"I've been studying English 'cause I wanna keep thinking about it!"
Most kids study, but Daeun never forgets what she sees once.
She'd gotten this far just by thinking about it.
Truly cheat-level talent, I thought.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Director Go Yunmi of Arnia Gallery."
Having heard about Kerry beforehand, Director Go came out to greet us personally.
At her introduction, Kerry's expression shifted, and she bowed.
"Hello. I'm Kerry Doyle from MONA Gallery. I've been curious about how galleries operate here in Korea, so it's an honor to meet you."
"If you're okay with it, would you mind coming inside for a chat?"
"Oh, sure. But first, there's something I'd like your permission for."
Permission?
She'd come to Korea for Hyorin, but apparently had other business too.
Like gathering info on Korean galleries, say.
"If there's anything we can help with, we'll cooperate fully."
At that, Kerry glanced at me and said,
Something I never saw coming.
"We'd like to host Painter Kanghyeok Lee's solo exhibition at our MONA Gallery. Could Director Go help make that happen?"
My... solo exhibition?