Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Debt from the Past
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A long time ago, there was someone who made people call me Painter Kanghyeok Lee.
That person was none other than Mr. Kwak Cheol-un, the representative standing right there with Director Go.
"Heh heh, they said I'd meet someone surprising here, but I never imagined it would be you, Painter Lee. You didn't give me any hint at all."
Mr. Kwak still wore an expression of disbelief, and Director Go responded with her usual blank face.
"If I'd told you beforehand, you'd have been just as shocked as you are now."
"True enough. Is Painter Lee just anybody? Still, I'm truly stunned. I had no idea your skills had improved this much."
Then he turned to look at Daeun, who was standing beside me.
"This must be that little girl from back then. Time flies—look how much she's grown."
A wistful look settled on Mr. Kwak's face, as if reminiscing about the past.
His words sparked my curiosity.
"Have you met Daeun before by any chance?"
Mr. Kwak nodded vigorously.
"Of course I have. Not just at the last exhibition, but even on the day of your accident, at that exhibition too—I bought the most of your paintings. Since you couldn't sign them after the accident, about a year later, I made a simple contract with the woman who became your wife. That's when I saw her. The baby piled up in the baby carrier. Her name was Daeun, right?"
How did he remember even that?
"Yes, she's turning five this year—my daughter."
"I heard the news through the grapevine. You must have gone through a lot, but it's heartening to see you've overcome it together like this."
"Thank you for your concern."
"Whenever you hold an exhibition, give me a call. Well, even if you don't, I'll come anyway. But to repay the debt from back then..."
Debt? What debt did Mr. Kwak owe me?
"Debt?"
"Ah, you might not know about it. I'm talking about the day she came carrying newborn Daeun."
"What happened that day?"
Mr. Kwak didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Director Go.
"You haven't told him the details?"
Director Go looked at me and replied.
"I've only given him the rough outline so far. Haven't explained it properly yet."
"Ah, I see."
What on earth had happened that day?
And what incident made Mr. Kwak call it a debt and express his regret to me?
I felt a twinge of unease, but unfortunately, today's star wasn't me.
"We can talk about that later when we meet separately. We're here to appreciate the other wonderful works today."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
And so our attention returned to today's protagonist, Painter Son Jeongsun...
Or at least, that's what we thought.
"!"
Painter Son Jeongsun's shocked expression.
And beside her, Professor Kwon Woochul stammered as he asked me.
"Y-You're... that Kanghyeok Lee? The Kanghyeok Lee?"
It seemed the two of them needed time to process this shocking fact.
Just then.
Swoosh!
Daeun, standing beside me, puffed out her cheeks in the cutest way possible.
"My daddy draws suuuper well! He's a famous artist!"
Delivering the final blow.
* * *
"I'm sorry."
At my apology, Painter Son Jeongsun shook her head.
"What do you have to be sorry for? I'm grateful, actually."
"Yes?"
"For a humble artist's exhibition like this, having a famous Painter Kanghyeok Lee attend is a huge honor."
Wasn't she being too kind?
At this point, I could be considered a nuisance guest.
"It's not humble at all. You don't have to downplay yourself like that."
Painter Son Jeongsun covered her mouth and laughed.
"Hee hee, I wasn't downplaying—it's just the truth. Besides, if it weren't for you, Painter Lee, those people wouldn't have come to my exhibition."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to the people slowly moving along.
At the front were Director Go and Mr. Kwak. Behind them, Aram Go and Professor Kwon, followed by Daeun, all admiring the paintings in turn.
That's when Mr. Kwak, leading the group, spoke up.
"These paintings are all so full of life—exactly the kind I like. If Painter Son doesn't mind, I'd love to buy a couple before I go. Is that alright?"
Painter Son Jeongsun, standing beside me, smiled and expressed her thanks to Mr. Kwak.
"Of course. Just fill out some basic info before you leave, and I'll send the receipt."
"The receipt? Haha, that's fine. No need for that..."
"Ah, don't you need a donation receipt?"
"Donation?"
Swoosh.
The word "donation" left everyone's expressions blank for a moment. A brief silence fell. In the tense atmosphere, Professor Kwon broke it with a laugh.
"Ah, come to think of it, we never mentioned it."
Painter Son Jeongsun followed with a bright smile.
"You're right. Things were hectic at the time, and it didn't seem necessary to spell it out."
'Ah!'
That's when I suddenly recalled the info panel I'd seen at the entrance while chatting.
Next to Painter Son Jeongsun's profile was the familiar logo of the Bright Children Foundation.
'So it's a donation exhibition.'
No wonder Painter Son Jeongsun understood Daeun's feelings so well.
There was a reason for it all.
"Impressive. I respect you."
At Director Go's words, Painter Son Jeongsun shook her head.
"Oh, come on. If I had money, I'd donate materially, but all I have is my painting."
Aram Go jumped in excitedly.
"Hey, don't say that. This is truly admirable. Not just anyone can do it."
Mr. Kwak chimed in supportively.
"Exactly. Even with plenty of money, deciding to donate takes real resolve. I hope I can help even a little with Painter Son's decision."
As everyone praised Painter Son Jeongsun's choice.
Squeeze.
Daeun grabbed my arm and wiggled her finger.
What did she want to say?
I bent down slightly and brought my ear close, and Daeun whispered softly.
"Daddy, what's a donation?"
"You're curious about donations?"
"Shh! Tell me quietly."
"Quietly."
She must have been a bit embarrassed not to know the word "donation."
It was perfectly understandable for her age, but it showed she was just a kid after all.
"Hmm, a donation is when you help people who are struggling or in need."
"Stwuggling people?"
"You know what money is, right?"
"Money for buying snacks!"
"Yeah, you use that money to donate—help sick people get better, buy them tasty food, give meals to hungry people."
Daeun's face lit up at the explanation.
"So donations are super cool!"
Cool, indeed.
Smiling at her, I said.
"It's a very cool thing."
"Then! Daeun too!"
What now?
Suddenly excited, Daeun shouted loudly to everyone.
"Daeun wants to donate too!"
"You're going to donate, Daeun?"
"Donate!"
"How?"
Amid the crowd's puzzled murmurs, Daeun beamed and yelled.
"Daeun's gonna paint too!"
* * *
"I'm sorry."
This was my second apology of the day.
And Painter Son Jeongsun's response was the same as before.
"No, actually, the department store said the first day of the exhibition draws the biggest crowds. They asked if I could paint live on the spot if possible, but I said no because of my painting style."
Truth be told, I never expected Daeun's declaration to donate would lead to this.
I thought it'd just be brushed off as a child's whim.
But Painter Son Jeongsun gladly accepted Daeun's request.
And now, here we were.
Clatter.
Aram Go started setting up the easel and supplies from Professor Kwon's car for Daeun's comfort.
As expected from an art school grad, she nailed the setup.
She assembled the easel, secured the watercolor paper canvas, adjusted the height for Daeun to sit and paint comfortably, and even set the chair before squeezing out paints.
"Daeun, how many colors do you need? All of them?"
After a moment's thought, Daeun replied.
"All of them!"
"All of them?"
"Yeah! Gonna use 'em all!"
At her declaration to use every color, Aram Go nodded.
"Got it."
Painter Son Jeongsun, Professor Kwon Woochul, and Aram Go.
All three seemed thrilled at the idea of Daeun painting.
Of course they were.
They'd seen her mural with their own eyes.
But there were definitely people who couldn't comprehend this situation.
"Daeun's going to paint?"
"Haha, being Painter Lee's daughter, I'm a bit excited."
Director Go gave me a strange look.
As if questioning whether I was hiding something from her.
But she couldn't press me directly.
The atmosphere was flowing toward Daeun painting, after all.
'Well, if everyone's happy, it's fine.'
Truth be told, I wanted to reveal Daeun's artistic talent a bit later.
Normal parents might want to show off their child's gifts, but Daeun wasn't a typical kid.
She was special.
'Director Go will recognize it for sure.'
Daeun would paint a landscape, not a still life.
Her memory held tens, hundreds, thousands of high-res images etched like engravings.
Murmur murmur.
The sudden bustle drew department store shoppers one by one.
People gathered to watch Daeun prepare to paint, and more came to see the crowd, forming a surprisingly large throng.
"Wow, I might've done the right thing after all."
"Haha..."
Had every customer on this floor shown up?
There were easily over a hundred.
Just then.
"Excuse me!"
One woman in the crowd raised her hand with a question.
"Is that little girl going to paint?"
She wasn't the only one wondering.
Most of the gathered people shared the curiosity, all eyes turning to me and Painter Son Jeongsun.
With my permission, Painter Son Jeongsun stepped forward to explain.
"Yes, she's still setting up, so I was going to announce it soon. This exhibition is a donation event. Miss Daeun Lee wants to make it special by painting live as an event piece. Please stay and cheer her on—thank you."
Nodding at the explanation, people waited for the preparations to finish, browsing the exhibition, taking photos, and buzzing with activity.
'Sure makes a big difference with an event like this.'
No promotion at all.
We just sat Daeun down to prepare, and people flocked on their own.
Of course, her devastating cuteness probably captivated them too.
Then, a customer quietly asked Painter Son Jeongsun after her explanation.
"Um, if it's okay, could I get Miss Daeun Lee's autograph?"
Painter Son Jeongsun turned to me, and hearing those unexpected words, I could only sit there blankly for a moment.
'What did she say she wants?'