Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Jungeun's Visit
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My Daughter Is a Genius Painter 006
Thanks to Jungeun's help, I managed to dodge the crisis.
'For now, I've put out the immediate fire...'
Still, it felt like I needed to prepare for the basics of living life.
I had to reissue my expired cards, sort through the bank accounts I hadn't touched, and most importantly, prepare for how to survive going forward.
But before that, there was something I needed to check.
Just how much money did I even have right now?
Knock knock knock.
After shopping and getting home, someone knocked on the door a little later.
"Yes!"
Daeun dashed to the entryway like it was routine and shouted energetically.
"Who is ittt!"
Was she excited about the snacks we bought?
Her voice brimmed with strength.
Then, from beyond the door, Jungeun's...
"Oh my goshhh! Daeun, it's really been forever! Uncle missed you so much, you know that, right?"
5000% over-the-top fuss erupted.
"Jungeun Unca!"
"That's right! It's Uncle Jungeun! Daeun, could you open the door for me?"
At his words, I smiled and moved to open the front door.
But Daeun's next move stopped me in my tracks, leaving me to gaze at her with a warm smile.
"Unca, say the proof!"
"Proof that I'm your uncle?"
"Yeah! Something Daeun wikes!"
"XX Honey Chicken!"
"Ding dong dang! Now something Daeun hates!"
"Um... ki, kimchi!"
"Right!"
"Aah! Yeah, you said you hate green onions! The answer is green onions!"
"Ding dong dang!"
Once he nailed her likes and dislikes, Daeun raced to the door like nothing happened and flung it open.
Click, creak!
As the door swung wide, Jungeun—whom I hadn't seen in nearly five years—threw a fit of dramatics that could drive anyone insane.
"Oh my goshhh! You've grown so much! Daeun's even cuter now! Didn't you miss your uncle? I was dying to see you!"
"Unca got in twouble?"
"Ughhh, no! I missed you so much it felt like trouble."
"Really?"
"Really! Without our Daeun, your uncle would just..."
"Would just what?"
"Yeah."
"Uh."
When she mimicked his "really," Jungeun's eyes flickered toward me for a split second.
A heavy silence followed. He gulped dryly and cleared his throat.
"Ahem, you done?"
"Cough! Uh, yeah. How long you been standing there?"
"Oh my goshhh... from the start."
"Oh..."
Thinking he'd been caught in something embarrassing, Jungeun whipped his head away and clapped a hand over his mouth.
Was he crying? I peeked up, and he hastily schooled his expression before stepping inside.
Then he rushed into a new topic.
"Anyway, I specifically told you to call me the second you woke up, but you didn't. I only found out when the hospital called me about the bills—you being awake and all."
He plopped down on a dining chair like nothing happened and kept going.
"And your mom was too much. She knows how much I worry about you, but not a single call."
"She probably figured you knew."
"Yeah, sure, but still."
"Think it was easy for her to come check on me?"
I sat across from him as I said it. He eyed me and asked.
"So, how's the body holding up?"
"Oh, yeah."
Thud thud!
Just then, Daeun came sprinting back from the living room and shoved banana-flavored snacks at me.
"Open this!"
I smiled and reached for the bag at her request.
"I'll do it! For Daeun's request, anything...!"
Whoosh!
I barely dodged Jungeun's hand lunging at lightning speed and saved the snack bag.
"Why?"
I'd offered to do it myself—why dodge?
As suspicion creased his face, Daeun declared firmly.
"Daeun wikes Daddy doing it!"
"W-Well, then what about uncle?"
"Daddy better than unca!"
Thud.
Jungeun collapsed.
But Daeun ignored him completely, beaming as she held the snacks out to me.
"Open!"
Rustle, rip!
I quickly tore open the bag and grinned at her.
"Daddy thinks Daeun's the best too. You know that, right?"
"Yeah! Daddy best!"
Daeun thrust up a tiny thumbs-up, then bolted to her desk and munched happily.
I watched her fondly when...
"This can't... no way. This isn't right."
Unable to believe her behavior, Jungeun muttered in a daze.
"Why would Daeun..."
"Maybe blood is thicker than water."
Whoosh!
At that, Jungeun glared at me with axe-like eyes.
What're you staring at?
I smirked back, and he furrowed his brow.
"You really..."
I'd planned to tease him more, no matter his reaction.
Swipe.
Had age made him more sentimental? Suddenly, he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve and shuffled back to his seat.
My eyes widened.
"You crying?"
I'd bet he'd deny it, but today Jungeun kept defying expectations.
"Yeah, I'm crying. First time seeing a guy cry?"
"C-Crying? Dude, you're making it weird—why start doing this out of nowhere?"
His awkwardness rubbed off on me.
But this change gave him plenty to say too.
"It's been a whole five years. You've felt it too, hanging with me. So much changed in that time... but one thing didn't—you're exactly the same as five years ago."
"What?"
"It's just... I'm grateful, and also..."
Swipe.
He wiped his tears again with his sleeve.
"Thanks for waking up. I mean it."
Then, in a whisper just for me.
"And Hyorin will be thrilled too. So for Daeun's sake... don't push yourself too hard."
His words comforted me more than I expected.
"Thanks."
* * *
To borrow sentimental Jungeun's words after five years.
'Whew, looks like I need to worry about next month's rent first.'
Time to figure out how to eat and survive right away.
Who would've thought no insurance payout from the truck accident.
Here's the situation.
I'd been on death's door from the crash and undergone several massive surgeries.
In the process, surgery and hospital bills ballooned to astronomical sums that insurance couldn't cover, landing the truck driver in jail.
Left alone, Hyorin sold my paintings from the exhibition to cover the costs.
'At least the paintings saved us.'
Call it fortunate or not, but they fetched a good price.
Works from an artist teetering on the brink—if I'd died, they'd be my final pieces.
Hate to admit it, but ironically, that's what kept me alive.
'Whew.'
Knowing the full story made Hyorin's hardships hit harder.
"And the insurance money covered your surgeries, so here you are."
Explanation done, but one question lingered.
I didn't want to ask, but I had to.
I broached it carefully with Jungeun.
"Uh... how much insurance money's left?"
I knew it was basically Hyorin's life savings, but we needed to live.
Like he'd anticipated it, Jungeun answered right away.
"None."
"Yeah?"
"No insurance money left. I tried to save some, but surgeries cost way more than expected. Spent a bit of my own too."
Ah... I'd hoped not, but zero left?
Actually, worse—we were in the red, since he'd used his money.
"Sorry."
Felt like a burden on everyone around me.
Maybe because I hate living in debt, but I just felt sorry all around.
But true to form as my best friend, Jungeun knew my type too well.
"It's fine. You'll pay me back someday. You know I'm ironclad about this stuff."
Grumbly and playful on the outside, but invaluable when it counted.
I smiled at his words.
"So you're lending interest-free?"
Crunch.
Jungeun's face hardened.
"Hey, even interest-free is pushing it."
"What, you were gonna charge interest?"
"Of course. Nothing's free in this world. But..."
He grinned slyly.
"I've already collected it."
"What?"
"Interest's already paid."
His gaze fell on Daeun happily munching banana snacks.
"So just pay back the principal. You'll knock it out quick anyway."
"Not that easy."
No matter how talented I am, I couldn't paint fresh works right after waking.
But Jungeun had an idea.
"Listen."
"You?"
"Yeah. You know I got pull in this market? Ten years as an art journalist this year."
True, pre-accident, his articles made waves.
Handling big shots probably helped.
"If I write an article about you waking up, you'd get calls from tons of people. Artist back from the dead... rich folks would eat it up, right?"
An artist's death boosts their work's value.
Some famous painters only blew up posthumously.
Stories of mistimed genius, ahead-of-their-time visions finally shining.
But bottom line: name value.
"Do that, and money worries vanish. Rich people drop billions on that prestige."
Nod.
Yeah, his article would solve finances.
But something held me back.
If it went public...
'Hyorin's story would spread to everyone.'
Prime fodder for issue-chasers.
Then Jungeun shook his head.
"But let's not do that article. Nah, I won't write it."
"Why?"
Surprised, I asked. He chuckled softly.
"Not a good thing, and I don't want my dearest friends' story bandied about by everyone. Plus, Daeun'll see it when she grows up. Don't wanna be hated by her."
"Ah..."
He'd thanked me for not changing; time to return the favor.
Jungeun was the same as five years ago—or ten, when we first met.
Grin.
"Thanks."
Relieved, he beamed.
"Thanks for letting me ease my mind, that's all."
"That's why I'm thanking you."
We smiled at each other. Then, with a hint of worry, he asked.
"Anyway, no more article talk. Living expenses ahead are the real worry."
We needed a plan.
This month's bills loomed too.
"So, you remember Arnia Gallery?"
The name brought a face to mind.
And Jungeun said it.
"The one run by Director Go Yunmi."
How could I forget?
She was the biggest influence on me.
"Hope she's well."
"Of course. She'd love hearing you woke up."
Curiosity struck.
"But what's Director Go got to do with living expenses?"
He laughed.
"She’s holding a few of your paintings."
"What?"
Rustle.
Then Daeun approached our table, crumbs on her face.
She looked at me.
"Daeun knows too!"
Knows what all of a sudden?
"Yeah, Daeun? What?"
She repeated.
"Director lady! Mommy said! When Daeun big, director hang Daeun's pictures too!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Mommy said!"
Hyorin must've told her.
Makes sense—Daeun's drawings have something special. Hyorin probably wanted to show them off.
I felt the same now.
'No, wait.'
Per Jungeun, Director Go had some of my paintings.
Mentioning expenses meant selling them to her.
So, visit the gallery.
Plus, to be a great painter, you need broad exposure.
If Hyorin told Daeun that...
I smiled and called her.
"Daeun."
"Yeah?"
"Wanna go see some paintings with Daddy?"
No explanations, no who we'd meet.
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Daeun looked thrilled.