Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Erina's Studio
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Another artist's studio, huh.
"A few places you saw when picking out a studio before, right?"
"Oh, you mean the one in Sangam-dong and a couple others?"
"Yes, exactly. Someone who moved in around the same time as Daeun is there. They haven't even fully unpacked yet."
It was a studio provided by the department store itself. Being able to rent a place like this meant they were that famous.
But I worried whether we could just barge into a space belonging to someone so renowned.
"If we show up out of the blue like that, won't they be upset?"
Manager Jeong smiled warmly at my question before answering.
"No, they'll love it for sure."
"Pardon?"
"When that artist moved in, they said exactly that. 'If there are any artists working nearby, please introduce me.'"
"They asked for an introduction?"
"Yes. They said working alone felt too lonely and it'd be nice to have someone to chat with. So I thought I'd ask just in case."
If that was the case, getting permission and stopping by briefly didn't sound like a bad idea.
Just like Manager Jeong said, when the painting wouldn't come together, setting the brush aside for a bit and doing something else often helped.
"Shall we ask?"
At Manager Jeong's words, I turned to Daeun, who had been listening quietly.
"What do you think, Daeun?"
"Daeun wants to go see!"
Maybe because she'd met so many artists by now, this probably didn't feel all that special to her.
Even so, Daeun really wanted to go.
Meeting someone new was always such a fun and happy thing for her.
Especially now, when she was trying to paint but it just wasn't flowing—it probably made her want to go even more.
"Daeun seems to want to go too, so could you check for us?"
Manager Jeong nodded with a bright smile.
Then,
"Oh! I forgot to mention one thing."
"Yes, what is it...?"
"That artist's other job."
"Other job?"
They're an artist—what other job could there be?
Right then, Manager Jeong grinned mischievously.
"She's an artist, but she has a side gig."
What job could it be that she's dragging it out like this?
No way, super famous or something...
"You probably know her too."
"Pardon?"
"She appears on TV a lot."
Appears on TV...
'A celebrity.'
That artist was a celebrity.
* * *
Her main job was singer, with artist as her side gig.
And apparently, she'd recently connected with Manager Jeong by chance and was preparing for an exhibition.
"I was planning to stop by and see Daeun on my way, but I didn't expect we'd all go together like this."
Manager Jeong looked thrilled. She kept beaming as she drove, seeming genuinely delighted.
Seeing her like that, I asked curiously,
"But if her main job is singer, wouldn't she hate meeting people? It's surprising she asked you to introduce someone instead."
"Well, that's probably because her main job is separate, right?"
"Pardon?"
"Exactly. Being an artist is still new to her, and from her perspective, she's probably curious how other artists work."
Curiosity, in other words.
"Yeah, that makes sense when you put it that way."
"And she loves meeting people, so that factors in too."
I'd never met her, but somehow I could already sense what kind of personality she had.
Maybe Manager Jeong had picked up on it during their call.
She chuckled as if it was amusing and recounted the conversation.
"When I called earlier to ask if we could visit, she got so excited. I thought she'd won an award or something. Then she said since guests were coming, she needed to grab some snacks and hung up in a rush."
Uh... maybe our sudden visit was actually bothering her.
It was starting to feel concerning.
But from what Manager Jeong said, she didn't seem to think that at all.
"Still, it's impressive. Holding down a main job and painting on top of it."
"Right?"
"Sometimes when I meet people like this, it really hits me how talent works, you know? That geniuses exist. Honestly, even Daeun is amazing."
As she spoke, she glanced at Daeun in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
"Daeun is great too!"
"Of course! How incredible is Daeun? The best!"
Eek-!
The praise made Daeun smile, and her smile filled us with happiness once more.
"In my eyes, the artist we're about to meet is definitely a genius too. Her skill is way above average."
"That good?"
"Yes. I fell for her work the moment I saw it."
No one could deny Manager Jeong's eye for art.
The first thing she did when offering Daeun an exhibition was check who had held them before.
Since it was all online anyway, we'd looked up every past show, and through that, I'd confirmed one fact.
Manager Jeong's discernment was beyond ordinary.
"If you say so, she must have real talent."
"Yeah, hehe. I'm not that great."
She said no, but she was.
To what extent? A rookie she'd recommended had held a show, and afterward, their unique style and captivating paintings became huge news.
They'd even gone abroad for a solo exhibition.
It's hard to push a rookie like that unless you trust your judgment completely.
'Manager Jeong's impressive in her own right.'
No wonder the department store thrived.
Screech.
As we chatted about this and that, we arrived at the artist's studio.
That's when Manager Jeong turned to us apologetically.
"Oh, the office keeps calling. There's been some issues with complaints lately, and sorting it out might take time. If it's okay, why don't you two go ahead?"
Us first?
I knew she was busy with work, but meeting for the first time like this might feel awkward.
Still, we couldn't drag her along when she had obligations.
"If that's the case, handle your business and come in when you can. Daeun and I will go ahead and say hi."
"Thanks for understanding. I'll wrap up the call as quick as possible and join you! Oh, hello? Yeah, about that..."
She must be swamped.
A person of her stature not being busy would be the weird part.
Watching her hurried back as she stepped away for the call,
I smiled awkwardly and held out my hand to Daeun.
"Shall we go in just us for now?"
"Yeah! Daeun trusts only Daddy!"
How does she even say it so cutely?
"Trust your daddy!"
"Yeah! Daddy!"
That's what she said, but I was a little worried inside.
It wasn't just anyone—a celebrity whose main gig was singing.
Not being nervous would be weirder. But I decided to be brave.
A celebrity or not, she was just a 'person' like us.
If I froze up, Daeun wouldn't warm up easily either.
For Daeun's sake, I'd act as natural as possible.
I pressed the buzzer firmly.
Ding-dong-!
The structure was a bit different from our studio, but still two stories.
The chime echoed inside after I rang.
A moment later, a voice came through the intercom.
-Hey! Just a sec!
'A woman.'
The voice from the intercom was quite high-pitched.
Clear and bright—that's the expression, right?
Beep-!
The door unlocked with a click, and the voice rang out again.
-Whoa! It's open! Come on in!
An excited voice. Her enthusiasm eased my tension naturally.
"Daddy!"
Daeun got hyped up by the high energy too.
"Let's go quick!"
"Okay, okay. Careful, don't trip."
Daeun even shook off my hand in her rush up the stairs.
Worried she'd fall, I followed close behind.
The door swung open, and I met the owner of that clear, bright voice.
It was Erina.
"Hello! I'm Erina. Ah, not sure if you know me, but it's an honor to meet you!"
'Who wouldn't.'
Erina the singer—probably no one in the country didn't know her.
Most of her releases had been massive hits, and her stellar vocals had won over countless fans.
But who knew she painted as an artist too.
"Hello. Uh, so we're..."
Maybe because she was so famous.
I hesitated on how to introduce us.
As I pondered, quiet Daeun stepped in for me.
"Artists! Daddy artist too! Daeun artist too!"
Erina squealed at Daeun's bold declaration.
"Eek! Such a cute little artist!"
Her intense energy from moments ago had spooked me a bit. Could I handle this vibe?
'I can do it.'
I'd muster the courage.
For Daeun.
* * *
Stepping inside, the spotless interior was striking.
Everything—from furniture to a single brush—was aligned perfectly, like she had OCD.
It was so immaculate, I hesitated to touch anything.
"But I never imagined such a cute artist would visit. I figured 'artist' meant someone kinda intimidating!"
Of course, some artists fit that bill.
But trends had shifted with more young artists, changing the vibe overall.
Ah, though I still thought of myself as old.
Then Daeun, exploring the studio, asked,
"But auntie!"
"Yeah, yeah! What? What's on your mind, my cute artist?"
Whoa, the energy...
But Daeun seemed to love it, smiling as she spoke.
"Daeun wants to see auntie's paintings!"
"Ooh! You want to see mine?"
"Yes!"
Daeun basically loved looking at paintings.
More precisely, she loved reading the emotions embedded in them, though sometimes it felt like more.
Like she was peering into the artist's soul through their work.
"Yeah, I'd love to show my paintings to my cute artist, but sadly, none of mine are here. The ones I did before are all at home."
Then Erina crouched to Daeun's level and asked,
"But auntie wants to see my cute artist's paintings too."
"Daeun draw!"
"Yeah, but to do that, I'd have to visit your studio. Guess I'll have to hold back."
She acted so disappointed, and Daeun paused thoughtfully.
Then, moments later.
"Ah!"
Her eyes sparkling, she told Erina,
"Then let's draw each other!"
"Yeah, draw each other!"
"Yes! Daeun draws auntie, auntie draws Daeun!"
Erina's eyes widened as she replied to Daeun's idea.
"Ooh! That's a brilliant idea!"