17
Chapter 17 A Wise Answer to a Tricky Question
“Mother, I’m here.”
A woman with an elegant appearance and refined outfit, someone who had likely never had to lower herself to anyone,
spoke in an unusually sweet voice as she greeted a middle-aged woman.
“Oh. You’re here.”
Her mother-in-law responded half-heartedly, as if no matter how impressive she acted, she was still just a
daughter-in-law.
“You look like you came here expecting to be treated well.”
As always, the greeting was followed by criticism.
“Hoho, I dressed up after a long time to look nice for you and father. Don’t I look pretty?”
Despite the sharp remark, the daughter-in-law kept smiling brightly.
“If you can’t even speak properly……”
“Don’t worry. I brought comfortable clothes too. So please be a little kinder to me.”
“Who said anything? Stop making an old woman stand around and come inside already.”
“Yes!”
Her smile might have seemed shallow, but as the saying goes, it’s hard to scold someone who’s smiling. The
mother-in-law’s irritation quickly faded.
More importantly, this daughter-in-law had a strong position. Though still very young, her son—born after ten years of
marriage—gave her the confidence to visit her in-laws even without her husband.
“Our Minjun is here too?”
The same mother-in-law who had been cold to her daughter-in-law now became warm and affectionate toward her grandson.
“Food!”
“Oh my, are you hungry?”
“Food!”
“Alright. Let’s go eat something delicious with grandma.”
As the mother-in-law and child headed to the kitchen, the daughter-in-law approached her father-in-law, who was sitting
in the living room.
“Father, I’m here.”
“Yes.”
Unlike his wife, the father-in-law was blunt but relatively kind.
“Is Kyungsoo busy again today?”
“He’ll be here soon.”
“Still, no matter how busy he is, the family should gather for a meal at least once a week.”
“Yes. But father, you really like quizzes. Every time I visit, you’re watching that program.”
“I just leave it on.”
“Hoho, then why don’t you try going on it yourself?”
“Haha, at my age?”
“What do you mean? You’re still in your prime. Someone as knowledgeable as you could even win!”
“That’s enough teasing. Go bring some fruit.”
“Yes.”
Part of it was his personality, but she also treated him well.
“Sit down. You’re still a guest, so I should at least cut some fruit.”
Even her mother-in-law, who had been cold earlier, acknowledged how well she treated the family.
“Oh no, I’ll do it.”
“No need. If you hurt yourself holding a knife with those delicate hands, who will you blame later?”
“Hoho, I won’t get hurt. I’m actually good at housework. Ask Kyungsoo.”
“Hmph. At best, you’re still a princess. Stay like one. Leave this to me.”
“Then I’ll at least bring some tea.”
“Fine. Even a princess can manage that.”
Her mother-in-law spoke harshly, but there was affection in it.
“But why is such a young kid on that quiz show?”
The father-in-law tried to steer the conversation away from family tension.
“Well, it’s possible. Haven’t you seen the news? Kids these days are going to university at eight. Maybe Minjun will go
on there someday too.”
“That’s different. Even judges fail that show.”
“It’s still surprising. What could that kid even know?”
Their attention naturally shifted to the TV, where a group shot of contestants was shown.
Then suddenly, the daughter-in-law’s face turned pale.
The tray in her hands slipped and fell to the floor.
“Can’t you even serve tea properly?”
“I-I’m sorry……”
“Just imagine how much Kyungsoo must have suffered in America……”
‘How… how are you here…?’
She couldn’t hear the scolding.
She bent down to clean up the broken cups, moving mechanically.
Even though the hot tea soaked her slippers and feet, she didn’t react.
“Hey!”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing!”
Even as her hand was cut by the shards, she didn’t seem to feel pain.
“Honey!”
Only her in-laws rushed over in shock.
‘It’s him… it’s definitely him…’
They had heard about the adoption, but had never seen the child. They couldn’t recognize him.
But she could.
---
“Could you briefly introduce yourself?”
“I’m Do Minho from Class 1-4, Sangnok Elementary, from Munseon-eup, here to win Quiz 5000.”
‘He’s really bold.’
Though simple, his confident tone impressed everyone in the studio.
“Our Minho here is also a great artist. He even gave me this portrait. When did you become my fan?”
“Since I wanted to win Quiz 5000.”
‘He’s definitely not ordinary.’
The one most impressed was MC Joo Youngmin.
“Then will you keep liking me until you win?”
“I’ll like you even after I win.”
Though scripted, his delivery didn’t feel stiff at all.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
“How is that possible?”
“Because I’m confident. And even if I make mistakes or lose, it’s fine. Just being on this show already means I’ve
succeeded.”
‘That’s right. You’ve already succeeded.’
“Alright then, let’s begin. First question.”
“But it seems you don’t intend to make mistakes or lose at all.”
Confidence alone wasn’t enough to win.
“This person is a genius painter representing Cubism, born in 1881—”
“The answer is Picasso.”
“The question isn’t finished yet.”
“It’s a live broadcast. I need to win today.”
‘What an incredible kid.’
“Correct!”
---
“He definitely has a stronger presence.”
Kang Jiseop PD, who had come to observe, smiled at Park Hotae.
“He’ll still get eliminated.”
“Even real geniuses fail this show. That’s not a flaw. Your program is the problem.”
“Be quiet.”
“He’s smart too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What if he actually causes an upset?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Isn’t that what geniuses do?”
“Even geniuses are human. Intelligence alone isn’t enough. Without input, there’s no output.”
That was undeniable.
“True.”
“But then why is he so confident?”
“He’s just naive. He probably thinks memorizing the sample questions is enough.”
“That’s cruel.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Why me?”
“You’re the one who hyped someone as a genius and dropped them.”
“That was a mistake!”
“Anyway, be quiet and let me work.”
---
The first question being Picasso was meant to highlight Minho’s artistic talent and future.
But Minho said his dream wasn’t to be a painter.
“You’re this good, but you don’t want to be one?”
“No.”
“Don’t you enjoy drawing?”
“I do. But I don’t know if I’d enjoy selling my drawings.”
His answer was far beyond his age.
“I like drawing because I can capture things as they are. I prefer realism. I don’t like abstract art. I don’t really
understand it. Even Picasso’s style… it’s creative, but I don’t see the need. Art should be emotional.”
His words were bold.
“I prefer things that are simply beautiful. Realistic works feel natural to me. If my hand were a camera, drawing would
be easy.”
“I see.”
“That’s why I drew you.”
“Me?”
“A model that’s only pretty isn’t interesting. But someone like you, with age and character in your face, is more fun.”
“Haha, that’s an interesting perspective.”
“To take a great photo, how many times do you press the shutter?”
Joo Youngmin paused.
“A lot. Drawing is the same. But the artist’s idea of beauty and the model’s idea can differ.”
“That’s true.”
“If the model is a client, I’d have to draw what they want, not what I want. I don’t like that.”
“Still, there must be people who want your honest work.”
“Maybe. But I think there are many jobs that suit me, where drawing can remain a hobby. I’m still only eight.”
“That’s true. Then what do you want to be?”
“I don’t know yet. I just want to be happy. I’ll figure out what makes me happy later.”
‘I finally understand why people say photos remain.’
“There are too many moments I want to capture. Drawing takes too long.”
“Good drawings come from good models. But can a painting surpass the model?”
“……”
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
‘Even I’m not sure what happiness is.’
“Let’s move on to the next question.”
‘I’m sorry.’