13
## Chapter 13 — The Monster Genius Painter(?)
Reporter Kim Bori of *Hyeonseong Daily.*
After publishing the first article about the faceless painter creep’s mural and causing a massive sensation, she still
hadn’t returned to Seoul and remained in Jeolla Province.
The reason was simple.
There was always the possibility another mural by creep might appear somewhere nearby.
‘That grandfather definitely said creep was traveling. There’s a good chance creep is still somewhere in Jeolla
Province.’
And soon enough, her prediction became reality.
[Hey! Kim Bori! Did you see Instagram?! creep’s second mural just appeared!]
“…! Where?!”
[Suncheon, Jeollanam-do! You’re still in Jeolla, right? Hurry and get over there!]
Following the orders of her senior reporter calling from Seoul, Kim Bori frantically searched Instagram and rushed down
to Suncheon in South Jeolla Province.
And it didn’t take long for her to locate creep’s second mural near Suncheon Bay.
Murmur murmur.
The place was already packed with people admiring the mural.
“E-Excuse me, please let me through for a second.”
Kim Bori somehow squeezed through the crowd and finally stood before the mural.
And then—
“…Ah.”
A breath of admiration escaped her lips the moment she saw creep’s second mural.
The reason she had chosen the unpopular Arts & Culture department among all journalism divisions was, naturally, because
she loved art.
More specifically—
painting.
As a child, she had dreamed of becoming a painter herself, but after eventually hitting her limits, she gave up and
instead became an art journalist.
She carried two ambitions within her heart:
to help revive the Korean art world—
and to make her own name known through journalism.
Those goals and ambitions were exactly why she had rushed nonstop all the way to Suncheon.
But the instant she witnessed creep’s mural—
all those worldly thoughts disappeared from her mind.
Only one thing remained.
‘Beautiful…!’
Pure admiration toward the artwork before her.
“This is the most beautiful sketch piece I’ve ever seen in person…”
Sketching.
The absolute foundation of Western painting.
Painters learned how to express form and shading through sketching.
It was the very first thing beginners learned at art academies.
That was why sketches were usually viewed more as practice exercises than complete works of art.
But once the limits of the medium were transcended—
sketches could become more beautiful than any other form of painting.
Just like now.
“…Waaah.”
Pure.
Elegant.
Graceful.
How could rough lines create something this delicate?
“…Did he draw this mural with graphite?”
Curious about the tool used, Kim Bori unconsciously reached toward the mural.
Then she startled the moment soot and rough powder smeared onto her fingertips, immediately pulling her hand back.
This wasn’t graphite powder.
‘Then could it possibly be…?’
The moment Kim Bori realized the identity of the drawing material, her eyes widened in shock.
“…Charcoal? Don’t tell me he drew this mural with charcoal?”
Old painters frequently used charcoal in the past, but almost nobody used it nowadays.
Because charcoal was inconvenient, rough, and came with countless limitations.
And yet creep seemed to say none of that mattered at all.
The rough, fearless lines unique to charcoal accumulated together and ultimately created an incredibly delicate
masterpiece.
“This creep person… just how much of a genius is he?”
While marveling at creep’s talent, Kim Bori tilted her head slightly.
“…But what kind of bird is this? Why did he paint this bird on this house’s wall?”
Her question was immediately answered.
One of the people admiring the mural nearby responded to her muttering.
“That bird is a white goose.”
“A white goose?”
“Yes. It’s a winter migratory bird that’s incredibly difficult to see even in Suncheon Bay where all kinds of birds
gather. Whew, I came after hearing the news, and honestly… this is unbelievably well done.”
Click.
The man who answered Kim Bori’s question snapped a photo of the white goose mural with the massive camera hanging around
his neck, admiration filling his face.
Suncheon Bay was famous among photographers for its beautiful scenery and wide variety of birds.
He was probably one of those photographers too.
“Why do you think the painter chose to draw a white goose here? Does the white goose symbolize something?”
“Oh, definitely. White geese are incredibly rare birds. Among photographers like us, they’re considered symbols of great
fortune.”
“Great fortune…”
“And the reason he specifically painted a white goose here is probably because this is White Goose Grandpa’s house.”
“…White Goose Grandpa?”
Sensing something important, Kim Bori immediately grabbed the photographer’s arm.
“Who is White Goose Grandpa? Could you tell me more?”
“Hmm… he’s pretty famous around here…”
Remembering how he had recently told this same story to another young man, the photographer explained White Goose
Grandpa’s story to Kim Bori as well.
As she listened, her eyes widened further and further.
Inside her mind, a story worthy of a huge scoop was rapidly taking shape.
“Where is this White Goose Grandpa right now?! I want to meet him immediately!”
“I think I saw him earlier at Suncheon Bay—”
“Thank you!”
Kim Bori instantly rushed toward Suncheon Bay in search of White Goose Grandpa.
After searching through the walking trails like a detective hunting prey and asking countless people for directions, she
finally found him.
“Huff… huff… Sir! Are you perhaps White Goose Grandpa?”
“I-I am… but who are you…?”
“Huff… I-I’m this person…”
[Kim Bori — Reporter, Hyeonseong Daily]
Seeing that she was a reporter, White Goose Grandpa tilted his head in confusion.
“A reporter? Why’s a reporter looking for me…?”
Kim Bori smiled brightly.
“I’d like to write an article about your story and that mural. Would it be alright if I interviewed you?”
A grandfather who had spent years wandering Suncheon Bay solely searching for a white goose—
and the genius painter creep who painted a white goose mural on his house.
If she couldn’t sense a story here, she might as well quit journalism altogether.
Four years into her career, Kim Bori had caught the scent.
The scent of a massive scoop that would make the entire country laugh and cry.
---
[Hahaha! Kim Bori! You did great! This article’s a total jackpot!]
“Of course it is. I poured my soul into writing it.”
Smiling proudly at her senior’s praise, Kim Bori leaned back in satisfaction.
And honestly, she had every reason to.
<The Second Mural of Korea’s Banksy, the Faceless Painter creep: The White Goose Couple’s Memories>
The special feature article she published yesterday had exploded nationwide.
It climbed straight to trending topics on internet news portals and gathered thousands upon thousands of comments.
People continued sharing her article online, and now it was spreading internationally beyond Korea.
It had even been picked up for television news broadcasts.
-Seriously the mural is insanely beautiful ㅠㅠ
-creep really *is* a genius. How long’s it even been since the first mural?
-This mural’s gorgeous too
-I heard the reason behind the white goose mural and seriously started tearing up ㅠㅠ
-What’s the story behind it? Someone explain pls
┗Read this article (link)
-The White Goose Grandpa and Grandma story is so touching ㅠㅠ
Thanks to the emotional story of White Goose Grandpa, the article’s popularity only continued growing.
Kim Bori smiled happily while scrolling through the endless reactions generated by her article.
-I’m visiting the mural this weekend too
-Go see creep’s first mural in Dalsol-ri then head to Suncheon for the white goose mural = perfect course ㄱㄱ
-Wait Korea had a painter this good all along?
-If you look carefully there are lots of talented painters in Korea
-I couldn’t stop thinking about creep’s mural so I went to an art museum today. creep please draw more ㅠㅠ
The appearance of the genius named creep was increasing public interest in the Korean art world itself.
He was talented—
and he was creating positive influence too.
To Kim Bori, it was impossible *not* to like someone like creep.
[Right, you properly compensated that grandfather too, yeah?]
“He kept refusing no matter what, but I persuaded him somehow and made sure he accepted it.”
[Good. And the mural preservation work? Finished?]
“I discussed it with White Goose Grandpa and called in professionals. It should be done by tomorrow.”
Charcoal drawings had one major weakness:
they were extremely vulnerable to damage.
If rain washed away such a beautiful mural, it would be disastrous, so Kim Bori had even hired a preservation company
using company funds.
Both *Hyeonseong Daily* and Kim Bori herself were absolutely serious about preserving creep’s murals.
[Bori. Do you realize how long it’s been since our newspaper got this much attention? At least since I joined the
company, never. It’s all thanks to creep. creep needs to keep painting if we want to survive. Remember that.]
“Of course, sunbae. I know that very well. Which is exactly why I’m still out here searching for creep.”
[What? You’re searching for creep? Do you even know where he is?]
At her senior’s question, Kim Bori recalled her conversation with White Goose Grandpa.
‘Haenam. That kid just left behind a note saying he was going to Haenam and vanished.’
“Haenam. Grandpa said creep was heading there.”
[Haenam? Haha… now I’m excited. After Jangseong and Suncheon, what’s he planning to do in Haenam this time…?!]
The faceless painter creep had suddenly appeared like a comet.
Nobody knew his identity.
Nobody knew his purpose.
If he wanted fame or money, he would’ve revealed himself already.
But creep left behind nothing except the name signed on his murals, as though he had no interest in such things at
all.
Her senior reporter wondered aloud about creep’s true identity.
[The more I look at this creep guy, the stranger he seems. Seriously… how did someone like this come out of Korea?]
“Judging from his sketch work this time, his fundamentals are insane. If a painter at that level existed in tiny
Korea, they would’ve surfaced already. Honestly, there’s a possibility he’s foreign.”
[Ahh, so maybe an overseas Korean? Makes sense. Since he’s young, he probably trained overseas from childhood.]
“Yes. To have this kind of skill at such a young age… he must’ve lived a life devoted only to painting since he was
little.”
Nodding at Kim Bori’s theory, the senior continued:
[Why do you think creep’s intentionally traveling around the country leaving murals everywhere? Could this be some
kind of high-level noise marketing to announce his genius to the world?]
“That’s possible. But I’m sure there’s a deeper purpose ordinary people like us could never understand. Maybe even
using charcoal specifically was meant to convey some sort of message.”
[I see.]
In reality, he simply used charcoal because he had no other tools.
But there was no way for them to know that.
After their heated discussion about creep, both reporters arrived at the same conclusion.
“Even now, creep’s murals are becoming a massive topic overseas. Whatever the reason, creep’s appearance is definitely
going to elevate Korea’s status in the art world.”
[Exactly. creep probably carries that kind of heavy mission on his shoulders. There’s no way he’s just wandering
around the country painting murals without thinking, right?]
Ironically, the senior reporter had come dangerously close to the truth—
but he only laughed it off as a joke.
“Haa… just thinking about what kind of work creep will leave behind in Haenam already makes me excited.”
[Seriously. Hehe, it’s been a long time since my heart raced like this as an art lover.]
Just how much would creep shock people again in Haenam?
Kim Bori spoke with absolute certainty.
“Whatever it is, this genius painter is definitely going to do something completely beyond our imagination.”
Her senior agreed immediately.
[Yeah. That genius is definitely planning something we ordinary people could never even predict.]
Meanwhile—
the prophetic genius painter(?) of the Korean art world, creep…
“…Hmm, what song should I sing at the Haenam Music Festival? I wonder if there’s a required song.”
…was simply walking down the road worrying about what song to perform at the upcoming music festival in Haenam.
That certainly *was* a direction neither art journalist could ever have imagined.