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## Chapter 3 — Who Is creep?
“Well now, this sure is something strange.”
Elder Kim stared wide-eyed at the crowds filling his village.
Dalsol-ri, Jangseong County, Jeollanam-do.
The village where he had spent his entire life wasn’t a tourist attraction, nor did it have any special local products
worth mentioning.
And yet now, that tiny village was…
“Hyeju’s father, have you seen this?”
“Seen what?”
“Our village was featured on TV as the most beautiful village in the country. My granddaughter sent it to me.”
The most beautiful village in the country.
Even now, people continued flooding into Dalsol-ri just to see it for themselves.
Of course, Elder Kim knew this wouldn’t last forever.
After living several decades, he knew Koreans were especially sensitive to trends.
In just a few months, people would probably move on to the next hot topic.
“Honey, take a picture of me here.”
“Alright. One, two, three!”
Still, even if only for a brief moment, he was happy that his village had managed to capture so many people’s attention.
After all, the only people living here were lonely old residents growing older in silence.
‘It’s all thanks to that young fellow.’
The reason the village had become like this was because of the mural painted by the young man he met several days ago.
The first time Elder Kim met him was on the roadside.
While on his way to work in the fields, he had rescued a young man collapsed from heatstroke.
And as if repaying that kindness, the young man left behind a beautiful mural in this tiny village.
“Haha, feels like I’ve become Heungbu after fixing the swallow’s leg.”
Then what exactly was that swallow?
Could he have been a goblin disguised as a human, leaving behind a gift before disappearing?
Thinking about the young man, Elder Kim let out a hearty laugh.
And he wasn’t the only one curious about the young man’s identity.
“Sir, hello. Could I ask you a few questions?”
“Hm? Who’re you?”
“Ah! I’m not a suspicious person. Here.”
Swish.
[Kim Bori — Hyunseong Daily Reporter]
Seeing that a reporter had come looking for him, Elder Kim tilted his head in confusion.
“A reporter? Why’s a reporter looking for me?”
“The village residents told me you’re the only person who actually spoke with the one who painted the mural.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“Could you perhaps tell me about him? I’ll pay you for your time…”
Elder Kim had already been curious about the identity of the benefactor he met, so he told the reporter everything that
had happened.
How he found the young man collapsed on the roadside.
How the young man painted the mural in return.
And how he politely said goodbye before leaving the next day.
“Ah, then perhaps… do you know his name or address?”
“No clue. Ah, though now that you mention names, there is something.”
At the reporter’s question, Elder Kim struggled to recall his hazy memories before leading her toward one side of the
mural.
“I don’t know the fellow’s real name, but he wrote down some kind of alias here.”
“Ah… so this is his artist name.”
creep.
The name was written in a distinct handwriting like a signature, and reporter Kim Bori immediately took a photo of it.
“Thank you, sir! Then like I said earlier, about the compensation…”
“No need for payment. But if you find out what kind of person this young fellow is, let me know too. I’m curious just
how incredible he really is.”
“Yes, of course! If I learn anything, I’ll call your house right away! Thank you very much!”
The moment she parted ways with Elder Kim, she immediately opened her laptop.
“creep… creep, huh…”
As expected, searching the internet revealed nobody by that name.
Which meant the artist was completely unknown.
‘An unknown artist painted a mural of this quality all alone? And in just half a day?’
As an art journalist, she knew better than anyone that there wasn’t a painter of this level currently known in Korea.
“Then was the old man exaggerating…? No, he didn’t seem like the type at all.”
Maybe it was a hidden dragon finally revealing itself after concealing its talent all this time.
Whatever the truth was, this was undeniably huge news.
Having caught the scent of a scoop, reporter Kim Bori immediately began writing her article.
The title read:
[The Korean Banksy? Faceless Artist creep Transforms a Small Village in Jeollanam-do!]
Unfortunately, Korea currently stood on the outskirts of the global art world.
Not only in fine arts, but also in sculpture, contemporary art, and other fields—there was nothing Korea particularly
excelled at.
But what if Korea had finally produced a genius after decades?
And a faceless artist at that.
The character alone was already compelling.
Perhaps the appearance of creep could spark a new wave within Korea’s art scene.
And Kim Bori’s prediction proved correct.
[Faceless artist creep. According to village residents, he painted the mural without asking for any compensation before
quietly disappearing…]
[Experts say: “Lines and colors never before seen in Korea…” Who exactly is the faceless artist creep?]
As soon as Kim Bori’s article gained attention, similar articles began pouring out and public interest exploded.
—No but I actually went there and it’s seriously insane. Doesn’t even feel human-made.
—The old man said it was painted in a single day. How does that even make sense?
—There’s someone like this in Korea? What if it was actually the real Banksy visiting Korea?
Communities across the internet began speculating about creep’s identity.
Some claimed it was the work of a famous Korean master.
Others said it had to be a foreign artist visiting Korea.
Some even believed the local government had secretly hired painters to turn the village into a tourist attraction.
Theories bordering on conspiracy spread everywhere, yet none had any concrete proof.
Still, everyone agreed on one thing.
The faceless mural artist creep was an unbelievable genius.
—If creep is actually Korean, I’m seriously gonna lose it from national pride.
—I came from Reddit and foreigners are praising it too. Search “Korean Banksy” and look at the reactions.
—Apparently this is the first mural discovered from creep. He’ll probably make more, right? I’m hyped.
—Frㅋㅋㅋ Wonder what he’ll paint next.
—Whatever it is, he’s definitely becoming the second Banksy.
The public celebrated the arrival of a new genius and eagerly anticipated what the Korean Banksy, the artistic prodigy
creep, would do next.
And meanwhile, the man receiving all those expectations…
“Cheerful Curry Rice! P-Please come visit us…! Beef curry is only 9,000 won…!”
…was completely unaware of everything while working a part-time promotional job in Gwangju.
---
After arriving in Gwangju, a problem arose.
“I’m out of money…”
Staring at the ATM screen displaying a balance of zero won, I could only sigh.
‘Looks like I really know nothing about the real world…’
While I had been hiding away in my room, prices had skyrocketed.
More importantly, after living under my parents’ care for twenty-six years like a baby kangaroo, my sense of finances
was nonexistent.
There was no way my money *wouldn’t* run out.
“What do I do…? Worst case, I could use Mom’s card… no, absolutely not.”
Inside my wallet was a card my mother had forced into my hands, but I didn’t want to use it.
At least for this cross-country journey, I wanted to survive through my own efforts without relying on my parents.
“Then I need to make money somehow… huh?”
At that moment, a flyer attached to a telephone pole caught my eye.
[Urgently Hiring Part-Timers! Daily Pay: 150,000 Won!]
“…This is it.”
If I had no money, then I just needed to earn some.
Without hesitation, I headed straight for the address written on the flyer.
---
“Oh goodness, thank you. We really needed someone, but nobody was applying. Have you eaten breakfast yet?”
“…No, not yet.”
“Then sit down. I’ll quickly make you a plate of curry.”
[Cheerful Curry Rice]
The place I found after following the flyer’s address was a small curry restaurant tucked away in a corner of downtown
Gwangju.
It looked newly opened and was being run solely by a kind middle-aged woman.
“…! Wow! This is incredibly good!”
“Hehe, curry’s the one thing I’m confident about.”
The taste was genuinely astonishing.
The spicy richness of the curry and the large chunks of beef blended Japanese-style and Korean-style curry into perfect
harmony.
“…But maybe because the store’s in such a secluded area, we barely get customers. So I thought I’d at least try some
promotion and hired a part-timer.”
As she spoke, the owner pointed toward a rabbit mascot costume sitting in the corner.
“I’d like you to stand in front of the store wearing that and attract customers.”
“Ah… promoting customers.”
Street hawking.
For someone like me, who still feared people and lacked confidence, it was an incredibly difficult task.
But…
“Yes…! I’ll try my best…!”
Since I had completely run out of travel money, I didn’t really have another option.
Who in this world only did easy jobs?
Even if it was difficult, the only thing I could do was overcome it.
And so, wearing the rabbit mascot costume, I started promoting the restaurant outside.
“Cheerful Curry Rice! P-Please come visit us…! Beef curry is only 9,000 won…!”
Contrary to my worries, the work itself wasn’t as hard as I expected.
Since the thick mascot head narrowed my vision so much, I could barely see people staring at me.
But…
“Cheerful Curry Rice! Please come take a look at the menu!”
“……”
Whoosh.
No matter how hard I tried, it barely had any effect.
“Huh? Mom, look! A bunny! Waaah!”
“Ahem, don’t bother the hardworking big brother.”
Sometimes children attracted by the rabbit costume would run over, but that was the extent of the attention I received.
Most people simply ignored me and walked past.
Honestly, even if I were them, I’d probably ignore some random mascot yelling about curry too.
A real businessman would’ve used a much more effective marketing strategy, but both the owner and I were complete
beginners when it came to business.
If things continued like this, I might still earn my wages, but the owner wouldn’t gain anything from hiring me.
‘…This won’t work.’
Just as anxiety began eating away at me while customers continued not to come—
“…Huh?”
Something placed in front of the restaurant caught my eye.
A piano.
‘…If it’s this.’
The moment I saw it, an idea popped into my head.
I immediately stepped back into the restaurant and asked the owner:
“Ma’am.”
“Yes? What is it? Ah, do you need the restroom? It’s over there—”
“No, it’s just… could I perhaps use that piano?”
“The piano? I bought it for my daughter when she was little, but she never really got interested in it. Haha, I just
brought it here as decoration. But why the piano…?”
The piano.
It was something I had loved just as much as painting.
And…
Tremble.
Something I feared just as much as painting.
Just thinking about playing again made my hands shake from old trauma.
But…
‘Thank you so much. Turns out this young fellow was actually an incredible master painter.’
‘I don’t even know how I could repay this kindness.’
Just like how I overcame my trauma and painted again in that tiny village—
maybe this time, too, I could overcome the nightmares of my past.
‘Haha, our curry’s good, right? If you’re still hungry after eating, I’ll make you another plate!’
More than anything, I wanted to help this kind owner.
I wanted to earn the wages I was receiving.
Gathering my courage, I spoke.
“If it’s alright… could I try playing the piano?”
---
12 PM.
Office workers’ lunchtime.
“Ah… what should we eat today?”
“What else? Let’s just go eat stir-fried pork at that diner.”
“Stir-fried pork sounds good, but we’ve eaten it every day lately.”
Choosing lunch was one of the biggest daily struggles for office workers.
And today was no different as they wandered through downtown Gwangju debating what to eat.
That was when—
Murmur murmur.
“Hm…?”
“What’s going on over there?”
In a usually deserted alleyway, they noticed a crowd gathering.
“What, did something happen?”
“No clue.”
Curious, they approached the crowd.
♪♪♬
When they got closer, they saw a rabbit mascot playing the piano in front of a curry restaurant.
“What’s that mascot doing?”
“Looks like busking. Haha, must be rough wearing a mascot suit in this heat.”
The two junior employees smiled at the unusual sight.
“Busking or not, let’s hurry up. We’ve got a ton of work today, so we need to eat quickly and get back—”
Unlike them, the stressed department manager turned away indifferently.
His head was filled with nothing but the mountain of work waiting for him.
But then—
♩♩♩♩♬♬
“……Huh?”
A piano melody as clear and beautiful as jade beads pierced his ears, forcing him to stop walking.
Even for someone who had no interest in classical music—or music in general—
this piano performance felt… different.
It was unbelievably beautiful.
“…Wow.”
“……Holy crap.”
And just like that, they forgot all about the workload waiting for them and stood there listening in silence.
Within moments, the narrow alleyway was completely packed with people enchanted by the piano performance.