SIYUN - In her brain.
SIYUN - In her brain.
The casual call I'd made yesterday threw Beusa into a frenzy, as if their feet were on fire.
A million-dollar contract—even the commission alone would amount to hundreds of millions of won.
But apparently they couldn't say anything to me directly. They just kept asking me to get in touch.
"International calls are expensive. Why do they keep calling so much?"
Ji-yeong, who was next to me, said while looking at me.
"Is it a call from overseas?"
"Yeah."
"Who is it?"
"Dunno. Something about Beusa or whatever. It's annoying."
"Ah, I see. Hey, Si-yoon, what're you doing over break?"
"Hmm, I'll probably go on a trip overseas with a friend from kindergarten."
"Really? I'm so jealous~"
While I was discussing break plans with Ji-yeong, Mr. Go came running into the classroom.
"Si-yoon!"
I looked over at the sound of my name. Mr. Go was panting as he spoke.
"Hahh... Si-yoon, hahh... Could you come with me to the art room for a minute?"
The kids in the class were staring at Mr. Go, and I nodded quietly.
The moment we got to the art room, Mr. Go said to me,
"Si-yoon, did you say you wouldn't accept the award?"
"What did they tell you?"
"They said you told them you wouldn't accept the award?"
"Then isn't it over? Why are they talking to me through you, Mr. Go?"
Mr. Go stared intently at my face.
"The award... do you not need it?"
"No."
"...I see."
With a suddenly deflated expression, Mr. Go looked up at the ceiling and chuckled.
"As I thought... to you... it really was no big deal..."
Mr. Go stared at the ceiling, his disappointment and melancholy showing through his laugh.
Getting any more tangled up in this felt like it'd be a pain, so I said to Mr. Go,
"Can I go now?"
"Yeah, go ahead..."
Some time later, Beusa ended up sending an official to Korea to hand me the certificate.
After taking a bunch of photos and finishing the interview, I went wherever Dad was scheduled to take me next.
The middle-aged man who had bought my painting at the auction was Roux Farzier.
The Swiss master came up onto the stage.
Speaking in halting English, Farzier said,
"Are you... Si-yoon?"
"Yes."
"I was truly moved when I saw the painting. I felt as if I had stepped into the picture..."
"I'm glad you liked it."
"I wanted very much to see you, so I came to Korea for the first time. It's a wonderful country."
I nodded at the praise of Korea.
Seeing me nod, Farzier spoke with a serious expression.
"I hope this will be the start of a good relationship."
"Yep. Thank you for buying the painting."
A series of flashes went off, capturing the image of the two of us shaking hands.
"Would it be possible to share a meal together? I would like to talk..."
I glanced once at Dad, and at his signal that it was possible, I nodded.
"That should be fine."
Farzier moved with his bodyguard, following Dad.
Dad helped Farzier into the car and looked at him through the rearview mirror.
"How does Korean food sound?"
"Korean barbecue... is something I've wanted to try."
Dad nodded and headed to his regular beef restaurant.
Before the food came out, Farzier, seemingly full of curiosity, looked at me and started asking questions.
For a man who'd dropped a billion won on a single painting, answering a few questions wasn't exactly a hardship.
"I heard the number means it's the 137th painting... is that correct?"
"Yes."
"What number are you up to?"
"I'm on number 182 right now."
"Oh... I am terribly curious..."
With another sale in mind, I showed Farzier—the kind of sucker who threw money around—the photos I'd taken.
A portrait of Amy Allen marked '138.'
"Oh... my god..."
Suddenly, Farzier grabbed my shoulders with trembling hands.
"In person... could I see it in person?!"
"Sure, whatever... it's not hard."
Unable to hide his anticipation at the thought of seeing my paintings, Farzier was bouncing his leg.
"...?"
In the end, Farzier followed us all the way home, and Dad led him to my workspace.
The paintings I'd wrapped up haphazardly—I pulled out the one labeled '138' from among them.
Farzier couldn't take his eyes off number '182,' the one I was still working on.
It was a bit embarrassing, but it was a Japanese manga character I'd said I'd give to Da-yeon as a gift.
"Truly... so delicate..."
When I handed over the canvas labeled '138,' Farzier took the painting with trembling hands.
Though I'd wrapped it roughly, Farzier carefully tore open the wrapping paper.
"H-Hauh!!"
What a great reaction.
He dropped to his knees and kept staring at the painting, cradling it carefully in goosebump-covered hands.
The middle-aged man stared at the painting without a word even as time passed.
Looking at '138,' he flinched, as if a chill had run down his spine.
'He didn't piss himself on the floor, did he?'
Farzier. A master representing Switzerland, known by name to anyone.
I was treating the great Farzier like an old man who couldn't control his bladder.
"...This is absurd."
Farzier spotted the wrapping paper and wrapped the painting meticulously, as if he meant to protect it perfectly.
Then he spoke to me.
"France... let us go to France."
"Don't wanna."
"...You must not let your talent rot!"
"Ah, I said I don't wanna."
Farzier carefully set down the painting labeled '138' and knelt.
"This is a god-given ability... The moment I saw your painting, I understood your heart."
"My heart? What heart?"
"It wasn't until I saw painting 138 that I understood. The sorrow contained in that gentle touch, as if saying everything was all right... that emotion... You want to see where it leads, don't you..."
"What are you talking about... that's not it, okay?"
"Then what are these numbers, these paintings? The art supplies visible everywhere in your house, as if you're churning out paintings every single day!"
Farzier said, suddenly growing excited.
"Those notebooks piled up over there too...!! They must all be drawings..."
I was completely dumbfounded right now.
The paintings I'd started out of sheer boredom had caused everyone around me to misunderstand me badly.
"No... Farzier? Hold on."
The master looked at me with eyes brimming with emotion.
That passion was far too much pressure for me.
Just like Mr. Go and Professor Ahn Jun-tae...
So, seeing that passion, I'd acted even colder. As if telling them to give up...
The irritation born from that frustration was starting to rise.
To express that I had no intention of playing along with that passion anymore...
I spoke the words that came to mind right then to Farzier, clearly and distinctly.
"For me, it's just a hobby. No more, no less, just up to there. Farzier, look around. Where do you see that comfortable touch you spoke of, or that kind of earnestness in me...?"
"....."
"I'll be honest. That passion is pretty burdensome for me."
"I see..."
Farzier's anger soon faded into a hollow expression. He silently straightened his clothes and nodded.
"So that's how it was... that talent of yours... I am so deeply envious."
As the atmosphere rapidly turned cold, Farzier stood up and spoke to Dad.
"The dinner was truly wonderful. Thank you."
"Not at all, it was an honor to host you as well."
Farzier said his goodbyes and left.
Lately, I'd been feeling strange.
Something tickled inside my chest.
I couldn't even understand why they were practically dying to make a fuss over something I just wanted to do as a hobby.
To the point it put me in a bad mood...
But on the other hand, to someone full of passion for what they love, and for their expectations of me...
I also felt sorry for being too lazy to play along.
I set aside the canvas with the drawing I'd decided to give to Da-yeon.
And then.
I squeezed oil paint liberally onto an empty palette and started painting.
For those people so full of passion for the work they loved so much, to speak to them through a painting the way they wanted...
For a while, I remained on the real-time search rankings.
Gojoseon Ilbo - Kim Ji-ho's daughter, Kim Si-yoon, sells painting for 1 billion won. The successful bidder is...
Jungshim Ilbo - Child actress Kim Si-yoon, as painting genius Kim Si-yoon...
Donghwa Ilbo - Swiss master Farzier visits Korea. Draws public attention.
My name stayed in the news, and more and more people approached us whenever I went out with Dad. Worried I might be in danger, Dad began minimizing my outings.
Dad had gone back to protecting me so intensely it felt stifling.
Feeling stifled, I made up my mind to minimize my media exposure going forward.
Inside the water container, used for applying color and washing it away.
The different colors swirled together, and the water began turning black.
The black of the night sky
was like that water jar, with countless colors visible within it...
Go Min-su was gazing at the dark night sky, drinking wine with his wife.
In the past, Go Min-su had been singled out as a promising talent at Korea Comprehensive Arts University. But for his current wife and child, he was now working as a teacher at a private elementary school in Seoul that paid the most.
"Honey, what's wrong with you these days?"
"Haa... it's nothing..."
"Why, is something not going well?"
"Something... is not going well, yeah."
Go Min-su gulped down his wine.
His wife watched him with sympathy.
"Tell me. I might not be able to solve it, but I can help lighten the load."
After hesitating for a moment, Go Min-su rested his arms on the table, hunched over, and opened his mouth.
"...I have a student named Si-yoon."
"Ah, I know, you've told me about her often."
"Yeah, well... she never forgot anything once I taught her and would draw it again, so I thought Si-yoon was a hardworking genius."
"....."
"So I taught her step by step: starting with pencil drawing because she struggled with using a brush, how to observe objects, the angle of light, things like that."
When Go Min-su's wife raised her wine glass, Go Min-su raised his too and gulped it down.
"But... haha... it turned out Si-yoon only wanted to express what she saw through paintings, but lacked the skill."
Go Min-su, who had been staring at his wine glass for a moment, continued.
"Once her fundamentals were complete, her work began changing at a frightening speed... At first I only thought, 'This has a nice feel to it.' That was all... But with every new piece, she began incorporating what she'd felt in the previous ones."
Go Min-su's wife swallowed dryly at his expression.
Her husband showing that much passion—this was the first time she'd seen Go Min-su like this since their college days.
"And when I taught her oil paints... she'd already surpassed me."
"What?"
"The ability to convey emotion through a painting—the power of expression that anyone who makes art would want... haa... Si-yoon had already perfected it."
Go Min-su's wife looked at him as if asking what the problem was.
"With that kind of talent, she says painting is just a hobby."
"Huh?"
Go Min-su drank some wine and then started talking without pause.
"Haa... I was the only one excited about discovering a 'beautiful uncut gem.' The 'gem' itself wasn't even interested... And what could I say? Even if I'm lacking, I wanted to polish it into the finest jewel, but if she says it's a hobby, what more can I do here..."
Go Min-su looked down at the floor, made of pure white marble.
"Haha... I was jealous. I envied that talent so much that I found myself jealous of a ten-year-old... I look like an idiot, don't I?"
"....."
"If... I were Si-yoon... if I had that talent... honestly... I even thought God was unfair."
Go Min-su, as if the wine wasn't enough, drank straight from the bottle.
"Possessing that kind of talent, and whenever she acts like she doesn't even need it... a sense of futility washes over me, and without realizing it... I get angry."
His wife, who'd been listening to Go Min-su, grabbed his chin as he stared at the floor, met his eyes, and opened her mouth.
"Min-su."
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember middle school?"
"....."
"When I wanted to be a webtoon artist and was practicing drawing, do you remember what you said?"
"Sorry... I don't remember..."
"I'd practice for months to draw something, and you, even though you had no interest in drawing, would look at it once and then draw it. And then you said this to me: 'Eh, what's so hard about this?'"
"....."
"I really... hated you then, you know?"
"Yeah..."
"I'm telling you because what you're feeling toward Si-yoon now is probably similar to what I felt toward you back then. A rough gem doesn't become a jewel because of someone else's touch."
"....."
"A jewel is a jewel because it shines on its own. You've already brought that jewel into the world and shown everyone it exists."
"Haa..."
"Have you ever seen the person who finds a jewel do the cutting themselves? Of course they leave it to another cutter and sell it off."
When Go Min-su didn't say anything, his wife smiled and spoke.
"Now that the jewel's been seen, a cutter will appear to polish it. Just like when you met Professor Ahn."
"....."
Go Min-su's wife, who had been gazing deeply at him as he drank his wine in silence and brooded, opened her mouth.
"Our son's asleep, so... should we try for a second child?"
"Pfft!... Hack... what?"
Go Min-su looked at his wife, who was staring at him without a word.