Chapter 22

22

"Son, what can I possibly do to help with this piece?"

Even as he spoke to Kang Seok, Kang Hyun-do's gaze remained fixed on the artwork. Ever since the packaging was removed and the piece was moved into the workshop, his eyes had been captivated by it.

The crowd of figures drawn in red pencil drew him in, making him look again and again. Each time his gaze landed, a new figure caught his eye, compelling him to keep looking.

My son made this?

Kang Hyun-do's eyes welled up.

- "Dad! Look at this!"

It felt like just yesterday when Kang Seok, with his hands smelling of laundry soap, held out a piece of soap. Now, his son had grown to be as tall as his shoulders and was creating a piece twice the size of Kang Hyun-do's.

It was a new and profound feeling.

But.

Despite the newness of the feeling, he still couldn't understand.

What could his son possibly want from him? Kang Hyun-do was not a skilled artist; that much was evident from his business card.

Kang Hyun-do was merely the owner of Seok's Furniture Store, not a designer or an artist.

- "Father, I think I need your help. Is your time free?"

What could he possibly need help with? Other than moving the piece into the workshop, was there really anything he could do?

Kang Hyun-do recalled the conversation he had with his son while driving the truck.

- "We need to start working on it right away... Are you really free?"

- "Of course. For my son, anything. We can go to the furniture store, right?"

- "Yes, thank goodness. With your help, the work will be much easier."

- "Huh?"

Why did he say he needed help with this perfect piece? As Kang Hyun-do fell into a deep, unsolvable dilemma, a sound filled the workshop.

Creak, crack!

The sound of wood being torn filled the air. The noise was so loud that Kang Hyun-do instinctively turned his gaze.

At the end of his quickly turning gaze, he saw Kang Seok tearing off a wooden panel.

"Phew!"

Kang Hyun-do was startled by the sight of Kang Seok, who was so engrossed in tearing off the wood.

"Seok, Seok!"

"Um? Yes? What did you say?"

Kang Seok looked up, his face expressionless, seemingly surprised. It seemed he hadn't heard. Kang Hyun-do considered asking again but decided it wasn't the right time.

"Never mind. Do you really need help?"

"This...! I, huff! Can do it!"

Kang Hyun-do hurriedly walked over to Kang Seok.

Crack, creak, snap! Thud!

Even as Kang Hyun-do approached, Kang Seok continued to hammer the wood as if he were hitting someone. His gloved hands were tearing off the wooden panels with a skill that was far from ordinary.

When did Seok learn to do this? As Kang Hyun-do pondered this, he finally reached his son.

Kang Seok had only removed the back panel, leaving the frame intact, and stepped back, breathing heavily.

"Phew... Done."

Kang Seok ran his hand through his hair and turned to look at Kang Hyun-do. Tearing off the back panel of an 800-size piece was no easy task, yet Kang Seok had done it with just a few gestures, finishing it neatly.

Kang Hyun-do, unable to close his mouth in surprise, heard Kang Seok smile and say,

"Pretty neat, right?"

Pretty neat? Kang Hyun-do's gaze shifted to the wooden frame, which remained a perfect rectangle without a scratch. If this level of skill was considered "pretty neat," it was an understatement of modesty.

What about the Kent paper and the drawing paper that were originally attached to the panel? Despite the rough tearing from behind, they remained perfectly flat without a single crease.

This was only possible because he had carefully and minimally removed only what was necessary.

"Son, you're too modest."

"Is that all?"

"When did you learn to do this? With this skill, you could take over the furniture store right now."

"Haha...! No need. It's Dad's. Anyway, Father, I think I need your help now."

Help. The word made Kang Hyun-do straighten his back. His shoulders tensed.

At the same time, Kang Seok's calm voice settled on his shoulders.

"Do you remember the stage you made for me when I was little?"

"The stage?"

What was he talking about? Kang Hyun-do's brows furrowed.

"That, you know. The light box with the cellophane and black paper cutouts on top of it."

"Oh!"

The stage of light and shadow! Kang Hyun-do nodded, memories flooding his mind.

"How could I forget?"

It was a makeshift solution he and Seok's mother came up with because they couldn't always buy pretty storybooks. Kang Hyun-do's eyes misted over with nostalgia.

"I want to recreate that light box and attach it here."

...? Kang Hyun-do's eyes, which had been filled with nostalgia, wavered. The finger pointing to the panel with the back removed wavered in front of his eyes.

"Here?"

"Yes, on the back side."

Kang Hyun-do closed his mouth.

Kang Seok was pointing to the piece he was working on. Specifically, the back panel he had just removed. In other words, he was asking to replace the removed back panel of this wooden panel with a light box.

"Is it possible?"

Is it possible to attach a light box here?

"In theory, it is."

Of course it's possible. It's just too big. Kang Hyun-do stared blankly at the piece. It was enormous, impossibly so.

Kang Seok's piece, as he had heard from the truck, was 800-size.

An 800-size P-type is roughly equivalent to four 200-size pieces connected, making it about 520cm tall and 364cm wide.

It was a size that could easily surpass an average wall.

Mr. Go Doo-han didn't tear out the balcony window of the first-floor workshop for nothing. It was fortunate that the ceiling of Mr. Go Doo-han's workshop was high.

Kang Hyun-do looked at the piece that took up an entire wall of the furniture store and thought.

It was that big.

Whether he knew it or not, Kang Seok nodded, seemingly relieved that it was possible, and pressed on.

"Will you help me?"

"Of course."

The words came out before he could think. Given the nature of the piece, Kang Seok would have to do most of the work himself, but he could explain a hundred or a thousand times how to make the light box.

Only then did Kang Hyun-do understand why Kang Seok had layered hundreds of small sketches. What would happen when the light box was placed behind and the light turned on?

A red light containing dozens of colors came to mind.

He couldn't fathom the color, but his heart was pounding with anticipation.

It seemed his son was a genius.

.

.

.

Light Box.

A device where lighting is installed inside a square box or a desk-like structure, and a translucent plastic or glass panel is added on top.

Its primary uses are threefold:

1. To draw or modify a manuscript by placing a comic manuscript and a drawing paper on top of the light box and shining light from below.

2. To draw the frames needed for animation by layering several sheets of drawing paper.

3. To use it as a play tool for children by sprinkling sand on the light box to create sand art or by attaching cellophane and black paper to create a stage for storytelling.

The light box that Kang Hyun-do made for young Kang Seok in the past was for the third purpose.

- "Ta-da! Look at this!"

- "What is it?"

- "I'm going to show you a play with this today. Isn't that exciting?"

- "Wow! I'm really looking forward to what Dad will show. Right, Seok?"

Colorful storybooks and comic books for young children were quite expensive. Even if most books were borrowed from the library, new releases were impossible.

So, when Kang Seok was young, they would turn on a light box in a dark room, and his parents would attach puppets made of cellophane and black paper to chopsticks and read fairy tales.

It was a very bright and colorful fairy tale in the darkness.

Thump, thump!

While watching the wires and plastics being taken out of the storage, Kang Seok's hands moved.

In his hand was a blue Prismacolor pencil. The lead, sharply sharpened, was soft and prone to breaking into powder with the slightest pressure, yet the paper remained perfectly clean.

But his hands moved quickly.

He hadn't finished drawing the images to fill the panel, as he had mentioned to Go Doo-han.

He needed to fill more than half, so there was no time to be lazy.

Kang Seok began to draw a person that didn't exist in the world, mixing the features of people he had seen on the street that day.

In the process, he carefully reviewed his memory to ensure he wasn't unconsciously drawing a real person, to avoid any issues with likeness.

'This needs to be thorough.'

Any mistake or carelessness was dangerous.

As Kang Seok focused on completing the person, Kang Hyun-do, who was taking out the materials to make the light box, plopped into a chair.

In his hand were small nails, likely to be used to secure the plastic to the back.

Is he taking a break? As Kang Seok glanced over in curiosity, Kang Hyun-do's mouth moved.

"I feel sorry now."

The words that came out of his open mouth were an apology.

Kang Seok, surprised, asked,

"For what?"

What was he suddenly sorry for?

Kang Seok, confused by the sudden and inexplicable apology, watched as Kang Hyun-do hesitated and slowly added,

"......I couldn't buy you many toys. Your mother and I couldn't give you many things because of our situation. You must have wanted many things, and there were many places you wanted to go...... Looking back, I always made compromises."

"......"

What kind of situation is this? Kang Seok, unsure of how to react, rolled his eyes.

The night is indeed dangerous.

Kang Seok, watching his emotionally charged father, fidgeted his hands, trying to figure out how to resolve the situation.

While Kang Seok was pondering how to calm his emotionally charged father, Kang Hyun-do bowed his head deeply.

He thought the words flowed more easily because he was tired. He ran his fingers over the wooden nails on his palm. They were rough.

"On Children's Day and Christmas, I couldn't buy you anything you wanted. I always pushed cheap or free things on you."

Kang Seok recalled how he would bring paper carnations and letters on Mother's Day and always give wish coupons on his birthday, and his heart ached.

Childhood doesn't come back, and how unprepared a parent he had been. Kang Hyun-do felt bitter.

Why did he suddenly have these thoughts?

Let's not make the atmosphere worse.

Kang Hyun-do looked down at the translucent plastic. Thinking about making the light box, he suddenly remembered young Kang Seok. He felt deeply sorry for only giving him such things. Kang Hyun-do tightly closed his mouth.

As he silently and steadily worked, a tapping sound came from the desk. Looking up, Kang Seok was scratching his nose, looking uncomfortable.

"Why is my father acting like this?"

"Hmm?"

"You make it sound like you never took care of me. We went to the park in spring, to the stream in summer, to the mountains in fall, and went sledding in winter."

Kang Hyun-do sniffed, moved by the matter-of-fact words.

"Father."

"......"

"I really don't know why you're acting like this...... I enjoyed every day."

"......"

"Being your son is great."

Compared to his previous life, where he only worked, he had experienced many things. Unlike his gray, plaster-like previous life, this life was full of color.

Kang Seok smiled and said,

"And Father, it's not too late."

Kang Hyun-do raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I'm eighteen. I can still enjoy Christmas and Children's Day."

"......Haha......! Is that so?"

"Yes. So, if you work hard and prepare, it should be fine."

To lighten the mood, Kang Seok deliberately put on a mischievous face and spoke.

"I'm looking forward to next summer. Father, what I'm interested in now is plaster. Plaster."

"What? Plaster?"

"A large, smooth, unblemished piece of plaster would be a great gift."

"What?"

Laughter followed the words. In the deep night, light from the furniture store, with its shutters closed, spilled onto the street.

Inside the furniture store, the only place shining like daytime in the dark night,

the father and son's conversation continued.

Kang Seok drew blue lines on the white drawing paper without hesitation, while Kang Hyun-do hammered nails.

Occasionally, Kang Hyun-do burst into laughter as he fixed small nails to the giant panel, enjoying the rare conversation with his son. Their conversation continued until the night deepened and the lights in the furniture store went out.

* * * *

Tuesday. Bright sunlight after a long time. Looking at the blue sky, Kang Seok casually took off his padded jacket.

Slightly diagonally, a man who had posed as a model that morning was talking with the part-time teachers. He seemed to be an aspiring actor. Unconsciously letting the information slip, he picked up his spoon.

The porridge had just been served.

Enjoy your meal!

After hearing the greetings, Kang Seok also picked up his spoon to eat the white porridge.

Then, Go Doo-han, who had been sitting with a sour face, suddenly spoke.

"If you're going to come to an expensive porridge place, you should order seafood jjamppong porridge or beef porridge."

He was upset because he had brought Kang Seok to a popular porridge place, but Kang Seok had ordered white porridge.

"As long as it tastes good, what's the problem?"

"So, when are you going to show it?"

"What?"

The spoon hovered in the air. The white grains on the spoon strangely caught his attention. As Kang Seok hesitated with the spoon, Go Doo-han asked with a subtle look.

"I mean the piece you're working on. You haven't brought it to the main workshop yet. How about tomorrow? After you finish the sketches, okay?"

He looked eager. Tomorrow. Kang Seok glanced at his phone, thinking he had forgotten something. Opening the screen and swiping to the right, the calendar appeared.

Ah.

I forgot.

Kang Seok firmly replied.

"No."

"Huh? No? Do you have plans tomorrow?"

Thinking about it, he realized he hadn't mentioned it. Kang Seok put down his spoon on the table and said,

"Yes. I can't come tomorrow. I have to go to the hospital."

Tomorrow was the day they were all scheduled to go for a comprehensive health checkup.

23. Rattle