Chapter 27

27

* * * *

The Giving Tree, ten days after the dinner with Park Ji-yeop.

Kang Seok turned off the lights in the furniture workshop. Thanks to the blackout curtains, all the light was neatly blocked out. It was pitch dark.

Kang Seok pressed his thumbs and index fingers between his eyes, which had finally found peace in the darkness.

Really. The past ten days had been insanely busy.

From morning to evening on weekdays, he drew with pencils at Cheonghwa Arts High School until he was about to die, and at night, he returned home and continued drawing with colored pencils every day.

On weekends, he had to spend time with his family, conduct research on the barn owl for the sculpture commissioned by Professor Lee Min-hyuk, and draw sketches. Really, really, it felt like he was living the life of an adult, not just a high school student.

The human anatomy project led by Professor Park Ji-yeop hadn't officially started yet, or he would have had no time left for anything else.

Still, he had no regrets.

Thanks to the ten days of all-nighters, he was at this moment.

"Father, I think we can turn on the lights now."

"Alright."

Kang Seok relaxed his shoulders at his father's response from the darkness. At the same time, something rustled, and then there was a click.

In that instant.

The workshop was filled with light.

Behind the panel, Kang Seok, who had been looking at the light box hidden by numerous drawings, moved the corners of his mouth.

This is it.

Kang Seok, who had been looking at the completed work, sat down on the spot.

In the middle of the night.

In the furniture workshop, hidden by blackout curtains.

The evening glow of the night was swirling above Kang Seok, who had sat down.

* * * *

"Completed?"

Go Doo-han retraced the conversation to confirm he had heard correctly. He had casually asked when Kang Seok would show him the work, and Kang Seok had replied that it was completed.

"Already?"

After confirming that Kang Seok had indeed said it was completed, Go Doo-han's question came out as an exclamation.

"Already? I finished it last night."

Kang Seok had completed the massive 800-size canvas, which he had once given up on, all by himself. How those mesmerizing red lines had spread... Go Doo-han swallowed. He was so curious he couldn't stand it.

"Then the work? When will you move it?"

"Ah, my father said he would take it to the exhibition hall this afternoon."

"Afternoon? What time in the afternoon?"

Go Doo-han slightly lifted his cap to check the time. The clock on the wall pointed to 4:00 PM.

There was still an hour and a half left before it would be done.

Afternoon. Until when is it usually considered afternoon? Usually, it's only until the sun sets, right? Go Doo-han looked out the window, feeling anxious. The sun was setting quickly because it was winter. In this case, is it still afternoon until dinner time in winter?

While Go Doo-han was lost in thought, Kang Seok, who had been drawing six pages a day to make up for the days he missed, suddenly stopped.

The sound of the pencil scratching, which had been stimulating Go Doo-han's ears, disappeared, and he instinctively turned to look.

Kang Seok, who had been drawing six pages a day instead of four to make up for the missed days, had a worried look in his cat-like eyes.

He was worried that Kang Seok might have strained his wrist or arm.

Of course.

It was a false alarm. Kang Seok had placed the pencil loosely on his knee and was looking at his phone. Before Go Doo-han could voice his confusion, Kang Seok provided the answer.

"Should be there by now, right?"

"What?"

Go Doo-han looked at Kang Seok with a cat-like expression, as if its fish had been taken away.

Kang Seok met his gaze as if to say, "Why are you looking at me like that?" His hand, which had stopped, resumed drawing.

No way.

Go Doo-han muttered, his expression dazed. His gaze wandered for a moment before it lit up.

He quickly turned around, grabbed the wallet and car keys he had carelessly thrown on the desk, and returned to Kang Seok.

"Let's go."

"Excuse me?"

"We can't let the witch take your painting. Let's go."

"......Excuse me?"

* * * *

At the northern end of Gwanhoon-dong.

A white building under an orange sky.

The door of the building, which was inscribed with "Sakura Gallery," was opened to its limit to bring in a single work of art.

"Unlock it! It's not opening on the left because of that! Unlock it. Hey! Unlock it!"

"I just did!"

"Alright, let's try again!"

"On the count of three, we'll lift it! One, two...!"

The large work, wrapped in aluminum insulation, was lifted into the air once more by the men. Among them was Kang Seok's father, Kang Hyun-do, because this massive work was the one Kang Seok had completed.

While it was customary for the staff of Sakura Gallery or Go Doo-han's side to handle the moving of artworks, they couldn't stop Kang Hyun-do, who was determined to prevent any damage to the work with his own body.

Besides, it was quite a unique piece.

"800-size."

Sakura Gallery, which was unusually large among the galleries in Gwanhoon-dong that mostly offered free admission, was fortunate. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to bring the work inside.

Gallery director Seol Yeo-jin, who had been watching the work being brought into the gallery, let out a deep breath. At least it was in.

Seol Yeo-jin, who had a pink lollipop that resembled a peony in her mouth, crossed her arms and observed the situation.

800-size.

Whose work could it be? Given that the person who came forward as the artist's father was not Go Doo-han, it was clear that it wasn't his work. Seol Yeo-jin, who had known Go Doo-han for a long time, was also close to his family.

Then, whose could it be?

Seol Yeo-jin knew very well that the tyrant Go Doo-han wouldn't easily allow an 800-size work. It wasn't just about the size. The larger the size, the more preparation was needed to fill it with sketches.

A larger size alone wouldn't easily capture the emotion of a sketch.

Moreover, while the exhibition was advertised as Go Doo-han's solo show, it was essentially a group show featuring Go Doo-han and his circle.

Especially.

The exhibition was more about promoting the artists in Go Doo-han's circle. It was unlikely that Go Doo-han would choose to highlight just one person.

Who is it?

Seol Yeo-jin rolled the lollipop in her mouth as she looked at the work, tightly wrapped in aluminum. The sweet and sour taste of strawberry spread in her mouth, making her salivate.

Was it the work that made her salivate, or the lollipop? She had to find out.

Seol Yeo-jin quickened her pace to follow the 800-size work. With each step, the sound of her heels echoed in the spacious exhibition hall.

.

.

.

When she arrived in front of the painting, having crossed the wide Sakura Gallery, the thick aluminum packaging was being peeled off, like a bazooka.

In the very last room, surrounded on all sides.

'This room is the last place visitors arrive at during the exhibition... Are they placing this painting here?'

Seol Yeo-jin bit her lollipop. Crack. The broken pieces stuck to her molars.

The placement of a work of art is not easily decided. If Im Woo-hyun and Son Dong-wook, who were in charge of the solo show's layout, had placed it in the center of this room, it was Go Doo-han's choice.

And Go Doo-han was an artist who placed his best work last.

He wouldn't give it up easily.

It wasn't just favoritism.

Seol Yeo-jin slowly watched the packaging being peeled off the work, convinced it was an incredible piece. As soon as she reached this conclusion, she bit the lollipop as if to cut it in half and picked up her phone.

"Yoon-seo."

- Yes, Director.

The person on the other end of the call was Kim Yoon-seo, Seol Yeo-jin's personal secretary at Sakura Gallery.

"How much of our gallery's purchase limit is left? Exclude the funds for the January Belgium and February U.S. art fairs."

Purchase limit. Seol Yeo-jin was referring to the available funds for purchasing artworks.

- ...After excluding that, we only have enough to buy the complete set of Go Doo-han's new works at the upcoming solo show.

It was a huge amount. One of Go Doo-han's works could surpass the price of a supercar, and having enough to buy all of them would be equivalent to the annual operating budget of the surrounding galleries in Gwanhoon-dong.

This was possible because Seol Yeo-jin's personal account was a never-ending source of funds, like a fountain of gold.

"Have we not signed a contract with Go Doo-han yet?"

- Yes, we haven't.

It was a given.

Go Doo-han was a popular artist. In other words, there were many collectors who only bought Go Doo-han's works.

They were willing to pay exorbitant prices, far exceeding what Sakura Gallery could afford, to acquire Go Doo-han's works.

Therefore, even if Sakura Gallery had the funds, they always bought Go Doo-han's works last when he held a solo show at the gallery.

They wanted his works to sell for high prices.

It was also a gesture of goodwill and respect towards Go Doo-han, who held solo shows at Sakura Gallery out of friendship.

"Good. Keep the funds in a liquid state."

- ...Understood.

Good.

Good.

Seol Yeo-jin, feeling the strawberry aroma fill her mouth, took a step closer to the work. Just in time, a corner of the painting was revealed.

Click.

Seol Yeo-jin's dry, pink lips curled up like a flower bud.

The first color to appear was red. As the packaging was skillfully peeled away, a deep blue was revealed.

The red and blue skies were intensely fighting to consume each other. The sunset. The intense purple, like a rose with poison, filled Seol Yeo-jin's vision.

"......Wow."

Seol Yeo-jin, who had been staring at the painting, forgetting to breathe, let out a sigh. The sky in the painting was something that couldn't be captured in a photograph. This was why paintings were so wonderful.

The colors seen with the human eye, which couldn't be fully captured by lenses like glasses or cameras, were vividly spread in this wild, primitive world.

Ah.

It's so beautiful.

I don't know why such a primitive color palette appeared in a sketch exhibition, but who cares? I'm buying it.

Seol Yeo-jin, who looked like she had tasted something sweeter than the lollipop, stared at the painting. It was so sweet she felt like she would die. She would acquire this painting for Sakura Gallery. A fierce desire rose from the soles of her feet.

She quickened her pace, eager to see the painting up close.

After all, paintings are meant to be viewed from a distance, up close, and even right in front of your eyes, to be savored. She chewed on the white stick of the lollipop, which was almost completely unwrapped, as she walked forward.

The sound of her heels echoed intensely.

That's when it happened.

Click.

Yes, it was a click. As soon as the sound of something being pressed was heard, light burst from the painting.

The colors seemed to emit light, like the sun. Before she could marvel at the brilliant light, it scattered in various directions.

At the same time, shadows appeared and disappeared on numerous paintings, changing like clouds flowing by. Each time the light changed direction, lines appeared above what she thought were just colors.

They were colored pencils.

A human figure, drawn with colored pencils, was contained within the sky.

With each scattering of light, hundreds or thousands of people appeared and disappeared, like the many people we encounter while walking down the street.

Appearing and disappearing.

An evening sky composed of countless people.

That was the essence of this work.

Seol Yeo-jin opened her mouth.

The white stick fell from her mouth.

"......Gorgeous."

It was a breathtaking sight.

28. Beautiful to Behold