Chapter 34

34

* * * *

Not a mural, but mural work. What does that mean? Is it a mystery? Seol Yejin’s gaze naturally turned to Kim Yunseo, who was standing at the back.

The meaning in her eyes as she looked at Kim Yunseo was clear. Do you understand what this means? It was a question.

Kim Yunseo’s head shook from side to side as if it were trembling. "I don’t know," Kim Yunseo quietly but firmly asserted.

Their gazes met in the air.

What does this mean?

At that moment, Kang Seok spoke.

"Paeonia."

Kang Seok’s eyes turned to Seol Yejin.

The texture of the paeonia embossed on the business card she received when they first met. The vase her mother held. The symbol of the Paeonia Gallery, the paeonia. Her mother’s smile as she said the flowers were beautiful.

What came to Kang Seok’s mind now was flowers.

"I want to do a mural project with paeonia as the theme. If it’s okay, I’ll accept the commission."

"Paeonia...?"

Seol Yejin repeated the word. Paeonia. Paeonia. Is it because it’s the Paeonia Gallery? It seemed plausible, but it was an idea anyone could come up with.

It was a pity, in fact. From what she knew, Kang Seok was good at drawing people. She had hoped he would paint people.

Seol Yejin gathered her thoughts and lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile. She knew it was arrogant to always hope for the best.

"You should paint what you want. Do as you please. Just take charge of the mural."

She had no intention of rejecting whatever he painted.

Moreover, asking an artist who had a theme in mind to paint something else would be an inefficient production method. At least, that was Seol Yejin’s opinion.

"Sounds good."

Kang Seok’s response pleased Seol Yejin.

"Then I’ll accept it casually. Should I sign here?"

"Yunseo."

"Yes."

At Seol Yejin’s call, Kim Yunseo stepped forward.

"Mr. Artist, I’ll guide you."

Kang Seok began to draft the contract under Kim Yunseo’s guidance. Seol Yejin watched quietly.

In fact, Kang Seok was a minor under 19, and any contract he signed would not be recognized as a valid legal act. It meant the contract would not have legal effect.

In Kang Seok’s case, since his parents were alive, they would have to act as legal guardians. In other words, the contract being drafted now was essentially a verbal agreement, and it would need to be formally signed by Kang Seok’s parents again.

But Seol Yejin watched quietly as Kang Seok drafted the contract. Kang Seok was different from an ordinary 18-year-old.

Two days ago, when she saw Kang Seok leading the negotiation for the exhibition rights, she was convinced. Kang Seok was more experienced in such matters than most adults.

"Um..."

"I’m Kim Yunseo. You can call me Manager Kim or Secretary Kim."

"Then, Manager Kim. Is it possible to modify this clause? The one about working hours."

Look at that. Seol Yejin’s pink lips, which reminded one of a dry pink rose, curled up.

Kang Seok pointed out any clause that seemed even slightly unfavorable or strange without hesitation. Kim Yunseo, who had drafted the contract, expressed her surprise by widening her eyes several times.

Now you know he’s not an ordinary high school student. Seol Yejin watched Kang Seok draft the contract as if she were showing off a treasure she had discovered.

She was already deeply seated on the sofa.

Click. The sound of the pen cap closing, and the contract returned to Kim Yunseo’s hands. Another copy was already in Kang Seok’s possession.

Seol Yejin, watching Kang Seok put the envelope in his pocket, peeled the wrapper off a lollipop.

"Mr. Kang Seok, when do you plan to start the work?"

"......Is there a specific deadline you have in mind?"

Seol Yejin pondered the calendar in response to the question. Her contemplation was not long.

"......Hmm. It might be a bit tight, but can you complete the work within a week?"

A week. She wanted it done by February 15th.

Kang Seok closed his eyes and recalled the size of the wall he was to paint. He didn’t plan to do a fresco like at the Renaissance Mall, and the size was about three times smaller.

It was entirely possible.

"Yes, I think I can meet the deadline if I start immediately."

Fortunately, it was still winter break. The works for the solo exhibition had already been submitted, and the figure drawings were in the publication preparation stage. He hadn’t heard from Park Jiyeop yet.

The sculpture was a matter of individual skill.

Kang Seok confidently expressed his intention to start the work immediately. Seol Yejin looked at Kim Yunseo again.

Mural work required a significant amount of materials like paint, and brushes wore out quickly when used on walls.

Therefore, some galleries included material costs in the production fee, but Seol Yejin did not. She signaled to Kim Yunseo with her eyes.

Kim Yunseo, receiving the signal, carefully conveyed the message to Kang Seok.

"We have some materials and tools for mural work stored in our gallery. They are of excellent quality, and if you don’t mind, we can provide them to you free of charge. What do you think?"

Kang Seok, gathering the envelope, lifted his head. What he saw was Seol Yejin, who had just put the lollipop in her mouth.

From her eyes, he could sense that she didn’t expect him to be grateful for this. Kang Seok’s mouth opened, and what came out was completely unexpected.

"Thank you, but I don’t need the paint."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

No paint needed for mural work?

Seol Yejin and Kim Yunseo looked at each other, unsure if they had heard correctly. Their eyes were filled with confusion.

‘Did I hear that right?’

‘It seems so.’

Seol Yejin blinked and slowly straightened her head at Kim Yunseo’s nod. Kang Seok’s face was as calm as before.

"Can I ask what kind of mural you plan to create?"

"Yes, I mentioned that I want to create a mural with paeonia as the theme. More specifically, I’m thinking of a three-dimensional mural."

Three-dimensional mural. The first thing that came to mind was trick art. An art form that uses special paint and scientific techniques to create an optical illusion, tricking the human or camera eye into seeing a three-dimensional image.

However, even trick art uses special paint, which includes some pigments. So, what exactly? At that moment, Seol Yejin recalled where Kang Seok’s gaze had been.

While speaking, Kang Seok’s eyes had been on a glass bowl. Now that she thought about it, he had mentioned that he majored in sculpture, not painting. Glass. Glass art! Eureka! Seol Yejin quickly pulled the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Are you planning to do glass art?"

Kang Seok’s eyes turned to Seol Yejin. He slowly nodded up and down, affirming her guess.

"Yes, I plan to create paeonia flowers out of glass and display them on the wall."

The image of hundreds of transparent paeonia flowers covering the wall filled her mind. It was beautiful.

A wall of glass flowers.

Seol Yejin, who liked things that were intuitively beautiful, nodded in satisfaction.

"Is there anything we can help you with to create the three-dimensional mural?"

"I might need some budget support. What I want to create is a flower made of glass. There’s a glass workshop nearby, and I’ll need material and rental fees. I’ll need to check the details, though."

"Sure. Do that. Do you have my number?"

"Yes."

"Contact me whenever you need anything. If not me, you can contact Yunseo, who is my right-hand person."

"I’ll give you my number when you leave."

Kang Seok smiled, satisfied.

"I like it."

Me too. Seol Yejin suppressed a smile.

It was a good deal, as she had hoped.

.

.

.

Click.

The door closed, and Kim Yunseo returned. She had just seen Kang Seok off after the contract was signed.

Seol Yejin, who had been efficiently using the time to do paperwork, lifted her head.

"Back?"

"Yes."

"Did he seem uncomfortable at all?"

"What do you mean? Did we make him uncomfortable? He didn’t seem uncomfortable at all. He looked like he was in his own living room."

"......Really?"

A slight smile appeared on Seol Yejin’s lips. She still had the lollipop in her mouth. She was in a good mood as she signed the document. Kim Yunseo, watching her, spoke up.

"But are you really going to let him do it?"

"What?"

Seol Yejin slightly raised her gaze to look at Kim Yunseo.

"Kang Seok. He’s never done glass art before. And now he’s suddenly doing a three-dimensional mural with glass flowers, not a fresco or paint. Aren’t you worried?"

Kim Yunseo looked genuinely anxious. She was not a specialist, but she had visited a few workshops and had some experience.

Glass art, especially three-dimensional flowers, was a difficult craft that involved handling fire. Glass was a material that was hard to shape in three dimensions, and creating 3D flowers and installing them on a wall was a significant challenge.

Moreover, paeonia had many petals and curves, making it particularly difficult to create beautifully with glass.

Could he, who had never handled glass before, create something beautiful with the most challenging technique?

Even if it were just about being beautiful, if the balance was off, hundreds of flowers could shatter and cause a safety hazard.

"He’s a sculpture major, so he probably hasn’t worked with glass. His family runs a furniture store, a wooden furniture store. If he’s worked with anything, it’s probably just wood..."

"Yunseo, stop."

Seol Yejin rolled the strawberry-flavored lollipop in her mouth. Her gaze fell on her phone. She smiled, looking at the purple furniture displayed on the account "Seok’s Furniture."

"We can judge after seeing the finished product."

Usually, it would be too late. The material costs and time invested in the finished product would result in a loss. But Kim Yunseo kept her mouth shut. She knew Seol Yejin’s economic philosophy was very different from the norm.

Young and rich.

That’s who Seol Yejin is.

"Let’s wait and see. Okay? Oh, don’t forget to get the contract signed by Kang Seok’s parents again."

"......Yes."

If you say so, I’ll do it. Kim Yunseo nodded, reaffirming her professional mindset.

.

.

.

A blue sky.

Kang Seok pedaled his bicycle.

Swish. The bicycle wheels rolled, and the chain moved. The familiar sound became white noise as Kang Seok’s mind drifted back to the conversation he had just had with Seol Yejin.

– "When do you plan to finish the work?"

– "......Hmm. It might be a bit tight, but can you complete the work within a week?"

A week. She wanted it done by February 15th. It was clearly in preparation for the opening of Go Dohan’s solo exhibition on February 16th.

Seol Yejin seemed to be constantly pushing Go Dohan, even finding opportunities to do so. But seeing this, it seemed she didn’t entirely dislike Go Dohan.

Regardless, Kang Seok was grateful to Go Dohan.

– "So, after class, right?"

A master of figure drawing and a blue-chip in the art world. If Go Dohan hadn’t noticed his changes, hadn’t given him the opportunity, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

Not everything always goes well.

In that sense, Go Dohan was a good person to him. Recently, he even felt that Go Dohan treated him seriously as an artist, regardless of age.

Kang Seok didn’t want to ruin Go Dohan’s solo exhibition. Therefore, it would be best to complete the mural work before the exhibition. He pedaled harder.

* * * *

A bright blue day.

Unlike the cold air outside, the workshop was boiling with heat. Near the kilns, which alternated between 1,200 and 1,600 degrees Celsius, the workshop was a scorching hot bath, reaching 54 degrees Celsius.

Jo Dongbeom wiped the sweat streaming down his face roughly and blew out a breath.

The glass, heated to a high temperature, was taking shape. Hoo, hoo. The glass art, which changed shape with the introduction of bubbles through breathing, was a craft shaped by fire and wind.

Jo Dongbeom, rolling the glass on a pipe to shape it, suddenly broke off the end of the glass. Like a kite with a broken string, he tossed the failed piece into a bowl filled with other failures.

It was a failure.

"Damn."

He had been working with glass for years, but maybe it was time to admit it. Maybe he was better suited to making ordinary products.

He had moved to a new place to create art, but perhaps running one-day classes and field experiences was more suitable for him. Was it right to keep struggling with unproductive work?

Wouldn’t it be better to earn money at this time? Jo Dongbeom was already on his seventh life reflection of the day.

At that moment,

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on the wall pulled Jo Dongbeom out of his seventh life reflection of the day. Who could it be? The one-day class was over, and there were no more visitors today.

He wiped his face with a towel and opened the door.

"Hello."

"......Oh, hello. What brings you here?"

Opening the door, he still didn’t recognize the person. A boy who looked like a first-year high school student stood there.

"Is it possible to use the workshop? I can pay for the materials and the rental fee."

What? A college student? Jo Dongbeom blinked his eyes, which were stinging from sweat. Since he was using a spacious workshop, money was always in short supply. If he paid, there was no reason to refuse.

"Come in first."

"Thank you."

Jo Dongbeom, wiping his face with a towel to avoid the smell of sweat, watched the boy confidently walk in. He couldn’t guess anything from his casual attire. What should he do? Maybe start with the price?

The price for one-day classes and field experiences would be different. Jo Dongbeom, ponder