Chapter 54

54

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Stone Carving. Carving marble is, to put it metaphorically, like peeling a potato.

First, you rotate the sketch 360 degrees and start chipping away the edges, peeling the stone like a skin. It’s a bit different in that there are multiple layers, but you start by peeling them away.

Once the inner flesh is exposed, you rotate it 360 degrees again and make a new sketch on the surface.

Then, once more, you begin the detailed work, like cutting away the roots of a potato. Only then do you start to find the form of the work using a grinder, hammer, and chisel.

Of course, it doesn’t end there.

You sketch again, carve deeper, sketch again, and carve deeper—repeating this process dozens or hundreds of times to reveal the sculpture’s form.

Throughout, you work on it from all angles, rotating it 360 degrees.

The larger the volume, the longer and more frequent the repetition.

That’s what stone carving is.

Moreover, carving stone is a very dangerous task, so you must be extremely careful throughout the entire process, which takes a lot of time and effort.

It’s not an easy job.

‘...It must have been like that.’

Yang Seongu and Jeong Byungkwon looked at Kang Seok’s back with a strange expression. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, he had asked how to use the tools.

The grinder hummed as if it was a part of Kang Seok’s body, moving freely.

The back of a master who had been carving stone for decades was clearly visible in Kang Seok, and it wasn’t just their imagination.

“Phew...”

“Phew.”

Yang Seongu and Jeong Byungkwon let out identical sighs. For Jeong Byungkwon, who had given up on stone and moved to resin and wood, and for Yang Seongu, who worked with stone, it was a talent that simultaneously induced both despair and ecstasy.

What if I had been like that?

What position would I be in if I had handled the grinder like that when I first used it?

As a professional in the same field, discovering a talent that was out of reach was indescribable.

“Is that really his first time using a grinder?”

“...It doesn’t seem like it.”

Moreover, the way he carved was different. Without a sketch, it seemed odd at first, but now it made sense. Kang Seok was carving the marble like a pirate digging for treasure buried in the ground.

His movements were without hesitation.

He never moved from one line to another.

While it’s necessary to move across multiple surfaces to maintain balance and ensure the work stands properly, Kang Seok continued to carve one side of the marble as if he didn’t care about the center of gravity.

It was as if he was confident enough to tell the center of gravity to go to hell.

Anyway, it had already been three hours.

“Shouldn’t we stop him soon?”

“...I guess so.”

To prevent the grinder from getting stuck in the stone, you need to maintain a good posture and pay attention to the force, cutting direction, and angle.

It’s a high-difficulty task that exhausts both body and mind, so you should take breaks in between.

“But, should we really stop him?”

“...I don’t know.”

Clearly, he needed a break, but there was no sign of fatigue on Kang Seok’s face.

Of course, physical changes were occurring. Sweat was dripping down his face, and his cheeks were gradually turning red.

But it felt more like the passion of a sportsman enjoying his favorite sport rather than signs of fatigue.

Whirr! Crack, crack, whirr!

Kang Seok was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice anyone approaching. It was as if the world only contained the grinder and the stone.

‘Is this really human concentration?’

Jeong Byungkwon chuckled in disbelief.

Kang Seok’s eyes, visible through the goggles, were shining. When he glanced at them earlier, they seemed to be filled with madness and ecstasy.

It was as if he was saying, “I’ll get it out,” and he was fighting a battle to extract something as quickly as possible.

Jeong Byungkwon and Yang Seongu, who were about to speak to Kang Seok, were intimidated by his gaze and slowly backed away.

Even when deeply engrossed in a work, it’s sometimes necessary to step back and look at it from a distance, but they couldn’t do that.

Especially since this was marble, which can’t be easily corrected.

Even if the method was unique, one wrong move could cause the grinder to get stuck or damage the marble.

‘...Let’s go out for now.’

‘Yes, that’s probably best.’

In the end, they had to move to the other side of the glass wall in the workspace without saying a word to Kang Seok. They had to keep an eye on him from outside to ensure he didn’t have an accident.

It was an unexpected all-nighter.

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April 7th.

Bloom Art Museum.

The current art museum operated by the Sanjiang Cultural Foundation is located in a space where the city, architecture, and nature blend together. The landscape of the Bloom Art Museum, which aimed to create a space where art and humans could intersect, was well-designed even from a distance.

For example, the honeysuckle climbing the building, the lush green grass, and the trees. It was like that.

A clear blue sky.

The unique morning sunlight was bright, and the sky’s color was clear. A bird that had been on the other side of the glass wall took flight.

At that moment, the familiar sound of the grinder reached Yang Seongu’s ears, as if the bird’s flapping wings were audible.

Yang Seongu’s gaze, which had been momentarily distracted by the bird, returned to one side.

The space where Yang Seongu was originally located was a resting area. On the right, you could enjoy the outside view, and if you looked straight ahead, you could see the exhibition space.

And Yang Seongu’s gaze was now directed straight ahead.

Kang Seok was there.

Yang Seongu sighed in amazement.

One month.

For a little over a month, he had been watching Kang Seok. He didn’t need to watch, but he couldn’t help it. So, whenever his schedule was free, he would come to the Bloom Art Museum to observe Kang Seok.

Kang Seok didn’t mind it either.

If possible, he would want to see him every day, but that wasn’t feasible. He didn’t reside at Bloom alone.

Kang Seok was still a high school student and was preparing for other things at a glass workshop.

And sometimes, he would spend time drinking coffee and having serious conversations with a man dressed in a dark suit with dark circles under his eyes.

Watching Kang Seok, it often felt like he was living 48 hours in a day instead of 24.

Moreover, how could he maintain such a pace and speed? Was he not sleeping? Even if he wasn’t sleeping, it was an incredibly fast pace.

In just one month, the marble wall had been carved to reveal the shape of a human figure buried in the center.

Drawing a picture by hand is one thing, but how could he use the same grinder to work several times faster than others?

It was too fast to simply attribute it to the lack of sketching and hesitation.

“Amazing.”

How could he use his finite time so infinitely? Yang Seongu’s eyes were filled with awe, regardless of his age. Of course, it wasn’t just because he was busy.

The reason he felt such reverence for someone younger than himself was because of the skill that seemed to have been stolen from a divine hand.

That’s how it was.

Yang Seongu was confident that anyone who saw the massive marble Kang Seok was carving would agree with him.

He couldn’t say it out loud to others, but Kang Seok reminded him of someone. Yang Seongu carefully rolled the name around in his mouth.

‘...Michelangelo.’

The sculptor of the Renaissance.

Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Kang Seok reminded him of Michelangelo.

It wasn’t that they looked alike, but that he reminded him of Michelangelo.

However, he didn’t think he was wrong, even if he was cautious.

Having lived for over eighty years, Yang Seongu was confident. Occasionally, he could see Michelangelo in the marble Kang Seok was carving.

Kang Seok’s method of carving, like scooping out unnecessary sand with a shovel, reminded him of Michelangelo, and as the three-dimensional form began to emerge on one side of the wall... the excellence of a part of it reminded him of Michelangelo, who carved according to the soul’s resonance.

The biggest question was that Kang Seok was carving in a way that was almost identical to Michelangelo’s, but it wasn’t as if he was imitating someone; it just seemed to fit his body.

Michelangelo’s sculpting method wasn’t something that could be easily imitated.

It was astonishing, truly astonishing.

‘...A truly great young man.’

How long had he been watching Kang Seok, who was peeling away the stone with a grinder, while having various thoughts?

Yang Seongu’s eyes gradually filled with ecstasy.

At the same time, a destructive impulse began to rise.

The sculpture, emerging from the white powder like a sandstorm, was sublime but also filled him with endless despair and an insurmountable wall.

It sparked an uncontrollable rage.

‘Here it goes again.’

Yang Seongu quickly got up from his seat. As if trying to escape from the overwhelming ecstatic anger, he stood up and turned his back on Kang Seok.

And Yang Seongu, dressed like a mountain spirit, hurriedly walked towards the fresh air outside, as if diving into a swimming pool.

It happened two hours and three minutes after he started watching Kang Seok create his work.

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Art.

Magic often happens in art.

Things that are incomprehensible by modern standards.

Among them, the Stendhal Syndrome and the David Syndrome can be mentioned.

The Stendhal Syndrome refers to the various mental impulses and分裂症状，当一个情感丰富的人目睹历史艺术作品时，会感到精神上的合一。

David Syndrome是指，当人们看到伟大的作品，如米开朗基罗的大卫像时，人们的情绪会从狂喜逐渐变得焦虑，攻击性增强，感到破坏冲动，最终表现出带有攻击性的恐慌状态。

而现在，杨成九正在经历这两种症状。

对杨成九来说，这是一件经常发生的事情。虽然他从未向任何人炫耀过，但杨成九偶尔在看到伟大的杰作时会感受到这种情绪。

当然，从现代人物的作品中感受到这种冲动是前所未有的。

‘我没想到会在现代雕塑家的作品中感受到这种情感……’

甚至想到这还是一件未完成的作品，他几乎要呕吐了。

“呼……”

杨成九抚摸着胡子，望着绿意盎然的景色。

他反复抚摸着胡子，看着带来心灵平静的绿色，感到一片宁静。

就在这时。

“艺术家先生，您又觉得不舒服了吗？”

有人向杨成九走来。

看着脸色不佳的他，似乎很担心的女子是布鲁姆美术馆的策展人金有美。她也是这次杨成九作品展的总负责人。

“嗯，没有。”

抚摸了几下胡子的杨成九简短地回答说，他并不是因为身体不适而散步。事实上，现在这样说话已经是最好的了。

他吞下了嘴里的唾液。胃部痉挛和急促的呼吸让他感到头晕，就像喝醉了一样，无法进行高质量的对话。

“艺术家先生，您最近看起来身体不太好，休息一下怎么样？”

金有美递给他一块手帕，问道。最近，他经常在观看康硕的雕塑后外出散步，似乎就是这样。

他凝视着手帕，然后简短地表示感谢并接了过来，摇了摇头。

“没事，只是我太敏感了……”

“嗯？”

“没有。”

这很难解释。

因为并不是每个人都会感受到这种症状。所谓的Stendhal Syndrome或David Syndrome，只有情感丰富的人才会感受到，也许是一种精神疾病。向别人解释这一点很可笑。

“真的没事吗？”

“真的没事。”

同时，他也在努力抑制着随之而来的攻击性态度。他感到自己想要出言不逊，猛烈地攻击。

就像1991年无法控制自己的情绪，用锤子砸向大卫像脚部的破坏者一样。

‘我得避开这里。’

他是一个绅士。

已经八十八岁，一生都活得像个人的杨成九，不想在晚年变成野兽。他经历了无数艺术作品的考验，这次也不想引起任何问题。

就在杨成九准备告别并避开这里时。

“那就好。其实，我最近身体也不太好，还以为是传染给了您呢。”

“……你的身体不好？”

在破坏冲动中，一丝同情如嫩芽般升起。金有美是经常为他举办作品展的策展人，几乎可以算是合作伙伴，他们合作得非常默契。

当她生病时，感到担心是很自然的情感。

杨成九努力抑制着攻击性，看着金有美。金有美的脸微微泛红，叹了口气。她用力抬起的睫毛微微颤抖。

金有美目光游移，似乎在躲避什么，转过头去。

“最近心跳加速，呼吸困难，膝盖发抖……我以为是布鲁姆有传染病，或者花粉过敏呢。”

“……传染病？过敏？”

尽管她说着这些，但她的目光始终停留在某个地方，突然又惊慌地移开。

杨成九看着她，脸上露出奇怪的表情，转过头去。金有美的目光所向，正是玻璃墙外的康硕。确切地说，是康硕和大理石。

“金有美，你是不是每次走过这里时都会感到这种症状？”

“嗯？”

金有美睁大了眼睛。

“你怎么知道？……艺术家先生也是吗？”

说着，金有美环顾四周，似乎在检查绿意盎然的景色中是否有虫子。她的样子就像在寻找标本的法布尔。

“这里真的有虫子或者传染病吗？或者过敏源？我该怎么向馆长报告呢？”

杨成九用奇怪的眼神看着金有美。

金有美描述的症状在他看来像是Stendhal Syndrome。虽然他自己的经历可能让他产生了先入为主的印象，但如果每次经过这里都会感到，那就相当合理了。

杨成九抚摸着白胡子。他像抚摸动物的鬃毛一样轻轻抚摸着柔软的胡子，脸上露出奇怪的表情。

当康硕完成作品时，

艺术界可能会迎来新的变化。

杨成九把手放在胸口。

扑通扑通。

心跳加速。

另一种激动穿透了狂喜，像熔岩一样开始流淌。杨成九的头脑变得忙碌起来，他发出低沉的呻吟。

“这下忙了。”

只有杨成九能听到的低语。他猛地抬起头。

然后，他向似乎感到不安，环顾四周的金有美提出了建议。

“不要只在这条路上散步，也试试其他路。你可能是对杂草过敏。”

“……是吗？”

“是的。另外，我想在这附近设置一些路障和围栏……”

“嗯？”

“不，我会整理好后单独向馆长报告，你不用操心。我有急事，先告辞了。抱歉。”

杨成九急匆匆地走了。他的步伐轻快，仿佛要飞起来。金有美被他突然的速度吓到，挥手告别。

算是送别吧。

* * * *

呼。

康硕深吸了一口气，摘下了防尘面具。白色的粉末像蝴蝶群一样从开着的窗户飞出，排风扇正在强力运转。

如果在这里摘下防尘面具，鼻孔里会出来白色的粉末，头发上也会沾满白色粉末，像粉笔一样结块。但由于他没有使用防尘面具的经验，每次关掉打磨机后，他都会不自觉地摘下防尘面具。

这只是不习惯而已。

他摸了摸已经有些僵硬的头发，走出了工作室。他转头看了看，不知道杨成九爷爷是否还在等他，但杨成九爷爷已经离开了。

– ‘叫我爷爷吧。’

– ‘……’

– ‘哎呀？’

– ‘……爷爷。’

– ‘好，好。要不要给你带点糖葫芦？’

虽然从前世算起，精神年龄应该是哥哥辈的，但还是被当成了可爱的人。呵，真是的。康硕无奈地挠了挠鼻梁。

他一边用一只手在口袋里滚动着今天早上收到的糖葫芦，一边不快不慢地走着。

无论是李英赫爷爷还是杨成九爷爷，这一生似乎很受爷爷们的喜爱。回想起来，前世似乎也是这样。

想到历代教皇都想拥有米开朗基罗，康硕打了个寒颤。就在这时，他看到了脸红的金有美策展人。

她正在锁走廊的门，高跟鞋的后跟有些脱落。她无意识地盯着穿着黑色丝袜的脚后跟，金有美转过头来认出了康硕。

“艺术家先生？”

金有美无论康硕是高中生还是什么，都称呼他为“艺术家先生”。

“啊，是的。你好。”

“啊，你好。今天工作结束得挺早啊？”

金有美知道康硕不会在工作没完成时离开，所以这样问道。康