Chapter 65

65

* * * *

Michelangelo left us with these words.

“The most dangerous thing for us is not to aim high and fail, but to aim too low and succeed.”

* * * *

On an early afternoon, with the pale yellow sunlight streaming in.

Jinyumi, a curator with seven years of experience, stopped in front of the lounge area of the Bloom Museum’s back office, just before the director’s office, with a flustered look on her face. Her gaze, peeking through the door, landed on Gangseok.

The reason for her fluster was one.

His expression.

It was an expression so different from what Jinyumi had seen over the past few months.

The frown etched between his eyebrows, the tightly pressed lips, the twitching corners of his mouth, and the hazel eyes trembling with anger.

Most of these were things she rarely saw in Gangseok.

Some might think she was just making assumptions, but at that moment, Jinyumi was certain.

As they say, a perceptive person can even feel the air, right? Sigh. Jinyumi inhaled the air mixed with the scent of coffee through her nose and let her gaze drop. The small watch on her wrist caught her eye.

2:10 PM.

It was already 10 minutes past the time she was supposed to meet with Gangseok.

‘...Still angry, and then some!’

This was not something she could do in front of a promising genius artist like Gangseok. Ah, just when someone from the Sanjang Cultural Foundation came... Jinyumi swallowed her sigh.

Back then.

Jin Doo-wook, the director of the Bloom Museum, who had started as a math teacher under Yang Seon-gu, then moved to the Sanjang Scholarship Foundation, and eventually to the Sanjang Cultural Foundation, was far too weak when it came to people related to the Sanjang Group.

‘Who am I worried about right now? Anyway, what should I really do...?’

Jinyumi made a pained expression. Why did I have to be the one in charge of guiding the back office today? She vented her frustration inwardly, but nothing changed.

‘Alright. Let’s go. Let’s go. I’m going...!’

Click.

Jinyumi turned the doorknob and deliberately made a loud noise, then naturally poked her head inside.

“Mr... Mr. Artist.”

Swallow, Jinyumi, who was about to convey the message, gripped the doorknob tightly. Despite it being midsummer, her mouth felt cold as if it were winter.

“It... It might take a bit longer. What should we do... I’m really sorry. If you need any snacks...”

If you do, I can bring them to you. She couldn’t finish the sentence, as she made direct eye contact with his hazel eyes.

“...Mr. Artist?”

“...Huh. Curator, I have a question.”

“...Yes? Yes, please go ahead.”

“If, if there was such a thing. If you wanted to rebuild Michelangelo Buonarroti’s tomb... How would you do it?”

“Huh?”

Jinyumi’s eyelashes fluttered.

“R... Really rebuild the tomb?”

“Yes.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Wanting to rebuild Michelangelo Buonarroti’s tomb? Suddenly? How could that even be possible?

At that moment, she saw the magazine Gangseok was holding, swaying in his hands. It was the famous New York art magazine [Artist News July Issue].

Come to think of it, she had read the translation before. She wondered what he was talking about, and realized it was about the travelogue published there.

She remembered it was a travelogue describing a visit to Michelangelo’s tomb. The page he was holding seemed to be that part.

Intense anger. The story about Michelangelo’s tomb. The paused page. And the marble sculptures reminiscent of the Renaissance, which earned him the nickname "Michelangelo of Korea." The humanistic style of his works.

Fragmented hints popped up in Jinyumi’s mind.

‘...Ah!’

A few days ago.

In the back office of the Bloom Museum, she and her fellow curators had jokingly said that Gangseok seemed to be a fan of Michelangelo.

‘This... It’s not because of the director, but because of Michelangelo’s tomb, right?’

When she reached this conclusion, she felt a sense of relief. Michelangelo’s tomb. Jinyumi had seen the actual tomb before.

‘It was a bit too much, wasn’t it?’

If Gangseok was a die-hard fan of Michelangelo Buonarroti, it was understandable that he was angry.

Who was Michelangelo?

Michelangelo Buonarroti, often referred to as the artist of God, was the greatest sculptor who created tombs for the most prominent figures of the Renaissance.

Among these prominent figures was the Pope. The famous Pietà was carved by Michelangelo himself.

It is said that this enormous sculptural and architectural ensemble was only one-third of the planned scale that Michelangelo originally wanted to create.

A sculptor dedicated to large-scale and monumental works, that was the macho Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Even when he was in charge of the architectural design of St. Peter’s Basilica, he spent eight years working on the Pietà, which would be placed in his tomb, by candlelight.

The intensity of his dedication and belief in his tomb was something she had memorized to the point of exhaustion when obtaining her curator’s certification, and the memory was still vivid.

‘According to Vasari’s records, he became so angry that the marble did not produce a satisfactory work that he smashed it with a hammer.’

Regardless, he didn’t even finish half of it, but he was so serious about his tomb that he made a sculpture for it in advance.

However, Michelangelo’s tomb was absurdly simple compared to his illustrious career and reputation. Who else could be like Michelangelo... Jinyumi’s thoughts trailed off.

“Ahh!”

Jinyumi quickly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry...! I took your question and... I was just thinking for a moment... So, about rebuilding Michelangelo Buonarroti’s tomb, how would you do it...?”

Jinyumi’s mind raced. She mobilized all her thoughts, like a hamster running on a wheel. The original idol of the proud and high-spirited Italians, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and the idea of rebuilding his tomb... It was almost impossible.

Not being Italian, and a Korean from a distant land, who would readily allow a fan to rebuild Michelangelo Buonarroti’s tomb?

So, she had to transcend history.

“Well... At least, you would have to become a sculptor whose reputation is close to Michelangelo Buonarroti’s, right? Michelangelo is often remembered as the artist who opened and closed the Renaissance. As a sculptor representing an era... You would have to achieve that level... Hmm.”

It was a vague answer.

However, Jinyumi tried her best to answer the artist in front of her with sincerity.

“First, you would have to be recognized by Italians, right? You would have to become a sculptor loved by Italians! And of course, there would be strong opposition, so you would have to become a sculptor recognized worldwide, yes. First, you would have to become famous! Hmm... And famous enough that people think of you when they think of a sculptor, not just ordinary, but the best in the world?”

Gangseok listened silently without interrupting.

“...And, and, you would have to be overwhelming.”

Yes, all the flowery language is unnecessary. Jinyumi said with confidence.

“Right. Overwhelming. To the point where when he nods, the world nods. It’s impossible without that. After all... Rebuilding the tomb of a dead person, especially Michelangelo’s tomb, by someone unrelated? Such a preposterous claim would have to be convincing enough.”

Someone unrelated.

Gangseok let out a hollow laugh at that part.

Indeed, it was a valid point.

“That’s true. Then, what should I do first?”

“...Hmm. First, you would have to become famous, right? Like participating in art fairs, or getting your name known to others...?”

There must be ways to become famous. Jinyumi’s expression showed that she didn’t know much about it either.

Gangseok nodded.

In fact, if you think about it rationally, even if you did all that, it might not be possible. At the same time, unless a lightning bolt struck and Michelangelo’s tomb had to be rebuilt, it was unlikely... Gangseok shook his head as he thought this.

Even he thought it was too much of a dream.

First, you would have to become famous.

The moment he input this into his mind, a murmur came from afar. Jinyumi’s ears twitched, and she peeked out of the lounge. People’s silhouettes swayed beyond the translucent space.

“Ah! It seems to be over finally.”

Thankfully. Jinyumi turned her body, intending to say that the meeting related to the art fair was over and she would clean up the place as soon as everyone left.

Gangseok’s face had already lost all its anger.

The answer must have been satisfying! Feeling proud, Jinyumi subtly added.

“By the way, Mr. Artist.”

“Yes?”

“...Are you a fan of Michelangelo?”

“A fan?”

What would be the best way to express this, Gangseok’s lips twitched for a moment as he pondered.

“A fan... rather, I am learning from him.”

“Learning?”

“Like a disciple.”

A master-disciple relationship that has continued for 400 years? Gangseok added this with a slight smile. Jinyumi chuckled. It was a romantic and imaginative answer, just like the artists she had met before.

That’s what artists are like.

Jinyumi nodded.

“You must have learned a lot.”

At this, Gangseok nodded again.

“Yes. I’m starting to understand now.”

“Understand what?”

“How to sculpt.”

It was a strange statement.

Just as Jinyumi tilted her head, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

– ‘...Hmm. First, you would have to become famous, right? Like participating in art fairs, or getting your name known to others...?’

The words Jinyumi had said a moment ago echoed in her mind.

“By the way, when is this art fair you mentioned?”

“Huh?”

If you can make the work, it’s fine, right?

Gangseok smiled.

It felt like the beginning of something.

* * * *

Early morning.

Cheonghua Art High School.

A middle-aged man, wearing a short-sleeved shirt that matched the summer sky, sighed deeply in the corner of the faculty office.

Every time he sighed, the gazes of the surrounding teachers gathered on him. It was a look of sympathy.

He was Kim Su-hak, the homeroom teacher of 3-4 class and the Korean language teacher.

“Mr. Kim, hang in there.”

A vitamin drink was placed on his desk, where he was sighing deeply. Kim Su-hak made a pained expression as he looked at the drink and the chocolate pie placed next to it.

– ‘Mr. Kim. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous that you still don’t know which university your student, Gangseok, is going to...?’

– ‘I’m disappointed, Mr. Kim Su-hak.’

Even though the homeroom interview season hadn’t ended, the student affairs director and the principal had already reprimanded him for not knowing Gangseok’s desired university. Their voices kept echoing in his ears.

Attending grade-level meetings and being pressured by the student affairs director and the principal was not a one-time thing. It had already happened three times, leaving him in a daze.

Normally, not knowing a student’s desired university wouldn’t cause such continuous harassment. However, Gangseok was a special