Chapter 75

75

September 23, the 266th day of the new year.

The 8th floor of the Renaissance Shopping Mall had finally completed its renovation and was reopening.

9:00 AM.

Hanging the name [Sistine] derived from Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the construction of the old chapel, the store opened its doors.

And now, 11:00 AM.

Just two hours after opening, Cafe Sistine was bustling with so many people that it seemed like a mistake to think this place was a theme park. Beyond the endless lines reminiscent of those waiting for the most popular rides, the sound of shutters clicking echoed through the music.

The noise started from where the mural painted by Gang Seok was located.

“(This is silent! It’s strange that there’s no sound. It feels so empty.)”

“(Exactly! It’s also strange that no one gets kicked out for taking so many photos. Anyway, it’s really the same. It doesn’t seem much different from when I visited the Vatican...! Oh, no, I like the colors here better. It seems better painted... and most importantly, it’s on the wall, not the ceiling, and the painting is bigger.)”

“(You like it here better, right?)”

“(Yes, that’s what I wanted to say.)”

The couple, who had come to Korea to study, were speaking in their native language, and various foreign languages could be heard from different parts of the 8th floor.

Most of them were there to compare how similar the mural in the Sistine Chapel and the one here were.

Of course, it wasn’t only foreigners.

As befitting the heart of Seoul, South Korea, most of the people occupying the cafe were Koreans.

“There are so many people.”

A young Korean man, looking around the cafe, smiled softly. His tone was ambiguous, seeming to convey both that it was a good sight and that the crowd was hindering his appreciation.

Wearing a well-fitted, elegant casual suit, the young man adjusted his wristwatch with his thumb and index finger and straightened his head, which had been looking around.

Directly in front of him, a barricade was set up to prevent people from getting too close. It was a prime spot in the cafe.

He could see the people taking photos and, among them, the god reaching out to a human, clearly visible. The young man, sipping his coffee with a satisfied smile, turned his head.

“Isn’t it?”

On either side of the young man were two others: one was Jin Doo-wook, the director of the Bloom Art Museum, and the other was Ryu Jung-hyung, a board member of the San Gang Cultural Foundation, which was established by the San Gang Group and collaborates with the Bloom Art Museum.

Ryu Jung-hyung, who had been listening with a slightly bowed head, like a loyal servant, smiled faintly and replied.

“After all, you can see what you’d have to fly to the Vatican to see, just by using a car.”

“That’s true.”

The young man nodded happily as he looked at Ryu Jung-hyung, who had let the strap of his glasses hang long.

“It’s better than what I saw in the Vatican. My neck doesn’t hurt.”

It was comfortable. The young man, lifting his coffee cup slightly, finished his coffee with a smile and raised one eyebrow.

A child was trying to climb over the barricade by bending down. Just as the young man was about to get up to stop the child, a security guard standing nearby quickly intervened.

Clearly, the security guard was hired by the government and the building owner to prevent vandalism and inappropriate behavior.

The young man stroked his chin.

He had heard before coming here.

‘I remember they said the damage prevention measures were extremely strict.’

The security personnel visible throughout the cafe, the air purifiers ensuring good ventilation, and the preservation work—all these were part of the damage prevention measures.

The state was managing the artwork to prevent it from being damaged and had invested money in it. The young man, slightly lowering his upper body and resting his chin on the table, gazed at the wall, moving his chin slightly as he muttered.

“This is unprecedented.”

It was quite unprecedented.

At that moment,

“This is an unprecedented work. Considering that Gang Seok usually lends his works for exhibitions and rentals, this work, which is owned by the state and the building owner, is quite unprecedented.”

Jin Doo-wook, the director, responded to the young man’s muttering. Of course, he was referring to a different reason for it being unprecedented than what the young man had in mind, but it didn’t really matter.

The young man asked Jin Doo-wook,

“Why did he do it that way?”

“Pardon?”

“From what I’ve heard about Gang Seok, except for works made for charity auctions or personal mental healing, he never transfers ownership of commercial works that could be profitable.”

“Yes... Yes, that’s true.”

Indeed, according to the investigations, the ownership and final decision-making rights for works like and ultimately belonged to Gang Seok.

But why for ?

Jin Doo-wook explained further.

“...Well, as far as I know, this was created as part of a public art project called the High School Mural Competition, where students participate in a public art project in club units at their schools.”

“A public art project... But why specifically for this?”

Jin Doo-wook closed his mouth at the young man’s question. He was competitive by nature, but there was no reason to go that far. The prize money for the High School Mural Competition, as Jin Doo-wook knew, was only ten million won for the winner.

And it wasn’t as if he would have kept the ten million won for himself... Why bother?

It was a decision that seemed to follow the young man’s question, “Why specifically for this?”

At that moment,

Ryu Jung-hyung spoke quietly.

“...I heard that Gang Seok’s family was in a difficult financial situation at the time.”

“Difficult?”

“Yes. And the teacher in charge of the mural club at Cheonghwa Art High School always allocated the prize money to the MVP who performed the best, to boost morale. It’s likely that he mentioned such a promise this time as well...”

The next part didn’t need to be said. If he had put in extra effort to ensure a win and MVP, it was plausible that such a work could have been created.

“Hmm. I see.”

The young man nodded in understanding but still looked disappointed. Although it was different from Gang Seok’s other original works, this work was still loved by many people.

But to end it with the prize money from a high school mural competition... It was a pity. The young man gazed at the mural in front of him.

Ryu Jung-hyung and Jin Doo-wook, who had been quietly observing the young man’s appreciation of the artwork, slowly turned their gaze away to appreciate it themselves.

A heavy silence settled over the table where the three men were sitting. The focus was so intense that even the soft classical music or the sound of an organ in a chapel couldn’t be heard.

The young man clapped his hands once, as if shaking hands. Ryu Jung-hyung and Jin Doo-wook turned their heads toward him. He was smiling.

His good looks, enhanced by the smile, brightened the surroundings. There was no shadow on the face of the man, who seemed to have been well-educated in a good family. The young man smiled and said,

“I was wondering what gift to give when I commissioned the work, but this is a clean solution.”

Good. He liked it. The man, whose dimples were clearly visible, chuckled.

The man’s name was Park Seon-woo.

He was the youngest son of the San Gang Group’s owner family, the person in charge of the construction of a hotel affiliated with the San Gang Group, and the one who had commissioned the sculptural work from Gang Seok through Jin Doo-wook.

“When did you say the meeting is? A month from now?”

“Ah, wait a moment... Hmm.”

Jin Doo-wook, checking his schedule, nodded vigorously. It was affirmative.

“Yes. Around that time. More precisely, it’s on October 24.”

“October 24.”

Park Seon-woo repeated the date, resting his chin on his hand and tapping his cheek. His eyes scanned the surroundings once, and then Park Seon-woo stood up without hesitation.

“Let’s go.”

“Pardon?”

“To prepare by October 24, it will be tight.”

“Pardon? Where to?”

Looking at his watch, Park Seon-woo moved his index finger a few times, pointing at the ceiling.

“To see the building owner.”

* * * *

Inside the building, where sunlight was blocked.

Under the lemon-colored lighting between artificial yellow and white.

Jo Dong-beom, scrolling through Instagram, stretched his lips into a long smile.

‘It’s chaos again today. Chaos.’

Less than a month after Cafe Sistine reopened, a “straight-out-of-the-oven” challenge was underway in Korea, with celebrities visiting several times a day.

Now, Korean idols and actors were also participating in the challenge or taking certification photos, making the place a bustling hub.

The most thrilling part was... While all of them were clamoring to meet Gang Seok, who had personally painted the mural on the wall, his disciple Jo Dong-beom was greeting his master’s face every day.

‘Thrilling! Always fresh! Always the best!’

Jo Dong-beom, grinning widely, lifted his head.

Creak, creak, creak.

On the aerial work platform (table lift, a device that lifts a table vertically), Gang Seok, almost lying down, was forcefully inserting something.

Around Gang Seok, several objects that looked like springs were scattered.

It had been almost a month since the abandoned building opened and he started working. The quick-handed Gang Seok was now in the final stages of completing all the work.

While Jo Dong-beom, filled with admiration, watched Gang Seok, he was covering the ceiling with a feather installation.

More precisely, he was attaching feathers to a false wall covering the ceiling.

Where sunlight used to enter through the glass dome, white feathers were densely packed, creating a feeling of a white false wall covering the ceiling.

Creak, creak. With a strange sound, Gang Seok slowly removed his hand after concentrating for a while. He pressed his eyes with a warm towel to relieve the strain from working near the lights and reached for the switch on the railing of the table.

The switch on the aerial work platform could adjust the height. Pressing it, the table slowly descended, and the ceiling came into view.

The ceiling, densely covered with white feathers, was now fully visible. It wasn’t entirely covered, but the circular space created by the glass dome was filled, dividing the radius.

Gang Seok, satisfied, turned his head and called out.

“Could you turn off the lights?”

“Yes! I understand! I’m coming, Master!”

From below, Jo Dong-beom’s excited voice echoed. It seemed something pleasant had happened.

Gang Seok, slightly lifting his head, saw Jo Dong-beom rushing to turn off the switch. It seemed the lack of a statue during the carving process had bothered him, and now he was eager to serve his master in any way possible.

“I’m turning it off now...!”

Soon, with Jo Dong-beom’s shout, the sound of the switch being turned off echoed in the old building, and darkness enveloped the space.

With the glass dome blocked by a false wall and the top covered by a feather installation, complete darkness could be achieved in the abandoned building without a single ray of light.

Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness, Gang Seok, now familiar with the aerial work platform, walked towards the stage stairs in the darkness.

“Mr. Owner.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Could you contact Secretary Ryu Su-hun?”

“...Yes?”

Jo Dong-beom, surprised, looked in the direction of the voice. The sound of footsteps on the stairs echoed in the quiet space. It was clear that Gang Seok, who had memorized the entire space, was climbing the stairs as if there were no obstacles.

Dangerously...! Jo Dong-beom, losing his original curiosity, walked towards the stairs. Suddenly, he remembered the question he was about to ask and stopped.

“Master... Don’t you want to test it first?”

It had just been completed.

Jo Dong-beom, in the darkness, asked if it needed to be checked. Gang Seok, meanwhile, continued climbing the stairs. When the sound of his footsteps stopped,

Click, click, creak.

A match lit up in the darkness.

In the vast darkness, a small flame had a powerful effect. The match, magnified many times its size, lit up the candle holders one by one on