Chapter 77

77

"......What?"

Do you like buildings? I doubt it. Although I had a hunch, it couldn't be possible. Kang Seok erased the thought that came to his mind.

The phrase "like buildings" was inherently ambiguous.

Has the rumor about the Yongshin Land building spread? Upon reflection, he might have simply asked if I like buildings.

Seoul is known as a city of skyscrapers, and I remember hearing that Park Seon-woo has been famous for his love of large buildings since he was young, according to Director Jin Doo-wook and Teacher Yang Seon-gu.

So when he got the position as the construction manager this time, he was reportedly very excited... Is it because of that?

With a look of excitement, Park Seon-woo asked Kang Seok.

"It depends on the building, doesn't it?"

"Ah."

Park Seon-woo's eyes widened in surprise at Kang Seok's words. He then rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, as if mulling over Kang Seok's words.

"Depending on the building... That's a profound answer."

The handshake had already been released.

Kang Seok, who was guided by Park Seon-woo as if he were a tour guide, sat next to Director Jin Doo-wook and looked at Park Seon-woo.

He was standing in front of the table where he had been sitting, holding a black clipboard with a sheet of paper inserted. More precisely, he was handing the black clipboard to Kang Seok.

Holding the clipboard in the air, Kang Seok slowly moved his hand, looking at Park Seon-woo, who seemed to be urging him to look at it with his chin and eyes.

"I hope it's a building I like."

This was another deeply meaningful and ambiguous expression. Kang Seok wondered if Park Seon-woo was the type to always speak in such a manner and nodded.

Just from that one sentence, he could sense it.

The question "Do you like buildings?" was not a simple one about liking to look at buildings or preferring a certain design.

Kang Seok flipped through the pages forcefully, one by one. With loud thuds, his eyes moved quickly.

"This is..."

After flipping to the last page, Kang Seok looked up, unsure of how to respond. His face, naturally poker-faced, remained expressionless.

Park Seon-woo nodded.

He had expected this, having heard from Director Jin Doo-wook that Kang Seok's expression rarely changed. Still, he was a bit disappointed and clicked his tongue.

"This is the commission fee."

The commission fee was a sales contract for a fresco painted by Kang Seok himself.

How did he get this?

The Renaissance, an 8-story complex shopping mall with a basement level and 8 floors above ground. Now that it's in Seoul, the rent must be quite good, and its value must have skyrocketed.

'I wouldn't think he'd sell such a building...'

Kang Seok, of course, wanted to keep it for his personal collection, but this place was just finishing its renovation and was about to take off.

But how did he get it? How? Kang Seok looked at Park Seon-woo in surprise.

If he managed to get it, it couldn't have been with just money, right? Out of pure curiosity, Kang Seok turned his head.

Park Seon-woo was just smiling.

'Surprised, huh?'

But in his mind, a calculator was running.

Honestly, compared to the buildings in Seoul, the Renaissance Shopping Mall he had given to Kang Seok was a bit undervalued.

However, the fact that the 8th floor cafe Sistine is directly operated by the building and that it houses Kang Seok's work, which is drawing people like the Pied Piper, made the Renaissance Shopping Mall incredibly valuable.

Money naturally flows where people gather.

'It was a stroke of luck that those fools failed to buy it due to their pride as building owners.'

Anyone who knew a bit about art would have recognized the outstanding work on the 8th floor.

But as the renovation began when he was starting to gain fame, most businesspeople couldn't visit, and interest waned. A few quick-witted individuals tried to approach the building owner, but they failed to please him and were all rejected.

Thanks to that, it ended up in Park Seon-woo's hands without delay.

'What a stroke of luck.'

The building owner was an elderly gentleman, not a businessman, and was unfamiliar with the art world.

'I thought he'd never sell the 8th floor...'

The transaction went smoothly from start to finish.

All he did was avoid saying anything that would offend the building owner's pride, and it went smoothly.

It was really just a matter of luck.

If not, there's no way he could have bought it at a reasonable price.

Of course, if he said it was easy to get, it would make his efforts seem insignificant, so Park Seon-woo planned to keep the process a secret.

Park Seon-woo, hiding his true thoughts deep within as he had been trained since childhood, asked with a smile.

"I worked hard to get it. Do you like it?"

Kang Seok blinked at Park Seon-woo's question.

Do you like it?

Of course!

Kang Seok had an immense sense of ownership and pride in his works. So, bringing his works to the table for a deal was the best of the best.

Following the Seongbuk-dong mansion, the Renaissance Shopping Mall... It was a reality more dramatic than a drama, but it was truly incredible.

What could he possibly be commissioning?

Kang Seok, feeling both excited and worried, replied.

"I like it very much."

"Haha, very much?"

Park Seon-woo laughed and nodded.

It seemed he had successfully made a good first impression.

With his fingertips touching, Park Seon-woo looked at the clipboard Kang Seok was holding and spoke.

"As you might have read in the contract, we are commissioning a sculpture."

A sculpture.

Director Jin Doo-wook had mentioned this when he called, saying he wanted to commission a sculpture from Kang Seok.

Kang Seok nodded, encouraging him to continue.

Park Seon-woo cleared his throat and said.

"Indeed. I recently took on the construction of a new hotel for a SanKang Group subsidiary. There's an outdoor hot spring planned, and I want to commission a sculpture for it from our artist, Kang Seok."

Park Seon-woo smiled brightly.

A hot spring?

He thought they would ask for a sculpture to be placed at the hotel entrance or something... It was quite unusual.

Why would they need a sculpture in a hot spring? As Kang Seok pondered the hidden meaning, the quick-witted Park Seon-woo continued.

"Do you know about Article 9, Section 1 of the Cultural Arts Promotion Act?"

It was a question.

"......No?"

Kang Seok shook his head.

He didn't live by memorizing laws.

Park Seon-woo nodded, as if understanding.

"You know, sometimes there are large, incomprehensible sculptures in front of buildings, right?"

"Right."

They often lack any clear meaning, are not intuitive, have no explanation, and are poorly maintained. Some are excellent, while others are so poor that you wonder why they're even called sculptures.

Kang Seok's face, known for his critical and discerning eye for sculptures, crumpled.

Some people even argued that dividing art into levels based on fancy descriptions was meaningless, saying that you only see what you know.

A truly great work is good to look at and even more impressive when you understand its meaning, but Kang Seok clicked his tongue.

Sensing Kang Seok's rapidly deteriorating mood, Park Seon-woo quickly added.

"Sometimes, instead of sculptures, paintings or other art forms are placed in front of buildings... In any case, the reason art is installed in front of buildings is due to Article 9, Section 1 of the Cultural Arts Promotion Act."

"Oh, I've heard of it."

He really had heard of it.

The law states that anyone building a structure of a certain size must use a certain percentage of the construction cost to install and utilize art such as paintings, sculptures, or crafts.

Kang Seok nodded, remembering the law and the sculpture majors who once believed in a bright future.

"Yes. As expected, you know about it since you're an art major. Honestly, if the total floor area of each floor exceeds 10,000 square meters, art must be installed in front of the building. Most buildings just ignore this. So, if you spent 100 billion won on construction, 1 billion won must be spent on art. But the law has changed."

The law has changed?

He didn't know that.

Kang Seok raised an eyebrow.

At that moment, the faces of many sculpture major friends who once said the law would prevent them from starving flashed through his mind.

At least his art school friends were safe, and most of the students from Cheonghua High School had gone through a Buddha statue-making club, so they wouldn't starve.

He had heard that some were branching out into special makeup and 3D modeling, but suddenly, Kang Seok's mind wandered to worrying about the future of the children.

"How has it changed?"

"It was revised around 2011. Instead of installing art, now 70% of the installation cost can be paid to the Korea Cultural Arts Commission."

Director Jin Doo-wook added.

"The money is used for public cultural and arts projects, but because the usage is not transparent, there are many calls for the law to be changed. On the other hand, if the law is abolished, the art market might collapse, so there are also voices against changing it... It's a noisy law."

"Ah."

"Anyway, as our Director Jin mentioned, it's noisy for various reasons. When the owner of the SanKang Group reveals a direction, it becomes a signal."

It's difficult. Haha. Park Seon-woo chuckled and scratched his temple.

Suddenly, Park Seon-woo's smile turned into a straight line.

"I really don't like getting involved in such controversies."

His expression clearly showed his dislike.

"I have no interest in management battles or politics. I'm content with what I have, and I occasionally take on tasks my grandfather or father throw at me. I finish my work without getting criticized, sometimes even getting praised, and I occasionally stir up the loose management battles to keep my position. I maintain good relationships with my family and employees, and I'm content with watching performances and getting some rice cakes. That's me."

Kang Seok had a strange look on his face as Park Seon-woo spoke.

If he could do all that, wouldn't that mean he was really capable?

The thought was strange, but it didn't linger in Kang Seok's mind.

Park Seon-woo clapped his hands to lighten the mood, and the sound echoed.

"For that reason, I can't install a sculpture at the entrance or in front of our hotel. It might be seen as me making a political statement. I avoid such risks. And..."

"And?"

"The hot spring will have an additional fee, haha. As you know, the hotel business is prone to losses if you don't have various revenue streams. To make a reasonable profit and avoid criticism, I plan to make the hot spring accessible only with an additional fee. Especially, the prime spot for viewing your sculpture, Mr. Kang Seok, will be a super-special hot spring with an additional fee."

Kang Seok had a strange look on his face as Park Seon-woo explained.

The way he requested a deal was strangely similar to how Kang Seok always did it. Just as he thought it might be, Park Seon-woo laughed.

"Of course, I should benefit from your sculpture. I plan to give you 5% of the additional hot spring fee and 35% of the prime spot fee in the form of exhibition rights. Of course, the contract includes provisions for adjusting fees related to promotions and such... How does the contract look to you?"

Park Seon-woo picked up another sheet of paper from the floor and asked. The fountain pen in his hand gleamed.

Huh.

This is interesting.

Kang Seok's lips twitched.

This was the first time he felt such a good match.

Park Seon-woo, the youngest of the SanKang Group's owner family.

Kang Seok memorized his name and extended his hand.

"Let's sign the contract."

It was an offer too good to be true. Even as he thought that, Kang Seok grabbed the contract with his other hand instead of the fountain pen.

"I'll just check this first."

But Kang Seok, known for his meticulousness, carefully examined the contract to ensure it matched Park Seon-woo's explanation.

Park Seon-woo, who had been frozen with the fountain pen in hand, laughed. It was rare to meet someone who wasn't swayed by his smooth talk. Most people became friendly almost instantly when he gently probed. Ah, I really like this. Park Seon-woo's eyes sparkled.

"Mr. Artist, I really like you?"

A refreshing laugh filled the director's office.

Meanwhile, Kang Seok diligently read through the contract.

Director Jin Doo-wook and Manager Ryu Jeong-hyeong looked at each other with wide eyes, wondering what was happening.

* * * *

October 24th, that night.

Kang Seok was sitting in the living room of the Seongbuk-dong mansion, something he hadn't done in a while. After finishing dinner, he picked up a piece of fruit his mother had cut and placed on the table, but something felt off.

Kang Seok had a strange look on his face.

Was it because he was out of sync from working all night on the Yongshin Land project?

No, that wasn't it.

His parents were watching TV and laughing on the opposite side of the room.

"Dear, that's so funny."

"Isn't it? Oh, I didn't know that idol was so funny... Seok, what's wrong? Is the fruit not good?"

"No, it's not that."

Mrs. Baek Myung-hee, who had been leaning on the sofa, sat up. Her husband, Kang Hyun-do, who had been sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa near her knees, also turned to look.

"Son, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"Um..."

"Why? Is there something wrong with the contract you got today? Should I go and say something?"

Kang Hyun-do made a move to get up.

Kang Seok shook his head and looked up to the second floor.

He had an idea.

Kang Chae-young wasn't at the family dinner, which was a rare occurrence. Was she too busy with high school?

Kang Seok looked up.

There was no sign of movement.

Kang Hyun-do and Baek Myung-hee nodded, understanding Kang Seok's gaze.

"Is it because of Chae-young?"

"Is something wrong?"

Baek Myung-hee nodded, poking a piece of fruit with her fork.

"Something is wrong."

"What is it?"

Kang Seok's eyes widened. Was something wrong at school? She had been accepted into a prestigious high school, and things at home were going well, but who knew if there was any discrimination inside.

He had heard that the high school she attended in Seoul had strong regional biases and that students were treated differently based on their parents' income. These people! Kang Seok jumped up, ready to rush to the school dormitory.

Baek Myung-hee and Kang Hyun-do, alarmed, shook their heads, indicating it wasn't a bad thing.

"Our son really doesn't know, does he?"

"Really?"

"Chae-young is running a fan cafe for you."

"......What?"

Kang Hyun-do put down his cup.

"Fan cafe. She's running it with Yoon Yuran, the friend who visited the furniture store."

Huh?

Kang Seok's head turned to the second floor in disbelief.

.

.

.

On the second floor, in Kang Chae-young's room.

The keyboard clattered faster than a piano. Kang Chae-young was typing in English at a speed of 970 words per minute.

The content was about Kang Seok's new work at Yongshin Land, which would only be viewable by reservation. Since 70% of the fans were foreigners, she was also typing the content in English below the Korean text. Kang Chae-young's fingers danced gracefully over the keyboard.

On the brightly lit computer screen,

The number of cafe members displayed in the top left corner was reflected in her blue light-blocking glasses.

64,000.

78. 64,000 members