Chapter 95

95

* * * *

"Draw, Antonio. Draw again, don't waste time."

— A quote written by Michelangelo on a copy of a sketch made by his student, Antonio Mini, who was imitating his master's work —

* * * *

"…Huh? What are you combining?"

"These two."

"Hmm?"

"I told you. This work is one and two at the same time."

There was one important fact.

The live streaming that Kang Seok had turned on was still ongoing at that moment.

Of course, considering the loud noise of sculpting, the microphone was turned off as usual.

What was shown on the live stream was only Kang Seok pointing at his work through the camera and Yang Seon-gu's surprised reaction.

People in the chat were asking what they had said to Kang Seok, but of course, their questions couldn't reach Kang Seok and Yang Seon-gu, who were in the middle of a conversation.

"…Well, I can contact them, but it's late today, so it would be better to do it early in the morning. Is that okay?"

"Yes, it's not that urgent, anyway."

"Right, right. Well, those people wake up early, so the message won't be delayed. So, is this finally the completion today?"

Kang Seok stroked the grinder in his work bag, which was placed on the floor, and put down the hammer and chisel. He nodded up and down, indicating agreement.

"Yes."

Kang Seok wiped his sweat-soaked forehead and neck with a towel and looked at the sculpture.

"For now."

With a sigh, Kang Seok walked over, still wearing his work clothes, and roughly combed his sweat-soaked hair. He turned the camera and turned on the microphone.

The built-in microphone of the camera started absorbing the surrounding sounds. Although Kang Seok couldn't hear it, the chat was rapidly filling up.

Kang Seok bowed slightly towards the invisible chat and began to speak.

"Hello, this is Kang Seok. For this work, I drew inspiration from the story of a fairy and a woodcutter. The title is … It will be exhibited in the outdoor hot spring pool of the new hotel [Bakya] being built by San Kang Group. I hope many people will come to see it."

The chat was filled with people admiring the work visible behind Kang Seok's face, people admiring Kang Seok's face, and people asking questions they had been curious about, as well as people trying to get Kang Seok's attention.

However, it was too tiring for Kang Seok to answer each one.

Exhausted from pouring all his energy, Kang Seok tried to maintain a friendly expression and wrapped up the broadcast.

"Then, I'll see you again on the next live stream."

With the final greeting, the broadcast ended.

Yang Seon-gu approached, praising his hard work.

In his hand was a waterproof tarp.

There was no news of snow, but the weather in South Korea was notoriously unpredictable. Yang Seon-gu said he would cover it with the tarp and suggested Kang Seok go to bed early, waving him towards his room.

Late at night.

Kang Seok bowed several times, thanking Yang Seon-gu, and entered his room. His face touched the thick cotton blanket. The room was already warm, and the heat seeped into his cold face.

It was good.

In the dark room, Kang Seok crawled into the blanket like a caterpillar and closed his eyes.

It was a peaceful night.

* * * *

January 1st.

A new year, early in the morning.

Kang Seok, leaving his sweet sleep behind, was lured outside by some rustling sound.

Although he didn't feel like he had slept for long, Kang Seok felt strangely refreshed, as if a layer of grime had been peeled off.

Creak, stepping onto the porch, he saw Yang Seon-gu, dressed in a peculiar way that wasn't quite traditional Korean clothing, swinging a wooden staff around in the yard, which was still filled with the night's atmosphere.

"…Teacher?"

What are you doing? Swallowing the rest of his words, Kang Seok looked at Yang Seon-gu. Yang Seon-gu, without a trace of embarrassment, smiled like a sage and answered.

"I'm going to watch the sunrise. I heard from the people in the lower village that the view from that low mountain is amazing… Hmm. So, do you want to go together since you're up?"

"Watch the sunrise?"

"It's a new year, so it would be good to see it. You've finished your work, and it would be a good time to take a break… Don't you want to?"

"No, no. Well… let's go together."

Kang Seok, dressed in sweatpants, slowly walked over. Yang Seon-gu, pleased, said it was good and decided to bring the cookie box on the floor.

Kang Seok, who hadn't planned to go hiking, set off with Yang Seon-gu.

.

.

.

The so-called "hike" was just a quick climb up a low hill, and before he knew it, they were at the top.

Sitting on a crude bench on the strange hill, Kang Seok looked ahead. The view was good, justifying the effort to bring a pencil and drawing book in a hurry.

"It's nice."

It was a good decision to come.

Yang Seok, eating the cookies Yang Seon-gu had hurriedly opened, looked ahead. Waiting for the sunrise to slowly rise, Kang Seok took a bite of a cookie. It was sweet. The matcha-flavored cookie, with large white chocolate chips embedded, was crunchy. Kang Seok tilted his head.

Now that he thought about it, where did Teacher Yang Seon-gu get such cookies?

Kang Seok used to hold a piece of bread or a cookie in his mouth while working, as it was convenient to eat and didn't interfere with his work.

But it was surprising that such cookies and bread were always available in this remote mountain village.

There didn't seem to be any confectionery shop selling such cookies nearby… Kang Seok looked at Yang Seon-gu with a curious eye.

"Teacher, where do you get such cookies?"

"Hmm?"

Yang Seon-gu, who was eating a cookie, stopped and asked in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"Cookies. There were always a lot of bread and cookies when I was working…"

"Oh, you mean these?"

Yang Seon-gu stroked his beard, looking surprised.

"I thought you were so focused that you wouldn't remember. It wasn't me, but your friends and others. Jo Dong-beom. That Jo guy brought them."

"…Really?"

"That guy often brought cookies and bread he made himself. This cookie was also made by Jo Dong-beom, I heard. He said he would take good care of you… He came several times, but you didn't remember."

How could someone be so focused.

Yang Seon-gu whistled in admiration.

Kang Seok, surprised by Yang Seon-gu's words, looked at the cookie.

Kang Seok had always been the type to lose all sense of his surroundings once he focused. Everything disappeared from his view, and he was completely unaware.

'…Jo Dong-beom brought this…?'

Kang Seok, holding the cookie, recalled the face of Jo Dong-beom, whom he always called "teacher." He had always thought it was impressive that an older person could be called "teacher" so respectfully… Then, a face of a boy who looked very similar to Jo Dong-beom, smiling, flashed through his mind. It wasn't a face he had seen in this life. It was from his previous life, a face of a relationship that was long if it was long, and short if it was short.

Antonio Mini.

Around 1522, the face of the sunny boy Antonio Mini, who came to learn sculpture, flashed through Kang Seok's mind.

'Students are truly…'

Kang Seok felt a strange emotion and smiled. The sun was rising gradually.

The world seen with his reddish-brown eyes was impressive.

The snow piled up on the dark brown ground looked like a white sea, and the red and yellow sun rising in the sky, which was turning from gray to clear, resembled a flower floating on the sea.

"It's beautiful. The people in the lower village weren't lying, were they?"

Nodding in agreement, Kang Seok picked up his pencil. While watching the sunrise, he drew peonies on the drawing book without hesitation.

Peonies viewed from above.

Peonies viewed from below after picking the flower.

Peonies viewed from the side.

Peonies viewed from a diagonal angle.

'When I think about it, Director Jo couldn't spread the petals thinly.'

Kang Seok, drawing the fluttering petals from various angles, managed to fill all four pages with flowers before the sun was fully up.

'If I go to Seoul, maybe I can lend this as a teaching material…'

If I draw this a thousand times, I'll improve. Thinking this, Kang Seok tapped his knee with the pencil.

'How much did the sketches I drew in my previous life sell for?'

The sketch of a mourning woman sold for 8 million dollars at an art auction in 2001. That would be about 102.32 billion won at the exchange rate of that time. Hmm. It's better to lend it first.

Kang Seok, thinking about the sad ending with Antonio Mini, rolled the pencil around.

In his previous life, he had many students and had to see many of them leave, but the end with Antonio Mini left a bitter taste. Kang Seok took a deep breath.

Jo Dong-beom strangely reminded him of Antonio. He was living a very different life from his previous one. Could this time have a different ending?

Thinking this, Kang Seok slowly got up from the chair.

The sky was now blue, and the sun was still red and yellow.

It was an impressive color that wouldn't be easily forgotten.

The first day of the new year, now that he was twenty, started like this.

* * * *

As soon as he came down from the hike, Kang Seok contacted Park Seon-woo, telling him the sculpture was complete and to come and see it.

Park Seon-woo, along with Jin Doo-wook, the museum director, and Ryu Jung-hyung, the manager, came to Yang Seon-gu's hanok house not long after.

It was January 3rd.

Considering that the end of the year and the beginning of the new year are very busy times for businessmen, it was an incredibly quick arrangement.

"Our artist Kang Seok! It's been a while!"

"Mr. Park Seon-woo, it's been a while."

Park Seon-woo, with a refreshing smile, hugged Kang Seok's shoulder. Accepting the Western-style greeting, Kang Seok led Park Seon-woo and his group into the hanok.

"Mr. Kang, it's been a while."

"Mr. Kang, I'm here too."

"Mr. Ryu, it's been a while. Director Jin, it's been a week for you."

Director Jin, who came today thanks to Park Seon-woo, seemed to want to talk about something else, giving Kang Seok various looks.

"Ha ha. Yes, that's right. Mr. Kang… Could we talk for a moment later…"

"Talk?"

While they were talking, Park Seon-woo and his group were slowly led to the work. Park Seon-woo, pushing aside Director Jin, who was continuously trying to get his attention, took the seat next to Kang Seok.

"I was surprised you contacted me earlier than the deadline. Our artist Kang Seok is really…, I match so well with him. I want to keep working together."

Since there was time from the entrance to the yard, Park Seon-woo chose to focus on Kang Seok rather than the unseen work.

"If there's an opportunity."

Kang Seok, slightly avoiding, smiled at Park Seon-woo. At that moment, Park Seon-woo, as if he had expected it, took out a white paper with a playful smile. Kang Seok's eyes lit up at the thick stack of contracts in an L-shaped file.

"Is this…?"

"Yes, it's the contract."

Park Seon-woo, without hesitation, handed the documents to Kang Seok.

"Before even seeing the work?"

"Since it's before seeing the work, it has more meaning, doesn't it?"

Park Seok-woo laughed.

The fact that Kang Seok had completed the sculpture… meant that a work that Kang Seok was satisfied with had been created. In such a situation, what would a businessman gain by judging the value of the work? The value of the Kang Seok brand and the fact that Kang Seok's work was acquired were significant.

Moreover, the work had been consistently checked through live streaming. It was already more than satisfactory. Therefore, Park Seon-woo thought it was better to give the building contract, which he would give anyway, and gain some points.

"The transfer tax issue has also been resolved cleanly. If there are any issues with acquisition tax or property tax…"

Park Seon-woo, trailing off, received a smile from Kang Seok.

"Don't worry, it's fine."

The time of worrying about not being able to pay taxes was over. Park Seon-woo nodded at Kang Seok's faint smile.

"That's a relief."

Park Seon-woo, looking at his empty hand, pursed his lips.

A 8-story building in the heart of Seoul, the Renaissance Shopping Mall. The idea that a young man who had just turned twenty a few days ago would own such a building was incredible.

The world is truly… Of course, Kang Seok was fully qualified to own this building. After all, this is a capitalist world, isn't it?

More than that, Park Seon-woo was scared.

Kang Seok's talent, which allowed him to rise so fearlessly and surpass the wealth allowed to Park Seon-woo, was scary.

This must be what real talent is.

Thinking of his relatives who boasted about learning art with money, Park Seon-woo let out a deflated laugh.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed Park Seon-woo's mind.

"Ah, by the way, I learned through Director Seol Ye-jin of the Peony Gallery… that you've leased the entire 7th floor. Do you have any plans? As the former owner of the building, I'm quite curious… Can you tell me?"

Between us, can you?

Park Seon-woo, with a playful expression, poked Kang Seok's side. Ryu Jung-hyung and Jin Doo-wook, who had stopped walking, turned around.

They also looked curious.

"Ah."

Kang Seok smiled.

"Well, I thought I might open a gallery."

The 7th floor.

Kang Seok planned to make it his playground.

96. I'm working here as usual.