I Became A Renowned Arts Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 2
Slosh, slosh slosh.
While Soohyun was momentarily dazed, Yoonhee forcefully poured more soju and beer.
“Can you carry me later?”
“Me? Suddenly?”
“This seems like a bit too much to handle today…”
“Pull yourself together, Han Soohyun. Alcohol is about the mentality.”
Yoonhee said this, pouring both soju and beer generously into her own glass this time.
“Boss! Bring us one more bottle of soju and beer each!”
Watching Yoonhee raise her hand and place the order, Soohyun chuckled.
Yoonhee was a friend who resembled her greatly.
Once a genius, an artist who made a commotion in the world. Even the sudden downfall mirrored each other.
The good old days in art high school, when they were good at painting and sculpting, were days that were blurry and vague in their memories.
Nevertheless, having a friend to share days like this was something to be grateful for.
Soohyun glanced at Yoonhee, her gaze hesitant.
“What’s that?”
Yoonhee pointed at Soohyun’s bag placed across from her. A small box protruded sharply from the crumpled end of the bag.
“A Kim Minjun exhibition souvenir.”
“Oh?”
“They gave it to me when I was leaving.”
Soohyun shared more about the exhibition with Yoonhee. Not only were all the artworks sold out, but even the posters and brochures (books that compile the exhibition content with drawings and photos) were sold out.
“…You wanted to buy the brochure too?”
“Just that… I might not ever attend a Kim Minjun exhibition again.”
“Huh. It’s unbelievable, but it’s a shame. I wanted to see how much he copied your paintings. But I don’t want to go to the exhibition.”
“Anyway, everything was sold out, and I was just about to leave, but the staff gave it to me.”
It was oil pastels.
An elegant set designed with Kim Minjun’s signature and an image of his representative work.
“As an apology for the brochures being sold out.”
“Let’s take a look.”
When Soohyun took out the oil pastels from the bag, Yoonhee scrutinized them slowly, raising an eyebrow, and pretended to be emotional.
“Wow, he really made it big, Kim Minjun.”
“Right?”
“Creating a brand with his own name on the art supplies, isn’t he almost on the level of Holbein or Rembrandt?”
“Not quite.”
Yoonhee, who looked at Soohyun with a dissatisfied expression as she shook her head, spoke.
“Just use them all here. No, let’s just throw them away.”
“Huh?”
“I get annoyed every time I see it lying there. Am I wrong?”
“I didn’t think about it that way.”
“Deceive yourself.”
Soohyun chuckled softly as she watched Yoonhee’s temper flare.
“I’ll do it later. I’ll throw it away and send you a proof shot. Alright?”
“Whatever.”
Yeah, whatever.
As Soohyun, with a dry throat from the early morning awakening, stared awkwardly at the oil pastels still in her bag, she muttered.
“I forgot that I was going to throw them away.”
She shouldn’t have accepted them in the first place.
Even though it was a souvenir, she could have refused.
Let’s clean up now.
Soohyun reached into the bag and awkwardly took out the oil pastels.
Thud.
Perhaps due to the intoxication, she was enveloped in emotions she wouldn’t normally feel.
I want to draw.
I… I really want to draw.
Thoughts that hadn’t crossed her mind at all recently.
Perhaps the provocative nature of the daytime exhibition had something to do with it.
Or maybe she recalled too many old memories.
It felt like being possessed by something.
Swish.
Soohyun grabbed any piece of paper.
Swoosh.
She picked a color that pleased her.
Whip.
She drew lines coarsely.
Let’s do this,
“…!”
Strangely, she felt the return of a sensation she had forgotten.
The time when everything around her was fascinating.
The time when she was filled with a desire to give new meaning to all the beautiful things.
Soohyun had drawn many things busily. Day and night, all the waking hours, even until the moment sleep overwhelmed her.
It was fun and fulfilling.
The joy of finally bringing to life with her own hands the images that popped up in her mind, how much it filled her heart with excitement.
Soohyun had no choice but to draw, and draw again. As if she were born solely for the purpose of drawing.
Perhaps if it weren’t for the hospital’s misdiagnosis that could have led to the loss of her eyesight, if the disease that started at the right time hadn’t caused a significant misunderstanding, if her self-esteem hadn’t been shattered by the secret revealed after her father’s death, Soohyun would have continued pursuing art.
She wouldn’t have run away like that.
“It’s such a shame, really. It would have been nice if you had continued to draw.”
The words Yoonhee had offered when they parted earlier suddenly struck a chord in Soohyun’s heart.
Pitter-patter.
It wasn’t anything special, but…
“Huh? What’s wrong with me?”
Maybe because she was alone in the early morning.
Sorrowful tears fell onto the paper.
“Sigh.”
When the tightly closed emotional floodgate opened, it unleashed a storm of sadness.
There were times when even one difficult thing after another burst forth. It was too shocking to endure with just passion, so when she let go, she fell into an endless abyss.
Although the misunderstanding was later resolved, and she organized her feelings, it was already too late to return to her original position. Soohyun’s place had already been filled by someone else, and a new opportunity did not come.
Perhaps it was natural.
Her ability to draw was supported by the sponsorships, because her talent was discovered early. But all of this, she abandoned and ran away. She didn’t recover from a long slump, and even lost her own paintings. Who would be interested in her now?
She should have endured and persevered somehow.
If she had tried another hospital at that time, if she hadn’t been swallowed up by the wounds from her parents, she might have become the owner of the exhibition hall today.
“Sigh.”
It was a useless conjecture. Turning back time was an impossible task.
“It’s pathetic.”
Soohyun let out a disappointed laugh. The picture she had drawn with emotional intensity was truly dismal. Color, form, composition – every aspect was embarrassingly lacking.
While Kim Minjun progressed steadily, I’ve regressed so much. I can’t believe this is who I am now.
Reality was incredibly miserable.
“Why. Why?”
In the end, Soohyun burst into tears, her shoulders shaking.
She poured out hot sobs, expressing how she wanted to go back to that time, how she wouldn’t give up drawing no matter how difficult it was.
How long did she cry like that?
“Sigh. Come on, let’s just get some rest.”
Swipe.
She wiped away the remaining moisture roughly with her sleeve.
“…?”
The scenery in front of her had changed.
Was she not sober yet?
Was it a dream?
What is this… what’s happening?
In front of her eyes was a classroom.
Glistening sunlight streamed in through the windows at midday.
Squared.
Students sitting at their desks were busy, rolling their pencils.
“Han Soohyun. Have you finished already? Why did you stop and zone out?”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
Fwick.
When Soohyun turned around, her heart sank.
“Teacher Song Minshik?”
The place Soohyun was in was Sehyeon High School in 1995.
