I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 158



Only Noblemtl

Episode 158. Presence

“A month later? You’re leaving for a while, so are you leaving for good?”

When Soo-hyun asked back in surprise, Steve laughed and ruffled Soo-hyun’s hair.

“If you were going on a trip, you would have said you would go.”

“What, that’s disappointing. When did you decide?”

“I’ve thought about it many times. It was the same when I had school problems, and I can’t stay in Korea forever.”

Steve came to Korea on a whim because he missed his mother. At the time, Steve’s plan was to stay for a very short time, just to finish two or three paintings.

The journey that was supposed to take 6 months to a year at most became indefinitely longer after meeting Soohyun and her friends.

“I knew this day would come someday, but it’s still so sudden. A month later.”

Soo-hyeon said without hiding her disappointment.

Blue Sky’s first song was a bright song confessing love, and the second song was a sad ballad singing about a breakup.

Maybe it was because of the lingering feeling of the music. Steve’s words sounded more sad and regretful.

“When did you decide?”

When Soo-hyun asked, Steve shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“It was confirmed about two weeks ago. I applied to New York University and got accepted.”

“really?”

“Well, I don’t plan on going to school and studying hard like you. I just snuck in because they said there were some benefits for having a student ID.”

Steve added his explanation as he looked at me with a puzzled look on his face.

“New York is so expensive. The gallery offered me a place to live, but it was too small to work in. But I heard that if I got into that university, I could get a studio. So I applied.”

“Wow. But, you passed right away? Well, there’s no way you wouldn’t have.”

“Haha. Of course! If not me, then who?”

Steve lifted his chin and playfully grinned at Soo-hyun’s compliment.

“Anyway, congratulations.”

And Soo-hyun sincerely congratulated Steve on his good fortune in coming to her.

New York, the center of the global art market.

It was a privilege that only a select few artists could enjoy, laying the foundation for their creative work there.

Of course, Steve’s stage of activity was New York in the past as well, but all the circumstances and conditions were ahead of their time.

“thank you.”

Steve nodded slightly.

“And I feel sorry too.”

Steve looked around carefully again, as if he was trying to take in everything and remember it for a long time.

“Every moment I spent in Korea was so precious and I am so grateful. And I also got to meet you.”

“It’s the same for me too.”

“And Soo-hyun.”

Steve said with his signature mischievous expression.

“You hurry up too.”

“uh?”

“You’re not planning on continuing your activities only in Korea, are you?”

“ah…….”

“You’re also targeting the global market. You’re preparing well step by step.”

As Steve said, Soo-hyun’s next target was also New York.

It’s still a baby bird that’s just starting to walk, so I’m still trying to figure out when would be a good time to do it.

“That’s true. I plan to go there someday.”

“’Someday’? Su-hyeon, never underestimate yourself.”

Steve spoke strongly as if he had seen through Soo-hyun’s inner thoughts.

“You are one of the few artists I recognize. And soon more people will discover you.”

Steve persuaded Soo-hyun with confident eyes.

“So come to New York as soon as possible.”

“Haha. Okay.”

“I’m not just saying that. Hurry up, Soo-hyun. I’ll be clearing the way first.”

Steve tapped Soo-hyun on the shoulder.

“Steve.”

Soo-hyun looked at Steve like that and made a playful expression.

“You can’t just follow anyone who offers to buy you something.”

“uh?”

“Be selective about your friends. If they start chasing you around because they’re curious and excited about parties, there’s no answer.”

“what?”

“I heard that you’re a big party-goer, drinking idiot. I’m telling you not to come near there at all. Just stay locked up and draw, okay?”

“her.”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t interact with people. Do you know what I mean?”

Although I said it lightly, it was something I was genuinely worried about.

It’s a very common story in this industry that many emotional and stress-prone artists give in to temptation and end their lives.

“Soohyun. I’m talking about you.”

Steve frowned slightly.

“uh.”

“I’ve felt this way all along, but sometimes you sound like a grandmother.”

“what?”

“‘Hey, cold water is bad for your health. People need to keep their bellies warm. Working regularly at set times is the way to go for the long run, rather than working all night. It’s good to have fun, but you have to be careful not to become dependent on it. You have to constantly check if you’re in control of the situation and if you’re losing your balance.’ These are all things you told me. Do you remember?”

“Oh. Is that so?”

Su-hyeon smiled with an embarrassed face.

“Anyway, sometimes you act like an adult. Even though we’re the same age.”

Steve shook his head and looked straight into Soo-hyun’s eyes as he spoke.

“don’t worry.”

“really?”

“I won’t make any bad friends, and I won’t do anything to stray from my clear goal.”

“Haha. Okay. That’s right.”

“More than anything, I don’t want to look embarrassed when I meet you again.”

Steve, who had left those meaningful words, soon returned to his usual expression and patted Soo-hyun on the back.

“So, Soo-hyun, you have to take care of yourself until then. Send emails often, stay healthy, eat well, and grow tall. Okay?”

“of course.”

Before we knew it, the festival performances were in their second half.

As the indie band’s vocalist’s screams reverberated throughout the stadium, Soo-hyun and Steve sneaked out of the audience and returned to the art school bar where their friends were sitting.

That day we had a great time hanging out together, eating and drinking to our heart’s content.

Time passed quickly.

I spent my days faithfully seeking out good exhibitions, discussing artwork, and discovering new paintings and styles.

The promised month passed by in an instant, and one day in June, Steve left for New York.

***

“It’s strange.”

The summer of 1999 was a time when emotions were felt more intensely than ever.

Wheeing-.

When a strong wind blew, my heart was filled with an inexplicable sadness.

Mmmmmmm-.

The loud cicada noise dragged Su-hyeon endlessly to an unknown, deep place.

Swish-.

The sudden shower was as cold as winter.

Jjaeng-.

The summer air, which cleared up in an instant and radiated heat with fierce momentum, made me feel dizzy.

“This is a big deal.”

Su-hyeon muttered as she stopped writing.

I had to start a new task, but it was slow going.

My emotions, which had never wavered before, began to sway greatly, making it difficult to concentrate on the painting.

“It won’t work.”

Su-hyeon got up from the easel, walked to the kitchen, and slowly poured herself some coffee.

I was thinking of making a refreshing iced coffee by putting a few pieces of ice that I had frozen in the freezer.

Wow.

As I bit into the broken ice, my stuffy chest felt a little relieved.

“It’s a bit empty.”

I swear I never treated Steve with any kind of emotional attachment.

But after returning to the past, the absence of her friend who had always been by her side like air made Soo-hyeon feel even lonelier.

We can exchange emails and have short phone calls, but we can no longer visit and talk whenever we want.

The time when we shared the same emotions, saw vivid expressions, and shared our realizations was suddenly cut off, and so the past felt more precious.

“I’d rather draw this feeling.”

Su-hyeon sighed as she looked at the picture she had been drawing for a while.

Su-hyeon, who recently finished another painting of an expression to hang on ‘Up’, was starting a new work.

It was an expanded idea that arose while drawing a picture of a red frog during a class on the collection of works. I wondered what it would be like to draw a picture that contrasts objects and landscapes that are huge to some but very small to others, strong to some but vague to others.

Even when looking at the same object, the perspective of an eagle and that of a mole will be different.

A person walking and a person riding a train will remember the same scenery differently.

I had planned to capture those moments in a light and cheerful way, but it was difficult to draw them with the heavy and deep feeling I have now.

So, Su-hyeon thought, why not try drawing a different picture to match this feeling?

“Changes in emotions can also be incorporated into the theme of gaze.”

Su-hyeon nodded.

Even though we are the same age and deal with the same people, our feelings change from time to time.

As events and time pass, things that were important become insignificant, and things that were considered trivial become precious.

I closed my eyes and calmly followed the flow of my emotions, and I felt like I was going to catch something.

“First, I draw a lot of objects that contain memories.”

Su-hyeon muttered and opened her sketchbook.

I decided to decide on a character to be the subject and write down and draw things related to him as I come across them.

“In the first picture, let’s highlight things like the blanket, the stove, the paint, and the gloves. In the second picture, let’s highlight other things.”

The first person that came to Soo-hyun’s mind was Steve.

I drew objects from the time of my friendship with him in a haphazard manner, and once they were filled in, I created a composition and arranged them on the screen.

The first chapter focuses on objects that served as a medium for friendship in the past when physical distance was close.

The second chapter highlights objects and memories that have become even more precious now that they are far away.

“and.”

As I sketched, the picture began to take shape more and more specifically.

The picture drawn in Soo-hyeon’s head also became clearer and clearer.

“This looks okay.”

Su-hyeon muttered.

The two drawings were no different in their sketching process.

It was natural. Because the same object was drawn in the same location.

However, the coloring process was expected to be significantly different.

“Even for the same object, its importance and meaning change over time… … But how do we express that? How about controlling the degree of emphasis and omission through lighting? Yes, if we slightly change the color, the two pictures will take on completely different colors.”

A completed picture finally appeared in Soo-Hyeon’s head.

Objects from the past, filled with warm and fuzzy memories, all revealed their presence in a soft, warm tone.

On the other hand, the objects in the present moment, where there is physical distance, have a sad form with a lowered tone.

However, the current ones have become deeper, more intense, and more weighty than before, and have shown an undeniable presence.

“Where is the canvas?”

Su-hyeon looked around.

The emotions that were surging were gathered in one place, forming a shape, and that was being born as a new work.

Before losing this feeling, Soo-hyun had to quickly draw what she had caught.

Damn it.

I saw a newly purchased canvas sitting on the shelf in the studio.

Swish.

Su-hyeon put down the painting he was drawing and placed a new canvas on the easel. His eyes sparkled and he raised his hand.

Saaak-.

The sound of the pencil moving across the canvas was pleasant.

The summer air, which had been so hot that it had made Soo-hyeon even more lethargic, had become cool as he moved his arms a few times.

Click, click, click.

Su-hyeon’s studio was filled with the sound of the clock’s second hand moving at its usual speed, Su-hyeon’s light breathing, and the sound of a pencil being moved.

It was a moment of overwhelming inspiration.