I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 168



Only Noblemtl

Episode 168. In New York (2)

“It’s not something you can just pass over just because it’s expensive.”

That afternoon, Soo-hyun met Steve again in a quiet cafe and excitedly told him about the day’s events.

“They say that the prices in front of Baekhyun Hyundai have gone up a lot, but even so, you can get a clean, secure one-room there for 400,000-500,000 won a month. If you’re a little far from the station, you can even get a two-room.”

In Seoul, you could get a decent studio apartment with a deposit of 500 and a monthly rent of 400,000 won. However, in New York, you could only get a house that was less than half that amount even if you paid twice that amount.

“Wait a minute. Soo-hyun. So you’re saying you saw a house in Manhattan?”

However, Steve, who was listening to Soo-hyun’s complaints, shook his head and confirmed several things on the contrary.

“uh.”

“Twice, too? There was Soho there too?”

“I told you so.”

Steve, who had been quietly watching Soo-hyun blink, burst into laughter, took out a notebook and pen from his bag, and placed them on the table. Then, like a New York senior, he explained the structure and changes of this neighborhood in a clear and concise manner.

“First, erase Manhattan from your mind.”

“uh?”

“Artists who first come to New York think of SoHo in Manhattan and think they have to live there, but it’s no longer a neighborhood for poor artists.”

“What does that mean?”

“So, did you know that New York is divided into Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island?”

Steve scribbled a map of New York on his notebook, marking each area.

“Oh, I know that.”

“The most famous one is here in Manhattan, and among them, Soho in Manhattan is famous as a city for artists, and that’s all a story from the 60s and 70s.”

“60s, 70s?”

“The reason Soho came into existence in the first place was because of the factory.”

Steve smiled and pointed out the window.

If you want to know the story, you must first go back to the origins of Soho.

“It’s the same now, but New York was famous as a port city during the early industrial era. There were a lot of factories. Then, as manufacturing declined, the factories around the port closed, so New York City leased abandoned factory buildings to poor artists at a low price. As a result, artists flocked to Manhattan, especially the Soho area.”

“I see.”

“The factory building is the perfect housing for writers. It has big windows, high ceilings, and even a freight elevator.”

“Yeah, it would be nice to be able to draw and transport the big picture.”

“that’s right.”

In Korea, too, a program will be created in a few years to lease closed rural schools to artists at a low cost.

Soo-hyun nodded, remembering that.

“Anyway, lofts were created by remodeling factories into apartments, and artists flocked there, so naturally galleries opened in the surrounding buildings. The problem was that bankers who were interested in art began to flock to this neighborhood.”

“ah.”

When I heard that far, I got the feeling.

It’s gentrification.

As underdeveloped areas develop and the middle class moves in, high-end residential and commercial facilities are built, and existing residents, unable to afford the high rents, move elsewhere.

That was something that Soo-Hyeon had witnessed several times in the past.

As Soo-hyun nodded, Steve continued speaking in a tone that was even faster than before.

“When bankers come into the studio to look at the paintings, they think, ‘This is really cool.’ Unlike a typical apartment, a loft converted from a factory allows you to design an open space as you like.”

“yes.”

Su-hyeon nodded, recalling the drama and movie she had seen before.

Come to think of it, lofts often appear in movies featuring successful New Yorkers as their main characters.

“Capitalists moved in one by one, thinking, ‘What if I live in a place like this?’ And as high-end fashion stores followed them, the neighborhood changed in an instant. Artists were kicked out in the late 70s and early 80s, and by the 90s, people couldn’t even think about living in Soho. The housing prices had gone up so much.”

“I didn’t know that and just wandered around Soho?”

When Soo-hyun shook her head, Steve smiled broadly while sipping his drink.

“Oh, but that’s unfair. What I saw wasn’t even a loft, it was a really small, shabby studio one-room. Wait, then where did all the artists go?”

Soo-hyeon asked, blinking her eyes.

“At first, I went to Chelsea a lot. It had a similar environment to Soho.”

“Chelsea? Isn’t that Manhattan too?”

“Right. Then, can you guess what happens next?”

“So Chelsea’s price has gone up a lot too?”

“That’s right. Of course, there are still hundreds of galleries in Chelsea, and there are artists working there. But if you look at it that way, there are still quite a few galleries and artists left in Soho.”

“That’s their world.”

“Yes. This is a story about some artists who have achieved great success, but it is still a neighborhood with high barriers for new and poor artists.”

Steve wrinkled his nose as if he found it amusing that even in the artist world there was a hierarchy.

“So, Su-hyeon. How about you cross the Manhattan Bridge and take a tour of the Brooklyn factory district?”

“Brooklyn?”

“I told you earlier. Writers often remodel factories and use them as studios. The next place they moved to after Chelsea was a neighborhood with a similar environment, and that was Brooklyn.”

“ah.”

“There are still houses in Brooklyn that you can afford. If you want to go to an art gallery in Manhattan, it’s only a ten-minute subway ride away, so it’s not too far.”

“subway…….”

Steve burst into laughter as he muttered, the rat tails he had seen on the platform lingering like afterimages.

“If you don’t like it, you can walk. If you go through the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s close to Soho. It takes about 30-40 minutes to cross the bridge. I’ve walked it a few times. Oh, and where I am is also Brooklyn Dumbo.”

And Steve recommended Dumbo, an area in Brooklyn.

“Dumbo?”

“Newcomers live in Dumbo or Williamsburg. It’s close to Manhattan and the security is relatively good. Many galleries have already moved in.”

“But can Dumbo be like Soho or Chelsea?”

“Of course, that’s possible. In fact, the housing prices in the Dumbo area have been quite high for the past two or three years. I wrote in my letter that when I first came to New York, I had a problem with accommodations. It turned out that it was a conflict caused by a landlord who wanted to raise the rent.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Anyway, Dumbo is still a place worth living in. Besides, it’s important to interact with artists. It’s not good to live far away alone just because the housing is cheap.”

“I think so too. I thought it would be good to go to a neighborhood where new people gather.”

“Yeah. And don’t worry too much.”

“huh?”

“New York City is actively protecting artists like never before. Soho, Chelsea. They’ve already been kicked out several times. There was a movement to build luxury mansions in Dumbo, but instead they’re making policies that allow for workshops.”

“So you’re saying things will be okay for the time being?”

Su-hyeon nodded and stood up.

“I want to go there once.”

“uh?”

“There’s no reason to go around looking for nothing. Above all, Steve, any neighborhood you recommend will be fine.”

“Hmm. Then let’s go together.”

At Soo-hyun’s words, Steve also stood up and pushed his chair away.

“Actually, I found out about a few places.”

“uh?”

“Sometimes, there are good dorm listings on the school bulletin board. Places where international students can live. I made a note of it because I thought you might need it.”

Steve flipped through his notebook and opened a page he had folded up.

There were traces of information such as address, contact information, and rent written in really small letters.

“You are truly the best.”

As Soo-hyun shook her head in admiration, Steve shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Of course. I told you to trust only me.”

***

DUMBO is an abbreviation for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and refers to the abandoned industrial area between the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge.

As Steve said, it was easy to get to Manhattan, and the neighborhood had some pretty charming corners.

In the past, there were many canneries and textile factories, so it had a structure that was ideal for creating artists’ studios and art galleries.

Of course, even so, there were places that Soo-hyeon could go to due to her financial situation.

“It’s a bit better.”

Su-hyeon nodded as she came out after looking at two properties.

After getting horned in Manhattan, I nodded my head in agreement that it would be okay if it was a little bigger and a little cheaper. However.

“I like the structure, size, and location, but the floors are the problem.”

“Right? It’ll be a struggle to move the work.”

The problem was that both places were on the 5th floor. Since there was no elevator in the building, I would have to carry a large canvas up and down the stairs, and even if it wasn’t the canvas, I thought it wouldn’t be easy to carry art supplies and various necessities.

“Well, there’s a next house too.”

Steve winked as if he understood completely and patted Soo-hyun on the shoulder.

“Actually, I’m most looking forward to the third house.”

“why?”

“It’s close to my house too.”

“Oh, really?”

“Well, the fourth one is also close. The third one is a bit closer.”

Steve stopped walking as he turned the corner and pointed to a building.

“There you are. Let’s go.”

Thanks to calling in advance, I was able to meet the manager right away.

We climbed up the building following the instructions, and Soo-hyeon had an expectant look on her face.

“Wow. It’s the second floor?”

This property was on the second floor. It was a house that was worth the extra points just because you only had to climb one flight of stairs. Steve and Su-hyeon smiled and nodded.

Crunch.

Su-hyeon came in through the door that the manager opened and looked inside and exclaimed, “Wow!”

“Is it really okay here?”

It couldn’t be said to be very good.

However, it was larger than the houses I had seen before, so I thought I could secure a space to set up an easel and paint even with minimal furniture like a bed and a wardrobe.

It would be difficult if there was a lot of work to do, but I would be going to school by then, so it wouldn’t be a big problem. Besides.

“The window is big.”

The large windows allowed plenty of light to pour in. Because it was a building on the main street, the view was not obstructed, and it was great for watching people passing by and the scenery.

“Hmm. Not bad, huh?”

It looked pretty good to Steve’s eyes, and most importantly, the price was reasonable.

“This is crazy. I said $800 for a one-bedroom.”

“Oh. Compared to Manhattan, it’s heaven.”

“Ha. It’s still a bit disappointing when you think about it in Korean currency, but this is America.”

“Yeah. It’s New York.”

“Okay. I’ll take this one.”

Su-hyeon nodded.

There’s one more place left to see, but I’ve already made up my mind.

“How long should I contact you?”

It was when Soo-hyeon was anxiously asking the manager about the landlord’s contact information and contract, worried that another tenant might move in while she was hesitating.

“Yaaaaaaah!”

A scream coming from somewhere.

“… … ?”

“… … ?”

Su-hyeon and Steve met each other’s wide-eyed faces in surprise.

Ta-da-da-dak!

At that moment, the sound of someone running urgently down the stairs was heard.

“Eww!”

And once again the woman’s scream echoes.

“what?”

“What’s going on?”

Is it a thief, or a robber?

Su-hyeon’s face hardened like stone.

Even in Korea, it would have been a scary situation. But in America, I was more afraid that a gunman might have barged in.

So I couldn’t find the courage to open the door.

Ta-da-da-dak!

Another set of footsteps was heard.

“Hey, you little scammer!”

A screaming woman was chasing someone running away, screaming loudly.

At the same time, squeak-.

Steve, who had been slightly opening the door to look outside, suddenly opened the door.

With him, a vivid scene that would last at least the next ten years came into view.

“You’re not standing there!”

A tall, skinny woman threw her shoe down the stairs, hitting the fleeing man square in the head.

“Ahh! Oh my, it hurts!”

The man screamed and clutched his head, and Steve opened his mouth in surprise.

“Peter?”