I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 173



Only Noblemtl

Episode 173. Proof of Qualification (2)

Character and ability are not proportional.

So in society, bad people get plenty of opportunities, but when they show their true nature and tenaciously take root, the good people can’t stand it and leave.

The flow of good triumphing over evil is exclusive to novels. In reality, it is difficult for cider to explode, so bad people tend to rise to prominence and become successful.

“hmm…….”

In Soo-hyun’s eyes, the big guys at the hamburger shop also looked like that type of people.

At first, I guess you could tell by looking at the liver.

Then, because it seemed easy, he would have slowly crossed the line.

Even though his previous attitude was enough to prove his rudeness, Soo-hyeon decided to listen to the whole story a little more.

More than anything, I was nervous that they would be participating in this art fair.

If something bothersome happens, you should prepare a countermeasure.

Soo-hyun smiled coldly and urged Peter on.

“Tell me. What happened between you and them? How did you end up making that bet, and what did you bet on?”

Peter, who was munching on a hamburger, opened his mouth a few times and frowned.

“Where should I start? It’s been about a year since things started to go wrong with them.”

“A year?”

“Oh. Even though we were on good terms, things weren’t bad at first. But at some point, he started getting impatient because he couldn’t catch me.”

Peter and Frankie, who came to New York around the same time and started working, were said to be notable new talents in Brooklyn.

As a result, it has caught the eye of not only writers but also collectors and has been often discussed together.

It was a part that made me nod my head in agreement.

Frankie with his mirror work and Peter with his glass work. It would have been a good category to group them together.

“I was called here and there and I ran into Frankie more and more often. But I could feel that he was becoming more and more hostile toward me.”

“Without any special reason?”

“Oh. But I guess it was a girl problem. He’s not very social, and I’m not. And girls just really liked me. I told you. All the girls Frankie was interested in liked me.”

The Taylors members’ expressions hardened slightly as Peter shrugged.

Su-hyeon shook her head and asked the question again.

“So, you’re saying that, for some reason, you started to hate me so much that you even made a bet with me this time?”

“that’s right.”

“So what’s it about?”

“after.”

Peter looked around and stuffed the rest of the hamburger into his mouth. And then,

“Let’s move.”

This time, I gathered up the leftover French fries one by one.

“It’s hard to talk about it here. If those guys hear about it, there could be a huge fight.”

Across the table, the Frankie gang still sat haughtily.

Judging from the way we were giggling amongst ourselves, it didn’t seem like they cared much about what we were saying, but I could tell that Peter was concerned.

The other members nodded as well, and Soohyun and Steve got up from their seats and left the burger place.

It was Steve’s studio that we settled back into.

Considering the kids’ financial situation, we were looking for a place where it would be easy to talk, and also close to a hamburger restaurant, so we naturally ended up here.

“Anyway, Frankie has a complex about me.”

Peter said casually, grabbing a beer from Steve’s fridge.

The other kids pushed the tables together to make room and placed the remaining chips and cookies on them, and Steve brought out some more drinks and treated them to a meal.

“I can’t help it. Just as there’s no reason to like something, there’s no reason to dislike it either. When you see me, you might get annoyed because it reminds you of your miserable past. So you might wish I didn’t show up in New York at all.”

“That much?”

Peter shrugged his shoulders instead of answering, and Soo-hyun shook her head.

I thought about it again as I walked, and it seemed like this narrative had some holes in it.

Frankie is currently active in Soho. Peter is still living in Brooklyn, and even then, he was kicked out of his house because he couldn’t afford it.

But, he ignores and harasses Peter like this just because the women he liked in the past liked him?

Unless you’re a person with a huge personality disorder, it’s not a story you can easily relate to.

“Anyway, I’m sure he wants me to disappear from New York. That’s why he suggested we make that bet.”

But Peter’s faith was very strong.

“Yeah, I bet. Tell me about it.”

As Soo-hyun nodded, Peter finally opened his mouth.

“Actually, this art fair is important, but the real event will be held in a few months.”

“Real exhaust?”

“You know Rockefeller Center?”

Peter checked Soo-hyun’s common sense as a New York newbie.

“I know.”

Su-hyeon nodded briefly.

The Rockefeller family in the United States has absolute influence in all fields: politics, culture, society, science, medicine, and entertainment.

The Rockefeller family, who had amassed enormous wealth from oil, began building Rockefeller Center, a New York landmark, during the Great Depression.

Rockefeller Center is a collective term for 19 commercial buildings, each with a different function. It is famous for its gorgeous Christmas tree and skating rink, but it is also a constant topic of conversation for the huge art pieces that fill the plaza.

And it seemed like what Peter was talking about was this art project at Rockefeller Center.

“Installation art by famous contemporary artists is being erected in front of the GE Building at Rockefeller Center Plaza.”

As Soo-hyeon expected, Peter mentioned the Rockefeller Art Fund.

“Even though it’s an opportunity open to everyone, it’s usually the star writers who fill the stage, but this time there’s a small gap.”

“A gap?”

“They’re going to give a chance to really new talent to show off for just one season. I heard it’s a mini-project that was hastily put together because there was a gap between two big projects. Who knows? If you get picked for that, your status will change.”

The Taylors members also added to Peter’s words with shining eyes.

“When the mini-project plan was announced, there was a lot of chaos for a while. Any hungry newbie in New York was going to jump at it.”

“It’s a lottery with such a huge jackpot, there’s no reason not to buy it.”

“That’s right. It will be very tough because the competition is high, but it’s worth the challenge.”

This art fund will be evaluated in three stages through a competition that will be held starting in the summer, and the first stage will be to submit a plan for what kind of work will be installed on the square. Taylors was also planning to participate, of course.

“But Frankie tripped over that part.”

“That part?”

“So the bet is that the team that loses this art fair will not be able to participate in the Rockefeller Art Fund.”

“what?”

Soo-hyeon asked back with a bewildered expression.

How did I end up making such an emotional bet? The situation was like this.

“I saw Frankie a few months ago at an opening party for an artist named Jamie’s exhibition. I was hanging out with a bunch of people that day, and he came over and started a fight. He said he didn’t want to see any more artists like me polluting the New York art world.”

“what?”

“You’re pretending to be an artist when you’re just making fakes? That’s how you disparaged my work by extracting text. You’re saying that you’re just taking famous works and creating something for your own convenience. Anyway, jealousy is jealousy, but you don’t have to insult my work, right? I was so angry.”

It would be natural for an author to be angry when his work is criticized and insulted in a public place.

Soo-hyun gave Peter a pitiful look.

“I know you’re jealous of me, but I told you not to judge my work. But I said I’d understand if you were just being sarcastic. Then Frankie went crazy.”

Taylors also chimed in with the following remarks.

“That’s right. That caught my eye.”

“I was so angry at the words ‘jealousy’ and ‘sasi’. My face turned red and I screamed at the top of my lungs. And because of that, Jamie’s exhibition party was a total mess.”

“I’m really sorry for Jamie. He deserved to be congratulated.”

“But even if we’re sorry, I don’t think we should have been the first to leave. After we left, Frankie said something and Jamie became distant. He must have been cursing us out of context.”

“You deadly bastard.”

“I still get mad when I think about it. And now there are five Frankies. Where did they get all these identical kids to form a team?”

“Oh, that’s true.”

That day, Peter and Frankie had a fight at someone else’s party, and Frankie declared that she would also form a team to participate in the New York art fair that Peter was participating in.

And as a result, the losing team was provoked into giving up their spot in the Rockefeller Art Fund competition in the summer.

“But, that’s what a bet is.”

Soo-hyeon, who had heard the whole story, tilted her head and said.

“Shouldn’t there be some kind of reward when you win?”

“what?”

“compensation?”

“It seems like your bet only has a penalty. So the loss for the loser is clear, but there is no gain for the winner.”

“hmm?”

“Is that so?”

Peter and Taylor tilted their heads, then slowly opened their mouths as if they realized something.

“Soohyun. You’re really smart.”

“Wow, he really is a genius.”

“Why didn’t we think of that?”

Children who make troubled faces.

Su-hyeon let out a soft sigh without realizing it.

It seemed like there was more to this than Peter and the Taylors knew. But that wasn’t what mattered at the moment.

“Anyway, if you win, it’s over.”

Soo-hyun said refreshingly.

“Huh? That’s true.”

“Then, all we have to do is win.”

“Oh, that’s right?”

“Then let’s check one more thing. How do you decide the winner at an art fair? Since it’s a fair, do you decide on how much the work sells? Or on the price of the work?”

“Oh, I decided to be fair in that regard.”

Peter raised his chin and spoke with a confident expression, as if he was confident that he wouldn’t get in trouble for this one thing.

“It’s inevitable that Frankie’s work will be priced higher. He’s a well-known artist right now.”

“I guess so.”

“That’s why I decided to compete based on topicality.”

“Topic?”

“This art fair is a relatively small event, but it is receiving a lot of attention. It is a festival planned with great care by the city of New York, so the media is paying attention. That’s why there is a new organization.”

“An institution?”

“More Art is an organization that monitors the trend of visitors during the ten days of the art fair, and publishes a newsletter introducing popular works and featuring interviews.”

“Every day?”

“Yes. We’ll introduce every writer and every work at least once, and on the last day, we’ll select a few works and writers and give them awards.”

“ah.”

“Well, there’s no actual trophy, but you could say it has some symbolic value. Anyway, there’s the Grand Prix, the Special Award, and the New Star Award, which is given to works that have proven to be a hot topic.”

“So the winner is determined by who rides it?”

“yes.”

Peter nodded proudly.

At the same time, Steve and Soohyun met eyes.

Is it really okay to stay like this?

Even though it was a festival held in the city and a stage for newcomers, it couldn’t be completely clean and transparent.

Maybe Frankie’s influence can reach Moreart too.

However, it was a moment that made me realize how pure the artistic purity of Peter and the members of Taylors is, when they firmly believed that it would be a fair competition if it was reported in the festival daily newspaper.

But it couldn’t be helped.

The water is spilled, all that remains is to move forward.

And it wasn’t like there was no way at all.

Because we just have to win overwhelmingly without any negativity interfering.

That’s all you have to do to prove your qualifications.

‘It was nothing special.’

Above all, Soo-Hyeon was confident that he could do it.

Frankie’s work, which I received through Steve a few days ago, wasn’t as good as I had feared.

If it were a festival where you could see the public’s reaction rather than a few critics’, and if you could find a way to properly utilize that reaction, victory would not be difficult.