I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 179



Only Noblemtl

Episode 179. Big Wave (2)

“This is my first time doing a collage like this.”

“… … ?”

Su-hyeon, who was deeply engrossed in her work, raised her head and looked at the person who had spoken to her.

A woman who looked to be in her mid-30s to early 40s. She was dressed in a sophisticated, if not flashy, manner. Her gentle speech and gestures naturally gave off a sense of dignity.

“This is a city that has been compressed over decades, or even centuries.”

“That’s right. We only stay for a very short moment, but when we put the pieces together, we can see the big picture. It’s like seeing the past, present, and future all at once.”

As Soo-hyeon answered, the woman nodded and took a step closer to the artwork.

“It’s fun. It shows the city’s appearance like a relay, and at the same time, it reveals the time of the people the city has been watching.”

“That’s right. So this is a work that shows each other’s perspectives. The perspective of the city and the perspective of the people.”

Su-hyeon smiled and kindly answered the question about approaching the work in depth. Then the woman looked closely at the materials Su-hyeon used and asked again.

“Do you use photographs, drawings, and images created with the participation of the audience?”

“Yes. I’m going to decorate the blocks like this and then put up small buildings. I’m going to create another New York on top of this pedestal.”

“Since each side is different, you could probably rotate the blocks and use them?”

“That’s right. Every time you change it, the feeling of the sculpture will be new. That’s how I try to capture different perspectives.”

“Wow. Interesting. You can see the real face of the city through various combinations. Oh, if it’s past, present, and future, you can also infer things that have disappeared and things that will disappear.”

The woman who finished interpreting smiled brightly and shook her head.

“When can I see it finished?”

“Probably on the last day. I’m trying to pace myself so that the piece can be completed by the end of the art fair.”

Although the planning intentions are clearly evident, the work is only about 20% complete.

It was a stage where it was difficult for an ordinary person to even guess what it would become.

But who is this woman that she can see through the work so specifically?

Are you a writer? A critic? Or an art fair insider?

As Su-hyeon tilted his head, the woman turned towards Su-hyeon again and met his gaze.

“Watching the process of making this work will also be an important event of this art fair. Anyway, I should come here often. By the way, my name is… … .”

That’s when the woman was trying to take out a business card from her bag.

“Maria!”

A man running towards me with a very urgent voice.

To his surprise, it was Frankie.

“What are you doing here, Maria?”

Frankie called out to the woman, his large eyes trembling with anxiety.

I couldn’t help but follow Taylor’s booth, wondering what on earth was going on and how long this obvious provocation would last, but I was already quite shocked by the otherworldly bustling atmosphere of the booth and the crowds of people.

But when he saw his lover, Maria, a famous collector, chatting happily with someone at Taylor’s booth instead of his own, his ties to reason suddenly snapped.

“… …Maria?”

Meanwhile, Soo-hyun, who remembered hearing her name when she heard about Frankie and Peter’s bad relationship, although she didn’t know the details, looked at Steve in surprise at the identity of the woman in front of her.

Steve was also just standing there with his mouth wide open in amazement, but when he saw the Taylors members shaking their heads one by one, he knew that this Maria was indeed the Maria.

Anyway, the situation became more and more interesting to watch.

“I’m a collector. You’re not asking because you don’t know what collectors do at art fairs, are you, Frankie?”

Maria, who had erased her smile, answered coldly,

“But you broke your promise, Maria! Keep your promise! Keep your promise, Maria!”

Frankie cried.

***

I felt like I was watching a soap opera.

And that too from the VVIP seats.

Maria ignored Frankie cleanly and left, and Frankie roared like a wounded animal and staggered out of the booth.

What was funny was that the background music from Taylor’s booth was playing at that moment.

The music that Peter’s musician friend gave him was about love and breakups, which fit Peter’s work perfectly. And coincidentally, while Frankie was causing a scene, the music that was playing was a sad expression of a man’s feelings of betrayal after being told of a breakup.

The chorus was a repetition of the lyrics, “This is a lie, it’s all a lie,” which strangely fit with Frankie’s current situation and made me feel overly emotional.

Anyway, the Taylors who watched the unexpected drama breathlessly all had blank expressions on their faces.

“It’s like some kind of monodrama.”

Steve shrugged and muttered.

“By the way, what did Maria say earlier?”

Peter also shook his head and asked Soo-hyun as if he remembered something.

“That’s right. Maria! Maria talked to Soo-hyun for a long time.”

“I haven’t seen any writers who have shown interest in me lately.”

And the other friends also nodded in agreement and looked expectant.

“Well, Frankie barged in and it all fell through, but he did give me his contact information. He also said he’d come back again.”

When Soo-hyun showed Maria the business card she had received earlier, the Taylors all simultaneously let out an exclamation of “Oh.”

“As I said before, Maria was the one who brought Frankie, who was unknown, into Soho in one fell swoop. She’s a collector with a lot of influence. Even before Frankie, she’s discovered new talents and made them stars. So if you catch her eye, Soo-hyun, your life in New York will be easier.”

Su-hyeon tilted her head at those words.

“well.”

“uh?”

“I said it before. Peter, when you and Frankie were both famous, Maria chose Frankie’s work and supported it. Does that make you a little suspicious?”

“oh.”

“Hey!”

Taylors cheered and trembled with emotion at Soo-hyun’s words, which seemed to be on their side.

Peter’s expression was a bit awkward, though.

“Haha. That’s not it. Anyway, don’t take my words lightly. It’s clear that Maria is a famous collector who is currently dominating Soho. This is your chance, Soo-hyun.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

Soo-hyun said with a smile.

“It’s true that Maria has shown interest in my work. However, I’m not sure what she expects from it. She might be disappointed when she actually sees the finished work.”

“Hey. No way.”

“That’s ridiculous! That can’t be true!”

“Anyway, no need to get excited! And I don’t want to worry about that right now. What I need to focus on right now is how to complete my work.”

When Soo-hyun nodded in agreement, the Taylors eventually burst into laughter.

“Yes. Soo-hyun, what you said is right. Now that the fair has started, I have to do my best to complete the piece.”

“Well, now that we’ve come this far, Frankie won’t be able to bother us anymore. Let’s focus, focus!”

“Hehe. This much attention is focused on us, so it’s difficult. If we keep doing this and the topic gets more and more popular, then we’ll have a higher chance of winning the prize, and they’ll be the ones losing the bet.”

“But did you see Frankie’s face when he ran in earlier?”

“I saw it. I told you I thought there was a fire somewhere.”

“Hahaha! Actually, I was watching him before he found Maria. He came here thinking our booth was completely ruined, but when it wasn’t, he looked really flustered. What’s going on? Did someone use magic? He was completely panicking.”

Taylors laughed out loud, holding their bellies, as if it was a great relief.

The first day of the art fair ended with such a noisy incident.

“Help me here!”

“Oh, are you someone who wants to consult? Come this way.”

“Do you have that necklace from yesterday?”

“Today I’m going to show you something new.”

“Wow. This sounds fun too.”

The next day was no different.

No, rather, it added to it.

Taylor’s booth was packed with visitors as soon as it opened. It was the effect of word of mouth.

People who had experienced the fun exhibition and play the day before spread the word about the Taylors team, and a large number of new visitors and previous day’s visitors flocked in.

However, there is something different from the first day.

“There is no horse necklace mission today. Instead, I will show you how to trap the element of love.”

Instead of the sold-out hose necklace, Peter introduced a new item. And.

“Wow. Are you making blocks?”

“Looking at it this way, it kind of looks like Lego?”

“Are you trying to stack this?”

“That’s right. I’m going to draw each side and then when the blocks are complete, I’m going to stack them like this. Together, they’re going to create this little New York skyline.”

“It sounds fun.”

“Can I do it too?”

“Of course. Just draw or write down your memories of New York. When you’re done, give it to me.”

“Oh. Then just give me one block.”

“Give me some too!”

Su-hyeon’s work, which had raised many question marks on the first day, began to gradually attract people’s curiosity as the outlines began to be revealed.

Countless blocks, big and small.

What Su-hyeon had prepared were wooden blocks that had not yet been painted. She planned to draw various images and texts on them with pens and paints, and then stack them to create a model of New York. She planned to symbolize the city’s memories by putting each block with an individual’s history and memories.

A city of immigrants. The things that their dreams have created. The things that were lost and the things that were born. The things that have disappeared and the things that will disappear. The fragments of meaning became more diverse as the number of participants increased, and they also began to resemble actual cities.

Swish swish.

Sssssss.

The blocks drawn and stacked by many people looked like a tower of wishes or a giant pointillism work.

When viewed up close, each piece had meaning, but from a distance, it appeared as a large, three-dimensional work of art.

“It’s like a living thing.”

Steve, who was watching the work, said in admiration.

“It moves around and changes its shape. It looks just like a real city.”

“You could look at it that way.”

“But, Soo-hyun. How did you suddenly think of this kind of work?”

Steve shook his head.

“You mostly do paintings. Suddenly, an installation, and on a large scale. That’s a drastic change.”

“I was influenced by contemporary art, and sometimes drawing alone isn’t enough to express something. I was worried about how to fill that void, and I thought that if I tried something like this, I might be able to find the answer, so I tried it.”

“okay.”

Steve, who had been looking at Soo-hyun as if he was proud, reached out his hand.

“Give me one too.”

“huh?”

“I also want to complete a block. Please use my block in your work.”

“okay.”

It was when Soo-Hyeon nodded happily and handed over the block.

“Can I have one too?”

I heard someone’s voice behind me.

“Of course.”

Soo-hyeon’s expression, which had been lightly turning around, hardened in an instant.

Frankie and his two followers were standing there.

“I came to apologize because I felt like I looked ugly yesterday.”

“ah.”

Frankie smiled awkwardly at the sight of her recognizing him, then put on a normal face and apologized for yesterday’s disgrace.

Of course, there were some strange things.

The other members were like invisible people, talking only to Soohyun and apologizing.

“Do you have any business with me?”

Frankie laughed heartily when I asked him directly.

“Haha! As expected. You’re a kid on a different level. That’s right. I came here because I have something to tell you. Can you spare me a moment?”

Taylor’s impressions were distorted at the sight of that confident appearance.