I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 180



Only Noblemtl

Episode 180. Big Wave (3)

“As you can see, I’m a bit busy right now.”

Frankie’s brow furrowed slightly as Soo-hyun pointed to the workbench and spoke.

But the thirsty one digs the well, and the impatient one has no choice but to endure.

“So when can you make time?

Frankie raised his eyebrows, pretending to be calm, and tried to make an appointment.

“You don’t have to be wary. I have a good offer for you. I may have shown you my ugly side, but apart from that, your work is quite interesting.”

He also dropped a hint.

An expression that made it hard to tell how much of it was real. But it didn’t matter because she didn’t really care. Soo-hyun looked at her watch and calculated the time.

“If you don’t mind, how about lunch later? Our lunch time is from 12:30 for an hour.”

“Hmm. Then let’s meet then. Oh, the place is next to the central stage. You know that tent cafe? The coffee there tastes pretty good.”

“good.”

Frankie nodded as if he was satisfied with Soo-hyun’s answer and disappeared with his followers.

“What are they doing?”

“Soohyun, don’t you think it would be dangerous for you to meet alone?”

“Okay. Steve, how about you come with me later?”

The Taylors who had gathered around Soo-hyun were nervous about Frankie’s suspicious behavior.

“Nothing will happen. It’s just a temporary cafe set up inside the event venue, so what could happen? There will be a lot of eyes watching.”

“Well, there must be a lot of eyes watching. Oh, no way. Is that what you’re aiming for? Are you trying to do something in a place with a lot of people?”

“That’s right! I guess so! But why Soo-hyun? That guy has no connection with Soo-hyun.”

“Oh my! Maria showed interest in Soo-hyun. Isn’t that why she’s acting like that? Is she trying to hack you?”

Peter and his friends’ faces become serious again.

Su-hyeon shook her head as she consoled the excited children.

“Where are you thinking? Calm down. If you had planned on doing something, you would have done it when you got here earlier. I was the one who suggested we meet at lunch, and considering the location, there’s no other choice here. And if you’re all that anxious, I’ll ask Steve to come with you, so don’t worry. Don’t think about leaving the booth empty and secretly following us. Guard the booth. Got it?”

“okay.”

“Ah… Okay.”

“Then everyone, disperse to your seats. Spectators keep coming in, so do your work! Now! Move, move!”

As Soo-Hyeon clapped her hands and shouted, the Taylors quietly returned to their seats.

“Then let’s go together later.”

Steve also quickly said something and returned to his seat.

“Phew.”

Su-hyeon took a deep breath and focused on her work again.

‘New York’s gaze’.

Although it followed the same path as his previous works in choosing the theme of gaze, it was a very new work in terms of its method of expression.

The flat work became three-dimensional.

Another big change was that small images were stacked together to form one large image.

To be honest, Su-hyeon hasn’t been able to properly draw the form of the finished work yet. She has created a few images that will serve as a framework, but the overall picture will change depending on how the participants’ doodles are utilized, so she only has a direction for working in this way.

But that actually increased my anticipation and spurred me to work.

My body was moving busily because I wanted to see the finished product quickly.

‘After the event, I should also visit Jacqueline’s gallery.’

Jacqueline, whom I met by chance at a cafe in Soho.

This work, ‘New York’s Gaze’, was actually inspired by her story, so it was only natural to say thank you.

Besides, after this project, I started to think of some drawings I wanted to try. I wanted to show them sketches and have a comfortable chat.

Although she only saw him once, Soo-hyun often recalled the conversation from that day.

It was interesting because it was a story about a time that Soo-hyeon didn’t know about, but Jacqueline, who was humorous and eloquent, had a charm that drew people’s hearts.

Swish.

Su-hyeon smiled as she stroked the block depicting the New York scenery of the 1960s that Jacqueline had told her about.

And then I grabbed the next block and started sketching out another memory of New York. That’s how the morning passed busily.

***

“Over here!”

The tent cafe was quite spacious.

We put up a few poles and made a tent-like space with a few tables in it. The ceiling wasn’t covered with a solid piece of cloth, but rather with something woven like a net, so it was quite well-ventilated.

The nets were painted in a haphazard manner, giving them a hip feel. So, I guess it’s a feeling that’s perfect for an art fair.

Anyway, the cafe was packed because the exterior was evocative and it was lunchtime, but Frankie, who had arrived early and reserved a seat, leisurely raised his hand and called Soo-hyun.

“Would you like something cold? Iced tea? Coffee?”

Frankie looked somehow excited.

His excessive kindness overlapped with yesterday’s behavior, which made me question his emotional state, but fortunately, he immediately confessed his business.

“You said you were a guest member?”

“uh.”

“How long have you been in New York?”

“It’s been about a month now.”

“So that’s why.”

Frankie nodded as if he understood.

“I happened to know Taylors and participated in the art fair.”

“That’s true.”

“Is it because you’re still unsure that you came in as a guest member?”

“Well, you could say that too.”

It felt like he was leading the story in the direction he wanted, but Soo-hyun agreed that it wasn’t exactly wrong.

Then Frankie lowered his voice and said,

“If you think about the future, why don’t you get out of there?”

“what?”

“I think you made a mistake in judgment because you’ve only been in New York for a short time. You probably haven’t met the locals yet, so your options are limited. But you must have been attracted by the opportunity to participate in an art fair. But you know, there’s a class system here.”

Sigh. Frankie straightens his shoulders and makes an arrogant expression.

“Even this art fair is a low-level event compared to other events held in New York.”

Peter, who had also participated in such an art fair, looked down on the booths around him.

“It goes without saying that the level of participating collectors and galleries varies depending on the event.”

“But you also participated in this, which is said to be the lowest level.”

When Soo-hyun pointed that out, Frankie raised his eyebrows and made an exaggerated expression.

“I was invited.”

“uh?”

“The New York Big Wave Art Fair. It’s a new event, but it’s an event that was created with a budget to grow in New York City. So it’s natural to invite artists and galleries that will be a hot topic. That way, it will attract customers and famous collectors will show up.”

“… … .”

If that were the case, it would be even more ridiculous.

The person who caused the hose incident, the live soap opera, and the event’s deterioration was the one invited to raise the prestige of the art fair.

However, Frankie, who misunderstood Soo-hyun’s silence as a sign of approval, maintained his arrogant attitude and made a serious proposal.

“I’ll ask them to give you a separate booth.”

“what?”

“There’s no reason for you to come out using the name Taylor. You’ve never worked with them before, and I don’t see any commonality between his work and yours.”

And Frankie threw another one out as a gesture of goodwill.

“The seat is next to my booth. C-5. It’s the center of the event.”

“Do you think I’d fall for anything you say if I were a novice in New York?”

Finally, Soo-hyeon couldn’t hold it in any longer and opened her mouth.

“what?”

“Even though it’s a new event, this art fair is an event that many people have been preparing for for a long time. So, you’re saying that one more booth can be set up just because of something you, a mere artist, say?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“I know, even though I’m a rookie in New York, that you and Peter aren’t on good terms. But that past has nothing to do with me, and I don’t want to be involved in the future, so I hope you don’t try to involve me in that.”

Su-hyeon got up from her seat.

“under.”

Frankie shook his head and raised both hands.

“You’re more impatient than you look. I was going to split up the seats next to mine. It’s up to the people in the booth to decide how to split up the already assigned booths.”

“That would be even weirder. So, I’m telling you to get out of Taylor’s and join Frankie’s team.”

“Why is that strange? Everyone can see that our team is doing better and more recognized work?”

“But you guys are cowards.”

“what?”

“You’re afraid of Taylors. That’s why you keep making childish interferences and trying to shake up one of the members right now.”

“Me? Me? Afraid? I don’t care about Peter.”

“Really? But what should I do? You seem really scared.”

“under.”

Frankie, perhaps thinking that it would be difficult to persuade, wiped away his smile and frowned.

“Okay. You might be suspicious. Well, there’s a stake in this fair, so the timing was a bit inappropriate. So let’s do this. Be a guest member of Taylors during the art fair. And then observe and feel them properly.”

“what?”

“If you experience it, you’ll realize they’re not as nice as you think. Peter, in particular, is a guy who has a good laugh and is good at hitting people on the back of the head.”

Frankie smiled bitterly.

“If you’re the type of person who has to experience it to accept it, then well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it out. However, I have no selfish motives in recognizing your potential. Of course, I trust Maria’s perspective more than mine.”

Frankie also stood up and ended the conversation.

“So, after you know their true identity, if you ever think of me, come see me. I’m more than willing to introduce you to a world of another level.”

Frankie extended a hand for a handshake.

“I was just concerned that a decent rookie appeared next to a worthless guy. I’m not trying to use you, but I didn’t want to see a rookie like you being used. You may not understand what I mean 100% right now, but you will soon. People don’t have just one side.”

At this point, Soo-hyeon became curious about the story of the two people he had no interest in before.

I always thought he was a bad guy and a rascal, but did Frankie have his own sense of justice and reason?

Well, as he said, people are three-dimensional. There might be something there.

Soo-hyun lightly grabbed Frankie’s outstretched hand.

“If what I am thinking is a misunderstanding as you said, I hope you will be careful not to let the misunderstanding deepen. This is a place where many people’s expectations and efforts are put into. Let’s not get in each other’s way so that we can each unfold our own artistic worlds.”

“Of course. I was short-sighted too. Well, let’s meet again next time.”

Frankie waved and turned around with a look of indifference on his face.

“What a strange guy.”

Soo-hyun muttered, and Steve, who had been watching the two from a distance, slowly approached them.

“So you’re going to just stay quiet for now?”

“They say so, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Don’t worry too much about it. There are many other kids with strange personalities besides them. There’s no need to list them all and react to them.”

“Yeah. First of all, the important thing is fair.”

Steve and Suhyun turned around and headed back to the booth.

And then Frankie, who was walking slowly on the other side of the road, quickly turned around to check the backs of the two, and then made a phone call to someone.

“I’m on my way out after meeting you.”

Frankie reports with a serious face.

“Yeah. As expected, Steve came with him. Anyway, we talked about it. It’ll be hard right away, but if we face reality, he’ll come over to us. Maybe Steve will come with him too.”

Frankie bit his lip and asked cautiously.

“So now you really aren’t interested in that side? Because there’s no reason to be interested anymore.”

Frankie sighed in relief after hearing the answer.

“Yes. Thank you, Maria. For keeping your promise.”