I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 181



Only Noblemtl

Episode 181. Puppet

Maria hung up the phone roughly, as if she was annoyed.

“who is this?”

The red-haired woman sitting across from me asked with curious eyes, as if her reaction was unexpected.

“Frankie.”

Maria gave a short answer to the question.

“Frankie? Oh my gosh, Maria. How long are you going to keep him?”

Maria shook her head as the red-haired woman frowned.

“Well, it’s still proving its usefulness.”

“Useless? Does this mean Frankie’s slump is over?”

This time, a woman wearing dazzling jewelry tilted her head and asked.

“Even if it’s not a work of art, there are other ways to recover the investment made so far.”

The two women exchanged glances at Maria’s meaningful words and then changed the subject again.

“Oh. Did you hear that there’s a vacant store in Soho?”

“You mean the place where Hannah’s cookie shop used to be?”

“That’s right. It’s pretty big there. The ceiling is high too. Maria, it’s exactly the image you were looking for.”

“I was already looking around. Joshua told me about it.”

“Oh, really? What did you decide to do?”

“I’m thinking about it. It’s accessible, but the scale is a bit disappointing.”

“You’re looking for a bigger place?”

“Installations are bulky. They need a lot of space. Of course, they’re not bad now, but if you think about the future, they need to be bigger than Jacqueline’s J-House.”

“That’s right. If you think about your ultimate goal. Anyway, it’s cool. Maria.”

“Yes. Your new business will do well. Your gallery will surely become the most famous gallery in Soho.”

“Hehehe. Thank you.”

Maria answered with a fake smile and lightly got up from her seat as she received a phone call.

Maria, who plans to open her own gallery in SoHo, Manhattan, with the insight, connections, and financial resources she has accumulated as a famous collector, has been very busy these days, looking at buildings and artworks and meeting artists and collectors.

Meanwhile, at the New York Big Wave Art Fair.

Frankie returned to the booth, biting his lip nervously.

As things turned out this way, a past I didn’t want to remember began to come flooding back to me.

Where did it go wrong?

As I looked back on the past, the events of the past few years unfolded in my mind like a film.

When I first came to New York and showed my mirror work.

When you live in a cramped room with rats and chew on hard bread.

It was a time when winter was in my heart all year round, and I was eagerly waiting for spring to begin.

Fortunately, the ordeal was short.

It’s been just over a year since I arrived in New York.

Frankie really became famous after working on a display for a clothing brand in Soho.

-That’s Frankie. Frankie from the mirror work.

-Oh my goodness. Are you talking about the author of ‘Red Self-Portrait’ and ‘Discovery of the Self’?

-I bought the limited edition one there. You know the one with the mirror image on both sides?

The mutterings were all something that made me shrug my shoulders.

Many people showed interest in his work, complimented him, and did not hide their anticipation. Wherever he went, more and more people recognized him.

I felt an adrenaline rush as I was mentioned alongside the names of promising players I had heard about before coming to New York.

Then one day.

“This is my first time doing something like this.”

A woman approached him with interest. She was Maria, a fantasy figure known as a rope to newcomers.

The protagonist of the rumor is that no matter what kind of slump you are in, if you just grab the hand she extends, you can instantly enter high society. It was Maria who showed interest in her work and approached her first.

“I’d like to buy this piece, who should I talk to?”

Frankie felt dizzy and embarrassed at those words.

I was so excited that I was chosen by a famous collector that my work became breathless, but I was also embarrassed that I didn’t have a person in charge or a gallery that could handle this kind of thing for me.

But Maria nodded as if she had already read everything in Frankie’s hesitant face.

“If it’s okay, I’d like to purchase this piece and your next one as well.”

“But the next work hasn’t been created yet.”

“That’s why I’m buying it. I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

That day, Frankie flew in the sky.

I was impressed with myself for not giving up on art even in such a hellish environment and for running away from home to New York.

Look, Mom. Look, Dad. How Frankie, a good-for-nothing, becomes a star in New York.

That day, Maria’s public choice changed Frankie’s position completely.

Peter, who was also mentioned as a notable newcomer, remained a potential newcomer, but he himself became a monster newcomer who entered Soho overnight.

In this way, Maria opened up a new world.

Living a glamorous life, I naturally met rich people and celebrities from all walks of life, and as I gained their support, I often received good offers.

Approaches from major galleries, but Frankie turned them all down.

This was because I had already decided to continue working by Maria’s side.

I even fell in love.

“ha.”

Frankie frowned.

So far so good. A typical story that could easily have a happy fairy tale ending.

But the story that followed was not smooth at all.

A few months later, Frankie overheard Maria talking to her friend and realized that she had a different reason for approaching him, and that she regretted it.

“Somehow, Jacqueline, the old fox just watched intently and didn’t come forward. He wasn’t sure.”

“You were in a hurry to get the first one because you were afraid of competition?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’ve had fun doing it that way a few times.”

“Good. You’ve had your fun several times, as you said, so you haven’t lost much, right? Don’t worry about it. Anyway, with your great eye and enormous wealth, Maria, your influence in Manhattan is beyond imagination.”

“No. Even if you can somehow cover up a mistake once, if you make another mistake, your reputation will plummet in an instant. That will also affect my goals.”

As it turned out, Maria had been gaining fame by quickly approaching new artists who were being watched by Jacqueline, a famous person in the art world whom she had been keeping an eye on, and creating a buzz to promote their works and artists, and Frankie was just one of those tools.

If I had to point out a difference from other writers, it would be that they are treated as failures with poor cost-effectiveness.

“Anyway, it’s not fresh. I expected the young girl to have a lot of energy, but this is not even up to the standards of the 60-year-olds.”

“Haha. Where is that comparison? Since the old people have nothing more to enjoy in life, they have no choice but to devote themselves even more to their work. There is a sad reason why they are more active in their work than those in their 20s, I’m telling you.”

“Ha. Anyway, I’m going to try to distance myself from Frankie.”

“Yeah. If you cut it off right now, it’ll backfire. You’ll just end up being the butt of gossip. Besides, Frankie’s totally into you right now.”

“That’s the problem. Now everything I do with her is no longer fun.”

“But be careful. When a kid like that has his eyes wide open, he can’t tell right from wrong. Jason was like that back in the day.”

“Let’s not talk about that. It’s not a good memory.”

The fall was extremely painful.

Even if you were used as a tool for competition, it’s no longer useful.

So Mom and Dad were right? I’m still a useless Frankie?

Shock led to wandering, and wandering led to a slump.

But it was something that could not remain constant forever.

Frankie ran to the place where he heard the rumor and saw Maria approaching Peter with his own eyes.

At first, he only warned Peter.

He smiled faintly and told her not to worry, saying he wasn’t interested in her, but they were caught together three more times after that.

Eventually, Frankie revealed to Maria that he knew everything and begged her not to show interest in Peter, saying that he would get her the new girl she wanted.

Frankie and Peter.

Mirrors and glass.

In some ways, these two artists work in similar categories.

Around the same time, he made his name known and caught Maria’s eye first.

But what if now Maria changes course to Peter?

What will become of my standing in New York? Frankie will be branded a shiny star.

Now that he could no longer sell his work to the galleries that had rejected him, and with nowhere to go and being forgotten, his life as an artist was over. Frankie became desperate.

It was around that time that I decided to get Peter out of New York and divert Maria’s attention elsewhere.

“If you bring that rookie named Su-hyeon and Steve, Maria will be less interested in Peter’s crappy work. Yes, you should do that. Maria. Please.”

Frankie looked at his work set up in front of the booth with bloodshot eyes.

Although it was not able to completely escape the slump, it was selected as above average.

I had a feeling that if I could just get rid of Peter, the thorn in my side, with the bet I made at this art fair, this tiring slump would come to an end.

If he made a full recovery, it seemed likely that he would become the winner of the Rockefeller Center Art Fund competition.

Frankie, who was terribly twisted, was trying hard to envision a hopeful future, but there was one thing he overlooked.

The fact that Peter is not the only competitor.

There have been many other formidable newcomers, and another big newcomer is emerging at an incredible pace.

***

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“I feel like crying.”

“Be happy.”

Day 7 of the New York Big Wave Art Fair.

Taylor’s booth has become a definite landmark.

“Let me take a picture.”

Jennifer, the passionate manager of MoreArt, a newsletter that tracks the trend of visitors during the ten days of the art fair, introduces popular works, and carries interviews, has already been visiting Taylor’s booth for three days.

After completing the photos and interviews that contained the entire group, we continued with in-depth interviews that focused on each member of Taylor.

And today was the day Soohyun had her interview.

“This work shows an interesting perspective, and the author is also a truly charming person. I’m really looking forward to your future work.”

The person in charge, who had been talking about the interpretation of the work, stood up with a satisfied expression and asked to shake Soo-hyun’s hand. And.

“I’d also like to ask for your autograph.”

He took out an empty block that Soo-hyun used as a material and asked for an autograph.

“As much as you want.”

Su-hyeon smiled kindly and handed it over to me, leaving her autograph and date on the block.

“Me, and there’s something I need to tell you in advance.”

The person in charge who accepted it opened his mouth this time with an embarrassed expression.

“In my opinion, Taylor’s works are so wonderful. The audience’s response is good, and the quality of the work is amazing. The meaning contained in it is profound, and it doesn’t get old.”

First of all, since you’re giving me compliments, I guess this isn’t good news.

As Soo-hyeon listened intently, the person in charge let out a long sigh and continued speaking.

“But our editor-in-chief seemed to have a different opinion. He said that we had done a lot of research in the series, but we couldn’t give them much space.”

“Oh. Really?”

“I’m sorry to say this after three days of reporting, but it will be printed very briefly in the newsletter. It’s about Taylor’s article.”

“yes.”

Su-hyeon wasn’t particularly surprised, as she had expected various political issues to creep into the event.

“Still, I will do my best to attract attention in any way possible. I will support you until the end of the exhibition.”

The editor got up laughing, and the next day’s newsletter contained a very brief article about Taylors, just as he had predicted.

Fortunately, at least the photographs were properly included so that each piece could be identified, but they ended up in the hands of someone with an unusual eye.

“Hey, who’s this girl?”

A big name in the New York art world who has yet to step foot on the Big Wave art fair circuit.

Jacqueline, director of Soho’s premier gallery J-House, happily picked up the newsletter.