I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 188



Only Noblemtl

Episode 188. Whale’s Memories (1)

“I have no intention of talking about the environment or animal protection.”

Before I could choose an answer, the next words flew in.

Thanks to this, the intention of the previous question became clear.

So, the question of whether one is a romantic means whether one is an emotional person who longs for peace or utopia.

Su-hyeon tilted her head slightly.

As an artist, I don’t know, but it’s a presumptuous provocation that seems to lack a sense of reality.

But it wasn’t particularly unpleasant.

Soo-hyun was an artist, and closer to a romantic than a realist. There was no harm in that. It just seemed necessary to clear up the misunderstanding.

“First of all, I like romanticism. But I didn’t bring up whale life or real whales to talk about animal protection with you.”

“sure?”

“You want me to draw a real whale. To do that, I need to know what you think a real whale is.”

“… … .”

The wary gaze slowly relaxed and an unexpected apology came out.

“I was too hasty. I suddenly remembered something I had experienced before.”

Henry let out a short sigh and opened his mouth.

“The whale painting that the artist named Eddie brought was of the sea.”

“ocean?”

“It was a vast ocean. All I could draw was a few bubbles on the surface. According to Eddie, there were a lot of whales living in that ocean. They were very happy.”

Henry chuckled.

“He said that if I looked into a picture of the ocean, I would see a whale, as the real whale I wanted would be living happily in the depths of the ocean.”

It was an anecdote that brought to mind the novel’s content, in which the little prince, who had been asked to draw a sheep, was given a box instead, and the emperor’s clothes, which are visible only to good people.

There were more similar stories.

“There was someone who used whale carcasses, brains, and bones as materials. He put up a work of art made by pasting photos of cruelly hunted carcasses in front of our eyes and claimed that, unlike the whales in our imagination, real whales live this kind of life. Yes, that person was an environmental activist. What was his name? Jamie? Jane? Oh, who was it?”

Henry frowned slightly and met Soo-hyun’s gaze again.

“Anyway, I paid for all the whale paintings, even those who tried to deceive me. The reason was to prove that my purpose was not for anything else, but only to obtain the real whale paintings.”

Henry said, turning his gaze back to the dolphin tank.

“I’m frustrated too. This situation. If I could explain what a real whale is like Soo-hyun said, I could find what I want a little faster… … .”

Henry paused for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Unfortunately, I also find it difficult to say what a real whale is. It remains in the depths of my mind, only as a very vague memory.”

“Blurry memory?”

“Why haven’t you had that experience? You hear a really good song somewhere, but you can’t remember the singer’s name or the title at all. The drums go thump thump. Follow along – tiring tiring – and the piano plays and the vocalist starts singing, but you can’t even remember the melody exactly, so it’s hard to convey it accurately.”

“Oh, there was that time. I wanted to look up a passage I had read somewhere, but I completely forgot which author it was and which book it was. I only remember the general content, so it was hard to explain it to others or ask questions.”

Henry laughed heartily as Soo-hyun agreed.

“That’s right. That’s what I remember about whales. So, even though it’s an ignorant method, I thought that if I kept looking at whales, at pictures of whales, wouldn’t the real whales I remember come to mind?”

I guess there is something there after all.

Soo-hyun quietly looked at Henry’s side profile.

I don’t know the details, but it seemed like the whale was a very precious memory for Henry. That’s why I kept ordering paintings of it.

But how can you find it this way when you can’t even sense it yourself?

“Anyway, please forgive my rudeness earlier.”

Soo-hyun stopped Henry, who was about to leave with a slight bow of his head.

“Henry. If you’re really sorry, won’t you do me one favor?”

***

“It was a great meeting.”

Soho J-House.

Su-hyeon, who came running after receiving a call saying that a simple contract had been prepared, met with Jacqueline and told her what had happened.

“I also heard that you tore up the picture. Sigh.”

Jacqueline looks at Soo-hyun with an embarrassed face.

As I was thinking about whether it would be a good idea to try making some new connections, Soo-hyun smiled faintly as I cleared my itchy throat with a useless cough.

“But, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy as he looks.”

“huh?”

“He may be rough and rude, but I wonder if that’s a defense mechanism.”

“Hmm.”

Jacqueline, who had been looking into Soo-hyun’s eyes for a moment, nodded and opened her mouth.

“Well, when I first saw him, he wasn’t like that. He was an introverted, but polite and dignified child. Even though he was only 10 years old.”

Jacqueline said she first met Henry at her gallery five years ago.

Henry, who had been looking at the painting of the new artist that Jacqueline had selected for a while, raised his hand and said that he wanted to buy it.

“I thought he was just a kid who didn’t know much about the world, so I tried to coax him back, but he turned out to be incredibly rich. His father was a famous businessman in Europe, and he came to New York with the goal of expanding his business. He had a solid education, was mature, and had a brilliant mind, so it was fun to talk to him. Oh, and Henry is also really good at chess.”

Unfortunately, Henry said he became more and more ill-tempered as he grew up.

He also became estranged from his father, and began to wander around New York without any care. Three years ago, he became notorious for collecting whale paintings.

“As Su-hyeon said, the incident a few days ago may have been a defense mechanism. Since he paid for every piece of work, even the con artists brought whale paintings to Henry.”

Jacqueline said, looking over the contract Soo-hyun signed one more time carefully.

“But if this continues, Henry will probably become a loner. No matter how rich he is, there are plenty of rich people in New York. High society isn’t a place where you can belong with money alone.”

Cold words. But Jacqueline’s eyes were full of worry and affection.

It was clear that he was feeling sorry as he recalled the first time he saw Henry.

“Anyway, this whole thing will end once we find a proper picture of a whale. Don’t worry too much, Jacqueline.”

Soo-hyun gave a warm smile to Jacqueline.

***

The next day, J-House workshop.

By finalizing the contract, Su-hyeon was able to use the studio provided to the affiliated writers.

Since the size of the studio varies depending on the writer’s work style and importance, it was clear that the studio that Soo-hyun was assigned was probably the smallest among them.

“Still, it’s great.”

Su-hyeon nodded.

A wide workbench measuring 180cm long and wide, shelves and lockers for storing painting tools were placed along the wall, and a sturdy-looking easel was placed in the center. There were also two chairs with backs.

Considering the cost of living in New York, I had no idea how grateful I was to be able to use this kind of workspace for free.

“I guess I should start by doing some light cleaning.”

Perhaps because it had been empty for a long time, dust could be seen accumulating here and there.

Su-hyeon rolled up her sleeves and diligently swept and cleaned the workroom.

It was something that could have been done slowly, but guests were scheduled to arrive in the afternoon.

And two hours later.

“Is this where you draw?”

The first customer, Henry, suddenly showed up.

“Welcome. Welcome. This is your first time here.”

“Ha. Then next time, invite me with something properly prepared. Right now, it’s like a warehouse.”

Henry grumbled, but he obediently found a chair and sat down. Soo-hyun smirked and sat down on the chair opposite him.

“As I said last time, the reason I’m drawing this picture is very clear. I need to complete the first mission I received from the rookie group selected by Jacqueline, and to do that, I need to draw the whale picture you want properly.”

“hmm.”

Henry listened, pouting.

“So you and I have the same goal. So what should we do? I need to help you draw a proper picture of a whale.”

“Yes. I understand what you’re saying. But, as I said, it’s hard for me to explain because my memories are vague.”

The reason Henry is sitting here right now, shaking his head.

That was because of a request Soo-hyun made when I apologized for being rude last time.

Su-hyeon said that if she was truly sorry, she should give her some time. She said it was all to draw a picture of a whale.

And Henry probably guessed that the request was intended to get him to interview more.

Swish.

Su-hyeon placed several pieces of paper and a pencil on the table.

“What is it?”

“You wouldn’t know it if you saw it?”

“Wait a minute. Are you telling me to do that?”

Henry made a face of bewilderment.

“I’m pretty good at everything, but I have no talent for drawing. All I ever did was draw with my mom when I was very young.”

Henry, who had been speaking flustered, closed his mouth in embarrassment again for some reason and shook his head.

“Anyway, I haven’t drawn since I was five. And if I was good at it, why would I ask other people to draw for me?”

“I’m not telling you to draw alone.”

Soo-hyun stopped him and smiled faintly.

“I’m not asking you to draw well.”

Words that I don’t know what the intention is.

Henry said, crossing his arms.

“Then what is it?”

“This is a game.”

“Play?”

“Okay, like this.”

Su-hyeon pulled a piece of paper towards her, folded it in half, then in half again, and in half again.

“And if you unfold it again, there are eight squares?”

On the unfolded paper, there was a vertical line, three horizontal lines, and clear fold marks, and just as Su-hyeon had said, the lines were forming eight sections.

“Are you saying we should do origami?”

Su-hyeon shook her head at Henry’s question.

“No, we’re going to continue drawing from now on.”

“Continue drawing?”

“Yeah. I’ll fill in the first square and hand it over to you, and then you draw the next story in the second square. Then I’ll fill in the third square, and then you fill in the fourth square.”

“Like in a cartoon?”

“Similar. But there are rules to follow while drawing.”

“What is it?”

“We shouldn’t talk to each other.”

“why?”

“Until the painting is finished, it’s best to focus only on the painting. Of course, you can put speech bubbles in the painting. But it has to be about the painting, not a conversation between you and me. Do you understand what I mean?”

Henry nodded.

Will this work?

Although he had a relaxed expression, Soo-hyun was also a little nervous.

Continue drawing.

That was the method that was included in a book that Soo-Hyeon had encountered in the past.

A famous art therapist used it as a way to draw out the inner selves of those who are not open to each other or have lost their memories.

Of course, Soo-hyun wasn’t an art therapist, and it was questionable whether this method would work on Henry. But it was definitely worth a try.

Because the principle was simple.

He said that the afterimages remained, but the memories were blurred.

Then, even if it is difficult to organize in words, it may be possible to express emotions to some extent. If you stimulate them a few times with a drawing, those emotions and memories that had been buried may suddenly come out.

It’s a loss anyway.

So Soo-hyun is like-

Without hesitation, I picked up my pencil and started drawing in the first square.

‘Now, this is the ocean. A large whale has emerged from the surface and is breathing heavily. Now, Henry, what do you want to draw next?’

Suhyun is so cute.

He turned the paper over and handed it to Henry.

Henry frowned for a moment, but soon filled in the second square and handed it over to Soo-hyun, who then drew the next picture and handed it back to Henry.

Did about 30 minutes pass like that without saying anything?

Now it’s that moment when all that’s left to do is finish the final drawing.

widely.

Henry put down his pencil and got up from his chair.

“… … ?”

“That’s all for today.”

“uh?”

“I think this is enough.”

There was no further explanation.

Henry packed his bag and left the studio.