I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 192



Only Noblemtl

Episode 192. New Friends (2)

“who…….”

Su-hyeon asked in confusion, but her words were buried in the excited voice of the man who followed.

“I never thought I’d see you here. I’m really surprised.”

Is that a hidden camera?

Are you playing a prank on us because we arrived late?

Are they the right people?

And it’s our first meeting… … .

Ha, artists are so hard to keep track of.

Soo-hyeon narrowed her eyes, looked around, and then looked at the man in front of her.

A face that looks like it belongs in its late 20s and is about half a span taller than Soo-hyun.

Sad eyes and a straight nose. Lips of moderate thickness and brown hair in soft waves.

A man with a stereotypically handsome face who speaks English with a German accent.

No matter how hard I tried to recall my memories, I couldn’t find anything about him or connect with him.

“Stop, stop. No matter how urgent it is, we should introduce ourselves first. Soo-hyun will be surprised.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The brown-haired man looked at Soo-hyeon with an awkward smile as his friend, who seemed to be the man’s companion, quietly scolded him.

Steve, who was truly glaring and wouldn’t leave anyone alone if they were suspicious, was about to take a step closer when Soo-hyun motioned for him to wait a moment.

“It’s me. Michael. Your friend Michael Menden.”

An unexpected name came out of the man’s mouth.

“what?”

Su-hyeon was surprised.

Michael Menden.

The author of the black-covered book that Soo-hyeon bought at the Art Nouveau bookstore in front of Baekhyundae.

Soo-Hyeon, who was fascinated by the unusual works, contacted the email address written there, and while talking with Michael, they also exchanged website addresses.

The memory of appreciating each other’s work like that was vivid in Soo-hyeon’s mind.

“Oh my god. Michael? Is it really Michael?”

I thought you were a writer based in Germany, but you’re actually in the US.

I never dreamed that I would meet Jacqueline in New York, Manhattan.

“I was really surprised, too. When Jacqueline told me about you. She said there was an artist who works on the subject of gaze, so I thought, “Oh, I have a friend who does that kind of work.” But the more I listened, the more I felt like it was strangely similar to you. So I showed her your homepage and asked her. And Jacqueline said that it was you! Oh my god, I thought lightning struck my head for a moment.”

“Wow. How in the world can this happen?”

A smile appeared on Soo-hyun’s face without her knowing it.

We talked about each other’s work without knowing each other’s ages or faces, only guessing at their nationalities.

Even though we didn’t contact each other often, we communicated with each other without interruption.

It’s been quiet since I came to New York. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I came to New York?

“Michael must have been really surprised. He probably didn’t expect me to be in New York.”

As Soo-hyeon nodded, belatedly realizing the situation, Michael shook his head and spread his arms.

“But I always thought we would meet someday. There was something about your paintings. I believed you would definitely make it to the world stage. And here we are?”

Michael, expressing his excitement, wants to hug her again.

“Okay, then shall we take a seat?”

Steve strangely came in between and blocked my path, so I took an awkward stance.

“Oh. Right.”

Michael smiled, lowered his outstretched arms, and sat down.

The dinner was excellent.

The catch was a fusion restaurant that showcased Jacqueline’s flair, without being overly formal, but not too flashy either.

Industrial interiors that were just starting to catch on. The interior spaces made use of exposed concrete, old iron, and scrap wood, and they looked trendy, while the slightly different shaped lights enriched the atmosphere.

The food was also great.

The course featured interesting dishes influenced by molecular gastronomy, a culinary trend that has already begun to shake up the world. As I was amazed by the appearance and taste, I was able to comfortably chat with people I was seeing for the first time.

Su-hyeon briefly greeted not only Michael but also the other five rookies and their partners.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Smith.”

“I’m Jamie. Nice to meet you.”

“I was wondering who the last artist to join was, and it turns out it was the protagonist of the whale painting.”

“That’s right. At first, the topic was Henry’s story, but gradually, they started talking about the whale painting. Do you know? Everyone is desperate to see that painting.”

The whale painting must have been a hot topic in the town, because everyone brought it up first.

And there was someone who was quite interested in Soo-hyeon.

“How long have you been in New York? Actually, I knew about the Big Wave Art Fair.”

“Huh, really?”

“News travels very quickly here. There was a lot of noise for a while because a newcomer suddenly appeared and slapped the arrogant Maria on the head.”

The name of the man whose bangs were long like a curtain and half-hid his face was Matthew.

The hairstyle made her long face look even longer, which made her already large nose stand out.

After that, the topic on the table went through several different points, but eventually came back to the two incidents that centered around Soo-hyun.

It was burdensome that it was mentioned several times as if it was a turning point for all topics, but Soo-hyun responded appropriately and continued the conversation.

“Okay. Some of you may be familiar with them, and some may not, but that doesn’t matter. These seven writers will be the newcomers that J-House will focus on nurturing in the future, and they will form a strong bond.”

About halfway through the meal, Jacqueline tapped her glass to get everyone’s attention and they formally introduced themselves.

“You are all different in terms of your hometown, age, and culture, but you all have one thing in common: you are new artists who will become the face of J-House. I plan to enjoy watching what kind of influence you will have on the New York art world in the future. Of course, I will not spare my support.”

Jacqueline explained in detail how she would treat the newcomers and what kind of exhibitions she planned to hold, and showed them the steps that would unfold in the future.

The closest staircase was a joint project with Sasha.

“Shasha?”

“Really that Shasha?”

Collaboration with fashion brand Shasha.

The second mission that Jacqueline proposed to the rookies was a collaboration project.

“SaSa’s new creative director plans to go all out for the 2000 F/W Haute Couture show.”

Shasha.

It used to be famous as a luxury brand, but at some point it was pushed out of the spotlight and became an old-fashioned brand.

A luxury brand that was popular only in previous generations.

But Sasha didn’t want to stay in her mother and grandmother’s closet any longer.

With the daunting task of restoring the brand’s former glory, newly appointed creative director Adele turned to Jacqueline for help.

***

“Jacqueline is definitely a great person.”

On the way back after eating.

Steve looked impressed.

“Yes. Very elegant.”

“That’s right. She looks like a lady. Plus, she has charisma and a strong presence. She’s really cool.”

Steve, who rarely compliments anyone, expressed strong affection.

Jacqueline’s attitude today was understandable.

“I didn’t know you would suggest such a collaboration.”

“Okay. Shasharani.”

When Jacqueline explained the Shasha Project, a strange ripple ran through the faces of the new writers.

Collaboration with luxury brands.

It wasn’t unprecedented.

However, for the sake of topicality, artists with a good reputation were often brought into these projects.

It’s definitely a wonderful thing when a rookie is given a chance.

But if you think about it calmly, the shortcomings are also clear.

Sasha is a brand that is definitely engraved as a luxury brand to Jacqueline.

However, Shasha is a one-hit wonder if it will ever recover for young artists in their 20s and 30s.

Can a single showcase raise brand awareness?

We’re still just rookies?

Jacqueline shook her head and added, as if she had read the question.

The work of the designer in charge of the main is not a consideration.

Even though she’s not like she used to be, isn’t Shasha just Shasha?

It’s not so broken that we leave our fate to unproven rookies.

The arrogance of some of the newcomers who drank kimchi stew was quickly suppressed by Jacqueline’s cold smile.

Jacqueline opened her mouth again and gave a precise explanation.

In addition to the main show, Shasha plans to open a special showroom as an event, and the writers will be deployed there.

The commission for the writers was to design a showroom to display the clothing and bags of Shasha’s new designers.

The numbers just happened to be right.

Seven designers and seven writers were paired up to decorate seven spaces.

The idea of ​​being given an entire space to work freely was appealing enough, but it could be a tricky task considering that it had to match the clothes of the Sasha designers.

Moreover, he is also a rookie, so isn’t he a partner who can’t help but feel uneasy?

The writers who had been hesitating soon nodded their heads.

Even if it was a back room situation, it was Shasha.

There was no reason to turn down a big project that would help my career.

That was what Jacqueline had brought, and more than anything, it looked like fun.

“Anyway, I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be a project that will be helpful to contemporary artists.”

“That’s true. The time frame is the issue.”

Su-hyeon frowned slightly at Steve’s words.

Perhaps this project wasn’t meant for Jacqueline’s newbies from the beginning.

The season was already late spring.

Sasha’s 2000 F/W Haute Couture show will be held in early July.

That means the actual working period is only about a month.

There’s no way a brand like Shasha would prepare an important show so hastily.

Besides, didn’t you say it was a show where life or death was at stake?

If so, there’s a good chance that this project was hastily thrown together after something went wrong.

It’s a perfect opportunity to hand over to newcomers. So, I guess it’s a given opportunity, but I want to do well somehow…

Su-hyeon bit her lip.

In fact, Su-hyeon already knew about Shasha’s rise and fall.

Before returning to the past, it was a brand that often appeared on TV, in magazines, and in conversations among people interested in fashion.

‘In the past that I know, Sasha never succeeded in getting back on her feet. She tried many experiments and attempts, but was only ridiculed.’

One of my coworkers once received a Sasha bag as a gift.

When I told her that the bag my husband had bought me for our anniversary was a Sasha bag, everyone there looked disappointed.

My husband probably didn’t know. Men surprisingly don’t care about fashion. It would be better to just give it to my mom. My lunch that day was filled with insinuations that she chose Shasha to save money despite knowing this.

But then and now are different.

In the past, Soo-hyun had no contact with Sha-sha. Even if it was a luxury item that was out of fashion, Soo-hyun couldn’t even think of looking at it because of her financial situation, so she didn’t really know the style.

Jacqueline also did not support contemporary artists in the past.

There would also have been no need to gather writers and collaborate with Shasha’s newcomers.

Then, can’t the future change as well? Just as it has always done so far?

“Anyway, it’s definitely something worth trying.”

Su-hyeon smiled and nodded.

My heart was pounding.

In two days, J-House’s writers and Su-hyeon were scheduled to meet Sasha’s new designers.