I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 195



Only Noblemtl

Episode 195. The Lock Stage (1)

“Huh.”

4th floor warehouse of Shasha Annex.

A table piled high with sketches and supplies that were not properly tied together due to their different sizes and thicknesses. A space where full-body mannequins with sleek bodies were jumbled together.

Humphrey was walking busily through the mess of things.

Boom. Boom.

The precariously piled up items would crumble to the ground even at the slightest movement of Humphrey. However, Humphrey paid no attention to such things and continued to rummage through the clutter to pull out the items he needed.

“Should I do this? No, I’ll go with something a little fancier. But if you want to add some edge, this might be better.”

Joowook-.

Humphrey, holding a pair of large scissors and cutting the fabric coolly, held the piece of fabric up to the mannequin and frowned deeply.

And then again, joowook-.

He cut the next piece of fabric and tilted his head while holding it up to the mannequin from before.

Taat.

At that moment, the indoor lights turned on.

Humphrey looked back with a frown on his face, his eyes dazzled.

Jang, Shasha’s representative designer and senior, was looking at Humphrey with an expression that said he was at a loss.

“There have been rumors going around about a ghost appearing in the 4th floor warehouse these past few days. It was you, Humphrey?”

“… … .”

Humphrey licked his lips a few times, then gave up on making excuses and returned to his work.

“Please, turn on the lights properly. And this used to be a design studio, but now it’s a storage room. Why are you working here?”

Then Jang strode towards Humphrey and exclaimed in admiration.

“Anyway, I heard that your scissors skills are like a ghost.”

Humphrey, who had worked as a tailor for many years, not only had a keen eye, but was also very quick with his hands.

Especially when using scissors, my hands seemed to fly across the fabric, and it wasn’t necessarily because I was used to the tool.

Even though he seemed to be watching without paying attention, Humphrey had extremely keen senses.

So, there was no hesitation in making judgments or decisions, and I was able to quickly turn the images in my head into reality.

She must have come in as an intern at Sasha because she often has a more sensibility than designers who have studied fashion properly for a long time. It was also a great thing to be able to escape from an apprenticeship and be named in the group of new designers with just her talent.

But it was slowly reaching its limit.

That was a fact that Humphrey and the designers around him all knew.

“Aren’t you thinking of coming to the co-working space?”

When Jang asked, Humphrey muttered quietly.

“Mom… … One insult is enough.”

“Well, Noguchi was a bit harsh last time. But if you just look at the meaning, it wasn’t wrong.”

A man who shrugs his shoulders.

But Humphrey’s expression was stiff.

“For the time being… … please leave it alone for a while.”

“Ha. Okay. If that’s what you want, then there’s nothing I can do, but don’t hold out too long. In the end, it’ll be a loss for you.”

Jang shook his head and walked towards the door again.

“And this collaboration has to be done right. It’ll likely determine whether Humphrey gets another chance or not.”

“Ah… … I know.”

“Yeah. Then you probably shouldn’t show that sketch to your partner. You know what I mean?”

Humphrey let out a long sigh and opened his mouth.

“No… … I was thinking about that anyway.”

***

Shasha Main Building 2nd floor lounge.

“Is being late a default option for this kid?”

1:20.

Su-hyeon, who was sitting blankly at the meeting place, shook her head and muttered.

Even if there were misunderstandings on the first day, shouldn’t we show enthusiasm and sincerity once we’ve decided to work properly?

Seeing Humphrey breaking his appointment time so often today, I started to wonder if he had some kind of bad habit.

Swish-.

Su-hyeon took out the scrapbook.

Whatever the situation, there was no time to waste. Over the past week, Su-hyeon had collected quite a few images that would help her come up with a showroom theme that would fit Humphrey’s designs.

Now it was time to repeat it and wait for inspiration to strike.

Slurp-.

Slowly flipping through the scraps, Su-hyeon fell into her own world.

“Ugh. Ugh.”

Luckily, Humphrey showed up before I could turn over all the scrapbooks.

Judging from the fact that he was out of breath, he still seemed sorry.

“Rice… … annex.”

“……uh?”

Su-hyeon tilted her head, unable to understand the meaning of the single word that was spoken without even a greeting.

Humphrey took a breath and spoke again.

“It wasn’t here… … It was… … the annex lounge.”

“What does that mean?”

“Here… … This is mainly used for waiting for outside guests… … and the annex has many small lounges… … .”

“Ah. You said we should meet in the annex lounge instead of here?”

As Soo-hyeon finished organizing, Humphrey nodded vigorously.

Since the last time I gave a presentation and the time I met Humphrey afterwards were both in the main building, I naturally assumed that when he said he would meet me in the break room, he meant the main building break room, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

Maybe Humphrey told me, but I missed it because he was mumbling quietly. Soo-hyun smiled.

“Anyway, thanks for coming to find me. Then I guess I’ll go that way.”

On the first day, Humphrey only showed Soo-hyun a few of his works. He didn’t even open up his work space.

I thought it might be because he was an introvert, but Humphrey asked for my understanding, saying that he wanted to show me the work in stages. I felt like there was another reason for that.

Anyway, today is the time to move on to stage 2. Soo-hyun was filled with anticipation, and Humphrey opened his mouth with a face filled with determination.

“Other than the break room… … I’ll just show you the space where I work.”

“Wow. That’s a huge improvement.”

“… … You’ll be disappointed. It’s not a good place.”

“It’s okay. The work is the problem, not the studio.”

Humphrey smiled slightly at Soo-hyun’s answer and took a step forward.

On the 4th floor of the annex warehouse, towards my own studio.

***

“Here?”

If Soo-hyun had come alone, she would have thought she had come to the wrong door and closed it again.

At the end of the hallway on the fourth floor, there was a wooden door with peeling paint. When I opened it, I saw a bunch of large boxes stacked up.

“This… this way. This way.”

But Humphrey pointed to a cramped space next to the box and invited them inside.

I went in first and demonstrated it myself, but even though I was thin, I had to move while twisting slightly.

“Whoop.”

Su-hyeon took a deep breath to make herself smaller and followed Humphrey in.

“Oh. It’s cozy inside.”

Were the boxes piled up at the entrance some kind of cover?

There was quite a bit of breathing space inside.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect fit for a small workshop, given its size compared to the entrance.

It might be okay for someone with Humphrey’s build, but it would be a place where anyone of average size would feel uncomfortable and have a hard time staying.

A warehouse filled with large workbenches, sewing tools, various types of fabric, supplies, and mannequins.

It was a place where you couldn’t tell which direction the window was facing, whether there was ventilation, and most importantly, whether the light was coming in properly.

As of now, there was only one dim fluorescent light blinking.

“How about this…?”

As Su-hyeon looked around the warehouse with a strange expression, Humphrey hurriedly brought in a mannequin and set it up.

“It’s a new design… … .”

Phew.

At that moment, Soo-Hyeon burst into laughter without realizing it.

Despite his cautious attitude, this time Humphrey was presenting a bold design piece.

“I want to take a closer look at this, but is there a way to brighten the light? Oh, if only the lighting were better.”

When Soo-hyeon asked, Humphrey hurriedly went outside.

“Wait… just a moment!”

Tadah.

Fortunately, a bright light came on.

A few fluorescent lights and warm incandescent bulbs came on, making the inside of the warehouse and Humphrey’s work appear clearer than before.

“Wow. These clothes really catch the eye.”

Su-hyeon shared her honest thoughts.

“That’s amazing.”

“what?”

“I don’t know much about fashion, but I always thought the outfits on the show felt over-the-top.”

“……however?”

“Humphrey’s clothes are also very strong. But somehow they don’t feel excessive.”

Humphrey’s face brightens for a moment.

He laughed so hard that deep wrinkles appeared around the corners of his dry face.

“I want to make clothes that everyone can understand. Just as it’s important for designers to understand people, I think people should understand designers’ clothes. Not forced, but very naturally. Hmm. So it’s important to find a balance. Look. If this line is slightly raised, just this much, the shoulders are emphasized and the impression changes. However, if you change the angle like this, it becomes elegant. It’s strong, but it avoids feeling too unfamiliar. The burden disappears. Do you know what I mean?”

“uh…….”

Soo-hyun looked at Humphrey in surprise.

I don’t know what part of Humphrey was touched by Soo-hyun’s comment, but Humphrey was excitedly telling his story with a childlike, happy face.

The pace of speech was very fast and there was no stuttering as usual.

“But there is a problem.”

Humphrey, who had been explaining his design for a long time, spoke again in a weary voice.

“What’s the problem?”

“This is… … Shasha.”

“however?”

“Shasha’s designer has to reveal Sha… …Sha’s identity. He has to create something new while maintaining that identity.”

Humphrey picked up the mannequin again and moved it to the corner.

“But when I get into my work, I end up designing something that is out of the sha… sha.”

“hmm.”

“I tried to force myself to come up with some Shasha-like designs, but… … they were all a mess.”

“Can you show me?”

“Th, that… … If you look at it considering that it’s still in the sketch stage.”

“of course.”

As Soo-hyeon nodded, Humphrey went to a corner again and started taking something out one by one.

It was a surprisingly large amount of sketches that could be carried in one go with just one arm.

“Huh. Did you draw all of this?”

“I cut and pasted it too.”

Humphrey spoke shyly, picking out a sketchbook and opening it.

Inside, it was filled with images drawn with colored pencils and watercolors. Some of the pictures had fabric, lace, buttons, and other things attached to them, which made it easier to imagine the real thing.

“You, you work really hard, don’t you?”

Humphrey blushed when Soo-hyun praised him.

“Sha… …Sha is a chance I won’t have again. I have no choice but to work hard.”

It was a moment of longing and frustration. As Humphrey said, Shasha was not incorporated into Humphrey’s original design. Most of them were too free-spirited and intense, and did not match the restrained Shasha.

However, it is not plausible that the work was done with Sasha in mind.

It was awkward and twisted somewhere, perhaps because of the compulsion.

It feels like a left-handed person is trying to write with their right hand. It feels like they’re trying too hard to imitate, but it doesn’t feel natural.

Su-hyeon frowned.

The designs along Sasha’s lines lacked any of Humphrey’s strengths. I wish we could find some middle ground, but is there a way?

As Soo-Hyeon’s worries deepen.

“Actually, after I got to this point, I got a lot of criticism.”

Humphrey poured out his heart in a choked voice.

“blame?”

“It’s all because… … I… … lack the basics. I can only do one… … one design.”

Humphrey lowers his head.

At that moment, Soo-hyun remembered the story she had heard from Henry. Humphrey had entered Sasha through a different route than the usual designers.

Although he had flashes of talent, he could have hit a wall if he had not trained properly.

“But you were named one of Sasha’s new designer groups. You also got a chance to show your clothes at the next show.”

“That too, might be the last chance.”

ha.

Humphrey sighed deeply.

While there was a brief silence,

Su-hyeon was fiddling with her sketchbooks until she picked one out and opened it.

“Huh? Huh? Huh!!”

Humphrey exclaimed in surprise at seeing that.

“Hey, wait a minute! That, that… that’s not right!”

But the picture inside had already become clear to Soo-hyeon’s eyes.