I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 209



Only Noblemtl

Episode 209. Mind Map (1)

To give a shock that feels like a stab to the lungs to someone who is defenseless.

A sharp sense of surprise, a thrill that sends shivers down your spine, a presence that seems to suck you in.

Art needs that kind of intense energy so that it can be remembered and enjoyed.

Even though you can’t measure or rank records and it depends a lot on taste, in the end it’s a question of who grabs your attention and touches your heart.

So, we could say that art is a battle of charm and a realm of talent.

“Phew.”

Su-hyeon, who had begun to develop her own world while learning the duties of an artist, was contemplating how the forms created within her would be reflected and interact with others.

Su-hyeon’s sketchbook was full of traces of such worries.

“It’s intense.”

Steve read it and blurted out a word.

“All three are so good.”

“huh?”

“First of all, ‘Sight’ is funny and sad at the same time. It’s about showing what we miss because we only see as much as our own field of vision, through the eyes of others.”

“that’s right.”

Su-hyeon nodded.

A person who does his best to sweep and clean in front of himself but is satisfied but does not notice the mold on his head, a person who does not realize that the good deeds he does to others actually hurt him or those closest to him, a person who does not know that the gaze of the person he is trying to do sincerely is unexpectedly directed somewhere else, etc. – ‘Vision’ clearly shows the difference between my desires and reality.

The idea behind it was funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

It was even more so because it was so terribly realistic.

“Then there’s no need to mention the ‘second comfort.’”

Steve said, turning a few pages in his sketchbook.

“Since the response in Korea was good, I was curious about what the response in New York would be like?”

“Yeah. It was a topic I wanted to draw more about.”

Su-hyeon answered with a smile.

Comfort, the theme of my first solo exhibition.

At the time, Su-hyeon had drawn quite a few pictures, but there was something else he wanted to draw.

Whenever I had time, I sketched out the stories one by one, and before I knew it, there were quite a few of them.

A stable topic with an expected response, as it has caused a sensation in Korea.

Currently, Soohyun can draw the fastest and best.

“The last ‘connection’ is also strange. Is it trying to show a relationship? I like the contrast between being disconnected and alone and being connected. There’s loneliness and happiness on both sides, but I like the subtle difference in color.”

Connection was a picture of someone alone on a deserted island with no one around, and someone breathing heavily in the midst of layers of relationships.

It was able to elicit empathy from people living similar lives, as both sides showed both satisfaction and anxiety.

Steve shook his head as he looked at the three themes once more: ‘vision’, ‘up’, and ‘connection’.

“It’s a close race.”

It was worth it.

These are not just topics that I sketched out as candidates, but topics that I explored with the determination to one day turn into proper works.

It was natural that it was difficult to determine who was superior.

“But, I’ve felt this way all along.”

Steve said, recalling a point in time in the past.

“There’s something about you that touches people’s emotions.”

“emotion?”

“It’s already been five years since we last saw each other?”

When I was a first year student at Sehyun Arts High School.

Su-hyeon smiled as she remembered the moment when she first met Steve at Ilseon Gallery.

“That’s right. Time has passed so quickly.”

“Anyway, I think I know what you’ve experienced and what you’ve been worried about for at least the past five years. I don’t know the details of your life before that, but it was still your childhood, and at best, middle school.”

“however?”

“That’s what I mean. When I observed, there were no major incidents or hardships, but your paintings are so dense. It’s like someone who has experienced something tremendous.”

Steve frowned slightly.

“Should I say that I’m drawing things that I shouldn’t be drawing at my age?”

As Soo-hyun remained silent at the stinging words, Steve opened his mouth again.

“Understanding people. Sometimes it seems like resignation, but it’s affection, and sometimes it seems contemplative, but then suddenly it embraces you. There’s a strange atmosphere. The three themes shown this time are all like that. That’s why it’s harder to choose.”

Steve was watching Soo-hyun closely. Even though he changed the subject little by little, he could see what kind of emotions were deeply embedded in Soo-hyun’s mind and what he was ultimately trying to portray.

“Usually I make mistakes.”

Steve shrugged and said,

“Especially when you’re young, that is, at our age. It’s natural and normal to make hasty judgments or stumble due to lack of experience. But you often draw pictures that seem to know without you saying anything, as if you’ve seen right through my mind. It’s not like you’re drawing pictures that overwhelm me, but rather, it makes my heart flutter.”

The result of Soo-hyun’s original disposition and the experience of living life once.

Soo-hyeon had been vaguely aware of this trait of hers, but it felt new to hear it from someone else, especially her closest friend.

“But I want you to focus on yourself too.”

And then another unexpected word fell out of Steve’s mouth.

“I look deeply into other people’s circumstances and empathize with them, but sometimes I wonder if I’m actually caring for myself.”

“I?”

“Yeah. Your work, your tasks, all that stuff aside, really you, the real Han Soo Hyun. I wonder if you take care of yourself like you take care of work or other people… … .”

Steve trailed off. It was something that touched something deep inside. It was something that could be said only to close friends, but it was also something that was difficult to say even to close friends.

But since he had already brought it up, and there were parts of it that he had been holding back, Steve mustered up his courage and added a few more words.

“Artists pour their experiences and emotions into their work. Of course, that can be helpful at times. It can be a way out of a vortex that is difficult to escape.”

Steve looked down at his hands for a moment before continuing.

“How wonderful. Memories that made me lonely and miserable are transformed into profound works of art, and good emotions are preserved in a more beautiful form.”

Steve was right.

Artists pour all their experiences and emotions into their work. So the work becomes the artist’s alter ego and contains his soul.

Su-hyeon nodded.

“But there is something we need to be careful about.”

Steve frowned slightly.

“If you pour yourself into your work like that, you might lose sight of reality and your true self.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

If you are a commercial writer, a shrewd person who calculates thoroughly and moves accordingly, then you don’t have to worry about it.

However, for artists who purely and sincerely devote themselves to art, this was something they had to be wary of.

How many artists have lost themselves in the midst of their work, receiving praise but dying alone in eternal darkness?

So Steve was saying that you shouldn’t lose yourself, that you should take care of yourself first and foremost.

“Well, not to that extent.”

Su-hyeon, who fully understood the meaning of the words, wrinkled her nose and laughed.

“But what you said resonates. It makes sense.”

Su-hyeon nodded.

“I guess I should change the subject. Not things like vision, comfort, and connection, but something completely new.”

“uh?”

Steve tilted his head.

A face that doesn’t understand why talking about getting away from work leads to going back to work. Soo-hyun read that expression and emphasized it.

“Focus on yourself, not others. Be careful not to exhaust your emotions and become an empty shell. So, shouldn’t we look inward instead of outward?”

“What? Are we talking about pictures again?”

“No, it’s different.”

Su-hyeon waved her hand.

“As you said, I’ve been most engrossed in my work. So I think using my work to focus on myself would be a way. I’m saying that I’m not going to prioritize my work, but rather use my work as a tool for myself.”

“Hmm.”

“Like a self-portrait, I explore myself and find topics that I can share my methods with.”

As Su-hyeon twirled the pencil she was holding in her hand and became lost in thought, Steve stared at her with an expression that said he couldn’t stop her.

***

Advice born of genuine concern.

Thankfully, it was timely.

3 days including weekend.

Soo-hyun lay on the bed doing nothing, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

As Steve said, these are emotions that people in their 20s for the first time might easily overlook.

But everything hit Soo-hyeon so hard that it was hard to just pass it by.

Moreover, the thrill of being able to draw again spurred Su-hyeon on every day. The determination that he could not let another opportunity go to waste made Su-hyeon even more diligent.

So, and again, and again, I hung on more.

“If this continues, I might really disappear and only Han Su-hyeon, who draws pictures, will remain.”

It was perhaps fortunate that I was able to catch my breath at this point.

“It’s about putting a comma. Don’t just run after the signal, but check where you are and where you’re looking.”

Su-hyeon, who had been mumbling, glanced out the window.

Autumn rain falling steadily.

Pedestrians holding umbrellas were walking hurriedly somewhere.

“But, this wasn’t just my problem.”

Seeing busy city people reminded me of the old days.

It was a time when I was so busy trying to make a living that even hearing my own name called felt awkward.

Su-hyeon lived the same time every day without even knowing what kind of machine she was a cog in.

On days when I didn’t have the leisure to look up at the sky or notice the passing of seasons, sad news would come flying in once in a while.

Things like premature obituaries and the miserable words of those who have been eliminated.

What’s unfortunate is that as time goes by, such things have become more common and frequent.

So someone’s misfortune has become a feelingless number, no longer a problem to be cared for.

I didn’t even have time to properly reflect on what was wrong.

Because society is getting faster and faster.

It was like a train with broken brakes. People were losing time, becoming more and more lonely and losing themselves.

I also thought that being forced out of my job or my original place was like losing my entire purpose in life and my own value.

This problem has been discussed for a long time, but there has been no proper solution.

In Soo-hyeon’s memory, the problem became more and more serious and bigger.

“Yeah. This is it.”

Su-hyeon jumped up from the bed.

How to find yourself and fix your relationships.

A way of looking back at art without destroying yourself.

The order and direction suddenly came to Soo-hyeon’s mind as he continued to ponder.