I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 221



Only Noblemtl

Episode 221. Snowball (2)

Could they be people with the same name?

Isn’t that more likely?

Su-hyeon stared at the file for a long time.

Kim Min-jun.

It was a name that had become so vague that I couldn’t even recall it.

Although we entered the same class in the Department of Painting as Baekhyun, we didn’t really run into each other, and the last I heard was that he had left for Europe as an exchange student.

It was a decision made faster than Soo-hyun’s, and by simple calculation, it was around the time his exchange student schedule ended.

Even so, it’s New York.

Su-hyeon felt uncomfortable with the sudden appearance of Kim Min-jun.

That must be it.

The file Jacqueline handed over contained Kim Min-jun’s nationality, name, and age, as well as a brief description of which of Su-hyeon’s paintings he wished to purchase and the reason for doing so.

Even if we leave open the possibility that they are the same age and namesake, it is difficult to deny that this Kim Min-jun is that Kim Min-jun, as he wrote in the reason for wanting to purchase that he is a fan who has been watching the exhibition since its first exhibition.

“under.”

Su-hyeon stood up from her seat, emptying the remaining drink from her teacup that was starting to show the bottom.

He never gave me any support, and instead, he built a wall. But it was hard to guess his intentions when he approached me like this.

It would be better not to get involved.

Let’s not react. In any way.

It was unpleasant, but I thought it would be better to leave it to the gallery and not worry about it.

The price Jacqueline would set for the painting would be way beyond what a college student could afford, so she thought it would naturally drop during the process.

however.

“What is this?”

Su-hyeon frowned after checking the last line of the document.

The desired purchase price.

There, Kim Min-jun wrote something strange.

Exchange with the work .

It was an absurd condition.

It was a proposal to swap Soo-Hyeon’s tiles with his own painting.

***

-Hey, I heard there’s a lot of rumors about him.

It was quicker to find out about Kim Min-jun’s current situation in Korea than in the United States.

Su-hyeon sent an email to her friends, and the kids who received it quickly gathered information.

And two days later, Park Seon-hwa called me from abroad.

“rumor?”

-It seems like there was quite a fuss in the painting department.

“So you came to Korea after finishing your exchange program?”

-Oh. I heard you came back for a short while during the summer vacation, but you didn’t return to school right away in the second semester. I wondered what was going on, but I guess you didn’t know you went to America.

Park Seon-hwa relayed the news quickly, out of breath.

-Anyway, Kim Min-jun, he was a bit of a quiet guy at Baekhyundae, right?

“Oh, that’s right.”

-There was a big accident in Europe.

“accident?”

-I’ll give you an address, so connect later.

Park Seon-hwa gave me a homepage address.

-That’s the homepage where you can see his work, and anyway, it seems like those paintings became very popular in Europe and caused a stir.

“Kim Min-jun’s painting?”

Soo-hyeon asked back, seemingly bewildered.

– As you can see, it’s a pop art style, you know? It’s like a cartoon, or a poster. But I heard his original drawings weren’t in that style?

“That’s right.”

Soo-hyeon answered while recalling the picture of Kim Min-jun that she had seen after returning from the past.

It was surprising that Kim Min-jun, who had never strayed from the traditional painting style, turned to pop art.

pop art.

Works that use images that are widely known through popular culture, such as comics, portraits of celebrities, and commercial advertisements.

If you look at Andy Warhol’s and and Roy Lichtenstein’s , the masters of pop art who emerged in the 1960s, you can immediately understand the characteristics of pop art paintings.

“her.”

Su-hyeon shook her head.

Maybe you’ve found a way of working that’s just right for you.

Kim Min-jun had a hard time creating something new from the beginning. But what if he used popular images as material, gave them meaning, and recreated them? Kim Min-jun could have created a work of art.

Rather, I didn’t know that he was free from plagiarism and copyright and was actively engaged in creative activities.

“So the response was good in Europe?”

As Su-hyeon checked, Park Seon-hwa’s excited voice was heard.

– It’s not ordinary. The kid is smart. The work is a work of art, but he uses the media in an amazing way. It may be a bubble, but he’s currently very popular. He had an exhibition in Europe, and his paintings sold a lot. Oh, and I heard he collaborated with a fashion company?

“That’s incredible speed.”

-That’s right. They say there’s no example of such achievements in one year in Europe. In that slow Europe, you grew incredibly fast. And you were a student. Of course, it’s not like Soo-hyun will tell you that. You’re achieving results in New York.

Park Seon-hwa pouted, perhaps feeling a sense of unnecessary competition.

-If it’s about fashion, you collaborated with Sasha. The brand that Kim Min-jun participated in wasn’t a luxury brand. It was a mid-priced t-shirt brand that teenagers like to wear.

“It was a perfect collaboration with pop art. Anyway, that’s not the point. There’s no comparison.”

-Yeah. Actually, I had something else I wanted to say.

Park Seon-hwa swallowed hard and spoke carefully.

-This is just a guess, but doesn’t that guy Kim Min-jun feel a strange sense of competition towards you?

“Competitive spirit?”

-Actually, since the preview days, you’ve been the one who’s only been looking at my back. That kid. It was the same at the national competition, and even after you came to Baekhyundae, you were always the one who took the spotlight.

When Soo-hyeon didn’t answer, Park Seon-hwa let out a short sigh.

-I heard that you were a jealous and arrogant kid from the beginning. I heard this from kids who graduated from Joongang Arts High School. And when you came to Korea briefly this summer, that kid was looking for news about you.

“Any news about me?”

– So is this an exaggeration? If you thought you were still in Korea and wanted to show off your achievements in Europe, you knew you could beat Han Soo-hyun this time, so you prepared a decisive blow, but you found out that you had gone too far away and could not catch up. So you couldn’t stand it anymore and went to New York? Now it’s time to give it a try, to settle things.

Park Seon-hwa laughed out loud, saying that it was ridiculous even though she said it herself.

-But this isn’t just my opinion. Senior Ji-hoon and Senior Kyung-min said the same thing.

Seo Ji-hoon and Lee Kyung-min.

Those who went on to graduate school said they still maintain close relationships with undergraduate students as they work as teaching assistants.

Since we had become quite close with Su-hyeon’s friends through the animation group project, we helped Park Seon-hwa answer her questions this time too.

-He said it was cold. He said it with a smile, but it felt strangely bone-chilling, and there were times when his deep-rooted inferiority complex was revealed. It was also strange when he asked me about you in detail. Like an ex-boyfriend who still has feelings for you.

“So. Is there a reason why he would do that to me?”

Su-hyeon sighed and shook her head.

Having achieved remarkable results in Europe and established myself as an author, it was time to work without any hesitation.

But he insisted on being conscious of Soo-hyun and trying to confirm that he was ahead of everyone else, and when that went astray, he showed twisted emotions and decided to go to New York. As expected, he was a person who was difficult to understand.

“Anyway, so this is an approach you’ve been taking knowingly.”

Soo-hyun muttered as she looked at the file Jacqueline had given her.

When I realized that the reason for writing such things as “wish to buy” and “reason for choosing the work” was all because of that, I felt somewhat discouraged.

-Anyway, it’s clear that he’s a gloomy lover. And when I look at him like that, his work also looks infinitely gloomy.

“The pictures?”

-Yeah. I mean the picture that caused a fuss in Europe.

After a brief silence, Park Seon-hwa continued speaking.

-Actually, I asked my mom too.

“Ah. How are you, manager?”

-Well, Mom, it’s the same. She’s a workaholic. Anyway, since she knows a lot about European news, I asked her about Kim Min-jun. She said she knew everything. Everything from his high school days to now, and how much influence he has in the art world.

Judging from the slightly gloomy tone in her voice, it seemed that Director Kang Yu-jin had given Kim Min-jun a good score.

– You said that being an artist is not a job that is evaluated based on morality or character. And going to New York was a choice that he could have made. As an artist, you have no choice but to go to the New York art world, so he probably wanted to try it. I think he also wanted to compare himself to you.

Park Seon-hwa’s words made all the circumstances clear. Kim Min-jun had emerged as a promising newcomer with luck added to his original talent, and it seemed he had decided to go to New York to test his limits.

I wonder if his work will work here, or if he will somehow make it work.

And in the process, there will be a great desire to defeat me and erase my past defeats.

“Thanks for the news, Seonhwa.”

-Hey, it’s nothing special. It’s not even work. But you’re doing well, right?

“I couldn’t be happier. Both my work and my school life.”

-I miss you, Han Soo-hyun. The kids talk about you a lot.

“so do i.”

-When Kim Min-jun came up this time, they said they wanted to see you more. They were worried that Kim Min-jun was creating unnecessary public opinion, but if he went to New York, that won’t happen.

“Don’t worry, Seonhwa.”

Su-hyeon smiled brightly.

“New York isn’t that easy.”

At those words, Park Seon-hwa burst into loud laughter.

-Yes! That’s right! That gloomy fellow doesn’t know how to be thankful for his luck, and he’s acting out of proportion! It’s like a magpie following a stork and getting his legs torn.

Park Seon-hwa, who was laughing heartily, said goodbye again and said she would come to New York with her friends during winter vacation.

Let’s spend this Christmas together.

Soo-hyun answered that she would look for a place for her friends to stay and ended the call.

“Then I guess I don’t need to worry about this file anymore.”

Soo-hyun shook her head as she looked through Jacqueline’s files.

The reason Kim Min-jun sent this probably wasn’t because he wanted to buy a real painting.

The purpose was to make it known that he was in New York and to arouse curiosity by writing the title of his painting that he wanted to trade with Soo-hyun’s painting.

“It’s childish, really.”

I picked up the paper that Soo-hyeon had written down, being careful not to get carried away by those rough emotions.

The website address that Park Seon-hwa provided.

Knock. Knock.

Su-hyeon opened the computer internet window and typed it in.

And then tak.

The moment I pressed the Enter button, a homepage I had never seen before appeared before my eyes.

“oh.”

Su-hyeon smiled with a difficult to understand meaning after seeing Kim Min-jun’s drawing.

Click. Click.

Su-hyeon nodded as she turned the pages and checked all the pictures.

“It was something like this.”

Looking at the picture, I finally understood Park Seon-hwa’s explanation.

Why his paintings are so popular among the younger generation, and what Kim Min-jun wants to see in New York. That was it.

“I wonder if my luck will be on my side.”

After Soo-hyun finished her cool evaluation, she clicked.

I closed the internet window.