I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 245



Only Noblemtl

Episode 245. The Man and the Woman’s Circumstances (3)

“Ha. What the hell is going on?”

Whitney came home from the New Year’s party with a frown on her face.

“Why, that picture is there.”

Whitney chewed her fingernails with an anxious look on her face.

It was a party attended by fellow artists, critics, collectors, and gallery staff.

I greeted people I already knew and made eye contact with people I had never met in person but should know.

Then I got mixed up in a group.

There was a man there named Harry, a wealthy man who created a foundation to support contemporary artists and showcase their work.

He recently leaked a secret story, saying that he had discovered a really good piece of work.

The ears of collectors and writers perked up at the same time.

Although I was keeping my distance and waiting to find out their true identity, Harry and the AMF he created were hot potatoes in the New York art world. So their moves were bound to attract attention.

“Harry from AMF had dinner with Amy at the Blue?”

“There was a critic who praised Jeremy’s work. Was it Eric the Redhead? I heard he’s gotten really close to the AMF people.”

Rumors have also been circulating for months that he has been reaching out to blue-chip artists and influential art world figures to build rapport.

However, there was no specific talk about the author or work, but this was the first time a specific work by a specific author was mentioned, even if it was at an unofficial setting.

“I wonder what kind of painting it is. I heard that it is by an artist who is attracting attention at AMF.”

When someone, unable to contain their curiosity, asked for more details, Harry lowered his head slightly and whispered.

“The painting is a painting, but the story behind it really touches my heart. Anyway, it was a piece that was really hard to get. The artist had an unfortunate accident, and only three of his works remained in the world. I got one, and the other one went to Mr. Ove.”

“Mr. Ove?”

“Oh my god. Is that Mr. Ove?”

People asked back, urging him on.

A man known for being noble and discerning even among collectors.

Ove, who was considered to be one of the upper class among the upper class, was an influential person whom many people wanted to become friends with.

With such a person interacting with Harry and being interested in the works of an author that Harry was paying attention to, people’s curiosity now turned to the one remaining work.

“You said that there were only three works by that writer left in the world? If Harry took one and Ove took one, then the remaining one is… … .”

The anxious gazes of the people fell on Harry’s mouth, and Harry slowly opened his mouth.

“Our foundation did have it.”

Has the final owner already been decided?

For a brief moment, sighs escaped some lips. But others held out hope for a glimmer of possibility.

It wasn’t ‘I had it’, it was ‘I did it’. Surely you didn’t bring up this long story just to brag about your new painting, so I guess there’s still time left?

“I plan to put it up for auction at the Felicity Evening in March.”

As expected, words that stimulated everyone’s desires and boosted their morale flowed from Harry’s mouth.

“Oh my god, is this the Felicity Evening Auction?”

“I’m really curious about what kind of work it is.”

“Yes, I am. I am also curious to see how the starting price will be formed.”

They were laughing as if they were having a light conversation, but people’s eyes were burning with desire.

What kind of painting is it? How much does it cost?

Harry, Ove, and Felicity Auctions have the eye for detail.

So how much higher will that picture rise in the future?

Could it possibly be placed in the same line as Basquiat or Andy Warhol?

Harry, seeing the sparkling eyes, answered their curiosity without any fuss.

“The painting up for auction is a size 30, and the starting price will probably be $200,000.”

Two hundred thousand dollars.

As of 2001, this is an amount that is well over 260 million won in Korean currency.

That was the starting price of the auction, so once the bid was placed, there was no way of knowing how high the final bid would go.

People’s mouths dropped open.

“Didn’t you say it was by an unknown author? It must be a work with great potential. Oh, maybe it’s because it’s so rare?”

“That’s right. Compared to recognized contemporary writers, I think you’d be in the top tier.”

It was around that time that Whitney’s lips began to twitch slightly.

The highest price paid for a Whitney painting at the time was $150,000 for a 30-gallon painting.

Of course, it was a record in the auction market, and the list price in the gallery, the primary market, was lower than that.

So, they work hard to raise their profile by being prolific, creating annoying studio tour programs, and showing up at parties like this, but then an unknown artist comes along and dominates with just three paintings, and deep down, I feel a surge of jealousy.

It wasn’t just Whitney who felt that way.

“If it’s an auction, there are bound to be failures. It will only be certain once the work is made public and the artist is properly evaluated.”

A young writer with a ponytail lifted his chin and said:

“Well, that’s true too.”

Harry shrugged and smiled, unfazed.

Then, some people awkwardly laughed along and slightly turned their backs on the ponytailed writer.

In fact, everyone there knew that the painting that was going to be up for auction next would never go unsold.

Harry, Ove, and Felicity Auctions are all paying attention to this unreleased work, so it is more than qualified to be the main character.

Although I had some doubts, if it was a work that they acknowledged and decided to invest in, there must be a reason for it. It’s not something I can doubt or say with my limited knowledge. Before I knew it, I was nodding.

We have all witnessed how the art market sometimes creates breakthroughs with incomprehensible logic, so we guessed that this might be one of those cases.

When the conversation became completely focused on the work of an unknown artist.

“Today, I would like to show that work to some people in particular.”

Harry swung oil at the blazing fire.

“The artwork? Will it be up for auction?”

“Yes. My collection too.”

“Oh my god. Is that true?”

“Haha. My office is close to here, so if you’re curious, come with me for a bit.”

Harry winked.

An offer that you have no reason to refuse.

The curious followed Harry, the ponytailed writer snorted, but Whitney joined the crowd.

It will be easy to judge after seeing it. Will this be a bubble that will burst soon or an obstacle that will threaten my position?

Until then, I was just doing that kind of calculation. But.

“This is the work I purchased, .”

The moment Harry revealed his work, Whitney froze in place.

“This is the work called that will be up for auction next time.”

And after seeing the second piece, my breathing became rapid.

‘What happened? Why is that picture there?’

Whitney was confused.

The emergence of a new star who threatens the position of a blue-chip writer in the spotlight.

I was following him closely, intent on spying on him, but I unexpectedly ended up facing my own past.

***

“You can’t contact me?”

The next day.

Whitney left a message for her manager to contact Nozomi immediately, but as the afternoon went by, Nozomi was still unavailable.

“Have you already left America?”

Whitney scratched her head nervously.

A woman who stuttered in English. A shabby appearance. A person whose relationship with Takeshi was completely impossible to guess. And yet, she showed up holding the painting that Takeshi had taken.

I tried to get rid of it so it wouldn’t be an eyesore, but it persisted.

I thought it was over after embarrassing him and threatening him, but he ended up getting himself into trouble by selling his paintings to the wrong people.

“ha.”

Whitney took out the photo she had received from Nozomi the other day.

A photo of Takeshi and Nozomi together.

At first, he said that he was the owner of the painting, but when I said that he didn’t know the painting, he brought this picture again and pushed it in.

It must have been an attempt to prove that he was close enough to Takeshi to receive a painting from him.

“It doesn’t matter. That kind of thing.”

Whitney bit her lip.

Takeshi, who gave away a painting he said he would treasure to someone he didn’t even know, and Nozomi, the woman who sold the painting to collectors, were all the same.

‘When I was unknown, people used to make fun of me, but now they try to take advantage of me in every way possible.’

My mouth was watering with the bitter feeling.

Whitney thought quietly about the past.

A time when only paintings were a wish.

There were moments when I was happy enough just by drawing.

My youth, poor but with no lack of things, when I never doubted that good days would come.

Actually, it was also thanks to Takeshi.

Because his warm care and love became the subject of my paintings and the driving force that kept me from giving up on life. But.

“It was all just a moment.”

Whitney shook her head.

A love that seemed like it would last forever ended tragically. Whitney had to accept a breakup she couldn’t understand.

Everything was one-sided.

Swish.

Whitney raised one arm.

The burn marks hidden under the thick knit were clearly visible.

That day, I wished everything would just disappear.

Takeshi risked his life by jumping into the warehouse and rescuing several paintings.

He shook his head coldly when told that he didn’t need that and to come back.

In the end, Takeshi took the painting that he thought he didn’t need, saying he would think of it as a parting gift.

Did Takeshi laugh or cry that day?

Now my memory was hazy.

Is it that all the effort I’ve put into erasing all the memories is finally paying off?

Things that never happened will not happen again, but the number of things that come up without a solution will decrease.

But who would have thought that the picture would come back like this? It was so amazing.

“This can’t be happening, Takeshi. This can’t be happening.”

Whitney smiled coolly and shook her head.

That was when.

“Oh, it’s a bit strange, you know.”

The manager stood in front of Whitney with a confused look on his face.

“What is it?”

“While searching for traces of that person named Nozomi, I came across an unexpected person.”

“An unexpected person?”

“The person who came to our studio tour last time.”

“yes?”

“Do you remember the writer named Han Su-hyeon?”

“Do you remember? We talked quite a bit that day.”

“I heard that the writer left his contact information at Nozomi’s residence?”

“What does that mean?”

Whitney blinked.

“He said that if anyone comes looking for Nozomi because of the painting, please give him your contact information.”

“What did you say?”

Whitney’s eyebrows rose fiercely.

Although I still didn’t know the whole story, I could tell that Soo-hyun was deeply involved in this incident.

“What should we do?”

The manager looked at Whitney.

“It seems like they’ve laid out their own plan to some extent. Then I don’t have to worry about saving myself either.”

Whitney shook her head slightly.

“Please give me those contact details.”