Episode 13: Coffee Scented Attic
Hanye University is so vast that it takes a long time to get out of the school.
There aren’t many delicious restaurants around, so students mainly ate at the cafeteria, and you had to go a bit further near the Foreign University to find some good places.
Seoyeon entered the place she was most curious about among them.
It was a restaurant converted from a house in a small alley.
The name of the restaurant was [Coffee Scented Attic].
As she entered the store, the space was quaint like a comic book store.
The interior was decorated like a bookstore, so you could even take out and read books.
Seoyeon started taking pictures, saying the place was pretty, and then suddenly asked,
“You know how to eat kimchi, right?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Two servings of kimchi fried rice, please!”
Kang Lim thought it was unusual to see Seoyeon picking the menu on her own.
Usually, when he went out to eat with girls, they took a long time to decide on the menu.
But this girl orders for others as well…
Seoyeon seemed to have noticed his thoughts and spoke up.
“Sorry. They only sell kimchi fried rice here.”
“Oh. It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“But they say it’s really delicious. It’s supposed to be amazing.”
While setting the silverware in front of Kang Lim, Seoyeon smiled again.
She had the face of someone wondering if she had applied to the wrong department, thinking she should have applied to the acting department instead of art.
“I’ll be right back, going to the restroom!”
Kang Lim got up to get some side dishes.
Interestingly, you could toast bread before the fried rice came out.
He washed his hands and toasted the bread.
While spreading jam, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Why did she ask to eat with me? Does she have no friends? Or,
“Could it be that she likes me?”
Just then, he felt a chilly wind behind him.
When he turned around, Seoyeon was glaring at him.
For some reason, Kang Lim felt a cold sweat and smiled awkwardly.
“Hey. Aren’t you a bit too confident? Don’t say your inner thoughts out loud.”
“Ah. Sorry.”
“No shame at all. No shame!”
Grumbling, Seoyeon took the toast and went back to her seat.
Embarrassed, Kang Lim looked around and said something random.
“But why is this place called Coffee Scented Attic?”
“It’s cool because they sell kimchi fried rice at a place called Coffee Scented Attic!”
“…What’s cool about that?”
“You’re an art student, and you don’t get it? It’s cool because something unexpected pops out. Like, ta-da!”
“Ah, I see.”
“What ‘I see.’ That’s so boring.”
Just then, the server placed two servings of kimchi fried rice on their table.
Perfectly cooked half-fried eggs, chives, and stir-fried meat were piled on top.
With a sauce that looked like gochujang, it almost looked like bibimbap at first glance.
Kang Lim took a big bite with his spoon.
It tasted like a mysterious blend between real kimchi fried rice and bibimbap.
“Oh. It’s good.”
“The sauce is unique, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you glad you came with me? Who else would you have eaten with?”
“Puhaha. Let’s say that’s true.”
“Why didn’t you come to OT (Orientation)? I applied right away because they said it would be hard to fit in at school without attending OT and the freshman welcome party.”
“That’s just a rumor. They just drink at OT and welcome parties, so why bother going? It’s a hassle.”
“How did you know? I didn’t expect them to drink so much.”
Kang Lim recalled his past life.
Back then, he worried a lot that he’d fall behind or be left out if he didn’t participate in at least one event as a freshman.
Seoyeon was exactly like that.
University life is hierarchical.
There were too many seniors who just drank and showed off in front of freshmen, regardless of age, so he didn’t go.
But if there had been a cute girl like her, he might have gone.
“Clubs are the same.”
“Really? I was thinking of joining the music appreciation club.”
“That’s a club where you drink while listening to music.”
“What about the ukulele club?”
“You touch the ukulele briefly and then drink.”
“Ugh.”
“Haha.”
When Kang Lim laughed holding his belly, Seoyeon looked at him suspiciously.
“What the… Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe this school isn’t like that.”
“You… Jeez.”
Seoyeon’s expressions changed dynamically, making it fun to watch.
Kang Lim cracked the yolk of his egg and changed the topic to a question he was curious about.
“But you’re good at critique. Where did you learn it?”
“You’re one to talk. I don’t think you’re the one to say that…”
“I just read a lot of books.”
“Hey. Not everyone who reads books can critique like that. People like you with natural talent make it hard for curators. Even to write one preface, you have to study properly because there are so many people who seem like experts without even majoring in it.”
“Curator? Why a curator?”
“Oh. I’m not going to be an artist. I plan to build experience as a curator and then challenge myself to manage an art museum later.”
“What? Then why do you keep practicing art?”
“Because I’m terrible at it…”
“What do you mean? If you got into this school, you’re good. It’s a waste.”
“No. I didn’t expect to get in here either. It was probably luck. My exam number was 77 too~.”
Kang Lim automatically thought of Lee Hyunseong.
His eyes narrowed. That level would be considered lucky…
No way. Seoyeon wouldn’t do that. He shook his head and continued the conversation.
“But if you want to be a curator, it’s much easier with a theory major. It feels like you’re taking a roundabout way. Did you come here because you still have an attachment to practicing art?”
“No. Studying art management later for a master’s degree is enough. Actually, if you major in practice, you can understand how artists create their works, and that helps with managing storage related to preservation. Observing how artists think also helps with writing critiques!”
She was so sharp and clear that there was nothing else to say, but Kang Lim was a bit worried.
In the art world, there’s a hierarchy.
The art museums that own the works and the artists who create the works are at the top.
Curators, who get employed by museums to discover artists, plan exhibitions, and interpret the world of art, are at the bottom.
Curators work incredibly hard but earn very little money.
Moreover, most curators are highly educated, usually holding master’s degrees from prestigious universities.
In other words, they often think, ‘Did I study this much just to do this?’ while working hard, so it’s a profession for those who truly love art.
“Hey… Planning exhibitions is really tough without connections. People say artists succeed through connections, but actually, if artists have talent, they get recognized regardless of their educational background. But in management, it’s not just about education; it’s about having predetermined connections from birth.”
Indeed. Most people think this way. Seoyeon smiled bitterly.
Kang Lim wasn’t entirely wrong.
That’s why Seoyeon clenched her fist and made a resolution.
The more someone is born with, the more they must work hard.
Because they easily get the opportunities others dream of.
“Yeah. I’ll work hard with your concerns in mind!”
“Well. I think you can overcome all that.”
Kang Lim decided to just support Seoyeon’s talent.
Seeing her small clenched fist, he felt like she could achieve anything.
Since his return, he decided not to set limits on people prematurely.
‘She’s a person with an uncertain future… But maybe it can brighten up.’
Seeing the cheerful Seoyeon made him smile naturally.
Like father, like son. Being drawn to non-lucrative majors was just like his father.
Freshman common practice room at the art school.
Many students were already gathered to attend the common practice class.
Freshmen from the Department of Fine Arts, Design, and Architecture gathered together to find their seats marked with their name tags.
Kang Lim also went to the front of the blackboard to check his seat.
The seating chart showed that the room was divided into sections with partitions, and two people were assigned to each section.
Lee Hyunseong ran up and spoke.
“Hey. Why did you come in with Seoyeon? She was already famous for being pretty since OT.”
“We just ate together because we had the same class.”
“This punk. So that’s why you ignored my text.”
“Of course. You idiot.”
Lee Hyunseong glanced at Seoyeon and then spoke in a small voice.
“…I admit it. I fell in love with a noona at first sight too. Want me to tell you?”
Can’t you tell? Kang Lim sighed.
From this point on, Lee Hyunseong’s love story with Yoon Jangmi would be annoying to watch even without seeing it.
He hadn’t seen it directly, but every time they drank, it was all about Yoon Jangmi.
They eventually got married, but even if he said it, he wouldn’t believe it.
“Hey. Your seat is by the window in the corner. It’s good because it’s not very visible. It’s hard to work when professors walk around.”
“I don’t mind them walking around.”
“Oh. So annoying. Do you know the person next to you is the runner-up of the art school? Birds of a feather flock together.”
“What’s their name?”
“Shin Taemin.”
Kang Lim’s eyes widened slightly.
‘Is that Shin Taemin? Shin Hansu’s son?’
In the future, Shin Taemin would debut successfully as a painter.
‘He became more famous after it was revealed that he was Shin Hansu’s son.’
Recalling the articles he read in his previous life, he moved to the seat at the end of the room.
As he turned the corner and entered the partitioned area at the end, he recognized the face.
‘Where have I seen him before?’
The profile he had seen at the exam center came to mind.
“Oh. You were at the front of the exam center.”
He was already annoyed because this tall guy blocked his view back then, and he was still tall.
“What? Do you know each other?”
“I told you. He was at the front of the exam center.”
“Oh. What a coincidence.”
Lee Hyunseong looked at Shin Taemin with interest and said,
“There are only three guys in the Fine Arts Department, including us. Let’s get along well!”
When Lee Hyunseong offered his phone, Shin Taemin reluctantly entered his number.
The noisy classroom quieted down when Gu Haeyoung arrived.
Despite his white hair, his head was full, and his posture was straight, making it hard to believe he was elderly.
Gu Haeyoung’s presence alone was enough to command the room.
He exuded the aura of a grandmaster from the start.
“Since it’s the first class, I’ll just assign a task and leave.”
The first words were more relaxed than expected.
Wow. The students cheered, seeing Gu Haeyoung smile slightly.
“An artist’s work reflects their life. If their life and work are different, one of them must be a lie.
Artists you know well, like Van Gogh or Frida Kahlo, put their sad life stories into their paintings, which is why they move so many people. What about contemporary artists?”
Gu Haeyoung displayed two works on the screen.
Takashi Murakami’s sculptures, [My Lonesome Cowboy] and [Hiropon].
Full-body statues of a man and a woman, boldly transformed into sexualized poses.
The students frowned at the sculptures, which seemed to assert their sexuality, even gripping large genitals.
Especially the Design and Architecture students reacted more negatively.
Ugh- Jeez. Modern art really has no answer.
“Any student familiar with these works?”
Kang Lim admired Gu Haeyoung. To use such recent works for a class right away.
Would Seoyeon be able to interpret this work as well?
Looking to his side, as expected,
Seoyeon raised her hand, her eyes sparkling.
“Yes. The student in the front, go ahead.”
“These are works by Takashi Murakami. One of the major trends in art history is breaking the aura of ‘high art,’ and he’s a fitting artist for that.
Just as ‘pop art’ suggested that everyday items like product posters or TV ad images could be art, Takashi Murakami brought ‘otaku animation,’ a subculture, into the realm of art.
Such artists wanted to say, ‘Art is not something only the rich can understand and enjoy.’ They wanted to show that art isn’t something lofty and difficult but is part of everyday life.”
Gu Haeyoung slightly raised his right eyebrow.
It was rare to find a student who could interpret contemporary works this well at this stage.
Quite an interesting student.
However, the surrounding students grumbled, ‘Ugh… As expected from an otaku country. Making stuff like this. No wonder they do such work.’
“Does anyone have a different opinion?”
At that moment, Kang Lim raised his hand.
Seoyeon glanced at him with a curious but not unfriendly look.
What is this guy going to say again…
