Episode 15: Assignment Presentation
As Kang Lim stepped onto the playground, a Damas honked its horn.
The freight driver was cheerfully waving.
There was nothing more lucrative than spending idle time transporting art students’ paintings.
Furthermore, students who moved back and forth like this could earn 100,000 won in a short time.
“You’re heading to the Seoul City Library, right? And then returning to the school?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
When Kang Lim got into the front seat, the driver gave a sly smile.
“Normally, I’d charge an extra 10,000 won for you sitting in the front, but I won’t this time.”
“Oh, thank you. Every penny counts right now.”
“Hahaha.”
From the driver’s perspective, art students seemed to live very diligently.
He didn’t always know what they were doing, but they were always holding exhibitions here and there and transporting their works again.
Despite not making much money from it, they were always passionate.
‘But it’s the first time I’ve met a student who says they’re going to get materials. What materials could be at a library?’
The driver decided to ask when they arrived and kept his mouth shut.
Once the vehicle started, Kang Lim fell into contemplation.
The scenery outside the window scattered like the piece he had just destroyed.
‘Making a self-portrait to evoke sympathy… That wasn’t it. Honestly, I got a good opportunity by returning, so making such a work with my face because I lived a hard life in the past is a bit deceptive. It’s a dishonest work. Others might not know, but…’
Kang Lim did not regret destroying the piece he had worked so hard on.
It wasn’t meant to be a work that consoled himself.
He didn’t want to create a work that drew attention to “me.”
Kang Lim wanted to create a piece for the people who lived in the same era as he did.
‘It’s definitely right to change the materials if I want more people to relate to it.’
As soon as they arrived at the library, Kang Lim greeted the security guard he had called in advance.
Since he had been coming by with fruits several times to get permission over the past few days, the guard greeted him warmly.
“Hello, sir! Why are you outside? You must be tired.”
“Oh, you’re here, student. I’ve gotten all the necessary permissions from the district office. They said you can use it! Even though all of this would be burned in the incinerator, civil servants always stress these procedures.”
“Wow… You’ve gone through so much trouble because of me. I’ll send you a photo once I finish my work.”
“Haha. That would be great. I’ve been curious. What kind of work are you going to make with these? They’re just old workbooks…”
“These are books people studied with. They carry the time people spent with them. I used to study a lot in the past too. So, I think making a piece with these materials will bring back old memories.”
“Well, that’s true. This place is always filled with people studying day and night. High school seniors, public exam takers, bar exam students… Seeing all these students makes me think I need to work hard too. They come here at the crack of dawn…”
“That’s right. I used to be like that too. Though I didn’t pass the exam.”
Kang Lim thought about his pre-return life.
‘The future I lived in was even worse than now. The competition rate for public exams was skyrocketing, and there came a time when even elementary school students’ dreams were to become public servants.’
Good schools, good jobs… Kang Lim had lived that kind of life.
He worked hard for a stable life rather than chasing vague dreams. Therefore, he thought these books were the perfect materials to express the era and life he had lived.
“Wow, so these are the materials you were talking about?”
The driver looked at Kang Lim in amazement.
He had seen many students drawing on canvases or making sculptures out of marble or metal tools, but never one taking old books like this.
“Yes, they’ll be excellent materials.”
Kang Lim piled the books neatly, secured them with table ties, and moved them into the car.
He measured the books here and there with a tape measure and drew lines with a red marker.
What on earth was he trying to do?
“I’ll help you move them.”
“Um… You’re not going to charge me extra, right?”
“Oh, of course not.”
The driver felt that something special was going to come out of this and decided to help Kang Lim.
Back at school, Kang Lim moved hundreds of books to the woodworking room.
Then he went up to the studio and spoke to Shin Tae-min.
“Hey, Tae-min, can you remove the partition? Until I bring the finished piece.”
Shin Tae-min couldn’t believe his ears.
“What are you talking about?”
“I need you to move your stuff. I’m going to install it here.”
“….”
“I’ll buy you lunch later, man.”
“Forget that. How are you going to do an installation art piece in one day?”
“I’ll work through the night. I even skipped anatomy class today to get this done.”
Anatomy was a class that was hard to catch up on if you missed even a few sessions, but not for Kang Lim.
“Night work, huh… Got it.”
Shin Tae-min was curious about Kang Lim’s work, so he agreed to the proposal.
His own work was already completed anyway.
Kang Lim went back to his spot and pulled out the drawer containing materials.
But the floor was cleaner than he expected.
He was about to sweep, but the plaster pieces he expected to see were nowhere to be found.
“Hey, did you sweep up the broken pieces? You’re kinder than I thought?”
Kang Lim pointed to the floor with a puzzled look.
The guy who rarely spoke had done something so unexpected.
“No, Seo Yeon cleaned it.”
“What? She could have hurt her hands.”
A lot of people had helped him today.
He felt he had to show them a really good piece of work.
The next day.
All the new art school students gathered again for the common practical presentation day.
The critique session, where works were evaluated, moved from studio to studio.
The students followed Gu Ha-young, moving en masse.
Those who passed by without comment were certainly getting a C.
It meant their work wasn’t even worth talking about.
“Are you okay?”
Seo Yeon raised her eyebrows in concern when she saw Kang Lim with dark circles.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He was far from fine. He had worked through the night without eating since lunch the previous day, completed his piece by morning, and even attended the first theory class. He was so sleepy his eyes were blinking shut.
“Did you finish it?”
“Of course. You’ll be surprised when you see it.”
“Haha, your confidence is always the same.”
Seo Yeon chuckled as she looked at Kang Lim, just as Gu Ha-young stopped in her tracks.
“Whose work is this? Present it.”
All the students stopped in front of Kim Joo-young’s spot in the architecture department, and the owner of the work stepped forward.
His hair was neatly slicked back, with a clean shirt and cardigan, and polished loafers. He was overly sophisticated, almost to the point of being cheesy.
“Hello, I’m Kim Joo-young.”
Kang Lim paid attention as Kim Joo-young began his presentation. He already knew who he was.
Kim Joo-young would later become the youngest professor in the architecture department at Korean University.
Despite his slick appearance, the buildings Kim Joo-young designed were not just about aesthetic design.
He was famous for creating buildings that were very economical and comfortable to live in, ‘human-centered’ buildings. People who lived in them often marveled, saying it seemed as if he knew their behavioral patterns and designed the layout accordingly.
“I think the era we live in is one of constant concealment. We try to hide how we’ve lived and what we possess. Everyone wants to appear to live a flawless and glamorous life.”
The students nodded in agreement with Kim Joo-young’s words.
“I am no different. I come from a rural area, but since moving to Seoul, I’ve been dressing up like this. So my life is no different from our society.”
This time, Kim Joo-young’s words caused a murmur among the students. They couldn’t imagine this polished guy being a country bumpkin.
“So, I decided to create a building that is honest, in contrast to our society. I wanted to capture the opposite image.”
Kim Joo-young pointed to the model of the building he had made. The architectural model was a three-dimensional sculpture, fitting perfectly with the class’s requirements.
“The main material of this model is exposed concrete. Exposed concrete is just as its name suggests, a material that ‘exposes’ itself as ‘concrete’ without any embellishments. It’s named because it undergoes no post-processing.
You’ve all seen buildings with gray walls and round holes, right? That’s because the molds used to create those walls leave the construction marks exposed.
So, I made this with that material. I envied it for being able to reveal itself as it is. Even though it’s a building material, isn’t it very ‘natural’? I wanted to express this naturalness. The truth we’ve forgotten.”
His words struck a chord, and the room grew quiet.
Usually, in critique sessions, there’s a lot of pointing out mistakes, but no one did this time.
His thoughts were deeply philosophical, almost personifying the building.
“Also, I’ve captured the morning light that comes in from the east to bring nature inside. If you look here at the terrace window…”
Kang Lim was also impressed. Who would think of such an idea with building materials? He was indeed a student with great ideas.
Moreover, most freshmen’s architectural models are often impractical to build.
But this guy’s calculations were spot on.
However…
It was too precise.
‘Does he think Professor Gu Ha-young won’t notice? Is he a genius or an idiot…?’
Sure enough, Gu Ha-young carefully examined the building model and chuckled.
Kang Lim covered his eyes with one hand out of embarrassment.
“It closely resembles Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute…”
As soon as Gu Ha-young mentioned this, Kim Joo-young stopped his explanation.
“Ah, you caught me.”
Startled, Kim Joo-young’s thick accent slipped out, causing another murmur among the students.
Surprising people once or twice is enough… He’s quite something.
Lee Hyunseong muttered in a low voice, “They say there’s a thin line between genius and madness…” and wrapped his arms around himself in fear. Even he knew Louis Kahn was a giant in the field of architecture.
“The theme and perspective were good. I think you’ll do well if you build your own structures in the future. In support, I’ll give you a D with a plus.”
“Yes…”
As Gu Ha-young moved on, the students followed en masse.
The next stop was Seo Yeon’s spot.
“Explain your work.”
Seo Yeon stepped forward, covered her small mouth with her hand, and cleared her throat.
“I made a pair of shoes. Some people say a person’s life can be expressed by the ‘footprints’ they’ve left behind. That’s where I got my idea.”
Kang Lim nodded at her words.
“Our era is always busy and rapidly changing. I, too, have lived a life of studying and striving hard not to fall behind.
So, I made a pair of shoes with worn-out soles. That was my life.”
The work was a terracotta piece, made from clay and fired.
Seo Yeon used a plow-shaped scraper to scratch the surface of the shoes, giving them a rough and worn appearance.
You could see the frayed stitching she had carefully depicted here and there.
Though a bit clumsy, Kang Lim liked it.
He knew well how much Seo Yeon had studied and worked hard, more than anyone else.
He raised his hand to ask a curious question.
“Van Gogh also painted many shoes. Did you take inspiration from Van Gogh’s worn shoes? When I think of worn shoes, Van Gogh immediately comes to mind.”
Contrary to Kang Lim’s expectations, Seo Yeon’s expression darkened at the question.
In her mind, she pictured Van Gogh’s shoes, painted with rough strokes, representing a laborer’s life.
Shoes so worn they seemed to reek of sweat, evoking the weight of a solitary and harsh life.
So, she couldn’t answer.
While she had indeed worked hard, expressing herself with worn-out shoes seemed misleading.
This image felt too far removed from her own life.
Seeing Seo Yon’s confidence wane, Kang Lim felt unreasonably sorry.
He wondered if the question had been that difficult.
Usually, Seo Yeon would have responded fluently, but now she was just fidgeting with her sleeves.
Eventually, unable to watch her struggle, Gu Ha-young intervened.
“The value of a work is best understood by its creator.”
Gu Ha-young’s gaze was cold.
Though she said nothing more, her eyes seemed to see through everything.
Seo Yeon, flustered, bowed her head.
Gu Ha-young didn’t want to see any more childish attempts.
This much was enough.
The reason she returned to Korea wasn’t for cases like this.
“Let’s move further and start from the very back.”
The students followed her, moving en masse.
They were heading to where Kang Lim’s work was located.
