Episode 92: Gift
Kang Lim packed his large suitcase tightly from the morning.
Since he had to live in France for several months, there was a lot to pack.
Of course, since it was winter, half of it was clothes.
“Winter clothes are so bulky… Should I just leave them all and buy new ones there?”
Bzzz-
He checked his phone.
The sender was Heyum Art Museum. It was a text asking him to reply to an email.
“Ah, I really need to get into the habit of checking my emails more often. No, I should just link it to my phone so it alerts me.”
Kang Lim turned on his computer to send the completed album drafts.
In his mailbox was a letter from Ryoo Miyeon.
[I’ve heard that the exhibition held at Baekyeon Gallery will be held again in Paris.
I’ve adjusted the schedule for your third solo exhibition to coincide with it.
Originally, the exhibitions were only going to overlap for a week, but one of the residency artists changed their schedule for you.
Thanks to that, the two exhibitions will be held together for 4 weeks.
Since you said you would be working under a pseudonym, I’ve also revised the preface for “24 Seasons of Emotions.”
It still includes the points about:
- Drawing with emotions compared to weather.
- The series you’ve been drawing since you were six years old.
- Creating without photo references, relying on memory.
All three points are included, but the identity of the woman in the paintings remains undisclosed.
When curiosity peaks, your third solo exhibition will open.
At that time, your life will be re-examined.
Of course, since the paintings depict an Asian woman, people will speculate that the artist is also Asian.
However, the important thing is that they won’t be certain.
Andrew Wyeth, a white man, painted Indians, and Gauguin painted Tahitian natives for decades.
I think if opinions are divided, the rumors will spread even faster.
Also, I have a separate schedule, so only Junhee and Seoyeon will be at the airport.
Professor Shin Hansoo will also depart separately.
Arrive first and settle in well.
- After photographing the work to be auctioned, send it to the address below.]
Kang Lim quickly sent a reply.
Finally, he was leaving tomorrow.
A warm afternoon.
The painting in the large shopping bag swayed as Kang Lim walked.
The meticulously packaged artwork was a 70cm square piece of wood.
“Hyung, let me carry that.”
“No, you’ll just open it on your own.”
“Oh, no, I won’t.”
Kang Lim chuckled at Seong Woojin.
He had been staring at the shopping bag since earlier, looking like he was dying of curiosity.
He would probably be even more surprised if he saw his own face on it.
Seong Woojin scratched his head and spoke.
“But why did you make it so big? The CD album was small and you worked on it on the computer.”
“Hand-drawn work needs to be large to capture the details. In fact, hyper-realism artists often work on large pieces. People often ask how they can draw so realistically on such big canvases, but it’s actually because the size allows it.”
“Why? Isn’t it harder when it’s bigger?”
“It’s a simple principle. If you draw a face on a notebook, you can’t capture the fine wrinkles and pores. But if the canvas is larger, you can even draw the sebum in the pores. Think of it as a magnifying glass.”
“Ugh… That’s not very appealing.”
“Haha. This one is small, so don’t worry.”
How long had they walked past Exit 1 of Mangwon Station?
In the distance, the Atomic’s practice room came into view.
“All the practice we did there will become memories now. Since it’s where the Atomics stayed, it will probably be on TV later…”
Looking at Seong Woojin, who was unaware of his future, Kang Lim spoke.
“If you succeed, your ex-girlfriend will regret it.”
“Hey… It’s not that easy to succeed. The entertainment industry is tough.”
“Well, life has a way of working out easily if it’s meant to be. Of course, only for those who are prepared.”
Seong Woojin felt good, as if he was one of those prepared people.
Kang Lim was always a reassuring hyung who planted positive thoughts.
The words he casually threw out when Woojin wanted to give up always gave him strength.
“Are things going well with your girlfriend?”
Kang Lim showed a reluctant expression at the sudden question.
This kid has no manners.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Huh? What about that pretty noona who filmed your busking performance? She was always by your side during the exhibitions.”
“Oh… She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends for now.”
Woojin burst into laughter at the word “for now.”
This hyung is definitely shy.
“Oh, come on! Just date her. She wouldn’t keep coming to see you if she didn’t like you. It’s always the people involved who can’t see it.”
“No, really. We’re just business partners.”
Though he said that, a smile crept up on Kang Lim’s face.
He recalled the many expressions of shy Seoyeon.
Her pouty face when she was reading the university newspaper, her primping when she arrived early for appointments, the strange tension felt during hugs…
Looking back, many scenes came to mind.
“Oh, what kind of business is that! Just confess to her.”
“Well… It’s not the right time to confess.”
“Why? Is it because noona is poor?”
“…What?”
This kid is a bit out of touch, asking such random questions. Kang Lim shook his head in disbelief.
“But she seems very diligent…”
Seong Woojin recalled the day he first saw Seoyeon.
She was quite dressed up during Kang Lim’s first solo exhibition, but when he saw her in Hongdae, she was just a cheerful and easygoing college student.
There was a sense of camaraderie in her off-brand clothes.
Anyway, working part-time at Heyum also showed she was a hardworking noona.
“Honestly, I want to say that love conquers all, but having been dumped for being poor myself… it’s hard to say. But hyung makes a lot, so it’s okay, right? Your standards are too high.”
Kang Lim chuckled and said.
“Seriously, I don’t make a lot. If I want to be with her, I can’t be ordinary.”
“What’s ordinary about you? That’s ridiculous…”
“It’s not just a feeling of inadequacy. There’s a bit of a story.”
“What is it?”
“Anyway, I can’t be just an average person.”
Memories of Seoyeon came flooding back.
Drinking beer at night, swinging on the garden swing.
Her solitary, melancholic words, her sad eyes…
Seoyeon always seemed like she wanted to say something but never clearly expressed it.
As if suppressing something, she looked away.
She didn’t like the dark atmosphere, so she put on a bright expression that quickly faded.
It made his heart ache every time.
“What the… Why are you suddenly scaring me…”
Seong Woojin was startled, seeing Kang Lim stop abruptly.
Did I say something wrong? He felt an inexplicable guilt looking at Kang Lim’s darkened eyes fixed somewhere.
Kang Lim quickly resumed walking and said.
“No, let’s go in. We’re here.”
“Yep.”
As the two went down the stairs, the practice room door burst open.
The members ran out at the sound of footsteps.
“Wow! That’s a huge painting.”
“Awesome… Is it that?”
The members greeted Kang Lim enthusiastically, their eyes sparkling.
Their gestures signaled for him to reveal the artwork he held.
They had all been waiting all night for this day, the release of their first album.
A painting engulfed in spreading flames.
The rich gradation of the soot gave a distant illumination.
On the pitch-black stage, a vocalist threw his head back, sending his voice into the void.
He sang as if this moment was his last, clutching the microphone.
Shoulders thrown back, chest forward.
It was a painting that conveyed the intense heartbeat of surpassing one’s limits.
Like scraping an electric guitar with a pick…
The roughly carved wood grain seemed to scream.
“……”
Silence filled the practice room for a while.
Kang Lim chuckled at the frozen members.
Were these the same noisy and bustling people who had just come in?
Seong Woojin’s expression was priceless too.
Even a little bit of emotion was too much… He might cry at this rate.
To be considerate of the youngest, Kang Lim spoke.
“I’m sorry I only painted Woojin. I wanted to draw all the Atomic members, but having multiple images made them unrecognizable when reduced in size. I made it this way for impact.”
A while after Kang Lim finished speaking…
The members, as if coming out of a buffering state, began to move.
They all shouted simultaneously.
“Wowwwwww!”
“It’s totally Atomics!”
“That’s not important! No, it’s actually perfect. We all know Woojin is the visual member.”
“Wow… But how did you draw this?”
It was exactly as Heo Jinseong said, they had no idea how it was drawn.
The members touched the holes in the wooden board.
It looked like it was drawn by dropping a real bomb.
“Wow, it’s like an atomic bomb. It’s Atomic itself…”
“How can you express what we want so well?”
“You’re truly an artist!”
Kang Lim had burned the wood with a torch, creating a hole where the vocalist’s mouth was.
A small accidental hole was found and then intentionally enlarged.
The wounds where the wood fell off gave depth to the painting.
“This was drawn by burning it with fire. By varying the intensity of the flame, the tones came out differently.”
“Wow… No wonder it felt powerful.”
“This is amazing! Some parts look scratched, and others look soft.”
“It’s just like our music. The hollowed-out mouth makes it even more dramatic!”
“Yes. I completely burned out the mouth and placed charred wood behind it to make it look like a throat.”
Kang Lim smiled and showed a photo on his phone.
It was the final draft with the title on the original painting.
“Wow… The lettering is so cool.”
“This is insane, really.”
The white typography on the pitch-black background with flowing hair was distorted like lightning, spelling ‘Question.’
“There is one more piece.”
“……?”
Kang Lim took out a frame.
Inside an acrylic box was a small dandelion.
It was made from tiny wood chips and sawdust glued together.
It was so delicate that the petals looked fluffy, not rough.
“I made a dandelion from the wood chips that came out while carving the painting. Carving it was painful, but the traces left behind are beautiful. It means that parting isn’t just sad; it leaves precious memories and growth. Isn’t the flower cute?”
The members admired the dandelion made of wood bark.
If the painting felt simple and powerful, the sculpture conveyed a delicate and warm heart.
“Right now, you’re only releasing a digital album due to budget constraints. When you make a physical album later, use Woojin for the front and the dandelion for the back. I’ve also sent a draft of the stamp design using the title logo via email. It would be good to sell it as a set with the album.”
As more people started listening to music digitally, albums became something people bought to support the artist.
Logos on balloons, stickers, illustrated photo books, etc…
Albums have turned into merchandise for fans, and Kang Lim didn’t want to miss that part.
“And keep this painting. It’s a gift.”
Who is this guy? Why is he so good to us?
The Atomic members’ eyes turned red.
Tears were welling up, ready to fall with a slight nudge.
Kang Lim was flustered, seeing the members trembling.
“Why are you crying over this? You’ll receive many gifts in the future.”
Heo Jinseong bit his lower lip, trying to hold back his overwhelming emotions.
He stared at Kang Lim with determination.
“We can’t accept this. Take the painting back. We’ll only take the design draft.”
The members were agitated by their leader’s words.
This is the hyung who always says words can’t be taken back.
And now he’s saying this? Is he crazy? He’s saying something outrageous.
The members shuffled nervously, unsure of what to do.
Heo Jinseong raised his voice at the buzzing members.
“We may be poor, but we have our pride!”
Pride doesn’t feed us. He’s Heo Jinseong, not Heo Seong.
The members wanted to grumble but bit their tongues.
Their nostrils just flared…
“This painting will be our symbol. We will succeed and come back to buy it from you. Please wait a little.”
Kang Lim was deeply impressed by Heo Jinseong’s firm spirit.
His eyes were filled with passion.
“As expected, that’s why he’s Heo Jinseong.”
Setting new goals and charging forward.
He was a character who didn’t feel despair even in the face of obstacles.
That’s why he endured the lonely days of obscurity and became a star.
Kang Lim nodded and spoke.
His eyes were filled with certainty.
“By the time I return to Korea, everything will have changed.”
