Episode 95: The Selfish Gene
Short and stubby calves. Chubby cheek lines.
The girl in the ivory dress silently stared at Kang Lim.
No, it felt strange to say they made eye contact. It was more like she was staring into space.
The girl’s eyes were ruby red, but her entire body was pale white. Even her hair and eyelashes shone like snow.
Of course, to be precise, her hair was two-toned. The roots were white, but the ends were blonde, as if dyed.
He had heard of albinos who couldn’t produce melanin, but this was his first time seeing one in person.
Kang Lim squatted down in front of the girl to meet her eyes.
Blink, blink. The silent child closing and opening her eyes was mysterious.
“Who are you? You’re so cute.”
At Kang Lim’s question, the girl stretched out her dusty arm.
When she spread out her five fingers, her tiny fingers wiggled.
“What’s that?”
When Kang Lim tilted his head in confusion, the girl opened her mouth.
“I’m Erlin. I’m five years old.”
“Ah, five years old, huh.”
Had she been playing in the dirt around the flower bed? The girl was quite dirty.
“You’re a little rascal, huh? You’re so messy. Did you have breakfast? Where did you come from?”
Erlin stood quietly, listening to Kang Lim’s low and gentle voice.
Her small lips slightly curled up.
“How old are you, oppa? What’s your name?”
Kang Lim also smiled, following Erlin’s lead.
But just as he was about to speak,
A sharp and aggressive voice came flying in.
“Erlin! You wandered off again, didn’t you? Didn’t mom tell you not to talk to strangers?”
As soon as Isabel saw Erlin, she ran over and scolded her.
“I told you not to go outside because it’s dangerous! Why did you make your clothes so dirty?”
Isabel put a large brimmed hat on Erlin.
Erlin lowered her head and wiped the dust off her dress.
Her small lips pouted out.
“I didn’t go outside. This is the yard. I only go outside with mom.”
“Are you talking back to mom?”
Isabel grabbed Erlin’s wrist and glared at Kang Lim.
Her voice was still irritable.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
Just like Erlin, Isabel had bright red eyes. White hair and white eyebrows.
With a slender face and big eyes, Isabel looked like an angel.
But when she got angry, she was scarier than a horror movie.
“Ah… I’m the new resident. You must have heard about me.”
Kang Lim clasped his hands together in confusion.
He felt like he was being scolded out of the blue.
“What’s your name! Are you lying?”
“I’m Kang Lim. An artist from Korea. I was supposed to meet the residents tonight, but it looks like we’re meeting earlier than expected. Haha…”
Kang Lim laughed awkwardly. According to what Seoyeon said yesterday, this person was definitely Isabel.
She said the only resident here was a woman.
“Ouch!”
Erlin shook off Isabel’s grip on her wrist.
Her white arm had a red mark from how tightly she was held.
“Oh? This smell…”
Erlin suddenly sniffed the air.
She looked around and mumbled to herself.
“Seoyeon unnie is here. I smell Seoyeon unnie.”
When Kang Lim turned around, Seoyeon was indeed standing at the gate. Erlin’s sense of smell was impressive.
“Unnie!”
Erlin started running with her short legs.
Seoyeon quickly ran over and picked Erlin up.
“Erlin, you shouldn’t run like that. You might get hurt.”
“Why haven’t you come in so long? Come to France more often.”
“Okay. I’ll stay a bit longer this time.”
“Yay! I’m so happy.”
Erlin beamed in Seoyeon’s arms.
Soft hair and a fragrant smell.
Unnie is a warm person.
“Hello, Isabel. This is Kang Lim, whom I was supposed to introduce tonight. You must have been surprised to see a man here in the morning, sorry about that.”
With a rich intonation and elegant pronunciation, Seoyeon calmly explained the situation.
Already startled, Kang Lim was amazed by Seoyeon’s French skills, but Isabel seemed to calm down a bit thanks to her.
“Erlin, you should have breakfast too. Let’s eat with mom.”
“No. There’s nothing tasty.”
Erlin buried her face in Seoyeon’s arms. She didn’t want to lose this warmth.
Kang Lim looked at them with envy. Isabel was the only one displeased.
Isabel spoke with a stiff expression.
“Seoyeon, we’ll eat a bit later. It’s still early.”
“Okay, got it. See you in the evening.”
“….”
Seoyeon put Erlin down and held her hand.
Walking slowly and carefully, she handed Erlin’s hand to Isabel.
“We’ll have something delicious for dinner. Make sure to come down, Isabel.”
“…Alright.”
Erlin held her mom’s hand and walked away.
The little girl shouted in a voice much bigger than her body.
“See you later, Kang Lim oppa!”
Seoyeon had a simple breakfast with Kang Lim and then entered the residency.
The studio wasn’t organized yet. All the artworks were packed.
Seoyeon pinned hooks to the wall for hanging paintings.
“Hang your previous works here and paint. When you’re doing something messy with paint, take them down.”
“Okay. I don’t have any messy work this time. Thanks.”
Seeing previous works while painting helps the artist’s worldview come through.
It turns the studio into their own territory.
“You were surprised earlier, right? I was going to tell you about Isabel this morning, but I didn’t expect you to wake up so early.”
Seoyeon, having fixed the pins, took out the thermos she brought.
When she poured the contents into a teacup, the scent of black tea filled the room.
“Drink this.”
Kang Lim sat at the table with the teacup.
As he slowly sipped the tea, he felt warm inside.
“Well, anyone would be surprised to see a foreigner. Especially if they show up out of nowhere.”
Seoyeon smiled at Kang Lim, who was slowly nodding.
“Isabel is a rising artist in France right now. It’s similar to how you’re getting attention in Korea.”
“Oh… really? What kind of work does she do?”
“She paints landscapes. White landscapes. Not villages covered in snow, but landscapes where the color has vanished. The sporadic, restrained colors spread like an aurora, making it truly dreamy and beautiful.”
“Wow. That sounds amazing.”
“Yeah. Isabel is opening the first exhibition in the relay solo exhibition. You’re next, so you’ll inherit the spotlight. If you make a big splash, the next person will carry on the momentum.”
“Got it. I hope everyone does well.”
Seoyeon closed her eyes and inhaled the warm scent of the tea.
“There’s an explanation of the artist’s life in the exhibition hall, so you’ll understand why Isabel is so sensitive.”
“Hmm… I think I get it a little. She kind of reminded me of my mother.”
Kang Lim recalled a memory of his mother hugging him tightly as a child.
Her thin arms squeezing his shoulders made it hard to breathe.
She tried excessively to protect him.
It was suffocatingly difficult back then, but Kang Lim knew it was love.
His mother hated the media treating her unique child like a zoo monkey.
As if reading Kang Lim’s mind, Seoyeon spoke.
“It might feel like overprotection. Not letting Erlin go outside the yard.”
“No. I think it’s natural. It’s a special case.”
“Right. It’s actually very dangerous. There are a lot of gangs in Paris.”
“Yeah. And a lot of pickpockets too.”
“It’s fortunate if it’s just pickpockets…”
Seoyeon sighed deeply, her brows furrowed.
It seemed like something serious had happened.
“Why, did something happen?”
“As you know, in Africa, there are cases of kidnapping or killing albinos. There’s a superstition that possessing a part of their body brings wealth and fame. There are actual albino hunters. There’s also a black market.”
“That’s really barbaric thinking…”
“Burundi and Tanzania are especially bad. During election seasons, they pay shamans to cut off parts of albino children to bring them luck for winning.”
“…That’s really disgusting.”
Thinking nothing of someone else’s life for their own benefit.
Kang Lim grimaced in disgust. The tea in his mouth tasted bitter.
“France also has many poor people, including those from former African colonies. Isabel, being famous, doesn’t want Erlin to be exposed. Of course, not all African people are like that…”
“Yeah. I get what you mean. She has every reason to be sensitive…”
The structure of suspicion and hatred weighed heavily on Kang Lim’s heart.
“Moreover, Erlin can’t see. She was born with a congenital visual impairment. It’s even more dangerous because she can’t judge the situation on her own.”
“She can’t see?”
For a moment, Kang Lim recalled his encounter with Erlin.
The eyes that seemed to be looking into space rather than making eye contact.
The way she recognized Seoyeon by sniffing.
The puzzles fit together.
“Ah… I see. I should have known. Now I get it.”
“And, Erlin paints with her mom as a hobby… Reporters once turned it into a big issue, trying to make her a prodigy artist. They thought calling her a child prodigy and an albino painter family would get many views.”
“They even make playing difficult.”
“Yeah. They once took her to a square for an interview without consent. Isabel thought she lost Erlin and was traumatized by the shock.”
Kang Lim asked with a look of disbelief.
“Are they insane? Why would they take a child like that?”
“Because she’s already sensitive to sounds and smells, she was startled by people taking pictures and shouting in the square. She cried all day until she lost her voice.”
“What about Erlin’s father? Where is he?”
“He died in an accident when she was young. He wasn’t an albino, but he was a good person. But Isabel’s in-laws kept blaming her for his death. She’s been hurt by prejudice in many ways.”
Kang Lim opened his mouth to speak but closed it again.
What could he say? These weren’t problems that could be solved by just lamenting the situation.
It was frustrating just to listen. How much harder must it have been for Isabel?
Kang Lim pressed his eyes to calm his discomfort.
As a brief silence fell in the room, Seoyeon spoke resolutely, clenching her fists.
“So let’s go shopping!”
Seoyeon suddenly smiled brightly.
Kang Lim asked with a slightly puzzled look.
“Why? Suddenly…”
“It’s Christmas today. In Europe, Christmas is a major holiday. For Koreans, it’s just a time to feel the end-of-year atmosphere, but here, spending it with family is really important.”
“Oh, right.”
“We’re going to prepare Isabel’s favorite foods for tonight. Since you’re new, it’s also a day to introduce you. Let’s go buy some food.”
“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.”
Seoyeon stepped outside with the slightly brighter Kang Lim.
The baguette cracked with a crispy sound. Its insides were chewy and soft.
In Korea, he only ate dry baguettes… Damn, this is the real Paris baguette.
The canneles with a deep caramel flavor and the eclairs with a hint of wine were amazing too.
It was a taste you could feel with your tongue but couldn’t describe in words.
“Seoyeon, is it okay if we just buy this?”
Kang Lim smacked his lips, thinking about the bread he tasted at the store.
He promised himself that one day he would draw a freshly baked croissant.
“Yeah. This is a potluck party, so everyone has a role. We’re just supposed to prepare wine and a cheese plate. But you bought too much bread.”
“Really? But there are many mouths to feed. Won’t it be insufficient?”
Seoyeon shook her head.
Both of their hands were already full with almost bursting plastic bags.
“No, it’s fine. Others are bringing lots of dishes too. Uncle will also bring something delicious.”
“Wow, I’m looking forward to it.”
The two entered the kitchen on the first floor and started unpacking their items one by one.
Various cheeses and fruits. To create a dazzling table, plating from now on was crucial.
“When are the others coming? It might take some time to prepare.”
As soon as Kang Lim finished his sentence, there was a sound of someone running down the hallway.
Seoyeon chuckled. It was obvious who it was without even seeing.
“The twins must be coming.”
“Oh, the ones you mentioned on the plane? Jason and Jayden Kim.”
“That’s right.”
As the door burst open, two people shouted in excitement.
With long, slit eyes and smoky makeup, protruding cheekbones, and thick lips.
They reminded him of Korean students studying abroad with Gyopo makeup.
They just took English names and worked, but they grew up in Korea… yet they seemed anything but ordinary.
The two spoke simultaneously, saying the same thing.
“Wooow! Kang Lim!”
Identical twins share the same genetic information, so their appearance is similar.
But still. This was the first time he’d seen twins with such identical features.
Kang Lim greeted awkwardly.
“Ha… Hello.”
The two continued to speak in unison.
At this point, it seemed like a rehearsed script.
“We missed you. You’re so famous! Our parents love you too. It’s crazy in Korea, right?”
“Oh, really? Thank you.”
“The album you worked on is a huge hit too! You know that, right?”
“Huh?”
Seoyeon glanced at Kang Lim, who seemed just as confused as she was, not knowing about his own news.
“Haha! You must not have checked Korean news since you arrived!”
“Yeah. It’s going wild these days!”
With voices so identical, it was hard to tell who was speaking.
Just then, Kang Lim’s phone rang.
It was an international call.
