No matter how many times I look, it's beautiful.
Kang Hyundo rolled the short, heavy impression around in his mouth.
Maybe because he had watched the process of the work being completed, seeing the finished piece now brought a fresh sense of emotion.
And more than anything, what moved him the most… thinking that, Kang Hyundo slightly turned his head to check behind him. Everyone in the exhibition hall was looking up at Kang Seok's artwork.
It wasn't only Kang Hyundo. Everyone was unconsciously acknowledging it. That what was right before their eyes was the best work. That fact was more than gratifying and deeply moving.
Buzz, buzz.
As Kang Hyundo was lost in admiration, he glanced down. His phone in his right hand was vibrating.
[1010235]
The screen showed a number instead of a name. It was a call from his beloved wife Baek Myeonghee. The phone's clock on the right showed it was almost five o'clock.
"Has the time really passed this much already?"
He had arrived shortly after four, but it was already five. There was no excuse even if Baek Myeonghee called a hundred times. Kang Hyundo hurriedly turned around.
Unlike him, the others still looked at Kang Seok's work as if dreaming.
The exhibition hall, half-filled with various works, was still in progress.
Kang Hyundo turned his back. He wanted to walk toward the entrance, in the opposite direction of everyone's gaze. To answer the phone before it vibrated again, he quickened his steps.
Just as he was about to enter the only passage surrounded by walls on all sides,
A woman approached Kang Hyundo. She was striking, with curled pink rose-colored lips.
"Um… you're the father of the artist, right?"
Along with her greeting, she handed him a business card. Kang Hyundo absentmindedly accepted it. The card read: [Seol Yeo-jin, Director of Peony Gallery]. The message was clear.
"My name is Seol Yeo-jin."
"Oh."
She was the owner of the gallery. Kang Hyundo hastily put away the card, and they shook hands briefly. Just as Kang Hyundo was about to speak,
"Dad."
Kang Seok appeared.
.
.
.
"...Seok?"
Kang Hyundo's eyes reflected a mix of delight and surprise. The look was: how did you get here at this time?
Kang Seok hurried forward.
"Goduhan took me here. I thought you'd already left, but it took quite a while. Did something happen during the move?"
"No, nothing. I just got caught up installing and looking around, so the time passed."
"Really? Wasn't it hard moving such a big piece?"
"Not at all. Actually, the Peony Gallery staff did all the moving, so I didn't do much."
Kang Hyundo smiled his characteristically warm smile—so harmless that anyone could tell he was a genuinely kind man.
Then suddenly, as if remembering someone beside him, Kang Hyundo stretched out his left arm. Pointing with his finger, he said:
"This is the director of Peony Gallery."
"Hello. I'm Seol Yeo-jin."
"I'm Kang Seok."
Their light greetings passed. A short silence followed. Kang Hyundo thought about speaking to fill the gap for Kang Seok, who was shy.
Behind Kang Seok stood Goduhan, leaning against the wall connected to the passage. Meanwhile, the phone kept ringing from [1010235].
I have to go.
Kang Hyundo decided.
It was clear Seol Yeo-jin had spoken to him because of Seok's artwork. Now that Seok was here, Kang Hyundo didn't need to intervene. Seok was clever enough to handle it himself.
Moreover, Goduhan had followed Seok here. Kang Hyundo glanced toward Goduhan.
His gaze slightly avoided Kang Hyundo. It seemed Goduhan was seeing Kang Seok's finished work for the first time too.
Goduhan just stroked his chin. He didn't say or do anything, just silently stared at the work.
Oddly, Kang Hyundo felt that silence was more sincere. That man was deeply moved now, even if he didn't say a word.
Suddenly, the thought that staring like this was impolite crossed Kang Hyundo's mind. He quickly looked away. At that moment, Goduhan was seen pressing the corner of his eye with thumb and forefinger.
Of course, Kang Hyundo's memory device didn't record that. He erased the scene from his mind as a ridiculous illusion, then quietly stepped away between Seol Yeo-jin and Kang Seok.
"I should be going now."
"You're leaving?"
Kang Seok asked. Kang Hyundo nodded.
"Yes, I have to go. Mrs. Baek is desperately looking for me."
Kang Hyundo lightly shook his vibrating phone in front of Kang Seok. Kang Seok nodded.
Because the furniture in the store was all so large, if Kang Hyundo stayed away too long, it would be hard to deal with sudden situations.
With his son's permission, Kang Hyundo quickly took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Seol Yeo-jin, politely asking her to contact him anytime if she couldn't reach Seok. Then he whispered to Kang Seok,
"See you at home."
After a brief but meaningful hug, Kang Hyundo bowed alternately to Seol Yeo-jin and Goduhan and disappeared.
Goduhan didn't even realize Kang Hyundo had greeted him, too focused on the artwork.
Kang Seok watched Kang Hyundo leave and then straightened himself. At the same time, a white business card was extended toward him.
Seol Yeo-jin's pale hand emphasized the card's edge.
"May I call you Kang Seok?"
As Kang Seok took the card, Seol Yeo-jin softly asked. Kang Seok, touching the embossed peony mark on the back, answered casually, planning to tell her to call him whatever she liked.
"Don't call me 'Kang Seok'. Call me Mr. Kang."
But Goduhan was faster.
Whether they knew each other or not, Goduhan abruptly interrupted Seol Yeo-jin's approach with informal speech. Standing behind Kang Seok like a protector, Goduhan looked down at Seol Yeo-jin.
When did you get here? Kang Seok looked back at Goduhan, who seemed to appear like a teleporting person. Goduhan's eyes were red around the edges. What was going on? Kang Seok narrowed his eyes in question as Goduhan turned his head to meet his gaze.
Step back. Goduhan motioned.
Why?
Ah.
Only then did Kang Seok recall what Goduhan had muttered in the sketch room at Cheonghwa Arts High School:
— "We can't let the witch take your painting. Let's go."
He had called Seol Yeo-jin "the witch."
A black skirt with a slit on the side, platform heels, a thick see-through blouse, and a fur scarf just covering the neck.
Mostly black, typical for art people, but calling her a witch somehow made sense.
Why witch, though? As Kang Seok pondered, the woman's pink lips curled into a gentle smile and she spoke softly.
"Yes, Mr. Kang Seok. Something sweet. Seems like quite an intriguing relationship."
"Seol Yeo-jin."
"Oh my. What did I say? I said 'seems like.' Who's the one imagining things like that?"
Goduhan glared at Seol Yeo-jin with dark eyes, but she didn't even blink and only smiled softly at Kang Seok.
"Let's get to the point."
"Why must every conversation have a point? We just enjoyed a wonderful artwork and its creator arrived, so I just wanted to chat. Oh, maybe someone who insists on only points and conclusions won't understand my way of thinking."
It was like talking to herself, but not quite.
With a gentle tone, Seol Yeo-jin caught the tail end of every sentence Goduhan said, as if she had plenty of experience doing this. Hearing them talk like this, a pure curiosity arose—why exactly was Goduhan holding a solo exhibition here?
While Kang Seok just stood quietly, their conversation continued endlessly.
Anyway, from what she roughly said, it seemed she enjoyed appreciating the piece Sunset.
The other words mostly went in one ear and out the other for Kang Seok, who glanced up casually. Beyond the two figures flickering back and forth like a cat and a fox tussling, Kang Seok's artwork was visible.
Whenever the light scattered, shadows filled with blue and red rippled over the white marble floor. Even to his own eyes, it was a well-made work.
"What I want to draw."
He drew what he wanted to draw.
That human crowd captured as if carved out of time—Sunset was purely what Kang Seok wanted to paint.
A painting free from the shackles of commissions or demands, just what he wanted to create. Now that it was finished, it had a rather special meaning for Kang Seok.
How precious.
Looking at Sunset, Kang Seok smiled.
Finally completed, now it could be sold.
"Not yet. Half the work isn't even finished."
"Hmm?"
"This is what I call unfinished..."
"I see."
"Once it's done, then we can talk again."
That day, in Goduhan's studio, when asked how much he would sell it for, Kang Seok said they'd talk again once it was finished. Now was that time. He wondered if Goduhan had actually seen the painting after entering the exhibition hall.
After all, to negotiate a price, one had to appreciate the work.
Of course, the discussion about selling the work wouldn't start until the verbal sparring between Goduhan and Seol Yeo-jin ended.
Well.
If their sparring didn't end soon, it wouldn't be bad to be mixed among the staff and just quietly appreciate the work.
Just as he was organizing those thoughts and about to take a step forward—
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause echoed through the wide space.
Kang Seok. Goduhan and Seol Yeo-jin, who had been arguing, and even the staff at Peony Gallery—all turned their heads one by one towards the source of the sound.
"Professor, applause seems too attention-seeking. Everyone's staring at us. Isn't that something we shouldn't do?"
"It's not even during the exhibition period. What does it matter? No Mina, I think my assistant is quite clueless."
"I'm the assistant, Professor..."
"Glad you understand."
Where people's gazes fell.
There stood Hwang Nomin, pale as a ghost, saying something to Park Jiyeop, who smiled kindly and spoke gently.
Goduhan and Seol Yeo-jin's expressions darkened when they spotted Park Jiyeop. It was like seeing mold growing on the peanut butter side of a loaf of bread they were about to eat.
In short, it was a look of utter disgust.
"Why is he here?"
"That's what I want to ask. Did the master call him?"
Master. They had parted ways but were once teacher and student. That was the relationship between Seol Yeo-jin and Goduhan.
As Seol Yeo-jin looked at the approaching Park Jiyeop, she slipped her hand into a small handbag. When she pulled it out, she held a lollipop—strawberry-flavored.
Tearing the wrapper roughly, she brushed back her hair and popped the candy into her mouth.
Meanwhile, Park Jiyeop and Hwang Nomin reached just in front of Kang Seok and company.
"Kang Seok, we meet again."
Park Jiyeop smiled warmly. That warm greeting oddly did not reach Goduhan and Seol Yeo-jin.
"How did you know I'd come?"
"Don't act like you shouldn't be here. My nephew is your student, Kang Jihoon."
Kang Jihoon. Unlike his gloomy uncle, Kang Jihoon was overly transparent and must have spilled the info. Goduhan frowned at the unwelcome appearance, but Park Jiyeop just smiled slyly.
"By the way, Kang Seok, that's a really impressive piece. To depict humans so freely... I guessed from the paintings you showed me that evening, but you really have an outstanding knowledge of anatomy. I'd love to find time for a discussion someday."
Of course, mentioning Kang Jihoon was just a pretense. Everyone could see Park Jiyeop's real interest was Kang Seok.
Just as expected. What's with the Kang Jihoon nonsense? Goduhan's face soured. Kang Jihoon was likely frantically working on pencils, not having finished his own piece.
Regardless,
Park Jiyeop's eyes sparkled unusually. The more they sparkled, the paler assistant Hwang Nomin became.
Hwang Nomin had seen that look before. Most recently, it was when Park Jiyeop took photos during animal dissection.
Recalling the forced attendance at the dissection practice, Hwang Nomin held his breath to suppress nausea.
"It's like those reds and blues represent human skin and the blood flowing inside. Ha ha ha. That purple hue is really something. Have you ever studied bruises in depth? The purple bruises of East Asians are really similar in tone. If you did that intentionally... wow. The more I see, the more beautiful this work is. So, what's the name of this piece?"
Park Jiyeop's kindly face discussing humanity was madness itself. Goduhan and Seol Yeo-jin looked at him with dismay, but Kang Seok calmly answered:
"Sunset."
Renaissance. Such madness was nothing to Michelangelo in Renaissance Florence, so this reply was not surprising.
"I see. Sunset. Even the light emanating from the back is perfect. It feels like headlights shining over a human body. Whew, Kang Seok."
Park Jiyeop's eyes curved like crescent moons—like a snake ready to strike its prey.
"I'll buy it."
"Hey!"
"Professor Park Jiyeop!"