The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 105
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 105.
Julien, who happened to be passing by as the police grabbed him, suddenly began shouting at the top of his lungs.
“(This time too! This time too I could have succeeded…! Let go of me!)”
This man had completely lost his mind.
His confession, utterly bereft of reason, felt hollow and futile.
Ye Ji watched from a distance as Julien, completely restrained by the police and bound in handcuffs, was dragged away.
People often assume bad individuals are hardened, but in most cases, those on the wrong side possessed far weaker constitutions.
The type easily swept up by temptation due to their fragile spirits.
Moreover, such people weren’t particularly intelligent either.
“(What did he just say…?)”
“(Good heavens….)”
Julien’s shout carried clearly enough for everyone present to hear.
Most didn’t immediately recognize the name of the emerging artist who had died long ago, but two people did.
Marc and Chloe had their mouths covered in shock at the truth they’d unexpectedly just learned.
Ye Ji too, struggling to calm her heart as it thundered roughly in her chest, took a deep breath.
Her mother held her close and continued to soothe her.
“It’s alright, it’s alright….”
A startled heart wouldn’t settle with just a few words, but was this what parents did?
Simply holding her close and comforting her—her breathing gradually grew calm and measured.
Displaying talent without any attempt at concealment meant opening oneself to considerable jealousy.
Surrounded by an unusually kind group of people who only wished her well, she may have overlooked that obvious truth.
But that didn’t mean such things deserved to happen.
As Ye Ji, somewhat calmer now, glared at the police car where Julien was making a commotion, her father stepped forward.
“I’ll go along to see what happens, so you take Ye Ji and head back to the hotel.”
“I’ll go with you, sir.”
Hyun Min followed her father and made a phone call to someone.
Seeing not just the two of them but also Han Gyu and Marc heading out together, her worries eased considerably.
With them on the case, Ye Ji was confident they would handle things more than adequately.
As shock faded, anger began to rise in her chest, but Ye Ji clenched her fists and held it back.
She no longer needed to bear and manage everything alone.
So many people were stepping forward for her.
“(Are you doing okay? Should I call a taxi?)”
“(No, we’ll take our vehicle. I’ll have Gallery security personnel accompany you.)”
“(You’ll do that for us?)”
As Ye Ji listened to Elisa and Marc’s secretary speak with her mother, she gradually found her footing.
“Go on, get the girl inside quickly. What are you all doing!”
“The car should arrive any moment now.”
Hearing Hae Yun’s and Chloe’s voices as well, Ye Ji released a long breath.
Ye Ji didn’t refuse, accepting their care generously as she boarded the vehicle they had arranged.
“(Keep me posted.)”
“(No, just go rest. Don’t think about anything.)”
“(……Alright, that’s better.)”
Ethan and Lucas, equally flustered by the situation, saw Ye Ji off with dazed expressions.
So many people were choosing to stay for her sake.
It felt wasteful to spend emotion on anger for someone so insignificant.
“Thank you.”
Ye Ji expressed her gratitude without taking their kindness for granted, then left the scene of the incident.
This was not how the day would end.
The sun was setting completely in the midst of the turmoil.
***
The next day. Marc continued to assign bodyguards to Ye Ji.
His argument was that she needed protection at least until leaving Paris.
Unfortunately, the planned dinner fell through entirely.
But no one expressed regret; instead, each spent time with Ye Ji separately.
The first to visit Ye Ji’s hotel room in the early morning were friends she’d made through the competition.
“(I should have broken his arm right there.)”
“(I had no idea he was such a frightening person.)”
“(……Adults really can’t be judged by appearances.)”
Ethan, Elisa, and Lucas had encountered Julien as a judge at the competition.
Compared to that first impression, yesterday’s behavior was shockingly extreme.
“(Still, it’s fortunate it didn’t happen.)”
“Of course! I grabbed him right away!”
Hyun Min replied in Korean to Ye Ji’s comment with an incredulous tone.
The others looked confused, so he had to repeat it in English.
As they recounted yesterday’s events, it turned out Ethan and Hyun Min had been right behind Ye Ji.
In that moment when someone’s hand stretched between the two of them, attempting to push Ye Ji from behind—
“(Still, you two worked together perfectly.)”
Hyun Min grabbed Ye Ji’s shoulder while Ethan caught his arm.
Thanks to them, Julien’s hand never reached her and was blocked.
Perhaps because they’d worked together to save Ye Ji, Ethan and Hyun Min seemed to have excellent chemistry.
“(So what now?)”
Elisa broached the subject of media concerns somewhat carefully.
Last night’s incident had only appeared on social media in scattered posts so far.
With the police investigation still ongoing, no official articles had been published yet.
Fortunately, it was only an attempted incident and the perpetrator was apprehended on scene.
Though not fully public figures, both Julien and Ye Ji were relatively well-known in Paris.
“(It’s strange that no articles have appeared yet.)”
“(I can handle that however necessary, so don’t worry.)”
Hyun Min spoke with certainty.
“(I have a way.)”
He called himself Ye Ji’s manager, right?
Ethan asked with a hint of curiosity.
“(Journalists don’t care as long as they can get attention.)”
How many journalists in this day and age actually possessed conscience and ethics?
The perpetrator and victim were starkly different in every way—nationality, ethnicity, age, and gender.
It wasn’t surprising if journalists tried tricks to get views from such an incident.
“(How can you be sure they won’t write something needlessly sensational?)”
Ethan’s question was blunt, though Elisa also looked at Hyun Min with genuine curiosity.
They themselves had a degree of social media fame, approaching influencer status.
As such, they understood all too well how frightening media and internet rumors could be.
Still, Hyun Min wasn’t ignorant of it.
If anything, he knew it better—not out of underestimating them, but with full awareness.
“(I know some people in that field….)”
Hyun Min trailed off as if struggling to explain in English.
To Ye Ji, it looked like he was simply being evasive about a topic he found bothersome to elaborate on.
He was probably better at conversation than she was, at least when it came to English….
“(I’m not sure how to put it. Anyway, don’t worry.)”
The others had no choice but to accept Hyun Min’s smooth deflection.
The certain fact was that Ye Ji’s personal information as the victim in this incident had not yet been released to the media.
No one had further concerns about that aspect.
“(Alright, let’s end this topic here! It’s only getting depressing, so let’s move on to something else.)”
Ethan steered the conversation toward artwork.
In a way, this was only possible because he was as obsessed with paintings as Ye Ji was.
“(I feel strange saying this, but if we weren’t going to talk about this, why come at all?)”
To reassure Ye Ji, Ethan spoke with exaggerated shoulder shrugs, more dramatic than usual.
And true to his words, Ye Ji herself found that talk of artwork helped settle her mind somewhat.
Whether her current turmoil stemmed from shock, fear, or anger remained unclear.
But at least, thanks to them, she wasn’t engulfed by those emotions.
“(Thank you.)”
“(Don’t mention it. Next time, come see my exhibition.)”
“(Do you have any upcoming shows? Let me know the dates in advance.)”
“(…I’m still in training at the moment….)”
As Ye Ji and Ethan talked, Elisa too forced an awkward smile and made an effort to joke as she normally would.
“(How can you make plans when you don’t even have dates set?)”
After that, only everyday conversation followed.
The shock lingered, but it was manageable.
She was getting better.
***
Seoul, Korea. SS Group’s headquarters, the chairman’s office.
Myung Hee, holding her mobile phone, set it down with a furrowed brow.
“Who does this child take after, anyway….”
“Your father would feel unfairly treated if he heard that.”
At Chairman Shin Myung Hee’s remark, Hyun Seung, who happened to be nearby, let out a soft laugh.
Of course, the conversation itself had not been amusing.
Hyun Min’s friend had nearly been attacked in Paris.
Upon investigation, it turned out to be an attempted incident that was completely subdued at the scene.
Because it happened in central Paris, there were numerous eyewitness accounts posted on social media.
Fortunately, because the incident was chaotic and frantic, the perpetrator’s and victim’s personal information hadn’t been revealed.
“For now, there won’t be any articles until the police release the official details of the incident.”
The second son’s request was nothing less than controlling the French media.
It was an unusual request, but not an especially difficult one.
Especially not for Hyun Seung, who had been handling most of the overseas branch operations recently.
Moreover, even if they were public figures, those in the art world were less known to the general public, which worked in their favor.
It was a world known only to those who knew it.
Suppressing the articles wouldn’t require that much money.
“But is this Ye Ji girl really as capable as all that?”
Hyun Seung had only seen Ye Ji’s paintings.
He didn’t precisely know what kind of person she was.
Even without expertise in art, he could tell the child had talent.
But was she truly capable enough for his younger brother to vouch for her so strongly?
Yet even with Hyun Seung’s skepticism, Myung Hee answered with certainty.
“That girl is more than worthy of trust and support.”
Rather, she worried whether her son could keep up with following in Ye Ji’s footsteps.
However close they were as family, Myung Hee remained a cold-blooded businesswoman.
Through her eyes, her son appeared to have the audacity to want a peaceful life while refusing to be bored.
Compared to him, Ye Ji was far more pragmatic, a hardworking girl with both talent and luck, with infinite possibilities across multiple dimensions.
“The way such rare circumstances keep attracting trouble is proof enough.”
“……I suppose so.”
Ye Ji’s talent was like an excessively brilliant flower, attracting not just bees and butterflies, but even pests.
Enough to overshadow the title of second son of SS Group.
“That kid was far from being an ordinary opportunist, wasn’t he?”
Only then did Hyun Seung, finally understanding Hyun Min’s intentions, mutter in disbelief.
He’d thought controlling the media on Ye Ji’s behalf was an enormous favor, but at this point he had to reconsider.
It would be only fitting to do this eagerly on behalf of his shameless younger brother.
“For my younger brother’s sake, I should handle this even more perfectly.”
At Hyun Seung’s words, shaking his head ruefully, Myung Hee couldn’t help but smile.
Though the content of their conversation might have been ordinary, she felt that their family’s feelings had finally become more normal.
There was no longer any reason to worry about what the second son was thinking.
“That’s right, it’s all thanks to Ye Ji.”
We should help her with all our sincerity.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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