The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 119

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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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Chapter 119.
After her conversation with Emma, Ye Ji finally had a chance to look around the artworks more carefully.
The distinguishing feature of photographic works was that, unlike paintings, infinite reproduction of the original was possible.
Because of this, photographers working in Fine Art would often attach Edition Numbers to their pieces when selling them.
Not printing the same work beyond a certain number of copies.
Deciding and limiting that number itself was a right and specialty unique to photographers.
Most of the works hung in Seong Su’s Solo Exhibition were pieces that had already been publicly displayed before.
Of course, there were also some new works added to the exhibition this time.
Among the newly revealed pieces.
A massive photograph filled with green caught her eye.
A vast expanse of green grassland stretching far and wide.
Upon it, a person curled up like a fetus, lying prone.
It was a work that intuitively expressed the form of a human living in the great nature.
As she quietly observed the work, a strange resonance stirred within her.
An angle of perspective so extreme it was as if she had become a bird in the sky, looking down from above.
And within that perspective, grass growing long like hair, swaying in one direction as it followed the wind.
Capturing ordinary subject matter through an extraordinary lens.
Since most of Ye Ji’s own works were surrealist paintings, it was no wonder her gaze lingered all the more.
She gazed quietly at the piece, holding onto its mysterious aftertaste.
“That’s a fine work.”
Ye Ji turned her gaze at the voice that suddenly reached her ears.
The one who had spoken was Goyo.
“We’re about to leave now. You should probably head back soon too, don’t you think?”
At the way he was suddenly speaking like a teacher, Ye Ji let out a small smile.
She wanted to object that it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
“Yes, of course. I should listen to my teacher’s words, after all.”
Instead, she answered playfully, and Goyo laughed softly as well.
“My, working at the school has turned me into quite the curmudgeon.”
Ye Ji answered his words with laughter.
“Ye Ji… you’re still here?”
Just then, Seong Su also approached Ye Ji.
In that brief moment, he had taken on an exhausted expression.
The way he pushed himself to interact with people despite finding it so difficult was pitiful to witness.
“Ah… you were with a guest.”
That’s right. We were introduced earlier.
As Seong Su began to stammer in front of Goyo, the latter responded brightly first.
“Yes, that’s right? I did introduce myself to Emma.”
At Goyo’s somewhat higher-pitched tone, Seong Su was already turning pale.
He looked as though every last ounce of energy was being drained from him, but since it was only a light greeting, Ye Ji simply watched quietly.
“And right now, I should introduce myself as a special instructor at Ye Ji’s school.”
“Ah… ah!”
Seong Su, who had been worn down to exhaustion, showed a more animated reaction at last.
Like so many other guests he’d met before.
Upon discovering a personal connection in someone he’d thought was merely a business acquaintance, he seemed to improve somewhat.
“Oh, my goodness… you’re a teacher for the children. I’m so sorry I wasn’t quite myself today.”
“Ha ha! That’s completely understandable. I understand. I do. Let’s have a proper conversation next time.”
Seong Su should have been the star of today’s event.
Yet Goyo, who appeared to be at least four or five years younger, guided the atmosphere far more gently despite being the guest.
Amid that subtle exchange, Ye Ji suddenly felt how opposite the two really were.
Even their works reflected this.
Goyo’s were intense, yet they carried an odd sense of hollow futility.
Seong Su’s were generally soft, yet solid at their core.
Even their attire and demeanor appeared dramatically different.
After briefly recovering some vitality while talking with Ye Ji and Se Hee, Seong Su’s expression turned weary again.
Unable to bear it any longer, he awkwardly wrapped up the conversation and offered a final greeting.
“Well then, I…”
He hurried out of the Gallery, but before going far, he was detained by yet another person—a sight that made even Goyo smile wryly.
“He’s remarkable. With a personality like that, it can’t be easy doing art.”
Despite his timid nature, Seong Su tended to win people’s favor.
He had an authentic charm that came across as more genuine than someone who was all affectation.
Goyo seemed to have gotten a favorable impression of him as well.
Observing Goyo, Ye Ji suddenly asked a question.
“How did you become an artist, teacher?”
At Ye Ji’s question, Goyo paused.
“…Me?”
The expression of someone who hadn’t expected such a question.
Or as if it were a question he’d never been asked before.
“Well…”
Goyo took longer than expected to answer, folding his arms and tilting his head to one side.
After thinking for quite some time, he answered belatedly.
“…I just had a lot of time, really. Since I wasn’t going to school.”
Goyo continued speaking.
Back then, drawing and making things without purpose was simply how he spent his time.
Sometimes on the street, sometimes in the park.
“That’s how I accumulated connections and opportunities came my way.”
It seemed Goyo had never had a particular major reason or motive for starting art in the first place.
Was it because he’d simply made and drawn whatever his heart desired that his works conveyed both freedom and emptiness simultaneously?
Ye Ji fell into brief contemplation at his answer.
“Did you suddenly want to know?”
“Yes. I just suddenly became curious.”
There was something suddenly weighing on her mind.
From what she’d read in articles, she thought he’d quit school because of his freewheeling nature as an artist.
“So you didn’t quit school because of art?”
That’s what the internet seemed to say.
At Ye Ji’s off-hand question, Goyo’s expression grew troubled.
“Well… that’s just how life is, you know. Anyway, I really should get going now. I’ll see you in class.”
Watching Goyo brush off the conversation and leave, Ye Ji soon exited the Gallery as well.
***
And so, the weekend came around again.
Today was finally the day to bring the completed work and visit Hanseong in person.
The imposing presence of the massive buildings she’d first seen was now much less daunting after a second visit.
But this time, she had to go to a different location than the conference room from last time, so a staff member was leading the way.
“You remember the product designer is coming too, right?”
“Oh, yes. I remember.”
Today was the day they would 3D Scan Ye Ji’s work.
But oddly enough, the product designer had expressed a particular desire to be present for it.
Shouldn’t a product designer be able to just receive the completed scan file?
Though she’d voiced concern about the growing number of people meeting Goyo, given that Goyo’s identity was supposed to be secret.
“The designer is so curious to see the completed work in person—what can we do about that?”
This was the person who would be responsible for appropriately applying Ye Ji’s work to the product going forward.
Someone whose importance was just as high as the marketing and technical teams, so outright refusal didn’t feel right.
It felt professionally improper.
Both sides were putting their work and careers on the line.
“It’s worrying either way.”
Revealing the identity of Goyo always carried risks.
The possibility that she might be underestimated for being young.
Since business isn’t always conducted with good people, it was better to be cautious just in case.
“If we’re underestimated, we stand to lose.”
“But surely it won’t come to that now.”
If the other party was conscientious and a proper person, then naturally it wouldn’t.
But with work, you never know what kind of person might get involved.
“Right, there’s no point worrying about it now.”
When she and Hyun Min arrived at the place they’d been guided to, Jae Hyun and Tae Yun were there.
“Ah! Welcome! You’ve been well, I hope?”
“Now we have all the main team members for this project here.”
And then, as discussed beforehand, one more person.
“Hello. I’m Lim Seo An, a product designer at Hanseong.”
An unfamiliar person had been added.
***
Seo An had planned to sleep through the weekend without doing anything at all.
But when she heard that Goyo was coming with the completed work, she forced herself to come in to the office.
‘It’s an opportunity to see Goyo’s actual work!’
Now she was more curious about Goyo’s work than about Goyo the person, and the curiosity had kept her from sleep.
“Hello. I’m Goyo.”
But then.
“…Oh, yes…! Lovely to meet you. Lovely to meet you!”
Seo An answered with a forced smile and a handshake.
But then she shot Jae Hyun and Tae Yun a pointed look of complaint.
How much better would it have been if they’d given her a heads-up before the meeting?
The person who introduced herself as Goyo was barely twenty years old, if that.
No, twenty was still a generous estimate given her accomplishments and credentials.
To put it bluntly, she looked like a high school student.
With such a youthful, innocent face, she seemed far better described as a girl than a woman.
“Then, this person is…?”
Seo An asked about the young man beside her.
She’d wondered if Goyo might be the name of a group the two worked together in, but the answer came as another surprise.
“I’m Kang Hyun Min, working as a manager alongside her.”
At Hyun Min’s introduction, Jae Hyun added a small remark.
“Well, Hyun Min…”
Jae Hyun seemed about to say something, then hesitated.
There was a subtle exchange of glances between them before Jae Hyun smiled artificially and spoke again.
“Right. A good manager. He handles things so well that we’re able to work together like this, aren’t we?”
Jae Hyun laughed.
Something felt off about it, but to Seo An, Hyun Min’s role didn’t matter much either way.
She was curious how remarkable the work had to be for her to have such an assistant.
The more puzzling details accumulated about Goyo, the more Seo An’s curiosity grew.
A young girl already signing contracts worth tens of billions with major corporations.
What on earth was her work like?
“Let’s see the work first.”
As Seo An spoke with an almost urgent tone, Goyo lowered the backpack from her shoulders.
“Yes, I made sure the work’s aspect ratio matches the Mobile Phone screen ratio we’re going to produce.”
Still, it was sized to fit inside the large backpack she’d been carrying.
Goyo pulled out the carefully wrapped work from her bag and began unwrapping the layers of protective material.
Between the layers, a yellow gleam was faintly visible.
The same light she’d seen in the photo file.
And then.
……
The actual work was revealed before them.
Of course, they’d already received a rough preview of the form and composition through photographs.
Yet seeing the actual piece before her, Seo An felt somewhat shocked.
She’d thought it was a painting of yellow gemstones.
But it was a little different from what she’d expected.
The actual work was, how to put it… somewhat…
“…It looks transparent.”
At Tae Yun’s murmur, Seo An entirely agreed.
Though the artist had clearly used yellow paint and layered opaque pigments, there was an oddly transparent quality to it.
On the square Canvas, it was as if a diamond catching soft yellow light had been magnified.
The light scattering through the transparency was beautiful.
Although composed of just a single color, the painting felt vibrant.
Yet it wasn’t excessively busy, and the restrained color palette conveyed a sense of ease.
Like a finely crafted piece of expensive jewelry—it had that mysterious quality that stirred the desire to possess.
……
Unable to resist her curiosity, Seo An stepped closer to examine the work in detail.

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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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