The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 120

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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 120.
Perhaps it was the transparent varnish Goyo had carefully applied as the final touch to complete the work.
The artwork’s colors appeared with such crystalline clarity that Seo An found herself nearly stepping into the painting.
The paint strokes, cut thick and faceted like gems within the canvas, seemed to fragment the light itself.
Despite the mingling of diverse hues, the brushwork displayed a remarkable absence of visible texture.
“……This is oil painting, isn’t it?”
At Seo An’s question, Goyo—methodically organizing the packing materials she’d just unwrapped—nodded.
“Yes, it’s painted with a palette knife.”
Her answer came calm and measured, as if she’d already anticipated what prompted Seo An’s inquiry.
Seo An’s eyes had already rendered their judgment on the work’s quality—there was nothing left to say.
‘She painted this with only a knife?’
As a designer who’d done some brushwork during her entrance exams, Seo An understood intimately how demanding such technique could be.
“How could you possibly…with just a knife.”
Seo An’s words caught in her throat for a moment before she pressed forward with her question.
“If you look closely, each facet has more than one color applied—the brightness and saturation shift differently depending on how the light refracts, the yellows and transparencies all varying….”
Goyo seemed slightly caught off guard by Seo An’s observation, but answered earnestly.
“Ah, that’s because I mixed the colors on the palette beforehand. Even with the same brand of oil paint, the consistency and texture shift subtly depending on the manufacturer.”
“And then?”
“And then…I just layered it on as-is…?”
But apart from her sincerity, she seemed uncertain how to explain what had simply emerged from her hands.
A faintly troubled expression crossed her face.
From Goyo’s reply, Seo An reached absolute certainty.
This person was a genius. More than that—a genius with vastly more experience than appearances suggested.
It was easy to say, but such technique required extraordinary knowledge of materials and extensive hands-on experience.
And to paint with such visible paint thickness—
Truly…!
“……I see! Thank you so much! I couldn’t help asking—your work is simply wonderful.”
Seo An bit back the urge to bounce excitedly, suppressing her instinct to jump around with admiration.
‘I’m a professional. A professional.’
She repeated this silently to herself until she could finally muster an adult’s composure in her response.
At Seo An’s words, Goyo seemed to relax as well, offering a gentle smile and speaking softly.
“Thank you. So we just scan it as-is, then?”
Seo An found herself suppressing her excitement even further at Goyo’s composed tone, which somehow made her feel more measured than her own.
Once this was scanned….
“Of course!”
Seo An’s voice came out louder than she’d intended, and she quickly cleared her throat before turning toward Tae Yun.
She emphasized once more, speaking to him directly.
“When you scan it, you need to pay extremely close attention to the color precision. The paint thickness matters, but this three-dimensionality comes from all these subtly different colors layering together, right here—see?”
Even if Goyo was a genius, this technique would likely be new to her experience.
Which meant that for this artwork to be effectively realized—that’s why she had to step up and play her part now.
Having received a flawless work as a product designer, she couldn’t afford to do anything less than execute it perfectly.
Seo An took the initiative and explained more actively to Tae Yun.
Goyo’s work transcended mere perfection—it was beautiful enough to raise the hair on her skin.
If they failed to implement this properly and couldn’t draw the response it deserved—
“This needs to be done right. Really right. Exactly like the original! Identical! You have to scan it properly.”
It would all be the tech team’s fault.
As Seo An reiterated with such determination, Tae Yun’s expression grew notably more grave.
Even a perpetual science student could naturally appreciate the beauty emanating from the artwork.
Though he couldn’t quite articulate where exactly that beauty was coming from….
“I’ll do my best. No—I’ll give it my absolute all…!”
Caught up in Seo An’s fervor, Tae Yun found himself nodding vigorously and committing fully.
***
The meeting with Han Sung was wrapping up far better than anticipated—so smoothly that the initial concerns seemed like wasted time.
At this point, there was almost nothing left for Ye Ji to do.
‘We’ll have the prototype manufactured and sent to you within the month, sir!’
The feared complications never materialized, and the staff’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm had left even Ye Ji feeling somewhat deflated.
“Do all corporate employees really work this hard?”
At Ye Ji’s remark, Hyun Min let out a soft chuckle.
Half of it was probably true, though this particular case was likely special.
“More or less, yeah.”
“Oh, and remember what I asked you about back then? Did you look into it?”
Hyun Min nodded at Ye Ji’s question.
“I did find something. I even reached out separately to that Emma person.”
Ye Ji had used the business card Emma gave her to make contact.
Though Emma had only spotted her by chance that day, she seemed to have done further research on Ye Ji afterward.
Since Emma appeared close to Young, Ye Ji had wondered if she might also know of Goyo, but Young seemed to be good at keeping secrets.
“She sent it by message too—Emma said she could also arrange an exhibition at a Seoul gallery.”
At his words, Ye Ji pulled out her mobile phone.
“Hmm….”
What Hyun Min had sent was a selection from the offers Ye Ji had received.
All of them were invitations to hold solo exhibitions featuring Ye Ji.
“And there’s one more interesting thing. The New Artist Discovery Program that Blank is officially running is a bit different.”
Another document appeared on the screen.
“They select emerging artists and hold a group exhibition, then narrow it down further with the goal of ultimately hosting a New York exhibition.”
There was prize money and funding attached—quite a substantial project.
Because of that, the sponsorship was unusually extensive, making it a large-scale event, and apparently there was even a non-disclosure agreement if you passed the documentary screening.
“I’m not entirely sure why they go to such lengths….”
Should I ask my aunt if needed?
Ye Ji shook her head at Hyun Min’s tentative question.
Since it involved multiple rounds of evaluation, it was admittedly more complicated compared to the solo exhibition invitations.
“It’s more demanding, but if it could lead to a New York exhibition, there’s certainly merit in it.”
Hyun Min appeared to have something more he wanted to say.
Since Blank had at least some tangential connection to him, he seemed to be holding his tongue.
But Ye Ji thought she could guess what he was restraining himself from mentioning.
To the public eye, Ye Ji—not Goyo—appeared to be in a temporary hiatus.
The Montrebleu competition win followed by a solo exhibition.
She’d launched her career spectacularly, but paradoxically that left her unable to make her next move carelessly.
It felt insufficient to simply settle for a straightforward invitation to exhibit at a prestigious domestic gallery.
‘It feels a bit ambiguous.’
While Emma’s offer was appreciated, something else felt more compelling.
“A New York solo exhibition….”
“So you’re drawn to that? Is that why you want to participate in Blank’s program?”
Ye Ji neither confirmed nor denied Hyun Min’s suggestion.
Instead, she pressed forward with the facts.
“Honestly, I could do a domestic exhibition whenever I want, if I really decided to.”
But the keyword “emerging artist” carried an implicit time limit.
Ye Ji wanted an exhibition that could move in a grander direction.
“Blank’s program is limited to emerging artists too, so if not now, I won’t be able to do it later….”
And among the galleries that had extended invitations, Blank was the most prestigious.
The offer’s appeal lay precisely in that gallery’s caliber.
One of the most prestigious galleries in the domestic art scene.
A program where one competes alongside established artists.
Of course it felt inherently more compelling.
Though admittedly, this was a far cry from taking a rest….
“Yeah, I’ll go with this. Blank. How many documents do I need to submit?”
“Not that many….”
Hyun Min studied Ye Ji for a moment, then shrugged.
If her mind was already made up, there seemed little point in his adding more commentary.
“Alright, got it. I’ll handle that part.”
He’d already gathered all the necessary portfolio materials in advance, so it wouldn’t be difficult.
“I’ll prepare everything and submit it, then let you know once we get a response.”
Ye Ji nodded at Hyun Min’s words.
There was nothing left to discuss for now, and the bus stop was drawing near.
Since Hyun Min mentioned his driver was coming to pick him up, it seemed good to part ways here.
“Sounds good, thanks for this. See you at school~”
At Ye Ji’s greeting, Hyun Min casually raised his hand in farewell.
The spring weather had grown clear, and the street trees had begun sprouting green leaves.
Days unfolded smoothly, as though the year had been cleansed of all ill fortune from the start.
***
In a studio near the outskirts of Seoul.
Han Mu Young ground ink slowly, while beside him So Min mounted hanji onto a painting board.
No music played—only the sound of hands working the paper and the grinding of ink filled the silence.
To outsiders it might seem suffocating, but for the father and daughter, it was their familiar routine.
Knock, knock.
“Teacher, it’s Mi Rae.”
At the cautious knock and voice, Han Mu Young set down his ink stone carefully.
“Come in.”
Mi Rae entered hesitantly.
Until last year, she had been a student apprentice at Hae Yun’s studio.
Consumed by inferiority and resentment, she had left Hae Yun’s tutelage and joined Han Mu Young’s instead.
“About that New Artist Discovery Program from Blank you mentioned—”
At Mi Rae’s words, Han Mu Young nodded with a light exclamation of recognition.
“Ah yes. And the documents I asked about?”
“Will this be enough?”
Mi Rae carefully handed him the documents.
“This should do. It’s sufficient.”
Blank’s New Artist Discovery Program basically worked by having Blank’s staff first select and propose candidates.
Emerging artists who had held at least one solo exhibition, but no more than three years had passed since that exhibition.
Blank would find such candidates beforehand and make the proposal—
Though for his own purposes, Han Mu Young had made an arrangement: if any of his apprentices met the qualification criteria, he would propose them to Blank first.
He thought it a reasonable effort to support and help his hardworking junior students develop their artistic practice.
Perhaps those who hadn’t yet become famous simply lacked the opportunity.
What he did not know—
Mi Rae’s face formed a relieved smile.
‘……They won’t find out.’
She had falsified her career credentials, but Han Mu Young remained unaware.
A single phone call to Hae Yun would have revealed the truth instantly.
But the relationship between them was not such that either would make that call, and Mi Rae knew it.
Moving between both camps, she had learned certain information—and she exploited it with subtle cunning.
For her own benefit.
“Thank you so much. Really, thank you.”
“No, I’ll submit this to Blank’s side, so you just check your email daily.”
“Yes! Thank you so much!”
Mi Rae bowed repeatedly and excused herself from the room.
So Min, who had been quietly handling the hanji, glanced up toward her father.
Only after Mi Rae’s footsteps had faded completely did So Min speak.
“……Is that really all right?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.”
At her father’s blunt response, So Min lost the will to continue the conversation.
She wanted to ask if he should verify further, but—
“I’m going to practice now.”
So Min picked up the mounted painting board and withdrew from her father’s orderly workspace.
Her chest felt heavy and blocked, as though something were lodged and swelling inside her.

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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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