The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 128

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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 128.
Jin Ho snapped photos for his article while his mind churned.
“……First installment?”
Did that mean they’d be holding events like this indefinitely?
It was true that the commercial galleries had been in upheaval ever since Goyo’s appearance.
And they all seemed to share the same thought.
‘If Goyo had been a domestic artist, why didn’t we discover her first?’
Couldn’t they find talent of that caliber if they just dug through newcomers more carefully now?
Within their respective spheres of influence, each gallery was scrambling to identify such genius faster, sooner—but in his view, it all looked the same.
To Jin Ho, the picture hadn’t changed at all.
Even if someone of that stature appeared now, Korea’s modest eye might still overlook them and move on.
After all, no one had managed to identify who Goyo actually was—hadn’t they?
He himself included!
A man who took pride in his own aesthetic judgment, he entered the space harboring such doubts.
“It’s quite spacious, actually.”
Jin Ho nodded at his junior colleague’s comment.
The interior of the exhibition hall was divided by numerous temporary walls, each positioned with clear attention to spacing between works.
Fifty participants in this exhibition.
He remembered the press materials boasting an almost ten-to-one competition rate.
But unfortunately, despite making the cut, three participants seemed to have missed the deadline and failed to submit their works.
At the entrance, there was a notice stating that there were a total of forty-seven participating artists and requesting fair voting.
“They pushed hard to make a strong start.”
His junior colleague spoke as Jin Ho examined the notice.
He’d heard that due to this strain, there had been no shortage of complaints from participants.
But from the artists’ perspective, if it was possible, they’d want to push themselves.
The title of newcomer only existed right now.
What if similar events were held at other galleries?
As long as the dates didn’t overlap, it was natural to want to try them all.
“But there aren’t as many people as I’d have thought?”
At Jin Ho’s observation as he glanced around, his junior colleague’s eyes darted nervously.
“Ah… You didn’t read all the materials you received?”
He’d read them, but honestly he’d skimmed them, so he didn’t retain all the details.
Truthfully, the emergence of Goyo as such an exceptional artist was precisely because she existed outside all conventional standards.
Just because Kim Yuna emerged in domestic figure skating—did that mean figure skating geniuses kept appearing afterward?
Of course, thanks to her, people’s interest gathered and a system emerged to cultivate better talent.
But that level of genius couldn’t be easily found.
In other words, he had little real interest in this event.
The only big story he was thinking about was Goyo—just her.
Every scoop worth catching was right there….
“The artists and their acquaintances couldn’t make it today. It’s a voting show, you know—picking first place.”
Even as his junior colleague watched his boss’s indifferent expression, she faithfully explained the situation.
Formally speaking, today’s gathering included only select invitees from the industry.
“Let’s start by looking at the works.”
Though Jin Ho seemed uninterested, his junior colleague treated him with respect—he was a man with much to learn from.
As a seasoned veteran of art appreciation, he possessed broad connections and extensive experience.
Moreover, if critical credentials could be certified, they should certainly be issued to him.
The evaluations in Jin Ho’s articles held enough influence to sway even the pickiest people in the industry.
This exhibition, which he was surveying with such tepid interest.
If, after seeing all the works, that expression didn’t change?
‘There won’t be a second installment of this.’
Following behind him, snapping photos dutifully for the article, his junior colleague silently confirmed it.
But fortunately, the standard didn’t seem to be that appalling.
Before long, a glimmer returned to Jin Ho’s eyes, and his footsteps came to a halt.
“Oh….”
What had captured his attention was a piece employing traditional Korean mother-of-pearl inlay.
Against a jet-black background, delicate mother-of-pearl fragments glimmered with an ethereal light.
Thinly cut ribbons of intricately fitted nacre, layered and assembled into a pond.
Above it, lotus blossoms and leaves blooming in splendor.
The surroundings, arranged like an exquisitely designed classical garden rather than nature itself, imparted a distinctive quality.
Even the arched bridge was entirely crafted from mother-of-pearl, yet it conveyed richness of expression.
Each piece seemed to reflect light with its own subtle luminescence, the shell fragments oriented in different directions.
“There’s something better here than I expected.”
At his junior colleague’s remark, Jin Ho concurred and checked the work’s number.
It bore the number forty-three, along with a brief title describing it as a work containing the essence and sorrow of Korean identity.
Upon reading that theme, he tilted his head.
“The work is good, but the theme feels a bit disconnected from it.”
His junior colleague nodded in agreement.
There was still some immaturity showing, but that made it feel all the more like the work of a newcomer.
Because the work itself was strong.
‘Number forty-three.’
Having filled in one of the three spaces on the ballot, Jin Ho surveyed the remaining works.
The overall arrangement of the exhibition grouped works that harmonized in color and tone together.
As he ventured deeper into the exhibition space, he spotted several competent pieces.
All seemed to demonstrate solid effort and quality, but finding nothing that screamed ‘this is it,’ he simply made notes for later review.
Maybe after seeing everything, he’d set aside two that stuck in his memory.
Most of the other viewers around him seemed to be experiencing a similar reaction.
Though aesthetic perspective is subjective and depends on individual taste.
Strangely, humans are all different yet perceive the same subtle points.
Even in such a blind viewing, certain works inevitably drew eyes.
Yet Jin Ho sensed in this—a hint of the potential within Korea’s art scene.
That alone made the exhibition worth the effort.
Thinking thus, as the exhibition neared its end.
He stopped before the final piece, bearing the symbolically placed number one.
“…….”
Unlike works that strove to stand out through unusual materials and elaborate composition.
Work number one was simply an oil painting.
At first glance it resembled abstract work, but on closer inspection it was merely a bird’s-eye view of two crowns.
Using Impasto as the primary technique, alternating between painting knife and brush—perhaps that was all that was remarkable?
Rather than seeking attention through clever tricks.
It was a work that captured the eye through pure painterly skill.
Whoever created this evidently possessed extraordinary understanding and mastery of oils for someone called a newcomer.
And beyond that…….
“Is that Glazing?”
His junior colleague also sensed something special about this work and stepped closer, examining it meticulously.
Indeed, the artist was wielding the Glazing technique on the oil painting with complete fluency.
Glazing involved layering transparent pigments over oil painting.
The effect was entirely different from layering Watercolor or clear pigments.
Visually speaking, it was as if colored glass had been placed over existing colors.
The characteristic was colors layering in crystalline clarity.
But achieving that with paint was naturally no simple feat.
If the paint dried even slightly prematurely, if the brushwork was even a touch coarse, the existing colors would blend or knot together, losing that lucid quality.
Especially given that this Blank exhibition was rushed, as everyone knew.
So the artist would have needed absolute certainty and the resolve that no corrections were possible….
‘I thought real jewels were set into it….’
The various colored gems densely studding the crown glowed with exquisite radiance.
For work of such overwhelming technical mastery to appear in a newcomer exhibition.
Now he understood why the exhibition hall had placed this piece at the very end.
Had it been shown early, every work that followed would seem pale by comparison.
“…….”
But something was strange.
Why did this feel so familiar?
The only newcomers Jin Ho knew were famous ones.
Coming this far, he’d already identified several of the so-called promising newcomers whose works he’d encountered.
It was more that recognizing ‘Oh, so this is that person’s work’ had actually dampened his interest.
The true aim of this exhibition.
Discovering new rookies.
The only work truly suited to that purpose was the traditional Korean painting with mother-of-pearl work he’d seen earlier.
But this…was on an entirely different level….
“……!”
As Jin Ho stood lost in thought, realization struck him, and he dropped what he was holding.
His mobile phone, the brochure, his pen—all tumbled down at once, and the quiet exhibition hall erupted with noise.
“Oh—ah. I mean, what’s wrong all of a sudden….”
His junior colleague, startled, scrambled to pick things up.
The sudden commotion even earned disapproving frowns from nearby viewers, whom she had to apologize to several times.
But throughout all this, Jin Ho simply stood with wide eyes fixed on the work.
‘I understand.’
He’d figured it out.
The identity of that subtle familiarity had become completely clear to him.
Number one. This work unmistakably belonged to Goyo!
***
[Field Sketch] Where Is the Public’s Aesthetic Sense Directed?
The , where public voting determines the protagonist for New York’s spotlight.
The ambitious preview event prepared by Blank has raised its curtain.
The exhibition hall, through meticulous Curating that harmoniously arranged colors and tones, elevated viewers’ immersion.
The caliber of submitted works gathered to select the most captivating individual proved to exceed expectations.
…(excerpt omitted)…
Within these earnestly crafted works, an impressive upward leveling of standards overall was evident.
This exhibition, transcending individual potential, clearly demonstrated the elevated caliber and latent capacity of Korea’s art scene.
For those wishing to test both Korea’s current artistic standards and their own aesthetic judgment firsthand, I recommend visiting this exhibition venue, which continues through month’s end.
Cast your vote directly and fully experience living art overflowing beyond the Canvas.
―Korea Metro, Reporter Jin Ho
***
Two days later.
Ye Ji visited Blank with Da Hye and Se Hee to see the exhibition.
Da Hye and Se Hee, both caught up in entrance exams, tagged along, eager for a breath of fresh air.
“Oh, wait a moment.”
Just as they were about to enter, Ye Ji pulled out her ringing mobile phone.
It was a call from Hyun Min.
-You read that Metro article, right?
The moment she answered, Hyun Min spoke directly.
Of course she’d read it.
Especially since the journalist’s name was familiar, she couldn’t help but read it.
“I read it. Nothing seemed wrong with it?”
Since the results would be determined by voting, Blank presumably had discouraged biased reporting.
It was an article that minimized personal evaluation—more promotional in nature.
The only surprising thing was how it framed Blank’s initiative as an extraordinary social contribution that would bring immense growth to Korea’s art world.
“But it did seem a bit exaggerated, didn’t it…?”
Still, would Hyun Min really call just for something like that?
Given his personality, it seemed unlikely—so Ye Ji let her sentence trail off with a questioning tone.
Then Hyun Min continued immediately.
-I got a separate contact.
So that was it.
Even as Ye Ji listened with indifference, his next words made her involuntarily startled.
-They said they contacted Goyo’s account—asking if she didn’t participate in Blank this time?!

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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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