The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 18

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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 18.
When her grandfather, who was always confident to the point of stubbornness, hesitated, Ye Ji felt inexplicably uneasy.
“What is it?”
Why was he being like this?
Ye Ji turned her head to look at Han Gyul.
He too seemed to know something, and glanced away evasively.
“Someone wants to watch you paint.”
At Hae Yun’s words, Ye Ji felt somewhat taken aback.
Not to see the finished painting, but to watch her paint it.
It was an rather unusual request.
“So I said yes.”
“Why did you agree without asking me first?”
It wasn’t a huge problem, but shouldn’t he have asked her first?
“I’m telling you now, aren’t I? If you don’t like it, just say so.”
Hae Yun was being boldly defensive, albeit belatedly.
In any case, Ye Ji realized he had hesitated before telling her.
It was simply that his pride as a Master made him come across as arrogant and curt.
He wasn’t genuinely lacking in social grace or manners.
Because she believed he wouldn’t consent to just anyone, she nodded her head.
After all, the fact that he’d suddenly begun teaching her painting was due to his whimsical and willful nature.
“No, it’s fine. It’s not like watching wears down a painting.”
Besides, Ye Ji needed Hae Yun’s studio.
Her grandmother’s house in the Countryside was spacious and nice, certainly.
But it wasn’t optimized for work with carefully controlled lighting, temperature, and humidity.
But this was a Master’s studio.
The convenience of it was beyond words.
Since she was already borrowing the studio for free, that much was nothing.
“Then I’ll show him in.”
Han Gyul spoke respectfully to Hae Yun and stepped aside.
Soon, guided by Han Gyul, a middle-aged man entered.
So who is this man?
Looking at Hae Yun with that expression, he opened his mouth.
“Director of Seohwawon Gallery.”
Oh… so what is Seohwawon, exactly?
But the Master, capricious and arrogant as always, offered nothing more.
With an adult standing right in front of her, it would be rude to press for more details, so Ye Ji simply offered a small bow.
“Good to meet you, student. I’m Tae Gyung.”
Tae Gyung extended his hand for a handshake, his expression carrying an air of arrogance.
Judging by his demeanor, it seemed to be quite a prominent gallery.
A well-kept, refined middle-aged man.
Having sized Tae Gyung up to that extent, Ye Ji accepted his handshake.
Her interest ended there.
Soon, Ye Ji began to paint.
***
Tae Gyung was inwardly astonished.
The girl Hae Yun had introduced appeared to be, at most, a high school student.
With her round, innocent-looking impression, she could even pass for a middle schooler—an ordinary, unremarkable student.
There was something almost precocious in the gleam of her eyes, but the moment she picked up the brush, everything changed.
Those pupils shone with an endless vitality and passion—something only a pure child could possess.
“…….”
The teacup Tae Gyung held slowly grew cold in his hand.
The painting the young student created made her age impossible to gauge once again.
Even the way she held the brush was different.
She handled the Oil Painting with deft, practiced control.
‘I thought she’d be doing something absurd….’
And on top of that, a fusion of Eastern and Western styles?
Easy to say, but there was one clear reason why no one had achieved greatness with such work.
It simply wasn’t easy to harmonize both traditions into a coherent whole.
There were certainly Korean artists who had made their mark on the world stage.
Nam June Paik, who pioneered Media Art, was a prime example.
Such artists embodied the essence of contemporary art and adhered to a direction that belonged to no particular nation or race.
‘Because if you touch tradition too lightly, it just comes off as provincial.’
But the girl before him was openly breaking that unspoken rule.
The Eastern Painting layered beneath wasn’t a shallow appropriation.
She was building Oil Painting on top of the texture of Korean Hanji Paper, preserving its quality to the fullest.
The fact that the Hanji was bearing the strength of the heavy oil paint meant Hae Yun must have helped her.
‘Did Hae Yun really just lend her the results of his own research?’
Contemporary art isn’t viewed through the work alone.
One must also see the artist who created it.
What forms a work is not merely aesthetic sensibility, but the artist’s life and self that guided it into being.
Hae Yun was a meticulous person with clearly defined standards.
For so long, he’d been called a Master.
That meant Hae Yun himself was recognized and respected in the art world.
So it stood to reason that a child he’d suddenly taken an interest in would be no ordinary talent.
‘Her eye for color is exact, and she knows how to handle materials.’
From her fingertips, a pine branch was taking shape along the ridgeline of the Landscape Painting.
The delicate needles, rendered without hesitation, took on the rich body of oil paint while displaying their verdant hue.
The nearby pine seemed as if it might leap from the canvas itself, like a real branch brushing past her face.
‘Layering realistic oil painting over Landscape Painting that expresses space through emptiness….’
It was astonishingly skillful.
A branch obscuring the view at the edge of snowy mountains.
Parting it, seeing a new landscape beyond the gap.
Her painting depicted that landscape in a dual manner.
Korean painting, which values the Beauty of Emptiness.
Western painting, which desires the aesthetics of fullness.
She was separating East and West by depth while containing them both within a single frame.
“…Ah.”
Tae Gyung, entranced, suddenly checked the time.
The short winter sun was already beginning to set.
In just three hours of holding the Paint, she had rendered a clear foundation for what her composition would be.
Though the painting wasn’t yet complete, Tae Gyung’s heart raced.
Her work kindled in him, a man approaching middle age, a sense of anticipation he couldn’t name.
The feeling that if he pressed through the things blocking his view, he could meet something new.
A vague hope, and a truth about life he’d forgotten.
‘Perhaps….’
He thought he might discover a new direction for a life that had begun to feel wearisome.
Tae Gyung drained the tea that had grown cold in his hand.
Along with a wish to see the completed painting came the realization that he hadn’t even asked the girl’s name.
Now he felt curious about the student who had created this work.
“What do you think?”
Hae Yun wore a pleased expression as he spoke to Tae Gyung.
He’d happened to meet such remarkable talent a few weeks ago and taken her in.
“…….”
Tae Gyung suddenly felt envious of Hae Yun.
Taken her in? Taken her in?
The choice of words kindled a jealousy in him.
How had this lucky old man managed to find such a student in this rural backwater?
Despite all his years scouting Insadong and art supply shops, he’d never discovered a Raw Gem like this!
“Truly impressive.”
But now that he’d seen her, that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?
Even as the two men began conversing, the young student seemed completely absorbed.
Watching her back, Tae Gyung made a decision.
“What if we did something like this?”
***
Man, I’m starving.
With that thought, Ye Ji set down her brush.
Having finally channeled the images in her mind with focus, her back and neck were aching.
With a small groan, she stretched her spine, and the darkened window outside came into view.
“What? What time is it?”
“It’s already seven o’clock, you dummy.”
Hae Yun grumbled irritably at Ye Ji’s muttering to herself.
When Ye Ji turned her gaze to Hae Yun, she saw Tae Gyung still sitting in the same spot.
‘He’s still here?’
Maybe he wasn’t so busy after all.
Tae Gyung had watched Ye Ji while his teapot emptied completely.
“Your concentration is remarkable.”
Conversely, there was a teacup beside Ye Ji as well, but hers was barely touched.
When she concentrated, she didn’t eat, so her cup simply grew cold.
“Oh, is it?”
Ye Ji gave an awkward reply to his ambiguous compliment.
She wasn’t particularly fond of conversation with unfamiliar adults.
But Tae Gyung approached her with inexplicably warm manner.
“What’s your name, student? Are you a fine arts major?”
“I’m Ye Ji. I attend Art School.”
This man’s a bit overwhelming….
Ye Ji laughed awkwardly while organizing brushes caked with Paint.
“So about that….”
Gurgle—
Tae Gyung’s next words were cut off by a loud rumble from Ye Ji’s stomach.
She’d spent the entire time painting without eating or drinking anything.
Though beyond her control, Ye Ji felt embarrassed and bit her lip.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Fortunately, Han Gyul entered the studio, breaking the awkward moment.
“Ye Ji’s parents and grandmother have brought food.”
Ye Ji thought Hae Yun would refuse.
His palate was very particular, and he usually declined food gifts or distributed them among his students.
How could homemade food not feel burdensome?
But surprisingly, Hae Yun glanced at Ye Ji once, then nodded.
“Show them to the dining room. We’ll join you there.”
Well, since she was hungry anyway, this worked out.
Grandmother’s cooking was quite good, so Hae Yun would likely find no fault with it once he tasted it.
Though having a stranger like Tae Gyung join them for the meal was a bit uncomfortable.
“I’ve always been curious what kind of man lives with his doors shut all the time.”
Grandmother seemed to have always wondered about Hae Yun, living in the same neighborhood yet never really becoming acquainted.
“Try some of this too.”
The amount of food was so enormous that Father and Han Gyul had made several trips with the cart.
Like a grandmother of the times, Ye Ji’s grandmother, despite living in the Countryside, carried herself with vitality and youth.
Mastering everything from Korean dishes to Western and Chinese cuisine, her menu rivaled a decent buffet.
“That’s… quite a lot.”
“Why excessive? I heard there are several kids in this household, not just one. Were you planning to eat it all yourself?”
Though Hae Yun was elderly, he was younger than Ye Ji’s grandmother.
Grandmother’s forthright words seemed to catch him quite off guard.
Yet he didn’t seem displeased, so for Ye Ji, it was merely an amusing spectacle.
“I heard that this time you’re giving advice on the work Ye Ji is submitting to a Competition.”
Father offered his gratitude once more, maintaining courtesy.
“After all, it’s something she’s doing anyway. What of it?”
“Still, having an elder to at least point her in the right direction must be a great help to Ye Ji, wouldn’t you say?”
Though Hae Yun was brusque, Ye Ji’s father was a man of proper courtesy.
Hae Yun seemed pleased by Father’s response and let out a dry chuckle.
“Now, about this one….”
After the pleasantries were done, Father cast a questioning look toward Tae Gyung.
Ye Ji answered.
“He’s the director of Seohwawon Gallery.”
“My goodness….”
Mother, who had some knowledge of art, responded as if she recognized the name.
Looking at Tae Gyung with curiosity and interest, Mother spoke.
“I hope we haven’t intruded thoughtlessly while you two have business.”
Does Hae Yun and Tae Gyung really have business together?
From what Ye Ji could see, Tae Gyung was simply someone who’d sat and watched an unknown girl paint all afternoon with nothing else to do.
“Oh, not at all. I’m Tae Gyung.”
Tae Gyung responded with gentle humor as he greeted them.
“I actually came to ask the Master if he’d hold a special exhibition at our gallery.”
He continued with a warm smile.
“Our Seohwawon exhibition space is quite spacious, isn’t it?”
Ye Ji didn’t know, but Mother nodded.
‘So it must be pretty big.’
With that in mind, Ye Ji was absorbed in picking meat from the braised short ribs with her chopsticks.
She would have preferred to use her hands, but held back in front of the adults.
Sweet and savory braised ribs, white rice, and a mouthful of well-fermented kimchi—
“The main hall could display your works, and the annex could showcase paintings by your students, making it rather more meaningful, don’t you think?”
The adults were deep in conversation.
Hae Yun didn’t particularly object to Tae Gyung’s proposal.
It seemed they’d decided to do exactly that.
She’d thought she was just quietly watching from the sidelines, yet somehow they’d agreed on terms.
As Ye Ji was concentrating on her rice, her eyes suddenly met Tae Gyung’s.
And then Tae Gyung’s words continued.
“I think it would be wonderful if Ye Ji’s work were included as well.”

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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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