The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 32

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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 32.
There was one more reason he’d included Ye-ji in his exhibition.
The art world paid attention only to the establishment.
To them, he’d shown the potential of a young student.
The story that an emerging artist’s work had been traded for tens of millions would surely become a hot topic among galleries by now.
If one could generate that kind of value—
wouldn’t all the galleries show more enthusiasm for discovering emerging talent?
The grand vision of a master who’d spent his life running tirelessly for Korean art was on a different scale entirely.
This exhibition wasn’t merely for Ye-ji and his own disciples.
“I feel like I’ve really jumped into the deep end here.”
At Myeong-hui’s words, the sound of Hae-yun snorting came through.
But what if this act created a butterfly effect—what if it truly shifted the mood of the art world?
Then Myeong-hui, who’d purchased work in this exhibition, would play no small part in that current.
A conglomerate chairwoman who’d bought paintings from a promising emerging artist to revitalize Korean art.
It could become a case proving her insight and foresight.
“Of course, that assumes Ye-ji grows well and becomes an even finer artist, which she must.”
If the butterfly that triggers the effect crashed the moment it took flight, that would be troublesome.
“She’ll manage on her own—why would I worry about all that?”
Beneath Hae-yun’s blunt tone, a hint of trust and affection showed through.
How had he managed to win over the heart of that particular artist?
As Myeong-hui marveled at this inwardly, her phone rang while she was still on the call.
It was a missed call from an unfamiliar number.
Then a text message arrived shortly after.
‘Hello. This is Ye-ji. I called, but it seems you’re busy, so I’m sending this message.’
It was late morning, approaching lunch time.
Myeong-hui smiled faintly at the call coming at an opportune moment.
She was probably at school—likely she’d carved out time during a short break.
“Teacher, I’ll call you again next time then.”
“Like hell. I’ll call when I need something.”
“Sure, see you next time!”
Myeong-hui, responding smoothly to Hae-yun’s grumbling, ended the call.
The moment she called the number that had shown as missed, the signal didn’t take long to connect.
“Ah, yes. Ye-ji. I’m so busy I couldn’t get back to you right away.”
Why was she pretending to be so busy for this girl?
The thought occurred to her, yet somehow she wanted to seem like a precious connection.
It had been a long time since she’d felt this way toward someone.
“Would you like to meet separately and talk?”
***
In a quiet corner of the hallway, away from the school’s commotion.
While on the phone, Ye-ji didn’t dislike Myeong-hui’s warm manner.
“Yes, I’m flexible whenever, so please choose whatever time is convenient for you.”
She wondered if this was simply her natural disposition.
She wasn’t the difficult type to converse with.
“Then shall we meet today? It feels wrong to ask the student to travel far, so I’ll come near your school.”
Still, it seemed off to ask an adult to come and go like that.
To refuse felt awkward as well.
If Ye-ji went herself, she’d have to take public transit to somewhere near SS Group Headquarters after school.
During all that time, it would feel like she was making Myeong-hui wait for no reason.
Just then, the bell signaling the end of break sounded.
Whether she could hear it through the receiver or not, Myeong-hui quickly wrapped up the conversation.
“I hear the bell. Go on back to class. If there’s a convenient café to park near your school, send me the address.”
“Yes, thank you.”
For Ye-ji, gratitude was the best response she could offer.
After the brief call ended and she returned to the classroom, Hyun-min and Da-hye approached immediately.
“What’d she say? What’d she say?”
At Hyun-min’s question, Da-hye smacked the back of his head.
“The chairwoman is your friend?! What did she say?”
At Da-hye’s remark, Hyun-min’s expression turned indignant.
Ye-ji laughed at their banter and shrugged.
“She just wants to meet and talk in person. Nothing special.”
“Wow. She really means it.”
“Would she throw out an empty promise about reserving a work?”
As Da-hye and Hyun-min were about to start bickering again, the teacher entered.
Watching her friends hurry back to their seats, Ye-ji somehow couldn’t focus on class.
Where would be a decent café nearby?
After deliberating, Ye-ji decided on Starbucks in front of the school and simply waited for dismissal time.
Whenever she tried to open a book and concentrate, suddenly it was practical work time again.
“For midterms, we’ll actually bring in a model to do croquis.”
Along with the teacher’s instruction to practice well, a photo of a posed model appeared on the large classroom TV.
Students moving their hands busily.
Only the scratching sound of graphite against paper filled the classroom.
Human Figure Sketching was one of the few classes she found genuinely interesting.
The class where she observed photos the teacher changed every five minutes and sketched the figures was excellent for clearing her mind.
“This is killing me, seriously….”
Da-hye, who had a knack for calculated drawing, was clearly stressed during this class—
but Ye-ji imagined the model’s back view and sketched at a comfortable pace.
“Ugh, finally over.”
When class ended, an exhausted Da-hye prepared to leave.
“I’ll coordinate with the teachers about tutoring and let you know right away.”
“Yeah, I’ll message you later about how things go with the chairwoman.”
As Ye-ji and Da-hye exchanged goodbyes, Hyun-min, passing by, didn’t miss his chance to chime in.
“Me too, me too. Tell me too!”
After leaving that plea and disappearing, Da-hye shot him a glare.
“Fine. I’ll message everyone later.”
After patting Da-hye’s shoulder, Ye-ji grabbed her bag and left the classroom.
A café not far from school.
Rather than wait idly, Ye-ji ordered two cups and found a suitable spot.
Not long after, a sleek, high-end sports car pulled into the parking lot in front of the café.
She didn’t know much about cars, but the design was unmistakably refined.
Among all the white and black cars, a single bright red one stood out strikingly.
It looked quite fast.
Did this sports car ever imagine it would crawl through this traffic-choked city?
While such idle thoughts crossed her mind—
Myeong-hui got out from the driver’s seat.
Her attire was more casual than what she’d worn at Seo-hwa Gallery.
Seeing her exit alone, she must have driven herself.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Myeong-hui’s casual clothes were rather ordinary.
It wasn’t an image that easily brought to mind a conglomerate chairwoman.
Had Ye-ji passed her on the street, she’d have mistaken her for someone who looked similar.
“No, I haven’t waited long.”
The cup she’d ordered was still warm.
Seeing the chamomile Ye-ji had prepared, Myeong-hui sat down with a word of thanks.
“You drive yourself around?”
“Unless I’m swamped, I drive myself home from work. The drivers deserve to go home too.”
Myeong-hui smiled lightly and glanced around.
“Cheongrim Art High School students come here often, I imagine?”
“Yes, it’s nearby, so…”
Myeong-hui, who’d been subtly observing the surroundings, gave Ye-ji a soft smile.
Whether she’d gotten home safely the day of the exhibition, whether the drive here today was fine.
After exchanging a few light pleasantries and sipping their tea, the two got down to business.
“So, have you thought about it? Taking on my commission?”
“I’d need to hear the conditions first before I could decide.”
“That makes sense. Well… conditions…”
Myeong-hui nodded at Ye-ji’s answer and continued.
“As I mentioned, I’m giving it to someone who collects work from emerging artists.”
The conditions were neither unreasonable nor particularly demanding.
“Something most like you, something you do best—that sort of work would be nice.”
Ye-ji’s work wasn’t widely public yet.
Of course, Ye-ji was the type who’d feel prickles in her palms if she didn’t draw for even a day, so she had plenty of private work.
If needed, she was prepared to show all sorts of things she’d drawn alone until now.
But Myeong-hui didn’t seem to want that.
“Is that… all? Can I just draw whatever I want?”
At Ye-ji’s question, Myeong-hui nodded.
“I can provide a contract payment. But there is one thing I’d like you to keep.”
The contract payment wasn’t the issue.
She wouldn’t come back later, see the work, and say it didn’t suit her taste or something, would she?
“Surely someone who’s become a conglomerate chairwoman wouldn’t do that.”
She’d only met her twice so far.
Unable to agree readily, Ye-ji asked back.
“What would I need to keep?”
“The deadline. It must be finished by July 7th.”
By July 7th at the latest, she had to be able to receive the completed work.
What Myeong-hui proposed was a precise deadline.
The reason was easy to guess.
“Is it because you need to give it as a gift by then?”
Myeong-hui nodded at Ye-ji’s question.
July wasn’t a tight schedule for Ye-ji.
Of course, there would be school commitments during that time.
But turning down an opportunity to showcase her work for that would be putting the cart before the horse.
“So the only issue is…”
The quality of the work wasn’t something Ye-ji needed to worry about.
What hung over this contract was really just her level of trust in the chairwoman.
Unless she changed her mind later—to pay less, or because the reason for the gift had vanished—and found fault unfairly.
This was a contract with no real reason to refuse.
“Yes, I’ll do it.”
As Ye-ji nodded in agreement, a smile spread across Myeong-hui’s face.
“Is there a particular size you’d like?”
“No preference. Though I’d rather it not be too small.”
After all, it’s a gift.
As she listened to Myeong-hui’s words, a mental image formed in Ye-ji’s mind.
“There’s no limit on the large side, is there?”
At Ye-ji’s question, Myeong-hui opened her eyes wide as if she hadn’t expected that.
“Well… no. As long as you keep the deadline, don’t worry about cost.”
Ye-ji nodded at Myeong-hui’s answer.
What did a few million or tens of millions matter to a chaebol?
Even without knowing much, everything she was currently wearing and carrying looked to be worth at least tens of millions.
“Are you thinking of going large? Ah, just curious.”
Myeong-hui asked lightly, as if inviting an easy answer.
It was natural enough that the commissioner would be curious, so Ye-ji answered briefly.
“I haven’t decided yet, but I’m thinking about it.”
There were practical issues with working in a larger size.
Her room couldn’t accommodate anything bigger than what she was currently managing.
After Ye-ji’s answer, Myeong-hui seemed to be thinking about something, then asked again.
“Do you have more time today?”
With no special plans, Ye-ji nodded.
At that, Myeong-hui gathered her things and stood up first.
“Then, shall we go somewhere together?”

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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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