The Reborn Genius of an Arts High School - Chapter 62

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 62.
Everything has a starting point.
Whether one becomes aware of it or not.
It is merely that difference—but every element that constitutes a person ordinarily has a beginning.
‘Know thyself.’
That simple saying had been called a maxim for ages, and there was good reason for it.
The work that emerges from the unconscious and the work that emerges after self-awareness display an enormous qualitative difference.
Recognizing the catalyst of one’s own inspiration matters precisely that much.
From the third day onward, Ye Ji’s work began to reveal its direction unmistakably.
Until then it had been close to groundwork; now the true labor was beginning in earnest.
Each time the Fine Brush Technique traced delicately across the canvas, the work took on form step by step.
The fourth day that followed, and the fifth day likewise.
With her direction now certain, Ye Ji’s work hurtled forward without hesitation toward completion.
“(Would you like to have dinner together?)”
On the fifth day, halfway through the schedule.
After finishing work, Kobayashi asked.
“(I’m sorry, but I’ll have to pass.)”
But Ye Ji declined politely.
The work she was doing now demanded extreme concentration.
Though she was normally quick-handed and decisive, she was beginning to worry that time might run short this time.
If only she could work freely, she would want to stay through the night absorbed in her work rather than leave now.
In such circumstances, she had no desire to waste energy on socializing.
Especially not getting entangled with someone like Kobayashi—that was exhausting work.
Ye Ji hurried to her feet and headed back to the hotel.
And Kobayashi merely watched her receding back, her gaze fixed and unwavering.
***
Julien Valmont was an established painter who had risen to the ranks of world-renowned artists.
By now, he had long since grown beyond the level of exhibitions that Montrablu could offer.
Yet in the spirit of cherishing old connections, he had resolved to serve as a judge for the competition.
Until then, his mood had been quite relaxed and pleasant.
‘How far I’ve come without realizing it.’
That sense becoming concrete in circumstance—an experience.
But such a pleasant experience did not last long.
The judges spoke with barely contained excitement.
Standing among their clamorous voices, he maintained a stern expression.
“Did you see? Good heavens, where was such talent hiding all this time?”
“She’s from Korea. She wasn’t hiding—we just hadn’t found her.”
They marveled endlessly.
The reason was a girl named Ye Ji who had come from Korea.
The first two days she had worked slowly, as though exploring.
But from the third day onward, as if she had transformed into someone else, she proceeded with her work at rapid speed.
With extraordinary care, stitching the painting together meticulously, thread by thread.
Working with an exceedingly fine brush.
The worry that such a technique would take forever to complete a painting proved baseless—
Already past the halfway point.
Now the work’s outline had begun to emerge clearly enough to discern what she was creating.
What could overturn the score from here was at most the difference in finish.
“Kobayashi, of course, was excellent.”
Mention of Kobayashi also began to surface among the judges.
Unlike Ye Ji, who had taken time to explore, Kobayashi had finished her composition quickly from the first day and begun work immediately.
Her distinctive trait was a painting style so deliberate it induced optical illusions in the viewer’s eye.
Her work was characterized by perfectly clean boundaries between line and field.
To create optical illusions in human perception, one needed to establish clear distinctions in the boundaries of line.
Knowing this well, Kobayashi employed masking tape adhered at intervals measured with a ruler.
She would apply paint over it, and once the paint dried, remove the tape.
The technique seemed simple at first glance but demanded a high degree of skill.
“I was somewhat worried, if I’m honest. Kobayashi is certainly talented, but…”
“Her pace isn’t especially fast. She tends to invest considerable effort in each work.”
Among the judges’ conversation, Julien clenched his teeth slightly.
Despite numerous judges having connections with her, they had not been persuaded to overwhelming positivity.
Kobayashi was certainly a promising painter.
Her skill was excellent, but part of it came from her background—a well-established family in Japan.
The Japanese market was hardly insignificant in the art world.
‘That’s why I let the theme slip in advance…’
Those who knew her well spoke guardedly, trailing off.
No doubt many wished to cultivate connections with her background, so everyone had likely attempted contact.
But what mattered was that Julien was the most renowned among them, and the fastest.
A month ago, at the fine dining establishment La Cine d’Or in Paris.
Julien had been the first—before anyone else—to contact Kobayashi and let slip the competition theme.
‘Since you’ve entrusted me with this, I’ll trust only you and prepare well.’
She was no fool, so she had not suspiciously maintained contact with multiple judges.
‘I get contacted by many people, but why see them all? If you have a long tail, it gets stepped on.’
Was it some kind of recognition among those of a kind?
Despite her youth, Julien had sensed that Kobayashi’s way of thinking aligned quite well with his own.
A person could only claim to have done their best when they utilized everything they possessed.
To squander the money, background, and connections one had—wasn’t that a form of arrogance and conceit?
Kobayashi was someone who knew how to use her hand appropriately.
Illegal methods, loopholes—all were powerless before money.
In modern society, the idea of succeeding morally was truly foolish.
“Interestingly, the other participants showed fairly respectable work as well.”
“We’re even considering expanding the number of awardees. This year is particularly formidable.”
It was obvious they were deliberately steering the conversation away.
Each had attempted to approach Kobayashi and been rebuffed.
Therefore, surely someone among them knew that Kobayashi had made contact with someone.
Yet having themselves attempted contact once, they could hardly pry into the matter.
Among the glances they exchanged trying to discern who it was, Julien measured his words carefully and observed the mood.
Unless Kobayashi revealed it first, this matter would not become a problem.
What concerned him more was something else.
‘Ye Ji….’
He had felt uneasy ever since Chloe and Marc had suddenly brought up Catherine’s name and made a fuss.
He had thought: what could a mere seventeen-year-old girl possibly share with that woman?
Besides, the painting she had submitted in the first round, though interesting, was lacking in execution.
So he had dismissed it as nonsense.
But then.
‘She resembles her.’
In appearance, of course, not at all.
But certainly, something.
There was something about that girl that reminded him of Catherine.
Even from the second floor looking down, her gaze was unmistakable.
A resolve and desperation difficult to believe from someone so young.
Yet in the moment she beheld her work, there emanated a vitality and purity.
He had never imagined seeing such eyes again in his life.
“We should be settling on the shortlist soon…”
“It won’t be easy.”
Listening to the judges’ voices, Julien clenched his trembling hand into a fist.
Even if he called it a mere feeling, it was hard to ignore.
Nothing connected to Catherine had ever benefited his life—not once.
Cold sweat gathered dampening in his clenched palm.
Somehow, his premonition felt ill.
***
Time passed quickly.
Having finished her work with practiced ease, Ye Ji gathered only what she needed and left Montrablu.
Now only two days remained until the work’s completion.
After that, following five days of rest, the results would be announced.
‘Still, it’s going smoothly.’
Perhaps it was thanks to her earlier worries.
Because she had rushed her work, time was not running short.
At this pace, she would be able to finish comfortably.
With the results announcement included, only about a week remained on the entire schedule.
In that time, Ye Ji deliberately avoided meeting anyone or engaging in any unnecessary activities.
Though Ethan and Elisa had contacted her several times, she had not made time for them.
‘There’s no real need to meet.’
Until the first day, she had genuinely harbored many expectations.
Artists her own age, moreover talented people gathered from diverse countries.
Naturally she had anticipated conversation with them.
But the strange behavior of Kobayashi at that gathering had brought considerable disappointment.
It wasn’t that she wished to neglect human relationships.
‘The setting simply wasn’t right.’
She had abandoned the idea of making friends at this competition.
Once she had set her heart thus, it struck her as somewhat amusing.
To have imagined building genuine friendship with people met as rivals.
It was merely a naive and indulgent wish on her part.
“Ye Ji!”
With such thoughts, as she slipped out of the studio alone, someone pursued her from behind.
A very soft call—but her name, rarely heard abroad, struck her ear sharply.
Turning her head, she saw it was Elisa who had called.
“Did you eat?”
………?
Though the accent was clumsy, it was unmistakably a Korean sentence.
But hadn’t they just been drawing together until a moment ago?
She would surely have known that Ye Ji hadn’t eaten.
Puzzled by the greeting that didn’t match the situation, Ye Ji looked at her, and Elisa laughed awkwardly.
“(Was that strange? They told me that’s how you greet someone in Korean…)”
At Elisa’s continued explanation, Ye Ji finally understood.
It seemed she had received some hastily improvised Korean instruction somewhere.
Still, she was grateful for the effort to attempt even one word with her.
“(That’s right, but that phrase means ‘Did you eat?’ literally.)”
However, given that they both knew she hadn’t eaten—
Ye Ji explained kindly with a smile.
At that, Elisa looked slightly embarrassed and blinked her eyes shut then open.
She was two years older, but to Ye Ji that hardly seemed a significant gap.
Finding such a display endearing, Ye Ji laughed and asked in turn.
“(But what’s going on?)”
The tone didn’t suggest she had simply called to exchange pleasantries.
As Ye Ji had guessed, Elisa nodded and spoke in a hushed, cautious voice.
“(You’re trying to focus on your work, so you can’t spare the time, right?)”
“(Yes, I’m pushing myself through work that requires a lot of effort.)”
Ye Ji gave an appropriate response affirming her words.
She needn’t let on about her decision to stop trying to make friends, or anything like that.
There was no reason to reveal such thoughts before the person herself.
Elisa, understanding, continued with a smile.
“(Still, it’s not good to stay still for too long…)”
Her words were nothing particularly special—just ordinary sense.
But as if being cautious, Elisa glanced about her surroundings.
“(Would you like to take a short walk with me later?)”
The moment Elisa finished speaking, voices of other participants suddenly came from beyond the corner.
Though it wasn’t an unusual situation—others were simply finishing their work and leaving—Elisa flinched visibly.
At this point, Ye Ji could not help but notice.
It seemed something was happening among the participants that she didn’t know about.
Should she not concern herself with it?
“(There’s something I want to tell you.)”
Elisa added cautiously, then passed on without waiting for Ye Ji’s response.
The moment she passed, the other participants emerged from beyond the corner.
Upon seeing Ye Ji, they fell silent about whatever they had been discussing.
Participants she had never conversed with.
Over eight days of working, she had only become acquainted with their faces.
Yet they looked at her with a peculiar intensity as they passed, as if targeting her.
“…….”
The vague suspicion became certainty.
Something was clearly happening among the participants.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————