I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 248



Only Krnovel

Episode 248. Bridge (2)

It was a sudden suggestion to Soo-hyun, but Whitney didn’t do it spontaneously.

A week ago.

So it all started on the very day Walter came to Whitney’s studio.

“It’s pretty good.”

Walter nodded, frowning slightly as he looked at the painting depicting a forest full of green, a small village beneath it, and two houses on fire.

“Is this, by any chance, a depiction of the incident we talked about last time?”

“that’s right.”

Whitney answered, still holding the brush.

“I plan to draw it in series.”

The first painting was, as Walter had guessed, inspired by the fire that occurred in Whitney’s Japanese studio in 1996.

A peaceful forest and village spread across the entire canvas. However, the painting was filled with tension due to the impressive sight of two houses drawn small on the lower left side burning fiercely.

“In the next painting, the fire will be bigger and it will depict a man risking his life to bring back the woman he loves and some of her paintings.”

“What next?”

Walter asked with interest.

“I’m going to draw a picture of a house that has turned into ruins, with nothing left, covered in snow and fallen leaves. And finally, I’m going to draw a picture of a couple who met again in front of that house after a long time, embracing each other.”

“It’s romantic. Quite a bit.”

Walter said, raising an eyebrow.

“This is a picture that people will like. It’s a story with a twist and love. It will also pique their curiosity.”

“Yes. That’s what I’m saying.”

Whitney said with a smirk.

“I have a gallery I belong to, but this unknown artist doesn’t have one.”

“Right?”

Walter blinked, wondering what she was trying to say.

“I want to sell this series straight to the secondary market without going through a gallery. Can you and AMF help me with that?”

“… … !”

Walter was surprised by those words and was silent for a moment.

Typically, artists’ works are made available to the public through the primary market, galleries, and collectors use the secondary market, auctions, to resell the works they have purchased.

But Whitney was now saying she wanted to skip that middle step.

The intention was clear.

And Walter, who understood the intention, soon burst into loud laughter.

“Wow. I must have seen you clearly.”

“Me?”

“When I saw the painting of that unknown artist, I read the desire seething in the stillness. Haha. Okay. There’s no reason why it wouldn’t work. There might be some commotion though.”

Walter nodded.

There are many reasons why artists go through galleries, but the main reason is that they need someone to connect their paintings with collectors who want them, that is, someone to handle distribution and promotion.

Since it is difficult to create opportunities to meet consumers directly, they entrust the work to an agent, but the problem is that the gallery takes a significant portion of the artwork’s price as a commission.

So, some collectors go directly to the artist’s studio and request a direct transaction.

‘Usually it stops there. But that’s not an option Whitney would consider.’

Walter nodded.

Whitney’s early work, which had recently become famous, was promoted on its own without the support of a gallery.

So, it was not difficult to meet consumers who wanted to buy without having to hold an exhibition or use a gallery as an agent.

However, since Whitney did not come forward and decided to use the pseudonym ‘May’, it was difficult to invite consumers to the studio and conduct direct transactions.

‘If it were another worker, even if he didn’t like it, he would have chosen the easy and stable path. Since he couldn’t reveal himself, he would have found a gallery and manager who would keep his secret, even if it meant crying.’

Walter followed along, slowly recalling the stream of consciousness Whitney must have been following.

Unlike herself, who had hit a wall at one point, Whitney found a new breakthrough.

A method that overturns conventional wisdom.

The artist himself is putting his paintings up for sale on the secondary market.

It was incredible.

That was something that couldn’t be done without a certain amount of confidence.

Because they are going to auction off unreleased works that have not yet been properly evaluated by the market.

‘But if it works, it will be a huge record.’

Walter let his imagination run wild.

The picture that we now see before our eyes and the picture that Whitney explained were enough to capture the public’s attention.

If you spread the word in advance, there will be a lot of bidders who want to bid.

If the auction is a success, Whitney’s name, or rather ‘May’, will be properly engraved in the New York art world.

The Whitney would receive a much larger return than it would have if the paintings had been sold to a gallery, and the AMF, which would take on the task, would also be able to exert greater influence over the New York art world.

Nod.

Walter, who had finished his calculations in a hurry, expressed his intention.

“I’ll discuss this with Harry as soon as I get back. We need to calculate what benefits we’ll gain. But Whitney, how come you’re thinking like this?”

Whitney shook her head as Walter exclaimed again.

“Actually, that’s not what I thought.”

“Yes? Then.”

“Soohyun told me.”

“Soohyun? Oh, are you talking about writer Han Soohyun?”

Walter stuttered at the unexpected name.

“Yes. I spoke to him briefly a while ago. I felt sorry for Takeshi when I heard about his situation, so I told him that I wanted to pay off his debt and bring him back to Yangji, and he told me this method.”

“her.”

Walter opened his mouth, looking even more shocked than before.

“Soohyun came up with that idea? And right during the phone call? Is that true?”

“He said it would be the fastest way to make money. Isn’t that great? At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but when I thought about it, it made sense.”

“Yes, that’s right. It could be an attempt to change the market landscape.”

Walter nodded several times.

“I thought you were just a talented writer, but you’ve grown so much in other ways too. It’s amazing. It’s really amazing.”

Whitney, who had been watching Walter in admiration, opened her mouth.

“Walter said he knew Soo-hyun for a while, didn’t he?”

“Oh, right. I first met her when she was still in high school. Oh, to be exact, I saw her face later and her picture first.”

“I’m curious as to how you came to know Soo-hyun. Can you tell me the story?”

Whitney’s eyes sparkled and Walter cleared his throat.

“It won’t be difficult. I mean, the first time I saw her paintings was in England. At that time, there was a collector who was a real enemy and rival to me.”

And so the long story began.

The next morning.

Whitney woke up early and checked her email.

As promised the day before, Walter sent Whitney an article about Su-hyeon and a link to her portfolio.

I also attached a photo of a painting I own.

“… … It’s incredible.”

Whitney was genuinely impressed.

While his work during his time in New York was focused on contemporary art, his previous works were faithful to traditional painting. And they were not just mere practice works.

Pictures that resonate enough to jump into the professional world.

These were amazing paintings that made my heart race so much that I wanted to see them in person right away.

“How can this happen at this age?”

Whitney rubbed her eyes and brought them close to the monitor.

The depth of the work was so profound that it was hard to imagine the author’s age. The expressiveness was sophisticated yet dense.

The eyes that penetrated the essence as if they had lived life several times were sharp, yet extremely warm.

In particular, the works from her first exhibition, , brought tears to my eyes for no reason. It was regrettable that I had only seen these paintings now.

“Ha. You make people feel embarrassed.”

Whitney shook her head.

“You used to praise me for being such a great artist and for drawing such great pictures, but Su-hyeon had already drawn something so amazing.”

Sighs and exclamations followed one after another.

Whitney read all the remaining information carefully.

After a moment, Whitney nodded as if she had made up her mind about something.

Bam.

Whitney picked up her phone and made a call to someone.

That was the reason why he was taking Soo-hyun somewhere in a hurry right now, before leaving the United States and heading to Japan.

***

“Who on earth are you meeting?”

Whitney had been busy preparing for the meeting for several days, but Soo-hyun was dragged out without knowing what was going on and was just dumbfounded.

Soo-hyun looked at Whitney’s face and asked who her promise partner was.

“I tried to make it a little earlier, but he was such a busy man. This was the only time I could make it before I went to Japan.”

Whitney smiled, wrinkling her nose.

“He’s not a bad person, but he’s a bit of an eccentric person. Rather than having Soo-hyun and I meet right away, I think it would be better if I introduce him to you.”

Whitney keeps beating around the bush without really telling who she’s talking to.

There must be a reason, Soo-hyun nodded.

‘It seems like he’s not an ordinary person.’

The meeting place Whitney brought was a luxury residence hotel in Manhattan.

Whitney seemed to have been in and out a few times, as she naturally took the keys and guided them to the room.

‘Is this a meeting space?’

The living room had a large table and a spacious sofa.

Judging from the pile of papers on the desk by the window, it seemed like someone was working there.

Anyway, as I was quietly looking around the inside of the residence and imagining who the owner of this place might be, I heard the sound of the inner door opening.

Hahaha-.

The sound of many people laughing.

It seemed like a well-soundproof space. Only then did I sense the presence of another person through the open crack of the door.

and.

“Let’s wrap up our conversation here for today. I have an appointment right away, so Jeremy, you can stay here and everyone else can go home. Or maybe you can have a meal at a nearby restaurant and spend some time cursing me.”

“haha!”

“The joke is too sharp.”

“Ahem. Even the president can’t help but get criticized when he doesn’t have any. Oh, and Matthew, don’t be too upset about today’s decision. It’s a matter of making a reasonable decision within the given budget.”

“Of course. There were some shortcomings in my plan. Anyway, thank you for your kind response. Next time, I will come up with a more perfect plan.”

“Yes. There will be room to think about it again in the second half of the year.”

“thank you.”

“See you next time.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

The formal tone of speech. The voices that sounded middle-aged at first glance rang in Soo-hyeon’s ears.

Will I get to meet any company representatives?

Suddenly, I remembered the JK Group that had supported me in Korea.

“Mayor, please come this way. Whitney is waiting.”

At the next words, Su-hyeon’s body froze.

The mayor? The mayor? So the mayor of New York City?

Whitney looked at Soo-hyun’s startled face with a smile and then quickly raised her hand.

“Come here, sir. There’s not much time left.”

That was a favor Whitney wanted to repay, a bridge she wanted to build.

Another incident that was beyond Soo-Hyeon’s imagination was about to take place in New York.