I Became A Renowned Genius At My Arts High School - Chapter 257



Only Krnovel

Episode 257. Growth (2)

“Aren’t you going to get off work?”

Late at night.

It was almost dawn.

Jacqueline’s private office was still lit like a lighthouse in Manhattan.

Jacqueline’s secretary checked the office several times, and when she felt she couldn’t take it anymore, she knocked on the door and spoke to Jacqueline.

“Ah. It’s already this late.”

Jacqueline, who was pushing up her glasses, looked at the wall clock and was startled.

“If you have anything urgent to do, please let me know.”

The secretary asked kindly.

J-House got very busy when the vending machine project started. There was a separate team in charge of practical work, and they were actively communicating with the Bloomberg market team and working on it, but Jacqueline, who was in charge and in charge of the overall work, also had to do work that fit her role.

There were hidden efforts like this to ensure that the project was free of noise and that the system was continuously improved.

“No. The urgent matter has passed.”

Jacqueline, with a gentle smile on her face, gestured to her secretary.

“Can you come in for a moment?”

“Ah. Yes.”

The secretary nodded and walked into the office.

“It’s a picture.”

Jacqueline was looking at a painting on her desk.

“Do you know whose picture this is?”

“Yes. It’s a painting by artist Han Su-hyeon.”

The secretary smiled faintly.

It wasn’t a formal smile. When I looked at the picture, I felt a warm feeling in my heart and smiled.

“I’ve never seen a writer grow so quickly.”

Jacqueline said, looking at the painting.

“I get the same strong feeling when I see artists like Andy Warhol, Basquiat, and Keith Haring, who appeared in New York in the 60s and 80s and shook the world.”

Jacqueline shook her head.

“Perhaps I am witnessing the birth of another history.”

At those words, the secretary’s face became slightly tense.

She also knew how excellent Han Su-hyeon’s paintings were.

Not only was the energy from the painting itself good, but the structure and process of the work, the way it was presented, and the planning intentions were fresh.

It is a situation that everyone in the New York art world can agree on that a notable newcomer has emerged.

But does it bring to mind artists like Andy Warhol, Basquiat, and Keith Haring?

The secretary looked into Jacqueline’s eyes.

Jacqueline isn’t just Jacqueline.

Jacqueline of New York, Jacqueline of J-House is an icon of the times.

A great eye for discovering writers and their works. As a woman, and all alone, I was able to get to where I am today thanks to that great eye.

But then, Jacqueline was saying something she had never said in at least the ten years she had worked at J-House.

The birth of another history.

Swish.

The secretary looked down at Soo-hyeon’s picture again.

It was definitely good.

A painting that is simple yet sophisticated, evoking complex emotions.

Although it did not use primitive colors like Gauguin’s paintings, the energy of the painting was very strong. And yet it was warm.

The touch was quiet, but the object depicted was hot.

It was calm, but it shook my heart.

“I’m thinking of preparing an exhibition.”

Jacqueline opened her mouth.

“What kind of exhibition is it?”

The secretary asked back.

Talking about exhibitions at a gallery is as common as asking someone if they’ve had dinner. But what Jacqueline is talking about now is something completely different from that common occurrence.

The secretary asked, sensing it intuitively. And then Jacqueline’s confident voice rang in her ears.

“Let’s prepare for Su-hyeon’s solo exhibition.”

“A solo exhibition?”

The secretary blinked.

“But writer Han Su-hyeon.”

“There won’t be any problem in obtaining the artwork. Although the vending machine drawings are taking up a lot of time, the exchange student schedule will be finished soon.”

It was already May. The period that Soo-hyun had originally planned to study at Lisa as an exchange student was one year.

From summer vacation onwards, there was no reason to be tied down as a student anymore. Then I would have more free time.

“Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s intervention, the visa issue has been resolved. Su-hyeon will be able to work on her art to her heart’s content in New York.”

“Has writer Han Su-hyeon also made a decision?”

The secretary asked, gathering her thoughts.

“We just talked about doing a little more. Soo-hyun agreed. It’s not urgent to go back to Korea and get a bachelor’s degree quickly.”

“yes.”

“But I haven’t received any proposals for a solo exhibition yet.”

Jacqueline smiled faintly.

The sparkling eyes were something that happened when something interesting happened.

“We need to make some preparations before we bring it up. That’s how you make a proposal.”

“ah.”

The secretary’s expression became complicated.

It wasn’t because I was ignoring Soo-hyun’s potential.

Interest in the vending machine project was growing by the day, and soon the name of Su-hyeon, the writer who planned the project, would become widely known.

Naturally, Su-hyeon will be called a blue-chip writer who New York deserves to pay attention to.

But isn’t it a little too early?

I have experience with individual exhibitions, but it was in Korea.

New York was a different level in every way.

Twenty-three. Now in her second year of living in New York, can Soo-hyun handle this?

Regardless of talent, you never know what variables may come up.

but.

The secretary shook his head.

In any case, it was clear that things would go ahead. So I had no choice but to do my best to support them.

The train started running, and the first thing to do was to find something to do.

“Then, after we find out what is needed, we will draft a proposal to show to writer Han Su-hyeon.”

Jacqueline smiled as the secretary nodded.

“Okay. Then let’s go home.”

***

Around the same time, a similar movement took place in New York.

One afternoon in May, at the AMF office.

Harry and Walter were having a serious discussion, oblivious to the fact that their coffee was getting cold.

“Isn’t it a little early?”

Harry shook his head firmly as Walter displayed uncharacteristic caution.

“Everything has its time, Walter. The most dramatic moment, and if you miss it, there’s no use regretting it. You know that too.”

It also seemed like something had changed.

Harry, who was always cautious, was rushing in recklessly like Walter today.

Walter and Harry looked at each other with unfamiliar faces, then shook their heads at the same time.

“But he is a writer who has not yet made his official debut. We may be getting excited and that may be a burden to the writer.”

“No. I would have already seen it coming. I couldn’t have foreseen what it would mean to hide the real thing in a vending machine and what would happen as a result.”

The opinions of the two were at odds.

“Look at this, Walter.”

Harry pointed to a small picture on the table.

“An ordinary person might just pass it by, but your eyes will catch something special. Don’t you think so?”

Walter’s eyebrows twitched.

Indeed, as Harry said, the painting was special.

The image of a couple holding each other tightly is very simple, but it brings deep emotion. It’s like a feeling of a dry heart becoming thick.

“The person who brought this is in a very difficult situation.”

Harry smiled faintly. Walter, who had been looking at him with disgust, opened his mouth.

“Are you sure this has been confirmed?”

“Well. I don’t know if it’s 100% true. But he said that thanks to this painting, he was able to shake off the shadow of death. But solving psychological problems doesn’t mean that the situation will be solved.”

It was a man I met through an introduction.

He was a person who suffered from financial difficulties, but he said that when he was about to give up on life, he changed his mind with a picture and card he got from a vending machine.

The problem was that he was still living in extreme poverty, barely able to get by on a daily basis.

Someone suggested to him that he try selling a painting he got from a vending machine, and the man, who was skeptical about whether it would be worth anything, took the painting to a flea market.

And then something amazing happened.

Those who recognized the painting flocked like a swarm of bees.

In a jiffy.

The man picked up the painting and left the place.

I had an instinctive intuition that I shouldn’t sell the painting like this.

If people want this painting so much, and are willing to pay a lot of money for it, wouldn’t it be better to ask somewhere that will give you a fair price?

While asking around like that, the man caught hold of a string named Harry.

Harry’s eyes lit up at the mention of the vending machine drawing and he promised to sell it to the man.

“Of course, there will be many people who will keep the painting for a long time. They will be fond of it because it gave them a special experience. Also, seeing it become more and more famous, everyone will know that the more they keep this painting, the more money it will make. So they won’t put it up for sale. However, there will be people who will put it up for sale even though they know that. Like the owner of this painting.”

Harry pointed to the picture of the vending machine that Soohyun had drawn.

“Don’t forget, Walter. The purpose of our foundation is to discover, promote, and activate the works of contemporary artists. Last time, thanks to Su-hyeon’s introduction, we successfully completed the Whitney Project, but that’s not enough. We need to gain momentum and make our presence known.”

Eventually, Walter also nodded.

“It’s not something that can be stopped by our line, and if it’s going to be released on the auction market anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to get the first one before it falls into someone else’s hands.”

Walter’s eyes lit up.

“However, since my relationship with the artist is important, I must inform artist Han Su-hyeon and J-House, the gallery she is affiliated with, about this matter. Even if we all know about it, pretending not to know and slyly passing it over are two different things.”

“Haha! I’ll leave that to you. Anyway, he ended up debuting first in the secondary market, but this isn’t a bad thing for writer Han Su-hyeon. Rather, it can create anticipation for his next work and have a positive effect on the gallery.”

“Yes.”

Walter wrinkled his nose.

Yes, without Soo-hyeon knowing.

Many people surrounding Soo-hyun were looking forward to Soo-hyun’s next work and were thinking about how to introduce him to the public most effectively.

Jacqueline was busy figuring out the best time to properly hold her first solo exhibition in New York, the best promotion to promote it, and the most helpful themes and materials, while Walter was searching for a groundbreaking method by thoroughly analyzing existing cases to figure out how to put Su-hyeon’s work up for sale in the secondary market, the auction market, in the most dramatic way.

What was fortunate and reassuring was that all of these people were top veterans in the industry.

So, Su-hyeon’s debut exhibition was expected to be held successfully without any problems in both the primary market, the gallery, and the secondary market, the auction.

The main character, Soo-hyeon, still knew nothing about the future that lay ahead.

But it wasn’t unfair.

Jacqueline and Walter also didn’t know exactly what picture Soo-hyun would draw next.

These days.

Something surprising happened in Soo-Hyeon’s studio.

“uh…….”

Su-hyeon, who had been busily moving the brush, stopped for a moment and opened her mouth.

I drew a picture to loosen up my hands a bit, but I got a strange feeling.

“Is this really something I drew?”

A vague destination that was unfamiliar yet so good, something I wanted to reach someday, was drawn on the canvas.

“… … It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

The end of his voice trembled.

It was clearly meant for the child in the picture, but somehow it sounded like it was meant for himself.

A short, insignificant remark made Jaden’s heart flutter.

Are you sure it’s okay?

I wonder if it’s really not my fault.

Jaden stared at the vending machine standing far away as if seeking an answer.

And then I slowly walked towards the vending machine again.

Samuel said he specifically allowed himself to press the vending machine multiple times during the week.

Then it would be okay to press it one more time.

Bam.

Jaden pressed the button, remembering the location from before.

Rattling.

The box fell.

Click.

This time there was a different card and a gift inside.

“It’s a doll.”

It was a cute teddy bear.

When I pressed the heart-shaped button protruding from the chest, I heard a child’s voice saying things like, “I love you,” “Cheer up,” and “Don’t forget that you are precious.”

It seemed like a pre-recorded sound.

The message card that was included read, “You are special.”

“I’m special?”

Jaden, who had been absentmindedly mumbling, tilted his head.

What does it mean to be special?

Have I ever been special to anyone?

It was still not enough.

Jaden, who had been hesitating, pressed the button once more.

And then I opened the box.

One more time.

One more time.

Jayden’s expression changed every time he opened the box and checked its contents.

He, who always had a very angry face, would laugh, cry, and sometimes even have a gentle smile.

When Laura finally returned, Jaden was a completely different person than he had been that morning.

***

“So I think it would be best to take Lucia to the hospital quickly.”

A few days later.

Jaden invited his son and daughter-in-law to his house.

I just told him that I had something important to tell him and that he should definitely come this weekend and hung up the phone, but thankfully he came.

Judging from the blunt tone of her son’s voice, it seemed that his daughter-in-law Jenny had a lot to persuade him.

“ha.”

The air at the dinner table was heavier than ever.

Before the kids came, Jayden prepared the food with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Even with the help of Laura, the woman next door, the son and daughter-in-law and Lucia seemed surprised at the nicely prepared table.

But today’s surprise wasn’t that.

“I’m so sorry.”

Jaden confessed the truth he had been hiding without showing his torn heart.

What condition is your eyes currently in, and what misfortune is befalling your granddaughter Lucia.

“father.”

After hearing the whole story, his son Matthew called Jaden.

Are you going to complain now?

Jaden’s eyebrows twitched.

Lucia’s life depends on it.

So at this moment, Abi Matthew’s heart must be torn to pieces.

He’ll be really mad at me for cursing him with a fucking genetic disease and passing it on to him. But it’s okay. It’s okay.

Jaden steeled himself as he thought of the message card he kept in the drawer in his room.

It was a situation that I had simulated in my head several times.

It was something I had decided to endure calmly even when harsh and harsh words poured out. So I could endure it. I had to endure it.

however.

“How difficult has it been for you?”

An unexpected word came out of my son Matthew’s mouth.

“Oh my god. Father.”

Matthew sobbed.

“Father, why didn’t you tell me before?”

Matthew shrugged.

Then, Jenny, the daughter-in-law, burst into tears. As her mother and father cried, tears welled up in Lucia’s eyes as well.

“How lonely you must have felt in that dark world. How desperate you must have felt when you heard that there was no way out.”

Matthew groaned and poured out his innermost feelings.

“I didn’t even know that. Oh my god. I had no idea. I never really thought about the pain my father was going through. My father always seemed strong, he always did well, so I thought he would be okay… … He would be a strong person, unlike me. But, but… … .”

“Matthew, honey, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to break your heart.”

A flustered Jaden answered, but the table was already filled with tears.

Jenny buried her face in her hands and cried, while Lucia ran to Jayden and hugged him, stroking his face.

Grandpa, my grandpa, please don’t get sick.

“this.”

Eventually, tears welled up in Jaden’s eyes as well.

“I’m fine. It’s been going on for a long time and I’m adjusting pretty well. The problem is Lucia. Damn it. I was in my mid-thirties when it first started, and Lucia is only seven. There’s so much to see, so much to live. Sigh. … … God. Why … … Why this ordeal.”

When Jaden burst into tears, Lucia cried even louder.

Lucia was hugged tightly by her mother, Jenny. Then she opened her mouth in a hushed voice.

“First of all, you don’t have to worry about Lucia.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Jaden asked with a blank face.

“Last winter, I went to the hospital because I thought something was wrong with Lucia’s eyes. To tell you the results first, there is no problem with Lucia’s eyes. She has temporarily lost vision in one eye, but they said it can be corrected.”

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Is that true?”

Jaden said, jumping up from his seat.

“Really, I’m so glad. I’m so glad.”

Tears of joy and relief fell from Jaden’s eyes this time.

“There’s nothing wrong now. Everything was fine! How fortunate I am. How thankful I am.”

Jayden slowly stroked Lucia’s head while holding her in his arms.

Looking back, it was a dizzying experience.

If I had put my plan into action that day based on my own thoughts, how much hurt would I have caused them?

He himself almost passed away without ever knowing what happened to Lucia.

“Well then, let’s eat now, Lucia. This is food that this old man worked hard to prepare. Chew it well and enjoy it. You guys, eat quickly too. Enjoy it.”

As Jaden laughed, Matthew got up from his seat and approached Jaden.

And then she hugged Jaden tightly and said.

“Father, eat a lot too. And after we finish eating, let’s talk more. There will be so much to talk about.”

***

Since that day, a big change has occurred in Jaden’s house.

It wasn’t that Jaden’s eyesight suddenly improved or that a new treatment was developed.

However, Jaden’s gaze changed.

Jaden, who used to spend his days doing nothing, has been staying in his room lately, reading books and listening to music.

I also often used books and CDs from vending machines.

And Jaden started to organize things little by little.

I cleaned up every corner of my house as if I was organizing my life, and picked out things that I didn’t need but that would be helpful to someone.

Jaden planned to pass it on to Samuel.

Next time I fill up the vending machine, I was going to ask if it would be helpful.

and.

Beginning with him, and at the same time, small miracles occurred all over New York.

Stories of people like Jaden who were on the edge of despair and then encountered a vending machine began to spread.

A child suffering from violence was rescued, and a person who was confused about their sexual identity and about to give up on life was provided with the center’s protection.

A homeless man who was suffering from extreme poverty was given a place to live. A teenager who was dependent on drugs decided to confront his deprivation properly.

It was thanks to the notes that the small miracles became known to people.

A note that someone started sticking on a vending machine.

It’s been a strong trend for a few days.

People who received gifts wrote letters about their healing experiences and posted them on the side of the vending machine.

Before long, the side of the vending machine was filled with letters.

***

“This is incredible. This is truly incredible.”

Mayor Bloomberg, who received the report, looked very excited.

“This is beyond numbers. New York is talking about gift vending machines.”

Although he said the value could not be converted into numbers, Bloomberg had already had his subordinates calculate the estimated value of the project.

And, I was very excited about the results that would have a greater impact than any other project I had done so far.

“Now we can move on to the next step.”

Alicia, the team leader in charge of executing the vending machine project, nodded at Bloomberg’s words.

“The vending machine has become a big hit thanks to the promotion that you can press the buttons as many times as you want for a week. As a result, companies that recognize the value of the project are rushing to contact us to offer to sponsor items and cash to put in the gift boxes. So, we think it is time to increase the number of vending machines and take the next step.”

The team’s phones were constantly ringing with inquiries from generous donation-minded and trend-sensitive companies. Alicia was very proud of that.

“The so-called vending machine tour is about to begin.”

Bloomberg also had an expectant look on his face.

The vending machines, which were distributed in a random draw format, were scheduled to have a different system from the second stage.

That is, the types of message cards and gifts are set differently for each region.

In other words, the idea was to allow someone who had experienced one vending machine to go to another area and press the vending machine to experience another story that was connected to the previous message card.

Although it was a bit of a hassle, the reason for planning the vending machine tour was clear.

“I’m already looking forward to the effects of this game.”

“Me too. I can vividly picture the line of vending machines.”

“Ah! Theo and Helen took a look around last weekend as a demonstration, and the route seemed pretty good.”

Participants will travel around the area and win prizes from different vending machines.

At the same time, you will be comforted and fill up your collection. Through him, you will be able to inject vitality into your daily life, and you will be able to gain a sense of accomplishment from completing a mission. Above all, it will help you stay away from the time when you are obsessed with death while focusing on the vending machine tour.

That was the planning intention of the vending machine tour.

“By the way, how is the corner introducing letters stuck on vending machines going?”

Alicia smiled broadly at Bloomberg’s question.

“The local radio station has decided to schedule a special broadcast starting tomorrow. They will introduce the letters one at a time at 8 a.m., 2 p.m., and 9 p.m.”

“That’s good.”

Bloomberg nodded as if he liked it, then checked his watch.

“By the way, when can we see our main character?”

That was a question that needed no answer.

As if they had been waiting, someone knocked on the conference room door.

“Come in! Quick!”

Bloomberg recognized the person standing outside and opened the conference room door with a big laugh.

As expected, Soo-Hyeon was standing in front of the door.