Chapter 30

The basic planning meeting is over.

The next day, I invited my teammates to a certain place.

“So this is Professor Lee Jong’s studio, which I’ve only heard of until now….”

Kyutae looked around with a surprised expression.

That’s right.

The place I brought my teammates to was Professor Lee Jong’ studio. It wasn’t that difficult to get permission from the professor.

[The more friends you have, the better.]

That’s what the professor said.

As expected, he’s a good person.

“Yeah.”

Ji-Hoon looked around the studio with calm steps and asked, “It’s really spacious, I envy you……Jaeha, are you using this place all by yourself?”

“Yes. I originally had someone else to share the studio with, but I don’t know where they’ve been these days.”

Kyutae intervened.

“Seo Ji-eun?”

“Not Seo Ji-eun, Seo Ji-won.”

“Anyways, where did she go?”

“I don’t know.”

It’s not just a standoffish thing.

I really didn’t know.

Where did she go without completing the first semester?

‘I didn’t expect that you wouldn’t come to the exams.’

There are many unique people in art colleges, so it wasn’t that there weren’t any first-year students who acted this way. Rather, it was safe to say that it was common. In particular, Han Ye-won’s students often disappeared suddenly, saying they wanted to do their own thing.

‘Was Seo Jiwon also that kind of person?’

Unless Professor Lee Jong tells me, I won’t know.

“I asked the professor, and he said it was okay to work here together.”

“I like this place,” Seol-noona muttered in a satisfied voice. “I was a little uncomfortable in the school’s studio because I was afraid someone would spy on me while I was working. Right, oppa?”

“Sometimes, there are kids who have bad hands.”

“Honestly, even if it’s not like that, I like this studio itself.”

“Yeah. No one in my class has a studio as good as this one.”

I forgot just how special this place was because I got so used to it, but I guess this place is a good one.

When I unpacked my bags and started working in earnestness, I told Ji-hoon, “First of all, We’re going to make an interior model in a large frame. You’ve made it a lot before, right?”

“I’m the one majoring in architecture,” Ji-Hoon replied with a confident voice. “What do we do all year round in our department? We make interior models. I mean, I’ve done it countless times.”

Confidence flashed across his face.

He’s only been dragged around until now, even though he’s the oldest among us. But he seems happy to finally have a chance to play.

“Jaeha can make the design, I can make the model, and Hanseol can make some detailed props.”

“It’s similar to the previous project we did together.”

“Then what about me?” Kyutae intervened.

“You make clothes.”

“Okay.”

There, we were done with a rough division of our roles.

While everyone was busily moving around, I, the actual leader, just sat around quietly because I had already finished the necessary blueprints and sketches yesterday.

But that didn’t mean I was resting. I was busy with other concerns.

‘I need a design good enough to surprise Chairman Oh Kyung-jin.’

It’s not enough for it to just be ‘okay’.

The success of this franchise’s brand, Gallery Cafe, depends on its presentation to the public. In order to save it clearly, such things were needed.

‘You asked me to do what I did with Heaven’s Door, but I have to give you more than that.’

Didn’t I say it would be worth 10 million won?

It’s necessary for us to clearly show Chairman Oh Kyung-jin just what kind of brand the franchise aims for, and how much we can develop it. Even if it’s difficult, this work is my entry point as a designer.

‘Should I go with a familiar piece of wood? But won’t the wood carving stand out too much?’

Wooden carvings aren’t bad either. However, the plainness of matching everything has become poisonous here.

Because nothing stands out.

‘We need something that is fairly challenging and still acceptable to the public.’

The answer did not come easily. But I wasn’t in a hurry.

To go far, you have to start slowly but steadily.

In the meantime, I refined the blueprints, made prototypes, assisted other team members with their work, and thought slowly.

It was a few days later when everyone was busy.

Rattle.

Suddenly, the door to the studio opened.

‘Who is it? The professor?’

When I turned my head, there was a person who I had never seen before standing in front of the door.

A woman with long hair.

From her outward appearance, she was probably a student in her early 20s.

She asked us.

“Huh? Who are you?”

…That’s what we were going to ask.

Somehow, something seemed to overlap.

*

“I wondered why there were so many people,” A woman who suddenly came to the studio muttered in a bright voice. “You came to work with your friends.”

Kim Yeonwoo.

She was a student who had used Professor Lee Jong’s studio in the past, and was a senior who had already graduated from Han Yewon.

At first, she was surprised to see us, but as soon as I explained the situation, she relaxed.

“Are you here to see the professor?”

“Yes. I’ve been having some problems with my work lately, so I was going to discuss it with him.”

“Oh…. no wonder. I was surprised.”

“Me too. I’ve never seen such a crowded place.”

Yeon-woo was very friendly.

Even though she just met us for the first time, when she learned that we were juniors, she began to unravel various anecdotes as if we had known each other for a long time.

“Listen. When I was in 3rd grade, the professors started buying me food. Don’t ever follow in my footsteps.”

“Why?”

“They were all trying to take me to graduate school. If you open your heart to get a free meal, your life begins to get twisted from there.”

As the story ripened and went in an unexpected direction, I asked.

“Then did you become an art student instead of getting a job?”

“Well, that’s right.”

She pressed on her chest with a proud look.

“After graduating, I’ve only ever been crazy about preparing for work.”

I could feel the pride, unique to an artist, in Yeon-woo’s expression. At the same time, a possibility popped into my mind.

‘Yeonwoo graduated from the professor’s studio. Then wouldn’t it be safe to say that her success has already been guaranteed?’

I had been thinking for a long time about what decorations to put up in the cafe. If Yeonwoo’s work is okay, wouldn’t it be nice to include it in our work just once?

“Then you must have done a lot of exhibitions,” I said with hope.

“That….”

That was the moment her confident shoulders sunk down like a punctured balloon.

“Korea’s exhibition culture hasn’t developed that much.….”

“….”

Even if I didn’t listen carefully, I could still roughly understand her.

‘It didn’t work out.’

It’s good to go exhibiting works ambitiously, but it didn’t go as she expected. Still, she didn’t give up.

‘As long as the work’s good, it’s okay.’

I asked again.

“Can you show us what kind of project you’re working on?”

“There’s nothing I can’t show you. Wait a moment. I originally brought this with me to show the professor.”

Yeonwoo rummaged through her bag and pulled out a box.

Pop!

As soon as she opened the lid, something light flowed down from it.

A picture attached under an elongated stick, like a scroll.

By the way, the texture of the painting was a little unique. It wasn’t just a picture drawn on paper.

“…Huh?”

It was familiar to me.

‘This is textile art.’

Yes.

It was art made by meticulously weaving yarn-shaped fibers. Some artists made paintings with this, while others made three-dimensional models. What Yeonwoo made was something in between the two.

‘The feeling is slightly different depending on the point of view.’

It was a piece of art that looked like water droplets flowing over silk, but if you looked closely, it had a detailed three-dimensional effect.

“What do you think? Isn’t it pretty?”

Next to me, Yeonwoo asked with a triumphant expression. She seemed to have great confidence in her work. In fact, it was a degree of perfection that was worthy of confidence.

‘Great. As expected, she’s from the professor’s studio.’

How many people can show this much skill in the field of textile art?

Maybe she’s the best. If not…never mind. Rather, I felt as if I had seen the style of this work somewhere before.

Come to think of it, her name is……”Wait.”

It suddenly came to mind.

My eyes opened wide.

‘Is Kim Yeon-woo that Kim Yeon-woo?’

Kim Yeon-woo. A textile artist who has several individual exhibitions in the Modern and Future Arts Center. 

Because the name was subtly gender-neutral, I never imagined she would be a woman. I didn’t recognize her at first, but I realized it when I saw her work.

‘She was famous for her art that expresses all kinds of textures with textiles. I went to the exhibition with everyone in the company, but I forgot about this.’

Currently, Kim Yeon-woo is sitting next to me.

“I think it’s great, but why isn’t it selling? Is it because it only looks good in my eyes? I’ll try this for another year and I’ll go find a job if I can’t.” She said with a smile.

Words that were said as a joke.

However, I could hear a lament hidden beneath it. I’ve heard it often among artists that don’t sell.

At first glance, she looks optimistic, but in reality, she has a negative personality.

‘Maybe your self-esteem has dropped a lot.’

The more attached an artist grows to their work, the easier it is to fall into this state. This is because they feel a separation between their pride of the artwork and the evaluation of the world.

However, Hanseol asked in a voice of disbelief.

“Unnie, your work is so nice. Why can’t you display it?”

“That’s just how it happens,” Yeon-woo sighed and said. “I worked really hard on it, too. But in larger exhibition halls, they said they won’t accept it because it’s too experimental from a rookie. Does it make sense?”

“No. If you’re a rookie, you should only do normal things.” 

“That’s right. That’s what I want to say. They say you can build your career, but where do rookies build their careers?”

“What about a small exhibition then? There are many empty places because there are no exhibitors.”

“That’s not it either.” Yeon-woo shook her head and said, “It’s not that there’s no one exhibiting in a small place, it’s just that there’s no one coming to see it. It costs nearly 100,000 won a day to rent, and even if you spend that much money, only 10 people a day come.”

“Ah….”

“To sit alone in such an empty exhibition hall, everything in the world feels meaningless. I think the rental fee is more expensive than my ransom.” She joked and laughed, but the reality was a tragic one.

An artist is a profession in which those who are lucky enough to persevere and see the light achieve great success. It wasn’t enough with skills alone.

“But what if you gather your acquaintances and fill it up? Then when you come to your senses, you’ll be like the professors who force their students to work.”

“Ew….”

Hanseol hugged herself tightly as if she was getting goosebumps.

“I want to go out to exhibit later, too.….”

As she also aimed to become an artist after graduation, she seemed to be secretly anxious about the chances of failure right in front of her eyes.

Of course, in the future, she will sell one of her works for 100 million won immediately after graduation. In addition, Yeon-woo is planning to enter the Seoul Arts Center someday.

‘Come to think of it, Jihoon is going to become rich, too.’

Everyone around me had a good future ahead of them.

But Park Kyu-tae…what will he become when he grows up?

Kyutae trembled as I glanced at him.

“….Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”

“Dust on your hair.”

“Huh?”

After a while, Hanseol said with a sigh.

“Ha. It’s not easy to make a living out of art.”

“The most difficult thing is to make a living doing what you want to do. I don’t even know how to begin selling my works.” Yeon-woo sighed with a sullen look.

But she didn’t seem to know yet. 

That somewhere in the world, there is already someone who has already seen her worth.

That too, was right in front of her.

“Senior.”

It was me.

“Would you like to work with us?”

“Work?” Yeon-woo asked back as if she was puzzled.

*

Upon hearing the detailed business description, she muttered in a tired voice.

“So, you’re preparing for a franchise? Where does the money come from?”

“I’m going to get an investment from outside.”

In response to my answer, she opened her eyes wide and said, “The undergraduate student received an investment?”

“You know, originally, it’s said that business is supposed to be done with other people’s money.”

“….Wow,” She muttered with a despondent look. “…When I was a freshman, I only drank alcohol, but this is how children live these days. This is why people like me are naturally eliminated.”

“No, sister,” Seol-noona said, shaking her head, “he’s just weird.”

“That’s right. Only Jaeha does things like this.”

“Everyone in my department treats him like a crazy person.”

Ji-hoon and Kyu-tae also added a word each.

When I glared at them slightly, only Kyutae flinched. Anyway, I asked Yeon-woo with an awkward look.

“You don’t have to feel pressured just because it’s an exhibition of your works. You can just think of it as hanging your work on the wall of a cafe.”

It’s textile art in the form of a scroll.

It’s perfect.

It doesn’t fill up space, and it feels like a work of art.

It even goes well with the surrounding interior.

‘Is there another decoration this big to put in a cafe?’

However, Yeon-woo was hesitant to make a decision on my proposal immediately.

“Um… the situation is a little different now.”

“What’s the matter?”

When I tilted my head at the sudden remark, she said, “It’s a little embarrassing to say this at this age, but won’t the cafe exhibition cost me a lot?”

Ah.

I didn’t know what you meant at first.

I shook my hands and said, “Hey, we don’t take money.”

“….What?

Yeon-woo asked back as if she heard it wrong, but I smiled and said, “I’ll give you money.”