Chapter 10

‘Me again?’

I was puzzled, and I could feel a strange playfulness from Professor Kang Noah’s smile in the distance.

I instinctively realized.

‘Oh, that’s it.’

Professor Kang Noah chose me.

She chose me to be her class assistant, just like how a manager at a corporate meeting puts a good-natured employee next to him.

It seems that it was because I could communicate better than the other students.

I was basically human lubricant, so to speak.

[ TL/N – If you don’t get it, him being called a human lubricant means that he’s being used to make the class run more smoothly. ]

However, I had no intention of throwing this opportunity away as I would be given a score.

‘Lee Jae-ha, it’s time for you to show off your skill in speaking after years of corporate life.’

A man who affirms himself as a lubricant.

That was me, too.

Druuuck.

I got up from my seat and said, “I’d like to ask a question to the person who painted it with watercolors.”

“Yes, I’m Kim Dae-won.”

Kim Dae-won, a student with a strong physique, accepted my words.

He submitted Van Gogh’s work in watercolors.

I greeted him briefly and asked, “Before my criticism, can we hear why you’ve copied Van Gogh’s paintings in watercolor, and not oil paint?”

“Yes.”

He opened his mouth with a confident look.

“Van Gogh lived in extreme depression in his later years, so he was obsessed with depicting his state of mind through painting.”

That was the theory.

It was a commonly known one, too.

“But here’s what I thought. Was Van Gogh really depressed? Perhaps there was a positive side to him, too. I thought the yellow color in his works was a sign of positivity.”

“Hmm.”

“You asked me earlier why I chose to use watercolor over oil paints. The color yellow in watercolor is much more transparent and brighter than the yellow in oil paint. I chose a watercolor painting with the idea of reflecting Van Gogh’s true inner self.”

It was a plausible interpretation, depending on how you put it.

The admiration of the other students could be heard from all around the room.

“It’s meticulous.”

“Did you really think that far?”

“You’re completely different from the rest.”

Okay.

At these student’s current levels, it might’ve been impressive.

However, I saw the truth.

‘You’re an alcoholic.’

There were numerous loopholes in only a few words.

‘Where should I start targeting?’

I thought about it for a while before opening my mouth.

“Dae-won’s words are evidence that the yellow color in the work also showed the positive feelings that existed in Van Gogh. That is what you were talking about, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’d like to ask.”

I asked in an emotionless voice.

“Did you know that Van Gogh was an extreme Absinthe addict?”

“What?”

Kim Dae-won flinched.

I pushed on without missing a beat.

“Van Gogh is famous for living drunk on Absinthe in his later years. Absinthe is a strong alcoholic beverage that is close to 70 degrees Celsius and contains a lot of toxic ingredients, one of them being Santonin. And, Santonin can cause eczema. Yes, it’s a disease that makes the whole world look yellow.”

Kim Dae-won hesitated before saying, “…… I didn’t know that.”

That was his first mistake.

He should have known.

When it comes to Van Gogh, it’s Absinthe, and when it comes to Absinthe, it’s ecstasy.

You don’t even know the basics.

It was evidence that Kim Dae-won had neglected to investigate the data.

‘I’m sure you thought that Van Gogh was the easiest one to go for.’

It might have been an effective choice if it was intended to be a moment’s task. However, this insincerity worked well for me.

Just like a hound with prey in its jaws, I planned to dig into this weakness.

“You’ll see the world as a distraction because of alcohol, so can you really interpret the yellow color in the painting as a positive emotion?”

“I……th-that… Maybe it was inspired by alcohol…. Yes, it may have been intentional.”

He was trying to hide the loophole, but I emphasized it once again.

“Van Gogh was so depressed to the point where he cut off one ear and gave it to a prostitute while he was still alive. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to say that he was drunk to forget such sorrow?”

“I think this is an acceptable reinterpretation! That’s what I think.”

At this moment, I felt it instinctively.

The fact that Kim Dae-won’s words are completely divided.

‘Now, if I push just a little more, I’ll win.’

I continued firmly.

“I think reinterpretation is only a reinterpretation when the viewer can understand it naturally. In my eyes, this painting is just an imitation of the original work.”

“What?”

“I mean, I couldn’t feel anything else from this painting that could be called a reinterpretation.”

“W-wait a minute. That seems a little too far-fetched.”

Kim Dae-won frowned as if his feelings were hurt and said, “Different people have different interpretations, don’t they? I hope you will respect my interpretation.”

“So, Dae-won, are you saying that you’ve put a deep reinterpretation into your work?”

“Yes.”

“How did you put it in?”

“That’s ·····.”

Kim Dae-won stepped back for a moment and avoided my eyes slightly before saying, “······· The color scheme is the evidence. To match the impressionism, I added colors that emphasized the light as much as possible.”

“You’re saying that this painting method is a reinterpretation in itself.”

“Yes.”

Good.

He took the bait.

Clumsy excuses only made bigger problems.

“Then I’d like to ask you one question.”

“What?”

“By any chance…”

One more word, and it’s over.

“Dae-won, didn’t you go to the Morning Of Glory Art Academy in front of Hongdae?” I said with the intention of issuing a death sentence.

That was the moment.

“Ho-how did you know that?”

Kim Dae-won trembled.

Unintentionally, his origin was discovered.

‘Somehow, I knew it—and I was right.’

This was not a recitation of information from my past life. In fact, it was actually information that I took from reasoning.

I opened my mouth as I admired the development of the scene that was going as I thought it would.

“I found that out from the watercolor techniques that Dae-won used. It’s the method of coloring for entrance exams taught at that academy.”

“····· Ah!”

“Isn’t it too much of an entrance exam-styled painting to think that a reinterpretation was added to the colors?”

“That’s….”

He turned around in surprise, and looked at his painting for a while.

“That’s right….”, He mumbled with a stunned look.

Yes. Even in his own eyes, it was the same technique taught in the Morning of Glory.

He didn’t realize it at first because he didn’t pay much attention when he was drawing, but I guess he became self-conscious after being criticized.

‘From the color scheme that emphasizes the primary color, to the technique of boldening the light and texture with white paint after  painting everything. It’s all a hallmark of Morning Glory students.’

When I worked as an instructor at an academy, many of my students  came from other schools. Among them, several came from the Morning of Glory, and this was the technique that those students used and had in common.

‘It’s clear and shiny at first glance, so it stands out if you place it between other paintings. Besides, it’s very efficient because it can be drawn relatively quickly. However, the limits are all too clear. You can’t find the artist’s personality at all, so it was a style that should’ve been used and thrown away right after the entrance exam.’

But since Kim Dae-won is a freshman, he seems to have not given up on his entrance exam style yet.

Maybe no one had pointed it out to him. After all, there’s nothing to gain by pointing out errors in another person’s paintings.

It’s also a tall order to throw away a style that you’ve practiced for years in just a few weeks.

“······.”

Kim Dae-won’s cheeks were stained with red after he was caught.

He seemed a bit angry, and because of his large size, it was intimidating.

However, I couldn’t stop the criticism here. If I stopped talking now, what I’ve said earlier would be merely considered as an accusation.

That’s why I went on with what I had to say.

“For these reasons, I think that Dae-won did not reinterpret the work, but simply copied it in his own style. If I misjudged it, please correct me.”

“That’s…actually….”

He hesitated for a moment.

Feeling sorry for having nothing to say, He shrugged and said, “Jaeha is right. There is no reinterpretation in my work. I’ll admit it. I’ve been drinking until yesterday, and I’ve been cramming it this morning, so I guess I just did it half-heartedly.

That was it.

It was my perfect victory.

“Wow·····.”

At the same time, admiration flowed among the students.

“Did you see that?”

“That’s awesome.”

It seems that my words were convincing.

However, if there’s anything that’s bothering me, it’s the fact that I may have pushed too hard even though my opponent is only a freshman.

But, it was also the best I could do.

‘Art is war.’

Considering others with complacency, it was nothing more than ignoring them.

Why is critique a critique?

Isn’t it a mock battle to prepare for war?

Compared to the wars that I’ve gone through while working in my previous life, the words that I’ve said just now were equivalent to a kid’s joke.

‘If you’re going to be hit, it’s better to get hit in advance.’

He’ll understand one day.

As I was thinking about that, I heard applause coming from somewhere.

“It was a great critique.”

It was Professor Kang Noah.

She continued with a satisfied smile, “You’ve pointed out both sides of the artwork, internally and externally. That’s amazing. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now, but Jaeha really seems to have great background knowledge. I can’t believe he’s a freshman.”

The beginning was a compliment to me.

Next, she looked at Kim Dae-won and said, “And Kim Dae-won must have been offended by Lee Jae-ha’s sharp criticism. Yes?”

“····· Yes.”

Kim Dae-won nodded softly.

It seemed difficult to deny.

Although it’s the content of the class, it’s true that he’s been humiliated in front of everyone.

“You must not take this for granted.” Kang Noah told Kim Dae-won. “Even this debate was a mild one, because real customers and critics do much more than this, not less.”

Saying that we should think about the future and humbly accept it.

It was cold, but it was the right thing to say.

We would only refrain from criticizing each other in consideration of  personal relationships in school, but customers wouldn’t care about that.

Under the banner of freedom of speech, countless criticisms have been made to the point that even counter arguments were not allowed.

‘If the artist added an additional explanation of what he intended, it would be normal to hear that the artist was bad.’

I had to keep that in mind.

It is the freedom of the artist to make a painting.

This is an undeniable right.

However, as soon as it was put on the market, the interpretation of the work fell to the viewer.

If you go back and make late excuses, it will only make you look bad.

This was the basis of the design industry.

In other words, the moment Kim Dae-won failed to persuade me with his painting and appealed to me to accept it as a reinterpretation, he was already defeated.

“One day, the moment will come when you realize that today’s conversation was a valuable opportunity for you. At an undergraduate level, it’s not easy to accept this harsh of a critique. If it was unfair, you can pay him back in the next class. Lee Jae-ha’s turn just happens to be next week.”

Professor Kang Noah, who finished her speech, smiled and said, “Do you understand?

“····· Yes.”

Kim Dae-won had no choice but to accept it.

Meanwhile, Professor Kang Noah looked at the students again and said, “Some might think that there was no respect in Jaeha’s critiques. However, you don’t have to respect your opponent while critiquing. The important thing is the attitude that you have while criticizing. There’s bound to be as many critics as the population on this planet. That’s my opinion.”

It was like an old-fashioned veteran with thick bones in the field.

“I hope that you, too, will be fully prepared for any criticism in the future. Well then, I’ll continue the class.”

The short speech was over.

She later picked out a few students.

Then, as she did to me, she asked for participation in the critiques.

And surprisingly, the students have changed.

‘Are they truly the ones I used to know?’