Van Gogh Reborn! Chapter 123

“Jokes apart, will you be okay if I write what you said?”

Lee Inho asked as he turned his pen.

As Jang Mirae said, associations, critics, and some artists were forming great power.

If they influence the media, then, it wouldn't be good for Jang Mirae if what she said got published.

Jang Mirae smiled.

“I'm fine.”

The young artist, who was only 31 years old, and looked less than 160 cm. tall said in a firm tone.

“You have to fight even if it's hard.”

Lee Inho swallowed his saliva and saw Jang Mirae.

“There are still many people who can't eat a meal because of their livelihood. Some of my acquaintances starved to death. Can you believe that there were people who starved to death in 2028? You might think, 'Wouldn't it be okay to work part-time?' But you know what, it's not easy for someone who's only been doing art all his life to get a normal job,”

Lee Inho nodded.

“Still, it might be possible to get one or two part-time jobs when you are in your 20s. But once you reach your 30s, it's not easy to find a part-time job. In the end, you have to work in jobs that involve manual labor, which will naturally break your body, and eventually, you have to give up on being an artist.”

Lee Inho nodded.

“We have to fight because the opportunities like the funds and national concessions that the country has set up for such artists go to people who don't even need them.”

Jang Mirae's voice was not shaken at all.

“In the past, I was deprived of the opportunity and I was so angry that I couldn't do anything about it.”

Lee Inho raised his eyebrows.

” But now I'm in a position where I have to take a stand, a stand for my fellow artist friends and the students who I teach.”

Jang Mirae, who grinned after finishing her speech, looked bigger in the eyes of Lee Inho.

     

“Oh, my God.”

Bang Tae, who visited Ko Sooyeol's house to receive concept art, opened his mouth wide.

There were two works prepared by Ko Hun, each with the titles [Trap] and [Bullet].

Bang Tae was speechless in front of  [Bullet].

The characters' feelings on the surface of the golden bullet that was rushing forward got conveyed.

Ray's determination, Lupin's confusion, Isidore's astonishment, and Herlock's despair were revealed.

It wasn't the concept art he knew.

[Bullet] had an aura of an artist's soul.

What was even more surprising was, Ko Hun's style of painting had changed once again.

Last year's [Sunflower] created a unique atmosphere that incorporated the traditional Korean painting style, while [Frost Wheat Field] had a rich post-impressionism feel. [Mask] looked new by adding action, but the basis of Ko-Hun's work of oil painting that emphasized texture and color remained.

But now, it feels similar to Ko Sooyeol's work.

It was a method of giving a new meaning by adding distortion to the realistic expression.

Bang Tae wondered how Ko Hun came up with this idea.

From [Frost Wheat Field] to [Mask] to [Bullet] Ko Hun surprised him with every work.

Bang Tae was sure.

According to a contract with Nolan Productions, the art world will be turned upside down once again when the concept art exhibition of 'The Strange Castle' will be held in line with the film screening.

“You did it again,”

Bang Tae congratulated with joy.

“You must have had a hard time this time, too. This is truly great. You didn't stay up all night, did you?”

“No.”

Bang Tae turned his head curiously.

Even after drawing such a work, the figure of Ko Hun, felt emotionally down, with his shoulders drooping.

“What's wrong Hun? Do you have any worries?”

Ko Hun shook his head.

“Please. Please send it, Uncle Bang.”

“Oh, yeah. Don't worry,”

Ko Hun sat down in front of the canvas with a small sigh.

The canvas was filled with sunflowers that Ko Hun liked to draw.

Bang Tae, who was worried about the boy, sat down.

“Hun.”

“Yes,” replied Ko Hun while holding a brush.

“There are times when you think about a problem alone, you might not be able to find a solution, but the same problem can be solved unexpectedly if you speak to someone.”

“That doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about it. I just wanted to tell you that I'd like to help you anytime.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Yeah, you can tell your Grandpa if it's not me. He loves you the most.”

Ko Hun closed his eyes.

Bang Tae didn't know what Ko Hun was worried about, but he knew well that the child was more thoughtful than anyone else.

Bang Tae decided to leave as he thought Ko Hun needed some space.

“Uncle,”

Ko Hun called him when he just woke up.

“Yes, Hun.” replied Bang Tae gladly.

The calling voice seemed to be trying to confide in his worries.

If Ko Hun believed in him, Bang Tae was ready to roll up his sleeves and go to any extent to solve Hun's problem.

'Is it a concern about work? Or is it related to his career path? Or is it because of school grades or friendship?'

Bang Tae guessed about the worries that the boy might have and waited for Ko Hun to open his mouth.

“Uncle, what should I do to buy land?”

“…huh?”

It wasn't all the trouble Bang Tae expected.

Bang Tae was briefly confused by the unexpected question.

“Land?”

“Yes. I hope it's a place not far from grandpa's house and it would be nice if it had mountains or fields, and it's better to be near a city or a river.”

Bang Tae sat down.

“I wish there was a small field, too. I can grow sunflowers.”

Ko Hun sighed long.

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Bang Tae, who didn't expect an 11-year-old boy to worry about buying land, could notice that Hun was not joking.

“If you look it up, you can find it. Buying can't be a problem.”

Ko Hun's personal assets would be difficult, but it couldn't be a problem if a corporation with more than 10 billion won in cash purchasing it.

But Bang Tae couldn't understand the sudden necessity to buy land.

“You can grow sunflowers in your grandpa's garden if you want,”

Ko Hun began spreading paint on the palette with a knife.

“Because I won't be able to live at grandpa's house forever.”

Bang Tae narrowed his eyebrows.

At first, Bang Tae thought that Ko Hun saying “my house” and “grandpa's house” was the influence of growing up in a foreign country.

But hearing what Hun said, he could see that the situation was more serious than he thought.

It felt like Ko Hun didn't seem to think of Ko Sooyeol as a family completely yet.

“What do you mean? Why can't you live together?”

Ko Hun couldn't answer Bang's question honestly.

“If I get older, I have to be independent. Everyone says that.”

That's true.

For some reason, Bang Tae couldn't open his mouth, thinking about whether Ko Hun is being mature or immature.

“Okay, I'll look into it.”

“Yes, thank you, Uncle Bang.”

     

I saw off Uncle Bang.

After grandpa noticed something strange, I didn't come out of the studio under the pretext of painting.

I forced myself to work because I thought he'd ask me something if we were together.

It's time for him to come home soon.

When I was trying to get back to the studio quickly, I saw the trash lying on the living room table.

Grandpa is either too busy to even think about cleaning up, or he doesn't even care about it.

“……”

I checked the clock, there is still about half an hour left for grandpa to come from work.

I brought a trash can and organized the living room table.

I thought it would be the same in other places, so I went to the kitchen and there were a lot of dishes to wash.

I got on a chair, roughly rinsed off the food from the bowl with water, and poured the hot water into the sink.

I squeezed out the detergent into it and then entered grandpa's study while letting the hardened food in the dishes loosen in the immersed water.

As expected, it's a mess.

I think he's still eating because we're eating together, and this makes me frustrated.

There was nothing to throw away in particular, and I started to pick up a mess of books and documents with the intention of organizing them.

A phrase caught my eye as I tried to close a large notebook.

Hun likes SpongeBob. 

I've never seen this handwriting before.

He loves it so much that when he's crying if I play a video of SpongeBob, he looks at the monitor without even blinking.

This is.

I looked back and forth in a hurry.

It's probably a diary written by Ko Hae, grandpa's daughter, and Ko Hun's mother

It was written while raising Ko Hun, and it seems that he liked the yellow sponge that lives under the sea.

“……”

By any chance, did grandpa show me SpongeBob when I woke up in the hospital room because of this?

I think he bought me a bag, pencil case, umbrella, raincoat, and T-shirt with SpongeBob on it for this reason.

Grandpa deserves to be suspicious.

I passed a few more pages.

Maybe because of school, Hun doesn't eat pizza or chicken. 

I feel sorry for him even though I wonder if it's good because he said kimchi and vegetables are better. 

Post-it is attached to the record of Ko Hun's mother, Ko Hae.

This is what grandpa added.

If I had seen this earlier, I wouldn't have fed him pizza. 

It breaks my heart to think that he has been enjoying what he doesn't like because I bought it for him. 

The ink is as clear as it was recently written.

Come to think of it, grandpa has never ordered potato pizza that much since our return.

I thought he missed Korean food because we've been abroad for a long time.

I think he read this record after returning home.

“…… “

“Little Hun, I'm back.”

I was surprised by grandpa's voice and put down the notebook.

I was in a hurry to leave the room, but grandpa was standing in front of me.

“Huh?”

I looked up at grandpa's surprised face and couldn't say anything.

I just wanted to run away.

Thinking that this person is suspecting me that I'm not his grandson, made me feel angry at myself for deceiving this person for my own greed.

Above all, it breaks my heart when I think that the happy time I spent with grandpa for the past year can't continue.

I was afraid that the happiest year of my life would be regarded as something that I gained by deceiving grandpa.

I was so afraid that I couldn't lift my face.

“Hun, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?”

Grandpa's tough hands gently wrapped around my cheeks.

“No,”

I replied while twisting my body to avoid his touch.

“What's wrong, Hun?”

When I tried to run away to the studio. Grandpa held my hands and wouldn't let go.

Chapter end