Chapter 08
Outdoor Sketch (1)
“Ughhh. It’s Monday.”
The next morning.
Waking up in their dorm room, Park Seon-hwa and Su-hyeon blinked blankly up at the ceiling like zombies.
“I’m so tired.”
“Tell me about it. What time did we get back yesterday?”
“It was almost midnight.”
Park Seon-hwa’s mother had contacted the dormitory in advance, allowing them to enjoy staying out late. That part was great, but coming back late—combined with staying up until the crack of dawn chatting with Seon-hwa—left their bodies feeling heavy as lead in the morning.
“Let’s go. Time to wash up.”
“Ughhhhh.”
Stretching with yawns wide enough to tear their mouths, Seon-hwa and Su-hyeon stretched their arms.
Although Monday was a drag, their minds felt lighter knowing that final exams were officially over.
Tap, tap, tap.
Hurriedly finishing their morning preparations and changing into their school uniforms, Seon-hwa and Su-hyeon ran down the dormitory stairs toward the academic building. Being just a stone’s throw away from the classrooms made Su-hyeon appreciate the perks of dorm life once again.
‘Come to think of it, this is my first time in the academic building.’
Since returning to the summer of ’95, he had spent the past few days strictly in the practical art building.
I was in Class 1-2, right?
Memories of those days began flooding back vividly.
Se his high school—Sehyeon Arts High School—divided each grade into eight classes. Classes 1 through 3 were the Fine Arts department, 4 through 6 were Music, Class 7 was Dance, and Class 8 was Theater and Film.
From periods 1 through 4—or sometimes up to period 6—regular academic classes were held. Afterward, students would cross over to the practical building by department for their practical training.
From the second year, college entrance preparation began in earnest, so academic teachers took over as homeroom teachers. But for the first-year students, to emphasize a freer atmosphere, the practical art teachers served as homerooms.
‘Right, that’s it. That teacher was my first-year homeroom teacher.’
Rattle. Watching Song Min-sik open the classroom door and step inside, Su-hyeon smiled warmly in greeting.
“Did you guys do well on your exams?!”
Entering for morning homeroom, Song Min-sik brought up last week’s exams as his Monday morning greeting, prompting the students to bang on their desks in theatrical rage.
“Auuuggh! I ruined it!”
“I failed, Sir!”
At the kids’ dramatic complaints, Song Min-sik laughed heartily and turned toward the blackboard. And then—.
Outdoor Sketch.
He wrote those five letters in large script across the board.
“Next week, the Fine Arts department has an outdoor sketch class. You all know about it, right?”
“Yeees!”
The kids cheered at the top of their lungs.
“Everyone worked hard taking exams. While the outdoor sketch doubles as a school outing, it’s directly linked to the autumn art exhibition for the second semester, so don’t just think about playing around—prepare thoroughly!”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Alright, gather in your assigned groups to discuss the outdoor sketch location, and submit your plan to the class president by Wednesday. Got it?”
Buzz, buzz.
As the outdoor sketch schedule was announced, the excited students began chattering animatedly.
The outdoor sketch at Sehyeon Arts High School was one of the Fine Arts department’s major events.
Every year during the fall semester, Sehyeon Arts High School held a festival: Fine Arts prepared an art exhibition, Music prepared a concert, while Dance and Theater/Film prepared performances.
And the very first step in preparing for that art exhibition was this outdoor sketch.
‘It was the biggest event in all of freshman year.’
Su-hyeon smiled as he recalled his first art exhibition.
That period where he immersed himself in his work like a real painter, obsessing over a single piece of art for months on end.
When he finally saw his painting hanging at the autumn art exhibition, he had been overcome with an indescribable rush of emotion.
‘Students from other departments and grades pinned flowers to my piece, left notes, or gave gifts. It was a precious experience where I got a foretaste of the world to come—learning that if I truly pursued the path of an artist, I would hold proper exhibitions and interact with audiences like this. Though, of course, there were plenty of regrets too.’
Just as he was reminiscing about the past—
“Hey, Han Su-hyeon. Where is your group going?”
As soon as the homeroom teacher stepped out the classroom door, Park Seon-hwa, as if waiting for that exact moment, burst through the back door with a clatter and trotted over to ask.
Park Seon-hwa was in Class 1-3.
Right next door to Su-hyeon.
Even though they shared a dorm room, their academic and practical classes were separate, so they usually didn’t cross paths much during the day. Emboldened by how close they had gotten over the past few days, she had stormed into Su-hyeon’s classroom.
“Huh? Well, I don’t know yet.”
“My group wants to go to Busan. How about you guys come that way too?”
Just as Park Seon-hwa spoke with crescent-shaped smiling eyes—.
“What’s this, Park Seon-hwa? Why are you bothering our Su-hyeon again?”
Cha Yun-hee, Su-hyeon’s classmate and best friend, chimed in with narrowed eyes.
“Me? How am I bothering him?”
“Hey, I saw everything, okay? You’re always bugging Han Su-hyeon to show you his drawings, obsessing over him even when he says no. Su-hyeon gets really uncomfortable with that kind of stuff!”
“No I don’t! Su-hyeon and I are actually close now!”
“You? You’re close with Han Su-hyeon?”
As Cha Yun-hee opened her eyes wide and shrugged her shoulders, Park Seon-hwa looked at Su-hyeon with a face full of sheer injustice.
Right. High school conversations had this exact kind of childish charm. Ah, do I need to get used to this way of talking again?
Su-hyeon laughed awkwardly and calmed Cha Yun-hee down.
“It’s okay, Yun-hee. Seon-hwa and I had a bit of a misunderstanding, but we cleared it up over the weekend.”
“What? Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”
Cha Yun-hee looked at Su-hyeon with her mouth agape, looking somehow betrayed.
“What the, Han Su-hyeon? You didn’t tell me anything! What did you guys even do over the weekend?”
Slightly pouting, Cha Yun-hee put on a sulky expression when suddenly—
“Woah. Han Su-hyeon is popular today as well. But isn’t Han Su-hyeon’s opinion what actually matters here? From where I’m standing, both of you are being pretty possessive.”
Another voice chimed in out of nowhere.
“Park Jun-young. Get lost.”
Cha Yun-hee grimaced without even turning her gaze toward him—.
“Yeah. Same here.”
Park Seon-hwa shook her head in agreement as well.
Park Jun-young.
Nearly 180 cm tall with a pale complexion, an easygoing appearance, a agreeable personality, a good family background, and respectable grades and drawing skills—he was the resident insider of Sehyeon Arts High School, doted on by both peers and teachers alike.
“Wow. I have way more right to talk to Han Su-hyeon than you two do, though?”
Park Jun-young smirked playfully.
“What? What right?”
“I’m in the same outdoor sketch group as Han Su-hyeon. You two are in different groups.”
“…….”
“…….”
The kids fell silent in an instant.
Ah, was I in the same group as Park Jun-young back then?
Su-hyeon tilted his head.
Honestly, he had almost no memory of his freshman outdoor sketch.
Feeling burdened by the kids planning grand trips under the pretext of an outdoor sketch, Su-hyeon had ultimately used being sick as an excuse to stay behind at school alone.
It was hard to ask his family for money to cover the outdoor sketch expenses, and he had also avoided spending personal time with his peers.
However, this time had to be different.
Just yesterday, Su-hyeon had received a pledge of sponsorship from Director Kang Yu-jin, Park Seon-hwa’s mother.
As dinner came to an end, while Park Seon-hwa had gone to the restroom, Kang Yu-jin had pulled Su-hyeon aside and spoken to him privately.
“Should I contact your parents? Among the sponsorship paperwork, there are a few documents that require a guardian’s signature.”
“Ah……”
He had only hesitated for a moment, but sensing his predicament from that subtle cue, Kang Yu-jin nodded, assuring him there was no rush.
“As I mentioned earlier, since I’ve decided to sponsor you, I intend to support you fully—both materially and morally—so that you can focus entirely on your work.”
Making a gesture that signaled she had no interest in prying into Su-hyeon’s family matters, Kang Yu-jin opened her wallet and pulled out a card.
“……?”
“For now, use this for any expenses needed for your work or classes. Also, do you have a personal bank account? If you do, let me know. I’ll transfer cash there too. If that feels uncomfortable, I can set it up so you can withdraw cash using this card. Here, this is the PIN.”
“Oh, taking this much is……”
When Su-hyeon waved his hands in surprise, Kang Yu-jin shook her head with a smile.
“It’s not pocket money; it’s an investment. And Su-hyeon, from now on, you need to practice accepting things confidently. I am your friend’s mother, yes, but right now, you are facing me as Director Kang Yu-jin of Ilseon Gallery.”
Her eyes had been unwavering.
Muttering his thanks, Su-hyeon had bowed his head once more. Although he had simply enjoyed painting it, he hadn’t anticipated that the artwork created over the weekend would bring him such immense good fortune.
An unprecedented, incredible opportunity.
Su-hyeon resolved to deliver a painting worthy of that trust.
‘I need to throw myself proactively into this upcoming outdoor sketch. Excelling in the outdoor sketch will increase my chances of winning an award at the autumn art exhibition.’
Su-hyeon nodded to himself.
The Sehyeon Arts High School art exhibition had a tradition of bestowing awards on a few select pieces after the event. Third place received a scholarship equivalent to a semester’s tuition, second place won a travel package that included a tour of art museums in Paris, France, and the grand prize—the Prix award—was veiled in mystery.
Because the 2nd and 3rd place prizes were so magnificent, expectations for the Grand Prix naturally skyrocketed. Yet, the Grand Prix was never awarded during the time Su-hyeon attended school, nor for a long time before or after.
‘It was only fifteen years later that the Grand Prix was awarded just once. Only then was the secret special privilege revealed.’
They said the criteria had been lowered due to fierce complaints that it was a Grand Prix in name only. As a result, the benefits were reportedly watered down compared to before, but even those were astonishingly incredible.
So it was an opportunity far too good to miss.
Su-hyeon took a deep breath.
This time, let’s aim for the art exhibition Grand Prix. Last time, things went off track starting from the outdoor sketch, but this time, I can prepare properly.
Su-hyeon set a new goal for himself.
“What are the other kids saying?”
Su-hyeon asked Park Jun-young about the opinions of their other group members. The outdoor sketch was conducted in groups of 11 to 12 students. Su-hyeon’s group had 12. Since the 11 members besides Su-hyeon had likely already discussed locations for the sketch, he was curious about what ideas had been floated.
He intended to just get a general read on the atmosphere and go along with the majority, but Park Jun-young merely shrugged his shoulders.
“All the other kids are looking at you right now.”
“Huh?”
“We’re strangely split: 3 votes for Okinawa, 4 votes for Jeju Island, and 4 votes for Busan. If you pick Okinawa, all options tie at 4, so we’ll decide by rock-paper-scissors. But if you choose Jeju or Busan, it’s decided immediately.”
“Heh, it actually came out like that?”
Su-hyeon’s jaw dropped at the scale, which was far larger than expected. He thought Busan was already far, but Jeju Island and Japan? How were high school kids planning to travel that far on their own?
“Unbelievable. That scale is insane. How would you even get there? By plane? By ferry?”
“Isn’t too much time wasted just traveling back and forth? It’s a 3-day, 2-night trip—Japan is overkill.”
Su-hyeon wasn’t the only one surprised; Park Seon-hwa and Cha Yun-hee also opened their eyes wide, questioning Park Jun-young.
“Ah, someone in our group has access to accommodations in Japan and Jeju Island.”
“Ah. I see. If that’s the case, Busan is great too. In Busan, there’s……”
Park Seon-hwa bit her lip mid-sentence. She was about to say that Ilseon Gallery had artists’ ateliers and lodgings there that they could use, but caught herself. Although she had confided in Su-hyeon, Seon-hwa had no intention of revealing her background to the other kids just yet.
“Busan what? Why did you stop mid-sentence?”
“No, I just mean isn’t it way too tedious taking ferries and planes just for lodging? Going by train or bus is much more convenient.”
Park Seon-hwa smoothed it over, and unexpectedly, Cha Yun-hee backed her up.
“Yeah. Just go to Busan or somewhere around there. Our group was talking about Sokcho and Busan, too. Busan sounds pretty good. It’s a city, plus it has the ocean. Let’s go together.”
“Really?”
“What do you think, Han Su-hyeon? You’re fine with it too, right?”
“Yeah, Han Su-hyeon. Let’s go together. Busan, Busan, Bu-saaan—”
It felt a bit like he was being pushed into it, but Su-hyeon chuckled and nodded.
To be honest, whether it was Jeju Island, Japan, or Busan didn’t matter to him. Anywhere they went would have landscapes worth drawing, and what truly mattered was being able to share this moment with precious friends.
“Alright, then Busan it is!”
“Yeah! Busan!”
“Let’s hurry up and draw up the plan! Ah, how about the Busan team charters a bus together?”
“Oh, great idea.”
“Our group looked into a place for lodging, but should I ask if more reservations are possible?”
“Uh, I’ll ask my group members first. I need to share the news that we’re going to Busan first anyway.”
Park Jun-young nodded and headed back to his desk, just as the bell rang to signal the start of class. Cha Yun-hee and Park Seon-hwa also happily shouted “Busan!” before returning to their seats.
