Chapter 08
Outdoor Sketching (2)
Time flowed naturally and smoothly. In the blink of an eye, a week slipped by, and the day of the outdoor sketching trip arrived.
“The outdoor sketching trip will run for three days and two nights starting today. Group leaders, make sure to thoroughly check attendance until you reach your destination. Listen closely to the teachers and parents supervising you, and have a safe trip.” “Yes, sir!”
Monday morning. All 138 students from the Art Department gathered at the underground plaza of the Art Building. Choi Hyung-wook, the head teacher for first-year practical studies, gave the students various precautions.
“The artwork you create during this trip will be evaluated the day after we return. So don’t even think about slacking off, and make sure to bring back plenty of great drawings.” “Yes, sir!” “Also, even though this is an outdoor activity, wherever you go, never forget that you are students of Sehyun Arts High School. Do not engage in anything that strays from your conduct as students. Keep that in mind!” “Teacher, we’re going to be late!” “Us too!”
As his nagging continued, the students squirmed and pointed at their watches. Choi Hyung-wook cleared his throat with a cough and nodded.
“Alright. Then Group 1, depart!”
The 138 students of the Art Department were divided into 3 classes, and each class was split into 4 groups. In other words, a total of 12 groups scattered in different directions depending on their designated destinations. Groups 5, 7, and 11—which included Soo-hyun, Cha Yoon-hee, and Park Sun-hwa—had chosen Busan as their location. Over on the far side of the school grounds, a 45-seater bus waiting to take them came into view.
“Ahhh! I love this so much!”
Park Sun-hwa let out a strange laugh as she ran over and hooked her arm through Soo-hyun’s right side.
“Soo-hyun! Let’s sit together!”
Not to be outdone, Cha Yoon-hee clung to his left side, interlocking her arm with his.
“Han Soo-hyun, ride with me this time.” “Don’t be ridiculous. Soo-hyun’s sitting with me!” “……Let’s just all sit in the back row together.” “Hmph. I get motion sickness in the back.” “Then why don’t you opt out?” “Forget it. Why don’t you opt out?”
Watching Park Sun-hwa and Cha Yoon-hee continue their bickering, Soo-hyun let out a soft chuckle and boarded the bus. Three days and two nights. Thinking about the two of them squabbling the whole time made him feel like his energy was draining already, but the start of a trip was exciting nonetheless.
“We brought everything, right? Didn’t leave anything behind?” “Can we head out now?” “Oh, wait! Hold on! I left my paper behind!” “Gah! I forgot my easel!”
Boarding the bus didn’t mean they were leaving immediately. As they checked their luggage, a few kids turned pale and dashed back into the Art Building and classrooms, frantically gathering their belongings before rushing back out in a frenzy. It was understandable. He could completely relate. Since it was a three-day, two-night trip, they had to pack clothes, toiletries, and their personal bags, alongside a separate set of art supplies. With so much luggage, it was easy to forget a few small items. Soo-hyun nodded, quietly watching the kids run around outside.
“Ta-da! Han Soo-hyun, take this.”
Park Sun-hwa, who was rummaging through her bag in the seat next to him, suddenly held out a bundle.
“What’s this?” “Snacks.” “Huh?” “The whole point of traveling is eating stuff in the car. I packed yours while making mine.”
Park Sun-hwa beamed with a proud expression.
“Oh, I’ll enjoy them. Thanks.” “If you’re thankful, give me just one of your drawings from this trip. Deal?” “Ugh, what a nuisance. Seriously. Asking for a drawing again?”
Seeing Sun-hwa clinging to him, Cha Yoon-hee clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“What are you on about? I wasn’t talking to you!” “Even if you were, he wouldn’t give you one!” “I said I didn’t ask you!” “Yeah, and I’m saying he won’t give it to you!” “Ah, please. Please stop, both of you.”
Sitting between them and listening to Cha Yoon-hee and Park Sun-hwa’s childish argument made his ears feel like they were going to bleed. Soo-hyun furrowed his brows into the shape of the character 八 (eight) and stopped them.
“It’s going to take five hours to get there—are you going to fight from the start? We’ll be completely exhausted before we even arrive.” “Oh. Sorry.” “Alright. I’ll hold back.”
Sun-hwa zipped her bag back up with a gloomy expression, while Yoon-hee pouted with her lips sticking out. I’d be so much more comfortable if these two got along a bit better. Soo-hyun shook his head lightly and turned his gaze out the window.
Vroom— Finally, the 45-seater bus started its engine. It made a wide turn around the grounds with a heavy hum and began speeding past the school gates.
“Let’s guess how many buses show up before the next tunnel!” “Let’s play word chain!” “Who wants to play 007 Bang?”
Groups 5, 7, and 11, bound for Busan, had 12 members each, making a total of 36 students. A trip with like-minded friends had the kids laughing, chatting, and buzzing with excitement. The bus, noisy with music and games, finally quieted down after about two hours.
Zzz— Snore—
Whether they were out of battery or motion-sick, one by one they melted off into sleep, leaving only the sounds of snoring and soft breathing throughout the bus. Click. Soo-hyun pulled a CDP out of his bag, plugged in his earphones, and pressed the play button. In an instant, the scenery outside the window felt delightfully drowsy. Nice. Even as he grew older in his past life, there were times he would look up music from this era. The music of the 90s was comfortable, familiar, and brought back nostalgic memories that gave him a bittersweet pang in his chest. In any case, watching the music he loved back then get released in real-time and gain popularity was quite enjoyable. Music was great, but money was pretty great too. Soo-hyun looked down at his newly bought CDP. 2 million won. Last Monday, 2 million won was deposited into his account. It was the first sponsorship check under the name of Ilseon Gallery.
“Use the card for any materials needed for your work, and use the cash for living expenses or necessary incidentals.”
Director Kang Yoo-jin certainly had a generous hand. She mentioned that the same amount would be deposited at the end of every month. This was a time when a bowl of jjajangmyeon cost 2,000 won and a typical bag of snacks was around 300 won. 2 million won was enough to cover tuition at a private university with money to spare. If saved as is, it could buy a 30-ping apartment in the metropolitan area within two years. Even 200,000 won a month would have been considered a huge sum. Thinking it was overly generous, he told her the amount was too much, but Kang Yoo-jin simply burst out laughing and told him to hang onto it. She added sweet words that it was an appropriate investment, and if results showed, the scale would grow even larger. Well, the lack of money was the problem; why worry about spending it? He did have things he needed right away. Soo-hyun first bought a good CDP. Music was important when drawing. There was no tool more effective for holding onto a fleeting sentiment for a long time. Next, he paid his expenses for the outdoor sketching trip and bought new clothes, a bag, and shoes for the journey. Even so, 1,700,000 won remained.
‘Let’s save the rest without spending it.’
Soo-hyun nodded. Ilseon Gallery’s decision to sponsor him was a sudden stroke of luck. Which meant it could vanish just as suddenly one day. He didn’t know what potential Kang Yoo-jin had seen in him, but he felt the need to be prepared in case the sponsorship was canceled. Following this train of thought, Soo-hyun unknowingly drifted off into a sleep.
“Han Soo-hyun! Han Soo-hyun, aren’t you getting off?” “Wake up, Han Soo-hyun! We’re in Busan! Kki-rook kki-rook! Look, you can see the Busan seagulls over there!” “……Huh?”
Cha Yoon-hee and Park Sun-hwa woke him from his light slumber.
“Wow, you slept straight through without even stopping at the rest stop. Didn’t you sleep last night?” “What? We’re already here?”
The scenery outside the bus window had changed. He could see the refreshing ocean.
“Yeah, we’re here. The view is amazing. The weather’s great, too. Let’s get down quickly. The place right ahead is our lodging.”
Waking up at their words, Soo-hyun gathered his bag. It was a dazzling summer day.
“Four people to a room. The guys’ rooms are on the 3rd floor, and the girls’ rooms are on the 2nd.”
They arrived at the lodging at 2:00 PM. After checking in under the guidance of the supervising teacher and unpacking their luggage, the kids scattered to suitable spots near Haeundae around 4:00 PM and began drawing. Before long, onlookers started gathering around them.
“They look like students, don’t they?” “Yeah. They look young, but they draw remarkably well.”
There was no way the kids couldn’t hear the murmurs of praise from the crowd gathering around, but they maintained their straight postures and remained engrossed in drawing. Seeing them like that was somehow endearing, bringing a faint smile to Soo-hyun’s face.
“What should I draw?”
Soo-hyun stared out at the distant sea before starting to sketch a few rough drafts. He already knew what the Sehyun Arts High School students were going to produce for this trip and the upcoming art exhibition, and nothing major would deviate from that. The only variable would be his own work. In the past, he hadn’t even been able to participate in the outdoor sketching trip, and for the art exhibition, he had submitted a ordinary topic without much expectation. Above all, the cost of materials had been a burden. Now that those constraints were gone, Soo-hyun intended to draw whatever satisfied his heart. Furthermore, having witnessed the future, Soo-hyun knew full well how to get closer to the Grand Prix.
“Han Soo-hyun! Here you are!”
Just as he was finishing a sketch, Cha Yoon-hee, whose face was flushed red from wandering around, walked over to his spot and peeked at his drawing.
“Wow, you’ve drawn so much already. Is it the sea?” “Yeah. I wanted to capture a few different landscapes depending on the time of day. Right now, I’m just organizing ideas.” “Different landscapes depending on the time?” “Yeah, because even the same subject feels different depending on your perspective—who looks at the sea, and when. Well, I think it’ll become clearer after I draw a few more.”
At Soo-hyun’s calm explanation, Cha Yoon-hee nodded as if she roughly understood.
“Perspective sounds really impressive. So basically, you’re saying you’re going to draw various aspects of the sea?” “Right. Not necessarily just the sea itself, but subjects related to it calmly. What about you?”
At Soo-hyun’s question, Cha Yoon-hee pulled a mournful face.
“Um, I don’t know. I was thinking of doing a bird’s-eye view landscape of the neighborhood, but Park Jun-young already called dibs on that. As for quick sketches of vacationers, a bunch of kids have already rushed to do that. I heard we’re heading toward the city area tomorrow, so I wonder if I should look for something again there.” “Hmm.”
Judging by the context, she seemed to be wandering around after losing out in claiming a topic. ……In that case, maybe he should help her out a bit.
“You don’t necessarily have to draw a picture, do you?” “Huh?” “Whether it’s the outdoor sketch or the art exhibition, you don’t always have to submit a painting on a canvas. How about thinking more broadly, like performance art or sculpture?” “Well…… I don’t think anyone said they were making sculptures, though.”
Although they hadn’t chosen their detailed majors yet, Yoon-hee would choose sculpture as her major subject at the end of her first year. She had scored the highest in sculpture class during the first-year practical courses, and her own interest leaned that way as well. That was why he suggested making a sculpture to leverage her strengths rather than a flat painting.
“Come to think of it, painting isn’t the only form of art, is it?”
Cha Yoon-hee slowly nodded.
“Have you caught a general theme?” “Yeah. It’s the sea, though. Honestly, the reason I insisted on Busan was because I wanted to see the ocean.” “Then try recalling the emotions you felt looking at the ocean one by one. The past is fine, and so is the present. What kind of waves move your heart, or what thoughts come to mind when you look at a seashell—things like that.” “Oh. So develop minor emotions or thoughts to materialize an image? That’s great! Wait a second, did you just say seashell? That sounds really good. You know that thing, right? A conch shell. The kind where you hold it to your ear and hear the sound of waves.”
A smile gradually bloomed on Cha Yoon-hee’s face.
“Right. Let’s go with memories. Memories, recollections. An object that lets you recall something when you hold it to your ear. Something like a conch shell. What if I make something like that?” “Did you catch onto something? Your expression’s brightening up.” “Yeah, I think something really good is going to come out of this. Wow! Thanks, Soo-hyun. Thanks to you, I worked it out. It’s really thanks to you!”
Yoon-hee hugged Soo-hyun tightly and shouted. And in that instant, Soo-hyun’s eyes gleamed with an unusual light.
“Wait a second, Yoon-hee. Step back for a bit.”
Shoving Yoon-hee aside, Soo-hyun fixed his gaze on the distant sea.
“Huh?” “Let’s talk more later. I think I need to go somewhere.”
That’s it right there. Thump, thump. Soo-hyun’s heart beat wildly. The subject he had been worrying over trying to capture had appeared before his eyes like destiny.
