Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 152: Haesong (8)

Chapter 152 Haesong (8)

Meanwhile, Go Hoon and Cha Si Hyun, who headed to the first exhibition hall named Courage, were admiring the artworks.

“Wow.”

Cha Si Hyun opened his mouth in front of Go Suyeol’s <Sun and Moon>.1)

It was a pair of siblings holding hands.

The brother on the left had spent the night, and the sister next to him was enjoying the day.

They wished to connect the dark night and the bright day with their clasped hands as the center point.2)

“I know this. It’s Sun and Moon, right?”

“Yes.”

Go Hoon nodded and Cha Si Hyun smiled.

He was worried that the artworks exhibited at the Whitney Biennale would be too hard to understand, as they were last time.

He was glad to encounter something he knew a little bit.

It was a story of siblings who escaped from a tiger and grabbed a rope that came down from the sky, becoming the sun and the moon.

“The place where the brother and sister are is the same on the left and right.”

Go Hoon became a daily docent for Cha Si Hyun and explained his grandfather’s <Sun and Moon>.

When Cha Si Hyun looked closely at the painting, he saw that the place where the brother and sister were was indeed the same.

“I’m glad they can meet each other.”

Cha Si Hyun, who had felt sorry for the story of the brother who became the moon and the sister who became the sun, who couldn’t meet each other, felt relieved by the sight of the siblings holding hands tightly.

“But why is this Courage?”

“Well.”

Go Hoon cautiously offered his opinion.

“Grandfather likes to make analogies. Just like the night and the day were not different, but siblings.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I think he wanted to show that the two concepts that look completely different are not different from me. That’s why there’s a gradient in the middle, right?”

Cha Si Hyun tilted his head.

“Where does the night end and the day begin? Can you tell clearly?”

“The left end is night, right? The right end is day.”

“He warns you not to distinguish them so easily. Binary thinking is easy to understand, but it prevents you from understanding deeply.”

“It’s hard.”

“I think the courage is the willingness to overcome the awkwardness and understand the other.”

Cha Si Hyun smiled as he looked at <Sun and Moon>.

“I don’t know. I just think it’s pretty.”

“Grandfather would like to hear that.”

Go Hoon didn’t have the slightest intention of forcing his interpretation on Cha Si Hyun.

He just shared his thoughts because he knew that Cha Si Hyun had his own way of thinking and was not swayed by others’ opinions.

He rather thought that Cha Si Hyun’s attitude of accepting <Sun and Moon> as just pretty was more pure.

The two boys, wearing caps, sunglasses, and scarves, became another exhibit for the visitors as they walked around the first exhibition hall.

“People keep looking at us.”

“It’s okay if they don’t recognize us.”

As soon as Go Hoon uttered those words, a group of visitors recognized him.

“He’s cute.”

“He must have come with his friend. He was explaining his grandfather’s painting.”

“But why did he come like that?”

Go Hoon couldn’t continue his words, so Cha Si Hyun took off his friend’s cap and sunglasses.

“Why did you get caught?”

“It’s weird if a kid wears a floral cap, sunglasses, and a scarf in the museum.”

“Is it that weird?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

Cha Si Hyun grabbed Go Hoon’s hand and pulled him. Go Hoon put his hat and sunglasses back on with a worried look.

“Shall we go to the second exhibition hall now?”

Cha Si Hyun, who had stepped out into the hallway, looked around and asked.

“Yeah.”

“But you’ve seen all the paintings, so you must be bored.”

“Should we go separately then?”

“No.”

Cha Si Hyun firmly refused and Go Hoon chuckled.

“The paintings feel different every time I see them. And I haven’t seen the ones here.”

“Did he keep it a secret from you too?”

“Not really, but somehow.”

Go Hoon entered the second exhibition hall named Love and turned his head, only to be speechless.

“…It’s you.”

Cha Si Hyun said, looking at Go Hoon.

The second exhibition hall was filled with Go Hoon eating potato pizza, Go Hoon squatting and observing insects, Go Hoon lying down and looking at the flower bed, Go Hoon wielding a brush, Go Hoon tearing up a canvas, Go Hoon shining his eyes while eating beef, and so on.

Go Hoon approached <Love 3>.

It was a picture of himself painting in the garden of his house.

It was a different feeling from the oil paintings in the first exhibition hall, as it was a watercolor painting.

‘So this is how you saw me.’

Go Hoon recalled the time when he painted <New House>. He couldn’t feel his grandfather’s gaze from behind him any warmer than this.

Cha Si Hyun, who had just encountered the paintings, felt it too.

“Grandfather must love you very much.”

Go Hoon nodded.

“Look at this. It’s so cute.”

“Why does he look like he’s walking when he’s standing still?”

There was laughter from the opposite wall.

It was <Love 5>, a painting of Go Hoon walking on the Debussy Street in Obersur-Oise, France.

The two people who were looking at the painting enjoyed the sight of Go Hoon’s back, walking in thick clothes and waddling.

Go Hoon, wearing a black padding and a hood, had a white face and a mask, looking like a penguin.

“Hehe.”

“He must have fallen asleep while painting.”

Next to it, there was a painting of Go Hoon’s face, which looked like a print after being blown by the wind while painting.

“Did I really look like that?”

Cha Si Hyun laughed as he looked at <Love 6>.

“…”

Go Hoon, who had felt his grandfather’s love, realized that something was wrong.

“He looks like a baby.”

“Right. In Go Suyeol’s eyes, he’s just a cute grandson.”

Next to it, there was a painting of him eating jajangmyeon with black bean sauce all over his mouth.

At the moment he realized that this place was a space where he could reminisce about his lovely and warm memories, as well as the most attention-grabbing exhibition in Korea.

I blushed as I remembered the things I did yesterday, such as getting drunk and singing on the internet broadcast.

“The author said he has no intention of selling it.”

As Gohoon was embarrassed and looking for his grandfather, a small commotion broke out in the distance.

*

I’ve had a lot of embarrassing things happen lately, but my grandfather put the finishing touch.

Among other things, eating with black bean sauce all over my face was when I was clumsy with chopsticks.

I’m glad I can feel my grandfather’s gaze, but did he have to exhibit that picture in a place where the whole world is paying attention?

I wish I could find a mouse hole.

I would have run away in shame if I hadn’t put on my cap and sunglasses again.

“Why don’t you sell it?”

It was Henri Marso’s voice.

“I’m sorry. The only work he’s selling at this exhibition is Jeong Ipum Song.”

I met Cha Si-hyun’s eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“He seems to want to buy a work.”

“Then?”

“Grandpa doesn’t like selling his works.”

He hated the idea of your works being stored in someone’s living room or warehouse for speculation purposes, rather than being exhibited.

The reason he put up only one piece of Jeong Ipum Song for auction at this exhibition was to give the Seoul Museum of Art, which hosted the exhibition, a minimum profit.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

As we approached to find out what was going on, the museum staff was embarrassed and trying to calm Henri Marso down.josei

“I can’t explain the author’s intentions to you. Please understand that this is his policy.”

Henri Marso closed his eyes slightly and relaxed his throat muscles.

“Call Go Suyeol.”

“That’s… Okay. Please wait a moment.”

The staff went to look for his grandfather.

“What’s going on?”

Henri Marso lowered his gaze and ignored the staff, then met my eyes again.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Henri Marso recognized me right away.

As Cha Si-hyun said, it seemed like my disguise was wrong.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

Marso was about to say something, but shook his head.

“The only one up for auction is Jeong Ipum Song.”

I’ve never seen the paintings hanging in the second exhibition hall, but if I had to pick one of the works introduced at this exhibition, it would be Jeong Ipum Song.

It’s a masterpiece that shows my grandfather’s high-spirited style, as well as being a large-scale work.

Henri Marso must know that, too, but I don’t understand why he wants to buy another work.

“I know.”

“Then buy that.”

“What I want to buy is this.”

When I turned my head at Marso’s words, I saw scenes of dancing to the nursery rhyme ‘On the Bridge of Avignon’ when I lived in Paris.

“…”

The five-piece series are all titled ‘Longing’.

My grandfather, who used to paint impressionistic paintings, started painting realistic paintings a year ago, and I wondered if it was for this work.

It’s too realistic.

“Hmm. You were young then?”

Cha Si-hyun covered his mouth and laughed.

I don’t care why my grandfather painted this work, but I don’t know how he knew about it, or why he had to exhibit it.

I want to ask him.

“Marso?”

I heard my grandfather’s voice and turned my head.

“Grandpa!”

I couldn’t scream as much as I wanted in the museum, but I’m sure he got my message.

As I walked up to him, my grandfather, who had spread his arms, blinked his eyes.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on? How did you know?”

He laughed when I pointed to ‘Longing’.

“I found it on the computer when I went to the house in America. How is it? I drew it well, right?”

“Of course you did! That’s not the problem. No, that’s the problem too!”

He made a ridiculous gesture with a sullen expression, and it was clear that he was embarrassed.

It’s not like singing on the internet broadcast.

It’s not enough to get drunk in front of 700 people and make it into an article, but now my past is being exposed in my grandfather’s exhibition hall, where the whole world is paying attention.

“Go Suyeol.”

Henri Marso came up to me.

He hugged me as I flailed and lifted my head.

“What is it?”

“Please sell me that painting.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You bought it! Just try to scam me!”

As if that wasn’t enough, if it goes into Henri Marso’s hands, it will be exhibited for generations at the Marso Museum, so I have to stop it.

“He’s embarrassed.”

“He’s cute.”

“What? Why are you doing that?”

“He’s mad because Henri wants to buy that painting.”

“Ahaha. What is that? Is this kindergarten?”

People started to gather around. They all laughed as if they were having fun.

“Hmm. I don’t want to sell it.”

Of course, grandfather.

I have to persuade him to take down ‘Longing’ after I send Marso away.

“I wonder why you want to buy this.”

“Why do you care!”

I was surprised and protested, but he just smiled.

“This style is new to me.”

It’s true that it’s different from the other works my grandfather has announced. It’s like a series of scenes from a live-action animation.

But that doesn’t mean he can buy it.

“I know what you think, but this is a painting related to our family, so I can’t sell it.”

That’s right.

I can’t let him sell our memories of my father, mother, and me, who couldn’t be with my grandfather, to someone else.

I nodded my head hard, afraid he might change his mind.

“How about Love 7?”

Henri Marso turned his head.

It’s a picture of eating with black bean sauce on it.

“I thought I should repay you someday for taking care of me. I’ll just give you that painting.”

“Then I can’t!”

***

1)<The Sun and the Moon>, Joo Yo-seop, 1922.

A fairy tale known as <The Sun and the Moon>. The current spelling standard is <The Sun and the Moon>, but it was used as a literary license in the fairy tale <The Sun and the Moon> and the poem <Sunrise>.

Also, in 1989, Professor Nam Gi-sim of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Yonsei University introduced ‘star, moon, sun’ and so on in <Grammatically Incorrect Words>.

2)Barim: The act of painting one side dark and gradually lighter as it goes to the other side. ≒Gradient

Source Standard Korean Dictionary