I Was Michelangelo in My Past Life

* * * *

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Chung-hyo, head of the Korea Sketch Artists Association. Your work is quite impressive. Are you planning to continue working through sketching?"

"If you're exhibiting at this solo show, are you part of Artist Go Doohan's circle?"

"Um… would it be possible for you to make something like that for our gallery entrance as well? That glass sculpture at the entrance, I mean."

Surrounded by people, Kangseok thought—This is the 86th time today.The 86th person today to ask about commissioning a work after seeing the glass flower sculpture hanging at the gallery entrance.

Kangseok offered a vague excuse, saying he wanted to focus on the new semester.At that moment, a woman in high heels walked up to him.

Startled by the sudden presence, Kangseok instinctively turned his head. The woman held out her hand.

"Hello! I really enjoyed the glass sculpture displayed at the entrance. I asked Director Kim Yunseo about it, and she said it was a commissioned piece… Has the ownership been finalized? Oh, I'm Lim Yerin, the chief curator at Horong Art Museum. If you have time, maybe we could have a meal and talk about the glass flower? We really need a sculpture like that too… if it's possible, would you be willing to—Ah! Artist Go Doohan! Please wait a second! We're in the middle of a conversation…"

"What conversation? Sounded more like a voicemail monologue. Come take a lap around the exhibit with me."

"Ah, wait! Mr. Kangseok!"

Correction.That was the 87th person today.

As Go Doohan started his 50th lap around the exhibit for the day, Kangseok shook his head.

It wasn't like he hadn't expected this situation, but the directness of these people was astounding.Fitting for attendees of Go Doohan's solo exhibition—they were all just like him.

In short, they were the type to get straight to the point.

Kangseok didn't mind people who got to the point. It made conversation easier.

'Not that I plan on accepting any of their requests, though.'

He knew his own abilities well.

Compared to his underwhelming past, the sensitivity heightened by the memories of a previous life and the inspiration that surged with it—he knew better than anyone just how incredible that was.

Some might say to strike while the iron's hot, but so what?Kangseok knew all too well—his iron would never cool.

'This is exactly the time to raise my value.'

His skills weren't going anywhere, and people were practically desperate to own his work.Just today alone, 49 people had expressed interest in buying his piece, Sunset.

Just as he predicted.

Six months.For the next six months, he had to steadily increase his value like rolling a snowball.

That's why he hadn't sold Sunset yet.Thinking of Sunset, which would be exhibited in various places over the next six months, and the Glass Peony that would highlight the Peony Gallery, Kangseok's lips twitched into a subtle smile.

Sunset hadn't been sold yet, and Glass Peony wasn't just going for 20 million won—it came with a plus-alpha.The Wild Vine Owl sculpture only had a down payment; it hadn't even been properly appraised yet.

As he thought about all the money coming in, Kangseok walked toward a quiet corner.

'What should I do with this money?'

Lost in thought, his gaze landed on a woman walking through the exhibit, holding her phone and a long wallet.Wallets—his parents' wallets flickered in his memory.

That old gray wallet they bought two years ago for 5,000 won at a discount store—still using it, with a torn coin pouch and a zipper that barely closed.

He made up his mind.

He'd buy his parents new wallets.

With that resolve, he took a few steps—and found himself right in front of his own work, Sunset.

In front of it were countless flower bouquets. Tokens of appreciation from visitors who had enjoyed his work.Each bouquet had a name card tucked in.

Kang Hyun-do. Baek Myeong-hee. Kang Chae-young. His beloved family.Ju Sarang. Lim Woo-hyun. Son Dong-wook. Jang Yu-min. Go Doohan.All the teachers from Chunghwa Arts High School. Park Hye-yeon. Jin Se-hyun. Yoo Mi-kyung. Yoo Mi-ji. Choi Young-tae. Students from Chunghwa High he'd had some contact with.And Bae Ji-min, Park Ji-hoon, Ban Jung-heon—the studio trio.Professors and assistants like Lee Min-hyuk, Park Ji-yeop, Hwang No-min.

Lastly, cards from Seol Yeo-jin and Kim Yun-seo of Peony Gallery.

As Kangseok thought of all the name-tagged bouquets nestled among the flowers, he unconsciously moved closer to Sunset.

And that's when he saw him.

A man was standing silently, gazing at Sunset.A lone man, standing still for quite some time.

"…Oh."

A small sound escaped Kangseok's lips.

The man slowly turned around.He held a bouquet made from coarse cotton flowers—his hands were calloused and scarred.Familiar hands.

"…Ah."

Kangseok lifted his head.

The man wasn't looking at him. His eyes were red-rimmed.

Eyes filled with regret, gratitude, pride, joy, and relief—all mingled together, gazing into the air.

"Teacher."

The bouquet held a card that read: Jeong Byeong-gwon.

The man, Jeong Byeong-gwon, slowly turned his eyes toward Kangseok.

Surprise flashed in his eyes.

"…Seok-ah."

He didn't know how to begin.He stared only at his Americano.The bouquet had already been left in front of Sunset.

After a long silence, he spoke—voice dry and choked back.

"…I'm sorry."

He was sorry for everything.Seeing the Glass Peony at the entrance.Discovering Sunset deep inside the exhibit.

What pierced Jeong Byeong-gwon's heart was regret.

This boy had such talent, and I didn't believe in him.If Kangseok hadn't stood up again—overcoming despair—had I, perhaps, broken a student before he even had the chance to bloom?

Words couldn't be taken back, and that made it all the more painful.

"I'm sorry for not believing in you."

"Teacher."

"…"

"Thank you."

"…What?"

Jeong Byeong-gwon looked up.Kangseok was smiling.

"Thank you for coming today, and thank you for bringing me flowers."

Kangseok held no grudge against Jeong Byeong-gwon.

He knew what his teacher had meant back then.If not for that miraculous moment—if he hadn't remembered his past life—he would have quit art for good.

He had no money. No talent. And above all, no strength left to keep trying.

Before he came to hate art, Jeong Byeong-gwon had simply told him:Sometimes, the thing you're good at and the thing you love aren't the same.

Had he gone to art school without awakening to his past life, ignoring his parents' concerns and spending every cent just to get in—would he have been happy?

Even if he had come back around to art, he might have spent his life resenting that decision.

"Thank you."

Being a teacher isn't a calling. It's a job.Yet to care enough to worry about a student's entire life and give genuine advice—that's something to be grateful for.

Jeong Byeong-gwon had been the only one to treat Kangseok like an older brother would.And for that, he was thankful.

"I'll count on you again this semester."

Jeong Byeong-gwon had been one of the people who preserved Kangseok's childhood dream of becoming a sculptor.

To the high schooler Kangseok, Jeong Byeong-gwon had truly been a cool sculptor.

Kangseok held out his hand.

"Teacher."

Jeong Byeong-gwon slowly took it.

"Yeah. Let's do our best."

The long winter had ended, and a new spring was beginning.

"Wouldn't it be safer to install another glass wall?"

Kim Yun-seo looked worried as she stared at Glass Peony, mounted on a platform.

Though the platform was wide enough that even a 170cm tall adult couldn't reach the sculpture by stretching out a hand, she still looked anxious.

"Dust is going to settle on it now… How are we even going to clean it? What if it breaks during cleaning? Director, let's just encase it in a sealed glass box while we still can."

Seol Yeo-jin twirled a candy in her mouth, smiling lightly.

When Kangseok first came to the gallery about a mural contract, she had looked so indifferent.Yet from the moment Go Doohan's solo show opened, she had been nervously pacing in front of the glass sculpture the entire time.

Such was the power of Kangseok's work.

Seol Yeo-jin swallowed the saliva sweetened by the strawberry-flavored candy.

"Yoon-seo."

"Yes?"

"Should we renovate the outer wall?"

"Renovate?"

Kim Yoon-seo blinked. Was she really talking to Seol Yeo-jin right now? Where had the Seol Yeo-jin gone—the one who constantly berated the staff about wasting money and told them to focus on maintenance instead? Yoon-seo stared at her in disbelief.

"We'll secure enough space to install Glass Peonies on the outer wall and cover the ceiling with glass. Wouldn't it be beautiful to have light refracting through the glass from all directions, changing colors depending on the light?"

Crunch. Seol Yeo-jin bit into the candy with a look of rapture.

"That's not a bad idea."

Now that she heard it, it really wasn't. Kim Yoon-seo started calculating in her head. They had a generous budget, so the renovation should be feasible. They could start right after the solo exhibition ended.

Just as she reached the conclusion that she needed to draft a budget, a line from a contract flashed through Kim Yoon-seo's mind.

"...Come to think of it, Director."

"Yes?"

"We agreed to pay Artist Kang two hundred million won plus an additional bonus if he completed the mural, right?"

"We did."

"How are we planning to process that payment?"

"Oh, that."

Seol Yeo-jin stuck the candy on her finger. Her lips, pink like peonies, moved slowly.

It was then—

"Are you Director Seol Yeo-jin of Peony Gallery?"

A low male voice slipped between Seol Yeo-jin and Kim Yoon-seo. Their heads turned in near unison.

"Oh my, Secretary Ryu Soo-heon."

A familiar face.

Ryu Soo-heon. A level-4 official in the Department of Culture and Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He was a busy man, deeply involved in multiple government-supported art and cultural projects these days.

She'd heard Go Du-han was coming today, so she wasn't surprised—but why was this man looking for her? Seol Yeo-jin tilted her head, puzzled.

Ryu Soo-heon met her wary gaze with a practiced, professional smile. Behind his glasses, his sharp eyes gleamed under the shadow of his brow.

"I don't see Artist Go Du-han around. I was hoping you could introduce me to Kang Seok, the artist behind the piece Sunset. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Artist Go Du-han…?"

Seol Yeo-jin trailed off and turned her head. She instinctively looked around for him. But being inside the entrance, all she could see from here was the exhibition entrance itself.

"Just a moment."

Her mentor couldn't have gone far. As she stepped instinctively toward the entrance—

A whisper from Kim Yoon-seo floated into her ear.

'He's probably circling the backyard of Peony Gallery right now.'

'…Artist Go Du-han? Why?'

'People keep trying to get Kang to take their sculpture commissions. Go Du-han's been intercepting them and taking them out there, telling them to cool off and get a grip.'

How typical of Go Du-han. Seol Yeo-jin gave Kim Yoon-seo a cold glance—how did she know that?

'You went too, didn't you?'

"I was dragged there against my will."

"Sorry?"

Ryu Soo-heon, confused by Yoon-seo's remark, looked at Seol Yeo-jin. She snapped out of it and shook her head quickly, her signature gentle, businesslike smile fixed on her face.

"It's nothing. You're looking for Artist Go Du-han, correct?"

"Yes."

"If he's not in the exhibition hall, try the backyard. Sounds like he's out there."

"Ahh."

Ryu Soo-heon's sharp eyes now turned to Kim Yoon-seo. It seemed he had noticed her whispering earlier. He gave a slight nod, turned halfway to leave, and then looked back at Seol Yeo-jin.

"Just one more question."

"Of course."

"I heard that piece is made of glass. Is that true?"

It was a tentative question, as if he didn't believe it himself. Seol Yeo-jin's lips curled like flower petals.

"It is."

"Seriously?"

His voice wavered for the first time. Seol Yeo-jin craved her candy even more.

"Looks real, doesn't it? But when the light hits it, you'll see—it's definitely a peony made of glass. The artist crafted it by hand."

"The artist… who made that glass sculpture—may I meet them too, if possible?"

He looked even more desperate than when he asked to meet the artist of Sunset. Seol Yeo-jin narrowed her eyes.

"You'd like an introduction…"

Why? What's his reason? She instinctively tensed.

She trusted Kang Seok's judgment, but she couldn't help being protective—like a mother shielding her child. Her eyes flicked to the document gripped in Ryu Soo-heon's other hand.

Though partially obscured, one word stood out clearly: [Yongsin Land].

Yongsin Land? The amusement park that shut down two years ago…

Ryu Soo-heon's eyes burned with urgency. Ah. She understood now. That's what this was about. That's why he was looking for him. Seol Yeo-jin smiled slyly, like a fox.

A good artist needs a good career. Letting her guard down, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

"No need for an introduction, actually."

"Pardon?"

"That piece was also made by Kang Seok."

"…That's by Kang Seok too?"

"Yes."

Hard to believe, isn't it? Her voice brimmed with pride, as though she had made it herself. Beaming, Seol Yeo-jin asked again:

"Amazing, right?"

As she spoke, sunlight streamed through the glass wall. It was probably the third or fourth time today. Even the sky seemed eager to reveal the piece's brilliance.

The glass peony slowly became more transparent in the sunlight. Then, the colors within began to bloom across the white wall. It was a dreamy scene, like the sky was painting with a glass flower.

The more color seeped into the white wall, the wider Ryu Soo-heon's eyes grew.

"Mr. Ryu Soo-heon left this for me?"

In the director's office, where they'd gone to discuss the "plus alpha" payment, a document sat on the desk. Kang Seok stared at it with a blank expression.

[Yongsin Land Public Art Project Proposal]