I Was Michelangelo in My Past Life

A zelkova tree table that looked as if caramel syrup had been poured over it.

The scent of two cups of coffee and plum juice mixed together.

"When do you have to finish it by?"

Goduhan, who had just put down his coffee, asked. It was a question directed at Kangseok, who was drinking plum juice across from him.

"April 5th. They said it has to be submitted by April 5th."

"April 5th?"

That was tight.

Goduhan recalled Kangseok's sketches. There was a huge amount and they were very detailed. They looked more like anatomical drawings. If he was going to work on all of that in full detail, it wouldn't be easy.

And that wasn't all.

Even though Kangseok had already drawn over 50 sketches, he said there were definitely parts that needed improvement. Given Kangseok's usual nature, the amount would only increase, not decrease.

"Today is the 25th, so…"

41 days.

Exactly 41 days left.

Goduhan's eyes narrowed as he remembered the meticulously drawn human model sketches — over 50 in total. There were seven in all. He folded his arms and his fingers twitched.

Considering breaks in between, they'd have to finish about one every five days. He had never heard of anyone completing a life-sized handmade full-body doll every five days.

"School's starting soon too."

If school started in March, nearly half the day would be spent at school. With all these factors considered, it was definitely disadvantageous for Kangseok.

"Isn't this impossible?"

At the moment this thought crossed his mind, a hollow laugh slipped out between Goduhan's lips.

"Who am I even worried about?"

The person who most realized how fast Kangseok's hands worked was Goduhan himself. When others barely finished one piece, Kangseok would finish four or six.

There was no need to worry — Kangseok would manage on his own. He only needed to sit back and enjoy the show.

"All right. April 5th it is. Then let me know as soon as it's done."

"Why?"

"If you submit it to Sanggang Medical Center, I probably won't be able to join. You have to show it to me before you submit it."

Ah, Kangseok nodded. That made sense. Since the work was going to be sold at the Health Day event, it would be hard to attend or even see it unless you were involved with the event.

"I'll make sure to contact you as soon as it's finished."

"Thanks."

"By the way, how are you handling all this busyness? …After my solo exhibition ends this time, I planned to have a dinner with the anatomical sketch team. You'll come, right?"

An anatomical sketch team? Dinner?

Had they made that kind of plan? Kangseok quietly tried to recall.

"Don't you remember? What about Yumi Ji and Choi Youngtae?"

'Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Yumi Ji. You can call me Miji noona (older sister).'

'I'm Choi Youngtae.'

He vaguely remembered.

Right. They were the people who decided to publish an anatomical sketchbook together with Kangseok. But why were they mentioned now?

"You'll have to meet them a few times from now on, so just say hello and get some free food."

Not bad.

Publishing was a very long process. They would print the pencil lines of the drawings carefully, and the first edition would be hardcover. That would take time, and depending on sales, they might produce additional copies.

It definitely wouldn't be quick.

Since they would be seeing each other face to face for a long time, it was good to get familiar with each other. Kangseok nodded.

"Yes. If you let me know in advance, I'll keep the date open."

As he answered, Kangseok glanced sideways at the clock.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

"Ah. I have an appointment."

"Go then?"

Why not go? Goduhan, who never minced words, gestured with his chin.

At that, Kangseok's gaze shifted to Jodongbeom, as if asking if it was okay to leave. Jodongbeom's eyes returned to Goduhan, silently asking when Kangseok would leave.

"This isn't a relay. I'm just going to drink this coffee and leave, so Seok, you go first."

"All right, I'll do that."

Kangseok stood up.

Today was the day he decided to dine out with his family after a long time. Since it was a rare occasion and he was the one who had invited them, he wanted to avoid being late.

As Kangseok grabbed his coat and walked out, Jodongbeom followed behind, saying he'd see him off. It was an ironic situation where the guest Goduhan was left alone in the office.

"Well, I'll be going then."

Kangseok greeted Goduhan, who drank his coffee with a careless grimace. Goduhan's gaze returned to Kangseok. In one hand, he held the envelope Kangseok had handed him.

"Should I give this to Park Jiyeop?"

Ah, the sketches. He already had them all memorized. Since Kangseok was going to redraw them anyway, they weren't really necessary.

"Then thanks."

"Got it. Go."

"Yes."

"But where are you going?"

"For meat. Going to eat beef."

Kangseok's mouth curled up in a rare bright smile.

.

.

.

After Kangseok left.

The quiet glass workshop.

Goduhan carefully took out the sketches again while drinking his coffee. No matter how many times he looked at them, he never grew tired. It even made his heart race, as if uncovering ancient secrets.

A feeling of being drawn in.

Goduhan slowly admired the sketches. It was long after he finished his coffee that he finally stood up.

The sky, once bright blue, had turned a reddish-orange sunset, and the distinct scent of winter began to seep into the air.

Kangseok slowed his steps. Looking at his phone, it was 6 PM. Fortunately, he wasn't late. Kangseok took a step forward.

The loud sounds of phone calls and chatter among friends brushed past Kangseok's ears. Without turning his head, he walked straight ahead.

At the end of a distant alley, three familiar figures slowly came into view. His family.

"Mother."

"Seok-ah!"

"Oppa."

"Seok-i's here."

They were all dressed up, clearly excited and waiting. His mother must have even used a hairdryer, as the scent of hairspray lingered.

His father was also dressed smartly, and Kang Chaeyoung wore a dress.

All three were dressed as if going to a restaurant.

The eldest in the family had put a lot of meaning into the first meal he was treating them to. Some might call it sentimental, but Kangseok's lips twitched with a smile.

His first meal treated with his own money.

The nuance in that sentence felt really good.

Next to them stood a building called "Jeong," reminiscent of a traditional Korean house. It was the place Park Jiyeop had invited them to for dinner last time.

"Let's go in."

"But Seok-ah… isn't this place expensive?"

His mother Baek Myeonghee asked anxiously.

Was it a famous place? The last time they came, it was so delicious Kangseok had decided to bring them here. It must have been quite well-known. Of course, it couldn't not be famous if it was this good.

"It's okay, Mother."

And the price didn't matter.

He hadn't earned enough to not even treat them once. Thinking of his solid bank account, Kangseok pushed Baek Myeonghee's back gently.

She felt the warmth of his touch. It seemed like just yesterday when she was pushing his back, telling him to go eat bibimbap. But in just a few days, her son seemed to have grown so much. Baek Myeonghee smiled softly and stepped forward.

Then,

"Oppa, what's that?"

Kang Chaeyoung, who had been walking behind, looked brightly at the shopping bag on his wrist. It was large enough to see that a box was inside — impossible to miss.

Following Chaeyoung's gaze, Kangseok looked down at his wrist. The shopping bag held two medium-sized boxes and one small box. Wallets as gifts for his family.

They were the main reason he barely made it on time for his appointment.

"I'll pay in full, please."

He had handed over his debit card and even jokingly requested to pay in full at once. Kangseok had been secretly excited, looking at the boxes. While reading anatomy books to buy this, he had researched luxury brands and called department stores — it had been a huge fuss.

"What? Why won't you tell me?"

Imagining his family's happy faces, Kangseok smiled.

"A gift."

"What?"

"A gift?"

His family turned to look at him, surprised. Their faces looked like rabbits. The only one who looked fierce, Kangseok burst into laughter.

It was a pleasant evening.

The next day.

Under a sky covered with white clouds, a truck sped down a quiet road. Considering this was a weekday near Seoul's suburbs, the emptiness was absurdly unusual.

The truck, labeled [Seok's Furniture], slid smoothly to a stop in front of an amusement park. More precisely, it was a closed, abandoned amusement park.

It wasn't dark, but the overcast clouds blocked every ray of light, giving the place a grim atmosphere.

Kang Hyun-do and Kang Seok, who got off the truck, looked up. On the sign with the lights off, red and blue letters were pasted.

Yongshin Land.

Today's meeting place.

"It's closed."

"Yeah."

Kang Seok looked around after Kang Hyun-do's comment. Today, they had come to meet Ryu Soo-heon for the Yongshin Land public art contract.

'Kang Seok, do well.'

'You don't have to sign the contract on the spot, just hear out the terms. Just the terms.'

Seol Yeo-jin and Go Doo-han wanted to come along but were too busy with their solo exhibitions.

'Kang Seok, sorry. Someone who really knows this field should be here, but for now, please scan the contract and send it to me. I'll check it as soon as possible, so don't forget and please send me a photo of it.'

Park Ji-yeop was equally busy to the point of sleeplessness. So, Kang Hyun-do and Kang Seok had come alone to the meeting. Of course, their absence was not particularly regretted.

After all, wasn't Kang Seok the one who successfully secured the contract from them?

Anyway, where is this person? Kang Seok scanned the abandoned amusement park again but found no sign of anyone. The gates were closed. How could they discuss contract details here? He even suspected if he got the meeting place wrong. At that moment—

Someone was walking quickly from afar.

"Writer!"

A skinny man was approaching. The only person likely to be called "writer" running out of the amusement park was Ryu Soo-heon, the person in charge of Yongshin Land's public art.

Ryu Soo-heon? … Is that really him?

His face was so gaunt and sunken that it looked more like Zombie Land than Yongshin Land. One hand held a high-caffeine energy drink as if it were a blood transfusion pack. His pants fluttered like butterfly wings.

There was no sign of health at all.

"Are you writer Kang Seok?"

Kang Seok nodded as he shook hands with the man presumed to be Ryu Soo-heon, who greeted him politely.

The first impression of this man was, in one word, a zombie.

"Is this your father?"

"Oh, yes. Hello. I'm Kang Hyun-do, Seok's dad."

"Ah, yes. Hello. I look forward to working with you today."

Exchanging greetings, Ryu Soo-heon opened the gate to Yongshin Land. Screech. The entrance began to open with a rusty scraping sound, as if it hadn't been oiled well.

"How is it? Pretty creepy, right?"

As they walked through the entrance, Ryu Soo-heon spoke from beside them. Kang Seok nodded. Like most of the rides, worn out due to small problems and lack of maintenance, Yongshin Land had been shut down due to aging.

There was no trash on the ground, but it didn't look cleaned either. Overall, it showed the unhidden, neglected, grotesque appearance of an abandoned amusement park.

"When I was first told from above to fix this place… wow, I couldn't believe this was where music videos were filmed and a studio was even opened."

Ryu Soo-heon joked as he opened the door to a container. It was only a temporary setup, and he added that they would definitely tear it down later.

He turned on the heater and sat down.

The sofa they sat on was so old that it creaked deeply when Kang Hyun-do and Kang Seok sat opposite him.

Ryu Soo-heon, seemingly indifferent, popped open his energy drink and pointed toward the window. More precisely, it looked like he was pointing to the amusement park beyond the glass.

"This land originally belonged to a private owner and was used as a filming studio. Even renting it out just for photos brought in 10,000 won per entry, and for rentals and such, they hiked prices to make a good profit. So when the higher-ups decided to sell it, they got interested and snatched it up quickly."

And this is how those below suffer. Ryu Soo-heon muttered, looking stressed. After a few dry washes of his face, he put on a businesslike smile.

"The culture and arts department wants to use this place as a filming studio like before. But they don't want to just buy land and run it; they want to dress it up a little nicely. But they also don't want to spend too much money on it."

Whether it was cynical criticism or harsh belittling, Ryu Soo-heon openly showed his hostility toward the upper management. At first glance, he looked like someone who didn't socialize, and from afar, like a worn-out office worker at his limits.

Just from this, it was clear.

This was not a job Ryu Soo-heon wanted to take on willingly. Although he said he was good at getting budgets, it seemed he ended up dealing with someone else's mess. Kang Seok muttered inside.

Ryu Soo-heon sighed.

"I'm a fan. Writer Kang Seok."

Suddenly?

The straightforward statement without any drift made Kang Seok and Kang Hyun-do blink. Without signaling, Ryu Soo-heon muttered in a weak voice like a deflated balloon.

"That Renaissance Mall's 8th floor you painted. I'm the one who handled the unexpected aftercare for that."

"Oh, I see."

Kang Seok already knew because Go Doo-han and Seol Yeo-jin had tipped him off. Ryu Soo-heon went on to tell the story in detail.

"I once went to the Vatican."

The Vatican.

The smallest country in the world.

The name made Kang Seok's eyes twitch slightly.

Regardless, Ryu Soo-heon continued with eyes full of melancholy.

"It was 15 minutes. Because I couldn't afford much back then, I went with a package tour. They only gave 15 minutes from entering the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment until you exit the door. I'll never sign a contract with that travel agency again."

Fifteen minutes. Short.

Considering the size, majesty, and meaning of the paintings, it felt even shorter.

"Lots of people were crowded around, so it was hard to appreciate properly. Photos weren't allowed. I guess if you have connections, you can visit when there are no crowds, but at least that's how it was for me. … But I never forgot it."

Ryu Soo-heon's eyes spoke of longing.

"Even though I saw it so briefly, it was so intense I couldn't forget it. It was amazing. It was just like that."

Then, unsure if he should say this, Ryu Soo-heon added.

"Maybe even better."

Nonsense, right? Ryu Soo-heon dried his face and set down the energy drink.

"Anyway, that's why I became a fan. That's why I managed to pull the budget to do preservation work. Because I'm a fan. Honestly, I feel a bit bad making you do this kind of work as a fan, but I'm confident I can get the budget. Especially when the higher-ups impulsively buy something and dump the mess on me, I'm even more motivated."

Ryu Soo-heon spoke rapidly like a machine gun.

"I'm not planning to leave all of this to you. That'd be overwork. When the public project officially proceeds, we'll collect portfolios and recruit participating artists. Only a few select people will be invited separately for explanations. And you, writer Kang Seok, are the first."

Especially for Kang Seok, they called him on a different date and time from others to consider the public's gaze on someone so young. Ryu Soo-heon continued to speak.

Kang Seok nodded to those words.

"In short, it's like this: They'll pay well, so please paint murals."

"Exactly."

"Hmm. But my price has gone up a lot in the meantime."

He never really liked painting murals in the first place. Now, he didn't want to paint such large murals for just a few hundred. He didn't have the time.

He didn't plan to fluctuate his price, which had already jumped to several thousand.

"Oh, is that so…"

Ryu Soo-heon licked his lips with regret.

Well.

Someone who paints that well wouldn't move for just a few hundred or thousand. Still, as a fan, he wanted to work with Kang Seok.

"But I'm interested in other things."

"Huh?"

Kang Seok's eyes passed over Ryu Soo-heon's shoulder and rested on the abandoned mansion built in front of the outer wall beyond the window. It was presumably a closed building that once sold tourist goods.

Kang Seok's eyes sparkled as if he had spotted prey.

Michelangelo Buonarroti.

He was a sculptor before he was a painter.

And sometimes, an architect.