I Was Michelangelo in My Past Life

* * * *

After the sculpture was completed.

Michelangelo tapped Moses' knee with a hammer and asked:

"Why do you not rise?"

Those who witnessed it held their breath, as if Moses might really brush off his knee and stand up.

– A famous anecdote about Michelangelo's Moses –

* * * *

Click.

The lights turned on in the silence.

On the screen on stage, only the phrase [Maktoob, so it is written] remained. The video, which had played abruptly and shocked the audience with seven naked bodies on stage, had finally ended.

Only then did the doctors realize they hadn't been breathing properly. They slumped back into their seats.

— This was a shortened version of the footage. For those curious about the internal structure, an unedited making-of video will be included with each Maktoob purchased.

The voice that followed was so intense that it jolted the event attendees back to attention. The video had been blood-red, crimson—intensely so.

To the surgeons, it was a color all too familiar. But to the finance and marketing teams, it was probably the most provocative footage they'd ever seen. So this is why the "19+" label is in red. It felt like the explicit imagery had fried part of their minds.

People blinked, waiting for Kang-seok to speak.

They had seen everything, but the structure, the creation process, and the functions of the anatomical models were still a mystery they were desperate to uncover.

Kang-seok briefly made eye contact with the crowd and scratched his nose.

— Well, I'm not exactly the most eloquent speaker. But if you have questions, I'll answer them. Anyone?

Hands shot up from all directions. The earlier trend—where only the finance and marketing teams kept raising hands—was now irrelevant.

As Kang-seok counted the raised hands with his finger, his brow furrowed slightly. There were too many to bother counting.

There were probably close to a hundred people in medical coats from three hospitals combined, and over 70% had their hands up.

Some questions were likely redundant, but he couldn't possibly answer them all.

— To avoid disrupting the event schedule, I'll take about seven questions—matching the number of Maktoobs. Thank you for your understanding.

The doctors looked disappointed. It was hard to believe they were the same ones who earlier seemed eager for the event to end.

The ones who seemed most disappointed were the surgeons. While physicians were intrigued by the preserved models for reference, the surgeons saw potential to practice on organs modeled after real diseases.

Even after surgery practice, these models could be reused or used for more hygienic anatomical studies than cadavers. Cadaver use may be essential, but it's limited—so these seemed like a realistic and viable supplement.

— Yes, please go ahead.

"Thank you. I noticed that in the video, the same organ sometimes appeared differently. For example, there were scenes with a healthy liver, and others with what seemed like stage 3 liver cancer. Are these differences based on the Maktoob models?"

The question avoided technical jargon. None of the doctors wanted to miss useful information by showing off irrelevant knowledge.

— Great question. Each Maktoob from No.1 to No.7 represents a different condition. No.1 is a healthy baseline model. As for Maktoob No.3, as you noted, it simulates stage 3 liver cancer with about a 4cm tumor, vascular invasion, and slight signs of metastasis. Each model is distinct. Next question?

"Then wouldn't different surgical departments require different Maktoobs? Can you provide detailed information on which is which?"

— Thank you. We'll display that information on screen during the sale. Also, from No.1 to No.7, the craftsmanship improves regardless of the disease depicted, so please take that into account. Next question?

Hearing the word craftsmanship, a physician from internal medicine raised his hand. His coat had three pens clipped to it—visibly meticulous.

"You mentioned craftsmanship. What exactly differs? They all looked the same to us."

— For example, with No.1, the blood vessels aren't fully connected. We created vascular models and filled some parts with solution, sealing them off with resin. You could attempt simulated surgery, but it wouldn't feel realistic. However, starting from No.4, all vessels are fully integrated to allow fluid flow. We believe it can support realistic vascular suturing. For more details, please consult the video included with the purchase.

They really made blood flow through vessels?

This was truly a human anatomy model—a dummy in the purest sense. Unlike crash-test dummies, which measure impact injuries, blood loss, or neurological damage, this was created purely for anatomical and surgical education.

It was designed with anatomy and surgery practice in mind. It was a perfect match for the project. Yes—a work of art. It deserved to be called a piece, not just a teaching aid.

"Can this Maktoob be preserved semi-permanently? How long before its educational value deteriorates or contamination occurs?"

This question came from the finance team. They needed to know how long it would retain value after a one-time purchase.

— We used semi-permanent materials. I can't answer about intentional damage, but if used for a single surgical simulation and then kept for display, it should remain uncontaminated for about ten years.

Kang-seok's lips twitched.

— But in ten years, better models will probably exist.

Medicine advances at terrifying speed—because human lives are at stake. Though Kang-seok just wanted to dive into anatomical studies with this project, countless others wanted to push medical progress further.

Medicine would evolve faster than it had over the past 400 years.

And while these models would gain more artistic value over time, especially under Kang-seok's name, he left that part unsaid.

The questions continued.

Kang-seok answered as cleverly as he could within his limits. Despite claiming he wasn't a great speaker, his responses were smooth and confident.

Even when sharp, symposium-style questions were thrown at him, he handled them with cool detachment.

Kang-seok may have looked like a diligent, kind student, but beneath that exterior was an old man—stubborn, cynical, and sharp-tempered enough to pull it off.

And finally, the seventh and last question arrived.

"What would you like the starting auction price to be?"

This was a standard question the marketing team asked every presenter. Kang-seok couldn't help but laugh—it was the question he'd been expecting.

To be honest, from an artistic perspective, it deserved a higher value. But they saw it not as art, but as data. When this eventually reached the wider world…

Foreign artists might weep on their knees when they learn that humans dissected such realistic versions of Pygmalion's dream before they were ever seen as living art.

At least Kang-seok, Park Ji-yeop, and Jo Dong-beom believed so. This was art. But Kang-seok didn't hesitate.

The project deserved to stay true to its purpose. That's what made it beautiful.

So he wasn't planning to ask for an exorbitant price.

However, considering that ordinary dummies used in filming cost 10–20 million won each, and his were far more advanced… they should be worth double that, easily.

After all, they didn't just simulate parts—they accurately recreated every organ in the human body.

Kang-seok declared with confidence:

"One hundred million won per Maktoob sounds about right."

Pay it if you can.

That was the most he'd ask.

Kang-seok announced it in a flat tone.

...

And that day, the seven Maktoobs sold for a total of 1.64 billion won.

* * * *

A deep, blue sky.

After the event, Kang-seok stopped by a furniture store for the first time in a while. Though his project team wanted to grab dinner together, he was still at an age where dinner with family mattered more than work socials.

What's wrong with enjoying the little things while you're young?

Kang-seok simply headed home.

After dinner, he sat on a sofa—one not for sale—and looked around.

It was peaceful. Drowsy.

His mother was flipping through a department store catalog, carefully marking pages for the new house. His younger sister, Kang Chae-young, was scribbling intensely in a notebook, searching for "how to decorate your own room" on her phone with a determined look on her face.

He even brought along a set of 150 Prismacolor wax-based colored pencils, apparently planning to match the colors properly.

"And my father…"

Kang-seok turned his head.

Before and after meals, his father was holed up in the furniture workshop.

"If you're worried, why don't you go check on him?"

Mother Baek Myung-hee gestured toward Kang-seok. She hinted that he and his father got along very well—a special father-son relationship—and since it had been a while, he should at least see his face and talk to him.

"I'm fine. It's better than bothering him for no reason."

"You don't know because you haven't seen him, but he's been holed up in that workshop for two weeks straight, two weeks."

"Yeah. Dad hasn't come out of the workshop in a while. Seriously, why don't you go check it out? See if mom gets upset and poke him a little."

"This kid?"

While Baek Myung-hee looked at Kang Chae-young, Kang-seok reluctantly got up. Thanks to them, he had a reason to go. Thinking he should see his father's face after a long time, Kang-seok slipped on his slippers and casually walked out.

Turning his back on Baek Myung-hee and Kang Chae-young, Kang-seok's lips twitched in a small smile.

"1.64 billion won. It's really amazing that the medical staff managed to raise this much. Well, most of it probably came from the foundation's separate operating funds... Kang-seok, this is really a lot of money. Oh, though personally, I think this amount is still too low."

"It's okay. It was like a talent donation."

More precisely, it was a decision made considering that my name would eventually circulate in academic circles. Since I first thought of Da Vinci as a name that would be a hot topic in medicine.

I don't know what form I might have been born as in the present era, but at least in the modern age, I definitely won.

Thinking of the inspiration who was born earlier and passed away before having a proper showdown, Kang-seok's lips twitched again.

"It seems approval is needed first. After everything is organized, I'll transfer the money to the bank account copy you gave me. Now that I think about it, with this amount, you might need to start thinking about taxes... Do you know any good tax accountants?"

"I don't know much about tax accountants. If you can recommend someone, please do."

"Thank you."

Of course, the thing that excited him the most was telling his family about this. He wanted to sneak the contract and bankbook, which included the down payment, onto the magazine his mother carefully looked over about furniture, but his first target was his father.

Knock knock.

"Dad. Can I come in?"

"...Ah, Seok-ah!"

With a clatter, the door opened. Although tired, his father's face was covered with joy and happiness. The laugh lines on his face made him look like a charmingly aged middle-aged man.

Even with a patchy beard he hadn't trimmed well, his face was bright—wow. Kang-seok smiled as he quietly stepped into the workshop.

In his pocket were the contract and bankbook, stuffed in awkwardly.

"Haha. The workshop's a bit messy now, but sit wherever you want."

"...What's all this?"

The workshop was full of wood. More precisely, it was filled with precisely cut wood likely meant for furniture making. Thick and thin, various types and sizes of wood were scattered everywhere.

Kang Hyun-do, who was asked the question, looked around and shyly avoided eye contact. His ears were red—a feature Kang-seok had inherited.

"Well, haha... Since we're moving, I wanted to make at least the dining table myself. Want to see the sketch?"

"Sure. Where is it?"

"Here, like this..."

Kang Hyun-do enthusiastically pointed at the sketch while explaining. Watching his father explain something that didn't need to be sold, Kang-seok finally saw the young man who had dreamed not of being a furniture maker but a furniture designer.

Listening to his father explain the design based on Kang Chae-young's body shape and his mother's habits rather than aesthetics, Kang-seok nodded happily.

"It's nice."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's really nice. This chair is just the kind Kang Chae-young would like. How about this... like this?"

Just as Kang-seok got excited and walked over to the workbench to pick up a pencil, someone knocked loudly on the door.

"Oppa, oppa, oppa!"

It was a call to come out quickly. Kang-seok glanced at Kang Hyun-do, then quickly opened the door amid the banging. At the door stood Kang Chae-young with a surprised look, pointing at her phone. Her eyes were as big as a rabbit's.

"Oppa... what's all this?"

His gaze followed Kang Chae-young's finger to the phone screen filled with text.

[Exclusive! San-gang Medical Center and Hanyang Arts Comprehensive School joint project achieves remarkable results...!]

["A meaningful event." Highest auction price 1.64 billion won!]

[The 1.64 billion won winner, a high school senior in the arts?]

[Cheonghwa Arts High School senior Kang-seok, a comet suddenly appearing in the art world?!]

[Currently remodeling Renaissance Shopping Mall ... "Made by Kang-seok!" revealed and causing a sensation!]

["Kang-seok is not a painter, but a sculptor." Bloom's director, a significant remark?]

[The Art Association turned upside down... "Who is Kang-seok?!"]

Articles poured in.

It seemed the reporters sent by the San-gang Life Public Interest Foundation and San-gang Medical Center were here for this reason. Kang-seok read through the articles. Before he knew it, the phone had moved from Kang Chae-young's hand to his own.

"Oppa, are you rich now?"

Kang Chae-young looked at him in shock. Kang-seok's lips twitched. The 1.64 billion won felt more tangible than the detached house in Seongbuk-dong.

But this still isn't enough.

Kang-seok smiled.

It's just the beginning.

Time passed quickly.

The name Kang-seok, which had heated up the internet and social media for a while, gradually faded away. At school, kids kept clinging to him, causing some annoying moments, but Kang-seok took it in stride.

It's natural that talented artists attract popularity.

Kang-seok held his beloved grinder and slowly stepped back. With each step back, the overall outline of the sculpture became clearer.

The first thing that caught the eye was the sturdy leg, like a giant tree.

Although clearly still, it conveyed a sense of dynamism.

The tendons above the heel and the ankle bones were all carved from pure white marble. The marble's unique gloss, reflecting the light, created the effect of beads of sweat.

Kang-seok stopped walking backward as he caught sight of this.

Following the leg upward, the back of the standing figure caught his eye—the broad, rugged back of a blacksmith striking a hammer.

The sweat-soaked clothes clung tightly to the skin. The process of capturing the delicate muscle contours was something he found truly enjoyable to think about.

Finally, Kang-seok inspected the details and smiled with satisfaction.

"It's complete."

Material: marble.

It took 3 months and 6 days to complete the 5.7-meter sculpture.

It was a short time in the world, but a long time for Kang-seok.