I Was Michelangelo in My Past Life

* * * *

The evening of July 5th.

Baek Myeong-hee tilted her head as she placed down a platter of fresh raw beef, butchered the same day, to belatedly celebrate Kang-seok's graduation exhibition.

'Was that kid always this smiley?'

Kang-seok had always been on the quiet side. He showed undeniable joy when he was drawing, but aside from that, he usually enjoyed being silent.

Like a switch that turns off and on.

In any case, he wasn't the kind of kid who grinned like this while eating.

Baek Myeong-hee narrowed her eyes. Raw beef had always been one of Kang-seok's favorites, but even so, the way his chopsticks trembled with excitement was no ordinary enthusiasm.

'Did something good happen?'

She quickly laid out dipping sauce and side dishes on the table. Kang Chae-young was scooping rice. Baek Myeong-hee's gaze wandered toward Kang-seok's firmly shut bedroom door.

"Why is your dad still in your room and not coming out?"

That's when Kang-seok, who had been pouring water into glasses, lifted his head. The corner of his mouth twitched again. It was a very subtle twitch, but Baek Myeong-hee, who had spent her life as his mother, noticed it immediately. It was a familiar expression.

'That's the face he makes right before showing off a really good drawing. Did he draw something again?'

Lately, he'd been oddly reluctant to show his artwork, even more so than before. She had been missing it. Baek Myeong-hee's lips curled into a soft smile.

She sat opposite an empty chair, facing the kitchen veranda, and rested her chin in her hand.

"Mom, here."

"Thank you."

"This one's for oppa too."

"Thanks."

Clink, clink. Kang Chae-young set down bowls of rice at Kang Hyun-do's empty seat and then at her own, one after another. Her expression grew puzzled. Normally, their dad would already be out by now.

"Dad's still not out?"

"Yeah. He just won't come out... Honey! Dinner's ready! We're all set!"

'Aha!'

Since the house had virtually no soundproofing, Kang Hyun-do's voice carried through the closed door. Moments later, he emerged from the room and came to the kitchen. The corners of his mouth twitched in a way that mirrored Kang-seok's.

With her chin still resting in her palm, Baek Myeong-hee's eyes followed Hyun-do. As his eyes met Kang-seok's, the younger one's lips twitched again.

'Did they draw something?'

Baek Myeong-hee wondered silently. Meanwhile, Kang Hyun-do apologized for being late and quickly picked up his spoon. Only then did Kang-seok and Kang Chae-young begin to eat.

Watching all this unfold, Baek Myeong-hee finally spoke.

"...What is it?"

She couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. Her serious expression turned to Hyun-do and Kang-seok in turn.

At that moment, the father and son were both dipping raw beef into the sauce and lifting it to their mouths, in perfect sync. Kang Chae-young glanced at the two, who looked frozen like a paused video, and stuffed a big spoonful of rice into her mouth.

Chew, chew.

Chae-young's mouth moved.

"What is?"

"What do you mean?"

Baek Myeong-hee's eyes narrowed. Her expression said, Don't even try to fool me.

"You're hiding something, aren't you? Seok, you're in on it too?"

Kang-seok thought, 'I'm not the accomplice, I'm the mastermind,' but swallowed those words along with his food. The corner of his mouth twitched again. His mother was always good with reactions — poke her with a 1, and she'd give back at least a 4.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"I don't know what you're talking about either."

Feigning innocence, the father and son continued chewing their raw beef and exchanged glances.

'You wrapped it up nicely, right?'

'Of course.'

Kang-seok swallowed another melt-in-your-mouth piece of beef and glanced past his mother's shoulder toward his room. Inside was a chair hidden like a prop in a spy movie — one he'd disassembled and reassembled into a box to bring home.

Just imagining how much his mom would love it made his smile twitch again. His chopsticks moved toward more raw beef. No gamey smell, just chewy perfection.

A dollop of garlic, sesame oil, chili powder, and his mom's secret sauce recipe — he dipped the beef, added some radish sprouts, wrapped it in seaweed, and took a bite.

Heavenly.

Kang-seok's chopsticks danced across the table.

It was a joyful dinner.

After the bountiful meal.

The whole family had gathered in the master bedroom — a rare occasion. A fan was running, a sign that summer had arrived.

As Kang-seok daydreamed about how the fan would soon be shoved into storage once they moved and got an air conditioner, Kang Hyun-do walked in carrying a large box.

A ribbon had been tied neatly around it — courtesy of a florist near the furniture store, who had given Hyun-do a crash course in ribbon tying.

Baek Myeong-hee looked surprised as she glanced at Kang-seok when she saw the large, baguette-colored box.

"What's this?"

She instinctively knew it was Kang-seok who had prepared the gift, even though Hyun-do had carried it and tied the ribbon. A mother's intuition was scary.

"A gift."

"A gift? What for?"

She looked puzzled — it wasn't her birthday, nor was there anything to celebrate.

"Open it."

"Yeah, Mom. Just open it."

Chae-young waved her fork, still skewering an apple slice, like a lightstick. Urged on, Myeong-hee stood up awkwardly.

She glanced at Hyun-do, who was smiling proudly, then cautiously reached for the ribbon. With one swift tug, the box flaps popped open like doors — no tape.

Her gaze dropped naturally to what was inside.

A chair.

"…A chair?"

A bright flame-orange elastomer mesh chair — something Baek Myeong-hee would definitely like. Having worked at a furniture store with her husband, she instinctively scanned the chair for its brand.

'Where's it from?'

It didn't look familiar at all. As she racked her brain for any matching brands, Hyun-do quickly dismantled the box, revealing the full chair.

A unique flame-orange tone elastomer mesh.

A curved neck-rest style headrest.

Aluminum legs.

Quiet nylon wheels.

Just those features made it obvious this was no ordinary chair — and that wasn't even all.

With a quick glance, she could see that the height, headrest, tilt tension, seat depth and angle, and lumbar support could all be finely adjusted.

Most appealing of all was how perfectly it seemed to suit her body — like it had been made for her.

Clearly a custom-fit, high-end chair.

'Did his dad help him pick it? I'm sure Seok was the one who got it… How did he choose something so perfect?'

Lately, her joints and back had been bothering her. Even she, who didn't share her husband's passion for chairs, found herself excited.

Just the curves alone felt like they embraced the human form. The simple, bold lines conveyed strength, and despite its compact size, the chair exuded a kind of elegance.

It felt almost reverent.

'Strong. This is like… one of Seok's sculptures.'

She was reminded of his owl sculpture with spread wings, and the piece — the one with Vulcan's back and a human face.

"Is… is it okay if I sit in it?"

It felt like a work of art.

"It's meant to be sat in."

Meant to be? Made? Myeong-hee glanced suspiciously at Kang-seok but shook her head. No way. That's too far-fetched. She cleared her thoughts and cautiously reached for the chair. Her fingertips brushed the armrest.

The contours were indeed a work of art.

Should she sit now?

She stroked the armrest, wondering if it'd look silly to sit down too quickly. How did he know she liked this color and design? Her heart swelled.

Her high school son had arranged medical checkups and found a new house — he'd grown up so fast.

"The design is beautiful… Where did you buy this?"

At her short question, Kang-seok answered with a strange expression.

"...It's not really from a brand. It's called Stergo (στέργω)."

"Stergo?"

"It's Greek. It means love between parent and child."

More precisely, love between parent and child — or among family members.

Love between parent and child? Baek Myeong-hee, listening quietly, turned toward Hyun-do with a suspicious look again.

"Don't tell me this is…"

Hyun-do, unable to hold it in, blurted it out.

"That's right. This chair, Seok made it for you."

"What?"

"What?"

Who made what?

Baek Myeong-hee and Kang Chae-young looked at Kang Hyun-do and Kang Seok in surprise.

It looked like a completely commercial product, but Seok made this? Kang Hyun-do, who runs a furniture store and knows about manufacturing companies, could explain, but how was this possible?

"So that's why you stayed holed up in the workshop all week?"

Isn't it like the gods gave too much to one person? Baek Myeong-hee looked at Kang Seok in amazement.

Kang Seok, his ear tips turning red, gestured toward her.

"Don't just stand there, sit down first. Okay?"

"Yeah. You have to sit to really feel it."

"Right, right. Mom, just sit first."

Encouraged by Kang Hyun-do and Kang Chae-young, Baek Myeong-hee, cheeks slightly flushed, sat down on the chair. As she slid her hips all the way to the edge of the seat, her soles touched the floor perfectly, and her knees formed a right angle with the protruding front edge of the seat.

Ah. It's different.

A feeling of stability unlike anything before embraced Baek Myeong-hee.

Comfort.

How could a correct posture still feel so comfortable? It was like slipping into a suit made of cushions tailored just for her.

"What... what is this?"

Baek Myeong-hee asked in surprise. Her arms had naturally rested on the armrests. The curve of the headrest fit perfectly with the back of her head, naturally pulling her chin in while feeling like a pillow resting on her neck.

It was so comfortable she didn't even know why there were so many adjustment controls.

"This is... so nice…"

Really nice? It was a chair, not a bed, but she didn't want to get up. Baek Myeong-hee couldn't find the words and closed her eyes, looking like she was getting a massage.

"Mom, you like it that much? I want to try sitting too."

"Chae-young, you won't find it as nice as mom does."

"...Is that so?"

Kang Seok smiled while looking at the back of Kang Chae-young's head, who looked disappointed while staring at the chair. He didn't want to say he would make one for her before they moved.

A surprise gift is best.

"Do you like it, mom?"

"Yes. I don't want to get up... This is so nice. Really."

At those words, Kang Seok glanced at Kang Hyun-do. Kang Hyun-do quietly smiled and gave a thumbs up. Without a word, Kang Seok seemed to understand what his father meant.

'Best son.'

Kang Seok cautiously gave a thumbs up back, meaning his father was cool too.

As the father and son built their bond,

Baek Myeong-hee, still with eyes closed, smiled softly at the chair. She remembered Kang Hyun-do, who had once been deeply absorbed in an advertisement.

— Chairs can change your life.

One company once used that slogan. They believed it so much they always brought up that phrase in their ads.

One day,

Kang Hyun-do, after seeing the ad, had been excited and agreed deeply. Chairs and beds are furniture that can change the quality of life. He said he wanted to make such furniture someday and spoke enthusiastically.

At that time, Baek Myeong-hee thought,

How can just changing one chair change life or improve quality of living?

She was wrong.

With her eyes closed, Baek Myeong-hee finally felt she could fully understand Kang Hyun-do.

And why people spend so much money on beds and chairs. She understood now.

That's why everyone is always flexing, flexing.

Ah.

This feels good.

With a sweet smile, Baek Myeong-hee slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

It was heaven.

A few days later.

The family began earnest preparations for moving. They started looking at furniture. Kang Seok thought about making furniture himself gradually, but since they needed many pieces immediately to live, he left it be.

'We can slowly fill it up.'

They could replace them as they went along. Kang Seok turned his head. The blue sky. The greenery filled the streets, signaling the start of summer, with birds and butterflies fluttering about.

Kang Seok took slow steps.

Like a scholar walking.

"Master, why are we suddenly going to the ecological park?"

"To see something."

"What are we going to see?"

"Butterflies."

"Butterflies?"

Jo Dong-beom, holding snacks prepared by Baek Myeong-hee, followed Kang Seok with a confused look.

'Please take good care of our Seok. These are snacks.'

'Ah, yes. Thank you. By the way, your mother looks so bright. Did something good happen?'

'Oh, haha, does it look like that? Maybe so?'

'What?'

'Nothing much. Just something like that. Enjoy your snack.'

Baek Myeong-hee, handing over snacks with a strangely bright face, and Kang Seok, leisurely heading to the ecological park—it was not the usual atmosphere of a high school senior's home. With only a little summer vacation left, they were so relaxed.

'Could it be the master doesn't want to go to college?'

Normally, it would be shocking for a Korean high school senior to skip college, but somehow, it was hard to imagine Kang Seok going to college.

'No way he'll paint what the professor wants or make three-dimensional sculptures. Ha. It's so ridiculous it makes me laugh.'

Jo Dong-beom lost himself in thought while following Kang Seok.

"But master, why do you want to see butterflies?"

"I'm in charge of the major renovation at Yongshin Land, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Hadn't the renovation design already been finished? Jo Dong-beom looked puzzled.

Since the old building was less than 200 square meters and under three floors, an architect wasn't needed for the design. Also, since not much was changed, a small but efficient architectural office was hired for construction… So was there anything more to do?

Jo Dong-beom looked at Kang Seok's back with curiosity.

Kang Seok walked slowly, watching the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

"Actually, what's important is after the renovation, not the renovation itself."

"After?"

"I'm thinking of decorating that old building."

Jo Dong-beom nodded, understanding, but why the ecological park?

At that moment,

Kang Seok turned around as if he heard the question in Jo Dong-beom's mind.

"I want to see butterflies for real. I remember them, but I want to see them with these eyes."

"If the master says so…"

Jo Dong-beom quickened his pace, eager to go. Looking at Jo Dong-beom leading the way like a guide, Kang Seok also started walking a bit faster.

For some reason, his heart was pounding.

'Butterflies...'

Honestly, it wasn't because he was going to see butterflies that he was excited. Kang Seok looked at the deep green shade. In his mind, colors floating around instantly came to him.

This.

This eye.

It hadn't deteriorated or aged. A clear world spun before Kang Seok's eyes. Numerous colors were recognized through his eyes.

The whole world was color.

If he went to an ecological park with dozens of butterfly species, his clear and young eyes would surely recognize the colors perfectly this time too.

If that happened, he could complete it.

Kang Seok thought of the entity in his pocket.

After the renovation of Yongshin Land's old building, he would finish it with an interior sketch.

.

.

.

At your arrival, with just a single wave of your hand,

The dark world

Is dyed by thousands of butterfly wings.

— Excerpt from Kang Seok's sonnet written in the corner of the interior sketch