I Was Michelangelo in My Past Life

Jeong Young-ho was a subscriber of Lee Min-hyuk.

He was such a devoted fan that he even made sure to watch Professor Lee Min-hyuk's live streaming early on Saturday mornings.

Jeong Young-ho, who roughly closed the constant notifications popping up in the Buddhist statue-making club chatroom, leaned back in his chair. It was good that he had scheduled his weekend art academy classes for the afternoon and evening sessions.

He thought he could leisurely watch, then eat lunch, do his English tutoring, and head straight to the academy. He could catch up on the social studies online lecture later at night. Checking with his earphones if the sound was working well, he glanced back.

The door was firmly closed.

"...So today, I'm going to show this sculpture to our subscribers."

Inside his earphones, Professor Lee Min-hyuk's intro was beginning. Today's streaming seemed quite urgent. Young-ho, pleased but also a bit flustered, glanced at the screen.

By the way, an introduction to an artist? How enviable. Young-ho sighed with envy. Since it was called a sculpture, it was clear the artist was a sculptor.

"Who could it be?"

Who had been so fortunate in a past life to be introduced by an influencer like this? Young-ho envied the sculptor who was a step ahead of countless unknown artists.

At the same time, a wave of self-pity crept over him.

He hadn't usually envied others like this... but somehow, now that he was a senior in high school, he felt he compared himself to others more often.

Anxiety, maybe.

He wondered if, after working this hard to get into college, he could actually make a living as a sculptor.

He was only looking up at the sculptors who had made it, but feared he might just become one among the many others left behind. That fear turned into stress that kept eating away at him.

"I tried to ease my troubled mind by turning this on... and here they are introducing another sculptor."

He thought it would be better to just watch the actual lessons for tonight instead of getting caught up in this.

At that moment,

Professor Lee Min-hyuk swung his arm wide and pulled away a cloth.

As the cloth was removed, the first thing to appear wasn't the large wings but the eyes. They must have been carved from wood, but the eyes strangely glowed with a reddish hue, resembling a sunset.

It was a Blakiston's fish owl.

Usually, Blakiston's fish owls aren't considered beautiful, but the dazzling wings instantly erased that thought.

Whether by intentional lighting or natural morning light, it made his heart flutter as if a sunset was rising.

"The name of this piece is Leap."

It was a truly fitting name.

It felt like the exact moment the fish owl pushed off the branch to leap.

Ah.

Even on the screen, Young-ho felt his heart swell. Although it was wood, the movement of the wing feathers was both wild and beautiful.

As Lee Min-hyuk focused the camera on the fish owl sculpture and smiled, he said:

"How does it look? Doesn't it feel like the fish owl only spreads its wings at sunset to leap for the hunt?"

Yes.

That's exactly how it felt.

Though Young-ho couldn't see Lee Min-hyuk in person, he nodded vigorously. His original plan to just glance at the sculpture and then go to his online lecture was long gone.

Young-ho leaned forward as if about to be pulled into the screen. Sculptures aren't just meant to be seen from the front. You should see them from the side, diagonally, above, behind, even crouch down... ahh! He couldn't stand it.

He pulled his chair closer and typed furiously on the keyboard:

[Professor, sorry to bother you, but could you move the camera to show other angles? Just seeing the front feels too limited ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

It seemed he wasn't the only one thinking this way—the frozen chat room quickly started moving.

[Watching this literally stopped my breath]

[Wow... insane... who carved this?]

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ this is crazy]

[Oh, somehow this makes me want to cry]

[Right? I feel my eyes getting misty]

[(₩10,000)ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I never thought I'd be moved by artㅠㅠㅠ I used to wonder if I even had an eye for art seeing all these recent works, but this is amazing, thank you, Professor]

[I want to visit the exhibitionㅠㅠㅠ]

[Wow... is this piece going to be exhibited?]

Most comments expressed gratitude for showing such a piece. Young-ho felt a strange emotion watching this. To feel the greatness of a work just through a screen... how incredible that was.

If you weren't a major, you probably wouldn't understand this feeling easily. But even as a non-major, you could sense the greatness of this piece, its intuitive beauty.

That place was right here.

"Oh, so this is why it's recommended," Young-ho thought as he took his eyes off the chat to look again at the sculpture Leap on the screen.

He couldn't see it from any other angles, but since it was being filmed with a good camera, he could see all the details well. The owl's feathers and plumage made from wood looked incredibly delicate.

Young-ho, who had carved wood himself in the Buddhist statue club, couldn't believe how carefully and finely the piece was carved.

While Young-ho marveled, the chat sped up again. The number of viewers was also increasing rapidly.

[(₩5,000) Are there still sculptors who carve by hand these days? Amazing. Professor, like Young-ho Bosal, I'm curious about other angles of Leap too.]

[I agree with Young-ho Bosal's opinion 2222]

[Agreed 3333]

Young-ho Bosal was Young-ho's nickname.

[I really want to see other angles too. I recently went to Bloom Art Museum to see a sculpture called Father, and somehow it feels a bit like that...]

[Oh]

[The above comment seems right]

[Oh?]

[I went to see it too, it really felt strangely similar even though it's human and animal?]

[And then it turns out it's by the same person lol]

Young-ho noticed the name Father appearing repeatedly in the chat. Father was by Kang Seok, wasn't it? They said this felt similar to that piece?

Young-ho turned his head.

Uh...? I think I get it. Huh? Huh? Huh?

The chatroom was flooded with the same comments. Meanwhile, Professor Lee Min-hyuk was moving the camera back and forth, saying he would show whatever the subscribers wanted.

Young-ho, thankful that Lee Min-hyuk was carefully holding the camera steady and showing the sculpture from various angles, typed a message of thanks while being absorbed in the viewing.

He paid no attention to the trending topics burning up the chat.

"Kang Seok made this fish owl sculpture Leap?"

That couldn't be right.

Young-ho shook his head, thinking those people didn't know what they were talking about. Most people didn't know what Kang Seok was working on during that time.

"Kang Seok worked on Sunset, Glass Peony, Maktub, Father... he did several works! Before that, he was busy making a fresco mural called The Creation of Adam in the Renaissance shopping mall, and publishing [Kang Seok's Human Anatomy Sketchbook]! How could he...!"

It made no sense.

Young-ho chuckled dryly.

Because of people making wild guesses.

The camera was still rolling. Young-ho's fingers itched to clarify things, his usual meddlesome self.

"Should I reveal that I know Kang Seok personally to set the record straight? Instead of typing in the chat, wouldn't it be better to just appreciate the work...? Should I type or not...?"

While Young-ho hesitated,

Lee Min-hyuk finished a full round of the sculpture, placed the camera on its stand, and sat down at his computer.

[Is the sculptor Kang Seok from Cheonghwa Arts High School?]

[Did Kang Seok really carve Leap?]

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ If he can carve animal sculptures this well, he really is a geniusㅠㅠㅠ]

[Really]

[I hope people don't call him a genius hater;; Honestly, after seeing Father, I only thought of him as a genius]

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Professor, is it true Kang Seok made this? Please answerㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I beg you]

At that moment,

Apparently having read the chat, Lee Min-hyuk furrowed his brow and stared somewhere on the computer screen.

[Oh]

[Got a reply]

[Reply coming soon]

[Please reply]

[Please reply 22222]

[Reply 3333]

Lee Min-hyuk smiled broadly as he read down the chat. Why was he smiling? Young-ho watched in surprise, and then the screen shook again.

Lee Min-hyuk had grabbed the camera again. Unlike the shaky, unfocused image, the voice through the earphones was clear.

"Earlier, I said I'd introduce a great artist to you, right? He's been watching this chat right beside me. Here he is...!"

[Oooo]

[Oooooooo]

[Hurry hurry]

[Ahhhhhh I can't waitㅠㅠㅠ Camera pleaseㅠㅠㅠ]

"Nineteen-year-old genius sculptor! Kang Seok!"

The camera turned sideways and fixed on Kang Seok's face inside the computer screen.

A handsome face with reddish-brown eyes. A distinctive, slightly prickly expression you wouldn't forget once seen. It was definitely him. Whether looking sideways, in a front roll pose, or standing on his hands, it was Kang Seok.

Young-ho's mouth fell open.

...How are you appearing there?

The live viewer count was already 7,000.

Kang Seok couldn't hide his surprised expression as he looked at the screen. Though to anyone else, it looked almost expressionless.

"Please say hello."

Lee Min-hyuk smiled brightly and looked at Kang Seok.

Not knowing where to look, Kang Seok glanced around awkwardly. Lee Min-hyuk subtly shielded the camera to avoid catching this.

Kang Seok then slightly bowed his head and looked at the camera.

"Hello. I'm Kang Seok, a third-year student at Cheonghwa Arts High School. Nice to meet you."

After greeting, his eyes glanced at the chatroom. Unlike earlier when Professor Lee was speaking, the chat was silent.

Embarrassed and awkward, he scratched the bridge of his nose.

Suddenly, the chat started moving fast.

[...He's... so handsome.]

[Where did this handsome guy suddenly come from?]

[Gasp]

[He's handsome]

[...Seriously, insanely handsome]

[Professor, sorry. I can only see the person next to you.]

[...What? This suddenly feels uncomfortable. Sweat is dripping from my eyes.]

[Don't look in the mirror. There might be a squid.]

[My eyes... my eyes are purified]

[Crazy.]

[Wow... a celebrity?]

[What?]

[...Why is he so handsome?]

As the chat exploded, Kang Seok's eyes flickered rapidly. Lee Min-hyuk nodded. Honestly, the reason he brought Kang Seok on camera was this—his handsome face. A face that wouldn't lose out anywhere.

A kind but slightly unkind look that strangely caught attention.

Like a soft handsome face inhabited by a prickly personality.

Then,

[(₩50,000) There's a YouTube channel called [Kang Seok], is that you?]

A hot pink super chat popped up. Kang Seok glanced sideways, silently asking how to answer.

Lee Min-hyuk gestured to respond, and Kang Seok scratched his nose and nodded.

"Yes. That's me."

At that moment,

The subscriber count on Kang Seok's channel on one of the dual monitors started rapidly changing. Lee Min-hyuk clicked refresh quietly with a sigh of admiration.

49, 75, 133, 164, 182...!

Kang Seok's subscriber count was soaring quickly.

Like a blazing fire.

Outside the window.

Kang Seok, who had been watching the deep navy night sky, fell backward.

Thud, a soft bed cushioned him.

His eyes no longer looked at the night sky but at the phone screen.

[Kang Seok]

[@GANGSUK] [4,094 subscribers]

[Sculptor Kang Seok's official YouTube channel.]

The number of subscribers that grew in just one day felt like a dream. Although some viewers were dropping off in real-time, about 4,000 people had tuned in at once during a single broadcast.

Even now, the subscriber count kept fluctuating up and down. Professor Lee Min-hyuk said that once the live broadcast was edited and re-uploaded, the numbers would slowly increase again.

It was a strange feeling.

Honestly, the biggest factor in today's subscriber surge wasn't the artwork Leap but Kang Seok's own appearance.

Scratching the bridge of his nose, Kang Seok scrolled through the numerous comments on the black shorts video with a peculiar expression. Was this how that Raphael guy felt? Should he be happy or not?

Kang Seok was staring at the screen with an ambiguous look.

"But, oppa, did you activate the YouTube broadcast?"

"What?"

Kang Seok sat up. Kang Chae-young, who was preparing a facial pack, tapped cucumbers with a mallet and said,

"I mean the broadcast activation. I found out that you have to activate it at least 24 hours in advance to be able to do live streaming later."

"Really?"

He didn't know.

Blinking, Kang Seok poked around the screen here and there. There really was a broadcast activation option. Kang Chae-young sighed in relief as she unfolded the mask sheet.

"Now that I see it, you have to have over 1,000 subscribers to do live streaming. Thanks to Professor Lee Min-hyuk today, you passed it. Without that, you wouldn't even be able to turn on live broadcast."

"That kind of condition existed?"

"Yeah, so you owe him a meal later."

Dodging the mask sheet Kang Chae-young held out in front of him, Kang Seok nodded roughly.

He hadn't known that either.

When they created the channel, no one had told them about this. Probably none of those guys knew either. This really wasn't something just anyone could do.

With the mask sheet finally on, Kang Seok closed his eyes. The cool feeling of the cucumber came up through the sheet.

"But, oppa... have you decided what to make the Buddha statue out of?"

"Yeah."

"Of course. Then decide quickly... Huh? You decided?"

"Yeah."

"What? What is it?"

Even with his eyes closed, Kang Seok could almost see Kang Chae-young's face staring at him with huge, rabbit-like eyes. He smirked and said,

"White Onyx."

From the moment he decided to make the Buddha statue, that was the only material that came to mind. White Onyx was a type of stone Kang Seok had wanted to work with ever since his first year in the Buddha statue-making club.

"Onyx? Like a gemstone?"

"No, not that. Marble."

"Oh, marble."

Kang Chae-young nodded lightly, like a breeze.

"Is it like the statue Father?"

"A little different."

"Different? How?"

Kang Seok was silent at her question, then suddenly stood up. The cucumbers and mask sheet fell messily onto the bed. Kang Chae-young's eyes grew as wide as lanterns.

"W-what is this!"

"Wait a minute."

Calming Kang Chae-young, who was about to freak out, Kang Seok picked up his phone.

White Onyx is a stone whose supply is irregular.

Among Onyx varieties, the white type is far less common than brown or yellow, making it very unstable to source whenever needed.

Normally, this wouldn't matter, but the Buddha statue had to be finished by the end of August.

And having the stone wasn't the end.

Up until now, luck had allowed Kang Seok to start working immediately, but when he was like Michelangelo, it had sometimes taken up to six months just to select the marble. That was just the selection time.

Kang Seok found a contact labeled [Teacher Yang Seon-gu] and pressed the call button.

"If you're going to keep sculpting marble, you'll need my help. Feel free to contact me."

That was the number given to him for times like this.

It was only eight o'clock—not too late.

Before the ringtone could finish several times, Yang Seon-gu's voice came through the speaker.

— "Seok? What's up?"

"Ah, teacher. Long time no see."

— "Hmm. So what is it? Do you need something?"

The sound of Yang Seon-gu rising could be heard. The soft swish of hanbok fabric brushing softly.

"Uh... I need white onyx stone."

— "White onyx? What the hell are you gonna do with that?"

Clearly, he knew.

Kang Seok smirked.

He felt like he had found the right person to ask.

"I'm going to make a Buddha statue."

— "A Buddha statue?"

With the flutter of a fan, Yang Seon-gu's voice came back.

— "That sounds interesting."

Done.

That was permission.

One week later, July 22.

The day after summer vacation started.

Before starting the main summer special lecture, the Buddha statue-making club came to the mountains for what felt like the last club retreat of high school.

A sort of retreat.

Jung Young-ho looked around. It was all mountains. He was surprised such a quiet place existed near Seoul.

"Is this the right place?"

Some parents, including Jung Young-ho's mother, got out of the cars. From Carnival to Starex, doors opened, and club members poured out.

"They said this was the place..."

Jung Young-ho trailed off. He held a lunchbox in his hands. His gaze lost focus, wandering around.

He had come to support Kang Seok, who had to make the statue alone because of the summer special lecture. But he didn't know where to go.

What to do? Should he turn back? Should he call? What if Kang Seok was working? Various worries made him anxious.

Kkaaaang!

The sharp sound of something breaking glass echoed.

Jung Young-ho and the others quickly turned their heads toward the noise. They instinctively knew. That was where Kang Seok was.

"Let's go."

When Jung Young-ho shouted, the kids nodded like they were hypnotized.

...

Climbing halfway up the mountain, the first thing they saw was a hanok (traditional Korean house). The kids marveled at the hanok blending harmoniously with the mountain and the stones placed around it.

Behind them, a few mothers followed with curious expressions.

"Why is the road so neatly maintained up this mountain?"

"Right? You could probably drive right up here."

"What is this?"

It was a mountain, but it didn't feel like one.

The weight of the stones in the distance made it seem like a quarry, yet the hanok and road felt like they were in the middle of a city.

It felt like another world.

While both kids and adults marveled, suddenly:

Kwaaaaang! Kkaaang!

The rough sound of stones and glass clashing echoed loudly.

The mountain seemed to hold the sound and spread it like an echo.

Everyone stopped, startled by the booming noise. The source was the hanok. The closer they got, the louder it became.

At the doorstep.

Jung Young-ho looked at the kids. They looked unsure if this was really the place. Their faces were full of anticipation and fear. Jung Young-ho checked the address again, then bravely knocked on the door.

"Seok, Seok!"

Teng teng teng teng, the wooden door's knock echoed.

Then, a gust of wind blew sand inside the gate.

Despite the bright daylight, the eerie atmosphere made Jung Young-ho and the kids step back from the gate.

Creak.

The door opened.

A flowing wide-sleeved hanbok parted to reveal an old man with a long beard.

"Is... Is this a hermit?"

Jung Young-ho blinked several times, too nervous to see clearly, then recognized who it was.

"Hey, Yang Seon-gu...!"

So shocked, he spoke informally without even knowing if it was really him. Yang Seon-gu, having lived abroad for a long time, just laughed and warmly welcomed them.

"You guys are Seok's friends?"

"Y-yes?"

Could they really call themselves friends? The kids hesitated, looking at one another, but Yang Seon-gu waved his hand as if it didn't matter.

"Well, whatever. Since it'd be a shame to see this alone, come in. You too, you all come in."

Inviting the kids and the adults behind them, Yang Seon-gu slowly turned and walked away. The sandstorm followed him like clouds.

The kids and adults entered, almost hypnotized.

Creak.

The door closed behind them.

At the same moment, everyone saw it:

On the stone with cloud-like patterns engraved deeply.

Kang Seok was sitting on the stone like a chair, holding a hammer in his left hand, staring at the stones.

With his reddish-brown eyes, Kang Seok looked almost godlike.

It was a scene.

Like witnessing a moment from a myth.

Everyone froze, standing still, when Yang Seon-gu came beside them and put a finger to his lips.

"He's choosing stones."

Choosing stones?

That phrase triggered a sound in Jung Young-ho's mind. Kkaang, kkaang—the sound that had echoed all the way up the mountain.

Now that he looked closer, broken stones were scattered under the sandstorm, shattered and crumbled.

At that thought, Jung Young-ho noticed the hammer in Kang Seok's left hand. Could it be that the hammer broke the stones? All with that small hammer?

The stones looked like they had been hit by a giant crane, smashed into large chunks. If Kang Seok really broke them with one hammer, that was incredible strength.

At that moment, Kang Seok slowly stood, raised the hammer, and struck the stone.

Kkaaaang!

Though the onyx was hard, its glass-like nature made it easily breakable, so the hammer struck harshly.

Jung Young-ho closed his eyes tight.

Though he'd never handled it, it was definitely white onyx.

The higher-grade onyx was prone to shattering from impact. It would definitely break.

As Jung Young-ho imagined new onyx being stacked above, he closed his eyes and waited. Kwaaaang! With the familiar noise, the stone shattered.

Feeling his legs weaken, Jung Young-ho tightened his stance. Again and again, stones crashed down recklessly.

Crazy.

It was as if a god was swinging a hammer right in front of them. Jung Young-ho's shoes dug into the sand as he stepped back, wanting to run away, scared, feeling like his legs might give out.

Then.

Kkaaaang!

Like he had found a new toy, Kang Seok struck the stone again.

Jung Young-ho closed his eyes tightly, again and again. This time too, the loud noise meant the stone would definitely fall.

...?

But this time, even after waiting a long time, no sound of the stone hitting the ground came.

What?

Jung Young-ho opened his eyes in confusion. At the same time, Kang Seok's voice echoed in his ears.

"This is it."

Jung Young-ho's mouth slowly opened.

Amazement, shock, and surprise all showed in his expression.

The onyx... despite Kang Seok's hammering, had not broken but kept its shape, appearing from the dust cloud.

Huh?

Kang Seok looked at it with sparkling eyes.

"I'll use this, teacher."

The moment the stone for the Buddha statue was decided.