Van Gogh Reborn!

221

Iris (1)

Henri Matisse looked at me sharply and turned his head.

“I don’t have time to deal with kids.”

“Is that so?”

I was relieved, but strangely resentful.

“It’s not a bad thing. You can learn a lot from teaching students.”

He had taught students at the university, so he must have spoken from experience.

But Matisse didn’t seem interested.

He didn’t want to waste his time on anything other than his artistic activities.

“Why did you contact Matisse?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

It would improve the quality of education to invite a famous writer as a lecturer, but Henri Matisse was over the top.

I wondered how much money they had to pay him to hire him, and he wasn’t the type to be swayed by money.

“Is it because of Pousin?”

Cherie Gado asked as she put down the food.

“Pousin?”

“He’s the principal of Henri IV Middle School. He’s a benefactor to Henri.”

“What do you mean by benefactor?”

Matisse snorted.

From my experience, he often reacted like that when he liked someone.

Sure enough, Cherie Gado told me that they were close.

“He says that, but he really respects him. He was Henri’s art teacher when he was in middle school.”

Matisse had also graduated from Henri IV Middle School.

“Was he better then?”

“What do you mean?”

“His personality.”

Matisse frowned and Cherie Gado chuckled.

“He’s a gentleman now. Back then, no one could stop him.”

I couldn’t imagine how unruly he was when he was young, when he was still reckless now.

“He became a person after meeting Pousin. Right?”

“Hmph.”

He must have been a great educator to take good care of Henri Matisse in his adolescence.

“So, does Pousin ask you to work as a teacher?”

“He wants to keep me by his side and nag me.”

I couldn’t tell what kind of person he was, but he had a lot of friends, like Michel and Cherie.

It was surprising that Henri Matisse had so many friends, including the chairman of the Chevasson Cimon and the principal of Pousin.

“Come on, let’s talk while we eat. You’re going to Arles today, right?”

“Yes.”

“You have to eat well before you go on a long trip. Su-yeol, you too.”

“Ha ha. Yes. I’ll enjoy it.”

The breakfast that Cherie Gado prepared was splendid as usual.

The young film director Daniel Scott was a passionate fan of Vincent van Gogh, and he had poured his passion into making the documentary for the past two years.

He had repeatedly read the materials collected by Martin Jansen throughout his life, and he had visited the filming locations to organize the life story of Vincent van Gogh.

He had sorted out the letters that van Gogh left and the records that those who remembered him left.

He had enjoyed the process of learning new facts that he had not known before by meeting various experts and seeking their guidance.

He wanted to let people know that Vincent van Gogh was not simply a madman.

He wanted to comfort him a little for his tragic life that he had to end himself after desperately resisting his fate.

That’s why he had devoted himself to it.

But did he really have to cast a child?

Daniel Scott couldn’t easily accept Martin Jansen’s request.

‘Do I really have to do that?’

‘You don’t know anything about Hoon. You’ll see why I’m doing this when you meet him.’

Daniel Scott couldn’t agree with Martin Jansen’s words.

He acknowledged his talent as a painter, but he wondered if he had to cast an Asian boy in a documentary that dealt with the life story of Vincent van Gogh.

He thought it would be better to invite a painter who had studied Vincent van Gogh for a long time.

But he had no choice because Martin Jansen, the investor, insisted strongly.

‘A child explaining van Gogh.’

Vincent van Gogh was a very complex person.

He showed a selfless side that loved others, but he also made things difficult for those around him by being stubborn sometimes.

It was because of his strong ego as a painter.

As I looked through the letters I exchanged with my younger brother Theodore, I could see his frustration and bitterness from not being recognized.

He sounded desperate as he explained in detail how great his work was.

He was too rational to be called a madman, but too human to be called an idealist.

I had no idea how much a child could understand such a person.

‘I have to cut it as much as possible.’

Daniel Scott reluctantly agreed to film and decided to reduce Ko Hun’s footage as much as possible.

He thought Martin Jansen would have no choice but to accept his editing based on the flow of the documentary.

Then he learned that Ko Hun had discovered Vincent van Gogh’s last workplace in Auvers-sur-Oise.

It was unbelievable.

The Vincent van Gogh that Ko Hun talked about was the same van Gogh that Daniel Scott had imagined.

It was an inference that only someone who saw the situation from van Gogh’s perspective could make.

Daniel Scott left some parts of the fourth episode of , which he composed in five parts, empty, thinking that maybe Martin Jansen’s words were not entirely wrong.

Just in case.

If by any chance, Ko Hun showed him a good painting, he had secured enough time to use it.

“…Phew.”

Daniel Scott exhaled the smoke and chuckled.

‘That’s impossible.’

Daniel Scott looked around the filming site and thought he was having a useless expectation.

I arrived at the beloved Arles.

There were not many direct trains from Paris Lyon Station, and most of them were sold out, so I was worried, but Marso got me a ticket.

As I got off the train and went out to the station, Bang Tae Ho was waiting for me.

I hadn’t seen him for only a week or so, but I was so happy to see him.

“Sir.”

“Hoon.”

Bang Tae Ho came up to me with a smile.

“Did you have a good time? You look better.”

“I had a hard time.”

“You had a hard time?”

“You’re being sassy because you exercised a little.”

Grandpa and Bang Tae Ho laughed out loud. I didn’t know what was so funny.

“How about you, sir?”

“Hmm. I’m relieved. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Bang Tae Ho brushed my arm and bowed his waist.

“Thanks to you, I came back safely. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. How is your mother?”

“She’s recovering well and she can talk now.”

“That’s a relief.”

I heard that the surgery went well, but if she could have a conversation, I wouldn’t have to worry too much.

I knew too well how it felt to lose a parent, so I was relieved.

We got in the car that Bang Tae Ho had prepared in advance and headed to the filming site.

“Hoon, there’s a box in the back.”

“This one?”

There was a well-packed box on the back seat of the passenger seat. It was quite big.

“Hanna said thank you.”

It was a gift from Lee Hanna, the author of .

I hurriedly untied the ribbon.

“Snacks?”

They were Korean snacks.

The food in Korea and France had different charms, but the snacks sold at French convenience stores were so sweet that I missed Korean snacks.

It was a good timing.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

I tore the cone-shaped snack bag and put it on my finger.

“I should say hello to her.”

“Why?”

“You talked about The Blood Mark when you were on the show last time.”

I did that a few times.

I mentioned it on the Alphonse Mendy Show that I appeared on recently, but Grandpa asked me what The Blood Mark was and I got in trouble.

He had set up a kids lock before, but I forgot.

I tried hard to explain, but I was embarrassed when he asked me how I watched it.

When I actually watched it, it was not violent or provocative, but a fun drama, so I tried to persuade him, but Grandpa shook his head after watching the first episode and set up the kids lock again.

I plan to ask Cha Si-hyun to explain it to me later.

“Thanks to you, a lot of people have become interested. Even Marso saw it.”

“Ah.”

“A French publisher contacted me. They want to publish it. JH Cinema is also preparing for the French service.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s all because of you. There’s a coupon in the box below.”

I took out the snacks and found a letter and a coupon.

It was a cash coupon that could be used on KakaoPage, where the novel was serialized.

The letter was written by the author Lee Hanna herself.

She said she wanted to meet me and thank me when she came to Korea, and she thanked me for working happily with Bang Tae-ho.

I received a letter from the author of herself.

I have to keep this well.

“The publisher said to let me know if there’s any book you want to see. They want to send it to you.”

I thought of Lee Hanna’s new work .

It was a novel about a college student who loved a professor, and it had a reputation for being a masterpiece that made you feel both freshness and intimacy.

I wanted to read it sometime.

“Can I get children’s books too?”

“…”

“They have several brands. They deal with various kinds of books.”

“I see.”

I don’t think I can ask for anything since my grandfather is here.

It took about 10 minutes.

We arrived at the shooting site shortly after driving.

“Su-yeol! Hun-ah!”

Martin Jansen welcomed us with open arms.

He hugged my grandfather and me alternately, and greeted Bang Tae-ho.

“This is Daniel Scott. A competent director.”

Martin Jansen introduced the documentary director.

He was a Scottish man in his mid-30s, with a gaunt and smoky appearance.

He had a fierce and irritable expression.

“His face and personality are dirty, but his skill is trustworthy. Hahaha!”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious, but Daniel Scott didn’t deny it.

“Can we start right away?”

“Sure.”

I was well informed of what I had to do.

I had to draw following the works I had drawn before, and freely tell stories about ‘Vincent’ and ‘his works’ as if I was broadcasting on the internet.

“Iris, right?”

Daniel Scott nodded.

At first, I planned to do , which many people liked, but during the Art Nouveau contest, I was asked if I could do .

It was what the director wanted, and it was also a work that I had something to say.

“Let’s see the scene then.”

As I sat in front of the canvas, the lights and cameras moved.