Van Gogh Reborn!

237

It wasn’t there, but it appeared (5)

-Really. Really, Lupin is so cool.

Chasi-hyun was making a fuss over the smartphone.

-It’s because I’m Lupin.

Whenever Arsene Lupin escaped from a crisis in a fantastic way, the people around him would ask how such a thing was possible, and he would always utter this line.

It seemed that the magical line that made any impossible thing believable looked cool.

His voice was not at all similar, but he had practiced so much that his intonation and pronunciation were decent.

-I wish there was more.

-Really? Really, there’s a sequel?

“Yeah. The schedule is set.”

-Really? When? When is it?

He couldn’t finish his sentence because he kept nagging.

“The script hasn’t come out yet. I think it’ll take a year or two to release it.”

-No. How can I wait. I can’t wait.

I felt so good that he liked it so much that I smiled.

-By the way. My mom asked for an autograph. Is that okay?

I felt a little embarrassed to give an autograph to my friend’s mother.

“What autograph? I’ll say hello when I go to Korea later.”

-Huh?

“Huh?”

-No. To Timothee Chalamet.

She must have wanted the autograph of the actor who played Arsene Lupin, Timothee Chalamet.

“…I’ll ask him if I see him.”

-I wanted you to sign it!

“You confused me with your words.”

I had been to so many autograph sessions lately that I couldn’t help it.

-Hehehe. My mom and I bought an art book each. Sign it for me later.

“No.”

My face was a little hot.

I had to make sure who they wanted the autograph from the next time someone brought up the autograph.

-Where are you now? Amsterdam?

“No, Paris.”

-You said you were going to Amsterdam from Budapest the day before yesterday.

“That’s right. As soon as I finish one job, another one is waiting for me. I had to go on air today, so I came back as soon as the job was over yesterday.”

I thought I could relax until the new school year started in September, but it was a big mistake.

and were both huge successes, and the work piled up.

Not only the broadcasts, but also the art book sales, original painting exhibitions, previews, events, and autograph sessions for , I went to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Berlin, Madrid, Budapest, and Amsterdam from last week.

I came back to Paris today.

-It must be hard.

“Not really. It’s fun to go around and see things, and I eat delicious things.”

-Delicious things?

“They gave me chocolate in a cup when I ate churros in Madrid.”

The people of Madrid eat happiness with churros every morning.

-Chocolate? Melted?

“It’s very thick.”

-It sounds delicious.

“It is. It’s nice to eat something I haven’t tried before every time I move.”

The new place and its food culture give me happiness and inspiration.

When the work is over, I want to go around the museums and see the scenery and eat delicious food with my grandfather like before.

-That’s good. But you also do broadcasts and lectures.

Thanks to , I had a lot of broadcast appearances, and thanks to the documentary film , I even had to do lectures that I never had before.

It was called TED Global, and I was going to appear with Henri Marso in Paris this year.

“That’s all experience. I like talking too. I’m having fun, but Tae-ho is having a hard time.”

My grandfather accompanied me to places where I had to stay for a few days like the US, but Tae-ho took me alone to places where I could go for a day trip in Europe.

Thanks to that, he couldn’t go back to Seoul for a month.

-Mr. Tae-ho would like it, I think.

“Really?”

-Yeah. You make a lot of money, don’t you?

“That’s true.”

As I became more active outside, my income increased, and of course, the amount that went to Tae-ho also increased.

-So can you build a gallery now?

“Hardly.”

-You’re making so much money.

“I’ll have to see after the settlement. It’s not easy to earn that money.”

I don’t know how well and will do in the future, but I doubt they’ll bring in billions of won each.

-If it’s hard to save money, why don’t you find someone to do it with? Do you have to build it alone?

“It’s hard to find someone who shares my vision. Didn’t I tell you I was looking for people last time?”

-Yeah. The suspicious poster.

“…”

-Hehehe.

I have a bad memory of the poster.

It was because Bang Tae-ho uploaded a video of making the poster on NewTube, and it got over 3 million views, the most in the channel.

There were thousands of comments saying what kind of conspiracy I was plotting, or who I was going to kidnap.

I was just taking the viewers’ opinions into account, but it was humiliating.

“Anyway, there was no one worth it.”

I got a lot of contacts, but most of them had ulterior motives, so it fizzled out.

I was too busy to talk to everyone, but some of them asked me if they could get paid for the activity, and some of them wanted me to provide them with food and lodging.

I’m not saying I don’t understand their feelings, but I don’t want to be with someone who depends on me.

I want a relationship where we walk our own paths, but watch over each other to overcome the occasional loneliness.

If one side is unilateral, the result is not good.1)

“Hoon-ah, get ready.”

“Yes.”

Bang Tae-ho told me the broadcast was about to start.

“I have to go. I’ll call you again.”

-Yeah. Do well.

The Alphonse Mendy Show, the most watched TV program in France, began.

The popular entertainer Alphonse Mendy greeted the audience with his neat teeth.

“It’s the best adventure novel in France, right? The Arsene Lupin series is getting an unexpected love. Thanks to the movie The Castle.”

The audience cheered.

The movie based on the French novel was a global success, and the Arsene Lupin series rose to the bestseller list again.

It had been a month since the release, but not many people had actually seen because of the few theaters.

People were reading the original novel to ease their regret.

“That The Castle was born from this person’s hands would not be an exaggeration. I would like to introduce the painter Ko Hun, who was the concept art manager of the movie The Castle.”

As Ko Hun appeared, the audience welcomed him with cheers and applause.

“Hello.”

Ko Hun shook hands with Alphonse Mendy and sat on the sofa.

“It’s amazing. Was it eight months ago when we met?”

“I guess so.”

“In eight months, you surprised the world again. Yesterday, on the 33rd day of release, 1.5 billion dollars.”

The audience responded with astonished voices.

“There have been movies about Arsene Lupin before. Why was The Castle able to succeed so much?”

“I think it’s because they interpreted the original well.”

Ko Hun answered calmly.

“Christine Norman is a genius. She understood perfectly all the characters that appeared, not only Arsene Lupin, but also Isidore, Sherlock Holmes, Ganimard, Raymond, and so on.”

“She understood the characters perfectly.”

“Yes. Director Norman gave me the script and explained in detail what the characters were thinking and doing. She also told me their habits and what kind of clothes they liked to wear. She was really thorough, even why they wore those shoes.”

“It sounds impressive, but it must have been hard to work with.”

“Actually, it was comfortable. There was no ambiguity. I just drew the world in the director’s head on paper.”

“Director Norman said that without Ko Hun, she couldn’t have made The Castle.”

Ko Hun smiled faintly.

“I think this work might prove that.”

As Alphonse Mendy said, appeared on the screen and the audience stirred.

The expressions of the characters reflected in the bullet that came out of the muzzle were vivid.

“It’s a work that’s as hot as the movie. It’s a painting titled Bullet, and it was the climax scene, right?”

“Yes. It’s the scene where Raymond dies from the bullet shot by the police.”

“He ran in to protect Lupin. It’s one of the best scenes in the movie The Castle. How did you draw such a picture?”

“I thought a lot about it. I got the inspiration for the reflection from Marso’s Shadow, and I referred to Manet for the twisted composition.”

Alphonse Mendy nodded his head.

“Is this scene also in the actual movie? Does this kind of setting affect the movie shooting?”

“Yes. But usually, it’s the director or someone with the authority to direct who asks me to draw it.”

“What about the bullet holes?”

“Not really. I came up with them myself.”

“That’s amazing. I can understand why Director Norman said the movie wouldn’t have been possible without you, Ko Hun.”

Ko Hun had received praise from various media outlets, but he couldn’t get used to this kind of atmosphere.

He smiled awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Let’s put the movie talk aside for a bit and move on to your recent news. How have you been lately?”

“I took the entrance exam for Henri IV Middle School a while ago. Of course, I passed.”

“Then?”

“Yes. I’m going to study abroad, so I’ll be staying in Paris for a while.”

“That’s good news. Henri IV Middle School is one of the most prestigious schools, you know.”

“They promised me a lot of different experiences, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“That’s great. How do you like Paris?”

Ko Hun hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I was surprised.”

“About what?”

“They take diversity very seriously. There are so many rats in places like parks. Rats bigger than my arm.”

“Hahaha!”

Alphonse Mendy laughed out loud.

It was also one of the things that foreigners visiting Paris were most shocked by, and it was a controversial topic among Parisians.

“They said those rats should be protected too.”

“It’s a never-ending story.”

The rats that swarmed all over the city had been a social problem for a long time.

There was a conflict between those who wanted to kill the rats that threatened people’s lives by biting them or spreading diseases, and those who claimed that rats were also living beings that deserved protection. They had been arguing for decades without understanding each other.

It was also something that confused Ko Hun, who believed that diversity should be respected.

“I don’t know who’s right, but I was surprised.”

“I see.”

Alphonse Mendy was relieved that Ko Hun didn’t touch on a sensitive issue, fearing that he might be attacked by animal rights groups.

He maintained his neutrality by saying he didn’t know who was right, and he didn’t seem to get much criticism from either side.

He changed the subject to avoid the sensitive topic.

“You must be getting a lot of attention with your successive successes in the Art Nouveau contest, Gyeamseong, and Vincent.”

“Yes. These days, everyone greets me when I go out. Actually, Gyeamseong was the most helpful, I think.”

“Haha. I knew you would succeed, but I didn’t expect it to go this well.”

“Yes. I remember seeing comments saying that Marso was a fool, that he wasted his money, when he invested in it. I was so upset.”

Ko Hun looked at the camera and said.

“Did you see? Our Marso is not a fool. He made a lot of money this time.”

The audience and Alphonse Mendy laughed loudly at Ko Hun’s words.

Because of his experience with Paul Gauguin.