Van Gogh Reborn!

261

Admission (4)

“Sorry for the late introduction. Nice to meet you.”

“Hehe. Welcome.”

Cha Si-hyun’s family arrived in Paris.

“So you’re Hun.”

“Hello.”

“You’re even prettier than on TV.”

“So are you, ma’am.”

“Si-hyun bragged about you. When you were on TV.”

I had told him that she was his mother when we watched TV together. It was a program that interviewed successful CEOs, and she was introduced as the representative of a bicycle manufacturer.

“Our mother is pretty, right?”

“Oh, look at him.”

Cha Si-hyun’s mother smiled, embarrassed and pleased.

When we entered the house, they gave us gifts.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do this.”

“We felt so sorry for not doing anything when Si-hyun helped us. Please accept them.”

“Thank you.”

Grandpa didn’t like receiving gifts from anyone, but he had no choice but to take them when they handed them to him personally.

“We packed some things for you, since you said you liked Korean food. With seasonings and all.”

Grandpa, who didn’t accept cash or valuables, smiled brightly when he saw the red pepper powder.

“Oh, wow.”

“It’s from our family farm in Yeongwol. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“You grew it yourself?”

“Yes. My mother made it herself.”

“Oh, my. This is precious.”

There were Korean markets in Paris, but they were expensive and didn’t have much variety. He seemed happy to get some good red pepper powder and red pepper paste.

“We’ll go upstairs.”

I took Cha Si-hyun to the third floor.

“The house is amazing.”

Cha Si-hyun went out to the terrace on the third floor and looked around, admiring it. It cost 10 million euros, so it was no wonder.

“How is it?”

“What?”

“School.”

I had been worried all along, but he looked cheerful, so I felt a bit relieved.

“I told my mom and dad.”

“You did well.”

“I thought they would be disappointed, but they praised me?”

“Of course.”

We grabbed a box of chocolates and sat side by side on the sofa in the living room.

As we put one in our mouths and waited, Cha Si-hyun started to talk, swinging his feet back and forth.

“They came and apologized first.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

It seemed that their parents had some conversation.

I wondered if those bad guys who didn’t hesitate to bully others when they thought they were superior really regretted it.

I heard that there were many cases where their school violence records were exposed and their hard work was ruined. I wondered if they just apologized formally because they were worried about that.

“Did you accept their apology?”

Cha Si-hyun shook his head.

“I can’t forgive them.”

Time may dull the pain, but it won’t erase the scars.

“That’s natural.”

“Yeah. …But they don’t bother me anymore. I don’t care about them either.”

Cha Si-hyun pursed his lips.

He looked like he had made up his mind.

“But this is delicious.”

“It is. Oh, I’ll give you something more delicious.”

I wanted to comfort him a little, so I took out the chocolates I had made in advance from the fridge. Cha Si-hyun’s eyes widened.

“It’s Garland!”

I used the robot animation design that Cha Si-hyun liked to make them, but I simplified them because I thought the kids wouldn’t eat them if they were too elaborate.

“Did you make this? How?”

He is happier than I expected.

“I made this for you.”

Chasi-hyeon examines the robot-shaped chocolate.

“Can I really eat it?”

“Of course.”

“But how do I eat it?”

“You can eat any part of it. It’s all chocolate and candy. Do you want me to cut it for you?”

“Yes.”

It’s quite big, so I cut the body horizontally first. The inside is filled with chocolate, nougat, Nutella, and Oreo pieces.

“…”

He is speechless with surprise.

“It must be delicious.”

It’s probably the first time he sees a 28cm giant dessert in the shape of an anime character, filled with chocolate and candy.

“Do you eat this every day?”

“Not every day.”

Chasi-hyeon thinks hard.

“Is this why Marso ajusshi makes you exercise?”

“…”

“Your belly will like it.”

After working non-stop since the mural project at Bugrenelli shopping mall, I took a break with Chasi-hyeon.

It was a good opportunity to show him the work I had only seen on the monitor, so we went to the Orsay Museum, but Chasi-hyeon was disappointed that it was too crowded and different from what he had imagined.

We visited some quieter museums and before we knew it, two days had passed and Chasi-hyeon’s parents returned home.

Today was the day to join the members of Chocolatier, so I introduced Chasi-hyeon to Rabani.

“This is my friend, Chasi-hyeon. You met Fabre before, right?”

Fabre pretends to know him and Chasi-hyeon smiles and replies.

“This is Vida Rabani.”

“Oh, hello.”

“Hello.”

Chasi-hyeon and Vida Rabani nod their heads to each other.

Chasi-hyeon, who got up first, bows his head again in surprise, and Rabani, who raised his head late, is embarrassed and greets him again.

It’s funny.

“Can I film you?”

“What?”

Rabani is startled by Fabre’s request.

Fabre asks Chasi-hyeon, who is not good at French, in English.

“Why?”

“Because you’re cute.”

“Cute?”

“Try it again like before.”

“No.”

Fabre sighs and goes to the beetle larva house he set up in one corner of the studio.

It’s a ritual to greet the insects before drawing.

“I don’t know what Fabre noona is thinking.”

“Me neither.”

I don’t understand her well, but she’s a good kid with strong opinions and tastes.

“Kids, are you ready?”

Grandpa asks from downstairs.

“We’re going now.”

We each take a bag with snacks and a fire pot. Chasi-hyeon carries his familiar oil pastels and sketchbook.

“Where are you going?”

“Bois de Boulogne Park.”

“Bois de Boulogne?”

“It’s the largest park in Paris.”

“It’s pretty.”

As I tell Chasi-hyeon about Bois de Boulogne Park, Fabre, who greeted the larvae, joins us.

“It feels good to draw near the observatory.”

Rabani also chimes in.

We load everything into Grandpa’s car and arrive at Bois de Boulogne Park in about 40 minutes.

It’s quite hot at the end of July.

“Wow.”

Chasi-hyeon marvels as we walk along the park path.

“Kids, let’s put on sunscreen first.”

Grandpa squeezed sunscreen for me and the kids.

Bida Lavani must have thought it was lotion, because she smeared it all over her face and turned her eyebrows and lips white.

When Fabre and Chashi-hyun saw her and laughed, Lavani looked confused and made me and Grandpa laugh too.

“Ah.”

The nameless grass and leaves shone with the sunlight.

As I walked along the lime-green grass that smiled brightly, I felt intoxicated by the wind that swayed with the branches.

Two small birds chased each other’s tails over the olive and basil-colored trees.

Who would think that this beautiful park was an artificial space created by architects and landscapers1?

“It’s like a cartoon.”

Chashi-hyun opened his mouth wide as we crossed the bridge, passed two large rocks, and entered a small island.

The vegetation that covered the rocky island in the middle of the lake was the most beautiful green in Paris, no exaggeration.

After visiting the observatory, we also saw a small waterfall and left the island.

We spread a mat by the lake and took out the tools we had prepared.

Fabre sketched the ducks floating leisurely on the lake with thick algae.

Lavani seemed to want to draw the view of the observatory and the island.

Chashi-hyun was staring blankly ahead with oil pastels and a sketchbook in his arms.

He occasionally closed his eyes and took deep breaths, which made me think he had chosen a good place.

“Nice.”

Even though it was a man-made space, being in a place full of grass and trees made me feel relaxed.

“What are you drawing?”

“Whatever comes to mind.”

Chashi-hyun tilted his head.

“I have to draw a piece for the Venice Biennale, but I can’t think of a good idea.”

“Didn’t you say you have a lot to submit next year?”

It was because of the contract with Bugrenelli Shopping Mall. To get the extra money, he had to win awards and grades in four competitions that were part of the Grand Art Tour. He didn’t have to take the money, but Bang Tae-ho and Grandpa said it would be a good experience.

The more experience, the better, so I decided to give it a try.

“Yeah.”

“What do you do when you can’t think of anything? I like everything, but I don’t know what to draw.”

He didn’t seem to know what to draw.

“It’s good to think, but nothing changes if you only think. If you draw something, inspiration will come.”

A good idea doesn’t come from your head.

It comes naturally when you see, feel, and express repeatedly.

I’m here. Only when I beg and plead for you to come, you finally know where I am.

“This place is just like there.”

“Where?”

“Seurat? The painting by Seurat.”

“A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte?”

“Yeah.”

It was a bit far from here, but I knew what Chashi-hyun was talking about.

He felt the warm atmosphere.

“Oh, a dog.”

Chashi-hyun’s eyes were drawn to a dog that came out for a walk.

Hoping that the soul who had suffered from the schoolwork would find some comfort here, he asked the owner for permission and started to draw the dog that was petting him.

“Ahaha!”

It was a peaceful morning.

It must have been about two hours.

We each drew pictures and came back to the mat one by one when we were hungry.

Fabre had switched from drawing ducks to collecting insects, and there were three dragonflies in his empty collection box.

He seemed to have caught them with his bare hands.

He had a good skill.

“Ouch. Let’s clean our hands first with this.”

Grandpa gave wet wipes to Fabre and the kids who had dirt on their hands.

We ate the sandwiches and fruits we bought on the way and lay down.

When Chashi-hyun and Lavani lay down, Fabre looked down at them and lay down with them.

“…I’m sleepy.”

“You can sleep.”

“I’ve never slept outside.”

“I’ve slept a lot.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t have a home.”

Chashi-hyun and Fabre got up at the same time and looked down at Lavani who was lying in the middle.

“You have one now.”

1 Buttes-Chaumont Park was built by the request of Baron Haussmann, and designed and constructed by architects Adolphe Alphand, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps, and others.