* * *
“I can’t decide that on my own, but I’ll ask. It might not work out, though.”
“If it doesn’t, then it’s fine—we can just eat together.”
Jooyoung acted like it wasn’t a big deal, saying he’d just asked on a whim, but it was clear he had put some thought into it.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Hyun’s artwork myself.”
“It’s not like I have to ask or anything. It’d just be nice to talk to him if he’s available, but if not, it’s no big deal.”
“Got it. But honestly, I haven’t seen him since the trip either. I’m not even sure what he’s been up to lately. I’ll ask and text you later.”
“Alright. I’m heading to the academy now.”
“Okay.”
After Jooyoung left for the academy earlier than usual, Siyoung, with some time to spare before his tutoring session, cleaned up after breakfast and picked up his phone.
The group chat with the other three had been quiet for a few days.
They would chat now and then, but it usually fizzled out quickly. Yeonseok was the chatty type who shared every little detail of his life, and Jaeyoon chimed in about himself too.
Hyun, however, often gave curt responses or ignored messages altogether.
“Still, he reads messages almost right away, so he doesn’t seem too busy.”
Since the group chat had been dormant for a while, Siyoung sent a message asking what everyone was up to. The replies came back quickly.
[Joo Yeonseok: photo – 9:12 AM]
[Joo Yeonseok: photo – 9:12 AM]
The background looked like somewhere abroad. No wonder he’d been quiet for a while.
[Joo Yeonseok: Jaeyoon stayed home yesterday because it was his mom’s birthday, and Hyun’s free – 9:14 AM]
[Joo Yeonseok: I’m going to sleep now; it’s night here – 9:15 AM]
[Kim Jaeyoon: Just came back from a morning walk with my parents – 9:17 AM]
[Kim Jaeyoon: Aren’t you busy with tutoring? – 9:18 AM]
The responses came quickly, except from the one person Siyoung was most curious about.
He wondered if he should have messaged Hyun directly.
[Just curious what everyone’s been up to since I haven’t seen Hyun since that time. – 9:18 AM]
[It’s better focusing on one thing than juggling school and other stuff. I’m managing. – 9:19 AM]
It felt a bit early to call Hyun.
Being vacation, he might be sleeping in or busy with something, so Siyoung decided to wait until lunchtime to try again.
[Kim Jaeyoon: Yeonseok’s on a trip, so I’m kind of bored. Nothing to do. – 9:20 AM]
Meanwhile, Jaeyoon, who wasn’t in a hurry, kept responding.
As Siyoung prepared for his class, the notification finally showed a “1” disappearing from the chat.
Still no reply from Hyun.
At least it meant he was awake.
Siyoung sent him a direct message.
[Enjoying your vacation? – 11:01 AM]
[It’s nothing major, but my younger brother, who met you before, saw your artwork and seems interested. He was wondering if you’d like to grab dinner with us tonight. – 11:01 AM]
Not long after, the “1” vanished again, followed by a reply.
[Hyun: Sure. – 11:03 AM]
And so, midway through the vacation, Siyoung was set to meet Hyun again.
Jaeyoon, feeling bored, ended up tagging along too.
The meetup was fairly ordinary.
Despite Siyoung’s concern that Jaeyoon might feel out of place, his easygoing nature helped everything go smoothly.
Watching Jooyoung excitedly talk about Hyun’s artwork, Siyoung found himself curious too.
“I’d like to see it as well. I don’t know much about art, but I’d love to take a look.”
“You’ve never been to any of the exhibitions the art department holds?”
“Not really. I’m just not that interested.”
Jooyoung had seen Siyoung’s artwork a few times, but to Siyoung, all skilled art looked the same.
He didn’t have the eye for it.
“Next time there’s an exhibition, let me know. I’d like to check it out.”
“Isn’t your work displayed in your grandmother’s gallery? In the talent sponsorship section or something?”
“My grandmother runs a gallery?”
“Yeah. Hyun’s grandmother is the curator. He’ll probably inherit it someday.”
Jaeyoon spoke nonchalantly.
“You’re talented, you have a supportive family, and even your future is practically guaranteed.”
“You never know,” Siyoung replied.
“That’s because you’re being vague about it. Your grandmother clearly wants to leave it to you,” Jaeyoon insisted.
“Until I come back from Europe, a professional manager will handle it anyway. Who knows what might happen in the meantime?”
“Nothing big is going to happen. By the way, are there any exhibitions going on? For people in the arts, seeing things is part of learning. You could invite someone for a change of pace.”
At Jaeyoon’s suggestion, Jooyoung flinched slightly, his eyes slowly shifting. He looked like he wanted to go.
“There’s always something. There’s either some artist’s exhibition or a special showcase happening every day.”
“Then let’s go together. Even if your grandmother isn’t around, it’ll be good for me to brush up on my cultural side too.”
Jaeyoon grinned as he spoke, quickly making plans without consulting anyone else. Though the museum was closed for the day, they decided to visit soon.
A few days later, Siyoung and Jooyoung made plans to meet at the museum run by Hyun’s grandmother.
Although they’d heard about it before, the scale turned out to be far more impressive than they’d imagined.
“…This place is run by Hyun’s grandmother?”
Jooyoung had expected Hyun’s family to be wealthy—they didn’t seem hesitant about spending money.
But running a museum of this size, one that hosted major national exhibitions, was on another level entirely.
“…How did you get close to Hyun, anyway?”
“Well… we ended up working on a project together.”
Jooyoung couldn’t hide his astonishment.
Siyoung felt a bit awkward.
Was it really such an extraordinary thing?
“It’s amazing. I never thought I’d meet someone like that in my life.”
“Yeah, you never know where life takes you.”
“Amazing…”
Jooyoung repeated the word, seemingly in awe.
Siyoung wasn’t too bothered by people admiring or envying his connection with Hyun, but seeing Jooyoung react this way felt odd.
“Let’s head inside.”
“Alright.”
Their group was waiting inside, so they went in.
Near the entrance stood Hyun and Jaeyoon.
“Feel free to look around,” Jaeyoon said casually.
“Anyone would think this was your grandmother’s museum,” Hyun quipped.
“Lower your voice. You’re being disruptive,” Hyun scolded Jaeyoon as they approached the exhibition hall.
While others were chatting quietly, Jaeyoon’s voice was indeed louder than most.
‘Even my breathing feels too loud here,’ Siyoung thought as he stepped into the exhibition hall, feeling slightly nervous.
“Wow…”
The artworks were difficult for Siyoung to understand.
Some paintings left him clueless about their meaning or why they were worth showcasing.
He simply read the descriptions and pretended to understand, nodding as he walked around.
“Oh, I love this artist’s work,” Jooyoung said, eyes sparkling as he engaged in an animated discussion with Hyun about the pieces.
Well, they weren’t here just to have fun.
As long as Jooyoung was enjoying himself, that was enough.
Siyoung stepped back and watched the two from a distance.
“I don’t really get this kind of thing. It’s just lost on me,” Siyoung admitted.
“Same here,” Jaeyoon said, joining his side.
“I’ve been here a few times, but it’s still hard. I just nod along and pretend I understand.”
Leaving the art enthusiasts behind, Siyoung and Jaeyoon slipped out of the exhibition hall first.
“We didn’t come for this, anyway. The patron-sponsored exhibit is in the annex. Let’s check that out instead.”
Jaeyoon pulled Siyoung along to a separate building, down a quiet corridor with fewer people.
They arrived at an exhibition hall with the sign ‘Looking to the Future’.
“This program has been around for a while, but Hyun’s grandmother was thrilled when he got into art. She wanted to hang one of his pieces but didn’t want to put it just anywhere. So, she displayed it in the best spot here.”
Siyoung took a step closer to the painting, momentarily forgetting to ask what would’ve happened if Hyun hadn’t chosen art as his path.
* * *
