Chapter 51

Humans have a natural desire to be recognized.

Whether it's for being good at writing, cooking, or something else.

There are countless fields of talent, but very few people are chosen for those talents.

The ones often called ‘geniuses’ make up about 1% of the population. In a world of over 8 billion people, it’s not an insignificant number, but still, geniuses are hard to find in everyday life.

So, how many people are there who excel in a specific field? Again, it’s somewhere between 1% and 10% of the population.

These people sometimes appear. Their mere presence often draws attention and admiration from those around them.

“Yeah, these are the types of people who could be considered prodigies.”

But what about those who are neither geniuses nor prodigies?

“The kid next door goes to school early and even cleans the classroom. You, on the other hand, sleep in all the time. Tsk.”

“You should be more like your older brother, okay? Cut down on your gaming time.”

“How can you be worse than kids younger than you? Why did you grow older if you’re this useless?”

Sadly, this is the reality.

Being compared to others and deeming oneself incapable.

We live in a godforsaken world that only remembers meritocracy.

What’s funny is that even among geniuses and prodigies, disputes arise.

“Second place, just 3 points behind? Maybe I should change my academy…”

“If I don’t get first place again, I’ll look for another academy.”

“I heard the son of my mom’s friend got into all three Sky universities. Can our son do that too?”

Only first place matters, and second place gets cast aside.

It’s a world so absurd that you can’t help but chuckle at the irony.

And those who fall behind, overshadowed by first place…

[“I don’t want to admit this. Why should I give my vote to a Korean?”]

[“He’s 17 and drew this? Ridiculous. My painting is worth much more than that!”]

[“Why is the Korean painting in first place? It must have been rigged.”]

They throw around words to belittle that first place without hesitation.

Of course, it’s only a small minority.

But the second-place student, no matter how much resentment they harbor toward the first-place winner, gets no attention from the other students.

[“17? Impressive! A future star to look out for!”]

[“I hope they hurry up and release Hollow Snow! How much longer do we have to wait?”]

[“It’s hilarious seeing foreigners all nervous about this. Hahahaha.”]

As such, there were far more people who were excited to see Hollow Snow than those who tried to tear me down.

While the praise overwhelmingly outweighed the criticisms, there were a few negative comments.

Some people said I was possessed, others questioned whether the organizers had used tricks to rig the votes.

There were a lot of funny stories, and as they spread worldwide, I couldn’t help but lash out at those who criticized me.

“Is that really funny to you, oppa?”

Ha-Yoon asked, frowning as she looked at my phone.

“All I see are comments bashing you. Can’t we report them?”

“This forum is kind of niche, so it’s full of people who just want to tear me down.”

I tilted my head back and chuckled.

“But honestly, it’s funny how ridiculous these people are.”

“They’re ridiculous? I think you’re the one being ridiculous, oppa! I wish I could deal with them!”

I calmed Ha-Yoon down as she was getting agitated reading the comments.

“But these people are just a small minority. They’re just upset because they don’t want to see me succeed. They’re jealous.”

“It’s gross how they try to drag me down when they should be cheering me on… ugh, it’s disgusting.”

Oh, dear sister. That expression of yours? I hope it never airs on broadcast.

If it did, I’d be in big trouble.

“Son! Let’s go inside now.”

“Mom’s here.”

Mom, who had just returned from the restroom, came over and grabbed my hand.

She grabbed Ha-Yoon’s hand as well.

“…Where’s dad?”

“He’s on the left hand side, he’ll come.”

I said, and dad smiled as he took my free hand.

Mom and Ha-Yoon had chosen this place as the final stop for today’s tour. That’s why we ran into each other here.

We entered the LaFontsee Galleries, a local art gallery.

It’s a place typically frequented by regional artists, but it seemed to be open more broadly due to the prize competition.

Here, there were masterpieces from Saturn and Jupiter.

“Mercury’s Ashes. It looked good, but there were some regrets.”

But that’s just how it is. After all, Mercury is the youngest of the planets.

Though, it’s still ten years older than me.

Ms. Lee, who had been so busy because of me, decided to take her time and look through the first floor slowly. We parted ways for a bit.

It had been a while since our family had gone out together like this.

We entered the gallery, and our family began to enjoy the artwork on display.

Sculptures, paintings, photographs, and various pieces of art greeted us.

‘Isn’t this just a photo of a dog?’

From pictures of dogs playing to sculptures with strange shapes.

‘This is what they call modern art?’

I wondered if I could just throw a shoe over there and let people take photos of it, just like that?

‘…Maybe I should try it.’

It didn’t seem entirely impossible.

But I decided against it. Something about doing that would probably leave me feeling ashamed.

After touring the first floor, we headed to the second. The illusions I had felt before began to blur as we moved on.

Whoosh.

‘What’s the theme of this?’

An artist’s eye sees things differently from an ordinary person. I felt it more strongly than anyone else.

Swipe.

I placed my hand over Ha-Yoon’s eyes.

“Hmm, oppa?”

“This painting might be a bit too much for you, Ha-Yoon.”

I was pretty sure she’d see it as soon as we turned the corner.

Perhaps sensing where my gaze was headed, dad moved first and headed in the direction my eyes were pointing.

Then, he slapped his forehead with a tap and awkwardly smiled.

“Yeah, your brother’s right. It might be a bit much for you, Ha-Yoon.”

“What’s so bad about it?”

What’s bad? You want me to explain? The theme of this piece was 19+. It was about a man and a woman... interacting.

That’s enough.

‘They’re calling that a masterpiece. A planet known for its obsession with portraits and lewd tendencies.’

It was Saturn. That woman tried to corrupt my sister’s eyes.

I will get my revenge.

“Let’s head to the left side first.”

As long as we don’t go to the right, we’re fine. Mom nodded, confused, after hearing dad’s whispered words.

As we walked further away, the illusion gradually changed.

From lewd fantasies to a children’s amusement park.

‘This must be Jupiter.’

There was no need to think any further, as the last remaining planet was right there.

“…Oppa, when are you going to take your hand off my eyes?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Was it uncomfortable?”

“No... I’m fine.”

I muttered under my breath, but it was too quiet for Ha-Eun to hear.

Anyway, as we got closer to the masterpiece of Jupiter, the sweet fragrance grew stronger.

It had a childlike, innocent atmosphere that kids would love.

“I suddenly want cotton candy!”

Ha-Yoon said, excitedly looking around.

Unfortunately, there was no cotton candy stall here.

“This one, then.”

Our family’s eyes were drawn to a particular piece.

The artwork was titled Miracle Land. The pseudonym was Jupiter.

“Ugh. I really want something sweet.”

Ha-Yoon, still craving something sweet, was giving off the vibe of a child.

The younger the brain, the more it absorbs information.

‘...It feels like I’m calling her stupid.’

It made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

We looked at Miracle Land for a while before heading back down to the first floor.

“We still haven’t seen the right side...”

“Sometimes, it’s better not to see certain things.”

“What could be so bad?”

I took a confused Ha-Yoon and led her out.

Maybe it was because of the illusion, but Ha-Yoon kept asking me to go eat dessert at the café.

Sadly, I was the one who ended up choosing.

Mom and dad said they would meet us again in two hours and left to go on their own.

“Well, they deserve their time too. They’ve dedicated 17 years to raising us.”

They, too, need their time alone sometimes.

“Is it good?”

I asked Ha-Yoon, who was munching on a shortcake in front of me.

“The strawberries are so sweet!”

She nodded eagerly, clearly happy.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

Every day is peaceful, but this kind of pleasant day... it was the first time I’d experienced it.

Spending time with my sister was nice.

But sometimes, things don’t go as smoothly as they should.

“Looking at you here, Lee Ha-Eun.”

The peaceful café moment was shattered by the appearance of Hong Jin-Hoo.

I frowned and responded curtly.

“Thanks for interrupting my time with my sister.”

“…Ahem. I’ll leave soon.”

“Maybe you should leave now, then.”

Hong Jin-Hoo awkwardly moved as he tried to shift the conversation.

“Ha-ha. Since I’ve already made a nuisance of myself, I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Ugh, this guy...”

“…Even though I’m the elder here.”

Hong Jin-Hoo awkwardly greeted Ha-Yoon and asked if he could join us.

“Looks like there are four free spots.”

There’s a limit to how shameless one can be. Still, since he was here, I couldn’t just stay cold toward him.

Ha-Yoon moved next to me, and three strangers took the seats across from us. On my right was Hong Jin-Hoo.@@novelbin@@

He introduced the strangers with his usual friendly face.

“From the left, the youngest of our planets, Mercury.”

A woman in her early 30s awkwardly bowed her head.

Seeing someone I only ever saw on TV standing right in front of me was... surreal.

I didn’t quite know how to react.

I awkwardly bowed and introduced myself.

“I’m Lee Ha-Eun.”

“I’m... Mercury. Irene.”

I knew it. There was a certain inner warmth in her. She was a fellow introvert.

“I’m Ha! I’m Saturn! Call me Callin!”

As soon as I finished my greeting, the woman sitting in the middle raised her hand.

“Ah, yes. You’re the disgusting…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Nice to meet you.”

I can’t believe they displayed such an inappropriate painting in a children’s exhibition hall. What was I supposed to do?

Thanks to that, my sister didn’t even get to see the right side.

“Lastly, this is Jupiter.”

“Hello, I’m David, from Jupiter.”

“Nice to meet you—Wait! You speak Korean so well!”

“Ha-ha, yes. I lived in Korea for a while thanks to the Sun. Learned the language back then.”

“Wow. Korean’s one of the hardest languages, isn’t it?”

Korean is one of the hardest languages for foreigners to learn, and it’s also an artificial language.

It’s always surprising to hear someone speak it so well.

“David seems to like kids. I could feel that from Miracle Land.”

“Ha-ha. It’s just a little trick. I do like kids, though.”

I finished my now-cold Americano and thought I might order another one.

At that moment, I casually asked the four people sitting at the table.

“So, what brings such busy people here?”

They were people who should be at press conferences, appearing on various broadcasts.

It didn’t make sense that they’d randomly stumble into a café.

‘Well, I guess it has something to do with Hollow Snow.’

Let’s hear it.

Let’s see what the top-tier people are curious about, coming all the way to find me.

My question silenced the table.