Chapter 55

The World Art Prize, which lasted 15 days, finally came to an end on July 29.

The recipient of the Grand Prize was determined through a combination of public votes and the judges' evaluations.

Unsurprisingly, the winner was me.

After the competition concluded, the awards ceremony took place at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Even though Hollow Snow had been moved after the event, the lingering aura of its illusions seemed to remain.

The spacious venue was packed with a massive crowd.

If viewed from a satellite, it would probably look like a swarm of ants.

Oh, and there were cameras surrounding the award ceremony, broadcasting it live.

It’s standard for competitions like this to broadcast the ceremony.

As the ceremony, which had been proceeding rather uneventfully, reached the much-anticipated discussion about the prize money, the audience's attention peaked.

You might wonder why someone who already has money and isn’t particularly interested would care about the prize money.

“Should I donate it? That outburst during the press conference is still bothering me.”

The money itself didn’t matter, but I figured it could help improve my public image.

With the ceremony being broadcast live, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

“Now that I think about it, there are two types of prize money: one for the public vote and one for the judges' vote.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t receive both. That was a rule of the competition.

Since the prize amounts were the same, it didn’t really matter.

I was awarded the public vote prize. If you’re wondering why it wasn’t the judges’ vote—

“I don’t know. They decided it that way. Since the amount is the same, there’s no point arguing.”

I just went along with it. Arguing would’ve been a waste of time and energy.

After receiving the prize money, I didn’t leave the podium immediately. Instead, I turned to face the cameras and spoke.

“I will donate the entire prize money.”

While I may be confident in my skills, I felt it was time to refine my image.

My regular viewers already know what I’m like, but the press conference had been broadcast globally.

Foreigners who didn’t know me might have been shocked by my behavior during that event.

Of course, I do have some international recognition, so not everyone would see me that way.

Still, you never know. It bothered me enough to take action.

The impact of my donation spread rapidly.

The same journalists who had criticized me were now scrambling to write glowing reports and scurrying around in a frenzy.

At least I could feel somewhat relieved now.

Donating $1.2 million—about 1.6 billion KRW—sounded insane to some people.

For a student like me, it might seem like an enormous amount of money to give away.@@novelbin@@

But honestly, it’s just money. I can earn much more in the future.

After the awards ceremony, the final event was a meet-and-greet between the artists and the audience.

It was an opportunity for the artists to interact with viewers, receive feedback on their work, and discuss their creative processes.

While other artists were attentively listening to the audience, I was busy fending off journalists.

“Can’t you leave me alone already? Aren’t you tired?”

Still, I couldn’t let the image I’d worked hard to salvage get ruined again, so I answered as many questions as I could.

Most of them were trivial chatter, though.

After an exhausting hour, I finally returned to my family.

“Phew. I’m so tired.”

Why do award ceremonies have to be so long? I’m technically a patient, you know. Couldn’t they show some consideration?

Seeing my worn-out expression, my dad placed his hand on my head.

“Well done, son. You were amazing. Most kids wouldn’t even consider donating their prize money.”

Dad smiled warmly, and I let out a weary response.

“You must be so proud to have such an extraordinary son, huh?”

“Of course. Isn’t that obvious?”

Father and son exchanged a chuckle and a fist bump.

“You worked hard too, Dad, cleaning up after me.”

“Oh? You noticed?”

“How could I not? You made it so obvious.”

Dad had been in charge of overseeing Hollow Snow at the museum.

He had also handled the crowd control.

I truly appreciated his efforts.

“Thanks... for everything.”

I’m not usually one to say things like that, and I could feel my face heating up.

“...?”

When there was no response, I turned around with a puzzled expression, only to see my dad’s deer-like eyes glistening with tears.

“Your father can be so sentimental sometimes,” Mom quipped, watching us with a smile.

After the ceremony, back at the hotel, I was finally able to rest.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a clear voice.

“Ha-Eun! Ha-Yoon! Let’s go out! The crowd’s gone now!”

It was Choi Ye-Seo, her voice brimming with cheer.

Ha-Yoon and I exchanged a glance, chuckled, and started changing clothes.

Even after a tiring day, my friends had come all the way to America to see me.

The least I could do was join them.

Holding my sister’s hand, I opened the door.

Sniff, sniff.

Standing at the door, Ha So-Yul immediately buried her face in my neck and sniffed.

“What are you doing?”

I gently pushed So-Yul’s head away and greeted the rest of the group.

“So, where are we going—”

“You talk too much! Just follow me!”

Choi Ye-Seo grabbed my wrist and boldly led the way.

The three girls were all smiles, clearly excited about something.

My sister, Ha-Yoon, looked equally thrilled.

“Well, why not? This isn’t so bad.”

I followed at a leisurely pace.

The warmth in my chest grew stronger than ever.

These kids didn’t feel like “others” anymore.

And thus, my time at the international competition came to an end.

Minor Art Gallery Forum

[Title: Damn it, Ha-Eun hyung!]

(Attached: Photo of the $1.2 million donation)

Hyung, just how far are you going to go?!

How can a person even do something like this? Did God model himself after you when he created Ha-Eun?

Damn... How can you not worship him now?

Again? It’s you again, Ha-Eun?

ㄴIs Ha-Eun your friend? Show some respect.

16 billion won straight-up donated. Freaking awesome.

Plato’s philosophy mentions something called “Ideal Forms”...

ㄴWhat the hell are you talking about?

ㄴDon’t they teach ethics in schools anymore?

[Title: Chaos at international art companies]

Everyone’s targeting Ha-Eun, lol.

Foreign forums are in an uproar, too.

ㄴWhy?

ㄴThey’re pressuring their governments to make Ha-Eun naturalize.

ㄴSay something realistic, idiot.

ㄴI’m serious.

[Title: Phew, what a relief.]

So you’re doing well over there.

Ha-Eun, it’s been a month since you left.

I’ve been waiting for your streams ever since.

Even when I was hungry or thirsty, your streams kept me going.

...So draw a cat girl already, damn it!

...? LOL.

Are you Korean, lol?

“pls cat girl” strikes again...

Calling the streamer “damn it”? Fire at will. He’s an enemy.

This guy’s the real deal, lol.

***

[The crowd grows daily in front of Drawing Korea HQ—what’s going on?] Views: 2.315 million

[Great fortune or terrible fate? The results remain uncertain.] Views: 1.789 million

[17-year-old Lee Ha-Eun’s return date set.] Views: 7.394 million

***

Our protagonist, currently back in Korea, is burning with laziness.

"Ugh... Moving is such a pain."

"When exactly are you planning to get better, oppa?"

I was lying on the bed, hugging a pillow as if it were my dear companion.

"Little sister, after all the fun we had yesterday, muscle soreness is completely normal—"

"That’s just because your body is weak. I’m perfectly fine, you know?"

I shot a menacing glare at my sister, who had just hit me with cold, hard facts.

"Well, that’s because I’m just better than you, oppa."

Secretly, I was sulking, feeling utterly defeated.

"Why do I even have male hormones if they don’t help me build muscle..."

"What are you muttering about over there?"

For some reason, my sister was unusually sharp today. That stung a bit.

"Come here."

I squirmed toward the edge of the bed, leaving some space.

When I did, Ha-Yoon’s eyes lit up.

"So this is what you wanted all along, huh?"

"Hmph, whatever."

Naturally, she snatched my pillow and turned to face me.

Sigh... Her future boyfriend is going to have it rough.

He’s going to have to survive our family’s tests to date her.

Of course, I plan on being a major obstacle. How dare anyone approach my sister?

Still, if it’s someone she truly wants, I’ll have to give my blessing.

...Ugh, I’ll deal with that later.

Just thinking about it was already annoying me.

Might as well ask her something while I have the chance.

"Hey, Ha-Yoon. Do you have anyone you like at school?"

Lying beside me, she turned her head away from her phone and blinked a few times, looking utterly disgusted.

"The boys at school? Ew, get out of here with that."

Poor kids. They don’t stand a chance, huh?

Still, I figured she must have some kind of crush or interest.

"So, no one? There must be at least a few with normal faces, right?"

"Hmm. I guess there’s a few."

She frowned, sneaking a glance at me.

"Ugh, it’s your fault my standards are way too high now, oppa."

"Oh... uh."

...That’s good news, right? I can take that as a compliment, can’t I?

"If I had to describe my type, it’d probably be someone like you."

"Impossible."

"Right? Totally impossible. That’s why I think I’ll probably stay single forever."

The idea of someone else like me existing in this world? Practically zero.

So, it looks like Ha-Yoon will just have to live with the family forever.

Such a shame (not really).

Mom’s going to love that more than I do.

The rest of our conversation was just lighthearted small talk.

I wished this moment could last a bit longer, but...

[Uncle Hong Jin-Hoo: I’m in the hotel lobby right now. Where should we meet?]

[Me: Coming down now.]

"Oppa, where are you going?"

"I’d love to hang out with my little sister all day, but life doesn’t always go the way we want it to."

"Meh... Fine. Be careful out there~."

"I will. See you later."

The reason I was meeting Uncle Hong Jin-Hoo was simple:

Hollow Snow.

It was time to decide its fate.