AOA 101

The warm tea had been served, but my biological father’s well-wishes went on for quite a while. He fussed, saying he felt relieved seeing the two of us getting along, that he had a feeling we’d be hearing some good news soon.

I gave half-hearted responses. My stepmother watched the mood and threw in a few indifferent remarks. Baek Mugyeong didn’t touch his tea and sat silently.

It was my stepmother who finally got to the point after the small talk.

“Minchae.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you bought three paintings at the Cheongam Art Exhibition. Is that right?”

“That’s correct.”

As expected, she brought up the paintings I had purchased not long ago. Her voice was more sweet and gentle than usual, which only made it feel more off.

“Our museum will be holding a special exhibition for new artists. There are always newcomers, but it’s rare for one to have the skill to be displayed at the Cheongam Museum. I am a little concerned about your eye for art, you know. But, I’ve decided to trust you this time. Hand those paintings over so we can display them in this exhibition.”

I was so taken aback I couldn’t speak. She had called me here specifically to talk about the paintings, so she must have already known that two veteran painters had entered the exhibition under pseudonyms. Yet she concealed that and still told me to hand them over, tacking on a sugar-coated line about how, while she doubted my judgment, she’d trust me just this once.

I had prepared different ways to respond depending on the situation, but I hadn’t expected her to demand the paintings outright like this.

I couldn’t confront her by asking if two of the three paintings were by veteran artists. There hadn’t been any official announcement, and I hadn’t heard any rumors.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Well… I did choose the paintings myself, but they were a gift from Mugyeong-ssi. I don’t think I can just decide on my own.”

My mind was tangled and I couldn’t think of a way to keep her from taking them. I couldn’t shout no, nor could I accuse her of trying to scam me.

In the end, it was Baek Mugyeong who acted.

When I said the paintings were his gift, my stepmother’s face instantly stiffened. The moment she confirmed it, she forced a polite smile at him and glanced sideways, sending me a look that meant, “Tell him you bought them with his money.”

Mugyeong was quick enough to understand what I wanted. There was no way I could let her take those paintings.

“Director Kim.”

He addressed her not as mother-in-law, but as Director Kim. She reacted at once.

“They were your gift, Executive Director Baek?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a pity. Then how about lending them? It would be good to show them to more people and raise their value, don’t you think?”

She was unwilling to give up. If it was a loan rather than a sale, I might be able to protect them. If we drew up a contract with Baek Mugyeong involved, there was no way she could swindle me.

That was what I thought, until Mugyeong spoke again.

“Director Kim, this won’t do.”

“Hm?”

The abrupt shift made both her and my father look at him in surprise, wondering what he meant. I was no different.

“I know who painted the works I gave to Minchae-ssi. Bae Jongho and Kim Youngcheol, both giants of the Korean art world.”

“How… how do you…?”

Her face turned pale. My father, who had no idea what was going on, just stared at us blankly. It seemed he had no clue what she had been trying to do.

“It will soon be reported in the news that they entered the exhibition under pseudonyms. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

“That…”

“I understand that one of Bae Jongho’s works sold at auction two years ago for 3.2 billion won. Paintings with a story behind them sell for even more. Knowing that, how can you simply tell us to hand them over? Isn’t that unreasonable?”

His voice was low and steady as he explained why the paintings couldn’t be given away. There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his tone, and that made it sound even colder. His sculpted profile didn’t change at all.

My stepmother bit her lip, flustered, and my father, now realizing the situation, flushed red and twisted his face. Normally, he would have yelled at her, but with Baek Mugyeong there, he seemed to be holding back.

“Bae Jongho and Kim Youngcheol’s paintings, you say? This is the first I’ve heard of it. If I’d known, I’d have bragged to everyone. Executive Director Baek, I’m not that kind of person.”

Cornered, she tried to smooth things over with a smiling face. In truth, there was no proof she had known the painters’ identities, so she could just brazenly deny it.

And given who she was dealing with, this wasn’t a situation where Baek Mugyeong could push her too far either. He might have the upper hand, but she was still his elder.

“Ha ha ha, right. If I had known, I would have bragged about it everywhere. Who knew our Minchae had an eye for paintings. Is it thanks to working at the gallery?”

When my stepmother tried to wriggle out of it, my quick birth father backed her up from the side. He was trying to smooth it over with a smile. I was on edge, wondering how Baek Mugyeong would respond.

“Minchae-ssi has good judgment.”

To my surprise, Baek Mugyeong took my birth father’s side. Not blindly, though. He singled out and denied my stepmother’s earlier remark that she worried about my eye, and praised me.

Baek Mugyeong was the taciturn type. He had never flattered anyone, let alone tossed out mood-setting talk. It was clearly praise for me, and if it sounded like a warning to my stepmother, that was not because there was anything wrong with my ears.

His remark was sharp like a well honed blade and refreshing like a fizzy soda. He was truly reassuring when he was on my side.

My stepmother and birth father’s faces tightened for a moment as if they had cracked, then loosened again. They could not get angry at Baek Mugyeong and brushed it off with smiles.

Serves them right.

It felt like biting into sesame brittle. Even then, my stepmother again proposed, for publicity, that we display the paintings at the Mumua Museum on loan. Her forced, affectionate tone made my skin crawl.

I refused flatly.

“Since the paintings were hung at the Cheongam Museum, we should uphold Aunt’s face.”

At the mention of Im Songyoon, both my birth father and stepmother let their words trail off. Even among museums, Cheongam and Mumua were on different levels. Above all, since the painting had debuted at the Cheongam Museum, it belonged there.

To be honest, I did not want to lend to Cheongam either. I disliked my stepmother and I disliked Im Songyoon.

But if I had to compare the two, Im Songyoon was a little better. My stepmother would try to seize the paintings whenever she had the chance, but at least Im Songyoon would pay the proper price for the sake of face.

Memories of the future were good in that respect. I could guess how people would react.

In the end my stepmother gave up, but unable to let go, she said we should exhibit them if an opportunity came later.

I smiled as if apologetic and answered that it would be nice if that happened. In truth I wanted to shoot back that it would never happen, but I could tolerate this much.

When the conversation ended, Baek Mugyeong said he had another schedule and moved to wrap up.

“It is the weekend, yet Executive Director Baek is busy. What about Minchae? How about you? It has been a while since we met. Stay and talk a bit more.”

“I…”

“Minchae-ssi and I are going to the department store.”

My stepmother tried to latch onto me like a leech. Since she had failed to snatch the paintings and could not even get a loan, she was bound to get annoyed. My birth father would scold me and say it was my fault.

I was slow at things like this. While I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do, Baek Mugyeong moved first.

This time Baek Mugyeong turned to me and sent a look asking for my consent. There had been no promise to go to a department store, but I nodded. Even with no sense, I knew I had to back him up now.

“Yes. The department store.”

Answering with a lie made it feel unnatural and a bit awkward. I tensed my face on purpose and smiled.

My stepmother scowled at her plan going awry, but my birth father was pleased, saying so that is how it was. For my birth father who wanted a grandchild, my growing closeness with Baek Mugyeong was a positive sign.

In the end we stood up as we were, said our goodbyes, and left the director’s office together. I did wonder what my birth father and stepmother would say inside the closed office, but I shut it out. That was their problem.

“Are the people who painted that painting really famous artists?”

I only opened my mouth after the elevator doors closed. Right now I was supposed to be surprised.

I already knew that the paintings I had chosen at the exhibition by new artists were actually works by famous painters, so my acting was stiff. Even so, I could pass it off as being bewildered.

“Yes. That is right. There will be an official announcement soon.”

If my stepmother knew about the painters, it meant the rumor had spread to a degree. Baek Mugyeong had likely heard it too.

I worked my head, thinking what else I should be curious about here.

“Is it also true the painting sold for 3.2 billion won?”

“That is correct.”

“Oh.”

An exclamation popped out on its own.

I knew that the painting I had bought was the work of a famous painter. I had not, however, been able to guess the price. And it turned out to be 3.2 billion for a single painting.

Of course, even from the same painter, prices vary widely by work, but thanks to the name value I could expect a certain range.

I had made a lot of money at once. I was so happy that my heart pounded.