Fame (6)
"There's an old Asian saying, 'ì²œê³ ë§ˆë¹„,' which means 'the sky is high, and the horses are fat.' It's usually a phrase to describe autumn, but its original meaning was quite different."
I painted the tall autumn sky with my brush, sometimes round, sometimes stretching it horizontally.
"In ancient times, near northern China, there was a tribe called the Xiongnu. They were nomads who raided on horseback, especially in autumn, to prepare for the harsh winter. When the horses got fat and the sky high, the Chinese knew to prepare for raids. This phrase originated from there, but now it indicates the coming of autumn. Let's try to represent this high sky, shall we?"
I wasn't just scribbling on a small canvas; I was painting a vast mural.
"My canvas now is a massive wall, 40 meters wide and 10 meters high. And it must look like one picture even from the front, so I have to fill the sides too."
'I always dreamed of painting on such a large wall when I was young.'
Luckily, my hometown had many empty houses and factories.
"Like Monica's village, many rural towns in Korea are facing extinction. I lived in such a village with my dad. But I was too young then."
I didn't know how to fill such a large canvas systematically; I was too short, lacking ladders and enough paint.
"Like Lea in Monica's village, I used to pick up chalky stones and doodle. That was my joy."
'Now I realize I'm living the life I dreamed of as a child.'
I didn't know then.
That I'm living the life I dreamed of in my youth.
I've long escaped a life worried about utilities and bills.
"But was it all happiness? No. Life always brings new challenges."
"Running a company, maintaining it, building a future brought its own trials. Sometimes, I miss my carefree days as a street artist."
"There was so much to worry about."
"I didn't have these concerns back then."
"It was easier when I only had to take care of myself."
"Why do I have to struggle so much?"
"Such a luxurious worry, I guess."
"I even forgot I'm living my dream life."
Lost in thought while painting, I smiled at the camera.
"Speaking of the sky, my dad used to tell me a story. I'm not sure if the West has a similar saying, but in the East, we have 'Men are like the sky.' I once asked my dad why men are compared to the sky after hearing it from a neighbor."
I laughed, mixing colors on my palette.
"Dad said, 'The sky creates weather. It can be cold or hot, bring rain, lightning, or snowstorms.' I didn't understand and just blinked in confusion."
Taking a brush loaded with paint to the wall, I continued with a broad smile.
"Dad said, 'Men are the sky of the family. How you act affects everyone in it. You can bring rain or make them shiver with cold. So, think about how you should be for your loved ones.'"
The beautiful colors spread across the wall.
"'Men are like the sky' doesn't mean women should treat their husbands as such. It means men should create a warm, comfortable environment for their family. Of course, it's an old saying. In today's era of gender equality, there's no strict rule that only men should be like the sky, right? So, I hope viewers watching this broadcast don't interpret it in that way."
I was just chattering away.
Partly because I disliked the silence that enveloped this place, where even the windows were covered, making it impossible to see outside, and partly to alleviate a bit of boredom.
However, I had no idea what kind of ripple my words would create outside.
* * *
"CP-nim! The phrase 'ì²œê³ ë§ˆë¹„' has risen to 7th place in Italy's Google search rankings. The Korean painter is now 3rd in the search rankings!"
"We just broke through a viewer rating of 4.3%!"
"30-second advertisement videos have been broadcast on 11 channels!"
Real-time reports from monitoring agents pour in.
It's been a rare occasion for the viewership of art-related channels to approach 5%, and the real-time appearance of words on Google search rankings being ranked high indicates that it's gradually becoming a topic of discussion.
The CP, receiving the reports, twirled his finger and spoke.
"Every hour, during the mid-broadcast ad time, make sure to air channel ads, and what about the radio broadcast?"
"I've relayed it to the radio PDs. The DJs plan to mention the currently live program during the broadcast."
"Good, push harder."
"Yes!"
The CP gives instructions, looks at the monitors again, rubs his chin, and mumbles.
"It feels like watching an internet broadcast. What is this guy? He explains even unfamiliar idioms to Europeans, and he shares his life story. I thought it was just a broadcast of him drawing, but it's more interesting than I thought."
On the monitor, Jung-hoon is seen drawing. A beautiful path through a forest with autumn leaves. A magnificent picture that evokes the impulse to walk along a long river is being completed in his hands.
"Moreover, his talent is extraordinary. In the contemporary art world, landscape paintings can sometimes be dismissed as low-level art. But he is now giving meaning to landscape paintings. It's not just about drawing a landscape."
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