In the past, when I was an assistant to the artist Oh Yujin.
It was during the time I was organizing the artwork late into the night for Oh Yujin’s next solo exhibition.
For the solo exhibition, over 100 paintings were required—each one a large-scale work, about 100 pieces (approximately 162 cm wide, 120–130 cm tall). It was incredibly difficult for a female artist to choose and move such large works before the installation company arrived.
However, for me, someone who was over 190 cm tall and had nothing but physical strength left, moving the pieces all night was no big deal. So, as an assistant to her, I was working alone, helping out.
‘Watching what kind of works a successful artist selects for her solo exhibition can help me develop a good eye for art. Plus, I can secretly admire Oh Yujin’s unpublished works… If the portrait collectors knew about this, they would probably be jealous.’
It was, in a sense, knowledge-building while working.
I wiped the sweat from my hands, which were wearing work gloves, and said,
“Oh Yujin is amazing.”
Startled by the unexpected compliment, Oh Yujin looked at me. She had a soft expression that belied her being a few years older than me.
“Hmm?”
“Even though you’re only three years older than me, you’re so active in your work…”
“Ahaha, Go Hun, you’re still young, aren’t you?”
“I haven’t accomplished anything yet.”
“Well, you can start doing well now. At thirty, I was still someone who couldn’t shake off the college student vibe. Compared to people who only learned art at school, you’ve been dealing with the bitter realities of society for much longer than they have, Go Hun. You can do even better.”
Her words stirred something inside me.
Had any woman ever been this kind to me?
‘Just because I’m a bit bigger, I get treated like a criminal everywhere…’
And wasn’t she just a woman?
‘A successful artist…’
The fact that Oh Yujin, a rising star among young artists, was soothing my wounded heart with the kindness of a teacher overwhelmed me.
At the same time, the fact that I, who was only three years younger than her—thirty years old—hadn’t accomplished anything yet felt painfully real.
‘Three years difference? Doesn’t really matter. If I were just a bit more accomplished, I might have really fallen for her…’
Affection only really works when both people are somewhat on equal footing.
I sighed with a mix of conflicting emotions and said,
“Even Oh Yujin, who got her degree at such a young age, still hears people call her a young artist in her early thirties. Me? I’ve just started, and I have no idea when I’ll get there. How can I be as confident as Oh Yujin when I’m in my early thirties?”
She looked at me, her lips trembling slightly, as though something was stirring within her.
It was then that I realized something.
‘Oh no… I shouldn’t keep whining while I’m here to help.’
Sure enough, Oh Yujin spoke in a slightly coy voice,
“Hahaha… Go Hun, can we stop talking about age now? It’s starting to get a little awkward.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
Then she asked, “Do you think three years is a big difference? I mean, there are plenty of artists who are six or even seven years older.”
I was a bit taken aback. “Well, three years isn’t a huge difference, but it’s not negligible either. Six years… Yeah, that’s a generation gap, I guess. But of course, considering everything you’ve achieved, your time has been incredibly well spent.”
“Oh, I see,” she replied.
After that, Oh Yujin didn’t speak for a while. She pressed her lips together, pouting slightly, and remained silent.
‘Great… Did I bore her with my self-pity? Does she look down on men who always complain?’
Sigh…
This is why you shouldn’t complain in front of women.
We worked in silence until 3 a.m. in the dusty warehouse. It was a quiet night.
*
At present:
Oh Yujin, or rather, Senior Oh Yujin, was wearing round glasses and gently ruffling my hair.
‘She seemed so tiny in the past, but now I feel like a child being held in her arms. She’s like a doll to me.’
Senior Oh Yujin had just managed to calm the storm that had been sweeping through Dormitory 7 and suggested we gather in the common room for a little tea party.
“Great! I’m going to chat with the youngest one!”
“Me too! Me too!”
“Who do you think you are, junior? You can’t boss me around!”
“Oh Yujin! She’s acting like a senior to me!”
The junior high and high school girls living in Dormitory 7 gathered in a circle, sitting on the floor with snacks and drinks spread out in front of them, chatting away. Seeing how willingly the juniors followed her lead, it seemed that Oh Yujin was quite an influential figure in the Fine Arts Department.
‘The students from the Dance and Theater departments quickly cleared out when they saw Senior Oh Yujin, and in the end, it was just the Fine Arts Department students left in Dormitory 7.’
Among them were even the seniors who had been arguing over cola and black tea earlier.
“Senior, let me have just one bite.”
“No, you always say ‘just one bite’ and end up eating it all.”
“I really mean just one bite!”
“Oh, go buy your own then!”
“Stop it, there’s another one here!”
Despite their teasing, it felt more like a group of friends than a typical senior-junior relationship. The peaceful scene felt like it was molded by Oh Yujin’s own easygoing nature.
I could tell that, at the center of it all, was Senior Oh Yujin.
‘Was she like this even when she was younger? I remember she used to be able to effortlessly manage the atmosphere of a gallery, and she was famous for being kind to her staff and assistants…’
As Senior Oh Yujin was brushing her hair, she muttered,
“Wait, you’re the one who got into the Fine Arts Department through the special admissions, right? You’re so young, I was surprised.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to working with you, Senior.”
“Huh? Ahahaha! Why are you being so stiff? I’m just a high school freshman, after all.”
“But… you’re six years older than me.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re all just friends since we go to the same school, right?”
“Six years…”
“Ah, there you go again!”
I couldn’t help but murmur about the age difference.
‘Wait, was it really a six-year gap, not three?’
I had been trying to lower her age by three years. No wonder she never told me her graduation year or class year.
Senior Oh Yujin, who was thirty-six at the time, was already in her late thirties.
‘So… I felt a spark for a thirty-six-year-old woman.’
“I’m just an ordinary person. There are many things I’m lacking compared to the seniors, and there are things I might be better at than others. I’m just an ordinary kid.”
“So… that…?” “…?” “…?” “…?”
‘Honestly, it’s nerve-wracking to speak so frankly.’
Ordinary me.
Will I be able to get along well with those who will succeed as writers in the future?
When I started to have those thoughts, I remembered something the writer Oh Yujin had said to me twenty years later. Her voice seemed to come from beyond the glasses of a girl who was looking at me kindly.
“You just need to do well from now on.”
“………”
“Go Hun, you might do even better.”
“Thank you, Oh Yujin. I’ll believe in that word.”
I bowed my head once more toward my seniors and said, “I’m lacking, but I’ll do my best going forward.”
I remained silently with my head down.
“…..?”
“…..”
Something.
It felt awkward when no one reacted.
As I thought this, I lifted my head and…
A number of seniors suddenly pounced on me with wild, crazed eyes. They came at me with the intensity of villains on a pirate ship who hadn’t seen women in ten years.
They grabbed my limbs and began showering me with affection with all their might.
‘Why?!’
Later, I learned that one of the reasons they showered me with so much affection was because of my tragically poor family situation, which was only known through interviews. The second reason was that they were moved by the fact that I didn’t act arrogantly despite being a genius. They said this sparked their maternal instincts.
In short…
“You struck first…!”
This is how it all happened.
As a result.
“Maknae!!!”
“Hana!!!”
“Wait a second?!”
Soft… chewy… Squishy…
“Ughhh-?!”
“Ahhh! Stay still!! Unnie will spoil you!!”
“Look at our baby talking!!”
“Uuuhhh…”
“Who!!! Who killed the maknae’s spirit?! Who coughed?!”
“Bring the mace!!!”
“From now on, the guardian angel of Dormitory 7 is Go Hana!! The moment this child sheds a tear, our dorm will unite and bring forth a storm of blood!!! Is there anyone afraid?! If there is, leave now!!”
“No objections!!”
“No objections!!”
“No objections!!”
“WAA! WAA! WAA!”
The girls stomped their feet like warriors, lifting me as though I were the king in an American animated movie where a lion becomes the king. They raised me by my armpits and paraded me around the whole of Dormitory 7.
“WAA! WAA! WAA!”
In the midst of this sudden and overwhelming storm of affection, I lost consciousness.
‘Ugh…’
Can I really live here peacefully?
Through my blurry vision, I saw Oh Yujin, smiling and giggling.
“Yes! Let’s get along well from now on!”
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