“…..”
I lost my words and looked up at the sky for a moment.
My mind had temporarily gone blank. It felt like I could hear the sound of various objects being moved from far away.
Beside me, the shipping company employee was watching me with a worried look.
“….”
Of course, I knew. I knew that standing here dumbfounded wouldn’t solve anything… I knew that.
But it was hard not to feel troubled.
‘…At this point, even if I ask the Korean consulate for legal advice, it would take forever to prosecute or catch the criminals.
Since the protest leaders aren’t clear, even if I demand compensation from New York City Hall, it will either be ignored or take too long.’
Moreover, it’s hard to quickly purchase a large number of high-priced items like big TVs locally. Disposing of them after the exhibition is also an issue.
The money and legal problems were intertwined. It would be difficult to resolve this quickly within a month of the exhibition.
To be honest, if I’m being blunt,
I’m the only one who’s screwed here.
‘From Korea’s perspective, even if I can’t hold the exhibition, other artists… like Mari, for instance, could proceed with their exhibitions just fine.’
So, from the perspective of corporations or the government, this isn’t really something worth worrying about. They wouldn’t be eager to help either.
This problem was something only I had to solve.
But in New York, I was just a foreigner.
“….”
…It’s a dead end.
‘It’s impossible to go through with this exhibition.’
Once I accepted that fact,
my head felt fuzzy.
‘This is bad.’
“…”
But…
I clenched my fist again.
– Squeezed
‘…No, it’s not completely ruined.’
My thoughts went negative again. Unless I was electrocuted to death by touching a live wire, whenever I felt like things were completely lost, it wasn’t actually the end.
“…Sigh.”
I took a deep breath. The cold wind of the river flowed through my nose. My mind cleared, and a refreshing energy filled my chest.
“Phew…!”
Thanks to that, my sense of reality came back.
My uncle from my past life used to say:
– Hun, when you think it’s all over, first, count what you can still do. As you count the remaining cards in your hand, you’ll often find that it’s not as bad as you thought.
Alright.
I spoke to the shipping company employee beside me, who was worried that I might break down in tears.
“…So, did the other two TVs arrive here?”
“Ah, yes. They’ve been moved to the exhibition site for now.”
“I see. For now, let’s hold off on the installation. Please make sure they’re stored safely.”
There were still two large TVs left.
Of course, trying to hold the exhibition with only these would make the impact much less than originally intended. Even if I changed the exhibition method, I still needed more materials.
But.
The fact that there were still two left was important.
‘One point of hope added.’
“Has the headquarters in Korea been informed about this theft?”
“Ah, yes… I’ve contacted them, but we haven’t received any specific solutions yet. Since it was a sudden event, it’s difficult to resolve quickly. However, we did receive a message saying, ‘It was an unexpected incident, and since it’s just sponsored goods, don’t worry about the remaining process.’”
“I see. Thank you.”
The Korean TV company was aware of the issue. At least, I wouldn’t have to worry about them nitpicking the improvisation for this incident.
‘Two points of hope added.’
I felt my mind slowly calm down. I could almost hear my inner uncle laughing and saying, “See? It’s not such a big deal, right?”
‘But the fundamental problem still isn’t solved, uncle…’
Muttering that to myself, I cautiously asked,
“Is it impossible to send the same items again?”
“Ah… that’s probably not possible. The sponsorship was a sudden arrangement, so…”
“I see. Thank you for letting me know. Also, please send me copies of these photos and videos as legal evidence for the theft report.”
“Understood. We have plenty of materials, so I can send them right away.”
Another chance missed.
But I hadn’t expected a miracle from the start, so I wasn’t really disappointed. In fact, distinguishing between what could and couldn’t be done made me feel like I was starting to see a way forward.
I pulled out my phone to take the next step. I started walking aimlessly to focus on the call. Even while walking, I kept mentally planning changes for the exhibition.
‘Maybe a more chaotic and kitsch vibe could add diversity to the original concept…?’
Looking at the business card in my pocket, the contact info for ‘LaoHu Agency,’ I made the call.
*
Inside the convention center, in the middle of the exhibition setup,
Upon hearing my words, Chief Jeong was stunned and exclaimed. Even though she was in the middle of supervising Mari’s exhibition setup, she shouted in disbelief.
“What—?! All of them were stolen?!”
“Not all of them, just 23 out of the 25.”
“Isn’t that the same thing…?”
“No, it’s completely different between everything being stolen and having some left behind. It’s not gone, just incomplete. If it was all gone, I’d have to remake everything, but the missing parts can still be filled.”
“Is that something an elementary school student would say after everything they prepared in a foreign country crumbles?”
“……Anyway, this is the situation I’m in right now. So, I’d like to postpone the installation of the artworks for a while.”
“?”
Chief Jeong tilted her head.
“Postpone…? You’re not going to set up the remaining 2 TVs right now?”
“Right.”
“Ah, wait, are you thinking of buying new TVs to fill in the gap?”
“No, I don’t have the budget for that. But I’ll resolve the TV issue during this week’s installation period and proceed with the exhibition on the original date.”
“?”
Chief Jeong looked confused.
It seemed like she couldn’t figure out how I planned to solve this problem, especially since I said I didn’t have money to buy new TVs. She finally asked cautiously, her expression full of doubt.
“C-could I ask how you plan to proceed?”
“I asked if I could get the remaining TVs from nearby facilities.”
“…What?”
*
– I see. That must have been quite confusing for you. It’s a problem that many artists working in New York often face. It’s really unfortunate that you had to experience that right after arriving in the U.S.
“….”
The voice of Rebecca, the scout in charge at Laohu Agency, was calm over the phone. Since I hadn’t called to complain to a busy professional, I immediately got to the point.
“So, I have something I’d like to tell you.”
… Yes, go ahead.
“I would like to transfer some of the rights to the paintings I own from my first solo exhibition in Korea to Laohu Agency in the future. I have a detailed list of the works with photos here.”
– …
Rebecca didn’t respond immediately to my words.
It was partly because my request seemed unrelated to what we had been talking about, but mainly because the intention of suddenly transferring my personal collection of artwork to their company was unclear.
After taking a brief pause, Rebecca spoke in a calm voice.
– We would be happy to keep the works from a promising young artist’s first solo exhibition. However, from your perspective, isn’t this a bit too hasty? Wouldn’t it be better to join our agency and discuss the solution to the issue instead…?
“…Instead.”
I took a deep breath and continued speaking.
“Please investigate if there are any institutions or facilities in Manhattan that have old TVs or monitors ready to be discarded. As long as they work, the condition doesn’t matter. The size doesn’t have to be specific either.”
Rebecca sighed at my unreasonable request. But in the end, the response was positive.
– Understood.
Two hours later, a staff member from Laohu Agency arrived with the contract and the information.
“….”
After reviewing the contract, I signed it.
‘There’s never been a rumor about Laohu Agency taking advantage of an artist, so…’
And I had managed to pinpoint the exact location I needed. Coincidentally, it was a place I was familiar with, even though I had no connection to the U.S.
“They said a children’s psychological therapy center in Manhattan recently went through a major facility renovation.
They purchased new TVs for the children’s education and were planning to dispose of all the old ones. Dr. William, the center’s director, would like to meet with you in person to discuss the details.”
“…”
That was the place where Mari had received treatment during her childhood.
‘How should I put this, is it a coincidence… or is it fate?’
*
Hearing my story, Manager Jeong was once again shocked.
“W-what kind of reckless deal is this…?!”
“Anyway, it’s settled. I’m going to head to the Manhattan Children’s Psychological Therapy Center tomorrow to discuss things and try to get the discarded TVs as soon as possible. So I’d also like to ask you to handle the installation to fit the size of the old TVs.”
“Well, that’s… um… that’s easy. We can just go to the electronics store nearby and buy the cables, and that’ll be it. But, are you sure about this?”
“Sure about what?”
Manager Jeong looked at me with a worried expression from beneath his messy hair. His gaze wasn’t just that of someone concerned about his boss’s friend.
“Even if there’s a condition about not selling, if you’re using all your personal collection of works as collateral, that essentially means you’re giving up all the rights to your works except for selling them. The works in question may no longer be able to be exhibited as you wish in Korea. Isn’t this a bit too extreme…?”
“….”
Ah, so that’s what he meant. From Manager Jeong’s perspective, it probably seemed like a desperate little kid blindly charging into something.
‘I’ve already given up on the idea of making a living from Go Hun’s paintings. I might as well clear all lingering attachments now.’
I smiled lightly.
“It’s fine. I was planning to let go of them anyway. I’ll just create even better works in the future.”
“…”
“And honestly, exhibiting in the U.S. will be better for the publicity, right? I’ve already left plenty behind in Korea, so it’s fine.”
“…”
Manager Jeong answered with a serious expression.
“Understood. I’ll prepare everything so we can move right away tomorrow.”
*
The next day.
In the vehicle that Manager Jeong had prepared, Mari was sitting.
I hesitated for a moment before getting in. Mari was looking at me with a somewhat hurt expression.
“You really thought I wouldn’t help with something like this?”
I had always seen her smiling brightly, so it was the first time I’d seen her with her mouth firmly closed like that. It actually gave off a strangely fresh feeling.
“….”
“….”
After a brief silence.
Mari opened her mouth slightly.
“I could’ve helped.”
“…”
“I’ll ask Dad to buy it for me, no matter how much it costs.”
“….”
“So, let’s not do that.”
“…”
A bitter smile came to my face.
This kid.
It seemed like 100 million won felt like nothing to her.
‘No… Actually, it’s more like she’d say that 100 million won isn’t even worth it to me.’
Unfortunately… I wasn’t planning on solving this problem with a friend’s money. I’ve been trying to draw a clear line between receiving help and relying on others.
That line is often blurry and hard to distinguish.
But at least for this situation, I had made my decision.
Even if it meant suffering losses, going back, or being a bit shaken, I had decided that I would bear the consequences of my own choices.
I answered with a smile.
“It’s okay.”
“…Why?”
“Because friends don’t take advantage of each other.”
“…I don’t get it.”
“Then, I have a favor to ask instead.”
“?”
“From now on, will you go with me to the Children’s Psychological Therapy Center? I’m a little scared to go alone. I’d like it if you could guide me since you’ve been there before.”
“…”
Mari gave a slight smile.
“…Okay.”