Dr. William had a bewildered expression on his face.
“I’ve never seen the children this quiet before. Usually, they get bored and lose focus after just ten minutes, even with educational videos or kids’ programs… But they’ve been sitting still for thirty minutes already.”
“R-Right…”
As promised, Dr. William had brought the children here for a field trip. Of course, he couldn’t bring all of the children under his care, but at least some of the kids from the center were getting a new experience.
The twenty or so children he had brought were each holding their assigned teacher’s hand, sitting quietly. Each one was completely absorbed in the screen in front of them.
Dr. William was impressed.
“Not only is the children’s reaction remarkable, but the fact that so many people have gathered to see your work is incredible as well. At first, when I saw this crowd, I thought the expo was hosting some kind of big show.”
“Ah, ahaha…”
“And the content of your piece is astonishing. A short title, 15, and a video just as concise as the name suggests. But that very simplicity captivates people, making it impossible for them to look away.”
Dr. William glanced around at the people staring blankly at the screen. Then he shared his thoughts on the phenomenon unfolding before him.
“It feels like you’ve distilled the very essence of the media’s power. It’s terrifyingly concise, yet terrifyingly satirical.
Information alone regardless of its actual content can be enough to mesmerize people. This kind of approach could very well become a cultural code in itself.”
“…Thank you for seeing it that way.”
“Oh? Did I misunderstand your intentions?”
“No, there’s no single correct answer in art. There are just the stories that the artist puts forth and the various interpretations that follow.”
“Which is exactly why art is such a vague yet fascinating discipline. There’s a reason it has existed alongside human intellect for thousands of years.”
As expected from a scholar of his caliber, Dr. William had grasped most of the essence behind this piece.
While our conversation continued, the children from the center remained completely still, ignoring their teachers’ repeated calls of It’s time to head back now.
It was a scene that seemed straight out of the future perhaps something that would be common twenty years from now.
Dr. William let out a deep sigh as he watched them.
“Hah… Anyway. I’m starting to worry about how I’m going to get the kids back to the center. It’s almost snack time, and I’d like to return before then.”
“…”
“Well, I suppose it’s not a bad thing. It just means they really like it. Haha.”
With a chuckle, Dr. William gently coaxed the children, urging them to head back. Slowly, they began to rise to their feet, preparing to leave.
I turned to him and spoke.
“Oh, you’re leaving already?”
“Yes. We’ve stayed longer than expected, and I need to make sure the children return safely. Thank you for showing them such a wonderful piece.”
“…”
And with that, they took a brief look around Mari’s exhibition next door, marveling at the works before finally heading out.
But even after they had left, the exhibition hall remained crowded.
Everyone’s eyes were still glued to the screen I had set up.
“…”
‘I knew that online streaming platforms were starting to gain traction, and people were becoming more accustomed to media… but I never expected it to have this kind of impact.’
To the people of 2006,
the addictive nature of short-form content seemed excessive.
I looked around.
“…”
—Murmur, murmur—
Countless people were either seated in chairs or sitting directly on the floor, completely fixated on the screens. Unlike the other, more spacious sections of the expo, my exhibition had become a gathering spot almost like a rest area overflowing with people.
Usually, when a crowd forms so one-sidedly like this, other artists in different sections start to complain. But of all things, the only ones clustered together here were the Korean artists…
Just as the crowd was growing, interest in the works of the Korean artists around me was also increasing. As a result, in this international expo where artists from all over the world had gathered, the Korean section was becoming one of the hottest exhibits.
From the seventh day, when the buzz really started picking up, Park Seokjo, the representative of the Korean artists, expressed his gratitude.
—In all my decades as an artist, I’ve never received this much attention at an overseas exhibition. Haha…
—It’s all thanks to our genius artist here.
—Can you believe it? There are people who didn’t even know where Korea was, and now they’re all buzzing about ‘a Korean artist.’
—The consulate took today’s newspaper article with them it seems like it’s making waves back in Korea, too!
—Our brilliant Ko Hana, you’re really on a winning streak!
Every time I dined or held meetings with the other artists who had come to New York, the atmosphere remained the same excitement, congratulations, and warm smiles as if my success was their own.
Even Mari and Manager Jung, taking advantage of a brief lull in the crowd, stood before my work, marveling at it.
—Connection and communication!
—Huh? Miss, I think Ko Hana’s work is more of a critique of media, though?
—Connection and communication!
—R-Right…
They all congratulated me, beaming with pride. I hadn’t expected my work to resonate so well in the U.S., so I felt both dazed and a little embarrassed.
“…”
Slowly, I looked around at the people watching my piece.
During Sanctuary of the Saint, I had been the centerpiece of a live performance, leaving me no time to observe the audience. But now, with this large-scale installation, I could take my time watching them as they experienced the work.
—The more I watch, the more interesting it gets.
—Honestly, I don’t get the other exhibits, but this one’s fun. Plus, it’s a great place to sit and rest.
Without realizing that I was the creator of this exhibit, people remained fixated on the TV screens before them, chatting and laughing freely.
This feels so different from the stiff atmosphere of an art museum it’s more relaxed. Maybe because it’s America?
Unlike the serious expressions people wore when viewing paintings, their faces were now relaxed as they gazed at the screens.
Well, the format itself is essentially short-form content that already exists in the future. I tried to focus more on the message than the format, but I guess people found the format itself shocking.
Although all the TVs I had brought with me to New York had been snatched up, I had worked hard to maintain the structure of the piece. The disorderly arrangement of screens each with different sizes and resolutions was more than enough to convey the message.
“Hmm… Well, if it’s good, it’s good. Lao Hu Agency wins, and I win too, so no complaints here.”
I nodded to myself.
Then, stepping slightly away from my own exhibition, I took a peek into Mari’s.
The largest space in the Korean section, it also featured a striking and unconventional display.
So this is what Mari had been working on at home…
Instead of being hung on walls, abstract paintings were suspended in midair.
Like condemned prisoners,
capturing a world that was cold and dark…
Countless paintings were displayed like corpses.
As if staring directly at death, or as if falling into an endless abyss. The visitors were drawn into the paintings that recreated pain.
They murmured in this eerie space.
– Why is it so scary here…?
– It’s terrifying, but I can’t look away.
– Feels like a pleasure killer painted these.
“Huh?”
Wait, where did that baseless slander come from…?
‘That’s not true.’
Mari isn’t that kind of person.
Mari is kind, gentle…
“….”
For a moment, I felt a surge of anger,
but I decided to take it as just another interpretation.
‘…Well, the paintings are scary.’
It was unlike Mari, who always depicted a bright, hopeful world with vivid detail. At the same time, I could sense a desire to view her memories objectively.
To overcome pain by confronting it—
That feeling was powerfully conveyed.
I hoped this was just Mari’s growing pains.
“…Well, it’s all good in the end.”
Muttering to myself,
I moved on to see the works of other Korean artists.
Maybe because of my artwork’s trickle-down effect (?), people were actually stopping by the Korean pavilion something that would have been unthinkable compared to the attention China and Japan received.
Some of the artists were secretly watching from the sidelines, their faces filled with emotion. When our eyes met, they shot me a thumbs-up. Their fingers had little Taegeukgi stickers on them.
“…….”
Seriously…?
This national pride moment is a bit much…
But I couldn’t deny that such sentiments were common in this era.
‘Well, even I used to get hyped when a Korean song made it onto the Billboard charts…’
So, I casually returned the thumbs-up.
– Thumbs up!
– Thumbs up!
After finishing my tour of the Korean pavilion,
I was just about to head back to my own exhibition space when—
A loud crashing sound rang out.
– Crash!
“?”
Huh?
Did someone trip and break an artwork or something?
But then, the sound of shattering glass continued.
This time, even more aggressively.
– Smash!
“!”
The moment I heard it, I had a gut feeling.
‘This… sounds like someone is breaking things on purpose…?’
My heart began to pound little by little due to the sudden trouble. And the closer I got to the source of the noise, where people were gathering, the stronger the pounding became.
—What’s going on?
—Sounds like someone’s smashing things?
—Smashing? A piece of artwork?
—Something like a TV…
“?!”
The commotion was coming from a familiar direction.
It was from my exhibition hall.
A man was shouting there, and people were watching him, filming with the cameras in their hands.
—Everyone, take your eyes off the screen!
“…?”
Uh.
Uh… what the hell?
‘This damn country, always trouble when I try to do something…!’
My heart sank. My steps quickened.
And finally, I arrived.
“….”
Seeing it up close, it was an absolute mess.
A white man in jeans was holding a baseball bat in one hand, having just smashed a small TV in my exhibition. No one was hurt, but people had backed away in shock.
With a determined expression, he shouted,
“This! These videos are part of a conspiracy by the U.S. government, orchestrated by China, to brainwash the public! It’s a hypnosis program! Everyone, look away from this dangerous screen!”
“…”
Det…?
Since when was I Chinese…?
‘The sponsor, Dr. William, is British-American, though…’
I was too dumbfounded to speak.
Of course, no one believed him.
—Who the hell is this lunatic?!
—Call the police!
And just as the man was about to smash another TV with his bat, the police rushed in. They shouted a few warnings from a distance before immediately firing a stun gun.
—Zap!
The taser probes struck him squarely in the chest, and he let out a scream.
“Gwaaahh!”
“Suspect apprehended.”
The NYPD officers swiftly handcuffed him as he twitched on the ground like a bug. It was a display of America’s signature brand of aggressive and efficient law enforcement.
Watching the whole scene unfold, my jaw dropped.
“…My god… This is America…?”
“Artist!”
“!”
I turned around at the sound of someone calling me from nearby.
It was Chief Jung who had been urgently looking for me. She carefully checked me from head to toe before asking,
“Artist! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“Oh, no… I just got here myself.”
“…Phew. That’s a relief. I was just on my way back after bringing you lunch, and I nearly had a heart attack.”
“I see. Anyway, looks like one of the TVs is completely smashed.”
“?!”
Chief Jung hurriedly looked around my exhibition. When she saw the broken TV, her face turned pale.
“Oh my god?! How could this happen?! Wh-what do we do, Artist?!”
“We should clean up the glass shards first. Someone could get hurt.”
“N-no! I mean, the artwork…?!”
“It’s fine. These things happen. Just clear away the broken one and shift the other TVs around to fill the empty space.”
“Are… are you sure that’s okay?”
“It’s fine. Things like this happen. Just relax, deep breaths.”
“Phew…”
I firmly held Chief Jung’s cold hands.
“First, let’s focus on cleaning this up.”
“…Alright.”
Chief Jung, who had been in a panic, quickly regained her composure. She gathered the staff to clean up the exhibition hall and coordinated with the police.
Later, I found out what happened.
The man with the baseball bat was just someone obsessed with conspiracy theories. He wasn’t some hired vandal or an agent sent by anyone.
—After reading the newspaper, I received a revelation that it is my duty to destroy this demonic object!
On top of that, the TV he smashed was actually a secondhand donation from Dr. William. Since the financial damage was minimal, the case was settled with a simple ban from the exhibition hall for the rest of the event.
Chief Jung thought it would be best for me to stay away from the exhibition for the time being.
—Since your work is drawing attention, some strange people might recognize you.
And so, the chaotic incident ended with me spending the rest of the exhibition period on vacation at the hotel with Mari.
But then…
The incident made it to New York City’s news.
—Midday Mayhem!
—China’s Conspiracy? The Truth Behind the Incident!
—The Korean Genius Caught in the Chaos!
As the news spread, public interest grew rapidly.
It wasn’t long before I truly felt the weight of that attention.
Chief Jung arrived with shocking news.
I was lounging at the hotel, eating ice cream with Mari, when I nearly dropped my spoon in surprise.
“What? I’ve been invited as a guest on a famous talk show?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm…”
Was I really that big of a deal…?