Chapter 12 :Miracle drawing (12)

“Aah, of course I remember. Room B-8202, right? The 12:30 class.”

Suitably answering professor Heimdall, the professor once again looked down at the students’ artworks. He had to write quickly if he wanted to finish before the next class.

Professor Heimdall watched from the door, and slowly moved next to the professor’s desk and looked at the drawings together.

“Ugh, hideous.”

“That’s what I said. My head hurts just from looking at it.”

“How come the students are getting worse the further into the year? Isn’t there too big a difference between the portfolio they submitted when they applied?”

The professor nodded at Professor Heimdall’s words.

Because some are handing in homeworks with simply unbelievable quality, the professors were put in a difficult position whenever they have to critique the works.

For a while, the two professors fervently debated about the students’ faults. At the same time, the professor didn’t forgot to comment on the students’ artworks.

And when the professor placed the last picture on the desk.

“Oh…?”

Professor Heimdall’s eyes lit up unlike before.

“Wait, isn’t that quite fascinating?”

Professor Heimdall said as he fixed his glasses.

Unlike how he glanced at the pictures from far behind, he suddenly stood right behind the professor and crossed his arms as he examined Jinho’s picture.

At professor Heimdall, the professor asked as he held his pen.

“What do you think?”

“Are you kidding? It’ll be an insult to compare it with the miserable pictures from before. Finally, something worth calling an artwork came out. Overlapping on life drawing. Your class must’ve been horribly boring if a student would try something like this.”

“Nonsense. It’s because my class stimulate students’ creativity that pictures like this comes up.”

“Hmph, if this student wasn’t in your class, but mine, he would’ve drew a picture even better than this one.”

Professor Heimdall griped as he lightly held up Jinho’s drawing.

The more he looked at it, the more he thought it looked fascinating. Not only was it a creative idea, the technique must’ve been exceptional as it considered and calculated the viewer’s line of sight.

The professor playfully smiled as he watched professor Heimdall completely absolved in Jinho’s drawing.

“Sadly, the person who drew this won’t be taking your class.”

“What baloney are you talking about? Since he’s taking Drawing 1510 class, the obvious next class is Painting 2510…”

“The guy who drew that isn’t a Parsons student.”

“… what?”

Professor Heimdall’s eyebrows creased at the professor’s words.

“Then which college did he come from? FIT?”

The professor lightly shook his head at professor Heimdall’s question.

“If not FIT, SVA? Not there either? Then Pratt…? Cooper Union…? If not there, just where could it be!”

All the names of art colleges in New York came out of Professor Heimdall’s mouth, but the professor didn’t give positive answer to any of them. Professor Heimdall, who’s voice naturally went up, put Jinho’s drawing back down on the desk and glared at the professor who sat in his chair as he swirled his pen.

It was clear that he was determined to hear the answer before he left.

At this, professor Julio Collio who’s been spinning his pen smiled widely enough to see his teeth and answered.

“It’s a picture of an applicant who hasn’t gotten into any college yet.”

*

“Are, are you serious? That professor just now is Julio Collio?”
“Yes. You won’t believe how much suprised I waswhen I found out.”

While casually drinking coffee together after the class, Jinho’s face turned white.

Julio Collio.

At least in New Work, he was known as the greatest illust.

From his birth in New York, he finished both his undergraduate and graduate college in New York, and at a young age 22, his skill was recognized by the renowned art magazine in New York, ‘The Art’, to draw its cover page and illusts for countless years. After that, he spread his name in various projects and large events and was now known to be a professor at some college, but to think he’ll be at Parsons…

Because he usually found the studio where he worked more comfortable than the stages at events, his face wasn’t as well known compared to his fame. Additionally, since the only pictures of him that comes up were from when he was young, it was obvious that Jinho wouldn’t recognize him who’d aged more than twenty years.

Looking at Jinho’s face that lost focus, Fei tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s… that is. Truthfully, he’s someone I really look up to. He’s also the reason I came to New York. The Art’s 2009 seasonal issue I saw back in Korea left a big impression on me…”

“True, I feel the same way. He is someone who wouldn’t be strange to be picked as one of the best illustrator in the world.”

Jinho strongly nodded at Fei’s words.

‘I just got praised by someone like that.’

Jinho gulped as he focused on the coffee in his hands.

The professor’s words when he said he wasn’t a Parsons student still ringed in his chest.

[So what if you’re not a student at Parsons? The one I want to see most right now is the picture you drew. I’ll make sure to give it back to you, so could you let me see the picture for today?]

“Mr. Jinho? Mr. Jinho?”

“Ah, yes?”

“Let’s hurry. If we’re late, we won’t be able to see everything in time.”

Fei led Jinho as she checked her wristwatch. Since the visiting hours would end soon and the places they planned to visit close soon too, she became anxious.

Jinho said yes as he took his bag and stood up.

But unlike the face teeming with anticipation before he came to Parsons, he looked completely satisfied.

It felt as if he could slowly see light in his usually dark and gloomy future.

It was something only possible because of being praised by Julio Collio.

‘I want to get back quickly and continue the work.’

Jinho wrote down every idea and creative desires that flew out as he counted down the time until he went back.

*

When everything was dark.

Even late at night when everyone was sleeping, Jinho couldn’t walk away from his easel.

‘Apparently, I’m also more of a night person than the morning type. Seeing how it’s much easier to concentrate, I should be able to finish another sometime today.’

As he continued to focus on his work, Jinho’s phone rang on top of his desk. Without taking his eyes off the easel, Jinho stretched his left hand to pick up his phone.

“Hello?”

[Jinho, why aren’t you calling back these days? It’s worrying.]

“Ah, mom. Sorry. Did you perhaps not get the text message?”

Remembering how he only sent back text messages to his parents every day while being busy working on his portfolio, Jinho scratched his chin.

Jinho’s mom clicked her tongue at his words.

[Of course I got the text messages. But at least call and let me hear your voice from time to time. It’s a scary world today. Some people kill others, steal the phone, and send text messages pretending to be the owner…]

Jinho’s mom told a familiar story with a worried voice.

While continuing the call, Jinho continued sketching with the pencil in his right hand. Because it’s been series of days when even a minute and a second was precious, he couldn’t stop even while in a call.

While repeatedly answering yes to his mom’s words, Jinho looked for places to edit on his sketch.

[Are you properly listening to what mom’s saying?]

“Of course. I’m listening.”

[Then you understand that your living expenses will decrease? Since it’s quite hard to live on this side as well, it can’t be helped. We need to save for your sister’s college tuition too…]

Jinho’s hand paused at his mom’s words.

“…eh? Tuition? Jinhee is going to college already?”

[I told you, she’s going to S art college. Actress or something, she’s still dreaming of it. Mom and dad didn’t even glance at art or acting when we grew up, but why are our son and daughter so attracted to them… anyhow, that Jinhee girl had good enough grades to get into other famous colleges, but why art college…]

The mom’s grumbling continued on, but none of it entered Jinho’s ears.

‘… I’ve been preparing for so long, my sister’s already going into college.’

His five years younger sister, Lee Jinhee. He could only sigh at the fact that she got into college before him.

Finishing the call with his mom, Jinho came outside and sighed as he walked. It was a short stroll to cool his head down a bit, as well as to keep away the sleep. The cold wind swept through his hair and took away the heat, but couldn’t take away his worries.

Unlike Jinho, his sister grew up like a proper honor student.

During high school, while Jinho barely maintained his grades, his sister Jinho was a kind of genius who was in the top percentages in the middle school placement test, and her grades never went below top three in her school afterwards.

Even though that sister only ever looked small…

‘To think she’d grew up and is going to college. And before me, too.’

The heavy sense of reality choked him.

Of course if he try hard from now on, he could certainly get decent results, but anxiety always comes unexpected and shook people, just like now.

‘The moon’s really bright.’

Pointlessly looking up to the night sky, Jinho wrapped his coat around him tighter as he breathed out white mist.

Like the white breath shattering into pieces in the air, he felt complicated as his feelings cracked into pieces.

For now, the most realistic problem haunted him.

“The living expenses from now on is a problem.”

Portfolio preparation was going well without any problems. But he needed to eat something if he wanted to draw.

Although it never was plentiful, Jinho’s lifestyle that never had large worry took a hit.

He could somehow go on this month, but since he’ll only get the rent and the minimum living expenses starting next week, his sight already felt dim from the worries.

‘Do I seriously have to look for a part-time job?’

There were only so many part-time jobs he could get with transfer-student status, since he couldn’t file tax report and work legally. After getting into college, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say anything not related to school is illegal for transfer students.

Unlike his worries, the night sky was unimaginably beautiful. Worrying about how to eat from now on as well as thinking about drawing, Jinho took out his phone.

“Let’s take a shot and use it later as a reference when drawing.”

Saving the sight of the clouds spreading out around the moon and giving off a fantastic sense in his camera, Jinho opened his photo gallery and checked the picture he just took. Then, he lightly swiped the slides and the previous pictures he took that day appeared one after another and stimulated his mind.

Thanks to his habit of taking a shot of anything that look interesting whenever he has a chance and saving them, he took countless number of photos that day too.

And as he relived the feelings he felt at the time of each shot, Jinho’s head tilted at a certain photo.

It was an ad he saw back in Parsons.

< Miracle Drawing! 12. > End

Translator : CSV
Proofreader : Saquacon (PR)