Chapter 16
5. European Trip (1)
Henri Marceau glared at Go Hoon as he waited for the exhibition staff.
He had thought the boy didn’t know his place.
But after a brief conversation, the child who initially seemed out of touch with reality began to look different.
Go Hoon didn’t boast about how amazing his painting was.
He didn’t explain the meaning, techniques, or materials used in creating it.
Instead, he spoke with the assumption that Henri Marceau had the discernment to understand it.
And then—
He stated that the value of Sunflower depended on him.
It wasn’t the arrogance often seen in cocky young artists.
‘He’s saying this to me, who came to buy the piece.’
The buyer was none other than Henri Marceau, the most renowned painter and art collector in France.
So the boy presented a price that matched the stature of his guest.
Wasn’t Sunflower, the painting someone like Marceau wanted, worth at least two million euros?
Compared to those who sweet-talk and scheme just to earn a little more, how pure was this challenge?
The boy’s painting—
It was worth that much.
A single sunflower, glowing as though it had swallowed the sun.
Henri Marceau couldn’t take his eyes off the painting.
Though it used classical techniques, the result was a completely original piece the world had never seen before.
Just a simple still life that’s rarely seen in the market now, yet it exuded life and willpower through the brilliance of the sunflower.
Even the empty space on the left gave room for contemplation.
After some time had passed—
Director Lee Junho entered the third gallery room, unable to hide his excitement.
“Oh my, hello! I’m Lee Junho, director of the Seoul Museum of Art.”
Henri Marceau didn’t spare a glance at Lee Junho and instead looked past him to Go Su-yeol and Jang Mirae, who were walking in slowly.
He filled out a check for two million euros, signed it, and shoved it into Director Lee’s chest as he walked toward Go Su-yeol.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Go Su-yeol.”
“You’re persistent. What are you thinking?”
Go Su-yeol glared at Henri Marceau, who merely nodded toward Sunflower.
“I came to buy your work, but I discovered something I didn’t expect.”
“…”
“You’ve trained him well. I look forward to seeing more.”
Marceau glanced at the surprised Director Lee and said,
“I’ll pick it up on the last day of the exhibition. Take good care of it.”
“Pardon? I’m not sure I understand…”
Director Lee, who didn’t understand French, was flustered, but Marceau paid him no mind.
He gave one last look at Go Hoon, who sat beside Sunflower, and left the exhibition.
Later, after getting into the car—
Arsène, his secretary, who had returned after handling the art deal paperwork with the museum, asked,
“You met Go Su-yeol. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about his work?”
“I’m not interested.”
Henri Marceau rested his right arm on the car window and touched the bridge of his nose, thinking only of Go Hoon and Sunflower.
I sold it.
‘I sold my painting.’
There was no other way to explain it—it must’ve been luck. But still, it was good fortune.
Aside from small pieces, I had sold only one painting in the past ten years, and now I sold this one so quickly.
To meet someone who truly recognized me and my work…
I was overwhelmed with emotion and didn’t know what to do with myself.
But Grandpa didn’t look pleased.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s fine.”
Something was clearly bothering him.
“Aren’t you happy?”
Maybe…
As a dignified artist, Grandpa might have taken it the wrong way—that I drew to sell.
If the artwork doesn’t sell, life becomes miserable. And selling it is a sign of communication too, but…
Maybe Grandpa hoped that I, still young, would pursue art purely, without focusing on money.
As I wondered how to explain that—
His fists trembled as he clenched them tightly.
“Hmph.”
Jang Mirae laughed.
When I looked puzzled, she leaned in and whispered,
“He wanted to be the first to buy your painting.”
“…Really?”
Even for someone who adored his grandson, this was a bit extreme.
He always said that money shouldn’t be exchanged between family, but it seemed he had really wanted to buy it.
He looked furious now.
“If I bought it, no one else would take it seriously.”
“What’s wrong with buying a painting you like with your own money?”
Though always courteous and rational to others, Grandpa got strange when it came to me.
“And why him of all people? I don’t even have to see it—I know how smug he must’ve been!”
“Yeah, but he offered two million euros, so he must’ve really liked the painting.”
“No, Hoon made the offer.”
Journalist Kim Ji-woo chimed in.
Both Grandpa and Jang Mirae stared at her with wide eyes.
“You said ten thousand euros at first, right?”
I nodded in response to Ji-woo’s question, and they looked like their eyes were about to pop out.
“I didn’t understand the French, but they were talking, and it was really intense. So, can you explain what happened in more detail?”
Jang Mirae leaned in, cutting off Kim Ji-woo.
“What were you thinking? What if he said no?”
“I thought he’d buy it.”
“Huh?”
“He liked Sunflower more than anyone else I’d seen.”
“…Really? He was just staring, though.”
Kim Ji-woo mumbled.
“Did you even know how much two million euros is?”
“They said ten thousand euros was 140 million won, so I aimed for one billion. Since the museum takes 50 percent, right?”
Grandpa blinked.
“Now we can pay off the debt, right?”
“Well, that…”
He hesitated, flustered.
“You promised. Ten billion, bit by bit.”
“Wait… did you ask for two million euros because of what I said?”
“Yes.”
“You rascal! When I told you not to worry about money, you weren’t supposed to take it literally!”
“But it’s good if I sell it for more, right?”
“Who told you to go make money?!”
I’d never seen him this upset.
And remembering what Jang Mirae told me earlier, I started to wonder.
“If you really want one, I can paint another for you.”
“There’s only one! It’s your first work in your first exhibition! Even if you paint another, it won’t be the same!”
“…”
“Ahahaha! Hoon, I think Grandpa is really mad. You’d better calm him down.”
“Wait! What do you mean?! Huh? Please explain clearly—what’s this about paying debts and wanting to buy it?”
Between Grandpa and Kim Ji-woo, my head was spinning.
[Henri Marceau adds to his collection: Buys Go Su-yeol’s grandson’s painting for €2 million]
On the 15th, world-renowned painter and collector Henri Marceau purchased Sunflower by Go Hoon at the Seoul Museum of Art for two million euros.
Their transaction was unusually made public inside the exhibition hall.
Go Hoon rejected Henri Marceau’s initial offer of €100,000 and proposed €2,000,000 instead. Marceau accepted, and the deal was sealed.
With this, Sunflower was sold for over 2.8 billion Korean won, becoming the most expensive painting sold in Korea this year.
Sunflower will remain on display at the Seoul Museum’s Gallery 3 until the 20th before being handed over to Marceau.
Due to the high value, the museum announced that security guards would be stationed throughout the exhibition period.
Go Hoon, the artist behind Sunflower, is the grandson of Go Su-yeol and sold his first submitted work in his first exhibition.
Read more about Go Hoon – Article by Kim Ji-woo (YeHwa)
Henri Marceau—a globally beloved painter and art collector.
With a personal fortune estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars, news of him buying a painting in Korea turned the art world upside down.
Known for his immense skill, wealth, and critical standards, Marceau also had a reputation for arrogance.
That he bought a 10-year-old boy’s painting was newsworthy enough, but spending two million euros on it shocked everyone.
The article posted on Monthly YeHwa’s SNS account was copied and shared by countless journalists.
The news reached not only art professionals but also general community forums.
└Insane lol a 10-year-old kid sold a painting for 2.8 billion won
└Who is this kid?
└Grandson of painter Go Su-yeol
└Go Su-yeol? That name sounds familiar
└Not super famous in Korea, but huge overseas. People fight to invite him to the Biennale
└The kid’s parents are Go Hae-sung and Lee Soo-jin. Art director at Max Studio
└SABERS?
└Yeah. From Sabers: Trinity War to End Phase, he was the art director
└Didn’t both parents pass away?
└Yeah. They came to Korea this summer for vacation and died in a car accident
└That’s tragic. Poor kid—he’s an orphan now
└But seriously, how does a 10-year-old sell a painting for 2.8 billion won, even if he’s from a famous family?
└Henri Marceau saw it and bought it on the spot
└This is depressing. How do you make that kind of money from one painting?
└Right? And these artists just make a dot on a canvas and sell it for billions
└[Link] You can see the painting here
└It’s probably just average kid art lol
└You’re the real joke for hating on a 10-year-old online
People unfamiliar with art were shocked by the news of a 10-year-old selling a painting for 2.8 billion won.
Some were envious, others resentful—but most reactions were negative.
It stemmed from disillusionment with modern art that often felt disconnected and hard to understand.
└I’m not kidding—I spaced out for like a minute. It’s actually worth the price
└Huh?
└WTF… what is this?
└I don’t know art, but this is amazing. Actually, not just “good”—it’s something else
People who saw Go Hoon’s Sunflower were stunned.
It wasn’t the kind of abstract art they expected to not understand.
Just seeing it made them feel good.
Though it looked lonely, the sunflower’s noble radiance conveyed a mix of indescribable emotions.
As Sunflower gained recognition, the number of people dismissing it as an overpriced painting dropped.
And more and more people began to take an interest in the young artist, Go Hoon.
