TRGAHS Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jung Do-hyun, the director of Bellagio Gallery,
was one of the judges for Cheongrim’s year-end comprehensive art exhibition, known as “Yeonsiljong.”

After doing this for several years,
he had gotten used to parents offering all kinds of money and gifts.

He only felt guilty the first few times.
Now, he was completely used to it.

“It’s nothing special. You know my son entered Cheongrim this time, right?”

The woman—known as the daughter-in-law of a former Minister of Culture—
handed him a cake box.

Inside the box were stacks of 50,000-won bills.

“Can I see his painting?”
“Oh, of course. It won’t disappoint you.”

Contrary to his expectations,
her son Kim Ji-an’s painting was actually quite good.

Even without the bribe, it looked like a top-ranking piece.

It was exactly the kind of painting professors liked—
structured, straightforward, and technically solid.

“I’ll send my regards to your father-in-law.”

So, as she said,
he accepted the money without much hesitation.

It was a painting that would naturally receive a high score anyway.

He thought of it as easy money.

Until Lee Yeji suddenly appeared.

For the second round of judging,
Yerim Art Center had been emptied.

As the judges entered, an uncomfortable silence filled the space.

The vandalism incident… and now a second round of judging.

Over time, Do-hyun became certain—

All the judges except Chloe had taken money.

It was obvious from how they tried to block the second evaluation together.

Still, he believed nothing would change.

Oil painting? From a 17-year-old?

Too flashy for a high school student aiming for college.

With that kind of painting,
she wouldn’t even get into a university in Korea.

He silently criticized Yeji’s work in advance.

“…Flowers?”

The moment they entered the exhibition hall,
a strong floral scent filled the air.

As if drawn in, they followed the scent—
and there it was.

[Full Bloom]

In complete silence,
under falling light, dozens of flowers cast shadows in one direction.

Bright yellow roses were in full bloom, spreading their scent vividly.

“….”

Do-hyun slowly stepped closer.

The painting looked abstract,
but it clearly showed strong structure.

There’s a difference between someone who understands perspective
and someone who just fakes it.

Like Picasso versus a child’s drawing—
they may look similar at a glance, but the impact is completely different.

‘How… can a 17-year-old paint something like this?’

He glanced at Chloe.

He had thought she was just a stubborn, famous foreign artist.

But he was wrong.

She was the one with true insight.

“But still, a competition should be judged by painting skills.”
“Fresh flowers aren’t the artist’s skill.”
“She just stuck flowers in there.”
“And the smell ruins other works…”

The other judges kept making forced criticisms.

The torn canvas—
cut violently through the submerged flowers.

Through that wound, real flowers had grown out.

It felt like the piece was saying:

No matter what tries to suppress it,
it will bloom even more brilliantly.

The flowers had burst out from flat canvas into real space.

Overwhelming.

“But still… we can’t give points for tricks like this…”

Do-hyun tried to make excuses.

Then—

A petal fell.

Softly, onto the acrylic panel below.

“……”

“……”

All the judges fell silent.

As if the meaningless argument itself
was causing the flowers to wither.

“The rules only say that spatial works must not interfere with others,”
Chloe said, wiping away a tear.

Do-hyun understood why she was crying.

The piece had deep emotional impact.

But for him, it was dangerous.

“There are collage works too.
If using existing materials is a problem, shouldn’t those be disqualified as well?”

“…That’s… not necessarily…”

Do-hyun stumbled.

Art had already moved beyond such arguments.

What mattered was meaning and intention.

“…No.”

He couldn’t deny it.

The technique, the staging, the lighting—everything was flawless.

The lighting matched the painted light perfectly.

It created immersion.

‘There’s nothing to criticize…’

Artists like Lucio Fontana and Alberto Burri had used damaged canvases before.

But this piece went further.

The torn space wasn’t just open—

It bloomed.

Yellow roses:

1. Perfect achievement
2. Jealousy

The meaning was clear.

This was a perfect achievement,
damaged by someone’s jealousy.

‘Depending on the judges… the result could change.’

Do-hyun’s face burned with shame.

It felt like the artwork was condemning him.

‘If that woman hadn’t interfered…!’

Now he had no way out.

If this piece didn’t score high,
it would look suspicious.

Bribery would be obvious.

After hours, the judging ended.

Do-hyun immediately went to a mansion in Cheongdam.

“What is this? Didn’t you have judging today?”

Ji-an’s mother came out.

Do-hyun handed back the cake box full of money.

“What is this? Do you think this is a joke?”

“I can’t go this far,” he said firmly.

“Taking money is one thing,
but destroying another student’s work is different.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Do you still not understand the situation?!”

Do-hyun warned her sharply.

“If this becomes a scandal,
your son—and your father-in-law’s political career—will be ruined.”

“You took the money too!”

“That’s true.”

But he had already decided—

Return the money. Judge fairly.

“If there was a genius like this,
you should’ve manipulated things more carefully!”

Then—

“Wait!”

Ji-an ran out.

“You can’t do this! Then why did you take the money in the first place?!”

Now they were blaming each other.

Click—

From a nearby car,
a camera shutter sounded.

Unnoticed, everything was being recorded.

Aftermath

Articles flooded the media:

• “Cheongrim opens a new future with outstanding works!”
• “A stage of student passion—Yeonsiljong ends successfully!”

Yeji’s vandalism incident was reduced to just
“a process that led to an even greater artwork.”

Ironically, it made her more famous.

She even received interview requests.

“Do you want to sell your artwork?” her teacher asked.

But Yeji shook her head.

“I’m still looking for the culprit.”

The artwork was also evidence.

Time passed.

Final exams ended.

“Hey! Grades are out!”

Students rushed to check.