A dark study room.
A warm orange desk lamp brightly illuminated the desk. Choi Mijeong, wife of Lee Minhyeok, a professor in the Korean University Linguistics Department, slowly approached the desk.
.
.
.
[ When you affirm or deny what you do not know, you should move slowly, like a weary person.
Those who indiscriminately affirm or deny in all cases are the lowest of fools.
Often, hasty judgments lean toward error, and reason ends up bound by emotion. ]
— Excerpt from Canto 13 of the Paradiso in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy —
The man with a gentle impression, wearing glasses, was flipping through a book, unaware that someone was approaching.
"Still reading?"
Lee Minhyeok, who was reading the original Divine Comedy, looked up. His wife Choi Mijeong smiled, as if she couldn't help him. After removing his glasses, Lee Minhyeok accepted the fruit bowl she handed him.
"Thanks."
"No problem. I peeled it today because I was worried it might spoil if we didn't eat it."
Smiling weakly at Choi Mijeong, who sat beside him offering two forks as if to share, Lee Minhyeok's usually bright, bear-like demeanor had become quite haggard recently because of his father's worsening condition. Choi Mijeong looked at him with a pitying expression.
She parted her lips.
"...Any news yet?"
In the silence, Lee Minhyeok bit into an apple, then turned to look at his phone. It was still dark, with no new messages.
News.
A few weeks ago, Lee Minhyeok had commissioned a high school student named Kang Seok with a 5 million won down payment to carve an eagle-owl statue. The news Choi Mijeong was asking about related to this.
"Still nothing?"
That was right.
There had been no contact from Kang Seok yet. They hadn't agreed on intermittent updates, and there was still time before the deadline.
But Choi Mijeong was worried because her husband had just handed over such a large sum to a high school student.
"He says it's fine."
It wasn't that he was okay with losing 5 million won. He truly trusted Kang Seok. While Lee Minhyeok had no solid grounds to defend trusting a high schooler whom he didn't know well, he believed in the judgment he made that day.
"I carved it myself."
Lee Minhyeok sighed, recalling Kang Seok's calm declaration.
"Honestly, if an eighteen-year-old said he carved such a magnificent bird, it'd be natural to be suspicious."
"Exactly."
"But for me, the suspicion actually eased."
"...Really?"
Ignoring Choi Mijeong's doubt, Lee Minhyeok speared a piece of apple with his fork and reviewed what he had seen that day.
There were many rough and incomplete furniture pieces compared to the cradle. So many, in fact, that it was natural to doubt Kang Seok's claim that he carved the statue himself. The gap between the cradle and the other furniture was that big.
It was unbelievable. Unthinkable. Whatever it was, the thought that it was a lie crept up slowly.
Still, sitting in the chair was a sign that he was desperate to cling to any hope.
But when Kang Seok said he carved it himself, a small glimmer of hope sprouted.
"The furniture posted earlier was made by his father, and now thinking the extraordinarily skilled cradle was made by his son, it actually makes the story believable."
Choi Mijeong muttered something about nonsense and daydreaming, but Lee Minhyeok smiled quietly. If she saw it with her own eyes, she'd understand.
"Besides, Yoonji said their eldest child goes to Cheonghwa Arts High School, majoring in sculpture."
"Cheonghwa Arts High School? The one in Seoul?"
"Isn't there only one Cheonghwa Arts High School in Korea?"
Having heard the name Cheonghwa Arts High School, Choi Mijeong finally looked somewhat convinced and took a bite of her apple. Seeing her, Lee Minhyeok tried to steady his own growing unease.
Look for reasons to trust rather than suspicious circumstances.
He had heard this from his father so many times it was like a broken record since childhood. Lee Minhyeok picked up his book again. A fitting passage caught his eye.
"It is better to walk slowly like a weary person."
"Huh?"
It was advice to be cautious and not rush all judgments.
"People, don't be so hasty in judgment like those who count their harvest before the grain is ripe." Reflecting on the phrase, Lee Minhyeok took a deep bite of his apple.
Would the 5 million won down payment result in a bountiful harvest, or a bad one? Staring at his silent phone, Lee Minhyeok closed his tired eyes.
The apple tasted very sweet.
A bright furniture shop.
Kang Seok took slow steps forward.
Kang Hyundo and Baek Myunghee exchanged glances and silently chuckled. Kang Seok's eyes were sparkling vividly.
Kang Seok slowly reached out his hand.
The carving wood was so large it reached Kang Seok's waist, who was still in his growth phase. Few processed woods were this big.
It was about waist-high vertically, twice shoulder width horizontally, and its width slightly exceeded the length of his outstretched middle finger when standing in front of it.
There was no such thing as a wood piece this large unless specially made. Why was it here? His thoughts spun quickly. Kang Seok reached a conclusion fast.
There was only one reason such a large carving wood would be here.
"Is this the wood for the eagle-owl carving?"
How? How?
The 5 million won down payment was still untouched in his bank account. Having double-checked after receiving money from exhibition rights sales, the amount hadn't decreased. So where did this come from?
And he had never asked for such an order.
Kang Seok's expression vanished in surprise. Usually, such an intimidating expression would make a person question their past mistakes, but to Kang Hyundo and Baek Myunghee, it was cute.
"Don't be surprised. You told your dad you're old enough to enjoy Christmas and Children's Day, didn't you?"
It was already February, but a Christmas present. Kang Seok looked dazed at Kang Hyundo, when Baek Myunghee poked his elbow lightly.
'...Dad, it's not too late yet.'
'What?'
'I'm eighteen, you know. Old enough to enjoy Christmas and Children's Day.'
'...Ha, haha... is that so?'
'Yes. So if you earn hard and prepare gifts, that would be great.'
At that moment,
Words casually thrown out to soothe his father's mood seemed to be remembered by him.
Kang Seok looked at Kang Hyundo. Feeling embarrassed, Kang Hyundo scratched the back of his neck and spoke.
"It's a bit late, but here's a Christmas present."
"...This must have been expensive..."
It wasn't a joke — it was clearly going to be costly. The wood wasn't a soft kind like matika or basswood, but gingko. It was a carving wood that was relatively easy for beginners to handle, yet harder than basswood or matika.
And it was unlikely to find such a large piece of carving gingko wood so easily. Worry flickered in Kang Seok's eyes.
"Son, don't worry. I worked hard and prepared it for you."
"That's right, Seok. Lately your dad's been like a sales genius — it's no joke."
Baek Myunghee smiled, wrinkling her nose.
Though the design was a bit plain and rough, Kang Hyundo was a seasoned craftsman in skill. Having spent decades in the business, it was natural.
"It's all thanks to Seok. Ever since you made that cradle, everything's been going smoothly. He's our family's lucky charm, for real."
"That's right, exactly!"
Baek Myunghee clapped her hands together. Thinking about it, the timing was just right. Maybe the eagle-owl family really did bring luck to Seok's furniture shop. Baek Myunghee clapped excitedly like a little girl.
The mood kept softening and flowing.
Kang Seok's lips twitched into a weak smile, almost melting like soft rice cake. He stroked the top of the carving wood. It felt relatively smooth. The quality of the wood was apparent just from its surface.
But the truth would only be known once he started carving.
"Thank you, Father."
His gratitude surged uncontrollably.
It was the best gift.
At Kang Seok's words, Kang Hyundo smiled brightly as if saying that he was the one who received the best gift. Stepping back slightly, Baek Myunghee watched the scene warmly but then turned her head unconsciously.
She thought she saw something white move beyond the glass wall of the furniture shop. Her lips curved gently.
"Snow is falling."
A black night.
Snow was falling.
Like celebrating a late Christmas, the snowflakes scattered and drifted down from the sky. The three stared for a long time beyond the glass wall. A Christmas tree they hadn't yet set up was sparkling, wrapped in LED lights.
"Ah."
At that moment,
Kang Seok burst out.
"Bibimbap."
They had forgotten the bibimbap because they'd rushed out startled by the loud noise. Kang Seok laughed, thinking of the bibimbap waiting on the heated floor.
Seeing Kang Seok laugh out loud so rarely, Kang Hyundo and Baek Myunghee laughed too.
"Let's eat quickly before the rice hardens."
Baek Myunghee nudged Kang Hyundo and Kang Seok gently on the back. The two were pushed along by her weak touch into the inner room. Late at night, the three's cheerful laughter echoed in the furniture shop.
It was an ordinary winter day.
.
.
.
The next day.
The early morning plunged in such deep darkness that it was hard to tell what had changed since last night.
Kang Seok moved, stepping crunchily on the snow.
He brushed off the snow in front of and behind the furniture shop, then opened the back door and entered. The warm atmosphere from last night had been completely stolen by the cold dawn, and the shop was filled with chill.
Entering the workshop inside, Kang Seok zipped up his jacket and turned on the light. In one hand, he carried a heavy-looking box as if it were a doll.
He put the heavy box on a corner of the workshop desk, rubbed his hands, and turned on the heater. Though he regretted the heating expense, he couldn't work with stiff hands.
That wouldn't be respectful to the client, he muttered as he opened the box and took out papers filled with information about eagle-owls.
He had been recording little by little every time he had time since receiving the commission. Most of it was handwritten with pens or pencils, as printing was too costly.
Kang Seok started sticking the papers haphazardly near the desk.
Tearing off some Scotch tape, he attached the papers to the walls and furniture without hesitation.
On his way home last night, after getting permission from his father to borrow the entire workshop, he felt even more determined.
Once the papers were roughly attached, the workshop was covered all around with black and white. In between, were copied eagle-owl pictures Kang Seok had printed and eagle-owl materials passed on from Lee Minhyeok.
After a full round looking at everything, Kang Seok dragged the wood wrapped in cloth to the center.
Because it was so heavy, he had to pull the cloth along the floor to move it. After much effort, placing it in the middle, Kang Seok felt warmth spreading through his body.
Taking off his jacket, he brushed his hair back, then put on a headband to keep his hair from falling. Next, he wrapped a workband around his forehead.
Still the deep dark dawn.
Pulling a tall shelf chair close to the carving wood, Kang Seok picked up an 8B pencil and made a single stroke on the wood.
The soft touch felt like a mix of colored pencils and conté crayons, a smooth texture running up his fingers. The lead would dull quickly, but the effect was certain.
The pencil left a clear mark on the wood. It was a line he liked. After lightly brushing the deep, dark line, Kang Seok flipped the pencil to hold it backward.
And quietly stared at the wood carving.
In the darkness, for a long time, silently until the sun rose. Time passed unnoticed.
Surrounded by countless eagle-owl materials, he kept focusing only on the square shape, forgetting time.
Time passed.
Then, after a long time, when the sun appeared from the deep darkness,
With a single ray of rising light, something faint appeared in the wood carving. Kang Seok flinched, gripping the pencil tightly.
"I see it."
The eagle-owl was pushing off a branch, spreading wings in an inverted triangle shape, about to take flight — the split-second moment.
Following the image etched on his retina, Kang Seok swung his pencil.
"I saw an angel in the marble and carved until he was free."
— Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni —