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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Ep 2. Mural
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7.
The cries of cicadas echoed in the air.
The chorus of multiple cicadas chirping together had me sitting up, half in annoyance. I can usually sleep through just about any noise, but for some reason, cicada cries and mosquito buzzes are the two sounds I simply can't tolerate.
"Should I put up some soundproof panels?"
Thanks to the thick blackout curtains I'd installed, the windows blocked out some noise. But the sounds traveling through this flimsy plywood door offered zero soundproofing.
It was still early summer, and it was already like this.
What the hell was going to happen when real summer hit?
"Gotta buy an air conditioner too."
For now, at the start of summer, a fan was enough to get by. But when proper summer heat arrived, I had no confidence in surviving on just that. No matter how leisurely and summery this life was, a person had to at least stay alive.
"Ugh."
I dragged my sticky, sweat-drenched body to the bathroom. Turning on the cold water, I washed off as a sweet sigh escaped my lips.
Now I finally felt alive.
Was it because this place was by the sea, or because the house was so old? Either way, it was incredibly humid inside. There was a faint fishy seaside smell too, or something like that.
Should I buy a dehumidifier along with the AC?
As I mentally listed the essentials I absolutely needed—the stuff without which I'd probably die—I changed clothes and opened the front door to check the painting I'd finished yesterday.
Click. Click.
The sounds of camera shutters rang out.
"Me, one more time. From above this time."
"Sure."
"Let's take one together now."
Amid the shutter sounds came boisterous voices. Looking around at the noise, I saw people lined up along the wall, snapping photos.
...What the hell is this?
Why are there so many people?
Both to the right and left, crowds queued up to photograph the mural. I frowned slightly, and they seemed to notice, quieting their voices a bit.
No, it wasn't really that they were being too loud.
I wondered if I should tell them they didn't need to mind me, but then someone approached with a delighted expression, waving cheerfully.
"Hello!"
"Oh, uh. That student."
"Not a student—it's A-young. Jo A-young."
"Ah, right. A-young."
Jo A-young.
Kind of a name that's fun to play with.
"Congrats on finishing the mural. Oh, and this is a congratulatory gift. Mom said it would be rude to show up empty-handed for something like this."
"Whoa, you didn't have to."
I took the bag, which looked heavy even at a glance, and peeked inside. White energy drinks filled it. No way—all of these were energy drinks?
"I heard artists are always chugging energy drinks, so that's the image I went with. Oh, but each can is only 9 calories. Total low-cal stuff. Diet drink."
"I'll enjoy it."
I wanted to protest the "chugging energy drinks" part, but honestly, all the artists I knew did live off the stuff.
Especially this white kind.
"This mural is so pretty! Of course, the whale shark one you did before was pretty too. But this one's on another level! My friend Rua stopped by before school to take pics and wouldn't stop raving about it."
"Thanks."
This one did feel like I'd nailed it a bit better.
Maybe because I'd poured more of my personal thoughts into it this time? Though I'd tried to capture a sense of freedom with the whale shark too.
Or maybe I'd just gotten the hang of it after one try?
"Oh, right. Do you know why there are so many people here today?"
As that thought crossed my mind, I noticed people still glancing warily at me while posing in front of the mural. I turned to Jo A-young.
She let out an "Ah" and continued.
"Remember Baek Sang-yeon from before?"
"The one who liked your post."
"Yeah, him. He posted a pic of it on his feed and YouTube. That's how Rua saw it and came to take photos."
Saying that, she showed me the YouTube post from Baek Sang-yeon's channel.
『[Baek Sang-yeon]
Hello, everyone.
It's Baek Sang-yeon.
I'm in Namhae Island today for a shoot. Not YouTube content, just another schedule. But since I was here, I stopped by that mural I've had my eye on.
It's a whale shark swimming through the night.
Saw it on Insta and loved it.
Seeing it in person? Even better. So big and free. And there's a new mural next to it—honestly, I like that one even more.
If you're in Namhae, you have to check it out.』
Likes were at 2,000, comments around 100. Is that a lot? Back in my band days, the company's YouTube channel existed, but it never got much attention. Subs and views were meh, so I had no clue if this was impressive. "Plus, the festival starts the day after tomorrow. People come early for that too." "That festival draw a big crowd?" "Second year running. Last year it was packed. Like, bursting at the seams." Huh, that much? This wouldn't turn into a total mob, would it? I shook off the ridiculous thought and cracked open one of Jo A-young's energy drinks, taking a sip.◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
They say "never say never."
It means your casual assumptions can turn into reality, so be careful with hypotheticals.
But really, "never" stays "never."
The odds of it happening are slim to none.
That's why they do kimchi good luck rituals.
Or so I thought...
"What the hell is all this?"
The day before the festival, Woohyun returned from shopping in town. Staring at his house in disbelief, he muttered under his breath.
More precisely, at the crowd gathered to photograph the mural on his wall. He couldn't count them exactly, but there had to be at least twenty people.
Seeing them lined up just like the sign he'd posted before heading out, Woohyun scratched the back of his neck. He'd never seen a crowd like this outside of gigs.
'Should I be happy about this?'
It was just a hobby mural, but to receive this much love...
"Well, it won't last forever."
It was just the first day of the festival—probably a temporary surge. With that in mind, he headed for the iron gate to enter his house.
"Excuse me, you have to get in line."
Someone who'd just finished their photos stopped him. Forcing a smile, Woohyun replied.
"Uh, this is my house."
"Oh, sorry about that."
The moment he revealed he was the homeowner, eyes poured in on him. It wasn't his first taste of attention, but feeling it this close up was new. Awkward, he slipped inside.
"It won't be like this the whole festival, right?"
No way.
"One more for me."
"Let's take one together this time."
...Goddamn "never."
Sounds from outside drew a sigh from Woohyun. The noise beyond the iron gate had persisted from yesterday into today.
If anything, it was louder now.
"Not disruptive enough to be a real problem."
Fortunately, the "private residence" warning sign worked—people kept their voices down, so inside the room, it was barely audible.
Still, it nagged at him.
Sitting on the yard bench, listening, Woohyun took a sip of water. Mulling it over, he quietly cracked open the iron gate and peered out.
"More than yesterday."
He'd guessed from the volume, but seeing it confirmed: way more people today.
Yesterday around twenty; today maybe thirty-five?
First day of the festival, and already this many.
It wouldn't stay like this the whole time, would it?
He shook his head. No way it'd last the entire festival. Whoever this Baek Sang-yeon guy was, even if he was famous, one post wouldn't keep drawing crowds forever...
Ding!
[Mom]
Son~~ Your painting is so pretty
Isn't this the hot mural right now? ^^
"Even Mom knows?"
Woohyun's eyes widened at the KakaoTalk. She didn't seem to know he'd painted it or that it was on Grandmother's house.
But her knowing it existed at all was the issue.
Mom, who never used SNS, being aware meant it was trending among her age group too.
"Where the hell is this blowing up?"
Utterly baffled, he scratched his chin. Then came a knock—not accidental, a deliberate rap on the door.
"Who's there?"
Woohyun cautiously opened up.
"Hello. I'm Lee Si-yeon, CEO of Artria, the company running the Summer Arts Festival."
"Pardon?"
In this heat, she wore a full suit without a drop of sweat. Woohyun eyed her warily. She looked too young for a CEO, and more than that, a festival organizer seeking him out felt off.
"Uh, what brings you here?"
"Nothing major. It's about the mural on your wall."
"Yes? Is there a problem?"
"No, no, not at all. I wanted to ask if we could film there. We're handling promo videos and a YouTube commission for the festival. The client specifically wants to shoot this mural, so I came for permission."
Woohyun pondered her polite request. Granting filming rights wasn't hard, but he worried about the hassle it might bring.
"That might be tough..."
As he started to decline.
"If you allow it, we'd offer this filming fee, plus tickets to enjoy the festival..."
"No need to stand on ceremony. Do whatever you want. Ah, not out here—come on in."
The front door swung wide open.