The Mysterious Art Museum

Chapter 88 (1) - The Mysterious Art Museum

1/2 Bonus chapter thanks to @SomeoneRandom

W Hotel Theatre, the lobby of the Catacombs.

Jeongmin, who has masked her assigned area with green tape, is making angles with her fingers, calculating which artwork would fit best in which composition. Two young students helping Jeongmin are measuring the area and taking notes in their notebooks.

"From here to here. Considering the flow of visitors, we need to cut this part. Make it at least 1 meter 50 centimeters wide so two people can stand side by side. Oh, and take some photos as well."

Jeongmin is a person who creates art with thread, space, and light. She shook her head after calculating the light entering through the museum windows.

"No, it's too much sunlight. Prepare to pitch a tent over the whole space."

"Should we prepare it with blackout curtains, teacher?"

"Yes, we have some leftover from before. We might need to cut it, though. It's in my studio, just measure and cut it accordingly."

"Okay, teacher."

Just then, the doors of the theatre lobby opened, and a group of people entered, pushing a cart with a statue covered in black cloth. Jeongmin supervised them and then approached the bald man following them with a smile.

"Did artist Jeong Soohan arrive?"

Jeong Soohan, a painter who speaks about societal structures through unnaturally twisted human bodies.

He smiles and nods.

"Ah, artist Jeongmin is here."

Soohan glances at Jeongmin's students.

"Are you here to check your area?"

"I'm in installation art, after all. But do you already have a completed piece?"

Soohan smiles wryly, looking at the sculpture being taken to his area.

"I finished this one earlier, but it's never been exhibited before. It's a first reveal for this exhibition."

"Wow, always working ahead, such a diligent artist. I'm envious."

"Ha-ha, you can't work ahead in installation art like me. I think artists like you are much more amazing."

Soohan says modestly, looking at the areas of other artists.

Jeongmin's area is not set yet, but Chae Young's area already has a large electronic display board brought in, with partitions made according to the visitor's movement path.

The areas of Hwajeong and Kwangho also don't have their artwork yet, but the partitions are set and tape marks the floor. Everyone seems to be preparing diligently.

However, one place is empty.

Nothing there, just an empty space. Soohan glances at the space and says,

"Looks like artist Ban Junghoon hasn't started his work yet?"

Jeongmin, who had been concerned about it, looks at the empty area of Junghoon's. A flicker of worry crosses her face, but she quickly changes her expression and says,

"He's a painter, after all. He's probably more focused on his paintings than the space."

Soohan looks at Kwangho's area. Kwangho is also a painter but has already finished setting up his area.

"Is this Ban Junghoon's first exhibition?"

"That's what I heard."

"Hmm, he might be in trouble if he's too laid back."

Jeongmin smiles.

"He'll manage. Right now, our noses are barely above water, aren't they?"

"Ha-ha, right. I heard Jeong Kwangho is grinding his teeth over this."

"Why?"

"He was boasting that he'd be the biggest talk of this exhibition. He finished setting up his area and went straight back to Yeongdeok to his studio. I heard he's been working all night. It's so scary I'm getting restless too."

"Ha-ha, I can't believe artist Soohan would say that."

"It's true. Jeong Kwangho is a hot topic among the MZ generation, so I'm afraid my work will be overshadowed."

"Nah, you're in completely different fields. You might have competition with Ban Junghoon, though."

Jeongmin is right.

Soohan in human sculpture.

Suhan, known for his human body sculptures.

Chaeyoung, who deals with political and ideological art.

Hwajeong with her photography.

Jeongmin and her installation art, all have different fields.

Only two compete through paintings.

Gwangho, known for his abstract human figures, and Jeonghoon, who seems to be working in traditionalist academicism. Suhan murmurs, thinking of Jeonghoon and Gwangho.

One of them is going to be completely overshadowed, no matter who becomes the sacrifice.

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