Chapter 8
Yeji quickly pulled a cap low over her head and headed straight to the Yerim Art Center.
Since she went in her parents’ car, she arrived faster than usual.
Even early in the morning, the Yerim Art Center was crowded.
To be exact, it looked crowded because everyone was gathered in front of Yeji’s painting.
“How…?”
Before she could even ask what happened, Yeji saw her torn painting.
The lower part—where the flower petals were—had been badly damaged.
It looked like something sharp, like a knife, had sliced through the canvas.
“You’re student Lee Yeji, right? What should we do about this…”
“Something like this has never happened before…”
“Everything was fine when we closed the center last night.”
“And the CCTV just happened to…”
Teachers and staff surrounded Yeji, making excuses and offering comfort.
But none of that mattered to her.
She tilted her head slightly and stared at her painting.
“Can I still fix it now and have it accepted?”
For a moment, everything went quiet.
“Of course it should be accepted.”
It was Chloe.
The judges—and even the principal—had rushed over after hearing what happened.
The principal looked pale.
“W-well… the situation is like this, but fairness…”
“So it’s fair that a student’s work was destroyed before judging because of the school’s fault?”
Chloe’s words made the principal sweat.
This exhibition was extremely important for the students.
Making an exception could cause problems later.
“Even so… other students followed the deadline…”
“It’s unfortunate, but we can just judge it as it is.”
The other judges opposed Chloe.
As if they had already agreed beforehand.
Jian was there too, watching nervously and biting her nails.
Her mother gently held her shoulder.
“Don’t worry.”
Jian looked at her.
“It would be embarrassing if a nobody like her won first place.”
Jian understood what her mother meant.
“You deserve it more. I’ve already talked to the judges.”
Just talked?
It was obvious she had probably offered something more.
Jian knew exactly what kind of person her mother was.
Someone who would do anything to make her son the best artist in Korea.
And Jian was no different.
“Alright, we’ll discuss a fair solution. Everyone, please go back!”
Teachers dispersed the crowd.
Most were students and parents.
For a brief moment, Yeji and Jian’s eyes met.
Jian felt irritated.
Why wasn’t Yeji upset?
Why was she so calm?
“Nothing will change.”
With her mother’s words as comfort, Jian turned away.
She believed a sudden genius wouldn’t block her future.
“…Yes.”
Even though she still felt uneasy.
Principal’s Office
“How can the CCTV suddenly stop working last night?”
The office was in chaos.
A security company checked the system.
“Someone deliberately cut the power line to the cameras in that gallery.”
The cleanly cut wires proved it.
No alarm had gone off—meaning it was likely an insider.
So who would take responsibility?
The discussion went nowhere.
Chloe cut to the point.
“So, how are you going to solve this?”
The principal wiped his sweat.
“F-first… we should proceed with judging as planned…”
Meaning Yeji’s damaged work would be judged as it was.
Murmurs spread among the teachers.
Chloe, though unfamiliar with Korean systems, thought:
“It’s the same everywhere.”
No one openly disagreed.
She realized she was the only one who could speak up.
“You’re just going to leave the student in an unfair situation?”
The room went cold.
Another judge spoke up.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Grades and university admissions are very important here.”
“If we delay judging, it affects exams.”
“All students will complain.”
The other judges were even more active than the teachers.
“We’re not trying to ignore your opinion…”
Their excuses annoyed Chloe.
Everything felt suspicious.
She didn’t have to be involved.
She could just leave.
But—
“…This bothers me.”
Maybe it was because Yeji’s painting reminded her of her mentor, Catherine.
She looked again at the photo she had taken.
“Full Bloom.”
Flowers blooming underwater, pressed down.
A strange, emotional sadness filled her chest.
Flowers that bloomed—but never reached the surface.
“Can I fix it now?”
Yeji’s calm reaction shocked her.
Most people would be devastated.
But that girl stayed composed.
Almost too composed for a 17-year-old.
“…Maybe this is partly my fault.”
Maybe her praise had triggered jealousy.
But regardless—
She was curious.
If Yeji fixed it, what would it become?
“If we allow her to fix it without changing the schedule, will everyone agree?”
Chloe proposed.
The others hesitated but nodded.
“Y-yes… as long as it’s fair…”
Fair? It’s already unfair.
Still, Chloe accepted.
She just wanted to see what Yeji would create next.
Later – Café
“What kind of nonsense is this?!”
Dahye slammed the table.
Hyunmin tried to calm her.
Yeji just quietly chewed ice.
The school website had posted a notice:
“During the 10-day exhibition, additional modifications are allowed. Final judging will be done on the last day.”
“However, all changes must be made at the exhibition hall.”
“They should catch the criminal instead!”
Dahye was furious.
Hyunmin looked at Yeji.
“Are you okay?”
Yeji laughed lightly.
“Yeah. Actually… this might be better.”
Her friends looked at her strangely.
Of course, it wasn’t truly “better.”
Whoever did this would be punished.
But what’s done is done.
She had to move forward.
“There’s an artist like Lucio Fontana, right? If I think about it well, I might make something even better.”
Hyunmin nodded.
Dahye searched it up.
“This kind of thing sells for millions…?”
Fontana’s work involved cutting canvases.
He tried to break the boundary between 2D and 3D.
“He’s a spatial artist. If you think like that… interpretation is everything.”
Yeji nodded.
“Exactly. It depends on how you interpret it.”
When she first saw the cut canvas, she immediately thought of that.
“Thanks to some idiot, my painting might go beyond a flat surface.”
Maybe this was also her chance to overcome her own limits.
Dahye looked uneasy.
“I think I know who did it.”
Yeji crunched another piece of ice.
“Me too.”
Kim Jian.
No one said it directly, but she was the most suspicious.
“Her family is powerful too…”
Dahye added.
Yeji gave a hollow laugh.
Anger, disbelief, and frustration mixed together.
But—
thinking about the culprit now was pointless.
Even if it was Jian, focusing on that would only waste time.
“I should fix the painting first.”
Hyunmin smiled quietly—
as if he had just thought of something
