At Jun-wan’s words, Yu-shin nodded. The other family members were somewhat relieved at his peaceful attitude, but Jun-wan stopped eating altogether and carefully examined Yu-shin. In the family’s eyes, that sight looked unusual.
They wondered if that indifferent guy would change just because he got married, but the care that unconsciously came out was beyond normal. Seeing how Kim Yu-shin naturally accepted it, it seemed this wasn’t something he’d experienced just once or twice.
Seeing that made them smile inappropriately for the situation. The family members exchanged silent glances with each other. Everyone probably had similar thoughts. Without showing it, they quietly swallowed what they wanted to say. The meal continued smoothly again.
After the meal, they moved to the living room to enjoy refreshments. Instead of a sofa, this house had a long table encompassing the center of the living room and floor-seating chairs lined up in a row. It was a principle of the Park family to face each other and converse.
Around the time they were eating fruit and chatting quietly, identical faces with identical expressions stared intently at Yu-shin. They were Park Jun-seo’s twins.
They stared so entranced that Madam Son carefully observed her grandchildren’s unusual behavior.
“Is it because he’s unfamiliar? They can’t take their eyes off him.”
“It’s because he’s pretty. When they see a pretty person, they drool and stare like this.”
At the sister-in-law’s testimony, boisterous laughter went around. Jun-wan also hid his rising lips with his teacup. When he glanced over, he saw Yu-shin, even more frozen than during the meal.
He said he wasn’t nervous, but he’s obviously frozen stiff. Since it was an awkward occasion, he could feel him being cautious about every word, every expression, even his sitting posture.
Then Madam Son subtly nudged her husband’s arm with her elbow. A quiet eye signal followed.
Minister Park Jae-guk was a person famous for being particularly taciturn. Even so, he was an elder of the family, so she had given him advance notice to speak affectionately when Yu-shin came.
“Well… Yu-shin.”
Minister Park opened his mouth with gravitas. Having put down his teacup, he placed both fists on his knees and took on a solemn posture.
“I heard you paint Korean traditional paintings.”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Do you happen to know about that work?”
Minister Park pointed to the landscape painting hanging on the wall. The palm spread straight toward the painting contained feelings close to respect.
Yu-shin quietly swallowed his saliva.
“Ah… yes.”
“I thought you’d recognize it. Ungang is a genius artist representing Korea. The reason I became completely immersed in Korean painting is precisely Ungang. I’m truly fascinated and in awe every time I see it. I think Korean painting is truly the kind of painting that moves the hearts of Koreans.”
Starting with those words, Minister Park continued his praise of ‘Ungang’ in succession. Which work impressed him the most, how much he liked Ungang. Judging by his increasingly faster tone, it was clear he was more sincere than anyone. Even dignified yangban get talkative when revealing their fan devotion.
Yu-shin, who quietly listened to this and occasionally added responses, was dying of embarrassment. He tried hard to pretend it was someone else’s business, but his white cheeks ripened more and more, obviously flushed for anyone to see.
Madam Son suddenly put down her dessert fork and quickly asked about Yu-shin’s condition.
“Are you hot? Your face is red. I turned the air conditioner down low because of the babies… Should I lower it more?”
“No, I’m fi…ne.”
“Let’s blow out the candles soon.”
Jun-wan changed the subject at the right time. Hyung Jun-seo moved busily to make space in the center of the table, and his sister-in-law opened the cake box she had prepared.
“Oh my, how lovely the cake is.”
“This person put a lot of effort into it.”
Park Jun-seo didn’t forget to acknowledge his wife’s contribution. The rice cake cake decorated with various colored bean paste was indeed so beautiful it was a shame to touch it. Even Minister Park, who hated pretense and formality, inwardly showed signs of being pleased.
They stuck in candles appropriate for his age and all sang the birthday song together. Since there were few people actually singing, the melody was somewhat weak, but the harmonious atmosphere reached its peak. The twins, who didn’t understand, clapped their small hands together with their parents’ help, and Yu-shin also clapped and pretended to sing.
Whoosh— The candles went out at the breath, and white smoke rose hazily. Next was the usual gift presentation ceremony. Park Jun-seo took out a shopping bag hidden under the table and subtly pushed it toward his father.
“Father. I received quite a substantial performance bonus this time.”
The way he laid the groundwork was quite suspicious. The gift hyung prepared was actually a wild ginseng set. As soon as he saw the grass roots contained in a wooden box, Minister Park shot a look close to reproach.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“Oh come on, you’re getting older now, so you need to take care of your health. How long are you going to only take red ginseng?”
“Red ginseng is enough for me. Go exchange it.”
“There you go again. Just take it!”
Give and take—while the long argument continued, Jun-wan silently took out his gift. The ordinary fountain pen had a good writing feel and was a product Minister Park favored. On the body, the name Park Jae-guk, three characters, was engraved in elegant Chinese characters. This level of luxury seemed acceptable, as Minister Park nodded while turning the fountain pen this way and that. Meanwhile, hyung snapped off a wild ginseng root and pushed it into Father’s mouth.
“Want to give the gift yourself?”
Has this guy gone crazy? Hey, no refunds now! I don’t care! Amidst the commotion happening on one side, words whispered in Yu-shin’s ear were conveyed. Ah… that might be too much. Yu-shin shook his head to express his intent.
“This is a painting Kim Yu-shin drew himself.”
Jun-wan’s calm voice interjected into the father-son dispute. At the mention of a painting, Minister Park showed a flicker of interest.
“Oh, a painting is always welcome.”
As the layers of wrapping paper were peeled away, the family’s attention focused. At this moment, Yu-shin felt like running away somewhere. He turned his head away, pretending to play with the baby.
The size itself was modest. Barely 50cm or so. But the painting’s true value was remarkable. The moment the white magnolia was revealed from the wrapping paper, Madam Son, who had been watching over her husband’s shoulder, was the first to let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Oh my… how extraordinary.”
Hyung and his wife, who had moved closer, immediately gaped upon seeing the painting. Even to a layperson’s eyes, something exceptional could be glimpsed.
“You painted this yourself? Your skill is incredible?”
“As expected, a professional is different.”
While everyone praised in unison, only Minister Park was notably silent. Strength gathered in his tightly pressed lips and his eyes couldn’t leave the panel. His gaze examining each delicate brushstroke one by one seemed as if he were authenticating it.
Soon his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed a lump of saliva. Minister Park squeezed out a trembling voice.
“Th…ank you.”
The reaction was so strange that the family examined Minister Park’s face. Before they could say anything, Minister Park quietly left his seat while clutching the painting.
“I need to display this properly. Where… should I put this.”
His steps heading toward the study stopped abruptly. Minister Park turned around and called to Jun-wan casually.
“Jun-wan, let’s talk with your father for a moment.”
Since it was a situation he had somewhat anticipated, Jun-wan followed without hesitation. Upon entering the study, Minister Park was hurriedly searching for his magnifying glasses. With brightened eyes, he examined the gifted painting once more.
“You… must be honest.”
“Yes.”
“Are you certain Kim Yu-shin painted this himself?”
“Yes.”
Jun-wan only gave short answers. Minister Park narrowed his eyes with the thick magnifying glasses perched on his nose bridge. His face still showed disbelief.
“Truly? You didn’t acquire it from somewhere?”
“I saw him working on it with my own eyes.”
A trembling breath burst from Minister Park’s mouth. His eyes gazing at the painting were soaked with confusion and emotion.
“No, this… only one person possesses this level of descriptive technique and expressive power. A painting is like a fingerprint.”
“I thought you’d recognize it since you’re a fan.”
Jun-wan’s words drove the final nail. So it is Ungang. The hand gripping the panel began to tremble noticeably.
His father’s reaction didn’t deviate from what he had expected. Jun-wan maintained his usual composure and glanced at the painting with a slight chin gesture.
“Don’t let it show. He wants to keep it hidden.”
“But why…”
Jun-wan shrugged his shoulders in lieu of an answer. Minister Park groaned aloud. Minister Park was well aware that Ungang advocated mysticism. The institution had tried so hard to contact Ungang, but they had failed repeatedly because they couldn’t reach him directly.
The shock was indescribable. After learning Ungang’s identity, Minister Park seemed to have a screw loose in his head. He gazed at the painting endlessly, repeatedly exclaiming in admiration.
“What should I do… whether I deserve to receive something so precious.”
The taciturn man who never expressed his inner feelings was overwhelmed with emotion before Ungang’s painting and didn’t know what to do. Wasn’t this an unpublished work by Ungang? Only lacking a seal, this was a masterpiece that would receive acclaim if presented right now.
It wasn’t dashed off in one breath but clearly showed years of devoted effort. In fact, even if it weren’t Ungang, this was a painting that should be treasured.
“Father, catch your breath. You seem too excited right now.”
Jun-wan spoke in his customary calm tone. Minister Park nodded and answered that he needed a little more time to compose himself. Then he took a deep breath. His breathing still trembled.
Leaving such a father behind, Jun-wan exited the study first. The family huddled together in the living room was in the middle of sharing cake. As soon as they heard movement, Yu-shin turned his head. He seemed to have been anxiously waiting for Jun-wan to come out.
Jun-wan occupied the seat next to him as if nothing had happened. He picked up the teapot and filled Yu-shin’s empty cup with tea.
