Return of the Genius Photographer

― Why did you all choose the photography department?

The students in the audience leaned in as the professor holding the microphone spoke.

― I don’t know what each of you hoped for when applying to this department, but…

― First, I want to clarify that the photography department isn’t just a place to learn how to take “good” photos.

― To be precise, it’s more about learning what to capture in a photo.

Today was the final day of the freshman orientation.

The event began with an introduction to the department.

― People often mistakenly believe that their eyes see the world objectively.

― The eyes merely reflect the world as it exists; they cannot see what isn’t there.

― But contrary to what you might think, human eyes are incredibly narrow and limited—in other words, highly subjective.

From early morning, freshmen gathered in a large auditorium, grouped by department, to receive an overview of their curriculum and field of study.

― To put it simply, the human eye focuses only on what it wants to see.

― And it actively avoids what it doesn’t.

― The ancient Greek philosopher Plato described humans as beings trapped in a cave, unaware of the truth, staring at shadows flickering on the walls.

The freshmen listened intently, holding their breath.

Aside from the occasional sound of enthusiastic students taking notes, the professor’s voice was the only thing echoing through the lecture hall.

― Photography is the art of capturing a person’s perspective within a camera.

― As I mentioned earlier, a photograph heavily reflects the photographer’s subjectivity.

― So, when we look at a photo, the first thing we must determine is how to “interpret” it.

I listened with genuine interest.

― The first thing we teach in the photography department is this:

― To help aspiring photographers take better photos,

― We first teach them how to understand and view photographs correctly.

‘A prestigious university is indeed prestigious.’

I looked around and thought for a moment.

The lecture had started early in the morning.

With welcome parties every night during orientation, everyone must have been tired, yet…

The students’ eyes sparkled as they listened to the professor.

Not a single person was dozing off. It truly felt like a top-tier university.

The professor’s explanation went on for quite a while.

After finishing the introduction to photography, the professor went on to explain the courses available to freshmen and important department events.

When the professor finished, the students raised their hands one after another, asking questions.

“What career paths do photography graduates usually pursue?”

“I’m aiming to become an advertising photographer. Which courses would help with that?”

“Are there any courses on photo criticism?”

The freshmen asked questions as enthusiastically as they had listened to the lecture.

From basic questions about the courses.

To activities that would benefit freshmen and career paths related to photography.

Each question reflected their individual concerns.

The photography industry is as much about commercial work like advertising and promotion as it is about artistic expression.

Compared to other art fields, it offers a much wider range of career options.

So, it was natural for students to be curious.

But this didn’t concern me.

Instead of listening to the Q&A, I was flipping through the curriculum booklet the department had handed out, marking things I needed to remember.

‘From what I heard in the lecture, this professor seems good.’

Most freshmen probably saw today’s orientation as just a chance to gather department information or get career advice…

‘I don’t need to hear about camera mechanics, so I’d rather take a course on artistic perspectives.’

My thinking was a bit different from theirs.

While the freshmen looked at the professors with admiration, I observed the podium with an analytical gaze.

All the department professors were gathered here, answering student questions.

It was rare to see them all together like this.

So, I thought today was the perfect opportunity to evaluate them.

‘Professor Raul’s direction doesn’t align with mine, so I don’t need to take his classes.’

As I read through the booklet and listened to the professors’ answers, I categorized what I needed and what I didn’t.

Since I had already decided to leave if I felt there was nothing more to learn here.

I had no intention of wasting time on unnecessary courses.

So, I planned to start now, finding the right courses and professors to create my own personalized curriculum.

As I was sorting through the booklet, someone spoke up.

“Why are you writing so much?”

It was Malcolm, sitting next to me, looking puzzled.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just marking which courses to take and which professors seem good.”

“Huh?”

He still sounded confused.

It probably seemed strange for a freshman who hadn’t even taken a single class to be doing this.

But I just smiled slightly and didn’t bother explaining.

“You’re really diligent…”

Malcolm didn’t seem too concerned.

After all, there were other overachievers scattered around, diligently taking notes.

So, I didn’t stand out much.

“By the way, where are you going after this?”

“Huh?”

Malcolm, who had been quietly watching me, now looked at me with curious eyes.

“I’m going to the place where the clubs are performing. Wanna come? They said they’ll buy us the best pizza in New Haven…”

Malcolm licked his lips, imagining the famously delicious pizza.

It was almost lunchtime, so it made sense to be hungry.

The orientation had been packed with events all morning.

Compared to yesterday, when we had a leisurely tour, today’s schedule was incredibly busy.

After the professors’ department introduction, there were meetings with alumni, dormitory gatherings.

International student meetups, club performances, and promotions.

There were so many events that you had to pick and choose.

Malcolm seemed to have chosen the club event.

Judging by his expression, it wasn’t a deeply thought-out decision—more like he just wanted pizza.

Anyway, this university seemed to place a lot of emphasis on community and networking, as most of the events revolved around social gatherings.

It gave me the impression that this was a great school for building social infrastructure, which was one of my goals.

I had originally planned to attend the alumni meeting, but…

“No, I have somewhere else to go, so I won’t be joining the meetup.”

I had a prior commitment.

“Huh? Where are you going? Wanna go together? I’m just going to grab some pizza and then leave.”

Malcolm perked up, ready to follow me.

“So, let’s go get pizza together. They said there’s a performance there too.”

“No, it’s a personal matter, so I’ll go alone.”

“Really? Well, I guess that’s that…”

When I declined, Malcolm shrugged and nodded.

“Oh, by the way, there’s a final event tonight at Woolsey Hall, and attendance is mandatory.”

He added, as if he had just remembered.

“I’ll see you tonight after I’m done.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

***

Knock, knock—!

“Professor, it’s Woojin.”

As soon as the morning schedule ended, I headed straight to the professor’s office.

“Come in.”

A dry voice came from inside the room.

The person I had an appointment with was Professor Ryan.

‘Why did he call me?’

I wondered as I opened the door and stepped inside.

Although we had arranged this meeting after running into each other by chance.

I still had no idea why he wanted to see me.

After all, since I declined the scholarship offer, there hadn’t been much reason for us to interact.

“Have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

As I sat down, Professor Ryan handed me a cup of coffee and asked.

“Are you enjoying the school? It seems like you’ve already made a close friend.”

“Ah, are you talking about Malcolm? He’s a kind and good friend.”

“Is that so? But it seems you haven’t told him you’re Kai…”

“Ah, that’s because…”

As I hesitated, Professor Ryan chuckled lightly and elegantly sipped his coffee.

The subtle aroma of coffee filled the room.

“Just teasing.”

“Huh?”

“You must have your reasons, don’t you?”

He set down his coffee cup and smiled at me.

Wait, this guy cracks jokes too?

I felt slightly flustered, but aside from that, Professor Ryan exuded a dignified charm that made him undeniably handsome.

He had the aura of a gentleman straight out of a British film.

That’s why, despite his gentle demeanor, there was a strange pressure that made people nervous.

“By the way, Professor. Why did you call me…?”

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Professor Ryan about the purpose of this meeting.

He surely didn’t call me here just to joke around.

There must be something else, I thought.

“I called you here to share a few things.”

Professor Ryan looked at me intently as he continued.

“First, congratulations. You’ve been selected as this year’s Yale scholar.”

“What?”

I asked in surprise.

I was sure I had clearly declined the scholarship last time. What’s going on?

“The university seems to value you highly. Why, are you not happy?”

“No, I’m truly grateful.”

I bowed my head to Professor Ryan in thanks.

Somehow, it felt like the right thing to do.

Since it was Professor Ryan who had met with me, he must have explained things well on my behalf.

I didn’t know the details, but…

Anyway, it was something to be happy about.

Tuition was the biggest expense during my studies abroad.

And now, that had been resolved in an instant.

“But this year, there are two scholarship recipients.”

However, Professor Ryan’s words didn’t end there.

“Normally, only one person is selected… but it seems the foundation doesn’t fully trust you yet.”

I nodded quietly.

“So, how have the scholarship conditions changed?”

It was only natural that the conditions would change if the number of recipients increased.

Since this situation seemed to have happened because of me.

I assumed there would be additional conditions.

“You catch on quickly.”

Professor Ryan smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting.

“The foundation plans to provide tuition for one year. And if you continue to achieve a certain level of success, the university will renew its support.”

As expected.

“Is that too difficult a condition for you?”

“No, it’s perfect.”

I smiled at Professor Ryan.

The conditions he mentioned were within the range I had anticipated.

Even though the conditions had changed, there was nothing bad about it for me.

First, I still got a year’s worth of tuition for free.

And I planned to continue my activities while attending university.

It was like getting a new goal and some motivation.

Plus, I could still leave the university anytime without any burden.

“Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing. You’ll need to give a representative speech as a scholarship recipient today.”

“Huh?”

“Normally, we’d inform you in advance, but this case was so unusual that the notice was delayed. Don’t worry, though. The university will provide a reference for your speech.”

“Ah…”

It seemed like one more annoying task had been added.

As I sat there looking dazed, Professor Ryan continued.

“Your representative speech will be an opportunity for Yale to make good use of you. There’ll likely be extensive publicity and media coverage.”

Clink—!

The sound of him setting down his coffee cup echoed.

“From the university’s perspective, you’re worth that much.”

“I understand.”

I nodded at Professor Ryan’s explanation.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Just as I had come to Yale for its prestige, social infrastructure, and excellent educational environment.

The university also intended to fully utilize the value of my name.

This was hidden behind the offer of a scholarship.

It wasn’t all that surprising, as I had somewhat expected it.

“The conversation we just had isn’t known even among the professors. So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone.”

In other words, I had made a kind of deal with the university…

A deal that couldn’t be disclosed to others…

“Yes, I understand what you mean.”

With that final reminder, I stood up from my seat.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“Not at all.”

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Just as I was about to leave.

Something occurred to me, and I asked Professor Ryan.

“Ah, by the way, who’s the other recipient?”

Who was the person selected alongside me as a scholarship recipient?

At that, Professor Ryan smiled as if he had been waiting for this question.

“Malcolm. Draco Malcolm.”