Return of the Genius Photographer

Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)—often referred to as the Harvard of art schools—had never fallen out of the top three in U.S. News’ rankings of specialized art colleges.

The school’s reputation was so formidable that a story about its president’s inauguration speech—“Welcome to RISD, the standard by which all art schools are measured”—had spread worldwide. Alongside its prestige, RISD was famous for the immense pride its students and faculty took in their affiliation with the school.

Their efforts to uphold that pride were equally unmatched. The school was notorious for its rigorous curriculum, which ran from morning till night, and its mandatory education across various art disciplines—drawing, design, spatial dynamics, and more—regardless of a student’s specialization. RISD spared no expense in honing the raw talent of its students through countless internal evaluations and competitions.

The school also meticulously maintained its external reputation, boasting the best connections to various art competitions in the U.S. For larger competitions, RISD strategically selected participants through internal contests and provided them with full support.

To RISD, everything was material for the birth of genius. A brilliant artist was an architectural masterpiece built on a foundation of knowledge and fleshed out through competition. This was the ideal RISD strived for.

As such, RISD’s approach to Art Unity, its exchange event with Yale, was fundamentally different from the start. For RISD, it was a battle to protect its pride as the world’s top art school, an opportunity to prove that even an Ivy League institution could never surpass a specialized art college, and a perfect stage to further refine its talented students.
To RISD, victory in the exchange was not just expected—it was a given.

Moreover, rumors had been circulating that this year’s Yale freshmen were unusually formidable. RISD had no choice but to select its participants with even greater care. The students chosen were nothing short of geniuses among geniuses.

Click—

In a small studio at RISD, the sound of a camera shutter echoed, as it did every day.

Click—

The workspace was pitch black, so dark that not even an inch ahead was visible. It defied common sense that anyone could be taking photos in such conditions.

Click—

The occasional shutter sound was the only indication of life.

“Monica. Shooting in here again today?” a man called out toward the studio.

“Monica?”

“Oh, yeah. I hear you, Clive.”

A voice responded from the darkness, followed by the emergence of a woman. She was none other than Monica Blanchet, the person Clive had been anxiously searching for.

“I’ve always wondered, why do you take photos in the dark? You can’t even see anything.”

Monica stepped out, loosening her tightly tied hair. Her long, red locks cascaded over her shoulders.

“It sharpens my senses.”

“Senses?”

“Yeah. And when you stay still in the dark, you start to see the outlines of objects by following the tiniest bits of light. If you take photos along those lines, they turn out quite beautiful.”

“Ha, I still don’t get it. That’s amazing. I could never do that, even if you told me to.”

Clive shrugged, his expression one of disbelief. Taking photos in the dark to sharpen your senses? It sounded unbelievable, but this was Monica. It had to be true.

“Clive, why were you looking for me?”

Monica looked exhausted, as if she’d been in the dark for too long. Between classes and personal projects, she barely had time to sleep.

Clive admired her silently before replying, “Why else? The professor’s looking for you. The schedule’s been finalized.”

“Already?”

“Already? Do you even know how long it’s been since we were selected?”

“Uh… sorry, I can’t remember. I’ve been so caught up in work…”

“I figured. Anyway, let’s go see the professor.”

“Alright.”

Monica slapped her cheeks to shake off her drowsiness and followed Clive.

“You’re all here quickly.”

Professor Peach’s office was immaculate, almost to the point of obsession. Books were neatly aligned by size, and every piece of furniture fit perfectly into the space. The room’s suffocating orderliness seemed to reflect the professor’s meticulous personality.

“It seems the opposing team has also been finalized. We’ve received word that we’ll be meeting soon.”

Once all the students had gathered, Professor Peach began his explanation.

“Once the theme is decided at the meeting, you’ll focus solely on your work. For the time being, we’ll reduce your class load. I hope you understand.”

“Is that even possible?”

Clive was shocked by the unprecedented offer of a month-long break from classes. Professor Peach responded with a serious expression.

“Don’t forget how important this exchange is.”

He added, “You can win this, right?”

His eyes burned with determination.

The students knew nothing about the bet between him and Professor Ryan. They simply thought he was someone who took the school’s honor very seriously.

Even so, Professor Peach’s intensity was puzzling.

As the students hesitated, unsure how to respond, Monica answered nonchalantly, unfazed by the atmosphere.

“Yes.”

At Monica’s response, Professor Peach’s expression softened, and he smiled faintly.

“Good. I’ll trust you all. Make sure there’s no blemish on the school’s honor.”

“Don’t worry too much. We’ll do our best.”

“Then, fill out the participation forms. You can leave once you’re done.”

“Understood.”

Having given his final instructions, Professor Peach dismissed the students, as if he had nothing more to say.

The Art Unity event would officially begin after the meeting.

Leaning back in his chair, Professor Peach thought about the students who would determine the outcome of this event.

‘Professor Ryan… It seems he’s holding onto some futile hope, relying on that one student who won an award in Arles. He’ll soon realize it’s all for nothing.’

He smirked slyly.

When he first heard about Kai, the freshman who had turned Yale upside down and won an award in Arles, he had been utterly shocked.

Though he had deliberately maintained his composure in front of Professor Ryan, Professor Peach had long been aware of the rumors about this freshman’s extraordinary talent.

When he secretly reviewed Kai’s portfolio through his connections, the shock had been immense.

It was the first time he had felt a sense of crisis about the exchange event.

But.

The world was vast, and geniuses were plentiful.

And if there was a word that surpassed “genius,” it would undoubtedly be used to describe Monica.

RISD’s curriculum, notoriously difficult to the point where ordinary people give up, was designed to identify and nurture geniuses.

In subjects like drawing, design, and spatial dynamics, Monica’s grades were unparalleled.

Perfect scores, across the board.

While it might be understandable for simple memorization or general education courses, RISD’s curriculum was designed to filter out geniuses.

It was structured so that only students who demonstrated exceptional talent across various disciplines could achieve perfect scores.

Yet Monica, as if mocking the difficulty, had never missed a perfect score, regardless of the subject.

Even RISD, with its immense pride, couldn’t fully grasp the extent of her talent.

And now, this student, who had chosen photography as her major, was participating in the exchange event.

This was why Professor Peach was so confident about Art Unity.

She hadn’t participated in last year’s Arles International Festival simply because it was too far and she was too busy.

But if Monica had been there…

Professor Peach was certain the outcome would have been different.

And it wasn’t just her.

Professor Peach glanced at the participation forms in front of him.

Clive.

Victor.

Martin.

While Monica was exceptionally outstanding, the other participants were also students who had been carefully selected through RISD’s rigorous competitions and evaluations.

No matter how you looked at it, Yale, which was likely to rely solely on Kai, stood no chance.

RISD’s methods were always right.

As they always had been.

This victory was already in the bag.

***

“Woojin, didn’t they say it was around here?”

Malcolm looked around as he asked me.

“I’m not sure… Everything looks so similar.”

We were searching for the meeting spot near Yale’s lakeside park, where we were supposed to meet our mentors.

Of course, we were all together.

“They said to meet under the sequoia tree by the lake… How artistic. Yale graduates really are on a different level, aren’t they?”

I wasn’t sure what part of it moved him, but Junie kept exclaiming as he walked around the lake.

“A lake owned by Yale… I should definitely capture this for my collection.”

“Junie, please be quiet. And do you know how many sequoia trees there are around here?”

Anna finally snapped, and Junie quieted down.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene, though I understood Junie’s excitement to some extent.

‘Photographers who graduated from Yale…’

The mentors who had made time to help us at Professor Ryan’s request.

It was only natural to be curious about who they were.

‘Professor Ryan wouldn’t have called just anyone…’

They must all be highly skilled.

Maybe we’d even get to meet some famous artists.

Eager to find out, we had come out early to locate the meeting spot.

But as Anna had said, there were too many similar trees, and even as the time approached, we still hadn’t found the right place.

“Should we ask that person over there?”

After wandering for a while, Malcolm pointed at someone.

Turning our gaze, we saw a man doing yoga on a mat not far from us.

He had bent his back, placing both hands and feet on the ground, and was now twisting his body into a series of bizarre poses.

“Uh… He looks busy. Let’s not bother him.”

“Malcolm, let’s just call them. We can’t afford to be late.”

Deterred by the unusual sight, we decided to call the mentor instead.

—Ring ring!

A phone rang nearby.

“No way…”

Turning toward the sound, we saw the same man, now with his feet hooked around his neck, casually answering his phone.

‘That’s our mentor?’

It was an unforgettable first meeting.