Return of the Genius Photographer

The day before Art Unity began.

Yale’s campus was bustling with preparations for the exhibition.

From setting up the stage to announce the start of the event.

To the spectacle of participants moving their works to their designated areas.

The commotion that started in the morning continued into the evening.

And among it all, Woojin’s friends were also there.

“When are we going to finish moving all this…?”

Anna sighed as she carried photos to their assigned area.

“What can we do? There are so many participants and even more works. It’s easier to move them ourselves than to rely on others.”

Junie, holding a stack of photos in both hands, shrugged and replied.

“And isn’t it better to move them ourselves? I’d rather do it myself than risk someone else making a mistake…”

Junie placed the photos on an easel and secured them.

The exhibition area was packed with photos.

Thanks to their hard work throughout the day, most of the photos had been moved.

But the organizing wasn’t finished yet—there was still a lot left to do.

Especially since Malcolm and Woojin’s photos hadn’t even been brought over.

Arranging their photos in the right order could take a long time.

Even with all this busyness, Anna couldn’t help but wonder about the two who were nowhere to be seen.

After shaking the photos on the easel to make sure they were secure,

She brushed off her hands and stood up, asking Junie.

“By the way, where are Malcolm and Woojin?”

“Malcolm said he’s on his way. Look, there he is.”

Junie immediately answered.

When Junie pointed, they could see Malcolm in the distance, struggling to carry a stack of photos.

“Why is he late?”

“He said he had to meditate in the afternoon.”

“Huh?”

At Junie’s words, Anna’s eyes widened in disbelief, but then she nodded as if remembering something.

She recalled Malcolm’s mentor, Philip Osman.

He was always doing yoga and meditation…

Malcolm had complained about it so much that it stuck in her memory.

She’d thought his mentor was unusual, but to keep him busy until the day before Art Unity…

“Should we help him?”

“Yeah, it’ll be easier to organize once all the photos are here.”

Anna nodded and headed over to help Malcolm.

Then, suddenly.

“Oh, right. What about Woojin?”

Malcolm’s here now, so that’s fine.

But where on earth is Woojin?

Thinking Junie might know, Anna tilted her head and asked, but Junie scratched the back of his head awkwardly and replied.

“Hmm… I don’t know? I haven’t been able to reach him…”

“Again?”

At Junie’s answer, Anna’s expression soured.

She remembered the last time Woojin had gone silent and didn’t show up for the event.

No matter how much they tried to contact him, he didn’t answer, and they only heard from him after the event was over.

Recalling that, Anna exchanged a worried look with Junie.

“He’s not… not coming again, is he?”

“No way…”

“What was his excuse last time?”

“He said he was drinking with his mentor…”

“Sigh…”

Even if they gave him the benefit of the doubt last time—since it was just the lottery—

Tomorrow marked the start of Art Unity, an event they had poured their time and effort into preparing.

If they didn’t finish setting up by today, it was bound to be a disaster.

“Malcolm! Have you been able to reach Woojin?”

Feeling anxious, Anna approached Malcolm, who had just arrived with his photos, and asked.

“Huh? Woojin? Why? I haven’t tried contacting him yet.”

Malcolm looked puzzled.

“Woojin’s still not answering.”

“Maybe he’s on his way?”

“What if he doesn’t show up like last time? We haven’t seen each other since that day because we’ve been so busy.”

Anna couldn’t hide her unease.

But.

“Anna. In times like these, you need to take a deep breath.”

“What?”

“Inner peace… You need to find it.”

As if oblivious to Anna’s concern, Malcolm closed his eyes and clasped his hands together with a serene expression.

“Follow me, Anna. Breathe in… and out… Everything will be resolved.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“All problems come from within. So if you control your inner self, you can solve any problem.”

“That’s not the point. Woojin’s gone silent again.”

“In a Peace…”

Anna felt like she couldn’t get through to Malcolm.

It only made her more frustrated.

“Junie, say something. Malcolm’s acting weird.”

Unable to make sense of Malcolm’s reaction, Anna looked at Junie for help, but…

“I get where he’s coming from, Anna.”

“Why are you like this too?”

“When I exercise, my anxiety goes away too… Even if I can’t exercise, just smelling the iron helps calm me down.”

Anna felt like she was losing her mind.

Had her friends gone crazy in the few weeks they hadn’t seen each other?

This was a serious situation, but why were they all so calm?

“This is the worst…”

It felt like she was the only sane person here.

What on earth…

Just as Anna was stomping her feet in frustration.

― Honk honk!

The sudden sound of a car horn.

Turning her head toward the noise.

Anna saw Woojin getting out of a truck.

“Hey! He’s here! It’s Woojin!”

“Anna, I told you. See? If you control your inner self, all problems are solved…”

Ignoring Malcolm’s meditation spiel, Anna looked at Woojin with relief.

But then…

“What’s he taking out of the car?”

As she watched Woojin unload something from the truck, Anna’s expression shifted from curiosity to shock.

***

On the day of Art Unity.

“Take a pamphlet!”

“Fill out the survey, and you’ll get a free drink!”

“We’ll hand out the questionnaire in the final week of the exhibition, so please come back then!”

Yale’s campus was packed from the morning with people who had come to see Art Unity.

Like any other festival, booths handed out promotional items or sold simple snacks.

People strolled through Yale’s historic campus, admiring the students’ works.

The works of Yale and RISD students, renowned for their art, lived up to their reputation.

Everywhere you looked, people were gathered, creating a lively festival atmosphere.

But amidst it all, Monica was walking briskly, not paying attention to anything else.

“Monica, let’s go together. Where are you rushing off to?”

Victor, following behind Monica, called out urgently.

The festival had just begun.

While some participants were enjoying the leisurely atmosphere.

Others were in front of their works, explaining them to visitors to leave a good impression.

But Monica didn’t seem to have any such intentions.

“Participants get free drinks. Let’s grab one.”

“You go ahead. I have somewhere to check out first.”

There was something she wanted to see.

‘What kind of photos did he take…?’

Monica arrived at the exhibition area where Yale’s photography department was participating.

In other words, the place where Woojin’s photos were displayed.

Still unsure which photos were Woojin’s, Monica was about to look around when she suddenly recalled a conversation she’d had with Victor.

“He must’ve run away because he thought he’d lose. I’d want to avoid such a stressful situation too.”

It was when she’d heard the rumor that Woojin hadn’t shown up for the lottery to decide the exhibition spots.

At the time, Monica had confidently declared that Woojin would never run away…

But now that she was here, a slight doubt crept into her mind.

‘He didn’t really give up, did he?’

Monica bit her lip slightly.

Even though she hadn’t met him yet…

Like herself, who was highly regarded at RISD, Woojin was the most talked-about participant at Yale.

Perhaps that’s why, though she hadn’t told anyone, she felt a certain kinship with him.

She couldn’t believe, and didn’t want to believe, that he had given up or run away.

What kind of photos did he bring…?

Pure curiosity about the works.

Expectations for the artist.

And a bit of unease.

With these mixed feelings, Monica was looking around the exhibition when something strange caught her eye.

‘A survey board? No, just a notice board?’

A large sheet of paper hung on an easel instead of a photo.

Curious, she approached and saw bold text written on it.

― Guess how much the props for this photo cost, and you’ll receive a small prize.

‘What is this?’

Monica stared at the board in disbelief.

Asking visitors to guess the cost of the props used in the photo.

She couldn’t understand what kind of mindset would lead someone to put up such a board.

And that wasn’t all.

As Monica, captivated by the unusual board, turned her head to look at the photos.

She saw that all but one of the photos were covered, hidden from view.

― This photo will be revealed tomorrow ―

And a bold message written in large letters.

Reading it, Monica was shocked.

‘This is ridiculous…’

It was utterly absurd.

The exhibition had started, but the photos weren’t being revealed?

In all the exhibitions she’d studied, she’d never seen such a peculiar approach at Art Unity.

For a special exhibition or a curated show with a set audience, maybe.

But for an exhibition where the votes of casual festival-goers mattered, revealing photos slowly was almost unthinkable.

Voting was a one-time thing.

And there was no guarantee that people who came to the festival today would return tomorrow.

So this method was almost like a stunt.

Provocative, perhaps.

Or maybe just foolish.

Either way, it was something you couldn’t do without a lot of confidence.

You had to be sure that people would come back tomorrow after seeing your photos.

“Wow, what’s this?”

“Huh? Honey, there’s a contest here. They’re giving out prizes.”

“Oh, so we’re supposed to guess based on this photo?”

“Wow… this is amazing… but what is it? Money?”

“Are those gold coins? How much would they be worth?”

Just then, a couple who looked like ordinary visitors started talking as they looked at the photo.

‘Ah, the photo…’

Come to think of it, she’d been so distracted by the unusual setup that she hadn’t even looked at the photo.

Who could have taken such a photo to have this much confidence?

With that thought, Monica turned her head slightly.

And in an instant, her eyes widened.

‘What… what is this?’

The photo was of a Black child’s hands.

The child’s hands, palms open, revealing the white skin hidden within.

Golden coins were spilling over them.

‘Light flares? How was this taken?’

Before admiration, confusion came first.

Monica blinked as if seeing a photo for the first time and leaned closer to it.

The soft, blurred effect, as if light was pouring down.

Normally, light flares were the result of improper lighting or a shooting mistake…

But Monica instantly realized that these light flares were intentional.

And with incredible sense and delicate touch, only in the desired areas…

‘If it were shot with a film camera, the feel would be different in each part. Did he put his fingers on the lens? Even then, it wouldn’t turn out like this…’

Monica racked her brain, using all her knowledge, but she couldn’t figure out how the photo was taken.

So the admiration that followed was natural.

‘How did they think of this…? No, who?’

Monica immediately checked the bottom of the photo, where the artist’s name was written.

And the owner of the photo was…

The very person she’d been so curious about: Woojin.