Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 133
A few days after the vacation, I came to Burbank, California with grandpa.
When I arrived at 325 South Sparks Street, I saw a white two-story house behind a green street tree.
There is a small garden connected to the road.
Considering that the lawn is even, and the small ornamental trees and flower pots are well maintained, it seems that someone continued to manage them.
When I looked up, grandpa nodded.
This seems to be the house where ‘Ko Hun’ lived with his parents.
“We’re supposed to meet here in an hour, so let’s go in and wait.”
Grandpa checked his smartphone and fumbled for the door lock password.
The inside of the house, which led straight to the living room, was loaded.
Rather than feeling like a family raising a child, the entire house is like a studio.
There are two computers on the desk next to each other, as well as a tablet and a stylus for drawing on the computer.
Maybe it’s the place where Ko Hun’s parents worked.
Next to it was a small desk with crayons and drawing paper for children.
Ko Hun seems to have played with his parents drawing like this.
I’m getting emotional without knowing why.
Grandpa sighed as he touched Ko Hun’s parents’ desk.
I wonder how heavy the emotions that are piled up in his heart are.
It is hard for me to guess how heavy it will be for a parent who lost his only child.
Grandpa looked so distressed that he held his hand and stood there for a while.
Grandpa seemed to have calmed down to some extent, so I took cold water from the water purifier and brought it to him.
“Have some, grandpa.”
Grandpa patted my head and accepted the cup.
I entered the small room with the intention of looking around a little.
It seems to be a playroom where drawing paper was stuck on the wall so that Ko Hun can draw freely
Maybe because this is where the owner of this body lived.
My heart feels warm for some unknown reason.
“Oh,”
Ko Hun also drew a lot of insect paintings that I had never seen in Europe or Korea.
The line is crooked, and he seems to have tried to express it in detail.
He has good observation skills, and he has worked hard to draw the small parts.
He wrote down the insect’s name and characteristics as if he had made his own book by drawing a new insect he met when he was young.
As expected, there is no more mysterious and interesting existence than insects for young children.
“……”
Why is my heart so heavy?
Perhaps I can’t think of it, as having nothing to do with the people who lived here.
Because I love grandpa more than my own father, I cannot think of his child and grandchild as others.
A sketchbook is placed on a small desk.
As I turned the page over, it is also an insect book.
Thanks to the phenomenon of El Nino, it rained a lot, creating a favorable environment for insects and it has also increased the number of spiders that feed on those insects. It’s interesting, but the sight of thousands of water ladybugs is a little creepy…
“……”
As grandpa guessed, they traveled abroad a lot.
Maybe he was too young to speak Korean, or maybe he was studying, and his French wasn’t good enough for a child to speak…
Furthermore, this handwriting……has no power in the letters, but it’s definitely the way……. I used to write.
When drawing a circle, I draw a long line from the point at the top.
It’s my handwriting, similar to the way I write with the last word raised slightly.
“Little Hun, how did you do this?”
Grandpa called me from outside, and I went out and looked around the water purifier.
“You have to press this, grandpa.”
When I pressed the button next to the water purifier, an appropriate amount of water came out.
Grandpa quickly put his glass on.
“There’s a hot water button next to it.”
“Yes. I know.”
As soon as grandpa agreed to my words, anxiety poured in.
Along with knowing how to use a water purifier with a unique structure, Ko Hun’s insect book just now……
Since I entered this house, why am I feeling very sad? And what’s this warmth that is hard to describe?
I went back to the playroom where I was a little while ago and searched Ko Hun’s book.
As I turned the page, the letters he wrote gained strength very finely and the painting improved.
By the end, the handwriting is so similar that I don’t even doubt that I wrote it.
“Hun, what are you looking at?”
“Huh.”
That’s ridiculous.
I looked around the playroom, but there was nothing special except the paintings and the insect books.
I came out and went up to the second floor, right in front of the stairs.
A field of sunflowers spread out.
“What……?”
What is this….?
Where have I seen this….?
Why…… am I crying….?
.
.
.
THUD
⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪
May 2, 2025, 325 South Sparks Street, Burbank, California, United States.
“Hun! That’s not food!”
Mama bought me oil paint.
Usually, Mama and Papa drew pictures with computers, so it was hard to see paint inside the house, but I’m so happy to see the paints in the tube.
In particular, Rembrandt No. 207 paint has a very pretty color.
I was surprised when Mama shouted loudly when I slightly tried to put it in my mouth to see what it felt like.
“Spit it out! Spit it out!”
She doesn’t even give me time to answer,
“Did you swallow it?”
“Are you okay?”
“Why did you eat it?”
“I didn’t swallow it.”
I ate a little when I organized my brush, but I didn’t swallow it, I put it in my mouth to feel the texture.
“Ahhhh. Hun, you’re not supposed to eat paint. Okay?”
“Un.”
I don’t know what her problem is, but I nodded for now.
They’re worried about everything because I’m a kid.
It’s something I can do in a place where they don’t see it so that they don’t worry about it.
I had to rinse my mouth a few times in the bathroom and brush my teeth before I could lift the brush once again.
“Hun, draw whatever you want to draw.”
I’ve been patient.
I was still young, so I couldn’t write or draw lines the way I wanted, but now I’m quite strong and I’m used to drawing.
If I do it little by little, I will improve again soon, maybe I can draw like before.
Today, I am planning to fill this big door with my painting.
What a heartbreaking moment with a big brush full of yellow paint.
I placed the brush on the door.
It’s not a familiar touch.
It’s not a canvas, and unlike the familiar brush, it’s not stiff and the paint is somehow soft.
I’m happy to be able to move the brush once again.
There are no words to say how much I missed this.
When I was born, I thought I was in hell because of the bizarre sight.
But now, I’m so happy that I can keep using the bright yellow once again.
“Ah?”
I drew a lot of sunflowers at the bottom, and there is no place to draw anymore.
“It’s too high.”
When I lifted my feet and stretched my shoulders as much as I could, only half of the door was within reach.
“Hahaha! Here you go! I’ll hold you.”
Papa grabbed my waist and lifted me up.
It’s uncomfortable, but I’ll bear with this.
“Down a little, Papa.”
“This much?”
“Un.”
Mama supported the palette.
I want to finish the painting as it is, but no matter how small I am, it will be hard to hold it.
“Put me down, Papa”
“Did you finish?”
“No, Papa and Mama draw it on top. I’m going to draw more on the bottom.”
Isn’t it a waste to paint this happy house in my own color?
Isn’t it too bad to enjoy this happy moment alone?
“Well, Papa’s not good.”
“Why Hae?”
“Hun’s drawing will look bad if you draw next to it.”
“Come on Hae! I want to paint with Hun.”
Papa got beaten by Mama again.
With such a happy smile, Papa seems to enjoy being hit by Mama.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
For some time, Ko Sooyeol kept looking around the house of his daughter and his son-in-law with a heart filled with remorse.
Thomas Arthur, the lawyer of Lee Soojin, visited 325 South Sparks Street, Burbank at the appointed time.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Ko Sooyeol.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The two shook hands.
Thomas Arthur confirmed that Ko Sooyeol’s eyes were red, and bowed his head to offer condolences.
Thomas Arthur had a rough idea of the relationship between Ko Sooyeol and Ko Hae, as he was friendlier with the couple and often came over for dinner.
He wanted to offer consolation to that mournful heart.
He wished that it would have been nice if there had been a will.
The accident that happened unexpectedly did not allow even that.
“Here is the list of the assets of Hae and Sooj.”
Thomas Arthur took out the list of assets he had managed after Lee Soojin’s death, fulfilling his duties.
Ko Sooyeol took it with weak hands and sat on the couch without looking.
Then he recommended Thomas Arthur to sit down.
Since the conversation won’t be a short one, Thomas Arthur also sat on the couch.
“First of all, the real estate here, Paris, and London.”
Thomas Arthur explained, and Ko Sooyeol gently nodded his head.
After swallowing a few times, he said with difficulty,
“Is it okay to continue now Sir, or should I…..”
“No…That’s all right. Speak comfortably.”
A long sigh ensued.
“…Can you tell me about those two?”
Thomas Arthur closed his mouth and rubbed his palm.
He didn’t know where to start.
“Sooj and I met for the first time in London. We were competing for a piece at the auction house and we talked about it.”
Ko Sooyeol listened to the story of his son-in-law and daughter about whom he did not know.
“Hae was angry. She argued that Sooj bought the painting at an expensive price because of me, and we had a drink because of the absurdity of fighting, and that’s how we became friends.”
Ko Sooyeol shook his head.
He felt that the personality of his student and son-in-law didn’t seem to have changed much.
“After they moved to the US, I was in charge of contract documents and copyright protection for Hae and Sooj. We met once a month and talked.”
Thomas Arthur, who kept a calm tone, swallowed.
He continued the story, trying to hide his hoarse voice.
“Sooj was the coolest guy I met in my life. He worked more passionately than anyone else and he would have been incomplete without Hae. The Max Studio team members respected the two. No one has ever produced a better result than those two.”
Ko Sooyeol nodded.
“Whenever Hae comes to a party, she always leaves sharply at 8 o’clock no matter where she is. She rushed home as if something had happened. When I once asked Sooj for the reason, he said it was because of a promise with Hun.”
Ko Sooyeol asked what kind of promise by raising his eyebrows.
“It was a promise to read a book for Little Hun until he falls asleep. According to Sooj, Hae fell asleep even before Hun.”
Ko Sooyeol felt heartbroken thinking about the family that lived in harmony in a place he couldn’t see.
