Van Gogh Reborn! - Chapter 75
Cha Jaewoo swept the back of his sobbing son.
He was confused because it was so sudden.
“Why…Why would I hate Sihy?”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
Cha Jaewoo wiped the tears from his son’s eyes, which kept coming
“Did you want to draw? Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“But……Hik…..daddy….. Hik………. don’t paint.”
Cha Jaewoo looked back at the events in the past.
He didn’t remember telling his son not to paint directly.
However, he didn’t want to give unnecessary stimulation to his son, so he removed the traces of his father who remained at home.
Then, suddenly, he remembered the day when he completely cut off the ties with his father.
⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪ ⏪
The day when he and his wife came back from a short trip.
The couple was surprised by the gloomy atmosphere of the house, where not even a single light was turned on.
There was no sign of eating, and when he entered his father’s room, his son was crying and drawing.
“No, I told you to draw it straight with your wrists.”
“It’s not fun.”
“Haaah. You should do it even if it’s not fun.”
The anger that cha jaewoo had suppressed over the past few decades exploded as he saw his son being pressured to do something he didn’t want to do.
Even though he put up with the violence of his father, he couldn’t stand watching his son getting hurt.
“Stop it, Father!”
“Wh….What? Why? I’m doing this for Sihyeon? He’s talented. We need to make him do art.”
“Please stop Father, do you think I don’t know why you’re doing this? You’re trying to make my son do what you couldn’t do!”
“Yes! What’s wrong with wanting my grandson to fulfill my unfinished dreams!”
“It’s wrong! It’s a big mistake! Sihyeon, won’t draw! He doesn’t have to! What do you think he knows? You have been holding him up all day and making him draw?’
“Don’t you know about early education? I heard everyone does that these days. We have to train him from when he is young to make him achieve big things.”
“It’s abuse, Father! How much do you plan on torturing my child for your greed? Aren’t you satisfied with what you did to me and mother?”
“You…You…”
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
During the conversation, he did say that Sihyeon wouldn’t draw.
“…Sihy, I told you won’t draw.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry daddy.”
“No Sihy. Sihy didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay.”
Cha Jaewoo hugged his son tightly.
He never imagined that his nine-year-old had been carrying this big wound in his heart.
He didn’t know that the child who had never complained about anything in his life had been carrying this big burden all alone.
As a child, he treated his son with utmost sincerity because he was hurt by his parents’ words and actions.
In fact, he did know how much the words of parents can affect the children.
“Daddy supports whatever Sihy wants to do.”
Cha Jaewoo reassured his son.
“Dad told you not to draw because Sihy seemed to be having a hard time. Do you remember that time?”
Cha Sihyeon shook his head.
The reason why the boy remembered what happened that day was because his kind father shouted and got angry for the first time.
He couldn’t understand the situation.
His kind father was angry because he was drawing, which was the only thing that got imprinted.
Cha Jaewoo said, sweeping the back of his son’s head.
“You can draw as much as you want if you like it. It’s the same with other things besides paintings.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But you should make a promise with your dad.”
Cha Sihyeon wiped away his tears and nodded his head quickly.
“Dad will help you with anything you want to study, so when Sihy grows up one day, you should be a brave man, and should never bully the weak.”
He didn’t want to give responsibility to his young son yet.
However, he had to teach his son to be a responsible adult for a day that would come one day.
He wanted to love and protect his son till his last breath, but he couldn’t be with him forever.
Cha Jaewoo thought it was his duty as a parent, to make his son walk on the right path.
“You can promise me that, right?”
When Cha Jaewoo showed his pinky, Cha Sihyeon smiled and hung his finger in his father’s.
“Promise.”
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I’ve never had so much fun on my way to school.
Grandpa asked with a smile.
” What’s the matter, Little Hun? You seem to be very happy. You are even humming.”
“It’s art class grandpa. Four hours.”
The allocation of Class time in Korean elementary schools is both extreme and reasonable.
Art class comes only after studying general subjects for two weeks.
I thought an hour was not enough, so they assigned a whole day.
“Haha, I didn’t know that you’re looking forward to it this much. What do they teach in elementary school these days?”
“It’s not important grandpa.”
Anything related to art is fine.
I am learning this and that from the Internet, grandpa, and Aunt Mirae, but I am not satisfied no matter how much I learn.
I’m just grateful for modern-day art, which is applied to a vast range of things.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
I arrived in front of the school.
“Do you remember that We decided to go to Mr.Bang’s house today?”
“Yes, grandpa!”
I can’t forget that we decided to write a formal contract with Uncle Bang today.
Today is the best day ever.
“Goodbye, grandpa!”
I got out of the car and headed to the classroom.
When I opened the door and entered, the children looked at me and avoided making eye contact with me.
It must be because of what happened yesterday.
Without paying attention to them I looked at Sihyeon, who was smiling looking at me from his seat.
“Good morning Hun.”
He also seems to be very happy because of the art class.
He greeted me first.
Then he showed off several brushes.
I think the talk with his father went well yesterday.
“What”’
“Daddy said I could draw.”
Sihyeon’s bright smile made me feel good.
“I got everything wrong. He gave me a hug.”
“See? I told you he loves you.”
“Yes.”
The conversation is important.
The way we talk is important, but without conversation, it’s useless.
If we have a little courage to express our honest feelings to each other, we can avoid a lot of conflicts.
“I’ll tell you how to take care of your brushes later. Do you have oil?”
“No Why?”
“If the brush hardens while using it, you have to wash it with oil. There is also a cleaner, but I prefer the natural oil that my grandpa uses.”
Sihyeon kept blinking.
After I became Ko Hun, I only heard explanations from others, so I was happy to be in a position to teach someone.
I am satisfied in many ways today.
As we talked about brushes, it was almost class time.
There was no talk about the supplies, so I went to the art room with the things I bought.
“Oh.”
The art room was too large.
It was enough to accommodate 40 to 50 people.
There are plaster casts that were once used for educational purposes by the Royal French Academy of Art.
Even after a century-long efforts of many Artists, its presence could still be felt, that too on the other side of the globe.
Since it’s good for improving descriptive skills. If it is for the education of beginners, there is no need to look at it badly.
Park Hyunwoo and the other children sat together, while Sihyeon and I sat side by side.
The art teacher came in.
He was a young man, but for some reason, he seems to be nervous.
He came in while sweating profusely.
“Good morning everyone.”
“Good morning teacher.”
I greeted the teacher.
“Do you all like art?”
“Yes.”
Only me and Sihyeon answered.
“Okay, when we say art, everyone usually thinks of paintings, sculptures, structures, architecture, etc. But the truth is art is everywhere around us. For example, the tablet you use as a textbook, its design is also an area of art.”
That’s right.
In this era, there are many things in day-to-day life where art’s presence could be felt.
I’m not interested in the education of the academy that makes me draw a uniform picture, but I’m looking forward to knowing about the art of this era and its applications in various fields.
” Okay. Let’s get to know each other step by step. Well, since today is the first day. It’s the first day, right?”
The teacher stutters since he is so nervous.
It felt like he was avoiding my gaze.
“Today, let’s draw freely on the paper.”
The teacher handed out two sheets of paper.
He also gave a set of erasers, 6B, 4B, 2B pencils, and colored pencils.
Sihyeon holds a pencil and takes turns looking at me and asks.
“Which pencil should I use?”
I usually use 4B a lot, but I prefer 2B because of its unique softness and hardness to erase.
Sihyeon, who is new to pencils, will use a lot of erasers, so 2B will be easier to use.
But it’s just my idea.
“Try them all out. You can try whatever you like.”
Sihyeon started drawing lines with each pencil on the drawing paper.
‘What should I draw? I drew a lot of still life drawings to improve my drawing skills, so I’ll draw the same as a practice today.”
The best object is a person.
There is nothing better than drawing the human body to develop the ability to describe.
” Hun, What are you going to draw?”
Sihyeon asked.
It’s good to see him holding a 2B pencil.
“You.”
“Me?”
Sihyeon tilts his head.
“Why me?”
“It’s harder to draw people than things. I’m practicing.”
“I don’t think it will be fun.”
“It’s surprisingly fun. What are you going to draw?”
“Secret. Hehe. You’ll know soon enough. You shouldn’t look until I finish drawing.”
Sihyeon got up and sat opposite me with the drawing paper and materials.
Then he started drawing without hesitation.
Usually, there are many people who don’t know what to draw when you give them white paper.
But this child’s heart is full of what he wants to paint.
I grabbed a pencil while observing his baby face.
I soon forgot that the art teacher and Park Hyunwoo had been glancing at me.
