Chapter 24 (2) - The Mysterious Art Museum
"Congratulations, my brother."
"Thanks, bro. I'm treating today! How about beef?"
"Wow, did you really make a lot of money?"
"Why? Want something?"
"No, if you have money to buy me something, buy what you want. Mom gets me what I need."
"Ah, I can buy expensive stuff too."
I wanted to press further to really buy him something but held back.
What would guys our age want? A cellphone, tablet, big TV, motorcycle, or car. My brother couldn't enjoy any of those because he couldn't see.
Then mom ran out to the yard.
"Oh, my second son. You're early?"
I looked closely at mom's face, which I hadn't seen in a while.
Her face was full of deep wrinkles. Our mom was really pretty when she was young.
"Our pretty mom. You look even prettier today. No men bothering you in the neighborhood?"
"Oh, what are you talking about?"
Mom's face turned red. My mom, still like a young girl, and my brother.
The three of us ate so much that day. Of course, I had to visit the bathroom all night because of the beef fat, but I had no regrets. It was such a joyful time.
**
The next day, at MG Electronics headquarters.
As per the contract, I would be working at MG Electronics for the next 30 days.
Arriving at the company in time for work, I handed over my temporary pass at the desk. My name was already in the system, and a kind employee gave me a regular employee badge.
"Go to the Design Department on the 8th floor."
"Thank you."
Having been there once before, I arrived at the 8th floor and stood in the empty office, hesitating. It was my first day, and I didn't know where my place was, and since no one else had arrived, I wasn't sure what to do.
"Did I come too early?"
Worried about loitering near someone else's spot and being mistaken for a suspicious person, I waited in the hallway for a while. The design team members who arrived for work looked at me strangely, but none of them spoke to me. More precisely, they didn't seem to have much interest.
Just then, the elevator doors opened and a familiar face appeared. It was Su-young.
I waved my hand high in the air.
"Su-young!"
Su-young, who had been looking at her phone, lifted her gaze and smiled warmly upon seeing me.
"You're always early, Jeong-hoon."
"Oh, well. It's become a habit."
"You don't know where your seat is?"
"Yeah, that's why I was wandering around, haha."
"Jeong-hoon, your seat isn't within the design team area, it's this way."
Following Su-young, I discovered an empty conference room right next to Monica's senior designer office.
It was a small conference room, capable of holding about four people, equipped with a desktop and various art tools.
I was surprised to see only one computer in the office, converted from a conference room, and asked,
"Am I really going to use this as my personal office?"
Su-young grinned.
"You're positive. I thought you'd be upset about being shoved into a corner of a meeting room. Sorry, it was hastily set up yesterday due to Monica's wish to have you push forward with your ideas without clashing too much with the design team people. It's a bit makeshift."
Makeshift? Even though it's a small conference room, it's bigger than my studio apartment, with an air purifier, bright lighting, and a great view of downtown Seoul from the window. I'd be grateful to live here.
Su-young tapped the desk and said,
"Leave your bag here and let's go to Monica. She wanted me to bring you to her as soon as you arrived."
"Ah, okay."
Monica's office is right to the right as you exit the conference room door.
Su-young knocked and asked for permission before opening the door, revealing Monica in glasses, looking at a blueprint. Wow, she's even beautiful with glasses. Did she save a country in her past life? The term 'national beauty' must be for people like Monica.
She was sketching something on the blueprint with a triangle and pencil. It seems to be a design blueprint. Upon noticing me, Monica took off her glasses and stood up with a radiant smile.
"Welcome."
Her treatment was completely different from before.
She seems to highly respect me after receiving the painting I drew yesterday.
I nodded and glanced around her office.
The painting I sold her yesterday is not here.
Did she just say that as lip service?
Monica invited me to sit with a smile.
"Have a seat."
Sitting on the sofa with Su-young, Monica joined us in the main seat and said,
"The painting is quite large, so it's taking some time to frame it, but I'm really looking forward to it. If I work while looking at that painting, my work efficiency might increase by 200%. It's different having an ideal inspiration beside you."
Ah, so it's not that she didn't hang it; she's having a frame made.
I thought it would be easy to buy a frame for a standard-sized canvas, but it seems she really liked the painting since she's having a custom frame made. It's a delightful moment for me as an artist.
I received about an hour's training on company life guidelines from Su-young and Monica.
After the training, Monica brought a large blueprint she had been working on and handed it to Su-young.
"Su-young, please convert this into a digital file. The dimensions are all written there."
"Understood."
As Su-young took the blueprint, I glimpsed at the drawing on it and my eyes widened.
'Refrigerator design blueprint.'
But is that really a refrigerator drawn on the blueprint?
Can a refrigerator even look like that?
I looked at Monica in surprise. Noticing that I had seen the blueprint, Monica spoke with a seductive smile.
"I didn't want your beautiful painting to just remain a simple design."
I appreciate the thought.
But will a refrigerator like that really sell?
No, can it even be manufactured?
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