Popular Psychopath [Novel] Chapter 32

Chapter 32: No, That is a Korean Team!

Incheon International Airport Business Class Lounge.

“James?”

“Oh!? Andre?”

Andre, a professor in the Fine Arts Department at the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy, and James, the Head of the Sculpture Department at Yale University in the US, shared a joyous reunion in Korea for the first time in nearly 10 years.

“It really is you, Andre! It has been a while. You still have that ridiculous beard that doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Hahaha. And you, James, are you still wearing that utterly ridiculous flat cap?”

Despite not having seen each other in nearly a decade, the two joked and caught up as if they had just met yesterday.

“They say you never know where human connections will lead, but who would have thought we would meet in Korea like this because of Sson’s request?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

The reason Andre and James had traveled all the way to a distant, unfamiliar country like Korea was entirely due to a request from their precious friend, Sson.

“We could never refuse a request from Sson.”

The ‘Sson’ they referred to was Son Hochul, the current Head of the Sculpture Department at Seoul National University. He had invited the two renowned figures in the art world to serve as expert judges for the Taebaeksan International Snow Sculpture Competition.

Andre, James, and Son Hochul had studied art together at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, Italy, and were the closest of friends among their peers.

In particular, Andre and James came from impoverished backgrounds and struggled immensely with the grueling life of impoverished art students. Whenever they were crushed by the weight of living expenses, it was Son Hochul—who hailed from a wealthy background—who had selflessly provided immense support from behind the scenes.

Andre and James felt a profound, indelible gratitude for Son Hochul’s kindness and had sworn to fulfill any request he ever made.

“Well, this is my first time in Korea, but the air is crisp, the people are incredibly kind, and it isn’t bad at all.”

Son Hochul had invited his two friends—professors at the most prestigious universities in the US and Italy, two of the most advanced nations in the art world—hoping they would grace the snow sculpture competition held in his homeland as expert judges.

“Hey~~ Andre!! James!! Hahahahahaha.”

“Oh~ Sson! You look even younger. Are we the only ones aging?”

Overjoyed to see his friends for the first time in a decade, Son Hochul, despite being over 60 years old, beamed like an ecstatic child as they exchanged fierce, bone-crushing handshakes.

“Did you have a hard time getting here?”

“No, no, it was fine. It only took Andre and me about 22 hours.”

“Oh? That really didn’t take much time at all. Maybe I should come back next month.”

“Oh my God! I am sorry. I really can’t win against you, Sson.”

“Hahaha, I am just joking. Thank you so much for coming, my friends. I will treat you like absolute royalty so you can enjoy your time in Korea. Let’s head to the accommodations first.”

***

Taebaek Snow Festival International Snow Sculpture Competition Venue.

On the final day of the competition, all 25 participating teams completed their sculptures. After reporting their completion to the organizers, they packed their gear and returned to their lodgings.

The official judging was scheduled to commence tomorrow, simultaneously with the public unveiling. To ensure absolute fairness, the evaluation was conducted blindly; only a placard bearing a number stood before each sculpture.

The following day.

The entries for the International Sculpture Competition were finally unveiled to the public.

“Wow, look at that! The face is absolutely massive!”

“What is that supposed to represent? There is a polar bear inside an apple? That is fascinating.”

Tens of thousands of visitors lined up to view the 25 snow sculptures. After viewing all the entries, they were instructed to write the numbers of the three most impressive pieces on a ballot and drop it into a voting box.

After the public voting concluded, the expert judges were allocated a separate evaluation period to meticulously grade the artworks.

With 25 snow sculptures on display, there were undeniably jaw-dropping masterpieces, but also plenty of pieces that were instantly forgotten.

However, the absolute masterpiece among them all was the snow sculpture of the ‘Sacred Hero, Admiral Yi Sun-sin’.

“This is insane, seriously. Hey, hey, hey! Hurry up, take a picture! Take a picture. This is perfect for Instagram.”

“Ugh… But why does he look so terrifying? Is this really the Admiral Yi Sun-sin we know?”

“Just looking at it, you can tell it is Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Wow… But he really does look terrify… no, he looks incredibly strong. If the Japanese saw him, they would probably run away immediately.”

“Excuse me, could you please move forward? Everyone behind you is waiting!”

Visitors stared up at Kyuha’s sculpture of Admiral Yi Sun-sin with their mouths hanging open, completely mesmerized while frantically snapping photos. Consequently, the flow of the crowd slowed to a crawl, sparking a wave of frustrated complaints.

As time passed, the majority of the visitors exited the competition venue, signaling the commencement of the expert judges’ evaluation.

Andre, James, and Son Hochul moved together, systematically grading the sculptures starting from number 1.

The evaluation criteria consisted of creativity, descriptive power, utilization of snow, and detail.

“Hmm… The idea for this piece wasn’t bad, but the execution of the details is truly unfortunate.”

“I agree. They clearly agonized over the concept, but it is a shame their skill level couldn’t support it.”

The three meticulously inspected each piece, exchanging opinions and assigning their respective scores.

“Oho, just looking at this, it is glaringly obvious who made it.”

“Hmm… Is it Ulziibatar?”

They stopped before a snow sculpture depicting a polar bear roaring in apparent agony, trapped within a hollowed-out apple.

Because the Mongolian team, Ulziibatar, frequently participated in international competitions and consistently secured excellent results, most experts were well-acquainted with their style.

“It is immediately obvious what they are trying to convey.”

The three leaned in close to the sculpture, meticulously inspecting it before letting out gasps of admiration.

“The creativity is outstanding, and the vivid depiction and detail of the areas they wanted to emphasize are incredibly sharp. I have no choice but to acknowledge this.”

*Scribble, scribble.*

After marking their scores on the evaluation sheets, the three continued assessing the remaining works. Just as they neared the end of the line, they stumbled upon a piece that forcefully halted them in their tracks.

“No… What on earth is this.”

The piece that stopped the trio dead in their tracks was the final entry: Kyuha’s ‘Statue of the Sacred Hero, Admiral Yi Sun-sin’.

“To express contrapposto this flawlessly…”

Contrapposto, an Italian term meaning ‘opposite,’ is often used in sculpture to denote ‘asymmetrical harmony.’

“It feels so incredibly dynamic it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he froze mid-stride while charging toward the enemy lines.”

“Oh… It feels exactly as if I am standing in front of the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua.”

The three professors couldn’t tear their eyes away from Kyuha’s statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. They practically glued their faces to the sculpture, inspecting it as if scrutinizing it under a microscope.

“Look closely here, my friends. Is this not ‘symmetry’?”

At a passing glance, the majority of the statue appeared perfectly symmetrical. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t absolute symmetry; there were subtly distinct variations.

At Andre’s words, the other two leaned in to examine Kyuha’s piece closely, letting out low, reverent gasps.

“Look here, Sson. This is truly astonishing. I am going crazy wanting to ask the creator of this piece why they chose to express it this way.”

“Ugh… Wouldn’t it be to make it look more natural?”

“Nonsense, my friend. That goes without saying. What I am curious about is where on earth they drew that inspiration from.”

“My friends! Come look at the patterns on the armor here.”

James, who had been intently scrutinizing the armor alone, urgently called the other two over.

“What is it now?”

“Look at these irregular folds and curves; no two patterns are identical. This level of detail can only be achieved by someone with a profound understanding of human anatomy.”

“Hah… Was there a team capable of sculpting at this level? Where are they from? The RCA? No, this is an Asian general, so it must be Kaijun from China.”

“No, that is a Korean team.”

Son Hochul spoke firmly, his voice laced with absolute certainty.

It was completely implausible for a foreign team from China or the US to sculpt a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

The problem was, he couldn’t fathom which Korean team could possibly submit a sculpture of this caliber.

“It definitely isn’t the team from Hankuk University. Then is it Hongik University? Or Gangneung-Wonju National University? Who on earth is it?”

Andre and James approached Son Hochul, their faces flushed with excitement.

“I came here on a whim to relax, but seeing a masterpiece like this has my artistic blood boiling for the first time in a long while.”

“Without a doubt, even if I give this a perfect score, no one could possibly complain.”

“Let’s head out for now. The evaluation time is up.”

“Phew… I am dying to meet the person who created this masterpiece.”

Even as the three judges exited the venue, they constantly glanced back over their shoulders, unable to tear their eyes away from the statue of the Sacred Hero, Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

***

“Alright! Let’s announce the highly anticipated 1st place winner.”

MC Han Byung-woo dragged out the suspense, but upon confirming the 1st place winner, he couldn’t mask his sheer shock.

“This is an absolutely astonishing result. Something truly unbelievable has happened. I will announce the 1st place winner. The grand 1st place is!!! The only one-man team in the competition! Song Kyuha’s ‘Hero Unveils’.”

*Murmur, murmur.*

“Wait! Song Kyuha… Isn’t he an actor?”

“He is… I thought he just entered as a promotional stunt, but what just happened?”

“Now, could the winners please come forward one by one and explain your pieces?”

The 3rd place winner, Mongolia’s Ulziibatar, received the microphone.

Since all participants were fluent in English, the explanations were delivered in English, with an interpreter providing simultaneous translation.

“Hello. I am Ulziibatar from Mongolia. First of all, I am incredibly thrilled to receive this award despite the presence of so many formidable teams. Our team’s piece, ‘Apology’, depicts a polar bear trapped inside a beautiful apple—a play on the homonyms for ‘apple’ and ‘apology’ in Korean. This piece expresses an ‘apology’ to the animals suffering due to humanity’s excessive greed, which causes environmental destruction and global warming.”

*Clap clap clap.*

The audience showered the artist with unsparing applause for beautifully conveying the message that the earth does not belong solely to humanity.

“Alright! Next, let’s hear the acceptance speech from Russia’s Ilya team.”

“It is an absolute honor to receive an award in such a magnificent competition. Our piece, ‘Reason for Existence’, was created to criticize the tragic reality where modern humanity’s false desires distort their true reason for existence…”

Following the 2nd place team’s explanation and acceptance speech, it was finally Kyuha’s turn.

The moment Kyuha gripped the microphone, a horde of reporters hoisted their cameras and began frantically snapping photos.

“Hello. I am Song Kyuha. First, I want to express my deepest gratitude for awarding me this overwhelmingly prestigious Grand Prize. It was a profound honor to participate in this snow sculpture competition and stand alongside so many brilliant artists from around the world.”

“The reason I titled my piece ‘Hero Unveils’ was quite literal; I wanted to use this opportunity to unveil the true, hidden visage of the Sacred Hero, Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It deeply saddened me that while we revere Admiral Yi Sun-sin as a great hero, we know almost nothing about his true appearance. Therefore, based on extensive historical research, I attempted to express a depiction as close to Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s actual face as possible.”

“Wow!!! So cool, Song Kyuha.”

Kyuha’s calm yet profoundly sincere voice echoed through the microphone, washing over the audience and leaving a deeply lingering ‘resonance’ in the hearts of everyone listening.

Right then, an elderly Caucasian man with snow-white hair stood up from the VIP seats in the front row and grabbed a microphone.

“Nice to meet you. I am James, a professor in the Sculpture Department at Yale University. I have many questions; may I ask you something?”