Chapter 71 (2) - The Mysterious Art Museum
Morning at Artists Company, Paju.
Even on a regular day, the area is quiet, but it's even more so at dawn.
A small figure walking in this tranquil neighborhood is Jiyeon, in charge of producing a catalog for the Arts Center.
Having only worked part-time jobs before, Jiyeon, now in her first proper job, is eager to excel in her first task. Even after work, she spends time at home researching other exhibition catalogs for reference.
Jiyeon, with her petite stature of 155 cm, had walked a long way from the bus stop.
People are nice, and so is the work, but the only downside is how far it is from the bus stop.
Luckily, Jiyeon lived in Goyang, not far from Paju, so the commute wasn't too long. However, the over 15-minute walk from the bus stop to the office was certainly a drawback. She couldnt imagine how much harder it would be in winter.
Listening to music, Jiyeon thought about her company.
A comfortable place with all the staff being old acquaintances from school days.
She joined because Youngju unnie from Seoul City Art Museum was there as a director, and to her surprise, Junghoon, a popular senior from her college days, was the CEO.
He lost his popularity a bit after it was known his family was poor, but he was really popular at the start of the semester.
Junghoon was handsome.
He was the quiet type, but his good looks made him extremely popular.
He rarely talked about himself, so not much was known about him, but since art students often stayed up all night for projects, his face was a familiar one.
But back then, Jiyeon never imagined she would end up working at a company led by Junghoon. She thought their paths would never cross since she was from the Oriental Painting department.
Smiling to herself, Jiyeon muttered.
The juniors from the Painting department would be so jealous if they knew I was working at Junghoon seniors company.
The only flaw was that he was incredibly poor. But now, hes a proper company CEO.
According to Youngju unnie, Junghoon co-designed the hit MG Electronics refrigerator, Belle poque.
It seemed to be a huge hit, making the news almost every week.
How much would he be getting?
Probably more than the salary of a senior executive at a large company.
Even Jiyeon, who wasnt interested in him during school, is now intrigued. If his old admirers and classmates found out, it would cause a stir.
Lost in thought about Junghoon, Jiyeon slapped her cheeks and mumbled.
Stop thinking about useless things! Focus on your work, Jiyeon!
Today, she has to decide the language for the catalog.
Traditional catalogs for Oriental painting exhibitions often use a lot of Chinese characters. But the exhibition she's handling is of a Joseon painter. Should she make it look scholarly by using many Chinese characters, or create it in Hangul for easy comprehension? She needs to decide today.
"I also have to decide on the print specifications, select the representative painting, and what about the page count? I should work in multiples of four, right?"
There's a daunting amount of work to be done.
With a sense of urgency, Jiyeon hurries to the office and pauses just as she is about to enter the security code.
"The door is open?"
She checks the time and tilts her head in confusion.
It's now 7:30 AM.
The official starting time at Artist Company is 10 AM.
Who else could be here so early?
Moreover, she can faintly hear music coming from inside.
Hesitating with an unknown fear, Jiyeon cautiously opens the door.
And upon seeing the inside of the office, she freezes in place.
"What is all this?"
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