Plop.
A rough sound and a clear sound came together—contrasting noises. It seemed the pencil's metal ferrule, which held the eraser, had fallen to the floor.
I turned my head toward the direction of the sound. There was Kim Dong-hwi. That guy was staring fixedly at one spot, looking like he was in a trance. What was he looking at? I followed his gaze.
…What they were looking at was my drawing.
For some reason, I felt good. It even felt refreshing. No, it was refreshing.
For two years, I had lived at Cheonghwa Art High School as a misfit, an outsider, and the worst in the class. Though I dreamed of someday surprising everyone, part of me thought it was impossible.
But now that my dream was coming true, I felt like my spirits were soaring. They say everyone who does art is a bit of a show-off—maybe this is what that feels like. It was strangely addictive.
While I was savoring the moment, the teachers straightened their bent backs. Then, they turned around and walked toward Go Doo-han, the teacher overseeing the drawing class.
"Looks like all the papers are laid out."
"Shh, quiet. It looks like it's about to start."
The kids nearby were buzzing that the evaluation was about to begin. I agreed.
Eighty sheets of paper were already laid out on the floor, from one end to the other.
The sheets were arranged from top to bottom by classes A, B, C, and D, each featuring drawings of "Venus," the theme for today's test, depicted from various perspectives.
It was the subject of today's evaluation.
After glancing at the floor, Teacher Go Doo-han nodded. Then he looked our way and announced:
"Now, the evaluation will begin. To ensure fairness, please keep your mouths shut."
You knew what would happen if you didn't.
Teacher Go Doo-han said this coldly.
Right after the announcement, the part-time instructors who worked under Teacher Go Doo-han stepped forward to the front row.
They planned to evaluate from the top row first. The teachers nodded in agreement—this was the start of the evaluation.
The three teachers slowly began judging from the first sheet in the first row.
"This piece is too weak to stay here…"
"Teacher Son Dong-wook? I think this one should be moved down."
If a drawing was worse than others nearby, it moved down; if better, it moved up.
Teachers' opinions often agreed or clashed, and the rankings shifted accordingly.
"This one should move up."
"Really? Its form seems a bit weaker than the existing B class students' work… What do you think, Teacher Jang Yoo-min?"
The evaluation mainly involved Teacher Son Dong-wook for B class and Teacher Im Woo-hyun for D class, while Teacher Jang Yoo-min from C class added opinions.
"Hmm… I think it's better to watch this one for another semester in C class."
"Alright then, we'll leave it as is."
Even so, because names were hidden and rankings were based purely on the artwork's quality, the evaluation was necessarily fair.
"Then this one goes here…"
"That one over there… yes… lacking…"
As the teachers whispered their assessments, the students watched anxiously, their hands clasped together in silent prayer.
It made sense—the test replaced the first sketch class placement test of the first semester for third graders.
The sketch class placements happen only twice per semester. This evaluation decided which class students would attend through to finals.
Only A class was taught directly by the renowned Go Doo-han, famous as a master of sketching and a rising star in the art world.
His works cost as much as four luxury foreign cars combined. There was no other place nationwide to learn sketching directly from Go Doo-han besides Cheonghwa Art High School's A class.
That's why everyone watched in prayer, hoping for a miracle.
But no major surprises were expected. I was certain.
Cheonghwa's placement tests happen only twice a semester, but now it was already the second semester of the second year.
We had taken placement tests eight times so far, and by now our drawing skills were clearly divided, to the point where distinctions no longer really mattered.
Only a few who had become lazy and poor or those who had worked hard enough to show real progress would shift up or down by a grade or two, but most would just shuffle rankings within their own classes.
Except for my drawing.
…
…
"Hm. D class isn't much different from the last evaluation," Im Woo-hyun thought with his hands in his pockets. No need to reach out anymore.
That was how it was.
A similar level with no growth or decline. Im Woo-hyun, responsible for D class, felt disappointed.
Wasn't there anything to promote?
…Now that I think about it, where's Kang-seok's drawing?
He scanned around, looking for Kang-seok's drawing, whose grades were disappointing given his attitude.
At the very end, he noticed two people standing in front of a particular drawing.
"…? What's going on?"
Im Woo-hyun quickly approached them.
And then he saw it.
"Ha…"
The most beautiful Venus in a lifetime.
The Venus that stood out like a masterpiece among the D class drawings on the very last row pierced Im Woo-hyun's heart.
Even if 1980, the year 'plaster sketching' dominated Korean pure art entrance exams, returned today, there probably wouldn't be a better piece than this.
"If I were told this is just the original 'Venus de Milo' plaster cast with the face pasted on, I might actually believe it."
Im Woo-hyun was mesmerized by the drawing, bending over in an awkward posture so the shadow wouldn't cover it.
And the same went for Son Dong-wook, who was in charge of B class.
"How could a D class student complete this in just three hours? It looks better than research works meticulously crafted by a private instructor in Seogyo-dong for a whole month. How is this even possible?"
Son Dong-wook lifted his head in disbelief. Im Woo-hyun and Jang Yoo-min also shared that confused expression, though they didn't say it aloud.
Son Dong-wook spoke for all three:
"Is this really the Venus drawn by a D class student?"
Though it was a drawing of the Venus plaster statue, everyone thought it was simply Venus.
The teachers all swallowed hard.
The perfect three-quarter profile.
The face of Venus, which could have looked elongated if drawn incorrectly, was purely elegant.
Running a finger over the pencil marks, one could almost feel the texture of the plaster. No, it felt real.
The three shivered simultaneously and exchanged glances. It seemed they all shared the same thought.
Son Dong-wook, the de facto leader among the part-time instructors, silently picked up the drawing and moved quickly past the D, C, and B class drawings.
Some of the students who recognized that the painting in Son Dong-wook's hand was Kang-seok's work stood up from their seats. They followed Son Dong-wook's footsteps with their eyes, filled with disbelief.
Within seconds, their disbelief turned into reality.
Kang-seok's painting, which had been at the very end, the very last, was placed at the very top row, in the very first position.
The very first rank in Class A. The number one out of 80 students was taken by a perennial bottom-ranker.
An unprecedented miracle: Class D rising up to Class A.
While the students around them gasped in shock at their own paintings being pushed down one notch, other students who had just now noticed Kang-seok's painting stared at it in astonishment.
"What is that?"
"...Is that possible in just three hours?"
"That just got moved up from Class D, right?"
"This is crazy. Wow! This is really insane...!"
Pure admiration.
"Who drew that?"
"Can't tell, the name is covered. Oh, the Class D leader just walked by, so they must know. Who was it, Oh Hye-jung?"
"...Hye-jung!"
The once quiet studio erupted into chaos like a busy road at rush hour. The warning from Go Doo-han to stay silent during evaluation was rendered meaningless.
While everyone was talking, Kang-seok, the owner of the painting, remained silently calm.
He was staring only at Go Doo-han. His gaze resembled that of a predator eyeing its prey.
"The evaluation is finished, sir."
"Hmm."
Go Doo-han, who had his arms crossed, nodded at the time instructor Son Dong-wook's words. Running his gray hair back—more than half gray—he adjusted his sharp hat and moved.
Unlike the three others, he started checking from the bottom up. It was to verify whether the time instructors had evaluated properly.
His gaze pierced through each painting as he walked.
Go Doo-han moved slowly, examining every single work carefully, but his arms remained crossed, never loosening.
This meant the three time instructors had done their evaluations properly. The longer Go Doo-han kept his arms crossed, the more confidently the three instructors straightened their shoulders.
Finally,
Go Doo-han reached the very first painting in Class A—Kang-seok's painting. This was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the evaluation.
Go Doo-han's eyes narrowed as he slowly observed the painting. ...Has there ever been a style like this in Class A?
The lines were rough yet detailed, explosive like fireworks but perfectly balanced in intensity.
Go Doo-han stroked his chin with one hand. His short, dense beard brushed along his jawline.
Perfect beyond perfect.
Form and shape, perspective and proportion, light and shadow, texture, volume, and movement—all expressed in monochrome technique.
This was a sketch (素描). The very essence was captured in this work.
After much contemplation, Go Doo-han picked up the paper.
Then, as if there were another class above Class A, he pulled Kang-seok's painting out to the very top row by itself.
After staring at it for a long while, Go Doo-han quietly turned his back.
"Was this originally a Class A student's work?"
Go Doo-han's characteristic calm tone and piercing gaze were directed behind him.
Son Dong-wook, struck directly by the gaze, quickly responded.
"Ah, no. It's originally from a student in Class D."
Son Dong-wook's voice trembled like a lamb's. He hadn't done anything wrong, but being in front of Go Doo-han always made him nervous.
Regardless, Go Doo-han nodded slowly, stroking his beard. Having gotten the answer, he turned his attention back to the painting.
Once again, Go Doo-han admired the painting for a long time.
Like a visitor at an art exhibition.
After a long silence spent gazing, he stubbornly opened his tightly shut mouth and uttered one word:
"Well drawn."
.
.
.
It wasn't just a decorative eye after all.
...Huh? Did I just think something Michelangelo might have thought? While doubting myself, Go Doo-han said to the other instructors:
"Let's keep the evaluation results as they are."
This meant the evaluation was complete.
That meant I would be taking sketch classes in Class A starting the first semester of 3rd year. But that wasn't all I wanted.
I waited for Go Doo-han to open his mouth again.
I hadn't passionately drawn the Venus plaster cast just to get into Class A. Clenching my fists, I stared at Go Doo-han, as paintings from Class D began to be collected one by one in order.
At the edge of my focus, I saw Jang Yu-min busily recording the evaluation results.
At that moment, Go Doo-han, stroking his beard, suddenly dropped a question.
"By the way, who's the student who drew this painting?"
The noisy studio fell silent once again.
"We're not quite sure..."
"We don't know."
The time instructors who were asked looked troubled. Go Doo-han's eyes now shifted toward the students.
The students, meeting his gaze, only looked around nervously. Most of them had already heard the painting belonged to Kang-seok, but they couldn't believe it.
Did Kang-seok really draw this? They glanced at him. If it was really him, they silently urged, step forward.
Amid suspicious and questioning eyes, Kang-seok slowly but confidently raised his hand.
"That's me."
Hmm?
This incredible painting was drawn by Kang-seok, the dunce of Cheonghwa Arts High School...?
Go Doo-han slightly parted his lips in surprise, then lifted one corner of his mouth with a smile of amusement.
Go Doo-han.
He was someone who loved pearls in the mud, and lotuses blooming out of mud.
Letting out a laugh like breathing in amusement, Go Doo-han nodded.
"Then stay a while after class."