Chapter 42 : Picasso’s Reincarnation
‘She looks so young.’
Her skin was flawless, smooth without a single wrinkle, and her all-white office outfit radiated confidence. At a glance, you’d easily think she was in her late twenties.
If he didn’t already know that Kang Byeol was 36, he never would have guessed her age.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Byeol.”
“I’m Kim Ha-neul. Please, feel free to speak casually.”
“I won’t hold back then. But you look nothing like you did in the pictures. Now I think I understand why my little sister chose you…”
“What the hell are you saying?!”
Kang Bada quickly covered Kang Byeol’s mouth. Kang Byeol just shrugged and smiled knowingly.
“This is my exhibition, remember?”
“You said I could borrow it today.”
“I only gave you permission to visit.”
“…Are you really going to be like this?”
“Oh, scary. Ha-neul-ssi, are you watching?”
Flinch!
It seemed like Kang Bada had forgotten he was even there. She flinched noticeably, and Ha-neul couldn’t help but laugh at seeing this unfamiliar side of her.
“You two seem pretty close.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The vibe between you is different from what I imagined. Not quite how I thought chaebol sisters would be.”
At his words, the two sisters exchanged looks. Kang Byeol was the first to move, leaning over to whisper to Kang Bada.
“Baby sister, your boyfriend’s got good taste.”
“Ugh, stop it!”
Kang Bada raised her voice, which felt so new and refreshing that both Ha-neul and Kang Byeol burst out laughing at the same time.
Kang Bada pursed her lips, glaring at the two of them silently. But even that couldn’t shift the lighthearted mood—it just made her look cuter.
‘Her gaze is pretty sharp.’
Even while joking around, Kang Byeol had been discreetly sizing him up, from head to toe. Her eye movements were so subtle that if he hadn’t been paying close attention, he wouldn’t have noticed.
No matter how friendly the atmosphere seemed, Ha-neul reminded himself not to let his guard down. Kang Byeol might be an even tougher challenge than Kang Taeyang.
That smile she kept flashing? It probably wasn’t entirely genuine. The only thing that seemed real was her affection for Kang Bada.
‘If I’m too obvious, it’ll backfire.’
Women are generally more perceptive than men. Scientifically speaking, their brains are more sensitive when it comes to picking up on others’ emotions.
Praising Kang Bada too much, like he had with Kang Taeyang, wouldn’t be the smartest move here.
‘Just keep it natural.’
‘No need to overdo it.’
All he had to do was stay focused on Kang Bada and make sure he was always on her side, no matter what came up. Just like he always did.
While Ha-neul was sorting through his thoughts, he noticed *Kang Byeol gaze had shifted. She was now looking at Yena with curiosity.
“Who’s that girl?”
“She’s from the orphanage we volunteer at. Her name is Yena.”
“Just asking… but are the two of you…”
“No.”
Kang Bada quickly interrupted. Kang Byeol didn’t seem to press the issue, nodding as if satisfied with the answer.
“She asked to borrow the gallery for that girl, didn’t she? Makes sense. Even with all this noise, she hasn’t looked up once. Her focus is something else.”
“Right? Yena’s got real talent! She’s never had any formal lessons, but she can just… replicate Monet’s work so easily.”
“You sound just like our mom.”
“Huh!?”
Kang Bada, who had been chatting away excitedly, froze for a second. She quickly denied it, but she didn’t seem particularly bothered.
Seeing this unfamiliar side of her, Ha-neul felt the need to step in, knowing that if he didn’t, Kang Bada would just keep getting dragged along by Kang Byeol.
“This is one of Yena’s drawings.”
He opened the sketchbook he had brought, just in case. Inside was a drawing of Woman with a Parasol, the one they had been talking about yesterday.
“…She’s never taken any art classes?”
“No, the orphanage didn’t have the means. Before now, she hadn’t even touched proper paint.”
“So, this is her first painting?”
“I think so, yeah.”
Kang Byeol frowned slightly. She glanced at Yena before taking the sketchbook from Ha-neul for a closer look.
“How old is she?”
“She’s seven.”
“Nobody helped her?”
“No, she did it all on her own.”
“Did she copy it from a picture on a phone? The colors here seem a bit different.”
“Well…”
Kang Byeol threw question after question at him, and Ha-neul answered them all as best he could. The more they talked, the more serious Kang Byeol’s expression became.
“Is all of this really true?”
“Yeah, we both watched her do it.”
“…I don’t doubt you two, but it’s just hard to believe. Still, looking at her now… it doesn’t seem like a lie.”
All eyes turned toward Yena, but she was completely absorbed in her drawing, staring at it with the same focus as a sunflower following the sun.
“It’s another Monet piece.”
Just as Kang Bada had mentioned, Yena was now fixated on a painting by Claude Monet, created during his stay in Argenteuil, France.
“Do you think she’s drawn to Monet’s style?”
“Maybe it’s the bright colors?”
“Hm… Yeah, that could be it. Monet’s paintings from that period were mostly vibrant and full of life.”
During that time, Monet was spending some of the happiest moments of his life with his family, and his paintings from those days were full of bright colors, evoking a sense of spring. It was easy to see why they might catch a child’s eye.
“Oh? She moved.”
At that moment, Yena stepped off the platform. Without even glancing at them, she darted off toward another painting.
Out of all the artwork, Yena stopped in front of a particular piece. Only then did she turn to look at them.
“Unnie.”
“Hm? Oh, the platform?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll move it for you.”
“Thanks.”
Ha-neul moved the platform to where Yena wanted it, and she immediately got lost in her world again.
“Huh, she’s an interesting kid, isn’t she?”
Watching her closely, Kang Byeol let out a soft chuckle. At some point, a small smile had appeared on her face.
“She already has such a distinct preference.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said she’s an orphan, right?”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
Kang Bada’s face darkened a little as she answered, but Kang Byeol didn’t seem to notice, still focused on Yena.
“The painting she’s looking at right now is by the French artist, William-Adolphe Bouguereau.”
“William Bouguereau…?”
He was a neoclassical painter who opposed the techniques of the Impressionists. In other words, he’s quite different from Monet, the founder of Impressionism.
So, Yena wasn’t necessarily drawn to Monet’s style after all. Ha-neul started to understand what Kang Byeol was trying to say.
“Oh, you’ve already figured it out, haven’t you, Ha-neul-ssi? You know a lot about art.”
“I wouldn’t say that. But are you suggesting Yena might have some deep feelings or trauma related to family?”
“…It feels a little weird to hear you call me ‘sister-in-law,’(1) but yeah, that’s what I’m getting at. It’s well-known that early childhood experiences play a huge role in shaping someone’s personality. It must have lodged itself in her subconscious.”
“…I see.”
The painting Yena was staring at showed a woman tenderly holding her child—a clear portrayal of ‘maternal love.’
Its style and composition were nothing like Monet’s Woman with a Parasol, but the common thread was the theme of ‘family.’
Kang Bada seemed to realize this too, her expression becoming more serious.
“So, are you saying Yena…?”
“It’s too early to say anything for sure. Kids her age might just be drawn to what they think are ‘pretty’ pictures. Let’s watch a little longer.”
“Yeah…”
They sat on a nearby bench, quietly waiting for Yena. But to their dismay, she kept gravitating toward paintings that had to do with family.
She looked at plenty of paintings in the gallery, but every piece she lingered on for more than 30 minutes depicted maternal love or family themes.
“This is… troubling.”
Ha-neul scratched his head in frustration. The others didn’t seem much different, as a heavy silence hung around them.
Until now, Yena had never once said she felt lonely, missed her parents, or talked about her family.
But maybe, without realizing it, the pain had been quietly building up in her heart all along.
“Unnie!!”
Just then, Yena came running toward them. As usual, she dashed over and clung to Kang Bada, her face beaming with a bright smile.
“I want to draw!”
“…You do?”
“Yeah! There are so many cool paintings here. They’re warm, with circles, triangles, and stars everywhere! I want to draw, too!”
Kang Bada forced a smile at Yena’s unusually high energy, something they didn’t see often. Watching the scene, Kang Byeol finally spoke.
“Hi, Yena.”
It was only then that Yena seemed to notice Kang Byeol, and she flinched. She quickly darted behind Kang Bada, hiding herself.
Kang Byul watched closely, then smiled softly as she made eye contact with Yena.
“I’m your Bada unnie’s unnie.”
“Unnie’s unnie?”
“Just call me aunt.”
“…Aunt?”
“That’s right.”
When Kang Byeol reached out to pat Yena’s head, Yena quickly hid behind Kang Bada.
“She’s really attached to you, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
Kang Bada, who had been quietly watching Yena, seemed to lose control of her expression. She looked like she had a lot on her mind.
Before things got awkward, Ha-neul scooped Yena up into his arms.
“Wanna go draw with oppa?”
“…With oppa?”
“What? You don’t like your oppa?”
“Isn’t unnie coming?”
“Unnie just going to the bathroom. Should we go get ready first?”
“Okay.”
Ha-neul gave Kang Bada a look, suggesting she take a break, but after a brief pause, she shook her head firmly.
“I’m coming too.”
“Okay!”
Kang Bada quickly pulled herself together, and Yena slipped down from his arms, grabbing her hand.
“And oppa too.”
“Huh?”
“Your hand.”
Yena squeezed herself between them, holding both their hands. Kang Byeol, watching this, let out a quiet laugh.
“Yena sure is a little handful, isn’t she?”
Still smiling, Kang Byul took the lead, and they all headed to the studio together. That’s where Yena created her second painting.
* * *
“Amazing. I’ve seen so many kids called prodigies, but I’ve never seen anyone with Yena’s talent.”
“Is it really that much?”
“Maybe even more. We could be looking at the next Picasso.”
This was Kang Byeol’s assessment after watching Yena paint for hours.
Honestly, he wanted to say Kang Byeol was exaggerating, but her expression was so serious that he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“So, what are you going to do about the youngest?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’ve told you before, you’re an adult now too.”
“You mean sponsoring her? If that’s the case, I can…”
“No, that’s not enough,” Kang Byul said, shaking her head firmly, her face now completely serious.
“She needs the best environment for her talent to grow. The Korean education system won’t help her reach her full potential. But even more important is her trauma.”
“Trauma?”
“She longs for a family. I don’t want to see a genius like her get stuck on that one issue. She’s still young, so she can recover.”
“Are you saying…”
“I’m thinking of adopting Yena.”
Both Kang Bada and Ha-neul were stunned by Kang Byeol’s decision. Seeing their reactions, she shrugged and added,
“That is, if you agree.”
A small smile played on her lips, but Kang Bada’s gaze turned colder than ever.
