Van Gogh Reborn!

211

Friction (4)

“Why are you looking for a house?”

Henri Matisse, who was watching the Alphonse Mendy Show, reacted to the news that Ko Hun was house hunting.

“I have to.”

Michel Platini yawned and retorted.

“Why?”

“Why do you ask why? It’s better than staying at a hotel all the time when I’m not here for long.”

“Why don’t you just live here?”

Michel Platini doubted his ears.

Henri Matisse was inviting someone else to his house, which was hard to believe.

She lifted her upper body and looked down at Henri, who was lying next to her.

“Are you by any chance…”

Henri Matisse, who was playing with his smartphone while watching TV, turned his head.

“No.”

Their eyes met and Michel shook his head to shake off his doubt.

“Why would Ko Hun live here? It would be much better for him to live with Goseul Kyung and have fun, rather than messing around with you.”

“There are plenty of rooms.”

He was speechless at the suggestion that Goseul Kyung could also move in.

“Since when were you close with Ko Hun? Do you think he would live in the same house with you?”

Henri Matisse nodded as if it was obvious.

“What makes you think that?”

“Because we’re that kind of friends.”

“…Don’t confuse me by saying weird things. What kind of friends are you talking about!”

“Friends who don’t misunderstand.”

Henri Matisse pointed to the TV with confidence.

-Matisse probably doesn’t think much of that behavior either.

Ko Hun, who appeared on the Alphonse Mendy Show, accurately guessed Henri Matisse’s intention.

What is this crazy guy talking about?

“If you don’t like it, just come in.”

He often says strange things, but today he’s gone too far.

I came to return the trophy and he told me to live here.

“Why would I live here?”

“Because the equipment is here.”

Henri Matisse answered with an innocent look that didn’t suit him.

He was so confident that it felt natural to stay in this mansion.

“I can just come by when I need to. Why do I have to live here?”

“Why waste time?”

Matisse’s mansion was quite far from the center of Paris, but it would be much better than living with him.

“And.”

“And?”

“You don’t have any money, do you?”

“Why don’t I have any money?”

“You didn’t even borrow money for the cafe last time. You said the international phone bill was too expensive.”

“That’s because I didn’t want to waste money on useless things! Stop pushing me like that. Who’s the weird one here?”

Sometimes I wonder if I’m the weird one when I talk to this guy.

“And I have plenty of money.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“How much do you have?”

“What do you care?”

“You said you have it. I won’t force you if you do.”

I don’t care what this guy says. I don’t even want to listen to him. And I don’t need to tell him about my assets.

But if I don’t convince him now, he’ll bother me later.

“…About 37 billion?”

“Euros?”

“How can I have 37 billion euros! Do you have it?”

He shrugged his shoulders smugly.

“So how much do you have?”

“Won.”

“Speak clearly.”

“I have about 37 billion won in Korean currency.”

Henri Matisse looked annoyed and took out his smartphone to calculate the exchange rate.

He snickers.

“Come in.”

His attitude is so infuriating, as if he’s doing me a favor by inviting me to live with him.

“Stop joking!”

I slam the table and get up.

I know he’s rich, but he clearly has no sense of economy. He has too much money.

“Do you have any idea how much it would cost to build a gallery in the center of Paris?”

I turn around and see Marso tilting his head, taunting me.

As much as it annoys me, he’s not wrong.

Paris has many areas where development is restricted to preserve the culture and the landscape.

The land prices are very high in the areas where development is possible, so I was considering moving into an old house.

Or I could live a bit further from the center.

But the gallery has to be in the center, that’s the problem.

According to Pierre Malo, the land where Marso’s gallery is located has a market value of 150,000 euros per square meter.

That’s over 200 million won in Korean currency.

Even if I spend 30 billion won, I can only buy 300 square meters (90.7 pyeong).

“That’s such a waste, don’t you think?”

“Don’t worry about it!”

“He seems to like you a lot.”

When I tell my grandfather and Bang Tae-ho what happened in the morning, they both laugh it off.

“That’s ridiculous. I can’t live with him.”

“That’s right. You should live with your grandfather.”

My grandfather always reminds me to watch my snacks, brush my teeth, and apply lotion, which is a bit annoying, but I cherish the time I spend with him.

On the other hand, I don’t care how much money I could save by living with Henri Marso. It’s not worth it.

“How’s school going?”

Bang Tae-ho asks me about school, which I’m curious about too.

It’s going well.

I told him that the abnormal level of education in Korean elementary schools was too much for me, so my grandfather was looking for an art-focused school.

France has good public education, but there are also many good private middle schools.1)

“I have to enter the CM1 course. Or I could go straight to middle school. This school looks good.”

“Malo’s?”

My grandfather nods and shows me the catalog.

It’s a recommendation from Pierre Malo, so it’s worth considering, but it’s the affiliated middle school of Lycée Henri-IV.

That’s an ominous name.

“You only have to take three basic subjects and then you can choose your major subjects. They also invite professional artists as art teachers.”

Korean elementary schools are a bit excessive, but I need someone who can broaden my humanistic knowledge more than an art teacher.

“I told you before, I don’t want to learn from anyone else. I have my grandfather and Future Aunt. Why do I need that?”

The spacious galleries and museums are all my teachers.

“Hmm.”

“I want to learn more diverse knowledge.”

“Then you should go to college. You can choose whatever liberal arts courses you want.”

Is he saying it’s too hard for me now?

I’d rather do it myself, if it takes less time.

"They have classes four days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday."2)

“Really?”

“They operate on a five-period system. It ends at 2:30.”

The ending time is similar to Korean elementary schools, but it’s much more relaxed since I don’t have to go every day.

“They run on a three-semester system, right?”

Bang Tae-ho asks.

“Yeah. The new school year starts on September 1st, so I guess I can enter around then next year.”

I nod happily.

“They have a lot of holidays, too?”

My grandfather shows me the annual schedule.

If I enroll in September, I’ll have All Saints’ Day holiday (2 weeks) in October, Christmas holiday (2 weeks) in December.

Winter holiday (3 weeks) in February, Easter holiday (2 weeks) in April, and summer holiday (2 months).

…Is this heaven?

“Ha ha ha. This kid, he likes having a lot of holidays.”

My grandfather laughs.

“It’s really long. More than eight months.”

“That’s right. You can travel with your grandfather and draw pictures during the holidays.”

I nod.

With this schedule, I don’t have to worry too much about my work, and it’s easy to visit various museums.

I never felt burdened by Korean elementary school, but it was annoying to keep track of the attendance days.

Ding-dong-ding-dong-

It’s the opening of the web drama .

Bang Tae-ho answered the phone.

“Yeah. …What? So. Uh.”

His expression darkened in an instant as he answered the phone cheerfully.

He closed his eyes slightly and looked sad. I could guess what kind of bad news it was.

“Okay. I got it. …I have to go. Yeah.”

He sighed after hanging up.

“What’s wrong?”

Grandpa asked with concern.

Bang Tae-ho looked at me and grandpa alternately and sighed again.

“My mother collapsed. I have to go see her.”

“What are you waiting for? You have to go quickly.”

He seemed sorry that he couldn’t join me for the SNBA Salon, but that was ridiculous.

“Right. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Go book a flight.”

“Hurry up.”

“Sorry. Thank you.”

He checked the flight tickets on his smartphone.

Actually, I didn’t have much to do at the SNBA Salon either, so it wouldn’t be a problem if Bang Tae-ho left.

Besides, grandpa was here.

Vroom-vroom-

The phone rang and I checked it. It was Jang Mi-rae.

She must be busy preparing for the exhibition, but she called me to congratulate me last week and sometimes asked how I was doing.

“Yes, auntie.”

-Hi! How are you?

“I’m good. How about you?”

-Not at all. I’m lonely without Hun-son-sil.

What is Hun-son-sil?

“Are you busy with the exhibition?”

-Yeah, well. It’s a global simultaneous preparation, so I have a lot of things to check, but I can’t go around everywhere.

I heard that she was exhibiting in 60 museums around the world.

It was a huge scale.

She was the most loved painter of this era along with Henri Matisse, so it was possible.

“I’m rooting for you.”

I hoped it would go well, since she prepared earlier than Fernando Gonzalez.

-Thank you. By the way, when is the teacher arriving? Are you coming with him?

“Huh?”

-The arrival time of the plane.

I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“I’ll hand it over to grandpa.”

-Okay.

I handed the smartphone to grandpa.

“It’s auntie Mi-rae.”

“Mi-rae?”

“Yes. She asked when the plane arrives, but I don’t know what she means.”

“Plane?”

Grandpa tilted his head slightly and then opened his eyes wide.

“Mi-rae. Right. Ah…”

He glanced at me as he answered the phone.

“Right. Then I have to go, of course. I forgot. No. No. Right. See you the day after tomorrow.”

He handed me back the smartphone and rubbed his forehead. He seemed to have forgotten something he promised with Jang Mi-rae.

“Did you have an appointment?”

“Hmm. I agreed to give a speech at auntie Mi-rae’s exhibition, but I forgot.”

“Are you late?”

“I can leave tomorrow.”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

“You can go.”

“Then what about the Salon?”

“I can go alone.”

“No way. How can I leave you alone. Sigh. What do I do. Maybe I can go tomorrow, give a speech, and come back on the first flight?”

He shook his head.

It was an impossible schedule.

“Teacher, this is the fastest flight available. What should we do?”

Grandpa looked at the plane ticket that Bantaeho showed him and hesitated.

He seemed worried about me, but I wouldn’t have any problems being alone for a day or two.

The only problem was that Grandpa thought of me as a mere ten-year-old kid.

“Hoon-ah.”

Grandpa held my hand tightly.

“Can’t you stay at Marson’s house for a few days?”

“…What?”

Since the introduction of the Jules Ferry law in 1881, French public education has provided free and secular education to all citizens at an equal level.

However, the elite group of French society has tended to send their children to private schools run by Catholic foundations, and this trend has spread to the middle class since 2010.

This is because graduating from a good private middle school is necessary to enter a good high school.

In France, the problem of private schools threatening public education is worsening.

French parents worry about this problem when their children enter CM1 (the equivalent of fourth grade in Korea).

As of 2020, most elementary schools in France do not have classes on Wednesdays, and middle schools only have morning classes on Wednesdays, following a 4.5-day system.

The first class starts at 8 a.m. and each class lasts 55 minutes, with 6 to 7 classes per day.

Lunchtime is 1 hour and 25 minutes long, and the school year is divided into three terms, with about four months of vacation in total.

In , some of these periods have been changed.