Chapter 86 – Tu-ji-man-chang (3)
After the publishers’ editors had gone, the exhibition hall — which had been on the verge of erupting — returned to peace once more.
“Phew, what a day. One thing after another.”
“Is this what the Comic Creation Department exhibition is always like? Do the seniors do this kind of thing every year?”
As the first-years chattered away about what had just happened.
“No no no, it’s not normally like this, you guys.”
Choi Jung-an waved her hands frantically to set the record straight.
Well, regardless — the important thing was that the busy stretch of the event had passed.
Jung-an clapped her hands and spoke.
“Alright, now that the hectic part is over — let’s split into halves and go look at the seniors’ work. Looking at other people’s work is studying too.”
After that, the students from each year divided themselves in half……
“Who wants to go look first?”
“I’ll go, I’ll go.”
“Phew, I’m going to sit down and rest for a bit.”
Without any regard for year, the Comic Creation Department students moved back and forth between the other years’ booths.
“Hmmmm…… Isn’t this one good?”
“Yeah, the characters are cute too.”
Students standing in front of the displays, reading through comics with genuine focus.
As they muttered their impressions while going through the works, tension crept onto the faces of the students at the opposite booths.
Wondering how their own work would be received — even though the ones reading were their juniors……
No, perhaps precisely because they were juniors, it made it even more nerve-racking.
‘Let’s see……’
Min-hyuk too quickly inserted himself into the flow, rapidly flipping through the comics.
Then he quietly scratched his chin and gave a small nod.
‘Clearly, the level is…… higher in the upper years.’
Maybe it was because they had spent even one more year at the school.
Direction, pen touch, character design, draftsmanship, and more.
Across the board, there was a sense that their abilities were simply higher.
But……
This was only when talking about the ‘average.’
‘Students at the level of Dong-gyo, Rok-hee, or Han Yu-ra…… feel like they’re actually fewer up here.’
He got the impression that a few of the seniors’ comics were quite good too, but there weren’t many that leaped out as strikingly as those three.
While making his way through the comics like that.
‘Hm?’
One senior’s comic hooked Min-hyuk’s eyes instantly.
[Cockroaches?]
[For fuck’s sake! Fuck! Just stop coming out already, you little—!]
A grotesque art style with an excessive number of fine lines……
A short comic that used heavy inking throughout to create an unsettling, oppressive atmosphere.
The cockroaches crawling out from a semi-basement apartment begin to think, and toy with the occupant……
And the occupant slowly loses their mind, beginning to confuse the people around them with cockroaches.
What could he say……
‘This is genuine horror.’
Using a narrative trick where it’s unclear whether the cockroaches are truly thinking or not to build mystery……
Drawing out the terror using information asymmetry.
Overall, the command of horror comic technique was considerable — good enough to be called professional-grade, even.
Woven in between was a thread of black humor through the dialogue, giving the whole thing a quality that was……
The overall balance of the comic was remarkably precise.
If he had to find something with a similar style, it felt like the overwhelming atmosphere of Japanese horror comic artist Ito Junji blended with the distinctive wit of Moroko Chidaizero.
‘They’re good. Incredibly good.’
Of all the comics he had seen at today’s event, this one was by far the freshest and most striking.
Min-hyuk flipped back to the front and looked at the title and the artist’s name.
[Semi-Basement Cockroach – Choi Go-ran]
‘Choi Go-ran?’
In that instant, Min-hyuk’s eyes went wide.
Because he knew exactly whose name that was.
‘Wait…… could this be that horror comic artist?’
Choi Go-ran.
A comic artist who had swept a wave of horror comics through the webtoon world in the early-to-mid 2010s.
At that time, a webtoon this artist had made called ‘Bongcheon-dong Jakdugwi’ caused a genuine sensation.
To the point where……
It held the number one spot on search trends for days running, beating out prominent celebrities — and even received a shout-out from Scott McCloud, widely regarded as the godfather of comic theory, who said it opened an entirely new horizon for the medium.
The defining characteristics of their comics could be described as……
‘Comics built using all kinds of production tools.’
The technique of turning the webtoon scroll into a timeline, allowing music and directional effects to be embedded within it.
And they were also known for being ahead of others in adopting 3D production tools — not only to make the production process more efficient, but to introduce directions that were simply impossible to achieve in conventional 2D.
‘Come to think of it, even this work I’m looking at now — the cockroaches look like they might have been rendered in 3D and retouched……’
All of it had been possible because, despite being a comic artist, he was someone who could also program.
Min-hyuk remembered once reading an interview with him in a magazine back then.
[My father loved computers. So I was around them a lot from a young age, and when I got to high school…… there was a game production course, and friends in it, and I learned a lot through spending time with them.
In many ways, I think those experiences played a huge part in making me who I am today.]
The reason he had come to be able to handle programming and various 3D production tools.
The game production course he had mentioned back then…… must have been referring to this school’s Animation, Video Production, and Computer Game Production track.
‘Well, that’s something.’
He had always wanted to meet this person at least once.
While Min-hyuk was in the middle of flipping back and forth through Choi Go-ran’s comic like that, reading it over again.
“So — how’s the comic?”
“Yikes!”
A low, unsettling voice right at his ear. Min-hyuk startled and stepped back.
A man was standing there, staring directly at him.
A pale face with heavy dark circles under his eyes, and a frame so thin it looked like a scarecrow.
“……W-who are you?”
“Me? The one who drew that.”
The other person pointed a finger at the book in Min-hyuk’s hands as he said it.
Which meant……
“Choi Go-ran…… senior?”
“That’s right. You’re Kang Min-hyuk, aren’t you?”
Coming up to talk to him out of nowhere like this?
Min-hyuk was blinking, trying to make sense of it, when Choi Go-ran asked.
“So — how’s my comic?”
“……It’s good. The direction is fresh, the mystery and suspense are well-utilized throughout, and whether you’d call it a deep love for horror comics or just rock-solid fundamentals……”
“Yeah?”
Criiick.
The corners of Choi Go-ran’s mouth pulled upward, casting a shadow across his face.
‘……That’s unsettling.’
His features were generally good-looking, but somehow the smile felt subtly off — like watching a doll smile.
The man himself seemed to radiate a kind of eerie, murky energy.
“Thank you, really. To have the Kang Min-hyuk tell me my comic is good.”
“I just said what I felt.”
“I love your comics too. <Chains That Connect Us> — the direction gave me chills. And this recent one…… <Dissonance> too……”
Choi Go-ran grabbed his own arms and gave a full-body shiver.
‘What is this guy, he’s creepy.’
Min-hyuk forced a smile and replied.
“Oh…… th-thank you.”
“The direction is free. Not bound by any mold…… what you’re trying to say is also clear. The intentionality behind each panel comes through well too. A first-year in high school at this level — it’s criminal. Enough to make me jealous, enough to make me want to steal your ability.”
Choi Go-ran said it while staring straight at him.
Well, taken purely as words, it was a genuine compliment……
‘Why does this feel so strange.’
Watching Choi Go-ran’s expression, his movements, listening to his way of speaking……
It gave off the feeling of a vampire or a ghost coveting and trying to take an ability.
Choi Go-ran asked again.
“If it’s alright with you…… could I ask you about your formula?”
“Formula? What kind?”
“When you draw comics, what formula do you use…… I’m asking you to put into precise language what you’re thinking when you draw. If you’re as skilled as you are, you must have one. Something like that?”
‘He wants to talk about approaches to making comics, that sort of thing.’
Min-hyuk scratched his cheek and answered.
“……Hmm, it’s not something I’ve really organized for myself.”
Go-ran shook his head, furrowing his brow as he replied.
“That’s not good. If you can’t explain your own knowledge to someone else, it isn’t fully yours yet. Take some time…… think it through and write it down.”
“Oh, yes. I understand what you mean.”
“Hmmmm, hmmmm, I see.”
What was it he was seeing now.
Min-hyuk was giving an awkward smile when Choi Go-ran continued.
“Let’s get a meal together sometime.”
“A meal?”
“I want to debate comics with you…… Isn’t there anything you’re curious about? About me?”
In that instant, Min-hyuk’s eyes went wide.
‘Curious about?’
Honestly, if he was being truthful…… there was plenty.
For the moment he’d been a little swept up in Choi Go-ran’s atmosphere, but this cockroach comic too…… and the other comics he would go on to make in the webtoon world in the future.
Every single one of them was good enough to spark a dozen questions.
More than anything.
Min-hyuk’s instincts as a comic artist were telling him.
That if he talked with this person and got to know them, there would be…… something to gain from it. Some kind of realization, his own to keep.
“Sounds good, senior. Let’s get that meal. I enjoy talking about comics too.”
“Yeah?”
Criiick.
The corners of Choi Go-ran’s mouth pulled upward, casting a shadow across his face.
Like a character straight out of a horror comic.
“Heh heh, heh heh heh. I’m looking forward to it…… When it comes to comics, I’m confident I could talk all night long.”
Choi Go-ran’s laugh echoed out into the air around them, and the gazes of nearby students all converged on this spot.
‘This is…… a bit much.’
Just as Min-hyuk was scratching his forehead.
Thwack!
“Honestly — I told you not to laugh like that!”
“Ow ow ow.”
A second-year girl wearing round glasses slapped Choi Go-ran square across the back. The name tag on her chest read Oh Han-na.
“Why are you hitting me?”
As Choi Go-ran furrowed his brow, the girl let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Why do you think? Do you really need to ask?”
“Huh?”
Oh Han-na pointed a finger behind them.
— S-scary.
— That senior…… there’s just something ominous about him……
The first-years were visible in the background — standing a few steps back from the second-year booth, staring over at this spot.
They must have been too scared of Choi Go-ran to come any closer.
“Alright alright, if you’re done talking, get going. If you stay here, this one will just keep rambling forever!”
“……Yes! Then I’ll be off. Thank you both, seniors.”
In the end, with Oh Han-na’s help, Kang Min-hyuk successfully made his escape from the second-year booth.
“Phew.”
They had only talked for a little while……
But somehow, he felt strangely drained.
After that, Min-hyuk went over to the third-year booth and looked through all the submitted works.
Most of the third-years were, as expected, quite good……
He enjoyed going through all of them.
Enough that all the comments the editors had made earlier — about strong fundamentals and the rest — made complete sense now.
But……
‘None of them had quite the same impact as senior Choi Go-ran.’
Maybe it was because of the contrast with one person’s work featuring a cockroach……
The other works just didn’t manage to stick in his mind the same way.
After that, time passed quickly.
And…… when the clock was pointing toward five.
Department head Ma Dong-hyun, who had somehow made his way back to the auditorium, clapped his hands and spoke.
“Alright, today’s event is officially over!”
Perhaps the tension had finally lifted.
The students let out long breaths and let their shoulders drop.
“You all worked incredibly hard. Drawing comics together, building the booths! I hope today’s experience…… becomes a good memory, and good soil for all of you who are going to be artists one day! Thank you all for going along with everything and helping us get through this safely!”
A manner of speaking that was hearty, yet felt packed tight with genuine feeling.
Min-hyuk’s mouth curved upward.
At that, Ma Dong-hyun clapped his hands and continued.
“The event ends here — clean up under your homeroom teachers’ supervision. And…… the leftover goods here, split them up and take them home!”
“Ohhhhh!”
“He’s giving away the goods?”
At the mention of giving out the goods, the students’ faces lit up.
These were items printed with their own artwork — of course everyone had been hoping to take one home.
But it didn’t end there.
“And since everyone worked so hard, drawing time today is cancelled! Teachers, I’ll give you each a card — take one and put on at least a small party for the students!”
Slap!
Department head Ma Dong-hyun lifted three cards up into the air and called out with gusto.
“A party?”
“During drawing time…… we’re allowed to play?”
The students’ eyes went wide, and then.
“Wooooooo!”
“Department head is the best!”
“This is insane!”
“Ma Dong-hyun! Ma Dong-hyun!”
The cheers of the Comic Creation Department students filled the auditorium to the brim.
— I just want to go home and rest.
— Oh come on, why are you doing this to us.
Having overworked themselves for days making goods……
And now suddenly finding themselves roped into helping with the cleanup on top of it all —
Something transparent and glistening was quietly forming in the corners of the homeroom teachers’ eyes.
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