Return of the Genius Photographer

From the morning, Hyunwoo Construction site manager Lee Jin-wook was in a foul mood.

“Damn it, feeling crappy since morning.”

He threw the cigarette he was smoking onto the floor and ground it out with his foot.

He glared again at the news that was the source of his bad mood.

The news was about Hyunwoo Construction.

―Breaking news: Hyunwoo Construction is facing difficulties due to a series of corruption allegations.

―Hyunwoo Construction strongly denies the allegations of bribery and illicit solicitations…

―However, the fact that workers are still working in poor conditions remains unchanged, and there is expected backlash from day laborers…

―Chairman Jung Hyun-chul has promised to improve workers’ conditions…

―Meanwhile, it has been revealed that all this information was provided by an anonymous whistleblower…

He switched channels irritably, but no matter where he turned, the news was all about Hyunwoo Construction.

It was just a few days ago. Almost as if planned, stories about Hyunwoo Construction came out all at once.

The main topics were allegations of illicit solicitations and worker safety issues.

While the worker stories were somewhat expected, the bribery allegations were unknown even to company employees.

This meant that it was something from higher up, and he had no idea how this information got out.

In any case, because of that, it was quite annoying to see reporters nosing around the construction site from time to time.

“No wonder they were pushing the construction so hard…”

Jin-wook muttered quietly.

He had been a site manager for 10 years. He could tell how the construction was progressing just by sitting and watching. He had some idea of what was happening.

Do you know how many construction companies there are in South Korea?

Construction is a red ocean industry in Korea.

The construction boom of the 80s and 90s had dried up like a receding wave by the 2000s, with work opportunities dwindling.

Large construction companies like Hyunwoo Construction expanded their market overseas, so they were less affected.

But the smaller construction companies were bleeding dry.

Thus, everyone fiercely competed for construction bids and contracts, not only through lavish entertainment but also with bribes, which were common industry practices.

If such things were rampant even among subcontractors, Hyunwoo Construction wouldn’t be an exception.

The illegal, illicit, and underhanded practices, disguised as customs, were endless.

Especially, new town developments were golden opportunities in the parched industry. Securing such projects could bring in enormous revenue.

They couldn’t give up such a golden goose.

“Damn it… it’s going to be annoying for a while.”

In the end, when things like this happened, the employees were the ones who suffered.

With the public interest so high, they would certainly take some action, at least for show.

This would make the employees busier.

Even now, the directives given to site managers were burdensome.

Rechecking all safety inspections on the construction sites, conducting safety training, and checking all outdated equipment…

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

“Ugh, what can you do. If they say jump, you jump…”

But sadly, complaining wouldn’t stop the work.

As a mere salaried employee, he grumbled with a dissatisfied expression and lit another cigarette.

This was why he couldn’t quit smoking.

On his third cigarette already, he gazed up at the sky, following the smoke.

“Damn it, even the sky looks crappy.”

The sky was dark and overcast with black clouds.

Woojin’s flap of wings was hitting Hyunwoo Construction like a typhoon.

* * * * *

A peaceful Friday evening, like any other.

“I’m home.”

It seemed my mother was busy preparing dinner.

As I came home from school, the smell of soybean paste stew wafted through the house.

My mother, being in the kitchen, didn’t hear me come in. The usual welcoming voice of my mother was absent.

Instead, I heard an unexpected voice.

“You’re home early today.”

“Oh, Father? You’re home early too.”

My father was lying on the sofa watching the news and responded to me.

“There’s been a lot of inspections and whatnot at the construction site lately, so I have some free time from today through the weekend.”

“Ah…”

He pointed the remote at the TV instead of using his finger, and I nodded as if I understood.

The news was reporting on Hyunwoo Construction.

It was the news I had tipped off.

Honestly, I didn’t expect our country’s media to be so diligent.

I had thought it would take at least a month for the news to come out in print or on TV.

But the news started broadcasting almost less than two weeks after I sent the emails.

The news stories from various media outlets caught people’s attention almost simultaneously.

Thanks to that, Hyunwoo Construction seemed quite busy.

Of course, as expected, Hyunwoo Construction completely denied the allegations of bribery and seemed to be trying to divert public attention to improving worker conditions.

Judging by how things were unfolding, it didn’t seem too bad for me.

I was actually surprised that my predictions hit the mark.

I was worried that Hyunwoo Construction would completely ignore it, but thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that.

“Is everything okay where you work, Father?”

I asked about the situation at the construction site with a worried tone.

“Well, it’s hard to say right now. But considering they’ve collected all the old safety equipment, I think it’s good for us.”

Father answered nonchalantly.

“I was worried about the poor condition of the equipment anyway.”

“That’s a relief. I think so too.”

“Yeah, I read in the paper that there was a whistleblower. I wonder who thought of exposing something like this…”

“Right? I was surprised too when I heard about it.”

I smiled and agreed with my father’s words.

Would he even suspect that the person behind all this was me?

“Father, I’m going to my room now.”

“Alright. Come out when it’s time for dinner.”

“Okay.”

Hearing my father’s update made me feel that there was no need to worry about things taking a bad turn for him.

Feeling like I had accomplished something significant, I spoke to my father with a much lighter heart and went straight up to my room.

“So, shall I look for a photo contest now?”

As soon as I entered my room, I turned on the computer.

One thing I realized while taking photos as a high school student was that age and status imposed quite a few restrictions.

When I had the interview at the shopping mall and went in as a substitute for the magazine shoot, my young appearance and high school student status made it difficult to gain trust as a photographer.

Up until now, I had managed to get opportunities and work without too much inconvenience thanks to luck and my skills.

But to meet more people and seize more opportunities in the future, and to avoid prejudices that might hinder me, I felt I needed to address this issue.

What could I do to gain trust as a photographer from people who saw me for the first time?

My conclusion was to participate in contests.

More precisely, building a track record of winning contests.

No matter how much I boasted about my photography skills to people who didn’t know me, it would be nearly impossible to persuade those who had biases about my age and status.

Photography is a profession that involves meeting clients, models, celebrities, and other people frequently.

There’s no guarantee that things will go as smoothly as they have been.

In negotiations with clients, I could also be at a disadvantage.

So, before making a big name for myself publicly, my goal was to build an image of myself.

In this regard, contests were the perfect activity for me.

If I could build a winning track record through contests, I could rebrand myself from a young, inexperienced photographer to a prodigy photographer.

This would greatly help in persuading others.

Moreover, preparing for contests has the advantage of not limiting my activities and yielding results relatively quickly compared to other pursuits.

If I were to seek recognition through means other than contests, I would have to steadily build my reputation through word of mouth or perhaps enter as an apprentice under a renowned photographer to bask in their glow afterward.

Either way, it would take quite a bit of time.

Therefore, contests are not just necessary but essential for me.

“I also like being judged purely on skill.”

With that in mind, I searched for photography contests online and found quite a bit of information.

I quickly skimmed through the information.

“This one takes too long, and that one is too far away.”

Just because I have to participate in a contest doesn’t mean I’ll enter just any contest.

I intend to use my time as efficiently as possible.

So, I focused on contests that are relatively well-known and yield results quickly or are nearby.

As I scrolled through the website with a determination that could pierce the screen…

“Found it.”

Finally, I found a contest that appealed to me.

— 2007 Seoul Photo Contest.

Held annually in Seoul, it’s large in scale and has a certain prestige.

Not only is it close by, but the deadline is also within this month, with results announced shortly thereafter.

Excited to have found a contest worth participating in, I carefully read through the contest guidelines.

The contest had two categories for participants: one for professional photographers and another for youth aspiring to be photographers.

Checking the professional photographer category first, I was greatly surprised by the prize amounts.

— Professional Photographer Category:

Grand Prize – 1 winner, 15,000,000 won.

Gold Prize – 1 winner, 6,000,000 won.

Silver Prize – 2 winners, 3,000,000 won.

Bronze Prize – 3 winners, 1,000,000 won each.

A total prize pool of 30 million won, with the Grand Prize offering 15 million won.

Perhaps because it was organized by the Seoul city government, the prize money was quite substantial compared to other contests.

I had thought prizes were secondary, but with this amount, my ambitions grew.

Moreover, winners were separately exhibited in exhibitions, making it an optimal condition for gaining recognition beyond just the prize money.

However…

“Why is there such a stark difference in the youth category…”

— Youth Category:

Gold Prize – 1 winner, 1,000,000 won.

Silver Prize – 2 winners, 500,000 won each.

Bronze Prize – 3 winners, 300,000 won each.

The total prize pool was less than a tenth of the professional photographer category.

Perhaps because I had looked at the professional photographer category first, the youth category felt inadequate.

“Anyway, I have no intention of entering the youth category. My goal is the Grand Prize in the professional photographer category.”

For a moment, I worried whether I could only enter the youth category due to my age, but thankfully, there were no age restrictions in the professional photographer category.

So, naturally, I would apply for the professional photographer category.

The youth category was not even worth considering.

Not only would a youth category award not help me with the stigma of being labeled a youth, but the prize level was also too low.

“I can submit a total of three photos, and the shooting theme is Seoul… I should go take pictures tomorrow.”

Like striking iron while it’s hot, I planned to go out and shoot the next day.

As I was thinking about what to photograph.

“Nam Woojin! Come eat!”

I heard my mother calling.

Well, I could ponder more details later; for now, let’s eat.

“Yes, I’m coming.”

I replied to my mother and promptly stepped outside.

Inside Woojin’s vacated room…

The monitor still emitted a bright light.

On the bright screen of the monitor was the poster for the Seoul Photo Contest.

It would be Woojin’s first stage to make his name known to the world.