Return of the Genius Photographer

Professor Lee Kang-sik’s judging method differed from Jung Woong’s.

While Jung Woong evaluated only the photograph itself, Kang-sik considered the potential growth of the photographer as well.

This was because Kang-sik’s motto was, ‘Discovering unfinished talent is more important than recognizing completed talent – that’s what a professor should do.’

Perhaps due to his long career as an educator, Kang-sik now found himself more drawn to slightly flawed photos than to perfect ones.

For this reason, Kang-sik carefully examined each photo in order, hoping to discover even the smallest seed of talent that might otherwise be overlooked.

‘Hmm. The People Who Make Seoul… The subject seems to be sanitation workers? I like the intention, but… the expression is too ordinary compared to the intention.’

As Kang-sik was slowly examining the photos, he noticed photographer Kim Se-hyun.

Se-hyun had been worried before the judging began, as it was his first time.

Fortunately, contrary to his concerns, Se-hyun seemed to be judging diligently.

He looked quite natural, alternating between the judging sheet provided to the judges as a guide and the photos, deep in thought.

Unlike Se-hyun, Kang-sik was a veteran judge, participating in about five contest judgings each year.

Perhaps seeing his younger self in the still inexperienced Se-hyun as a judge, Kang-sik approached him and struck up a conversation.

“How is the judging going, Mr. Kim Se-hyun?”

Se-hyun responded with a welcoming expression.

“Ah, yes! It’s not difficult, just as you said, Professor. I think I was overthinking it.”

“Haha, that’s right. When you have many photos in front of you, the good ones tend to stand out naturally.”

Kang-sik laughed heartily at Se-hyun’s words, then glanced at Se-hyun’s sticker sheet and continued.

“So, have you found any photos worthy of an award?”

Unlike Jung Woong’s, Se-hyun’s sticker sheet seemed to have been used quite a bit, with few stickers remaining.

This meant he had found quite a few photos he liked.

While Kang-sik’s question was natural, Se-hyun shook his head.

“No. There were some photos that were decent according to the judging criteria, but nothing that really stood out as ‘this is it’.”

While inexperienced as a judge, Se-hyun was also a renowned and talented photographer in his own right.

Though not to the same extent as Jung Woong, he too had strict standards when it came to photography.

Seeming a bit disappointed, Se-hyun continued.

“Photographer Jung might be right.”

“It’s too early to give up, there’s still a lot left to judge. And that Jung, he’s too harsh.”

Kangsik responded with a bewildered expression to Sehyun’s words.

“What? Ah… It seems you know Photographer Jung well, Professor Lee.”

“I do. That guy is so strict with himself that he’s equally strict with others. I’m sure there won’t be any photos that satisfy him.”

“Ah…”

“By now, he’s probably finished judging. I wonder if he’s used even one sticker.”

From Kang-sik’s perspective as a friend and fellow photographer, Jung Woong was a perfectionist to the point of being pathological.

Anyone who had seen his work, with its attention to even the tiniest details, would be overwhelmed and run away shaking their head.

If Jung Woong was that strict with his own photos, he certainly wouldn’t be lenient with others’.

A photo that would satisfy Jung Woong?

It was clear there wouldn’t be one here.

But just then,

Se-hyun, who had been walking ahead while conversing, suddenly exclaimed as if he’d discovered something.

“Huh? Isn’t that Photographer Jung Woong over there?”

As Kang-sik shifted his gaze following Se-hyun’s exclamation, he saw Jung Woong.

Contrary to Kang-sik’s earlier words,

Jung Woong was staring blankly at a photo, as if entranced.

* * * * *

“Interesting.”

Jung Woong muttered softly with a smile on his lips.

What Jung Woong was looking at was a photograph of an elderly man.

An old man staring at the camera with a deeply furrowed expression.

Right next to him was a house with a quiet, modest charm.

Up to this point, it might have seemed like just another rural landscape photo.

But the true value of this photograph lay in its background.

Surrounding the old man were partially demolished houses and the resulting messy alleyways.

In the distance behind, one could see grayish concrete apartments just being constructed.

Compared to the house, these enormous structures seemed to be encroaching on the old man’s space, as if about to overwhelm it.

It was as if the photo was saying, “This is the process through which today’s Seoul was created.”

The first feeling it evoked was eeriness.

Following that was a sense of pity.

Jung Woong felt as if goosebumps were rising all over his body simultaneously.

All of this happened in just five seconds.

Isn’t this what they mean by a photograph that makes you feel a rush of complex emotions all at once?

‘And that’s not even all of it.’

While this alone would have been enough to win a prize in this competition, what truly captivated Jung Woong’s attention was the old man’s face.

The old man’s furrowed expression seemed angry at times, then sad at others.

It was as if the old man’s expression changed each time you looked at the photo.

The emotions it evoked kept shifting.

At the same time, the old man’s eyes, which seemed to look beyond the camera directly at the viewer, were incredibly vivid.

An expression and emotion as deep and unfathomable as the life the old man had lived.

What was the old man thinking when this photo was taken?

It was a photo that made you ponder such questions.

A photo so meticulously controlled down to the finest details that one might worry it was staged.

In other words, a perfect photograph.

“Yes… This is truly a photo taken by a photographer.”

High praise poured from his lips.

Nowadays anyone with a camera might be called a photographer, but originally, there was a clear distinction between a “photographer” and a “photo-taker.”

A photographer is someone who can imbue their own will into a photograph, beyond merely capturing an image.

The work of a photographer must contain the artist’s own ideas and unique expressiveness.

Even with such stringent criteria, the photo before Jung Woong’s eyes was worthy of being called the work of a photographer.

Indeed, how much research and thought must have gone into taking this photo…

A competition he hadn’t expected much from.

Until seeing this photo, that assumption had seemed correct.

But this single photograph shattered all of Jung Woong’s preconceptions.

The impact was so powerful that it felt as if inspiration that had been blocked somewhere was now breaking through.

‘Who on earth took this photo?’

Curious about the photo’s creator, Jung Woong checked the name written in small letters in a corner of the hardboard the photo was attached to.

‘Nam Woojin… A name I’ve never heard before.’

But even as he turned the name over in his mind, no one came to mind.

The name Nam Woojin just kept echoing in his head.

How could someone capable of taking such a photo have remained unknown until now?

Jung Woong couldn’t understand it.

How long had he been staring at the photo?

Before he knew it, other judges had begun to gather around Jung Woong.

“What an extraordinary photo… It seems you’ve finally found a photo that satisfies you?”

Said Professor Lee Kang-sik and,

“I like this photo the best too,” Photographer Kim Se-hyun.

And behind them, like ships drawn to a lighthouse, other judges were gathering.

They each expressed their admiration for Woojin’s photograph.

But now Jung Woong’s interest had extended beyond the photo to the person who took it.

“When can we meet the person who took this photo?”

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Jung Woong asked another judge about the competition schedule.

“The results will be announced right after the judging is finished today. The award ceremony will be held two weeks from then.”

“Two weeks… Thank you.”

A time that felt both long and short.

At the award ceremony, Jung Woong would be able to see the photographer he was curious about.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Jung Woong quietly returned his gaze to the photo.

A photo so sorrowful.

And because of its sorrow, so beautiful.

Even though not a single winning entry had been decided yet,

It was the moment when the grand prize winner was decided first.

* * * * *

Woojin was running in the cool evening air.

Taking a deep breath, he could feel the fresh air filling his lungs.

Enjoying the rapidly changing scenery as he ran, he gradually picked up his pace.

After running for quite some time…

“Hey! Nam Woojin, wait up!”

Hearing Young-ho’s voice calling from behind, he stopped running.

“Huff… huff… How… how can you be so fast…”

Young-ho, who had barely managed to catch up, asked Woojin breathlessly.

“Come on. How can a young guy like you not keep up?”

“Gasp… Sometimes you talk like an old man… you know…”

Thanks to becoming younger, Woojin wasn’t tired even after running for so long.

Rather, he felt refreshed.

It seemed his body had quickly adapted, even though he hadn’t run in a while.

Or maybe his stamina had improved from walking around with a camera…

“Haa… What’s this about? You called me to hang out…”

After catching his breath for a while, Young-ho exhaled deeply and then asked Woojin accusingly.

He seemed a bit angry, but Woojin pretended not to notice and answered casually.

“This is hanging out. It’s great for our health too.”

“You jerk… Haven’t you been going out to take photos lately?”

“No, I’m planning to take a break for a while.”

Woojin pondered how busy he had been since getting the camera.

Getting up at dawn to follow his father, staying up all night doing research to report photos, and not resting while preparing for the competition.

The past few days had been nothing short of a frenzy…

He had pushed himself too hard.

Just as expected, people don’t change easily; his old bad habits resurfaced.

So he planned to rest and take care of his body for a while.

If his health deteriorated again, he’d be the only one to suffer.

His family would worry too…

He had already done everything necessary, so apart from the shopping mall shoot with Minjung, he decided to refrain from other activities for now.

It’s like taking one step back to take ten steps forward.

He had come out to exercise today and called his friend along for old times’ sake, but the friend didn’t seem to like exercising much.

“How can you be so bad at exercising when you’re so big?”

“I’m good at exercising, you know? I just can’t mindlessly run around like this.”

Young-ho replied to Woojin’s question as if it was ridiculous.

“Are we done exercising? Should we go to the PC bang later?”

“Nah, I quit gaming a long time ago.”

“Aw, why? Let’s go and play a round of StarCraft for old times’ sake.”

Sitting on a bench in a quiet park, as they were having this leisurely conversation that normal friends might have…

—Ding!

A text message arrived on Woojin’s phone.

“Huh? What is it?”

Ignoring Young-ho’s curious question, Woojin checked the message, and a quiet smile spread across his face.

Along with notification that the competition results had been announced, there was a link with the list of winners.

For taking ten steps forward.

No, a stepping stone for taking a hundred steps forward had arrived for him.