Underpainting

“Shh. Don’t do anything noticeable and go upstairs.”As soon as Dawon glanced around for a moment, the eldest uncle started scolding. Even though the participants only looked at the painting despite Dawon’s appearance, they all turned their gaze to the stairs leading to the second floor at his words. As Dawon limped up the stairs, the stares became sharper.“Embarrassing yourself by wearing such a shitty outfit.”The clothes brought by the uncles were all similarly tattered, so Dawon didn’t deserve to be scolded. Moreover, since he was always criticized, Dawon didn’t care about the eldest uncle’s words.The second floor, where the bidding took place, was filled with chairs. Soon, the participants from the first floor came up one by one and filled the seats. Among today’s items, Dawon had two paintings: a forgery of a very short French painter and a forgery of a famous Korean modern painter known for his unique style.Since the estimated price of the paintings was high, not many people were expected to bid. The main targets today were a middle-aged woman running an art gallery and a young man who was a secretary for a wealthy family. The organizers guided the two to seats where Dawon could see them well.“This painting is by a rising Czech artist who has recently gained attention. Recently, a painting by the same artist was sold at the New York Sotheby’s auction…”As the next light went out and the auction began, a tense silence filled the auction house. Normally, Dawon would have admired the ‘real paintings’ shining under the spotlight, but today his mind was elsewhere.As Taehan had said a few days ago, Dawon wanted to check if he was here, but with the eldest uncle by his side, he couldn’t look around as he wished.“Now, let me introduce the piece you’ve been waiting for. It’s a painting by a master known as the favorite artist of Koreans.”After an agonizing wait, Dawon’s painting was finally brought to the stage. The auctioneer, who was in cahoots with the uncles, smoothly lied about the painting’s special value and collection history.Since Dawon had never been taught that lying was shameful, he felt no embarrassment. He just focused intently on the movements of the participants expected to bid.A young man from a wealthy family sat down in his chair. For several years, he had been attempting to bid on this painter’s works whenever they appeared at auctions, following the orders of the elder he served.“The starting price is 2.5 billion won, and the bidding increment will start at 50 million won.”As soon as the auction began, the man raised his paddle to bid. The eldest uncle also raised his paddle a few times to increase the bid according to Dawon’s signals.As the bid exceeded the estimated price and the increment narrowed to 20 million won, the young man started tapping the handle of his paddle with his index finger, a habit he had when he hesitated. Dawon began to scrutinize the man more closely.‘Huh?’Suddenly, a vivid sensation struck Dawon, and he turned his gaze to the opposite side. There, sitting in a shadowy spot near the stage, was Taehan.The spotlight on the stage cast a deep shadow on his face. His intense gaze, accentuated by the interplay of light and darkness, pierced Dawon sharply.Feeling as if he was being stared through, Dawon’s ears rang. Although it was just a brief moment, Dawon felt as if he couldn’t see or hear anything.“What are you spacing out for? What should we do?”The eldest uncle’s irritated voice brought Dawon back to his senses. In that short time, the bid had risen to 3.32 billion won. It seemed that the young man had just raised his paddle. Since Dawon hadn’t been able to observe the man’s demeanor when he raised his paddle, he couldn’t make an immediate decision.“3.32 billion won. Any more bids?”The auctioneer’s question made Dawon’s mind race. Since the painting was one the young man had been coveting for years, this bid might still be within his budget. If Dawon didn’t push the bid higher, he would face the eldest uncle’s reprimand.However, after a moment of hesitation, Dawon signaled the eldest uncle to lower his paddle. The young man had started to look anxious when the bid reached 3 billion won. If things went wrong and the eldest uncle ended up winning the 3 billion won forgery, the consequences would be severe.“What are you thinking about?”Noticing Dawon’s momentary lapse in concentration, the eldest uncle muttered disapprovingly. He seemed to regret not raising the bid one more time, thinking they could have made a few hundred million won more.As the final auction ended and Dawon’s second painting was sold, the lights in the auction house came on. Among the people exchanging greetings and congratulations, Dawon’s eyes searched for the spot where Taehan had been. Just then, the eldest uncle grabbed Dawon’s wrist.“You little brat, you’ve been acting suspiciously lately. Let’s go home and talk.”Even though the second painting had sold for a high price well above the estimate, the eldest uncle still seemed unhappy.As the eldest uncle grabbed him, Dawon instinctively pulled his arm back. He was prepared to be scolded but didn’t want to go home yet. Seeing Dawon’s reluctance, the eldest uncle’s face flushed with anger.“Mr. Choi, you’re here.”Hearing a familiar voice, Dawon turned around. Taehan was approaching them with a smile.“Mr. Ryu, the director.”The eldest uncle quickly let go of Dawon’s arm, looking flustered. He had even forbidden Dawon from going for walks in case the neighbors saw him, so this situation was far from ideal.As Taehan got closer, Dawon’s heart raced. If he hadn’t been wearing a mask, his agitated expression would have been visible.The eldest uncle and Dawon both had their own reasons for feeling tense, but Taehan acted as if nothing was wrong and started talking about something unrelated to Dawon.“So this is what an art auction is like. Thanks to you, Mr. Choi, I had an interesting experience.”“Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Did you find any paintings you liked?”“Well, I’m not much of an art connoisseur. Did you have any success today, Mr. Choi?”The eldest uncle hesitated, then lied. He couldn’t admit that he had come to sell paintings, not buy them. He had actively participated in the auction to inflate the price of the items he had put up for sale.“Today, I didn’t have enough funds, so I didn’t get anything. Auctions are like card games; you need ammunition.”“You like playing cards too?”“Who doesn’t like gambling?”“I have some friends who get together to play cards. By the way, there’s a new casino hotel that just opened in Gangnam.”The two men talked about gambling for a while, their voices filled with false bravado. Just as Dawon was starting to relax, Taehan turned to him and asked,“By the way, who is this? Are they with you?”Taehan looked at Dawon as if he had never seen him before, his tone casual. The eldest uncle, who had been enjoying the gambling talk, quickly stammered a response.“Oh, he’s my nephew. He wanted to come and observe today. As you can see, he’s a bit slow. I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to make a living for himself…”Taehan didn’t even acknowledge the eldest uncle’s words and turned his gaze away from Dawon. He acted as if he had no interest in him and brought up another topic.“I see. Oh, remember the natural wine I mentioned earlier? I just received a shipment from a supplier today. Would you like to take a box?”“Right now?”“Yes. You did bring your car, right? The box is quite heavy.”“You’re giving me a whole box of that expensive wine? Oh, you shouldn’t have…”“I don’t know much about wine, so it’s better if someone who appreciates it has it.”At Taehan’s signal, his secretary smoothly led the eldest uncle towards the stairs to the first floor. The eldest uncle, now grinning, followed him, and Dawon hesitantly started to move as well.Taehan walked beside Dawon with an unreadable expression. Although it felt awkward to suddenly be walking next to Taehan, Dawon finally had a chance to observe him closely.As always, Taehan looked impeccable. His black suit and navy blue long coat draped elegantly over his frame. Even in this tense situation, Dawon found himself admiring Taehan’s appearance.‘He really stands out.’Dawon had always thought that Taehan stood out because he was surrounded by the rough men from the neighboring house. However, even among well-dressed people, Taehan was strikingly noticeable. Some women were stealing glances at him and whispering among themselves.Dawon suddenly remembered his eldest uncle mocking his old clothes. As he reached out his left hand to grasp the stair railing, he noticed the frayed cuff of his sleeve.‘I must stand out too, but in the opposite way.’Dawon became self-conscious about how shabby he must look in Taehan’s eyes. Until now, his life had been about getting up, eating, and painting, so this thought had never crossed his mind before.As he became aware of his appearance, everything felt awkward. He didn’t know how to breathe naturally, where to look, or how to move his already weak legs.Dawon always struggled with going down the stairs, and today, his tense body made his movements even stiffer. He tried his best not to look clumsy, but with each step, his body swayed ridiculously.Halfway down the stairs, Dawon’s palms were sweaty. As he tried to wipe his sweaty hand on his pants, he momentarily let go of the railing.“Long time no see, kid.”Taehan had moved so close that he could whisper in Dawon’s ear. Startled, Dawon turned to look at him, and Taehan smirked, but his eyes remained cold.“You could have gone up to 3.34 billion won. Right?”Taehan seemed to know everything—that Dawon had participated in the bidding for the first painting, the method, and the reason. He must have also figured out that the painting was a forgery created by Dawon. Dawon wondered if Taehan had guessed why he had lost focus. Then, Taehan added softly,“Use your right hand.”Before Dawon could understand what he meant, Taehan kicked his right ankle. His thin, weak leg gave way, and his already unstable body collapsed immediately.‘Oh no.’As his body lurched forward, Dawon instinctively reached out his hand. His right hand hit the floor first, but he ended up tumbling down several steps.“Ugh…!”His head spun, and every part of his body ached, but the most painful was his right arm, which had been crushed beneath him as he fell.He heard the murmurs of shock from those around him. His eldest uncle, who had been focused on the wine, finally noticed the commotion and shouted,“What, what happened? Dawon, you…!”He seemed genuinely shocked and even concerned. Dawon found it uncomfortable but understandable. The eldest uncle was worried about Dawon’s right arm, not Dawon himself.“Are you okay?”Taehan, who had quickly changed his expression, knelt beside Dawon and asked with feigned concern. Dawon wanted to shout, ‘You did this on purpose,’ but he held back his words. He had observed Taehan for two months and knew that he wouldn’t make such a mistake accidentally. Taehan had a reason for doing this. Dawon’s eyes, which had been wavering, steadied as he realized this.“Dawon, your right hand. Move your right hand. Quickly!”The eldest uncle urged him desperately. Dawon shook his head, grimacing.“You can’t move it? What are we going to do now…?”“Mr. Choi, I’m sorry. Your nephew bumped into me.”“Mr. Ryu, his right hand is…! This hand is… really….”The eldest uncle was furious but struggled to explain how important Dawon’s right hand was. Taehan, with a polite yet shameless attitude, replied,“We need to get him treated right away. Gwangwoo, which hospital is nearby?”“No, no hospital…!”The eldest uncle raised his voice in panic, trying to stop Taehan. As Taehan turned to look at him, the uncle’s face froze.Dawon officially didn’t exist. His original identity had been declared dead at the age of seven, and he had no ID. Taking him to a hospital could expose their secret.“It’s not that serious of an accident… He just needs to go home and rest. We’ll get the wine another time. Dawon, get up.”Dawon tried to stand but groaned in exaggerated pain.“He seems badly hurt. Let’s take him to the hospital. Should we carry him?”“That… that won’t be necessary….”“We’ll cover the medical expenses. It was partly my fault.”“No, it’s just that he’s terrified of hospitals. He has a panic attack just being near one.”The eldest uncle’s face was pale and sweaty, clearly nervous. Taehan acted as if he understood everything.“So, going to the hospital is difficult. But if we leave him like this, his bones might heal incorrectly, and he’ll suffer more.”The eldest uncle looked troubled. Any other injury wouldn’t matter, but not Dawon’s right hand. If Dawon couldn’t paint again, the uncle would lose his source of income.As the eldest uncle bit his lip in frustration, Taehan spoke as if he had just thought of something.“Ah, I have an idea. Actually, our company has a private doctor. Sometimes our employees get injured in ways that make it difficult to go to the hospital.”Taehan’s voice was kind, but his eyes held a strange gleam, like a predator about to devour its prey.“If it’s alright with you, can we take your nephew to our place? We’ll make sure he gets the treatment he needs.”Dawon wasn’t surprised by the suggestion. He knew that Taehan would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, even if it meant breaking something valuable. Taehan had broken Dawon’s arm to free him from the prison-like house next door.