July 13.

One day before the competition.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Stop tapping your foot. You’ll scare away all your good luck."

"Aren’t you even a little nervous, Oppa?!"

Yoon scolded me, but I just shrugged. Nervous? What was there to be nervous about? I’d already submitted my entry.

Hollow Snow was known to Mom, Dad, and Yoon. However, none of them had seen the completed piece. I’d kept it covered with a cloth until submission, so they had only witnessed the work in progress—not the finished masterpiece.

"Don’t worry. Your brother’s got this."

I pointed confidently at myself, trying to reassure her.

"But you’re the same guy who believes in a one-in-eleven-million chance of a plane crash. Have you considered any other possibilities here?"

Her sharp retort made me sheepishly turn my head away.

Plane crashes are real, okay? But this competition? It’s a guaranteed win.

Even among masterpieces, there are levels and distinctions. Even if a hundred masterpieces were entered, I’d still come out on top.

Hollow Snow would devour their presence and shine brighter than ever.

Honestly, I kind of wish there were more masterpieces. That would make it even more fun.

I wanted a challenge that matched my level. Where in the world could I find such a battle?

Maybe against that damned mentor from my past life.

Except for that person, I’m the emperor of the art world.

"Yoon, don’t you know your brother by now? Sure, he’s a bit insufferable..."

Stab.

"...and a total jerk..."

Stab.

"...but when it comes to art, he never lies. Right?"

Mom’s sudden interruption pierced me with metaphorical daggers.

The innocent smile on her face as she looked at me was infuriatingly genuine.

I let out a resigned laugh. "You should’ve raised better kids."

Smirking, I fired back.

"Excuse me? I did a fantastic job! What kind of son competes in a global art competition at 17?"

"And hits 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube?"

Dad, who had been making coffee in the kitchen, handed me a cup with a proud grin.

"Wait, what? I already hit 1.7 million?"

I quickly pulled out my phone.

Sure enough, the subscriber count was at 1.723 million.

Seeing the number climb day by day left me with mixed feelings.

It’ll surpass my height soon...

That thought annoyed me, so I quickly put the phone away.

"I have 500,000 too!"

Yoon puffed out her cheeks and held up her phone, showing off her own channel stats.

Her channel had blown up after the livestream of her drawing during the sports festival. Some of my subscribers had migrated to her channel.

With her good looks and acting skills, her popularity skyrocketed.

Of course, Mom and Dad thoroughly managed her comments, ensuring there were no hateful remarks—better than my channel, actually.

Any inappropriate comments, especially lewd ones, disappeared by the next day.

Apparently, the culprits even ended up at the police station.

How dare they mess with my sister.

Since she’s still a minor, I couldn’t intervene directly, but my parents took care of it.

I clapped to celebrate her hitting 500,000 subscribers.

"Stop teasing me! It feels like you’re mocking me!"

"I’m not, though."

My smirk gave me away instantly.

Our family’s laughter seemed endless.

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room to watch Netflix.

"Son, what time are you going tomorrow?"

Dad, despite having a couch, rested his arm on my shoulder as we both sat on the floor.

"Probably in the afternoon? I’ll head over once I wake up."

I don’t sleep early. Midnight bedtime is for amateurs. I usually go to bed around 3 or 4 a.m.

"Why? Aren’t you supposed to be working?"

Dad had been darting around nonstop for the past two weeks. As the head of the IT Security Division for S Group, he was always busy.

He chuckled and ruffled my hair.

"My work involves overseeing the exhibition site. Of course, I’m not the only one there—there’s a whole team."

"...Aren’t you in IT? This doesn’t add up."

Dad tapped his thigh thoughtfully before replying.

"Yeah, I was supervising the CCTV and security systems. But since Atlantis brought in their own people, I handed things over and switched roles."

"So now you get to lounge around like the other coordinators?"

"Hey, it’s still work, okay?"

His face, however, was full of smiles.

"Well, since I’m already here, I might as well spend time with my son."

He wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore. Whatever, it’s his job—he knows what he’s doing.

"Where should we meet tomorrow? Want me to pick you up?"

"Don’t bother. It’s not far. If it feels too far, I’ll just call a cab."

The hotel had a taxi service, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Dad agreed and ruffled my hair again.

"I wish I could go too..."

"Me too!"

Mom and Yoon, who had been listening nearby, sighed in disappointment.

Originally, they’d planned to join us, but—

Oh, right. The guided tour.

Ms. Lee had arranged a guided tour for them to keep them entertained.

Both Mom and Yoon loved the idea, even if it clashed with tomorrow’s schedule.

"The guide will probably bring you around later anyway," I reassured them.

The guide was exclusively for our family, ready to take them anywhere they wanted.

Mom and Yoon brightened up and retreated to their rooms, excited for tomorrow.

It wasn’t bedtime for me yet, so I stayed in the living room with Dad.

Aside from the TV playing in the background, we didn’t talk.

But even without words, the warmth between us was undeniable.

"Dad?"

"Hm? What is it?"

Breaking the silence, Dad spoke first.

He wasn’t usually one to joke around like Mom. He was calm, steady, but always sincere when it mattered.

"Your mom’s health has been improving, hasn’t it?"

"Yeah, it’s such a relief."

Was this about Mom’s recovery?

"Don’t you think it might be because of you?"

"Why would you say that?"

It felt sudden and a bit baseless.

Dad looked at me for a moment before smiling softly. He seemed unusually cheerful today.

"Your art—like the shark you painted, or the family portrait. And especially Hollow Snow. I think it’s made a big difference."

"...Maybe."

I’d had a hunch. Mom had been spending more time in the studio lately.

Could the aura of Hollow Snow have helped her mentally?

Still, I didn’t fully understand. Hollow Snow wasn’t exactly a "positive" piece.

It felt like a living, breathing snowstorm—a natural disaster.

Who would find comfort in something like that?

As if reading my thoughts, Dad continued.

"I think it’s because you’re the one who painted it. Even if the artwork itself feels cold, to your mom and me, it feels warm—because it’s yours."

With that, Dad ruffled my hair again and wished me goodnight before heading to his room.

Left alone in the living room, I mulled over his words.

Maybe I still don’t fully understand my family.

"Whew, what a sight," Ms. Lee whistled as we looked over the city.

"You sound like an old man, Ms. Lee."

"I’m a lady, not an old man."

"Sure, grandpa."

"Say that again."

Why was this woman starting to resemble my mom more and more?

"Ms. Lee, are you secretly my mom’s sister?"

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn’t."

"Your lunch seat on the first day back at school is next to me."

Uh-oh.

Ignoring her glare, I walked into the exhibition hall.

We arrived at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), where my Hollow Snow was displayed.

It was located on the third floor, in a prominent spot.

The judges must have seen it already if they placed it here.

From what I’d researched, artworks placed on higher floors were usually exceptional.

I wonder what they thought. I’d love to know.

Barging in unannounced would make me look crazy, so I held back.

"Ahh! The statue just looked at me!"

"Ghosts don’t exist. They can’t stabilize on a spatial coordinate system."

"But it moved! I swear!"

What was I supposed to do with this overly dramatic teacher?

Dragging her along, I climbed to the second floor.

The moment I stepped onto it, a chill ran down my spine.

...Interesting.

The air carried a refreshing, yet ominous scent.

Already, masterpieces are starting to clash. There are two—no, three—on the third floor.

It wasn’t much by my standards.

Still, Hollow Snow had already begun to assert its dominance, stealing the presence of the other works.

A monster was wreaking havoc in the gallery.

"Didn’t you say you didn’t make a masterpiece, Ms. Lee?"

I teased her with a smirk.

"What the—what did you make?!"

She grabbed my arms, shivering uncontrollably.

I handed her a padded jacket I’d brought along.

"You can yell at me later, but teachers shouldn’t lie to their students."

Ms. Lee had claimed her Gardens of the World wasn’t a masterpiece, but then what was this verdant scent permeating the air?

Hollow Snow’s chill had already reached the second floor.

Wandering through the second-floor pieces, I found them decent but unimpressive.

The best one here barely compares to Dohwonhyang.*

Climbing the stairs to the third floor, I muttered, "Couldn’t you at least come down to greet me?"

Dad was at the top, laughing awkwardly.

Behind him, Hollow Snow’s aura spilled out in all directions.

"My son really might be a genius. I couldn’t tell from the CCTV, but the moment the cover came off this morning..."

He trailed off, gesturing to the overwhelming presence behind him.

They must have tried to contain the effects to prevent disruption to the lower floors.

As if that’s possible.

Once Hollow Snow was unveiled, there was no stopping it.

Still, there was a simple solution.

"Turn up the heaters and hand out hot packs at the entrance," I suggested as I walked past him.

Crude but effective.

If that didn’t work, they could always brute-force it with more heaters.

That might normalize the temperature on the second floor, at least.

As for the third floor? There was no fixing it.

They’d have to leave it as is until the competition ended.

This will definitely make the evening news.

Reaching the top of the stairs, I came face-to-face with my Hollow Snow.

Its presence radiated outward, dominating the space.

Placing it right at the top of the stairs... they’re not even subtle.

It reminded me of the time I debuted Dohwonhyang.

"Should I check out your piece next, Ms. Lee?"

"Please don’t."

Behind me, Dad, Ms. Lee, and other coordinators followed hesitantly.

Other than them, the third floor was empty.

It was too dangerous to let the public in while Hollow Snow’s aura was unchecked.

Dad could handle it, having grown used to the piece during its creation, but the others had to bundle up in layers to endure the cold.

I feel a bit guilty about this.

If the general public struggled this much, what about the other artists?

"...This is going to flip the art world upside down," Ms. Lee muttered, staring blankly at Hollow Snow.

She wasn’t the only one who would be shocked.

Bring it on, planetary participants.

I moved past her, already scanning for the next challenge.

Passing Gardens of the World and other diminished works, I stopped in front of another masterpiece.

Its title was Ashes, created by the artist Mercury.

One down. The rest must be in another building.

I descended the stairs, a smile creeping onto my face.

Where I was heading: LaFontsee Galleries, home to Jupiter and Saturn’s works.

The demon of the art world was grinning.