NoveLight ™
[Main Character of the World Art Prize... A 17-year-old boy from South Korea?] Views: 132,3 millions
[Current Situation in Front of Drawing Korea Headquarters] Views: 98,8 millions
[Jupiter’s General Manager David's Scouting Offer Rejected] Views: 1,982 millions
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Art Enthusiasts’ Minor Gallery
[Title: LOL Who Are You Even, Lee Ha-Eun!]
(Photo of Hollow Snow, which overwhelmingly ranks 1st in votes.jpg)
Do you see this? The vote count is almost seven times higher than the 2nd place entry.
Ah, is he the child of Picasso and Van Gogh?
[Title: Guys, Look at These People LOL]
(Photo of a group of planets huddled together on the 3rd floor of the Grand Rapids exhibition.jpg)
They're all gathered to see Hollow Snow, seriously LOL.
Why are they wearing long padded coats indoors, LOL.
[Title: Guys, Lee Ha-Eun's Stream Is Live, Go Go!]
I got a notification, and guess what? It’s Lee Ha-Eun, yas dammit!
***
"Ah, is this working properly?"
Damn, I’m not sure how this works with a foreign IP address.
I adjusted the angle of the phone on the tripod to make sure the screen was aligned perfectly.
[hihi hihi]
[Hello, Eun-nim!]
[It’s been so long ㅠㅠㅠ...]
[pls cat girl!!!]
[This guy just comes in and says this LOL.]
Seeing that the chat was functioning properly, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew. Looks like the settings are fine. It’s been a while, everyone."
It had been almost two weeks since my last stream. While I kept in touch via social media updates,
being able to meet like this through a stream was so much better.
"Yo! Hi everyone!"
From the side, Choi Ye-Seo popped into view, waving brightly at the camera.
[Streamer, you bastard!] (Message deleted by admin.)
[Why did the heavens create a god like Lee Ha-Eun?]
[Ye-Seo-nim, how are you even there???]
[I can hear other voices. Is Soo-Yul there? What about Ye-Hwa?]
[It would be great if Ha-Yoon joined too.]
I nodded in response to the viewers’ questions.
"Yes, they’re all here. Ah, hey! Stop chewing on my hair."
At that moment, Ha Soo-Yul clung to my back, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and nibbling on my hair.
[Ah, damn. I’m only holding back because he’s the streamer...]
[A man who has everything in this world (but is on borrowed time).]
[The balance in this stream is perfect LOL.]
[Soo-Yul-nim! That’s gross!]
[Why are the others just sitting there watching LOL.]
"What’s gross about it? I’m not dirty or anything."
"Exactly. Eun is practically a clean freak."
I’m not a clean freak. If I were, my workspace wouldn’t be littered with tools everywhere.
In my studio, I just toss things wherever I see fit.
If something’s in sight, it becomes a tool—no need to organize it.
"Hey, stop that. You’re getting spit on me. Back off."
"Mm... no."
She didn’t listen, of course.
For some reason, Choi Ye-Seo and Hong Ye-Hwa looked envious as they watched Ha Soo-Yul.
What am I supposed to do with these girls?
"Oppa, I think you’re overthinking everything too much."
My little sister, who had been quiet until now, suddenly shouted, as if she’d thought of a brilliant solution.
"If Soo-Yul unni is hungry, let’s go to a café!"
"Not you. You’ve already had three slices of cake today."
"Heeeing."
A sulking Ha-Yoon was soon comforted by Hong Ye-Hwa.
With nothing better to do, I figured I’d just chat with the viewers. But then—
"There you are."
"Don’t you ever get tired, Hong Jin-Hoo ajusshi?"
An uninvited guest appeared, interrupting the flow.
"Well, it’s time. Let’s go together."
"Time for what? Oh, right."
I remembered a message I’d received in the morning.
The actual message was much longer, but that was the gist of it.
"Wow, it’s already this late. Hmm, what should I do?"
I couldn’t just end the stream abruptly after starting it.
But since the press conference would likely be televised anyway, maybe it didn’t matter?
[Please don’t abandon us...]
Seeing that message in the chat, I made up my mind.
"Alright, shall we take our viewers with us?"
The chat suddenly burst with excitement, and even Hong Jin-Hoo didn’t object.
I took that as his approval.
However, I had to leave the girls behind.
"Wait for just an hour. I’ll be back soon."
Their disappointed faces made me feel a little guilty.
"It won’t take long. After all, Lee Ha-Eun is just a guest at this press conference."
"Is that really the right way to phrase it? This isn’t some variety show."
"Haha. Don’t worry. I’ll handle anything unpleasant."
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you then."
The press conference was being held on the 3rd floor of the exhibition hall.
When we arrived, there was already a long line of people waiting.
‘Aren’t they cold?’
The interior had warmed up slightly over the past two weeks, but it still felt like winter.
Yet these reporters were enduring the cold to hold the conference.
Their determination was admirable, though most of their faces were filled with irritation.
The decision to hold the conference here had been made by none other than Hong Jin-Hoo himself.
It seemed like he was intentionally trying to mess with them.
As soon as I appeared, countless cameras turned toward me, flashing white lights.
Later, I learned how expensive those cameras were, each one costing a fortune.
Underneath Hollow Snow, a stand had been set up.
Hong Jin-Hoo and the other planetary representatives, who had been waiting there, climbed up, and I followed.
Thus, the press conference began.
Most of it consisted of questions directed at the planetary representatives.
But then—
"I have a question for Lee Ha-Eun. Could you share your thoughts on Hollow Snow?"
The moment one reporter started, the others bombarded me with questions.
But I didn’t respond.
After three minutes of silence, the reporters began to sense something was wrong.
The once lively atmosphere quieted down, and I sat in the chair provided, crossing one leg over the other.
Then I said,
"I don’t speak English. Ask in Korean."
As I cleaned my ear, my tone was arrogant.
Most of the reporters didn’t understand, and those who knew Korean started yelling.
"Lee Ha-Eun! What inspired you to create Hollow Snow?"
"What are your plans after the competition ends?"
"Do you have any future projects in mind?"
I didn’t answer.
The reporters, now realizing something was off, fell silent.
The planetary representatives seemed to find this amusing, their lips twitching in barely concealed laughter.
"Hmm."
My sigh echoed in the now-quiet space.
Tapping my thigh with my thumb, I finally spoke.
"I need people who can appreciate art. Not dogs who just bark and bite at people’s legs without knowing what they’re looking at."
My harsh words elicited a strong reaction from the reporters.
"That’s too much—!"
"You don’t care about the artwork. You just want the person behind it, don’t you?"
Frowning, I stood up.
There’s a reason people call them paparazzi. All they care about is ratings, nothing else.
"You want attention, whether it’s praise or criticism. Hollow Snow? To you, it’s just a scrap of paper."
But—
"If you’re scared of that scrap of paper and came bundled up in layers, shouldn’t you at least question the artwork’s meaning?"
Isn’t it mysterious? A simple painting can shatter a person’s mental state.
My words were reported verbatim and spread across the media.
Those who criticized me became the target of public outrage.
Criticism turned into admiration, and people began to revere the existence of Hollow Snow.
After the press conference, I continued streaming.
"Reporters who care more about stardom than art. Though I suppose not all of them are like that."
But most of the ones I’ve seen are.
Adding that as an aside, I kept chatting with my viewers.
An anonymous supporter has donated 1,000 milk!
[Ha-Eun-nim! Check YouTube, quick!]
"YouTube? All of a sudden?"
Using Ha-Yoon’s phone, I opened YouTube and saw a video titled,
The thumbnail showed me at the press conference.
The comments were filled with people worshipping Hollow Snow and me.
"...What the hell."