Van Gogh Reborn!

The place Uncle Bang took was a quiet village called Joan-myeon, in Gyeonggi-do province, and it took about an hour from home. 

I like it because the bushes are thick, there are fields, and the Bukhangang River flows nearby. 

It is also fun to find insects that are difficult to see in the city. 

There are many insects and other species in Korea that I haven’t seen when I lived in the Netherlands or France, so I don't know the exact name. 

"Grandpa." 

"Huh?" 

“I think it’s a scarab beetle. It's pretty, isn't it?" 

When I showed Uncle Bang and grandpa, who were talking about various things, the insect that looked like a beetle that I had just caught, they were shocked.

I hesitated to bring it to Uncle Bang because I thought he didn't like insects.

“Hun, throw it away quickly.” 

“That's too much, grandpa. How can I abandon such a cute kid?" 

"It's dirty. It hurts when you get bitten?" 

"It’s cute, grandpa. How can this cute little thing hurt someone, grandpa? Look" 

Grandpa is scared even if I put it on my palm and show it in detail. 

"Oh, let it go quickly and wash your hands." 

Grandpa even took out wet wipes, so there's nothing I can do. 

It's hard to find such a pretty green gloss, but unfortunately, I let it go. 

Uncle Bang showed us the land while I was cleaning my hands with the wet wipes that grandpa gave me. 

"It looks good to use as a villa. It's not too far from the professor's house and it's quiet.”

"It seems so. How much sq ft is this?" 

"The land is 22000 sq ft. If you only care about the total floor area of the building, it won't be classified as a luxury house." 

"Is it a big deal to pay a lot of taxes? It's important to live comfortably.”

"I want to raise sunflowers, grandpa.” 

"Sunflower?" 

I gave it to grandpa as a gift, but I can't give up the sunflower field.

"Yes, it's going to be hard this year because it's past the time." 

"If you hurry, it won't be too late." 

It is explained on the Internet that sunflowers need to be sown around May to grow properly, but it is already mid-June.

I'm not an expert, but I know that it's hard to grow crops if you miss the right time. 

“On the Internet, it was written that we should sow seeds in May.” 

“It’s the old days. It's getting really hot these days, so it will be fine if you sow it within this month."

I stared up at Uncle Bang. 

“How do you know so well, Uncle?” 

“If you live with someone who writes this and that, it will naturally make you more knowledgeable.” 

“Who writes this and that?” 

“My wife writes novels.” 

“Really?” 

When I hear of novelists, I think of really great people. 

I greatly enjoyed the works of Honoré de Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, and Charles Dickens, who were famous in France at that time. 

Since Uncle Bang's wife is a novelist, I really want to read what she talks about in her novels. 

"What kind of book did she write, Uncle? I want to read it." 

"Well, I think it's a little early for Hun to read it." 

It was the first time Uncle Bang treated me like a child. 

Although this era is still unfamiliar, I’m not ignorant enough to not understand literary works. 

Literature, art, and music are the best way to understand the times and cultures. 

“I will look it up in the dictionary and read it, Uncle. So tell me.” 

“That's not it. How can I explain this….? Yeah, it's a love story. It's a little complicated." 

I can understand how people exchange their hearts these days, and what kind of conflict can arise between two people.

"What's wrong with that?" 

Uncle said that there is a system where they categorize movies and books based on age since they are not suitable to be seen by children because of violence, offensive language, or sensual expressions that might not be good for children's mental health.

Why love stories cannot be seen or read just because they are young.

Isn't Love an important thing that humanity should strive for the most and constantly think about as long as they exist?

"How much did you say it is per sq ft?"

I was going to argue again, but grandpa changed the subject. 

“It's 35,000 won ($27).” 

“Hmm. That sounds reasonable. I want to find out about the forest. Hun wants to raise a sunflower." 

"The real estate agent is coming soon, so let’s ask him." 

I took out my smartphone. 

I remember the name because Uncle Bang's wife was a shareholder when establishing the corporate company ‘Sunflower’. 

If I remember correctly, her name was Lee Hanna, and when I searched for her name, search results showed her as a novelist. 

The title of her masterpiece was [Stigma of Blood]. 

I couldn't get a sense from the title alone, so I went into the introduction of the work. 

It was introduced as a work about a rich young master who falls in love with his grandfather's mistress.

The protagonist's mother died of illness after suffering from the harsh abuse of his grandfather, and the woman who was a lover of his mother approached his grandfather to get revenge.. 

"……?" 

What does this mean? 

There have been stories that I couldn't understand because I didn't know the meaning of the words, but this is the first time I've ever seen something like this.

“Hun.” 

“Yes,” 

Grandpa called me. 

I'll read it after dinner. 

"Can you raise sunflowers? It's not easy.”

"I can't do it right from the start. I'd like to try, though." 

“Then let’s plant a little in the field. If you work big from the start, it will be difficult.”

"Okay, grandpa." 

"Oh, I think he's coming." 

The real estate agent arrived. 

While grandpa and Uncle Bang were talking about this and that, I was concerned about the novel, [Stigma of Blood], so I sat on a wide stone and started reading it. 

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

The next day, the sun came up and went out. 

The smell of fried eggs smells savory in the house. 

“Good morning, grandpa.” 

“Are you up?” 

Grandpa was surprised when he turned around. 

"You didn't sleep again, right? I told you to study moderately for the exam." 

"I read a novel." 

"Novel? What novel?" 

“[Stigma of blood] written by Aunt Hanna.”

Grandpa laughed. 

"Was it that fun? What is it about?" 

I don't know how to explain it. 

“Grandpa won't understand even if I explain.”

“What do you mean?” 

“It's very complicated. The protagonist lives with his grandfather, but he doesn't have parents." 

“Okay,” 

"But the grandfather tortured his mother a lot. Then his mother fell ill and died, and the main character was separated from his grandfather." 

“He was resentful.” 

"Yes, a few years later, he came to see his grandfather, who was sick, and there was a young woman by his grandfather’s side" 

"Huh?" 

"His grandfather's lover was there. The age gap was 40 years, so the protagonist suspects that the woman is after his grandfather's fortune." 

Grandpa who was frying eggs turned around and frowned.

"The protagonist gets to know about the woman with all his suspicion, and eventually the protagonist falls in love with the woman who was 17 years older than him." 

"No, wait… Did you read that?” 

“It was fun,” 

Grandpa tried to say something, but he turned his head because the pot overflowed. 

"But it turned out that the protagonist's mother and the woman were lovers before his mother got married. I guess the mother had to hide her homosexuality. She got married under false pretenses, and she died while being abused by the protagonist's grandfather. The woman approached the grandfather for revenge." 

“What? Stop, stop?" 

Grandpa turned off the gas stove in which soup was boiling. 

Grandpa approached me, lifted me, and said after making me sit on the dining table. 

"But that woman and the protagonist really fell in love with each other. Aren't you curious?" 

“No. That doesn't make sense. You said the protagonist is the woman’s lover's son." 

“I know. At first, she remembered her ex-lover's face and treated him well, but she fell in love without realizing it. The description of the conflict is incredible." 

"What the….." 

“Yeah, They're both crazy. But the moment the two of them hugged each other while confirming their feelings for each other, they were caught by the grandfather" 

"So?" 

"The protagonist poured out all his old grievances on the grandfather, and the woman also lashed out at him. And, hear the twist….. It turned out that the grandfather and protagonist’s mother actually loved each other. Abusing the mother was all an act to trick the husband and people around them." 

"Huh?" 

“I couldn’t stop wondering how those humans would behave and what the story was going to be like.”

Grandpa blinks. 

It's not unreasonable to do that, and I was angry at their incomprehensible behavior while swearing at crazy characters, and the reason why I had no choice but to read it was because I was attracted to such delicate psychological descriptions that I never thought of. 

You can't understand the true meaning of [Stigma of Blood] by talking. 

“Hun, give me your phone.” 

“Are you going to read it, grandpa?” 

I handed my phone over to grandpa. 

He touched something for a long time and returned it without looking at the novel. 

“Look. It says 15 years old?” 

“……Yes.” 

“How old is Hun?” 

“……11 years old.” 

“Can you see it? No.” 

“…no.” 

I was wondering what grandpa was doing. 

When grandpa returned the phone, grandpa's ID and payment method, which were saved to pay as much as I wanted, were deleted. 

WebFlix, NewTube, and JH Cinema are also not logged in. 

I was enjoying watching movies and dramas, and the first novel I read after I came to this era was fun, but it’s all gone now. 

It's so harsh. 

"There are a lot of things I want to see, grandpa." 

"If you want to see something, get permission from grandpa" 

Grandpa seems to take it sensitively because the Doctor said that unnecessary stimulation is not good for me. 

"I know the story is provocative, but it's not always like that when you look at it, I know the novel characters are strange." 

"No." 

"I have to come across a variety of stories to do art." 

Grandpa shook his head. 

I don't think he'll ever allow it until I’m 15. 

Who the hell decided this appropriate age? 

I think the regulations are too tight even though there are no scenes like killing anyone. 

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ 

Michelle Platini was getting ready to leave work when she found an employee coming out of Henry Marceau's office. 

Henry rarely calls his staff, but the employee has been in and out quite often today. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“El patron asked me to bind something.” 

“Binding?” 

“I think he’s working on a business item. The coloring book sample came out, so I was showing it to him. It was cool?” 

Michelle, who had never heard anything from Henry Marceau, tilted her head. 

‘What's going on?' 

Michelle Platini thought she had to ask Henry herself. 

"Okay. It's late. Get off work now." 

She sent the employee and went to find Henry Marceau. 

In the room, Henry was seriously considering while looking at some sample coloring books.

Michelle opened her eyes wide because it's been a long time since he's been serious about something other than his work. 

“What?” 

“What are you preparing without telling me?” 

“What?” 

“This.” 

Michelle pointed at the coloring book sample with her eyes – A self-portrait of Henry Marceau was drawn in line drawings. 

"You can't do the binding like this. These days, they don't bind at all and sell them in single sheets." 

"Really?" 

Henry Marceau frowned at the hardcover binding. 

"The production unit price will also increase, which will affect the yield and sales volume. If it's your self-portrait coloring book in the first place, not many people buy it to kill time, so it's better to give it as a single sheet for easy storage. You have to be sure of the target to commercialize it." 

“It's for the brat,” 

Michelle blinked her eyes at Henry's words,

“Huh?” 

“It's a gift, a birthday present.” 

“…not for sale?” 

“I'd rather send it in sheets than put it together as you said. Smart." 

Michelle sighed and shook her head.

(To be Continued)

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