Chapter 23 of 50

Chapter 23

The message from that number had already arrived four days ago.

I'd been so focused on the commission that I'd neglected almost every contact except Oh Hyeon-seok.

I hadn't even realized the Association had messaged me.

And they hadn't sent just one message either.

[...Would it be possible to meet and discuss the details?]

At first, they asked for a meeting.

[...You seem busy, so we've sent the detailed commission information by email for now. Please reply once you see this message.]

Then they said they'd sent the commission details by email.

[...Crafter Do Hwa-in, the Association is still waiting.]

And the final message had an unmistakably persistent tone.

Before replying to this manager from the External Cooperation Headquarters, I opened my email inbox first.

Among countless spam messages, I actually found an email containing the Association's commission.

[Commission Request: Memorial Sculpture for the 35th Anniversary of the Gate Crisis]

...This was bigger than I expected.

It didn't look like something commissioned merely by the Hunter Association.

It felt more like a national project.

And with something this large, rumors would inevitably leak even before an official announcement.

Sure enough, the phrase 35th Anniversary Event had been appearing frequently in online news.

In short, the government planned to hold a memorial ceremony for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Gate Crisis through the Hunter Association.

Among the list of events being promoted by the Association were items like construction of a memorial monument and creation of artwork with remembrance as its theme.

Is that why they contacted me?

I was quietly reading the article on my phone when the screen suddenly changed.

The name Vice Guild Master Kim Sang-hyeon appeared.

"...Hello?"

"It's been a while, Artist Do. I thought you'd probably finished your business with Taepyeong Guild by now, so I decided to contact you."

"Yes, that's right."

As I answered, I glanced toward the Yeonwoo Guild guards sitting in the front seats.

"If you're not busy, I'd like to meet with you."

"What's this about?"

"The Association has started moving in earnest. We'd like to hear your opinion before deciding how to respond to public opinion. If I'm guessing correctly, you've probably already received a commission proposal from them. Am I right?"

"Yes. They contacted me four days ago. I only just saw it. I haven't replied yet."

"Good. Shall we meet at Yeonwoo Guild?"

"Yes. I'll head there now."

From the timing, it seemed Yeonwoo Guild had been waiting for my Taepyeong Guild commission to finish.

The comprehensive protection contract I'd signed with Yeonwoo Guild included defense against negative public opinion.

So they were probably waiting to discuss their response depending on whether I accepted the Association's commission or not.

I ended the call and told the guard in the driver's seat that I needed to stop by Yeonwoo Guild.

"Mm. Looking at the proposal itself, it really does seem like they intend to proceed."

That was Kim Sang-hyeon's reaction after I showed him the commission email.

Only then did I realize he'd been considering the possibility that the proposal itself might be fake.

"Could the commission proposal be false?"

"More accurately, they might pretend to commission you while aiming for some other benefit. But judging from the email you received, it does seem like the project itself is real. I can't say they don't have another motive, though."

I recalled the details I'd read earlier.

The Association wanted a memorial sculpture for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the first Gate appearance.

It would be installed in a Han River park, at the location where the first Gate in South Korea had appeared.

They wanted an outdoor-safe material and a sculpture at least 3.5 meters tall.

As for the form, their only request was that it allow visitors to commemorate the dead.

They added that they wanted to discuss details in person, but it didn't seem likely that the actual artistic requirements would change much.

Maybe because it's a government institution, the proposal was pleasantly detailed....

Kim Sang-hyeon waited for me to organize my thoughts before asking carefully,

"Are you going to accept?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

His eyebrows moved slightly in surprise.

Apparently, he'd assumed I'd accept because it was a sculpture commission.

But I had my reasons.

A national commission? Of course that's good.

It was prestigious.

Simply participating would become part of my credentials.

But that was exactly why there would be so many people involved.

If I were already established as one of South Korea's representative sculptors, there would be no problem.

No one would object.

If someone tried recommending another artist instead, people might even suspect that person had some hidden agenda.

But what have I publicly unveiled so far besides <Pilgrim>?

I was confident in my skill.

And I had my Aura stat helping viewers connect emotionally with my work.

So I had reasons to trust myself.

But other people didn't know that.

To put it bluntly, the only things I could present for this commission were the comforting atmosphere demonstrated by <Pilgrim>...

And the title of S-Class production-type Hunter, which had nothing to do with sculpture itself.

The fact the Association sent this to me at all means they have another motive.

Just like Yeonwoo Guild had repeatedly warned me.

Honestly, I hadn't expected them to drag me into a national project just because I seemed friendly with guilds.

Worst case, they might invite me under the excuse of discussing the commission, then make some unrelated demand.

Like telling me to terminate my contract with Yeonwoo Guild.

Just as Eom Seok-hwan had warned.

Kim Sang-hyeon thinks the commission itself is real, but... they could've just taken a proposal originally intended for someone else and changed the name.

If I counted domestic artists who were obvious candidates for a project this large, including sculptors, installation artists, and architects, I could already think of three names immediately.

Which meant there were at least three people the public could compare me against if I accepted.

This was difficult.

I rubbed my chin.

Kim Sang-hyeon eventually told me to think about it longer and contact him later.

In the meantime, Yeonwoo Guild would make sure public opinion didn't turn against me.

Even after returning home, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

So in the end, I decided to ask people around me for advice.

It had been a while since I contacted some of them first, but everyone readily listened.

Three answers stood out.

Guild Master Yoon Jamok warned me to be careful of the Association whether I accepted the commission or not.

Then she told me a story.

"The Association is connected to more places than you can imagine. The government, the media, byproduct-processing facilities, auction houses... practically every industry related to Gates has ties to them. Once, they wanted revenge on a Hunter who refused to cooperate. They arranged things so that Hunter couldn't even enter Gates anymore, then used the media to turn him into complete trash in the public eye. The guild he belonged to wasn't strong enough to fight the Association, so when he was socially destroyed, the guild had to shut down with him...."

Vice Guild Master Oh Hyeon-seok described the Association as annoying bastards.

As usual, he didn't hold back.

"It's a place full of ridiculously persistent people. Especially the External Cooperation Headquarters. Honestly, most of the horror stories floating around among guilds came from them. ...On another note, Artist Do, is there some mystical secret to that jangseung? The guild master suddenly started speaking politely to me."

And finally, Eom Seok-hwan.

"Huh? You're wondering whether to accept an Association commission? Mm. I've heard they can be a pain in the ass once they start playing dirty. ...But aren't you in a different position from most Hunters?"

"How am I different?"

"You're irreplaceable. No matter how dirty they get, I doubt they'll want to make you a complete enemy. Pressure, threats, whatever... how much further can they really go?"

"How is that different from making me an enemy?"

"It is different. It means they won't give up on wanting to use you. And since you're valuable enough that they want you anyway, they'll probably try to contact you even if you reject this commission. So just do what you want."

"..."

"And you know you can do it well."

It was almost funny.

People who'd spent years in the industry could warn me about danger all they wanted.

Yet the words that stuck most deeply were,

You know you can do it well.

That phone call with Eom Seok-hwan made me realize something.

I wanted the commission.

The thirty-fifth anniversary memorial sculpture.

I want to make it.

And I really was confident I could do it well.

Eom Seok-hwan was right.

No matter what everyone around me said, the final decision was mine.

But before I could contact the manager at the External Cooperation Headquarters, the Association moved first.

<Association: "We've Sent Artist Do Hwa-in a Love Call. We're Waiting for His Answer.">

There were one or two articles raising concerns about my short career.

But they were almost invisible among the rest.

Articles acted as though it was already decided I'd take the commission.

Others strongly insisted that I should take it.

One even described me, someone who hadn't been awakened for even a year, as a Hunter representing the Hunter Era.

Public reaction on social media was roughly split down the middle.

But certain comments stood out.

They absolutely insisted that Artist Do Hwa-in must take the project.

Had they hired people to post those?

Wait. If this keeps going....

In less than a day, it looked like I'd become a traitor to the country if I rejected the commission.

The manager from the Hunter Association's External Cooperation Headquarters was a man with a warm, approachable appearance.

He constantly wiped his forehead and the back of his neck with a handkerchief.

Strangely, despite all that sweating, he didn't smell of sweat at all.

His face seemed to be permanently smiling.

Which also meant it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"Welcome. I'm Park Myeong-oh, manager of the External Cooperation Headquarters."

"Hello. I'm sculptor Do Hwa-in."

We exchanged greetings at the Association's main entrance, then he guided me inside.

Even as we walked, I could hear the reporters camped out in the lobby clicking their cameras toward us.

Anyone watching would think this was some official press event.

Manager Park Myeong-oh started by discussing the commission.

Along with the information I'd already seen in the proposal, he explained that they planned to fully develop a memorial space along the Han River.

The sculpture would stand at its center.

Apparently the architect hadn't been chosen yet.

For now, he told me to simply assume it would be installed outdoors and indicated the approximate installation location.

Then we moved on to the actual contract terms.

"This is a national project, you see. The scale is considerable.... So we've allocated this amount as compensation. What do you think?"

The compensation written on the paper was much lower than what I'd received for my previous commissions.

If anything, it looked like exactly the amount a government institution might offer a recently famous sculptor after ignoring the rest of my current value.

They would cover material costs, but only up to a certain limit.

Anything beyond that would come out of my own pocket.

I could use any workshop I wanted, but Association personnel had to be allowed to visit frequently.

There were several conditions I didn't particularly like.

I thought something like this might happen, but... it still doesn't feel good.

As I remained silent, the manager began adding explanation after explanation.

"It may look a little low to you, Crafter Do. But isn't this kind of national project something you do out of patriotism? That's the purpose of the thirty-fifth anniversary event too. Please think of the greater cause. Haha!"

So if I rejected the commission because the pay was bad, I'd probably get branded by the media as some money-obsessed bastard who sold out the country to capitalism.

But I don't want to accept a commission while being pushed around like this.

I did want the project.

But I didn't want it badly enough to let them treat me like a fool.

More than anything, I disliked the situation making it look as if I'd accepted because the Association's subtle pressure worked.

Since I already intended to accept, I was going to overlook the public-opinion manipulation even though I didn't like it....

But they wouldn't know that.

Whether I'd planned to accept or not, they'd assume their pressure had worked.

And next time, they'd do the same thing again.

There's a very high chance the Association wants me because of my S-Class production skill.

Next time, instead of a sculpture commission, they might pressure me into an item commission.

"Well."

After a brief pause, I abandoned the idea of keeping everything friendly.

They said an S-Class production-type is irreplaceable, right?

I continued quietly.

"Patriotism sounds good."

"Then-"

"But watching a national institution move the media around like this is pretty scary. If I show my patriotism the wrong way once, it feels like the country might throw me away first. How am I supposed to do anything when I'm that scared?"

Yeonwoo Guild could handle at least some of the negative public opinion.

So I openly stabbed at the manager.

You moved public opinion to pressure me, didn't you?

"Haha, oh dear. I think there's been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?"

I thought he was going to deny that the Association had manipulated the media.

Instead, he said something else.

"How could we so easily discard a citizen with an S-Class production skill?"

Apparently my disgust showed on my face.

The manager deliberately laughed loudly to lighten the atmosphere.

But I had no intention of letting him change the subject.

"That's reassuring. I was starting to wonder whether I'd have to move to another country if things went badly."

I openly threatened them with the possibility of emigrating.

Not that I actually intend to leave the country.

I thought that should be enough for him to back off.

But the Association was even more persistent than I'd expected.

"Haha, Crafter Do. If you keep showing your claws like that, you're putting me in a difficult position."

As he said it, he placed a stack of papers on the table.

They weren't even sealed in an envelope.

Despite not wanting to react exactly as he intended, my eyes automatically caught a familiar name.

[Posthumous Work of Painter Do Jae-hwan Discovered...]

The instant my eyes shook, the manager quickly flipped the document over.

He smiled.

"Are those claws a little less sharp now?"

Damn it.

"You want to find Painter Do Jae-hwan's posthumous work, don't you?"

Do Jae-hwan was my grandfather's name.

The only person in my family who had ever truly understood me.

But I heard he wasn't a famous enough painter to be called a master like that.

People sometimes politely addressed any painter as master, but the document I'd just seen didn't seem to be using the title casually.

Grandfather had died around the time I entered middle school.

I had no idea what position he'd held in the art world or what kind of work he'd actually done.

And once I entered the art world myself, I'd been too busy balancing independence and art to even think about investigating it.

My thoughts became completely tangled.

"So, shall we proceed with the commission as originally discussed?"

Unfortunately, this wasn't a situation where I could simply sit there until my confusion settled.

I forced my expression to remain calm.

"If I accept the commission, are you saying you'll give me Painter Do Jae-hwan's posthumous work?"

"You like things precise, don't you, Crafter Do? Of course. The Association is capable of that much."

"Then revise the contract."

Even while my mind was in chaos, I could at least make sure Grandfather's work didn't become a debt the Association could hold over my head forever.

My father had once shouted that he'd burned all of Grandfather's works.

If even one posthumous piece had survived...

I couldn't give it up.

Whether the Painter Do Jae-hwan mentioned in those papers was really my grandfather could be questioned later.

"Hmm..."

The manager smiled as though he knew exactly what I was thinking and deliberately dragged things out.

After a pause, he finally revealed why he'd really called me here.

"Simply revising it immediately would be difficult. How about one more condition?"

Until now, he'd only tried to coax me.

Now, finally, he began acting like someone making a real deal.

He rubbed his fingers together slowly, putting on a thoughtful expression.

"Honestly, the Association is a little hurt by you, Crafter Do. You've only been getting close to guilds and haven't shown any intention of doing business with us. Do you know how anxious that makes us?"

"Get to the point."

"Hm. I heard you signed a security contract with Yeonwoo Guild."

"That's right."

"The Association will provide your security instead. Terminate that contract. If there's a penalty fee, we'll cover it."

I rubbed my eyebrow, giving myself a moment to control my expression.

The decision itself didn't take long.

"The price doesn't seem balanced."

The more obvious I made it that Grandfather's posthumous work was precious to me, the more I would lose.

Even if my stomach twisted inside, I had to bluff.

They didn't know what kind of bond I'd had with my grandfather.

"Yeonwoo Guild does more for me than just security. I'm not sure the Association can offer the same level of support either. You wanted some sign that I'd be willing to do business with you, right? Be satisfied with that."

The manager stared at me, clearly trying to read my face.

I gave him a relaxed smile.

Fortunately, the standoff ended quickly.

Apparently the Association truly didn't know how close I'd been to my grandfather.

They handed over the paperwork and agreed to proceed with the deal.

Almost as though Grandfather's posthumous work had only ever been meant as a card to use if I resisted their public-opinion pressure.

Nothing more.

I carefully checked that the revised contract contained the proper terms.

Then I signed it.

"Then I'll be leaving first. I'll contact you once I've decided on the materials and work location."

When I stepped out of the Association and checked the time, only about an hour had passed.

"...That drained everything out of me."