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CH128 | GSI
🕑 Added 2025-02-13 03:35:01 +0000 UTCIn front of the Walkerhill Hotel Convention Center in Seoul, a BMW sedan glided to a stop.
Dressed in a navy-blue suit, Seok-won swiftly approached, handing a tip to the hotel staff who opened the driver’s side door before entrusting his car to them.
“Thank you.”
Acknowledging the hotel staff’s greeting with a nod, Seok-won looked up.
A massive banner stretched across the convention center’s entrance wall, featuring an Andy Warhol special exhibition announcement alongside a print of Marilyn Monroe—with her wavy blonde hair, red lips, and deep green eyes.
“It’s not every day you get to see Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn in person.”
At first, he had been indifferent when his mother, Madam Jo Deok-rye, asked him to attend the exhibition’s opening event on her behalf due to an urgent matter.
However, the mention of an Andy Warhol exhibition quickly changed his mind.
He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about art, but he at least knew of Andy Warhol—the legendary figure of pop art—and genuinely admired his works.
Before his regression, Warhol’s originals were far too expensive for him to own, but he had liked them enough to hang a replica in his home.
Among Warhol’s works, the Marilyn series was his favorite, making this exhibition an event he couldn’t afford to miss.
With anticipation, he made his way toward the entrance, where a well-dressed usher stood and asked,
“Excuse me, may I see your invitation?”
As today’s VIP event was exclusively for special guests, entry was restricted to those with an invitation.
Seok-won pulled the invitation from his inner pocket and handed it over. After checking it, the usher respectfully returned it.
“Please, go ahead.”
Upon stepping into the exhibition hall, he noticed a spacious area with a stage set up at the front and rows of neatly arranged chairs.
Most of the invited guests were women, and about half of the seats were already occupied.
Seok-won checked the number on his invitation and walked over to his designated seat in the second row, near the center.
Glancing at his wristwatch, he saw that he still had about ten minutes before the event would begin.
As he waited, flipping through the pamphlet he had received at the entrance, he sensed someone sitting down in the previously empty seat beside him.
A strong scent of perfume drifted toward him, prompting him to glance to the side.
There, a young woman sat dressed in a black turtleneck and a long skirt, carrying an Hermès Birkin bag.
She was undeniably beautiful, with an air of elegance and confidence, but something about her seemed strangely familiar.
‘I don’t think I’ve met her before… but she looks oddly familiar. Where have I seen her?’
Just then, the woman turned her head, locking eyes with him.
Not wanting to seem rude or be misunderstood, Seok-won quickly shifted his gaze back toward the stage. However, to his surprise, she was the one to initiate conversation.
“You’re Park Seok-won, right? Nice to meet you.”
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to recall… Do we know each other?”
“Oh my, I thought I had a face that was hard to forget, but I suppose not. That’s a little disappointing.”
“I really do apologize.”
When Seok-won sincerely apologized, the woman let out a small chuckle, covering her mouth with one hand.
“I’m sorry. Your reaction was just amusing, so I was teasing you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“This is actually our first time meeting. It’s only natural that you wouldn’t know me.”
As Seok-won furrowed his brows slightly, still not fully grasping the situation, the woman immediately introduced herself.
“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Go Ah-hyun. For reference, my father is Chairman Go Gap-jin of Hojin Group.”
She then gave a warm smile, watching Seok-won’s bewildered expression.
“You’re the second son of Daeheung Group, right?”
Realizing the situation, Seok-won let out a small chuckle.
“Is this… some kind of arranged meeting?”
“‘Matchmaking’ sounds too old-fashioned. Let’s call it a casual introduction set up by our parents.”
Go Ah-hyun tucked her long hair behind her ear as she spoke.
“I see.”
So that’s why his mother had so suddenly insisted that he attend the exhibition in her place—there had been another motive all along.
And now, he also understood why Ah-hyun’s face had seemed familiar.
“Are you Chairman Go’s eldest daughter, by any chance?”
“That’s right. I’m currently studying Hotel Management at Cornell, but I came back to Korea for a short break during vacation. I heard you graduated from Harvard?”
“Oh, yes.”
Seok-won nodded politely, but internally, he let out a silent groan.
‘Of all the women in the world, why did they have to set me up with this ticking time bomb?’
Knowing the massive scandal Go Ah-hyun would cause in the future, she was someone he absolutely wanted to avoid.
He was tempted to say, “I don’t think we’re compatible. My apologies.” and leave immediately, but considering his mother’s reputation and the relationship between Daeheung and Hojin Group, he decided to endure.
‘Alright. I just need to get through today while being polite and well-mannered.’
His plan was simple: escort her home and then later tell his mother something along the lines of, “She’s a great person, but I don’t think we’re a good match.”
While Seok-won was firmly setting his internal resolve, Ah-hyun continued chatting beside him in a friendly tone.
“I heard you graduated at the top of your class at Harvard. That’s really impressive. You must be proud of such an achievement, yet you’re so humble about it.”
“Haha…”
As the conversation became increasingly uncomfortable, Seok-won was relieved when the exhibition’s opening ceremony finally began, naturally putting an end to their chat.
Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, he sneaked a glance at Ah-hyun’s profile, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles.
‘Why is she so forward? Don’t tell me she’s actually interested in me?’
The thought of standing at a wedding altar, arm-in-arm with Go Ah-hyun, suddenly flashed through his mind, making cold sweat trickle down his back. He quickly shook his head.
“This is insane. Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
“Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Seok-won hastily fixed his gaze on the stage, pretending to focus on the ceremony.
‘Being born handsome is really a struggle.’
It made sense—good looks, a great physique, and an elite family background. From a woman’s perspective, he was an ideal groom.
For the first time since his regression, Seok-won found himself lamenting the fact that his handsome face and well-built body naturally attracted women.
Meanwhile, on stage, Noh Seon-hwa, the director of the Walkerhill Art Museum and wife of ST Group’s Chairman Moon Byung-kwon, had stepped up to deliver a brief ten-minute speech about the purpose of the exhibition and the artworks on display.
"I would like to express my gratitude to everyone gathered here today. This Andy Warhol exhibition aims to showcase the legacy of a great artist who broke down the boundaries between popular and fine art, pioneering the genre of pop art…"
A short while later, as soft classical music played in the background, the esteemed guests moved into the exhibition hall, where a museum curator guided them through the artworks, providing explanations.
Seok-won, holding a pamphlet in one hand, observed the pieces alongside Go Ah-hyun.
"The work you are looking at, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, is one of the most iconic pieces in Andy Warhol’s Shot Marilyn series, created in 1964, two years after Marilyn Monroe—who was a sex symbol at the time—passed away. Warhol used a still from the 1953 film Niagara as the base image, employing the silkscreen technique to first print the face in black and white. He then layered colors—pink for the skin, yellow for the hair, and others—to complete the piece."
As the guests stood in a semi-circle, admiring the artwork displayed on the wall, the curator continued.
"Many of you may already know this, but there is a famous story behind why this series is called Shot Marilyn."
Wearing white gloves, the curator gestured toward the framed painting.
"As the name suggests, this artwork was nearly shot. When Warhol completed five different-colored portraits of Monroe, performance artist Dorothy Podber visited his studio, stacked the canvases together, and fired a gun at them."
"Oh my!"
"How could something like that happen…?"
Some guests, hearing the story for the first time, looked shocked. The curator, smiling slightly, finished the explanation.
"Fortunately, three of the paintings, including Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, were unharmed. However, two of them were damaged by bullets and later restored, leading to the entire series being named Shot Marilyn."
Holding the pamphlet in one hand, Seok-won murmured under his breath as he gazed at the artwork.
"When Podber asked, ‘Can I shoot you?’ Warhol thought she meant taking a photograph and said yes. But then, she pulled out a gun and literally shot the paintings."
"You seem quite knowledgeable about art."
Go Ah-hyun’s eyes sparkled with interest as she spoke. Seok-won simply shrugged.
"Not really. I just like Andy Warhol’s work, so I happened to know the story."
Immersed in the artwork, Seok-won quickly averted his gaze upon noticing Go Ah-hyun’s intrigued expression.
‘Get it together, Park Seok-won! One wrong move, and you’re stepping on a landmine!’
Of course, no matter how much he panicked internally, he remained as courteous as possible on the outside.
"Shall we move on to the next piece?"
After finishing their tour of the exhibition, Seok-won and Go Ah-hyun had dinner at the Walkerhill Hotel restaurant. It was only in the evening that they finally parted ways, and Seok-won returned home.
Naturally, he did not suggest meeting again.
Though he executed a flawless escort, he did his best to subtly convey that he had no romantic interest. The entire experience had been exhausting.
‘She must have picked up on my lack of interest by now.’
Consoling himself with the thought that he had done his best, Seok-won let out a sigh of relief.
As soon as he entered his home, his mother, Jo Deok-rye, was already waiting for him in the foyer.
"Did you have a good time?"
Her expression made it clear that she was eager to hear the outcome.
"You sent me to the exhibition on purpose, didn’t you?"
Shaking his head with a tired look, Seok-won watched as Jo Deok-rye’s face showed a hint of guilt.
"If I told you it was to meet a woman, you would’ve refused outright."
Well, she wasn’t wrong—if she had said it was a matchmaking setup, he would have flatly declined.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, Seok-won furrowed his brows.
"But please don’t do that again in the future."
"I only did it because she’s such a fine young lady—it’d be a shame to miss the opportunity."
Seok-won was speechless.
Calling Go Ah-hyun a "fine young lady" didn’t quite sit right, considering she would one day cause a massive scandal that would shake not just the country but the entire world.
"She’s been intelligent since she was young—smart enough to attend Cornell University. I heard Chairman Go cherishes her greatly as his eldest daughter. She’s majoring in hotel management, and when she graduates, they plan to let her manage their airline-affiliated hotel business before eventually handing it over to her."
"Are you eyeing the hotel she’ll bring as part of her dowry?"
"Well, wouldn’t it be better to have it than not?"
Jo Deok-rye wasn’t particularly greedy, but having a well-connected in-law family could certainly benefit her second son.
"I don’t expect anything like that from the woman I marry."
Seok-won responded, looking unenthusiastic.
"If you want a hotel, I’ll buy one for you."
"What? Why would I need a hotel? It’s not like I plan to run a business. I was only thinking of what’s best for you."
"I know you mean well, but I don’t like meetings like this."
At that, Jo Deok-rye hesitated slightly before cautiously asking,
"Didn’t you like her?"
Thinking it was better to be upfront rather than vague, Seok-won immediately nodded.
"No."
"Oh my… Why not? What didn’t you like about her?"
Her disappointment was evident as she pressed him for an answer.
"Her personality, for one. And many other things—we just don’t match. More importantly, I don’t like women who love peanuts."
"Peanuts? What do you mean by that?"
Jo Deok-rye blinked in confusion.
She had no way of knowing that, in the future, Go Ah-hyun would become infamous worldwide because of peanuts.
"It’s just… something. I’m exhausted, so I’ll head up now."
Seok-won let out a bitter chuckle, then, just to be sure, reinforced his stance.
"I have no intention of seeing her again, so please let them down gently."
With that, he climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Watching her son’s retreating figure, Jo Deok-rye frowned slightly and muttered,
"Peanuts…? He’s making such an absurd excuse—it must mean he really didn’t like her."
Rejecting a woman just because she liked peanuts? Who in the world did that?
"Well, if he’s that against it, there’s nothing I can do. Sigh… What should I tell Mrs. Oh?"
She furrowed her smooth forehead, already troubled by the thought.
TL/n -
Andy Warhol (1928–1987) was an American artist, filmmaker, and leading figure in the Pop Art movement. He is best known for his bold, colorful silkscreen prints of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and political icons such as Mao Zedong. His Campbell’s Soup Cans series (1962) is one of the most famous artworks in modern art history.
His famous quote, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” reflects his keen understanding of media and fame.
Comments
Rivo
I had to google who the Nut Queen was haha. I remember the story now, that bitch was vile.
