Return of the Genius Photographer

After the shoot with Woojin ended, Jung Woong started sensing something strange a few days later.

Click!

Lately, his assistant photographers had begun taking pictures of him whenever they had the chance.

The shutter sounds consistently echoed around him, as if they were carefully treating him like a celebrity.

Sometimes they snapped photos while hiding, like paparazzi, while other times, they boldly took them right in front of him.

Whenever he noticed them photographing him, Jung Woong was overwhelmed with curiosity.

‘What are they trying to do?’

At first, he thought it would end soon.

After all, he was the one who had granted them permission to take pictures.

He knew that the assistant photographers were preparing for the exhibition—Woojin had informed him of that in advance.

But what exactly were they preparing that required them to keep photographing him for days on end, and so persistently at that?

Recently, Jung Woong’s mind had been consumed by this question.

Click!

“Jinsoo, what kind of pictures are you taking?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll explain once the photos are finished.”

Click!

“Youngsoo, what are you doing over there?”

“Sorry, sir! I’ll tell you later!”

Whenever his curiosity got the better of him and he questioned the assistants, they would avoid his gaze and quickly flee, leaving him with no further details.

At first, they had seemed cautious about taking pictures, but now, they had grown more confident, snapping away freely.

Jung Woong found the whole situation absurd.

Still, their actions weren’t disruptive to his work or excessive, so he didn’t feel particularly annoyed—just perplexed.

Sure, he could press them for details, and they would probably tell him, but since he was the one who had granted permission in the first place, it didn’t seem right to be so insistent.

So, for several days, he chose to ignore the growing curiosity.

But as the days passed, his unanswered questions only grew larger, until he couldn’t take it anymore.

‘This is driving me crazy. I can’t hold out any longer.’

He couldn’t endure it any further.

Just as Pandora in Greek mythology couldn’t resist opening the box that unleashed the world’s misfortunes, curiosity had a way of compelling one to act, even when one knew better.

Curiosity was hard to suppress—it had a strange power to push people to do things they knew they shouldn’t.

And an artist’s curiosity, of course, surpassed that of an ordinary person.

The fact that Jung Woong had held back for this long was impressive in itself.

And Woojin, who had sparked this intense curiosity, was no ordinary person either.

Having rationalized his decision, Jung Woong finally resolved to check Woojin’s photos in secret.

‘By now, he must have almost completed them.’

It had been several days since Woojin had first taken his pictures.

The assistant photographers had been snapping photos of him for some time now, so surely whatever they were working on was nearing completion.

‘This can’t be just any ordinary photo. I’ll know as soon as I step into his studio.’

Walking through the darkened studio late at night, after everyone had gone home, Jung Woong thought to himself.

If it were a simple photograph, there’d be no need to gather a team of assistant photographers.

That meant it had to be some kind of large-scale project, a work that required many photos.

In that case, the piece was likely either something large in scope or something akin to an installation.

Jung Woong was confident that once he entered the studio, he’d know right away.

‘I wonder what kind of photo he’s created…’

As he neared the studio, he could feel his excitement building.

Had he ever been this eager to see someone else’s work before?

Giving in to his curiosity and sneaking into the studio to view the piece—this was a first for him.

Even going to someone’s studio in secret was something he had never done before.

Would anyone recognize him now as the charismatic Jung Woong?

He felt almost like a child again.

The studio door in front of him seemed like a gift box waiting to be unwrapped.

Finally arriving at Woojin’s studio, Jung Woong quietly stepped inside the dark space.

When he switched on the light, what he saw before him was…

A very large gift.

***

“Hahaha! So, this was it! This was it!”

As all his questions were answered, a wave of emotion washed over Jung Woong.

With a beaming smile, he clapped his hands in delight.

What Jung Woong saw before him was a giant image of his own face, covering an entire wall.

It was as if he were staring into a mirror—a photograph that seemed to be intently watching him.

And within that large face, smaller images of himself appeared.

“A photo mosaic… Who would have thought he’d use this technique…”

The moment Jung Woong saw the photo, he remembered Woojin’s confident words to him.

“I’ll make sure to create a photo that will surprise you, Photographer Jung Woong.”

Woojin hadn’t said he would take a surprising photo, but that he would create one.

Jung Woong had found that phrasing a bit odd at the time but dismissed it as a typical artistic expression.

But perhaps Woojin had planned this from the very beginning, from the moment he asked to photograph him.

Jung Woong couldn’t help but wonder when exactly Woojin had come up with this creative design.

‘And yet, he didn’t compromise the quality of the photos…’

Photo mosaics had first appeared in the art world about twelve years ago as a new technique.

It had spread like wildfire, especially in media arts, becoming popular in television, advertising, and other forms of media.

But photographers, especially professionals, hadn’t been fond of it.

The reason was simple.

The quality of the photos often suffered.

No matter how meticulously arranged, an image made up of numerous smaller photos could easily become chaotic.

As a result, the clarity of the image’s message would be diluted, making the meaning unclear and ambiguous.

That’s why most famous photo mosaics depicted celebrities or iconic artworks, as these well-known images were easier for the public to recognize, even amidst the complexity.

For this reason, most photographers, including Jung Woong, would never use this method.

If the goal were to convey something vague, that might be one thing, but there was no reason to intentionally lower the quality of the photos just to show them to others.

Yet, Woojin had used the technique masterfully.

‘You don’t need to figure out what the image is trying to show.’

As if drawn in by some unseen force, Jung Woong stepped closer to the photo.

The closer he got, the more the large face of Jung Woong blurred and faded, and the individual smaller photos that made up the image became clearer.

When he finally stood right in front of the photograph, he saw that the mosaic was made up of countless pictures taken by his assistant photographers—the very photos that had fueled his curiosity.

Images of Jung Woong lost in thought.

Photos of him smiling, clearly enjoying himself.

Shots of his face, frowning in frustration.

Every photo featured only Jung Woong, capturing him from every angle and in every emotion.

It was a photo of Jung Woong, made up entirely of Jung Woong.

The design ensured that anyone who saw the piece would immediately recognize that it was him being portrayed.

The simplicity of the image gave its message a powerful clarity.

‘This one must’ve been taken by Jinsoo…’

Jung Woong slowly scanned the wall, inspecting the many photos.

‘That one’s definitely Youngsoo’s work…’

Like someone admiring an exceptional piece of art.

‘Haha, when did Minsoo sneak in to take this shot?’

Or like someone reminiscing about cherished moments.

The work created by Woojin and his assistant photographers contained sides of Jung Woong that even he hadn’t known about.

‘Who would’ve thought they were this good at taking photos…’

Although some of the individual photos were a bit amateurish, the emotions captured in them reached Jung Woong as powerfully as the work of any top photographer.

Each of these photos was a message the assistants wanted to convey to him.

One spoke of admiration.

Another, of dreams.

And yet another, of gratitude.

These were all emotions Jung Woong thought had vanished from his life.

Feelings he believed he would never experience again.

Jung Woong’s relationship with photography had always been defined by pain.

The pain of having to create something from nothing.

The pain of meeting people’s expectations.

The pain of not being left behind.

Even though he had already reached the pinnacle of his career, he always felt the pressure to do more, which made him constantly suffer.

That’s why Jung Woong thought he hated photography.

No, not just hated—it was more like he despised it.

The fact that he felt he couldn’t take good photos anymore.

The decision to retire after this exhibition.

It was all because he believed he loathed photography.

But strangely enough.

Unbelievably enough.

Not a single photo of himself in Woojin’s work showed any trace of suffering.

Even though he had thought he hated photography…

Even in the photos where he was struggling with his thoughts, he looked incredibly happy.

“Haha, hahaha!”

Staring at the photos in disbelief, Jung Woong suddenly burst out laughing.

“This is something I could never have imagined. Yeah, this is a photo I could never take.”

And in the empty studio, he muttered softly to himself.

How much of what he hadn’t known about himself was revealed in this one piece?

The more he stared at the photos, the more he felt as though he was discovering something new.

Jung Woong quietly ran his hand down his arm.

The condition he had set for Woojin—to take a photo that he couldn’t—was half a joke.

He had thought that while Woojin might surprise him, there was no photo that he himself couldn’t take.

But the work before him now…

Had brilliantly surpassed all his expectations.

From the conception of the idea to the composition, the expression, and the message it conveyed—it all fit perfectly with the theme of reflection.

‘I’m glad I took a peek in advance.’

Hearing the loud sound of his own laughter, Jung Woong glanced around the empty studio, wondering if anyone had seen him.

He had been so impressed by Woojin’s work that he laughed uncontrollably.

Or perhaps it was a good thing no one else had been there to see him.

It would’ve been more embarrassing had he laughed like that in front of Woojin during the official presentation.

‘Ahem!’

Anyways, he was glad he had taken a look beforehand.

Now that he had seen the piece thoroughly, he could stay composed when it was unveiled to everyone else.

He hadn’t expected to find something so far beyond his expectations.

What was supposed to be a quick peek had turned into an entire night spent in front of Woojin’s work.

In the empty studio building, where all the lights were off, the only room still aglow was Woojin’s studio.

The night that Photographer Jung Woong couldn’t resist checking out the photos.

By coincidence, Woojin presented the completed piece to him the very next morning.