Return of the Genius Photographer

“Woojin, you did a great job. The shoot wasn’t easy, was it?”

“No, it was fine.”

Once the shoot wrapped up, Editor Yoon Jung-ah smiled brightly at me. It seemed like the weight of her earlier worries had lifted. Her face, which had looked tired earlier, now seemed much more vibrant.

“Thanks to you, I’m finally relieved. The photos turned out great too.”

“Really?”

“Of course! With shots like these, we could aim for the main feature this month… No, I’m sure it’ll be the main feature. I guarantee it!”

Yoon Jung-ah couldn’t stop praising the photos as she admired them, and I smiled at her words.

I, too, thought the photos had turned out well.

Was it because the subject’s expressions were so striking? Yoo Dong-gyu’s ambiguous look, where you couldn’t tell if he was about to laugh or cry, naturally drew attention.

It wasn’t just me who liked the photos. As I was reviewing the images,

“Thank you for the great shoot, Photographer.”

Yoo Dong-gyu approached me, thanking me for the session.

Gone was the curt attitude. Now, his face was warm and gentle, the same kind I had seen on TV. Like Yoon Jung-ah earlier, he seemed as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, his expression bright and refreshed.

“Could I have your contact information? I’d love to work with you again for future shoots.”

Bowing his head in gratitude, Yoo Dong-gyu expressed his desire to collaborate again and asked for my contact details. I gladly gave him my number.

‘Exchanging contact information with Yoo Dong-gyu… this is an unexpected bonus.’

Honestly, I had been tempted to ask him for his number first.

Though he wasn’t as active anymore, just a few years ago, Yoo Dong-gyu had been known as a national MC. His influence and connections would undoubtedly be beneficial to me in some way.

So when he asked for my contact, I welcomed the opportunity.

“Oh, could I get your number too?” I asked.

“Of course.”

Yoo Dong-gyu smiled as he responded. Just as I was about to take out my phone to save his contact info—

Ding!

A notification appeared on my phone.

—Your car has been delivered.

The message informed me that the car I had been waiting for was finally ready.

*****

Today felt especially strange.

That’s what Woojin’s father, Nam Yong-man, thought.

“Aigoo, my back feels stiff today.”

“Ah, mine too.”

“Maybe it’s the muggy weather. I don’t feel like working.”

At the construction site, where work was in full swing, Yong-man’s team members voiced their complaints.

They were subtly hinting at wrapping up early.

“What muggy weather? It’s sunny.”

Yong-man looked up, following the gesture of a worker pointing at the sky, and spoke with a tone of disbelief.

The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, as if welcoming the approaching autumn.

“It’s not muggy—it’s too sunny to feel like working, that’s all,” the worker quickly corrected himself, avoiding eye contact.

Yong-man tilted his head, puzzled.

His workers seemed unusually eager to slack off today.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but now he was certain they were trying to avoid work.

“When do you think we’ll finish this project if you all slack off like this?”

Yong-man called them out for slacking. Autumn was fast approaching, and winter would soon follow. Once the ground froze, construction would become even harder. They needed to push ahead, not slack off.

After that little nudge, he figured they’d get back to work. But it seemed like the workers were completely determined today.

“Foreman Nam, how about we wrap up early today?”

“Yeah, can’t we? I’m not feeling too great either.”

“Come on, Yong-man. One early day won’t hurt, right?”

It seemed like the whole team had made a pact. Even the usually quiet workers began chiming in one by one, all asking to finish early.

What a strange day.

‘This has never happened before…’

Yong-man racked his brain, trying to recall a similar situation, but nothing came to mind. These were all workers he’d known for years. Sure, they occasionally slacked off, but for all of them to be asking to finish early like this? This was definitely a first.

‘Are they really that exhausted?’

At first, he thought they were joking, but now he was starting to worry. Could something be wrong? They had been working hard under the blazing sun recently, so it was understandable if they wanted a break.

And like his fellow worker said, finishing up early today wouldn’t hurt too much.

“Haa… what’s with everyone today? Fine, let’s all head home early.”

After a moment of contemplation, Yong-man decided to call it a day for his crew.

“Alright, I’ll give you all a ride home. Hop in.”

“Come on, let’s get in quickly.”

“I’ll wait and board later since I’m the first one getting off.”

“Looks like I’ll finally get to have dinner with my kid today.”

“My wife’s going to be happy I’m coming home early for a change.”

“Hey, you sure she won’t be annoyed?!” one worker joked.

As they wrapped up work quickly, the crew hurried into Yong-man’s Starex van, buzzing with excitement over their early departure.

“Is everyone on board? Let’s get going.”

Used to this kind of commotion, Yong-man started the engine. But…

“Ah, not this again…”

The engine sputtered but wouldn’t start. Frowning, he turned the key again.

“Is it time to replace this old thing?”

After a few more tries, the engine finally roared to life. Yet, Yong-man couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. His van had been acting up frequently lately, a sign that it might need replacing. It wasn’t surprising, given the vehicle’s age, but the thought of another big expense left him in a foul mood.

As his thoughts drifted to the cost of a new vehicle, he heard laughter coming from the back.

Turning to see what was so amusing, he found his workers chuckling as they looked at him.

“Why are you all laughing?”

He was feeling far from cheerful, yet his crew seemed to find something funny. But their answer only confused him more.

“We’re just jealous, that’s all.”

“You’re really lucky, Foreman Nam.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, even more perplexed.

But the workers just smiled, dodging his gaze, and mumbled vague replies.

“Nothing much. Just saying you should grab a roast chicken on your way home and have dinner with your family.”

“Yeah, you should go home early once in a while, enjoy a nice meal with your well-raised son.”

“Tsk, such busybodies…”

Their behavior was odd, both earlier and now, but Yong-man chose not to dwell on it.

Better to just drop them off and clear his head, he figured.

“Thanks, see you tomorrow, Foreman Nam.”

“Thanks, Yong-man! Hope you have a good evening.”

“Enjoy dinner with your son!”

It didn’t take long to drop off the workers. One by one, they got out at the bus stop, leaving the once-noisy van in silence.

‘It really has been a while since I got off this early,’ Yong-man thought as he drove the now empty van toward his home.

When was the last time they had dinner together as a family?

‘Ah, right. It was when Woojin went to receive that award.’

That had been months ago, and if not for Woojin, even that rare moment wouldn’t have happened.

‘That boy… When did he grow up so much?’

Naturally, thoughts of his son began to fill Yong-man’s mind.

As a child, Woojin had been nothing but trouble, worrying his parents constantly. But now, he had matured into a young man who took care of his own responsibilities.

Who said kids grow up in the blink of an eye? In Woojin’s case, that seemed to be true.

Not only had he started studying hard all of a sudden, but he had also saved up to buy a camera and even won a major prize in a competition with it.

The son who had once caused so much trouble had now become someone anyone would be proud of.

But even as pride filled his heart, it came with a twinge of guilt.

He had never been able to provide Woojin with the typical things—a tutor, or even the extra classes that other kids had.

As a parent, what had he really done for his son?

Blaming his busy work schedule and the constant fatigue, Yong-man had spent little time with his family. And now, whenever he saw Woojin, all he could feel was guilt.

“Sigh, those guys just had to bring up my son…”

Sitting alone in the car, Yong-man muttered, recalling the workers’ comments. Their unnecessary remarks had stirred up emotions he hadn’t wanted to deal with.

‘Fine. I’ll buy a chicken on the way home.’

Since he had the rare chance to come home early, he wanted to do something small, at least—something that made him feel like a father.

With that thought, Yong-man stopped by a chicken shop, picked up some food, and headed home, determined to spend a quiet evening with his family.

***

“You’re home early, honey.”

“Dad, you’re back?”

As Yong-man walked through the door, his wife and son greeted him immediately.

Smiling at them, he lifted the bag containing the roast chicken.

“Yeah, work finished early today. I thought we could have some chicken for a change.”

“Wow, this is a rare sight. What’s the occasion today?” his wife teased.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

His wife smiled, and Woojin exchanged a knowing glance with her. They both had the same strange smile that Yong-man had noticed earlier on his workers’ faces at the construction site.

He couldn’t understand why they were smiling like that.

“Looks delicious. Let’s eat quickly.”

“Y-yeah, let’s dig in.”

Despite the odd feeling, Yong-man sat down with his family to enjoy the meal.

“Woojin, how about a drink?”

“Oh, come on, why do you always act like cola is alcohol?” his wife chuckled.

“Haha, I’m fine, Dad.”

Yong-man felt happy.

How long had it been since they’d had such a relaxed meal together?

Although he had reluctantly ended work early at his workers’ suggestion, spending time with his family like this felt incredibly good.

“Life has felt pretty tough lately, but today feels nice.”

“Dad, that’s just the chicken breast making you feel that way,” Woojin quipped.

“You brat! I’m trying to say something, and you’re cracking jokes?”

The mood was so good that Yong-man, without even drinking alcohol, found himself smiling, his face flushed with joy.

“Still, Woojin, you’ve made me proud. You’re studying well, and you’ve found something you’re passionate about. You’re handling everything so perfectly…”

He then began humming a tune.

“Build a house on that green meadow…”

“Oh my, Woojin, looks like your dad is in a really good mood.”

His family watched him with amusement.

Then, suddenly—

“Dad, are you almost done eating? Can we step outside for a moment?”

Woojin asked out of the blue.

“Huh? Why?”

By now, it was dark outside.

Confused by his son’s sudden request, Yong-man tilted his head.

“Why go outside now? Time for bed, isn’t it?”

“Just come along for a moment.”

“Wait, you too?” he said, surprised as his wife joined in, encouraging him to go out as well.

“Let’s get some fresh air. It’s been stuffy staying inside.”

“Well… alright.”

Reluctantly, Yong-man got up and followed them outside.

The night air was quite chilly.

As he rubbed his arms against the cold, Yong-man caught an unfamiliar sight–

“Huh? That wasn’t here earlier…”

Parked right in front of his old van was a shiny new Starex.

“Wow, that’s the new Grand Starex, isn’t it? Look at that shine.”

Even in the dim light, it was obvious that the car was brand new. The gleam of its exterior was unmistakable.

“I really need to get a new one too..”

Seeing the brand-new vehicle made Yong-man’s heart ache a little. He had been contemplating getting a new car, but with his finances, he’d probably have to settle for a used one. How nice it would be to get a shiny new car like this without worrying about the cost.

‘But that’s just wishful thinking.’

As he approached the car to take a closer look—

Beep beep!

The headlights flashed suddenly, startling him.

“What the—?”

Just then, Woojin handed him a key.

“Huh? What’s this…?”

Yong-man was momentarily dumbfounded. He stared at the key, then at Woojin, and finally at the new Starex in front of him, switching his gaze between the three.

“What… what is this?”

His voice trembled as he asked. Woojin smiled brightly and answered, “Go ahead, Dad. Try it out. It’s a gift.”

“A gift? From you? How…?”

“You know I’ve been working, right? I saved up everything I earned. I hope you’ll drive it safely.”

Woojin scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

Yong-man was still in shock, unable to comprehend how his son had managed to buy a car in just a few months.

But more than that, Yong-man’s mind was completely occupied by the sight of the car in front of him.

Still dazed, he climbed into the driver’s seat, pinching his own cheek to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Dad, why don’t you turn on the music?” Woojin suggested, pressing a button.

Build a house on that green meadow…

A familiar melody filled the car.

It was the same song Yong-man always hummed when he was in a good mood.

Hearing the tune play, he felt something warm trickling down his cheek.

*****

(T/N: Looking at baby Woojin, his mother might have said, “Look how lovely he is! I’m sure he’ll grow up to be a handsome guy who’ll make many girls cry.”

Fast forward, and now he’s making old men cry instead. Lol)