Return of the Genius Photographer

My father continued to sob inside the car.

I couldn’t see his face, bowed low over the steering wheel, but the slight trembling of his shoulders and the sound he couldn’t hide spoke volumes about his feelings.

I never intended to make him cry…

I had only wanted him to be happy. That was all this gift was meant to do.

So why was he so heartbroken?

Even though I’d lived many more years than others due to my past life, I still couldn’t understand my parents’ hearts.

Was I still an unfilial son?

No matter how much success I achieved, making my parents truly happy felt harder than reaching the stars.

The sight of my father’s tears caused my heart to ache.

I wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come. So instead, I quietly turned up the car’s volume, hoping the music would drown out the sound of his sobs.

I thought maybe that’s what he would want.

Though the cheerful song filled the car, no one was really listening.

My father kept crying, and I sat there, not knowing what to do.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a long silence, his voice soft. “I’m sorry for crying after receiving such a gift…”

Still, his gaze stayed fixed on the steering wheel.

“I’m sorry… I feel like I’ve never given you a proper gift…”

As the faint light inside the car caught the corner of his eyes, I saw a tear glisten as it slid down his cheek.

“I’m sorry… for not being a good father…”

With those words, he poured out his sorrow and regret before me, apologizing over and over.

What was it about this car worth just 20 million that made him so sad?

I felt anger rise within me.

What do you have to be sorry for?

What could you have possibly done wrong?

I wanted to demand answers.

In my past life, when things fell apart, it was me who abandoned my family and ran away.

I didn’t deserve to hear an apology from my father…

“Dad, don’t say that. I’ve never thought of it that way,” I finally responded, swallowing the lump rising in my throat.

“So please, don’t cry. If you keep crying like this, I won’t give you another gift next time.”

“Hahaha… you little rascal…”

My father burst into a hearty laugh, as if shaking off all the tears he’d shed earlier.

I laughed along with him, pretending not to notice the last traces of tears still glistening in his eyes.

I just laughed along.

After all, my father looked much better smiling than he did crying.

I wanted to keep this moment forever.

Not just with a small car bought with a little bit of money.

I wanted to give them a life where they could always smile.

“Thank you, Woojin. I’ll cherish it and drive it carefully.”

After laughing for a while, my father returned to the man I knew, awkwardly touching the Starex’s dashboard.

“No, drive it rough! I’ll get you an even better car, so don’t worry and make sure to drive it hard!”

“Alright, alright. You little rascal. Now let’s head inside. The chicken’s getting cold.”

Laughing together, we headed back home.

Once inside, the warmth of the house made me feel at ease.

I wasn’t sure if it was the coziness of the house or the satisfaction of giving my father a gift, but I decided to just enjoy the feeling

And so, on the day I gave my father a gift, my vacation came to an end.

*****

The vacation had come to an end.

A little over a month—a stretch of time that felt both long and short depending on how you looked at it.

As students gathered at school for the first day back, they excitedly chatted with friends they hadn’t seen in a while.

“Did everyone have a good break? Didn’t you punks miss your teacher at all?”

Even our homeroom teacher looked pleased as he gazed at the lively classroom, clearly glad to see the students.

“Alright, alright, let’s settle down a bit. I’m sure you all didn’t just waste your vacation away.”

Amidst the buzzing chatter, the teacher skillfully calmed the room down and continued speaking.

“It’s already the second semester, and you’re not far off from becoming seniors. You’ll need to start studying hard.”

At the mention of studying, the students’ faces stiffened.

At this point, we were more like pre-seniors, with the college entrance exams looming next year. The word “study” made everyone tense.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t even half of the year left. Everyone must have felt how quickly time was passing.

“Today, instead of classes, we’ll be doing career counseling all day. Fill out your forms properly, and when you’re called, head to the teacher’s office.”

It seemed that holding career counseling sessions on the first day back was an old tradition at our school.

The teacher handed out a simple questionnaire for us to fill out.

“I know you’re all happy to see each other, but don’t just chat the whole time. Do some self-study. Class president, come to the office in 30 minutes.”

With that, our homeroom teacher left the classroom.

Of course, as soon as the teacher stepped out, the classroom buzzed with noise again.

Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere, Youngho turned to me and asked how I’d been.

“Did you have a good break? How did your trip to Australia go?”

It dawned on me that aside from a brief meet-up before I left for Australia, this was the first time I’d seen Youngho since the vacation started.

“Yeah, I had a good break. Looks like you did too?”

I nodded in response to Youngho’s question.

Yeah, despite everything, I had a productive vacation. Honestly, I doubt anyone here had as productive a break as I did.

As I turned toward Youngho, “Seems like… you’ve changed a lot?”

“Yeah, I’ve grown taller.”

I was momentarily taken aback by Youngho’s appearance. Over the break, his face had plumped up noticeably.

Though he bragged about getting taller, I couldn’t help but focus on his round, shiny cheeks.

“What’s with the blank stare?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

Caught staring at his chubby cheeks, I quickly snapped out of it, and Youngho chuckled as he pulled something out of his bag.

“Check this out. Do you know what this is?”

“An iPod?”

“Wow, you got it! It’s an iPod Touch. Isn’t it awesome?”

What Youngho pulled out was indeed an iPod.

‘So it’s out already. That means the iPhone must have launched too.’

Looking at the device, I fell into thought.

I wondered if Youngho had any idea of the changes this little gadget would bring.

To him, it was probably just a cool MP3 player, but I knew the ripple effects it would have, and it was a bit shocking to think about.

This meant that smartphones were starting to be introduced to Korea.

And as everyone knows, the spread of smartphones changed the world.

Not only did they wipe out the feature phones we’d been using up until then, but they also made electronic dictionaries, PMP players, MP3 players, and a whole host of other gadgets obsolete.

Digital cameras were no exception either.

You could say that smartphones absorbed the camera industry.

Though it wouldn’t happen right away, within a few years, smartphone camera technology would develop to the point where it rivaled even entry-level DSLRs.

No exaggeration—there would come a time when everyone would have a digital camera in their pocket.

This, of course, brought massive changes to the photography industry.

A lot was about to change in the coming years.

‘Which means I need to prepare.’

If I didn’t want to be swept away by the coming waves of change, I needed to solidify my place now.

I was still chatting with Youngho when someone interrupted.

“Nam Woojin, it’s your turn. The teacher’s calling you to the office.”

The student ahead of me had returned and informed me that it was my turn.

The career counseling session the teacher had mentioned earlier that morning.

*****

“Hello, sir.”

“Ah, Woojin. Come, sit down comfortably.”

As it was my turn, I entered the teacher’s office, and my homeroom teacher greeted me right away.

Once I sat down, he searched my name in the school system and pulled up my grades and student records.

“You’ve really improved your grades suddenly. If you keep them up, not only can you make it into a university in Seoul, but with the right choice of major, you could even aim for a more prestigious school.”

He analyzed my grades like a stock market expert forecasting trends, predicting the schools I could get into.

But none of this really interested me.

Noticing my lack of reaction, he glanced at the career counseling form I had filled out and asked, “So, you wrote that you want to become a photographer. Are you planning to major in photography too?”

“Yes. I plan to major in photography.”

At my response, the teacher seemed to think deeply before speaking again.

“Hmm… Woojin, I’m not trying to discourage your dream. But it’s better to choose a major that would help you secure a stable job.”

With a serious expression, he began explaining.

“Photography might be a lot of fun to learn, but making a living from it is a different story.”

He went on to explain how risky the career of a photographer could be and how the prospects weren’t that great, trying to dissuade me.

“So, it’s better to prioritize getting into a reputable school first, and then decide on the major afterward.”

To be honest, he wasn’t wrong.

Photography as a career often came with the stigma of being low-paying, and in the current climate, even those jobs were becoming more unstable. Going to a less prestigious university, especially in a regional area, for such a career would indeed be a risk.

But his advice didn’t apply to me.

First of all, I was already a professional photographer making a good living from my work.

Second, the university I planned to attend wasn’t just any local school—it had global recognition.

“Sir, I’m planning to study abroad at Yale.”

“What? Yale? Study abroad at Yale?”

My teacher’s eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting to hear something like that from me. His surprised tone only added to the disbelief.

And it was Yale, after all—an Ivy League school, one of the most prestigious in the world. Given its reputation, it’s only natural that he’d think I was joking or misunderstood.

“Woojin-ah, do you know how expensive studying abroad is? The preparation alone isn’t easy…”

His tone turned concerned as he asked again, likely because he knew about my family’s financial situation. Studying abroad wasn’t cheap, after all.

But I confidently responded, “Of course. I’m well aware. I wouldn’t say something like this without a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes.”

Curious about my bold attitude, the teacher asked, and as I explained the plans I’d been making for a while, his eyes gradually widened in astonishment as he listened.