Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 157: Summer Valley (3)

Chapter 157 Summer Valley (3)

The Antermittant, a system implemented in 1958 to stabilize the livelihood of cultural and artistic workers, was expanded to an unemployment benefit system for artists in 19691.

Thanks to this, artists could receive their standard income as unemployment allowance when they had no income, instead of paying half of their income as insurance premiums.

For example, if a performing artist in France had a standard income of 2,000 euros per month last year and only earned 500 euros this month, they could pay 250 euros as insurance premiums, which is 50% of their income, and receive 1,500 euros as unemployment benefits.

However, the beneficiaries of this system were limited to the fields of film, performance, and broadcasting, until it was applied to all artists in France in 2024.

This opened the way for painters, who could not secure their livelihood with the Maison des Artistes (House of Artists) alone, to enjoy the benefits as well.

It was the achievement of Henri Marso, who threatened politicians with his immense wealth and led public opinion with his powerful speech.

As the benefit conditions were dramatically relaxed, Henri Marso was revered as a hero of the French art world.

But the number of beneficiaries of the improved Antermittant system after 2024 was only 148,753 in 2028.

It was only an increase of 16,311 compared to 132,442 in 2023.

The reason was the working hours condition to receive the benefits of the Antermittant system.

Artists who were employed and active for a certain period of time by film companies, planning companies, theaters, etc. could relatively easily get their working hours recognized.

But painters had no clear way to prove their working hours objectively, so they had to get their working hours certified through the French National Art Association.

And the association members who had the decision-making power used it as their means of power.

They extorted a price from those who desperately needed unemployment benefits in exchange for recognizing their working hours.

Henri Marso could not forgive those who exploited his feat.

He tried various ways to root them out with the association president Chevasson, but it was not easy.

He tried to appeal to the administration, but he was afraid of the consequences, or he had set his own standards, so a long fight was expected.

In the meantime, the damage would continue to accumulate.

As he was waiting for that, some association members raised their flags against the judging method of the contest, which provoked Henri Marso.

Thats what happened.

Michelle was worried after hearing the explanation.

No matter how much he was Henri Marso, it would not be easy to fight head-on with them who covered the academia, the media, and the field.

Since when?

Two or three months.

She glanced at Henri and nodded.

I see.

Henri Marso, who thought he would hear a nagging, was puzzled by Michelles silence.

What is it?

What is what?

Henri was bothered by her calm attitude, but he knew that she was not the type to hold back what she wanted to say, so he did not bother to ask more.

Im going to take a shower.

Okay.

Henri headed to the bathroom and Michelle, who was left alone, continued her thoughts.

His intentions were obvious.

He wanted the French art world to develop further with him, and all the artists to praise and follow him.

He did not like those who parasitized on the art world that revolved around him and took their interests.

He was not the type to compromise and drag the time to solve the problem.

The problem was their response.

Already more than 3,000 of them had opposed the associations guidelines and the number was growing every day.

Michelle opened her smartphone and accessed the French art forum site.

As expected, there were posts condemning Henri Marso and the French National Art Association.

[Why Henri is in danger now]

I wrote this after seeing the article that the French National Art Association expelled 3,000 affiliated critics and artists.

The problem is that the expulsion date was the day after they claimed to abolish the contest judging.

3,000 association members issued a statement in a legitimate way, but they ignored it and expelled them? And thats just two days later?

It seems impossible, but it is possible.

As you all know, SNBA can be seen as practically dominated by Henri Marso.

Chevasson, the association president, said it was an inevitable decision because they did not follow the policy that he had already warned, but its a joke.

The policy itself changes according to Henri Marsos taste, and expelling them for not following it means he just wants to cut off the people he doesnt like.

Isnt that a very dangerous idea?

The expelled people did not make unreasonable demands.

The purpose of the contest was to highlight good works, so they said professionalism was needed.

It was an ignorant act to reject it unilaterally when people who had studied art all their lives wanted to participate.

Anyway, it will proceed as Henri Marso wants, but its so sad that we cant stop this undemocratic behavior.

Im afraid that later the people who say the right thing will disappear and only look at Henri Marsos eyes.

Michelle bit her lips as she read several posts.

In fact, it was a matter of those who did wrong things trying to protect their interests by threatening to withdraw from the association.

Henri Marso, who had no intention of negotiating with them, just gave them what they wanted.

But to those who did not know the situation, it looked like the expelled ones were unfairly treated.

The posts that appealed to the public opinion and gained legitimacy by attacking Henri Marsos weaknesses all looked like they were written by ordinary people.

I knew this would happen.

Michelle had one thing to worry about.

Artists lived on their reputation, and it could easily be overturned.

Even if Henri Marso acted for a legitimate purpose and procedurally without any problems, moral flaws could hold him back.

The posts on various sites also aimed for that.

They tried to frame Henri Marso as a person who oppressed people with undemocratic procedures to the French people who valued freedom more than anything.

Once a wrong fact was known, it was impossible to reverse it, so Michelles worries deepened.

They must think they caught him.

The party that maintained a relationship with Henri Marso was En Marche!, which seized the power.

This incident was a good prey for the Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste: Parti Socialiste), which was politically opposed to him.

There was bound to be a controversy over whether the expulsion order of the association was legitimate.

We have to move fast.

Preemptive attack was important in every fight.

Michelle bit her lips.

He was a fool who did not understand the hearts of the people around him, but his head was fast, so he was less worried, but his arrogance of ignoring others was a big weakness.

We cant end it with an explanation. We have to crush them thoroughly.

Michelle Platini thought that the best way to overcome this situation was to put those who abused the Antermittant system on the guillotine.

But Henri Marso must have thought about it enough, and if it was such a thing, it was the specialty of his secretary Arsen.

Michelle.

Henri Marso called her in a situation where it was hard to find an answer as the thoughts followed each other.

Huh?

How long are you going to keep doing this?

She snickered at Henris serious voice.

He had entrusted her with the oldest salon exhibition in the world and its competition for one reason.

He had hoped that the people who visited the place, decorated as the best art festival, would be moved, empathized, saddened, and delighted by his work.

She knew what she had to do.

With his words telling her not to worry about anything else, Michellele was able to steel her mind.

Yeah. Dont worry.

Michellele answered coolly.

What are you talking about?

Henri Marso pushed his wet hair back and leaned his face forward.

Come in quickly.

***

On the way to Gangwon-do, Cha Si-hyun tilted his head.

Are you not tired?

Hmm?

Driving all the time. It would be easier if you used autonomous driving.

Grandpa smiled bitterly but didnt answer.

The accident that took my mother and father was caused by a combination of a truck drivers drowsy driving and a problem with the autonomous driving system. Neither I nor Grandpa could easily believe it.

Autonomous driving was possible on highways or fixed routes like home and school, but that was why he insisted on driving himself.

I changed the topic.

Grandpa, lets eat makguksu. Dongchimi makguksu is delicious.

Good. You know dongchimi makguksu?

I looked it up.

Before I came on the trip, I searched for what food would be delicious, and I heard that makguksu was a tasty dish in Gangwon-do.

What is dongchimi makguksu?

Its buckwheat noodles rolled in dongchimi broth.

I found a picture of dongchimi makguksu with ice shavings and showed it to him.

Thats interesting. Ive only eaten makguksu with bibim sauce.

Gangwon-dos water makguksu is a delicacy. It would be nice if there was a place that served it with potato dumplings.

Grandpa, who had a villa in Gangwon-do, seemed to know a lot of things.

What are potato dumplings?

Cha Si-hyun and I asked at the same time.

Its potatoes that are mashed and boiled with broth. Theyre chewy and delicious.

I couldnt imagine what kind of food it was.

I thought potatoes were best eaten as pancakes, but I wondered if they could surpass that.

It had been about three hours since we left home.

We got off the highway and entered a small city. It was Donghae City.

Lets eat here and go.

I barely suppressed my excitement to eat new food and arrived at a single-story building.

There were a lot of cars, so it seemed like a popular restaurant.

We sat down and looked at the menu, and I was surprised. Cha Si-hyun reacted before me.

Pheasant?

They were selling pheasant dumplings.

What is pheasant?

Its like a chicken. It crows like kwok-kwok, so its called pheasant.

What do you call it in English or French?

Hmm? Well, lets look it up.

I nodded as I saw that it was called pheasant in English.

I knew it was a very expensive ingredient, but I was surprised that it only cost 8,000 won.4)

Do you want to try it?

Yes.

Unlike me, who wanted to try it at least once since it was a high-end ingredient, Cha Si-hyun didnt seem pleased.

Can I eat it?

Sure. Its the same as chicken.

Cha Si-hyun nodded.

He didnt eat what I suggested, but he trusted what Grandpa recommended. Maybe it was because of the raw sunflower seeds he ate last time.

Three water makguksu and one dumpling, please.

Okay.

We waited for the food and talked about the competition.

They talk a lot.

Yes. Marceau cut off all the people who opposed him.

Thats only going to make more enemies.

Hell handle it.

He was annoying, but not stupid. He must have had some reason to trust him.

Besides, I was surprised that it was bigger than I thought.

How much?

Cha Si-hyun chimed in.

1,700 people applied.

I opened my mouth wide.

How are they going to display all of that? It wont be easy to find space.

Exactly.

Grandpa was right. It was not an easy task.

It would be nice if there was a preliminary round, but since it was a competition that excluded the judgment of a specific group, it was decided by the choice of the audience.

According to the additional notice from the French National Art Association, all participants had to deliver their works to the SNBA headquarters in Paris by November 10th.

The works would be exhibited throughout Paris from November 30th to December 6th and evaluated by the visitors and the virtual exhibition room visitors.

Platini must have a headache.

Because there are so many?

Yeah. The exposure can vary depending on where the work is displayed. It will indirectly affect the voting.

Oh.

Grandpa was right.

Even in the same building, the order of the exhibition could have an impact, let alone this case, which could be more problematic.

They couldnt display that many works in the same space, so they would have to spread them out in different places, which wouldnt be fair.

I knew that Michelle Platini was an excellent curator, but I wondered if he could solve this problem.

Your food is ready.

The staff brought us dumplings and makguksu. There were ten large dumplings.

Do you usually give this many?

Usually five, but the boss told me to give you more. He said youre a fan.

Oh, thank you.

Grandpa and I turned our heads and saw the owner of the makguksu restaurant smiling awkwardly.

We greeted him and drank the broth with a little ice in it. My chest, which had been stuffy for three hours in the car, felt refreshed.

Ah!

***

1)Source: Encyclopedia of Current Affairs, PMG Knowledge Engine Research Institute, Park Moon-gak

<Reborn Van Gogh>'s Antermittent is described as a fictional setting where corruption was involved in the actual Antermittent that is being conducted in France.

This is different from the truth.

Its a good system.

2)The official name is Association for the Renewal of Political Life. It is a political party founded by Emmanuel Macron.

It is briefly called En Marche! (Forward!).

3)A food made by mashing potatoes and boiling them with broth into small balls the size of eggs (Gangwon-do).

Source: Korean Dictionary

4)In Europe, especially in the UK, pheasant meat was treated as a high-end ingredient.