Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 174: Eroica (10)

Chapter 174 Eroica (10)

[Another shooting incident? Citizens demand stronger gun control]

[A thrilling hostage drama in broad daylight]

[The culprit is the former SNBA office director]

[Two heroes saved many lives]

On the morning of September 17th, a maniac broke into the Marso Gallery and took a hostage.

The culprit was identified as Jerome Kerbiel (46), a former SNBA office director and an artist, who was known through TV broadcasts and various media outlets.

He was arrested on the spot for threatening and shooting at a boy who was in the gallery as a hostage.

Jerome Kerbiel, who was recently indicted for fraud in the selection process of the Antermat beneficiaries, was sued for contract termination and damages by a media outlet that raised the issue.

The police speculated that he harbored a grudge against Henri Marso and committed the crime, and began an investigation.

French artists stated that evening that Henri Marso was a hero who restored the Antermat, and that Jerome Kerbiel, who tried to harm him, should receive the maximum sentence allowed by law.

Meanwhile, two people who stepped forward and prevented what could have been a major terrorist incident are attracting attention.

The people who were at the scene and those who watched the situation through the internet broadcast that the culprit turned on praised the courageous actions of Henri Marso and Go Hoon.

Go Hoon, a genius painter, calmly stepped forward and secured time when a boy of his age was taken hostage, and ran from behind to help Henri Marso subdue the culprit when he fired a shot.

Henri Marsos bravery and fighting skills in subduing the armed maniac are also a hot topic.

According to a source, Henri Marso, who had been threatened since he was young, learned boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, and shooting skills to protect himself.

His altruistic behavior and his scolding of the culprit showed why he was revered as a hero in the French art world.

Gohoon and Henri Marso were reported to have returned home without any serious problems after a simple check-up at the hospital.

The Marso Gallery shooting incident was broadcasted as a special report in Europe and South Korea on the day of the incident.

Many people sent messages of support to the two most popular artists who bravely dealt with a situation where they could have lost their lives.

Im so glad theyre okay.

Are you crazy? What were you thinking when you did that? Didnt you say you would apologize to Henri?

Hes a lunatic if you watch the video. Hes trying to rationalize using Antermittang for his own benefit.

Exactly. He couldnt get recognition as a painter, and now hes trying to ruin that too. What a jerk.

Hes a piece of crap.

Hes so stupid. He turned on the live stream and thought his mistake would go away if Henri apologized

Thats not it. He was already facing a trial, and everything would have been revealed. He probably thought it was over and wanted to hurt Henris pride.

That makes sense. He has no dignity.

Its weird.

What is?

My brother is not that kind of person.

Hes not the kind of person who does good things like that

But hes really different from how he appears in the media. When he deals with reporters or critics, he seems like a jerk, but when he restored Antermittang and came out to help the kids today, he seems like a nice person.

Speaking of the kids, I just remembered something. I dont see any articles about the kid who was taken hostage.

The Muslim with the turban?

Yeah.

Dont make unnecessary sympathy. Disgusting Muslim.

I would have cursed him for religious discrimination in the past, but I dont feel like it these days.

All the terrorists should die.

Henri has a deep heart. He doesnt deny his talent or environment, but hes desperate even though he has everything. I felt ashamed when he scolded me for thinking so lightly.

Art wouldnt be so hard if it was easy.

I realized that its harder to keep my pride than to give it up.

So what was it? They made a lot of noise about him being a dictator or something.

Theyre talking nonsense after getting rid of the rotten ones. The SNBA artists issued a statement. They said they could get all the Antermittang awards this time, even though the evaluation was unfair.

Can you believe it?

There are 730,000 artists in our country, and 720,000 of them signed it. Wouldnt that be true?

I guess so.

The people who had been treated unfairly by the ruling class of the French National Art Association rose up.

They were exploited and powerless to fight back, but they were enraged by the Marso Gallery shooting incident.

They denounced the corrupt forces who pointed their guns at Henri Marso, who restored their rights, and launched a movement to protect him.

The people who took to the streets chanted his name as a hero, and the voices that criticized Henri Marso dwindled.

*

-He showed a really unexpected side, didnt he?

-Yes, he did. He usually had an image of hating to move, but he looked like a well-trained soldier.

-Do you want to see the scene captured by CCTV?

Henri Marso frowned as he watched the TV program.

The scene of him grabbing Jerome Kerbys wrist and knocking him down before he fired the gun was broadcasted.

It was a screen stored in the Marso Gallerys internal CCTV, and it was a video that would not be leaked unless it was a gallery official.

Did you send that?

Yeah.

Michelle shrugged her shoulders.

She felt like a clown, being noticed for her martial arts skills rather than her work.

Henri looked displeased, and Michelle stroked his head to comfort him.

You were awesome.

But dont ever do that again.

Michelle didnt want to go through the same situation again, where she could have lost him.

She repeated it all day, but she couldnt help emphasizing it.

I get it, stop it.

The two kissed lightly.

Little one?

Ravani?

Whos Ravani?

The kid with the turban.

Henri Marso recalled the child who was grabbed by the trash and shook his head.

Not him. Gohoon.

Yeah. Officer Gohoon came and took him. He didnt look hurt.

Henri Marso nodded.

I was really surprised. Was he mature or reckless?

Michelle remembered how Gohoon tried to talk to Jerome and buy some time.

In a situation where even adults would hesitate, Gohoon calmly tried to converse with the criminal and threw himself to protect Henri when he was in danger.

She didnt have a chance to greet him properly, but she thought she should make some time soon.

He was reckless.

Michelle chuckled at Henris words.

They had a lot in common, even though they seemed to be at odds.

So are you.

Recklessness is a word for people who cant do it.

And you can?

Of course.

Huh?

What.

You lose to me.

Michelle recalled her high school days.

They used to fight a lot and ended up going to the ring with sparring as an excuse.

Ha.

Henri snorted.

Youre holding on to that one time.

Yeah? It didnt seem like that.

I let you win.

Come on in.

Michelle took a stance and Henri Marso grabbed her wrist and they started to wrestle.

How much time had passed?

Henri? Henri?

As the two turned off the TV and tossed in the blanket, a familiar voice rang out urgently.

It was Sherry Gado.

Henri Marso and Michelle Platini opened their eyes wide.

They couldnt understand why she came back from her trip to Normandy with her friends.

Henri? Where are you? Why arent you answering the phone?

The voice got closer.

Henri quickly covered Michelle, who was trying to get dressed, with the blanket.

Michelle tried to get up, but Henri held her still.

Henri.

Sherry Gado sobbed when she saw Henri.

What? What about the trip?

Is the trip important right now? Are you okay? Any injuries?

Im fine. Go back.

This is.

Sherry Gado looked around the room.

Two pairs of slippers under the bed and a strangely protruding blanket. She smiled slightly at his slightly different attitude.

Oh, you. Say something.

What, what?

Sherry Gado tapped Henris cheek.

She was proud of the boy she raised like a son, who now knew how to act for someone else and brought a girlfriend.

Say hello later.

Hello? What are you talking about!

Hohoho. See you tomorrow then.

After the storm passed.

Michelle Platini and Henri Marso came out of the blanket and touched their foreheads with guilt.

*

This was the first time Grandpa was so angry.

He didnt say anything, just glared at me with his squinty eyes. It was hard to look him in the eye.

Im sorry.

For what.

For doing something dangerous.

Grandpa sighed deeply.

Why did you do that if you knew it was dangerous? Huh? What if you got hurt?

I would have been worried if Grandpa did something dangerous too. I knew his feelings so well that I had nothing to say.

Grandpa hugged me.

Hoon, its not your fault. Im just scared of losing you.

I hugged him back.

Im sorry. I felt the same way.

It wasnt a wrong thing to do morally.

Rather, many civilizations have taught for a long time that we should help those in need.

Especially a kid who looked about 13 or 14 years old and was threatened.

I should have helped, but it was a reckless thing to do, considering the risk.

It was something that could have left Grandpa alone, and something that could have ruined the opportunity I barely got.

I fell asleep, saying that I would never do that again to Grandpa, who was surprised, worried, and hurt.

The next day.

I met Martin Jansen, who promised to help with the documentary work.

Hoon!

Martin.

Martin, who was as sturdy as Grandpa, lifted me up as soon as he saw me.

Hahaha! You were cool!

Cool? Whats cool?

Grandpa scolded Martin, who was recounting yesterdays events.

Its not easy to help someone in trouble. You were very brave.

Martin put me down and messed up my hair.

But dont do anything too dangerous. Grandpa must have been so worried. Right?

Yes.

Martin nodded.

It seemed that I had worried many people, not just Grandpa. In the morning, I got scolded by Bang Tae-ho, Jang Mi-rae, and Cha Si-hyun.

Come on, come on. Lets talk while we eat.

We ate a simple onion soup and ham dish and listened to the documentary story, when I got an unexpected proposal.

Yes?

As you know, there are a lot of discolored works, right? There have been several attempts before, but I want to try it properly this time.

Martin said with a determined look.

I want to include a scene of you restoring Van Goghs sunflowers. Wouldnt that be fun?

I never thought of restoring my own painting.

Would it mean anything?

Of course. It would help the people who watch the documentary to imagine what the golden sunflowers that Van Gogh painted looked like.

Grandpa also nodded.

Ill have to specify that its a restoration based on guesswork.

Thats right. It would be nice if you could compare the sunflowers of other artists.

It didnt seem bad.

I have a condition.

A condition?

Yes.

Hahat. You little rascal, are you afraid Ill rip you off? Ill pay you generously, so dont worry about that.

Not money.

Hmm?

"Leave out the stories about Kay and Sien."1)

***

1)They were the people Van Gogh loved.

Kay was his cousins daughter, seven years older than Van Gogh.

Christine Clasina Maria Hoornik, whom Van Gogh called Sien, was a prostitute who was three years older than Van Gogh and lived with him.