Return of the Genius Photographer

After the meeting with Shin Youngman, the chairman of the Korean Photographers Association, I immediately returned to my studio and checked my email.

The last words Shin Youngman had left me with, along with the earlier phone call, had left me feeling uneasy.

‘Just as I thought…’

As I checked my inbox, I let out a bitter smile.

Unsurprisingly…

Several places I had responded to had sent cancellation emails.

It was absurd.

If it were just one or two, I could understand.

But there were more cancellations than I expected.

Some had even confirmed schedules with me beforehand.

At this point…

‘It’s safe to assume Shin Youngman pulled some strings.’

I had sensed something was off as soon as I turned down his offer, and now it seemed he had immediately started scheming behind the scenes.

Out of curiosity, I checked the events and competitions that had canceled on me.

Unsurprisingly, they were all sponsored or supported by the association.

‘Is he trying to intimidate me?’

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

While I was initially annoyed after checking my inbox…

I wasn’t so much worried about the future as I was appalled by the association’s underhanded tactics.

Even though the association had a notorious reputation, I had assumed that, as an organization for photographers, they would act reasonably…

‘This is just straight-up thuggery.’

Their behavior was no different from loan sharks trying to intimidate people into compliance.

‘Do they really think I’ll sign the contract out of fear?’

It was laughable.

If they thought I’d be scared by something like this, they were sorely mistaken.

While it was frustrating to lose some opportunities, it wasn’t a significant blow to me.

They must have underestimated me, because I still had more work offers than I could handle.

‘If things get bad, I can always go abroad.’

Moreover, the offers I received weren’t limited to Korea—they came from all over the world.

I had already secured an international agency, so I could leave Korea at any time if I wanted to.

So, what was happening now wasn’t worth worrying about.

‘Maybe I should just leave Korea now…’

As I was pondering this, a thought struck me.

‘Ah, right. I should let them know first.’

I remembered that Jung Woong and Kangsan would be curious about how the meeting went.

They had been worried about me even before the meeting.

I should tell them what happened.

Though it wasn’t exactly good news.

Still, it might be something we could laugh about together.

‘But didn’t Jung Woong say he was pretty busy?’

The last I heard, he had a packed schedule…

‘I should ask Miseon first.’

I decided to check with the receptionist about his schedule.

With that in mind, I headed straight to the reception desk on the first floor of the studio.

But the answer I received was completely unexpected.

“When will Jung Woong be available?”

“Ah, he’s probably in his studio right now. But he’s a bit…”

“Huh? I heard he was supposed to be on a business trip today…”

“Well… that got cancelled.”

Cancelled?

“The client unilaterally terminated the contract for the shoot. He’s probably on the phone right now. Jung Woong is really upset.”

As I stood there, puzzled, the receptionist added more details.

“It’s really strange. We’ve been preparing for this shoot for a long time… They said they’d pay the penalty, but still…”

As she explained, Shin Youngman’s words echoed in my mind.

“This is just the beginning.”

Could it be…?

Was what happened to Jung Woong also Shin Youngman’s doing?

“I see. I should go see Jung Woong.”

With that thought, I immediately headed to Jung Woong’s studio.

***

At that moment, Jung Woong was talking with Kangsan.

“You’re not planning to tell Woojin about this?”

When Kangsan asked, Jung Woong simply nodded in response.

The sudden cancellation notice from the client.

Though they didn’t know the exact details, both Jung Woong and Kangsan had a gut feeling that this was somehow related to Woojin.

“I can feel it. There’s only one place dirty enough to pull something like this. Should we give them a taste of their own medicine?”

Kangsan, with his arms crossed, looked at Jung Woong as he spoke, but Jung Woong shook his head slowly, clearly reluctant.

“No, let’s hold off. Our actions might affect Woojin.”

If what was happening now was truly connected to Woojin and the association, their response could lead to unintended consequences.

For Kangsan and Jung Woong, even if the association tried to interfere, it would only be a nuisance—nothing they couldn’t handle.

But for Woojin, who was just starting to gain recognition and establish himself, this could have a significant impact.

That’s why Jung Woong decided not to confront the association directly but to avoid reacting altogether.

“Anyway, let’s not tell Woojin about this. If he finds out, he’ll definitely worry. You know how kind-hearted he is.”

“Haha, you really do care about your student.”

As Kangsan teased Jung Woong, there was a knock at the door.

—Knock knock.

“Photographer Jung, it’s Woojin. Can I come in?”

Without waiting for a response, Woojin quietly opened the door and entered the studio.

“Hello. I came to talk about the meeting with the association. But…”

After greeting both Jung Woong and Kangsan, Woojin hesitated for a moment before looking at Jung Woong with a serious expression.

“Photographer Jung, I heard the client unilaterally canceled the shoot?”

His face was filled with anger.

“Yeah, things were going well, but you know how it is in this industry. Things can change overnight.”

Jung Woong tried to brush it off casually, but Woojin wasn’t buying it.

“That might be true sometimes, but this doesn’t feel like one of those cases.”

Woojin glanced at Kangsan as he spoke.

“You know what’s going on, don’t you?”

Kangsan, who had been watching quietly, finally chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, there’s no fooling this kid.”

Then he turned to Woojin and asked, “From the way things are going, I can guess what happened with the association, right?”

“Yes. You’re probably right.”

“So, what do you want to do now?”

At that moment, Jung Woong, who had been silent, interjected.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?”

“This is all they can do.”

Jung Woong, with a complicated expression, explained to Woojin.

“We’ve had a strained relationship with the association for years now. Even if it weren’t you, something like this would’ve happened eventually. This isn’t the first time.”

“Teacher…”

“At most, they’ll tire themselves out and give up. We’ll just keep doing our work, so don’t worry about it.”

He was telling Woojin not to worry and not to escalate things.

But he firmly replied to Jung Woong.

“No.”

*

I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing, as Jung Woong suggested.

If this were just about me, I might have let it slide.

“But this has crossed the line.”

Now that they were dragging others into it, they had truly gone too far.

‘Let’s see who lasts till the end.’

I was determined to make sure this kind of thing never happened again and to show them exactly how their dirty tricks would backfire.

After finishing my conversation with Jung Woong, I immediately returned to my studio and began investigating the association.

Starting with the photographers affiliated with the association.

Then moving on to their major events and key figures.

As I was collecting data, pondering how to teach the association chairman a lesson…

‘Huh? This is…’

While going through the list of sponsors, I found something that could be a clue.

Sponsors: Hansung Group, Seongjin Group…

Among the companies sponsoring the Korean Photographers Association was Chairman Han Gun-ho’s company.

‘So they’ve been sponsoring the association too.’

Thinking about it, it made sense.

Given how deeply invested he is in photography, even creating a separate charity organization.

It’s no surprise he wouldn’t hesitate to sponsor an association like this.

Moreover, the sponsorship seemed to have been ongoing for quite some time, as a quick search brought up a flood of articles.

― Chairman Han Gun-ho pledges regular sponsorship to the Korean Photographers Association!

― Hansung Group’s generous support encourages the Korean Photographers Association to focus more on discovering new talent.

― Chairman Shin Youngman: The partnership with Hansung Group will continue…

Articles dating back years, up to recent ones.

There were even photos of Shin Youngman smiling as he shook hands with Chairman Han Gun-ho, who was handing over the sponsorship funds.

It was clear that the relationship between Hansung Group and the Korean Photographers Association was quite strong.

‘This is it.’

As I looked through the articles, I nodded with certainty.

Chairman Han Gun-ho, though not a photographer himself, is one of the most passionate people I know when it comes to photography.

He even created a charity organization to discover new talent and hosted events with auctions raising millions in donations.

If he found out that the association he sponsors was being run for personal gain like this…

‘I doubt he’d stay silent.’

At the very least, I couldn’t imagine him continuing the sponsorship.

And if that didn’t work…

‘I can just tell him it’s my wish.’

I was determined to cut off the association’s sponsorship, no matter what.

For a conglomerate like Hansung Group, the sponsorship funds must make up a significant portion of the association’s budget.

This could deal a massive blow to the association.

‘Shin Youngman would never see this coming.’

He probably never imagined the consequences of messing with a single photographer.

I had vowed to make the people around me happy in this new life…

But he ruined that with his dirty tricks.

So now…

It’s my turn.

Having made up my mind, I called Chairman Han Gun-ho.

― Oh, it’s you. What’s the occasion this time?

Chairman Han Gun-ho’s voice came through the receiver.

“I’d like to meet with you soon, as you mentioned before.”

― That’s great. I happen to have some free time.

Chairman Han Gun-ho sounded pleased.

“And… I think it’s finally time to use that wish.”

― Ah, this time, make it a proper wish. All these small favors have just turned into me running errands for you, haven’t they?

Laughing intermittently, Chairman Han Gun-ho waited with anticipation.

“I heard you’ve been sponsoring the Korean Photographers Association with a significant amount every year.”

― That’s right.

“Starting today, I’d like you to stop sponsoring them.”

The curtain had risen on my counterattack.