Sion began painting again. His brush, dipped in a mix of teal and yellow paint, wandered across the canvas, embroidering it with green.
"Why didn't you just use green from the beginning? Why make green by mixing two colors?" Geon asked, pouting his lips slightly.
Holding his brush, Sion pointed at the canvas and answered, "Well, it's a bit difficult to explain to someone who hasn't studied fine arts, but let me try to simplify it. First, I need to explain the concepts of primary and secondary colors. The primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. And from these primary colors, we get three secondary colors."
The combinations he described were as follows:
Teal + Yellow = Green.
Teal + Magenta = Blue.
Magenta + Yellow = Red.
Teal + Magenta + Yellow = A blackish color.
Finally, he explained that using a dark mix of paints would result in black when all the colors were mixed. Geon, who was new to these fundamental art concepts, learned something new but still couldn't grasp how to apply this to music.
"Uhm... I see. But how is that different from just using the original colors?"
Sion quietly looked at Geon, then set his brush on the palette.
"Artists don't just mix colors to paint. The key point is mixing light, not just colors."
Geon, surprised by the unexpected response, asked, "You mean light, not colors?"
"Yes, just imagine for a moment. Suppose you're sitting in front of a PC, turning on the monitor, and opening a document or Word file in full screen. Now, what color do you see?"
Following Sion's words, Geon closed his eyes and imagined, then naturally responded, "It should be white, right?"
"Hehe, really?"
"Yes, if it’s a Word or document file, it's a program that writes on a white background."
"Are you sure that what you're seeing is white?"
Geon opened his eyes to look at Sion, who smiled and flicked his index finger.
"Go home, prepare a magnifying glass, and look closely at your monitor. The light from the monitor isn't white. You'll soon realize it's made up of red, green, and blue dots. Unlike paint, which absorbs colors, light adds colors. The primary colors of light are different from those of paint."
As Geon's expression turned serious, Sion delivered the clincher.
"I'm not sure how many famous paintings you've seen, but not many are made with the original colors of the paint."
"Light... not colors..."
As Sion picked up his brush again, he added, "I mentioned earlier about the color turning red, which involves magenta and yellow. Interestingly, the pigment needed to make magenta is red and blue, which shows that the colors made by mixing light are known as subtractive colors. If you mix all subtractive colors, do you know what color you get?"
Geon, lost in thought with his eyes closed, murmured softly, "I'm not sure."
Sion smiled gently and said, "It's white. Isn't it fascinating? Why does this happen? People see colors by the light reflected from objects. The way our eyes perceive subtractive colors is in three parts: firstly, subtractive colors absorb light, and then our eyes recognize the light that is not absorbed but reflected. The reflected colors are the mixed colors in the paint, and the remaining light that enters our eyes after absorption is what we see."
Geon slightly bowed his head, contemplating.
"White, reflected color, absorbed light... an afterimage of complementary colors?"
Seeing Geon deep in thought, Sion resumed painting. One man painted while the other was lost in thought.
After a long time, Geon, whose face had brightened, looked up as Sion, unnoticed when he had bought it, offered a cup of iced coffee with a smile.
"I hope it was helpful."
Taking the coffee, Geon smiled brightly, "Thank you, Sion. It was a great help. I'd like to contact you later and treat you to a meal. Could I get your contact information?"
"Hehe, I don't use a cell phone. And there's no need for that; I didn't tell you this expecting something in return."
"But I'm grateful and would like to contact you."
"Haha, my life is just wandering and painting; I don't have a contact number. If we happen to meet again by chance, treat me then."
"Ah... I see. Okay. Thank you really, Sion."
After thanking Sion several times by shaking his hand, Geon, seeming to have caught onto something, rushed back to school. Watching Geon's retreating figure, Sion's expression turned from warm to cold and detached in an instant.
As Geon entered the school gates, Sion bared his fangs with a
smile.
"There are no coincidences in this world, only inevitabilities."
The warm-looking Sion looked up at the sky with a cold expression.
"Now, what will happen? I've given a hint that exceeds the limits. Will the angels come first, or the demons? Hehehehe. Either way, it'll be a good hit against Gamagin and Pyemon."
The place where Sion had been, with art supplies strewn about, was left empty as if no one had been there from the start. Soon after, petty thieves appeared and took the art supplies, leaving the bench empty.
Meanwhile, back at school, Geon spread out a blank music sheet and another with the skeleton of "The Song of Water" on the floor, sitting cross-legged. As he twirled a black pen in his hand, he glanced at the tip of the pen.
"Expression of light, is it possible with this black pen?"
From Geon's fingertips flowed a red musical note. Watching the note turn magenta as he overlaid a blue note, he raised his arm and cheered.
"Hooray! It works!"
But then his expression turned thoughtful again as he rested his chin on his hand.
"What emotion does magenta represent? And if two colors are mixed, doesn't it just represent two emotions?"
Geon quietly recalled what Sion had said.
"To get yellow, you need to mix cyan and magenta, right? Cyan is blue and green, so let's add one more note."
Geon drew a cyan note close to the magenta note. No matter how he looked, the colors of the two mixed emotions seemed confusing as he eyed the music sheet. Amid his contemplation, his cell phone rang in his back pocket.
Dropping the score as he was startled by the sudden call, Geon picked it up and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Geon? I called because I was wondering how you are."
"Oh, Director Lin? Haha, I heard you met Byung-jun yesterday. Why didn't you see me?"
"Ah, I've been busy and it will be difficult to meet for a while."
"Ah... I see. I'm currently in the studio researching. I think I've got a hint."
"A hint... you say?"
"Yes, it might be a bit complex to explain simply, but it was about light, not color."
"..."
"Hello? Director?"
"Oh, sorry."
"It's nothing, right? No other matter?"
"No, there's nothing else, and Lucy is doing well too."
"That's good, I'm sorry to bother you about Lucy."
"No, I like cats, especially pretty ones like Lucy, haha."
"Then, I'll count on you for a while."
"Yes, once you finish your busy work, we'll see each other soon, Director."
"Yes, Mr. Geon. Ah! Mr. Geon? How did you get the hint you mentioned earlier?"
"Ah... from a conversation with a painter I met in front of the school."
"A stranger?"
"Yes, it was someone I saw for the first time. I only know his name."
"What's his name?"
"Sion, ah, I didn't ask his full name. I'd definitely like to thank him later if we meet."
"Sion... alright."
As Lin hung up after saying she understood, Geon puzzledly looked at the screen then returned his gaze to the music sheet.
As he drew the notes, the colors of the two subtractive mixed notes began to blend.
The colors from painting differed, not mixing completely but shimmering in various colors like waves. Hastily, Geon pulled out a pen and began writing new notes.
"First, I'll draw magenta... then mix it with a cyan note..."
Watching the notes shine in three colors, Geon looked disappointed then suddenly raised his head.
"Wait! The colors needed for magenta are red and blue, and cyan is blue and green. Blue overlaps! Then it's correct that only three colors appear. If I mix completely different colors of emotion..."
Hastily, he overlaid yellow on the already drawn note and his eyes widened.
"Black? Mixing cyan and magenta with yellow turns it black?"
The black Geon saw wasn't just black. Hurriedly bringing the score close to his eyes, his expression brightened.
"Just like the effect Sion mentioned about monitors! It looks black, but up close, you can see blue, green, red, yellow! Hooray! This is it, this is it!!"
As Geon jubilantly celebrated in the school practice room, Lin, who had ended their call, sat on a hotel room sofa with a complex look, staring out the window.
Staring blankly at a steaming coffee cup, she stood by the window, looking down at a park blooming with spring greenery, and muttered seriously.
"Sion... Old Sion."
Lin, folding her arms, clen
ched her fist resting below her chest.
"Is he trying to push the child beyond his limits to get the demons and angels moving?"
Looking at a few clouds in the sky, Lin murmured.
"Lord Michael, what should we do?"
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