The announcement echoed through the grand auditorium like a clap of thunder.
"The recipient of this year's Grand Prize is the independent participant competing under the alias... Roxana!"
For several seconds...
Nobody applauded.
The audience simply stared at one another in disbelief.
"...Roxana?"
"Who is that?"
"I've never heard of that artist."
"Is it one of the academy students?"
"It can't be. I know everyone in the senior art department."
Whispers rippled through every corner of the auditorium.
Even the journalists hurriedly flipped through their registration booklets, searching for the mysterious participant.
Nothing.
There was no photograph.
No academy affiliation.
No biography.
Only a single elegant name.
Roxana.
Ji-Yeon sat frozen in her chair.
Her bandaged hand rested limply on her lap while her healthy hand slowly tightened into a trembling fist beneath the table.
"...No..."
she whispered.
"This..."
"This isn't possible."
She had expected disappointment.
She had expected perhaps second or third place.
But...
To lose to someone whose identity was completely unknown...
Someone who wasn't even standing among the contestants...
It felt like the cruelest humiliation imaginable.
Around her, several students began murmuring excitedly.
"I want to see the painting again."
"Master Dong-Hyun gave it the highest score."
"They said every single judge awarded it full marks."
"I've never seen unanimous judging before."
Ji-Yeon's breathing became uneven.
Full...
Marks?
Her chest tightened.
The applause finally began.
At first only a handful of people clapped.
Then more.
Soon the entire hall erupted into thunderous applause.
Not for a familiar face.
Not for a celebrity.
But for a painting powerful enough to command absolute respect.
Master Dong-Hyun slowly rose from his seat.
The applause gradually faded as everyone turned toward the legendary painter.
He walked onto the stage with calm, measured steps, stopping beside the winning canvas.
The painting had been moved beneath a spotlight.
Its colors seemed even more alive than before.
Master Dong-Hyun gazed at it for several long moments before speaking.
"For fifty years..."
His deep, composed voice resonated throughout the silent hall.
"I have devoted my life to art."
"I have visited museums across Europe."
"I have judged competitions on four continents."
"I have witnessed extraordinary talent."
He gently rested one hand behind his back.
"But today..."
"...I encountered something rare."
His eyes remained fixed upon the painting.
"Technique may be taught."
"Composition may be studied."
"Perspective may be perfected."
He slowly turned toward the audience.
"But sincerity..."
He paused.
"...cannot be imitated."
The hall remained perfectly silent.
Every student listened with unwavering attention.
Master Dong-Hyun continued.
"When I first saw this painting..."
"I did not think about brushstrokes."
"I did not think about color theory."
"I thought about home."
His words settled heavily upon the audience.
"I remembered my childhood."
"My mother's garden."
"The scent of winter pine."
"The laughter of my younger sister."
A faint smile appeared on the elderly master's face.
"No artist forced those memories upon me."
"The painting simply..."
"...opened the door."
Several judges nodded quietly.
One elderly curator discreetly removed his glasses to wipe the corners of his eyes.
Master Dong-Hyun looked once more at the signature.
Roxana.
"What separates a craftsman from an artist..."
"...is the ability to make strangers feel like family."
"This painting accomplished exactly that."
The auditorium erupted into applause once again.
This time...
Even louder.
Several students stood to their feet.
Soon others followed.
Within moments...
The entire auditorium rose in a standing ovation.
Not for a person.
But for an unseen soul hidden behind a single name.
Far across the city...
Inside the quiet café...
Yun-Ji and Min-Ho watched the live broadcast on Yun-Ji's tablet.
The camera focused on Master Dong-Hyun as he continued speaking.
Min-Ho remained silent.
Her expression revealed almost nothing.
Only her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the emotions hidden beneath her calm exterior.
Yun-Ji noticed.
She smiled softly.
"You wanted revenge."
She leaned closer.
"But I think..."
"...this means more than revenge."
Min-Ho didn't answer immediately.
Instead, her eyes remained fixed upon the screen.
For the first time in two lifetimes...
Someone was praising her work.
Not Ji-Yeon's.
Not the Kang family.
Not another thief.
Her.
Even if no one knew her name.
Tears quietly gathered in her eyes.
Not tears of sadness.
Nor relief.
But something she had believed impossible.
Recognition.
She remembered standing backstage in her previous life while Ji-Yeon accepted awards painted by Min-Ho's own hands.
She remembered hearing audiences chant Ji-Yeon's name.
She remembered smiling politely while her heart shattered.
Nobody had ever asked who created those paintings.
Nobody cared.
She had simply been...
Useful.
Disposable.
Invisible.
But today...
Without revealing her face...
Without telling anyone her story...
Her art had finally spoken for itself.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
Yun-Ji reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand.
"You earned this."
Min-Ho smiled faintly.
"I thought..."
"My first victory would make me happy."
She laughed quietly.
"But..."
"It only reminds me how much was stolen from me."
Yun-Ji's expression softened.
"And you'll take it back."
"Piece by piece."
Min-Ho nodded.
"Everything."
Meanwhile...
Back inside the academy...
The ceremony continued.
The principal returned to the stage carrying an elegant velvet box containing the Grand Prize medal.
Beside it rested a gold-framed certificate and an envelope containing the scholarship and prize money.
He looked toward the audience.
"It is unfortunate that Miss Roxana could not attend today's ceremony."
A ripple of disappointment spread through the hall.
"However..."
"The academy has already contacted her registered representative."
"The award will be delivered privately."
Several reporters immediately raised their hands.
"Principal!"
"Will the academy reveal Roxana's identity?"
Another shouted,
"Has Master Dong-Hyun ever met the artist?"
"Is Roxana studying overseas?"
The principal smiled apologetically.
"I'm afraid we cannot disclose confidential registration information."
The journalists looked visibly disappointed.
Only one person on the stage remained thoughtful.
Master Dong-Hyun.
His eyes never left the painting.
His instincts told him something unusual lay beneath this mysterious artist.
The brushwork...
The emotional maturity...
The restraint...
None of it matched the age expected of a teenage competitor.
It was almost as though...
Someone much older...
Someone who had experienced profound loss...
Had painted through the hands of youth.
He quietly smiled to himself.
"Roxana..."
he murmured beneath his breath.
"I hope our paths cross soon."