Return of the Genius Photographer

“The photo shoot is over. Can I leave now?”

Finally, the shoot was done.

I quietly asked after putting the camera down.

“…”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh? Yes… yes.”

Minjung had been lost in thought for a while and only responded reluctantly when I repeated my question.

‘What is she thinking about so deeply?’

She had a pensive look on her face.

For a moment, I was curious but then turned away.

‘I want to rest.’

My body felt sluggish from concentrating so hard on the shoot.

I decided to sit in the waiting room for a bit before heading home. As I slowly walked toward the door,

“Hey! Wait a moment!”

A hurried voice called out.

“Yes?”

“Could you wait in the waiting room for a bit? I’ll check the photos quickly and then we can talk.”

Her request made me tilt my head in confusion. Talk?

“Aren’t we just supposed to leave after the shoot? I thought you’d call later with the results.”

I asked, puzzled by her unexpected request.

“Well… yes, that was the original plan…”

Minjung began to scratch her head, looking a bit troubled.

“Um, it’s just that…”

She seemed to be choosing her words carefully.

But only for a moment.

With a small sigh, as if making up her mind, Minjung spoke up.

“Let’s just do it! The contract.”

Her words were quite surprising.

* * *

Minjung came back quickly after checking the photos. The slight smile on her face suggested she was pleased with the results.

She apologized for making me wait and we started our discussion right away.

“Are you really a high school student?”

Her eyes widened. I hadn’t noticed from a distance, but her eyes were quite large.

“Yes.”

I answered her, slightly worried since being a high school student seemed to be a concern. Was there a problem with it?

“No wonder you look so young… You know you’ll need a guardian’s consent form and a family relationship certificate to sign the contract, right?”

“I don’t have them now, but I can bring them next time?”

“Okay, we’ll have to do that. Bring them to the next shoot.”

Despite the sudden contract process, our conversation flowed smoothly.

It seemed like Minjung didn’t mind that I was a high school student.

“You know my name, right? You can call me boss. Or would you prefer calling me ‘noona’?”

“What?”

“I’m kidding. Just kidding.”

She even joked with a smile.

‘Was she always like this?’

I had been so focused on the shoot that her first impression was blurry in my memory.

But who cares? If she’s friendly now, that’s what matters. Her making me comfortable is good for me.

“I’ll call you that when I feel more comfortable, boss. So, how about the pay?”

Thanks to the relaxed atmosphere, it was easier to bring up the main topic. I quickly asked the question I was most curious about.

“Oh right, I haven’t mentioned that yet.”

Minjung took out a piece of paper from her bag and handed it to me as she continued speaking.

“We don’t have shoots every day, so how about 50,000 won per shoot?”

“50,000 won?”

“Yes. And we’ll cover all the travel expenses and the cost of the shooting props.”

The paper she handed over was a contract detailing the terms.

“This is a much better deal than working a part-time job anywhere else.”

She added, seemingly trying to emphasize how good the deal was.

“Just a moment. Let me read the contract first.”

But it’s never wise to get swept up in the moment and sign a contract immediately.

‘If you sign a contract hastily, you usually end up regretting it…’

I started reading through the contract slowly, examining it carefully.

To be honest, she wasn’t wrong.

If I remembered correctly, the minimum hourly wage in 2007 was around 3,400 won. Even if you worked eight full hours, you’d only make a bit over 27,000 won a day.

If I signed this contract, I’d be earning nearly twice that amount for just one photo shoot.

It’s definitely more lucrative than a regular part-time job.

Plus, they were covering all travel and prop expenses…

If I were an inexperienced high school student, I’d think I hit the jackpot and agree to the deal right away.

But from my perspective, this contract seemed too sloppy.

“There are a few parts of the contract that need to be revised.”

“What?”

“First, there’s no mention of copyright. It needs to state that the copyright belongs to me.”

Minjung’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting my response.

“The payment per shoot also isn’t clearly defined. We need to set a standard for that.”

“Um… wait a minute…”

“And this isn’t an exclusive contract; it’s more like a freelance agreement, so that needs to be specified as well.”

“Hold on a second!”

Unable to keep up with my points, Minjung stopped me as I went through the contract terms one by one.

“Um… so you want to change the contract terms, right?”

She asked cautiously.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

I answered as if it were the most natural thing. If she thought I was just an inexperienced high school student, she was in for a surprise. I had the upper hand in this contract negotiation.

“Oh, no… You seem quite experienced. Very skilled.”

She stammered, looking over the points I raised with a confused expression.

Experienced? Of course.

Before becoming a staff photographer for National Geographic, I personally handled countless contracts. If I explained how many deals I closed without a management team, she’d probably be shocked.

“Our company is just starting to expand, so our financial situation isn’t great…”

Minjung even began explaining the company’s circumstances to persuade me, though I hadn’t asked.

She may become a successful online shopping mall CEO in the future, but right now, she seemed more like a rookie overwhelmed by her new position.

“Then let’s keep the salary as is but include a royalty clause for sales of products featuring my photos.”

I modified the contract in my favor without making it too burdensome for her.

“As long as there’s no sale, my salary remains unchanged. Isn’t that a fair condition?”

“I’m not sure about the sales yet, so that might be difficult…”

“Then just give me 1% of the sales from restocked items after the initial stock sells out.”

“Oh… that sounds doable.”

The key to negotiating a contract is not to make the other party accept your terms but to make it impossible for them to refuse.

Minjung, who initially seemed hesitant, eventually accepted my conditions.

In the grand scheme, the changes weren’t significant, so it wasn’t too hard for her to agree, even if it was a bit confusing.

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll contact you once the next shoot is scheduled. Please bring the consent form and family relationship certificate then.”

Minjung’s voice was weak, clearly drained from the negotiation. I gave a light farewell and left with the contract in hand.

I also made sure to collect today’s shooting fee.

*****

The sun was setting by the time I finished the shoot and subsequent discussions, making it quite late.

-Pshh

I tore open a pack of vegetable juice on the bus and took a sip.

Today’s flavor was onion.

The bitter taste lingered in my mouth, slightly easing the day’s fatigue.

‘This is the stuff.’

As I drank the juice, I replayed the events of the day’s shoot in my mind.

There was no need to force the recollection; the memories replayed vividly in my head as soon as I closed my eyes.

“Well, it was the first shoot, after all…”

And not just any shoot.

I had taken photos with my perfectly restored vision after 30 years.

In fact, it’s surprising how composed I remained.

My hand still trembled slightly, not yet free from the exhilaration of the shoot.

‘At least the results came quickly.’

To be honest, I never doubted that I would pass today’s interview.

I was confident in my skills.

What surprised me was how much better the reaction was than I expected.

And how quickly they reached a conclusion.

Could it be that they really liked my photos that much?

“I found them a bit lacking, though…”

Like a master potter smashing an ostensibly perfect piece,

I personally wasn’t fully satisfied with today’s shoot.

It felt like the camera couldn’t capture the image in my mind.

Maybe it was because it had been so long since my last shoot that my body couldn’t keep up with my mind.

‘And my sense of it, too.’

Like a disused body part gradually atrophying, my artistic senses had dulled during the long hiatus.

Feeling this tired also meant I was tense throughout the shoot, dissatisfied with the photos.

‘But the last one turned out well.’

I had been on edge until the very last shot.

But that’s okay. Photography is an ever-evolving discipline that requires continuous learning.

There’s no need to be impatient if today’s work didn’t meet my standards.

The client was satisfied, after all.

I recalled Minjung, who couldn’t stop praising my photos.

“If she’s already that impressed, she’s in for more surprises…”

I wondered how she’d react when she saw everything I still had to show.

But those thoughts were brief.

I was almost home. There was still one more thing to do.

“What should I tell Mom?”

I imagined my mother’s reaction if I told her I had an interview.

How should I convince her?

This might be the biggest challenge yet.

*****

“What are you doing, sis?”

Hyunwoo called out to Minjung as he entered the studio.

It was already dark outside.

Despite it being well past quitting time, he came looking for his sister who still hadn’t left the studio.

“Sis?”

“Oh? Hyunwoo, what’s up?”

Minjung, who was deeply engrossed in her work, finally looked up after Hyunwoo called out to her a second time.

“Are you really busy today? When are you planning to come home?”

“Oh wow, is it that late already? I was so absorbed in refining the website that I lost track of time.”

“Still? Is it going to take much longer?”

“No, I just need to upload the photos now.”

“Really?”

Intrigued by Minjung’s words, Hyunwoo peeked at the computer screen.

The screen displayed photos of products that were about to launch.

“Wow! What’s this? These photos are amazing!”

The object of Hyunwoo’s admiration was the makeup powder photos that Woojin had taken.

“These were taken by the person we just contracted. Can you believe it? He’s only a high school student. Isn’t that incredible?”

Minjung explained, understanding Hyunwoo’s amazement.

Even she, who had witnessed the entire process, was astonished by the photos. So, seeing Hyunwoo’s reaction made sense.

Without exaggeration, Woojin’s photos radiated brilliance.

Looking at the cosmetics that shimmered with light in the pictures, one could feel an irresistible urge to purchase them.

The quality was so high that you might believe they were luxury items based on the photos alone.

“How does someone take photos like this? Did he learn it somewhere? Or is it just talent?”

Hyunwoo added to Minjung’s explanation. She nodded in agreement without saying a word.

She had thought similarly at first.

But considering Woojin’s demeanor during the shoot, the results he produced, and even his meticulous review of the contract…

Could all those traits really be summed up as mere talent?

‘No.’

Minjung shook her head.

She couldn’t precisely describe it, but Woojin’s actions suggested something beyond talent or learned skills.

Although she couldn’t fully articulate it, her business instincts told her as much.

“But there aren’t many photos. That’s a shame. It’d be great if there were more.”

Hyunwoo quietly commented after looking through all the photos.

Minjung nodded again, following his gaze back to the website.

What if there were many more of Woojin’s eye-catching photos on the website?

“Hyunwoo, I think we need to move up the shooting schedule.”

Rubbing her suddenly chilled arm, Minjung decided they needed to schedule another photoshoot as soon as possible.