Return of the Genius Photographer - Chapter 96

A few more days had passed since then.

After crossing the Turkish border and traveling through Bulgaria and Greece, we finally arrived in Italy.

Our next destination was Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily.

As we drove along and neared our destination, Kang San, gazing out the window, turned to me and said, “We’ll stop by the market before heading up the mountain. It’d be good to buy any supplies we might need there.”

I nodded in agreement.

Mount Etna, located in eastern Sicily, is one of the few active volcanoes in Europe, alongside those in the volcanic region of Iceland.

Given the dangers, it required even more preparation than other locations.

“Why? Are you worried?”

Misreading my silence as tension, Kang San smiled and asked.

“No, I’m just excited since it’s my first time photographing a volcano.”

Worry? Not at all.

I felt a thrill instead.

It had been quite a while since I’d last shot a volcano.

The market that Kang San mentioned was at the base of the mountain.

A bustling market filled with locals and travelers.

Kang San ventured deeper into the market to buy hiking gear, while I had already prepared most of what I needed, so I just looked for a few simple souvenirs and gazed up at Mount Etna.

At first glance, the mountain looked more like a snowy peak than a volcano.

Standing at an impressive height of 3,350 meters, the snow-covered summit gave no impression of being an active volcano that frequently erupted.

“It may look like that, but it’s a place that can erupt at any moment.”

“You made it here quickly.”

I thought it would take longer, but before I knew it, Kang San had come back to my side and was speaking casually.

But… who was the person next to him?

“By the way, who’s that over there?”

It seemed that Kang San hadn’t just bought equipment.

Standing next to him was a smiling white man who looked at me warmly.

“Just think of him as a guide,” Kang San introduced him casually.

The man suddenly pouted at Kang San’s introduction. “Photographer Kang! How can you just introduce me as a guide? Has our time together meant nothing?”

“As you can see, he’s a bit of a loud one,” Kang San replied.

“That’s harsh! I rushed out to the mountain the moment I heard Kang San was coming. Right?”

“…”

“What about the bond we formed on Mount Etna?”

The man continued talking to Kang San, who remained silent.

He didn’t seem like an ordinary person at all.

After talking for a while to the unresponsive Kang San, the man sighed dramatically before turning to me.

“Hello! I’m Tony. I’m a safety officer here.”

“Oh, nice to meet you.”

The man who introduced himself as Tony was a local safety officer.

Kang San’s planned shoot was focused on capturing the moment of a volcanic eruption.

Due to the inherent dangers, obtaining permission for such a shoot without the accompaniment of safety personnel would be impossible.

If luck had been against us, the shoot might not have happened at all.

Fortunately, Kang San’s acquaintance and safety officer, Tony, was here, ensuring everything would proceed smoothly.

“Kang San, you absolutely have to succeed today!”

It seemed that Kang San had been here several times, as Tony spoke to him with a bright smile.

“Enough with the small talk. Let’s get moving.”

Kang San turned away and hopped into the car.

“Then let’s save the rest of the conversation for the drive up,” Tony replied with a shrug of his shoulders and a smile, starting the engine.

With that, we began our ascent up Mount Etna in the car.

*****

“According to Greek mythology, there’s a monster named Typhon that lives beneath Mount Etna.”

As we ascended the mountain, Tony’s chatter continued without pause.

“In the past, Typhon was defeated by Zeus and was sealed beneath Sicily after Zeus threw him down here,” he added.

Kang San seemed displeased by Tony’s incessant talking, frowning throughout the journey. However, I found Tony’s words quite interesting.

“If it’s still spewing fire, it must still be alive,” I remarked.

“Haha, you’re quite romantic for a young person,” Tony said, pleased that I was engaging with him.

Thanks to his stories, the climb wasn’t dull at all.

“Anyway, this is a Strombolian volcano, so when an eruption begins, lava erupts out. It’s very dangerous, so you must be careful,” he warned.

As we continued our ascent, we eventually arrived at a shelter partway up the mountain, where we stopped the car and unloaded our gear.

“You can stay here while you’re shooting,” Tony explained.

“I’ll go inside and check my equipment first,” Kang San said, not even waiting for Tony to finish.

Seeing Kang San move so naturally made me curious, so I asked Tony, “Does Kang San come here often?”

“Oh, I guess you haven’t heard. This is his tenth visit,” Tony replied.

“Tenth time?”

“Yes. He usually stays for several days each time, but he’s missed out on great photos every time, so I hope he succeeds today.”

I was surprised by this and asked Tony for more details.

Ten times… I hadn’t realized he had been here so often.

“Setting up a tripod in front of a volcano and watching all night can be quite exhausting,” Tony mused.

I began to wonder what kind of photo Kang San was trying to capture.

After gathering our things, we made our way to the makeshift accommodation inside the shelter, where I found Kang San looking through a telescope towards the crater.

“What are you looking at?” I asked.

“I’m watching the activity of the volcano,” he replied without taking his eyes off the telescope.

Curious, I stepped beside him to take a look, but the crater seemed still and quiet.

“It looks calm right now,” I remarked.

“The forecast predicts an eruption soon, so we need to keep watch,” he said firmly. “Whether it’s tomorrow, next week, or right now, nobody knows.”

He spoke with a serious expression.

“However, once the eruption starts, our shooting window will be very brief. We can’t afford to miss any subtle signs.”

His gaze remained fixed on the crater.

“A photographer must be ready to capture the shot whenever the moment arises.”

Intrigued by his serious demeanor, I decided to ask the question that had been on my mind since we arrived. “What kind of photo are you planning to capture?”

What kind of shot was he so dedicated to pursuing that he wouldn’t give up despite having come here multiple times?

Kang San paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to respond.

After a brief silence, he turned to me and spoke.

“Vitality.”

Then he added, “I want to capture a photo that brims with vitality.”

“Ah…”

His words made me sigh softly, feeling the strength of his determination.

‘He certainly has much to teach.’

Though Kang San was usually quiet, he displayed a distinct passion for photography whenever he spoke about it.

There was a sense of obsession in his words.

He was someone whose deep commitment to photography shone through in just a few sentences.

In short, he was someone I found worth following and learning from.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting ready to go out? Are you not taking photos today?” he called out.

“Yes! I’ll get ready right away.”

For some reason, I felt good even with his sharp tone.

*****

How many days had passed as we kept watch over the crater?

The volcano seemed to mock our expectations of an imminent eruption, showing no signs whatsoever.

Everyone was growing weary from the endless waiting, and just as the time to leave for France was approaching—

“Wake up!”

One morning at dawn, Kang San shook me awake.

“What?”

“Get up right now!”

Still dazed from sleep, I saw Kang San frantically packing his gear in a disheveled state.

“What’s going on?”

“The volcano! It’s showing subtle movements!”

Just then, with Kang San’s shout, a cracking sound echoed, confirming the urgency of his words.

—Rumble!

Even someone unaware of the situation would have sensed something was about to happen.

Shaking off my sleepiness, I hurriedly followed Kang San and grabbed my things.

“We need to get closer to the volcano! If we wait any longer, we’ll miss this chance!”

The situation was dire.

If we delayed further and the volcano erupted, we wouldn’t just lose our chance to shoot; our lives would be at risk.

With his equipment ready, Kang San dashed out of the shelter towards the volcano as if he were being chased by something.

I quickly packed my gear and rushed after him.

How long did I run in my anxious state?

When I finally reached the shooting location that had been scouted earlier, I found Kang San already setting up his gear.

“Photographer Kang!”

“This is it! Hurry up! Faster…!”

He shouted urgently as he set up his tripod.

When I approached to help him, another rumble from the volcano shook the ground.

—Rumble!

In an instant, the once-calm volcano began to tremble.

Steam rose from the smaller craters, and waves of heat radiated through the air.

The snow around us had already melted away.

It felt like an imminent explosion could happen at any moment—not an ideal situation for shooting.

“Photographer, it’s getting dangerous!” I warned.

Yet, he paid me no mind.

Bracing his tripod against the shaking ground, he had already mounted his camera and pressed his eye to the viewfinder.

—CRACK! RUMBLE!

A deafening roar erupted simultaneously.

It seemed the volcano was signaling that it was ready to blow.

The massive crater at the summit emitted ominous black smoke, and flames danced from the cracks in the earth with the volcano’s roar.

—Click!

—Click!

—Click!

Kang San furiously pressed the shutter button, capturing the swirling lava and flames.

His eyes blazed with intensity.

Just as I was about to lose myself in the spectacle, I noticed that flames had caught on Kang San’s foot.

“Photographer Kang! Your foot! You’re on fire!”

Had he gotten too close to the flames?

The fire had spread from his tripod to his foot.

Even with fire-resistant gear, his shoes were quickly burning away.

I shouted urgently, but all I received was his curse.

“Shut up!”

“The soles of your shoes are melting! You’ll get hurt at this rate!”

But Kang San only snapped back at me.

“Hey! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t mind dying twice?”

“What?”

“I don’t mind dying right now! So just shut your mouth!”

With that, he turned his focus back to the flames, aiming his camera as if they embodied the vitality he sought.

He was so absorbed, it felt like he might leap into the fire.

Seeing him so focused, I lifted my own camera.

‘Ah, I finally understand why he never seemed bothersome despite his coldness towards me.’

This person was me.

If Kang San were faced with the breathtaking scenery of the snowy mountains where I had perished, he would undoubtedly meet the same fate.

Madness.

This was a state only someone who was obsessed with photography could reach.

A relentless fervor aimed at achieving a lofty artistic realm.

I aimed my camera at the flames.

No, to be precise, I aimed it at Kang San, who burned with the same intensity.

Despite the flames creeping up his legs, he remained immersed in capturing the moment.

Just gazing through the viewfinder sent chills down my spine.

‘This is it…’

A sudden intuition flashed through my mind.

The sensation I felt when capturing a masterpiece awakened every part of me.

This moment was one I absolutely couldn’t afford to miss…

—Click!

—Click!

—Click!

And so, the two madmen continued to press the shutter without restraint.