I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 116

"This feels strange."

I thought I would feel relieved after finishing all the work, but I didn’t. Instead, there was a sense of something heavy lifting from the corner of my heart.

It felt like my body had become lighter.

"Should I go find my mentor first?"

I opened the door and stepped out of the studio.

***

It didn’t take long to find my mentor.

I sent a text, and thirty minutes later, they returned.

“Good. You seem to be feeling better mentally.”

“Not physically?”

“If there was something wrong with your body, you wouldn’t be here, sitting like this.”

...I had nothing to say to that.

I stared at my mentor with a dazed expression, and they chuckled.

“Hmph. If only you’d draw a bit more gracefully.”

“That’s a thing of the past. What more is there to say?”

“You’re good with words.”

We looked at each other and laughed a bit, then I straightened up and became serious.

“I’ll take care of the rest, so focus on resting. You’ve worked hard fixing the painting.”

“I’ve already rested plenty.”

“You brat. What I mean is, take care of your health. You’ve been getting healthier lately, but I’m telling you, start exercising.”

My mentor let out a frustrated breath.

But mentor, I do want to exercise, but I think I need to consult a doctor first.

‘I haven’t had a regular checkup in a while, huh?’

I’ll probably get a text soon, telling me to come to the hospital.

This really makes me feel like I’m becoming a proper adult.

sigh... "Well then, I’ll go handle the cleanup. Be careful on your way home."

“Ah, okay.”

Those were the last words my mentor said as they moved behind me. I watched them for a moment, then turned in the opposite direction.

Since I was already upstairs, there was no need to take the elevator.

‘Oh, it’s already night?’

I clearly left the house before evening, but how is it already nighttime?

‘...I’ve been here almost 4 hours, huh.’

I sighed as I glanced at the digital clock in the lobby.

The clock was nearing 11 PM.

Since it was already late, I decided to take it slow.

‘Where do I catch the bus again?’

After checking my phone, I saw that the bus still had quite a while to arrive. I couldn’t just stand here, though.

Maybe I should just ask Dad to come pick me up.

Another stack of "dutiful son" points had been neatly accumulated today.

While I was absentmindedly staring at the clock...

“Ha-Eun.”

“Hmm...?”

Someone had sat next to me, who had been sitting in the corner. Startled, I turned to see who it was.

“Hahaha. How out of it were you, not noticing when I got here?”

“Ah, I see.”

“Hello, Eun.”

“Why are you here again?”

My dad and Ha-Soo-Yul.

Why were these two here? And what an unusual combination.

“I got a call from Low-Hwa. They told me to bring my son home. And since Yul was at our house, she said she’d come along.”

“I see.”

But why was she at our house?

“She asked me to help with her homework.”

“Ah, I see...”

“…Sorry.”

It wasn’t that I was stupid, but... this was awkward.

Dad watched us with a pleased look and stood up.

“Let’s go. It’s getting late. I’m sure my son’s hungry.”

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“Ah... yeah. A bit.”

Dad gave a slight smile and took my hand to help me up.

As my view suddenly rose, I blinked for a moment.

Then I felt warmth from my right hand.

When I looked down, I saw that Ha-Soo-Yul’s hand was tangled with mine. Her hands were always so warm.

“Mom, Dad, and Yul already had dinner. Do you want anything, son?”

“Hmm…”

“Strawberry cake.”

“Hmm?”

Both Dad and I looked at Ha-Soo-Yul at the same time.

“You like it, right? Am I wrong?”

“Well, you’re right, but…”

I tilted my head as I answered her, and Ha-Soo-Yul smiled slyly.

“Uncle, Eun likes strawberry cake.”

“Well then, should we look for a bakery or café nearby?”

Are we planning to eat and head back? Well, that’s fine.

While Dad was carefully selecting a place, Ha-Soo-Yul moved a bit closer to me.

I glanced at her for a moment, then spoke up.

“So? In the end, you were at our house because of me, right?”

“Yeah.”

The way she smiled with her eyes seemed like she just wanted to wait, right?

With a mix of gratitude and guilt, I expressed my thanks.

“Thanks for bringing me along.”

“If you’re thankful, let’s hang out before the vacation ends.”

Yeah, that’s Ha-Soo-Yul for you. That sly fox.

But, it wasn’t like I didn’t like her, so I gripped her hand a little more tightly.

“!”

“Hey, this place has good reviews. Should we go here?”

“Sure.”

With a soft puff sound, I led Ha-Soo-Yul, who was half-snickering, toward Dad’s car.

We both sat in the back seat as we set off.

“This feels weird. We used to hang out like this all the time, just the three of us.”

“Ah, right. We did, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.”

We answered eagerly to Dad’s banter.

“Wow. Even at night, the streets are this bright.”

“Yeah. It’s all thanks to the workers here.”

“Haha…”

We talked as we looked at the streets, but soon enough, the time passed, and it was over.

“Alright, let’s get off?”

Dad raised the handbrake and spoke to us.

As Ha-Soo-Yul and I nodded, we got out of the car.

“Wow... Mom’s going to miss this, isn’t she?”

“Yul, too.”

“Let’s keep this a secret from them?”

Dad smiled playfully as he led us to a place that looked obviously upscale.

Ha-Soo-Yul and I exchanged glances and made sour faces as we entered the shop. The antique interior welcomed us.

‘Hmm. Coming here just for a cake seems a bit much.’

I was hungry, sure, but wouldn’t it have been better to just get it from a Tresure or Paul & Bagger?

When I glanced at the menu, my jaw dropped.

One slice of cake costs 100,000 won. Is this for real?

Dad handed me a card and went outside. He said something about a colleague from the company showing up, but who knows.

It’s probably some calculated move. We’ve been living together for 19 years, after all.

Dad had made a seat for Ha-Soo-Yul and me.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t really hung out with Ha-Soo-Yul alone recently.

She’s always been with Choi Ye-Seo and Hong Ye-Hwa.

After we ordered the strawberry cake, we went up to the second floor.

It wasn’t exactly a city view, but we could see the bright lights of the night streets.

‘A high-end café with no vibrating buzzers...’

They said they’d bring it to us. Is this the life of the rich?

I had made quite a bit of money, but there weren’t really many places to spend it. I guess I’m still just Lee Ha-Eun, the small-town boy.

Mostly on broadcasting equipment, art tools, and my studio. That’s about it.

Everything else was donated to my family.

But my family said they didn’t really have anywhere to use it, so they’d just store it.

‘Hmm. Well, I guess money is good to have.’

Maybe one day there’ll be a place to use it.

We don’t really care about material things in our family. It’s a bit awkward.

Maybe I should donate it to society... I’ll have to talk to my family about it.

As I was thinking, the waiter’s voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

“Your order includes 8 pieces, and we’ll pack the rest separately. The honey latte is...?”

Without thinking, my hand instinctively reached across the table.

“Here’s your strawberry latte.”

A strawberry latte was placed in front of me.

As the waiter set the table and turned to leave, they hesitated for a moment.

“U-Um... could I get an autograph? And maybe a photo?”

“Of course.”

I realized once again—wow, so many people recognize me.

‘But why didn’t they recognize me at Decoe?’

Maybe they didn’t use the internet.

I thought about it when suddenly...

“Oops.”

Something soft and sweet entered my mouth, which had been hanging open in surprise.

It was a strawberry cream cake.

Ha-Soo-Yul made a pouty face and asked.

“Is it nice to be so popular?”

“Are you jealous?”

“Yeah.”

She smiled mischievously, and I teased her back.

“It’s the popularity that’s through the roof.”

“Hehe.”

We both chuckled and continued with the light chatter.

“So, what do you plan on doing next?”

“I don’t know. Maybe school... I’ll probably go to university. After that, who knows?”

“So you’ve got a long way to go.”

“Yeah. But honestly, when I think about it, I only have one path.”

“An artist?”

I didn’t answer her question. I just substituted it with a smile.

I turned my head and looked out the window at the beautiful night sky and the streetlights that never went out.

“Work’s all done.”

“Yeah. You worked hard, Eun.”

Ha-Soo-Yul smiled faintly and held out the cake in front of me again.

I automatically opened my mouth and took a bite of the soft sponge.

“It’s good.”

“Give me some.”

“You’re not a baby.”

“Heh.”

For this moment, my mind was at peace.

***

A few days after the [Angel] incident.

It was still vacation, but I was heading to school just like any other semester.

As I passed through the front gate and walked toward the building where the art department was, I felt something strange.

"Damn. This usually means something weird is about to happen."

I frowned at the uncomfortable feeling, then entered the classroom.

Nothing seemed different. The students, the class, all welcomed me as usual.

Hong Ye-Hwa smiled at me and waved her hand.

One by one, the others in class greeted me.

It seemed like another regular day was starting, but...

"Hmm. Well, let’s start with introductions first..."

Teacher Lee Ah-Reum, no, what on earth have you brought?

"Nice to meet you! My name is Low-Hwa, and I’m here as an exchange student!"

Mentor. Usually, exchange students come one at a time.

I slapped my forehead and lowered my head.

***

"Why the long face?"

"Are you asking because you don't know?"

I pressed my temples and looked at my mentor.

"What now? The busy one."

I need to take care of the masterpieces. Why are you here?

"I was curious about the school my student goes to."

"What's the real reason?"

"Boredom."

It had been quite an eventful summer vacation.