I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 100

[Me: Hmm. I’ll meet with them first.]

[Chairman: I’ll arrange a meeting. Is Teacher Lee Ah-Reum joining you?]

[Me: Probably?]

Since rushing back from the Prize, I hadn’t thought much about the aftermath.

Although the press conference was over, anyone familiar with this industry would know just how dirty and twisted it could get.

Many people wanted to get their hands on the masterpiece, Paradise. Of course, plenty of them tried to throw money around to make it happen.

Initially, I thought ignoring or rejecting them outright would be enough.

I’d underestimated their determination. These people would stop at nothing to acquire Paradise.

Auctioning it off wasn’t an option, but that didn’t stop people from trying to track down Teacher Lee Ah-Reum, the rightful owner of Paradise.

At just 26 years old, she was still considered young and inexperienced in society.

Naturally, I planned to step in and help her.

[Me: Where are you now?]

[Teacher Lee: Uh… Guangzhou?]

[Me: …?]

[Teacher Lee: Sorry.]

Sometimes, I truly wondered if she had gotten her teaching position by sheer luck. Sighing to myself, I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

“Happy birthday to you~!”

“Our beloved Choi Ye-Na~!”

In the living room, everyone had gathered to celebrate Ye-Na, lifting her in the air like a tiny queen.

Leaning against a chair in the kitchen, I merely watched. I didn’t bother joining in.

I’d already given her a gift and even drawn her a picture. There wasn’t much else I could offer.

‘Honestly, I got kicked out because there wasn’t any room for me to join.’

Yeah, it was a little sad. Choi Ye-Seo had bluntly told me there was no place for me and banished me to the kitchen.

I wanted to join them too…

As I sat there staring blankly, lost in thought, I suddenly felt a weight on my foot.

“O-ba!”

At some point, Ye-Na had wandered over and plopped herself down on my foot.

To be precise, she was sitting directly on top of it. I had a fleeting thought—if I lifted my foot, she’d come up with it.

‘Should I try?’

The idea crossed my mind briefly, but this was a two-year-old we were talking about. That would be beyond inappropriate.

What if I accidentally dropped her?

Before my instincts could act on their own, I quickly scooped her up into my arms.

“Happy birthday.”

Even though I’d already given her a present, there was no rule saying I couldn’t give her more.

With one hand holding her, I reached into my pocket with the other.

All eyes turned to me as I pulled out a small white handkerchief.

Of course, I wasn’t just planning to hand her a plain piece of cloth.

“Watch closely.”

Ye-Na’s curious eyes focused intently on the handkerchief in my hand.

Not just hers—everyone in the room was now watching.

“Just like when you blow out candles, give it a little puff.”

Following my instructions, Ye-Na leaned forward and blew gently on the handkerchief.

It fluttered momentarily. But it wasn’t just a handkerchief anymore.

“Oh, oh?”

A single rose had appeared where the handkerchief once was.

‘Whew… I practiced this trick for three nights straight just for this.’

Learning a magic trick was way harder than I expected.

Satisfied that my effort hadn’t gone to waste, I couldn’t help but smile as I held the rose up to Ye-Na’s face.

I tucked it gently behind her ear.

“Happy birthday, Ye-Na.”

Not even my own sister had gotten this much effort from me.

Glancing over at Yoon, I was surprised to see she didn’t look upset.

In fact, she was beaming brightly, as if it were her own birthday.

If someone else walked in, they’d probably think she was the one being celebrated.

Another hectic day came to an end.

But the looks on those three faces—Ye-Seo, Soo-Yul, and Ye-Hwa—were a bit unsettling.

I’d put just as much effort into their birthdays, so what was with that glare?

“Next year, Lee Ha-Eun…”

I couldn’t decipher the cryptic tone in Choi Ye-Seo’s parting words as the evening drew to a close.

‘Better lock my door tonight,’ I thought.

Some instincts just couldn’t be ignored.

***

How long has it been since I arrived in China?

Anyway, soon, Phoenix will arrive, and I’ll finally be able to complete the last bit of work here.

But before that...

“Sigh.”

“...What? Why? People can make mistakes.”

“Oh, sure.”

I glanced at Teacher Lee Ah-Reum with an indescribable look in my eyes. She avoided my gaze and turned her head.

“Because of you, everything was delayed by two weeks.”

“You should be grateful, shouldn’t you?”

“Ha ha ha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Well, honestly, it might have been better that she was late.

If she’d arrived any earlier, the people waiting for her would have been ready to wring her neck out of sheer frustration.

“Is she even human?”

For the record, that wasn’t something I said.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

“...Did a stranger just insult me?”

“So it seems. How curious.”

“...?”

Teacher Lee’s gaze shifted to the person next to me—Rou Hua.

Apparently, he was serious about staying in Cerberus’s domain until I dragged him out.

In the end, I had to practically blackmail him to get him to come here.

“Disciple, how did you end up with such a... unique person?”

The way Rou Hua looked at me with a strange expression left me speechless. If I’d known it’d come to this, I wouldn’t have visited the hospital.

“...Disciple?”

Lee Ah-Reum glanced back and forth between Rou Hua and me. Then...

“...Huh?”

She froze. Her head moved in an odd, mechanical way, as if she’d short-circuited.

I understood what she was feeling, but explaining it all would be a nightmare.

“Let’s just move on, Teacher.”

What’s the point in explaining when it won’t stick? It was better to change the subject naturally.

The three of us—awkward as ever—headed to a building borrowed from the Third High School. Well, technically, it was arranged by the Chairman.

...Not a classroom. A whole building.

[Chairman: Do you like it?]

[Me: We’ll only be here for about an hour. Why all this?]

[Chairman: In these situations, you need to assert dominance first.]

Why were there no normal people around me? The way they spent money was on another level entirely.

Not only did the Chairman secure the building, but he even made a sizable donation to the school while he was at it. I couldn’t even muster a response.

Feeling dazed, I stepped into the building.

Many people had come to see Teacher Lee Ah-Reum, but only those filtered through several layers of vetting had made it to this meeting.

It was strange, almost as if it was fate—or perhaps just a bizarre coincidence.

Click.

When I opened the door, a few familiar silhouettes came into view.

“Oh! Long time no see!”

Hmm. The owner of the Atlantis painting that nearly ruined my sister’s vision—Saturn Carlin.

She spotted me and smiled, walking over. But...

“Grrrr.”

Rou Hua grimaced as if she were a thorn in his side, freezing her mid-step with a puzzled look.

“It’s all just a bunch of Yankees.”

“Uh... Master, that’s a bit much.”

“What? I retired ages ago, so it doesn’t matter.”

Right. Rou Hua had never been particularly fond of Westerners.

The reason was both complicated and simple.

“My stocks...”

Back when he was heavily into stock trading, Rou Hua decided to try his hand at the American market.

And? What happened after that?

He lost everything and was left eating scraps.

For some reason, his resentment shifted toward Westerners. Ever since then, he’d been borderline xenophobic.

...Though, to be fair, not entirely. He just found Westerners intimidating.

‘I told him to diversify.’

Sadly, the stock market fiasco was true.

“This could be challenging since Ms. Lee Ha-Eun is here.”

“It’s been a while, David.”

David, the Jupiter painter accompanying Saturn, greeted me with a polite bow.

He always used formal language, but today it felt even more respectful than usual, as if he were trying to elevate me further.

Aside from these two, several other renowned figures from the art world were present.

Although Teacher Lee Ah-Reum had no intention of selling or transferring ownership of Paradise, she did want someone capable of managing it, much like the curator for my masterpiece Void Theory.

Of course, doing so in Korea was out of the question.

It wasn’t impossible, but even someone as wealthy as Teacher Lee Ah-Reum was hesitant to take that step.

So, this gathering was to hear their advice—or something like that.

Honestly, I didn’t quite understand the point. I was here more as a precaution than anything else.

After briefly greeting everyone, I watched as Teacher Lee Ah-Reum skillfully maneuvered through the conversations. Her way of playing hard-to-get was almost professional.

It was fascinating to see these artistic giants, who were used to commanding others, trying so hard to appeal to her.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape me.

While the atmosphere grew increasingly intense, Rou Hua and I exchanged glances, our eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Disciple, go get some popcorn.”

“Master, don’t you have hands or feet?”

“You sure have a mouth on you.”

Despite our banter, the scene before us was entertaining.

The discussions escalated, emotions flaring as people began openly criticizing one another.

Insults flew, each claiming to be better than the other. If this weren’t a school, the scene might’ve already turned bloody.

This was the reality of the art world.

All this... over Paradise.

Astronomical sums of money were casually tossed around in the conversations.

“Creepy…”

It was almost lunchtime. Didn’t these people get hungry?