I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 108

‘Tsk. Why do I feel so uneasy?’

There are always variables in everything. I couldn’t let my guard down completely.

I needed to prepare, just in case.

After giving a nod to Seol Yoon—now officially a temporary teacher—I turned to leave.

She cheerfully waved me off, and I waved back as I headed for my classroom.

Ziiip.

Hong Ye-Hwa was staring straight at me, unblinking. Seriously, what now?

“…I didn’t do anything, okay?”

“I didn’t say anything. Why? Feeling guilty about something?”

Her raised eyebrow made it clear she wasn’t in the best mood.

“Why do you have so many girls around you…?”

I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that.

The rest of the day passed as usual.

Attending classes, getting surrounded by friends, eating lunch, and finally heading home.

This was the school life I had always wanted. Occasionally drawing for kids who approached me…

“Why does time fly so fast?”

And just like that, my birthday arrived—the birthday of a so-called artist.

There was nothing I wanted, nor anything I particularly hoped to receive.

I’d planned to let this birthday pass uneventfully like all the others.

“Ta-da!”

Despite the years passing, my mom still looked youthful as she placed something on the dining table.

A homemade strawberry cake. The quality was far better than anything I could make.

Maybe it was time to learn some cooking from her.

“Ugh. You didn’t have to do anything for my birthday.”

Scratching my cheek, I tried to brush it off, but my family wasn’t having it.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

My sister Yoon shot me a sharp glare, so I just turned my head. With no other choice, I sat down, greeted by the warm glow of the candles.

With the lights turned off late in the evening, the atmosphere was no joke.

Receiving a birthday cake and congratulations had become so routine that I usually just went through the motions.

But for some reason, today, something stirred deep inside me.

Nineteen. It had been nineteen years since I was born. If counting by international age, I’d be eighteen.

Sitting in front of the cake with its flickering candles, I felt… strange.

In the past, even on days like this, all I heard was, Go study.

Now, though I had traveled overseas, wandered here and there, and stirred up trouble, my family was always here for me.

Even if it felt weird, I didn’t really dislike it.

“Heh.”

A silly laugh slipped from my mouth.

“Mom, something’s wrong with him…”

Yoon scooted away from me, but who cared?

I couldn’t hide the fact that I felt happy. When Dad urged me to make a wish and blow out the candles, I closed my eyes.

There was nothing grand I wished for. I just hoped for more time to draw.

That was enough.

Whoosh.

With a single breath, the flames went out, plunging the room into darkness.

I heard the faint click of a camera and a video being recorded. Knowing this moment would be saved as a memory was something I was grateful for.

While my parents and sister got up to turn on the living room lights and bring plates, I just sat there.

Looking at the uncut cake, I smiled softly.

The birthday wasn’t over yet.

***

Not long after my birthday, the good mood had already become a thing of the past.

In my hand was an envelope. My trembling hands, my wandering, aimless eyes.

“You’re not going anyway, Oppa.”

“Oh, right. That’s true.”

Yoon, lying on the sofa with her head resting on my leg, glanced at her phone as she spoke.

Dad, who had just come home, handed me the mail with a grin and disappeared into the bathroom.

Curious, I looked at the envelope, and the three words Ministry of National Defense caught my eye.

The moment I saw those words, emotions I couldn’t contain surged up as a man—no, as a Korean.

To describe it as a panic attack wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Thankfully, Yoon’s remark pulled me out of it.

‘The military, huh. This is seriously awful.’

I frowned and sighed. I still had to do the medical examination—commonly known as the conscription physical.

But not right now. It’d probably happen just before the next break.

I’d be exempt anyway.

Tossing the envelope onto the table, I leaned back against the sofa.

Trying to calm my tangled thoughts, I picked up my phone.

[Master: There’s good news and bad news.]

It was a text that had just come in. Before I could even reply, another message followed.

[Master: The good news is you don’t have to come to France.]

[Me: ???]

[Master: The bad news is that Angel has been moved to Korea.]

[Me: ??? Excuse me?]

[Master: I’ll be heading to Korea soon too. Do you need anything?]

[Me: Can you explain the situation first…?]

What was this? My head was already spinning from the Ministry of National Defense’s lovely invitation, and now I got news that made me even more dazed.

‘Why is Angel coming here? There’s no way we can manage that here.’

We already had Gumiho and Seiren. Adding Angel on top of that? Forget drawing attention—this could escalate to hostility with other nations.

Even Paradise was a painting coveted by the entire world. If word spread that three masterpieces were concentrated here…

It was enough to make me dizzy.

To make matters worse, two of them already had effects similar to Paradise. Their value was beyond imagination.

Suppressing my headache, I stood up. Yoon, who’d been resting her head on my leg, grumbled as she slid off onto the floor.

I headed to my room, opened a clean white sheet of paper, and began to draw.

If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. I decided to focus on calming my mind.

***

Fortunately, Angel wasn’t arriving immediately. It would probably come during the break, or maybe just before.

‘But doesn’t Master have school to attend?’

Unless she officially dropped out, she still had obligations as a student.

So, I asked her.

[School? Why would I, at this age, go to school?]

“You should still attend, shouldn’t you? You’re nineteen.”

[It’s fine.]

Well, if she says so. It’s not my place to get involved.

From her perspective, hanging out with kids her grandchildren’s age probably felt bizarre.

…Then again, isn’t it the same for me? But I died at a young age. It’s not like I died in my thirties or anything.

Scratching the back of my head, I walked down the corridor. Coming to school this early, there was something I needed to check.

The old school building. I’d already seen all the paintings except for Angel.

Then the remaining doodles would likely reveal more memories. It wouldn’t change anything now, but who knows?

I needed to see what kind of person I was in my master’s memories.

I held the key to the old building, which I’d gotten from Ms. Lee Ah-Reum earlier. Good thing I asked her for it in advance.

‘Should I show this to Seol Yoon, too?’

Come to think of it, when I first came here, I fixed her plum tree painting.

She hadn’t come to the school back then because of her busy schedule, so she probably didn’t know how the tree had changed.

But now that she was here as a temporary teacher, maybe I should show her.

[Seol Yoon: Oh, should I come now? I’ll head over right away!]

Not long after I texted her, Seol Yoon arrived at the old building.

“I’ve always been curious about this! I’m still a manager, you know. Hehe.”

“Do you even do any work in the Idea Department?”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“Wow… That’s so mean.”

She smacked my shoulder a few times with surprising force. Where did someone who only eats snacks get this strength?

We climbed to the second floor and opened the door to Class 1.

I could smell the warm scent of spring, though I knew it was only an illusion.

“Wow!”

That was unexpected. Her reaction was completely different from what I anticipated.

Slowly, she admired the plum tree, sinking into her thoughts.

Was she feeling something? I wouldn’t know.

With a peaceful smile, Seol Yoon turned to look at me and said,

“Thank you. For fixing it.”

“…It was nothing. It wasn’t that difficult.”

Fixing, huh. I’d always said I repaired paintings.

Maybe calling it healing was the right word from now on.

Shrugging, I leaned against the classroom wall, giving her space to finish admiring it.

After a few moments, she finally spoke up.

“Well, I think I’ll head back! I’ve got breakfast plans with another teacher.”

“…This early in the morning?”

“Hehe…”

Wow, that’s definitely a green light. I felt like cheering her on.

I walked her to the front of the old building, then headed back to the second floor.

There were still four classrooms I hadn’t checked yet—ones with the fish doodle, the fox doodle, and the angel in the library.

The remaining four should be here… I think.

I frowned as I opened the locked doors one by one.

By the time the morning assembly started, I’d gone through all of my master’s memories.

They weren’t particularly significant memories. Instead, I saw the process of Sanya gradually changing.

None of them were particularly pleasant.