I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter13: A Young 10-Year-Old, and a New Friend (2)

In the middle of summer…

“Hey, hey! Pass, pass! Hurry!”

“It’s too far!”

The energetic kids were playing soccer on the sandy field.

“Teacher~! It hit my head, am I out?”

“Nope, the head doesn’t count.”

The girls were happily playing dodgeball. But that’s all for the popular kids. As for an outsider like me…

“Ha-eun, are you feeling unwell again today?”

I just watched the other kids from the shade.

I gave a slight nod to the teacher’s question. P.E. isn’t for me…

“Alright then. Stay cool in this summer heat, and if it feels too hot, you can head back to the classroom.”

Our teacher was considerate, especially because she really loved kids.

I mean, I like kids too, but…

“Ahhh! Teacher!”

“Eek! Are you crazy?”

I’m not particularly fond of these kinds of kids, though. If someone can like these “precious ones,” they must be a saint. Or their parents must be paying them millions for therapy.

“Hey, you guys!”

The P.E. teacher stepped in to break up a near-fight among the screaming kids.

I hope Yoon doesn’t end up like that when she grows up. No matter what, I won’t let her turn into a troublemaker.

“This is the reality of being ten.”

No hopeful chapters here, just dismal ones—such is the reality of growing up in South Korea.

Just look at them, these third-graders are grabbing each other’s hair and crying. Promising talents indeed… though where they’re headed, I can’t say.

It was hot outside, but thanks to the shaded steps, I didn’t feel cold or anything. And I wasn’t the only one sitting there, either.

“Heheh…”

“……”

“Sigh…”

I was joined by three other “outsiders.”

First, there was the typical bespectacled geek, a cool kid with hair so long you could barely see his eyes, and a self-proclaimed “bad girl” who wasn’t actually sick but was constantly fixing her makeup.

This… is third grade? It’s kind of dizzying.

Why are there no normal kids among us outsiders? It’s obvious what these kids’ futures hold. They’ll probably grow up like this all the way through high school.

So, I kept my distance. Getting involved with any of them would just be a headache.

As I stared blankly at the field, I made eye contact with Ha Soyeol, who was playing dodgeball. She smiled at me from afar, and I waved back. But…

“You’re not paying attention; the ball is coming your way!”

Just as I thought that…

Thump!

With perfect timing, Soyeol caught the ball effortlessly and, using a quick flick of her wrist…

Thunk! Smack! Pop!

She struck out three opponents in one go, standing proudly with her shoulders back.

“Wow…”

I knew she liked sports, but I didn’t know she was that good. Should I start practicing dishwashing now?

As I was contemplating the far future, I noticed that the mood among the girls who’d just finished dodgeball seemed tense.

The reason was obvious—the three girls she’d just hit, especially the first one, was crying hard enough to shake the ground.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from what I could tell by their expressions, it probably went something like this:

[Crying, “I’m in so much pain!”]

[“Hey! My friend got hit really hard. What are you going to do about it?”]

[“I think some compensation is in order!”]

Imagining the scene, I glanced up at the school wall clock. Lunchtime was in a few minutes. So I figured I should…

Tap, tap, tap.

I carefully made my way down the tall steps to the scene.

Soyeol was apologizing repeatedly to the crying girl, who seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“Yeah…”

She quietly accepted the apology. Soyeol has only me as a friend, and after today, the other kids might avoid her even more.

“If only she’d soften her expression, she’d be so popular.”

“Not easy.”

I said this to Soyeol beside me, and she shook her head.

Just then…

“Soyeol, you’re really good at sports!”

I heard the familiar voice of a young child behind us.

Choi Yeseo walked over with a warm smile.

“Not really. I just enjoy it,” Soyeol said with her usual blank expression.

“I’m starting to like you more and more. Let’s eat lunch together today too.”

“…Do as you like.”

Soyeol gave her a slightly annoyed look and turned away.

“Ha-eun, let’s go up.”

“Shall we?”

Soyeol seemed uncomfortable around Yeseo. And for good reason, considering what’s happened since she transferred.

– “You’re Ha Soyeol, right? Your name is so pretty!”

– “Do you have a favorite food? Do you like tteokbokki?”

– “Going to lunch? Let’s go together!”

And so on, almost like a leech. She sticks to her wherever she goes.

At first, Soyeol was happy to have a new friend besides me.

– “Yeah, let’s go together!”

But now, she’s reached a point where she finds it annoying.

– “…You’re following me to the bathroom too?”

So it’s not just me who thinks she’s a leech.

Anyway, it was time for lunch, but before we went, I did one thing. I took a candy from my pocket and offered it to the girl who’d been crying on the steps.

“Here, have something sweet. It’ll make the pain go away.”

“Oh, um, thanks…”

After handing her the candy, I returned to Soyeol, who reached out for some candy too. I placed one in her hand.

“Hehe.”

She was happy. Yeseo, watching us, quietly extended her hand too.

“Can I have one too?”

“Sorry, all out.”

“Ugh, darn… too bad…”

I was lying, but I couldn’t ignore her downcast face.

“Here. I only have lemon flavor left.”

By coincidence, the lemon candy matched her blonde hair. She accepted it hesitantly.

“Oh, thanks.”

She scratched her cheek and unwrapped the candy, popping it into her mouth.

“It’s a bit sticky…”

“Well, it was outside.”

The three of us started walking back up together.

Then Soyeol paused, giving the girl behind us a deathly stare.

…Uh-oh.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Pretending not to notice, I urged Soyeol to move. Finally satisfied, she nodded and went up with me.

When I glanced back, the poor girl seemed terrified.

Today’s project of helping Soyeol make friends failed again.

“Ugh… I feel sticky. I want a shower!”

Back in the classroom after lunch, Yeseo flopped over, fanning her clothes.

Does she not feel embarrassed at all?

“There are boys around. If you’re really hot, sit under the air conditioner.”

“The classroom’s cool enough, but it feels gross because I’m sweaty.”

Ah, I see…

There’s nothing I can say to that.

So I quietly sat at my desk.

Soyeol sat beside me, enjoying the cool air from the A/C.

Yeseo watched her blankly.

“Soyeol, don’t you feel sticky?”

“Yeah, it’s uncomfortable.”

“Right? Want to go to the bathroom to wash up?”

What the…

I pretended not to hear, walking out of the classroom. Soyeol looked at me with pleading eyes.

“Sorry…”

I couldn’t bear to get involved in Yeseo’s conversations.

After lunch, I thought I’d wander around the school until the next class.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy.

This lousy body of mine gives me random dizzy spells.

“Ugh…”

I leaned against a window ledge, catching my breath.

As I held my head and took a deep breath, a teacher passing by noticed me.

“Are you alright?”

I just nodded, saying I was fine, and moved on.

“Ah, life…”

I might have a genius-level talent, but life has a way of balancing things.

Still, I’d rather have physical issues than mental ones.

I wandered a bit more before returning to the classroom.

“Ha-eun… help me…”

I pretended not to hear, avoiding eye contact with Soyeol, who looked miserable.

Yeseo was all smiles, while Soyeol looked like she was about to cry.

“What on earth happened…”

It was only a few minutes.

Ding-dong-ding-dong~

The bell rang, and the kids returned to their seats.

Except for a few latecomers, most were seated.

Soyeol glared at Yeseo, who wasn’t returning to her seat.

“Aww, I wanted to stay with you a bit longer.”

You’re in the same class anyway.

Yeseo returned to her seat, and I…

Thunk.

I flopped down on my desk. Honestly, it’s boring here, so I spend most of my time at school sleeping.

At first, the teachers tried waking me up, but now they don’t bother.

Even the top student can nap occasionally, right? Hmm?

Soyeol studies diligently, but unfortunately, she’s not great at it. Especially in math and science. She’s more of an artsy type, perhaps.

As I let my mind wander, I closed my eyes.

.

.

.

Ding-dong-ding-dong~

Before I knew it, it was time to go home.

How did three hours

just disappear like that?

The mysteries of the human body are astounding.

I only closed my eyes, and now school’s over.

“Are you awake?”

Soyeol greeted me as I stretched and scratched my messy hair.

I thought I’d wake up during breaks, but I must be feeling off today.

Shrugging, I greeted her back.

“Yaaawn…”

I stretched and yawned.

“Were you sick today?”

Soyeol asked, as if she could sense it. This girl has a sixth sense.

I asked her why.

“How’d you know?”

“Usually, you wake up here and there, but today you slept deeply.”

Was she watching me the whole time? This is getting intense.

“It was nothing, just a bit of dizziness.”

“I’ll tell Auntie.”

Wait, wait, wait. Hold on, we didn’t agree on this.

“Hey, don’t do that.”

I tried to keep my face straight.

“I already texted her.”

“How did you even—”

Oh. School’s over, so she had her phone.

Ha-eun’s future just went dark!