I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 31: Sixteen and Growing, Plus a Retreat and a Competition (Final)

—

It took us a full 10 minutes to get to Korea Drawing, thanks to Mom’s poor sense of direction.

“Son, you said you sent your painting ahead of time, right?”

“Yeah, three days ago. They confirmed it arrived by email.”

“Good, good. My hardworking son’s masterpiece.”

As we entered the lobby, we were greeted by a refreshing blast of air conditioning.

I’d sent Peach Blossom Village to Korea Drawing three days prior—they said there were things to prepare in advance.

I’d also sent the recording of me painting Peach Blossom Village. With all the rumors circulating, showing the process would help settle things.

‘I shared my YouTube channel, so they should be able to handle the rest.’

Once the awards ceremony was over, my face would become known, and I’d be able to confirm a few things.

There was even going to be a YouTube livestream of the ceremony, so I was planning to promote my channel there, too.

‘The original goal was just a musical ticket, but…’

The ticket was still my main goal, but why not enjoy the other perks along the way?

“Oh, Ha-eun! They posted your video on Korea Drawing’s channel!”

Mom handed me her phone, showing me that my video had indeed been uploaded to their official channel.

So they posted it before the awards ceremony. Not a bad move, since I’d sent the video with my painting.

The comments were about what I expected.

[Haha, I knew it was legit~]

[Wait, what???]

[Really——?]

[Those idiots who doubted it, official confirmation is here!]

[Fake, fake, totally fake]

[There’s literally a link to the artist’s channel in the description, lol]

Some who had bet against me were now on the defensive, while others mocked them. I left the comments and looked at the latest internet articles.

{A Painting from the Rumors… Truly Created by a ’16-Year-Old.’ Professors Praise a New Star.}

Views: 16,000

{Who Is the Artist Behind Peach Blossom Village?}

Views: 25,000

{HA-EUN’s YouTube Channel… 1 Million Subscribers?}

Views: 89,000

These articles had just been published, yet their impact and reach were spreading fast.

People fell into different camps: those who kept denying, those who were convinced from the start, and those who had been supporting me all along. Most were accepting me as the artist, though some were still skeptical about my age.

[He never showed his face on YouTube; it could be someone else’s work???]

Comments like that. They were only looking at one angle, ignoring the rest.

[You idiots… doesn’t he look exactly the same in both the painting and critique videos?]

Exactly. My face had appeared in both recordings.

People tend to forget the bigger picture when they focus on one detail. That’s why some were now deleting their own comments—they didn’t want to be branded as thoughtless.

‘Maybe I should’ve shown my face sooner.’

Comments about my looks were mostly positive, but then there was this:

[His attitude toward the professors, though…]

A few were trying to stir things up, claiming I had been disrespectful.

Korea Drawing quickly released an official response to this.

It was a freshly posted video.

The key points were:

1. Student Lee Ha-eun did not look down on or ignore the professors.
2. Rather, he had corrected the techniques mentioned and explained why they were incorrect.
3. After the critiques, the professors exchanged contact information with Lee Ha-eun.

That summed things up well, and it was all true. My phone now had three contacts saved under “Professor.” They didn’t seem to take it personally—they even said learning has no age limits.

Still… since my actions may have bothered some, I thought it’d be courteous to apologize briefly at the ceremony.

“Oh! Hello!”

As Mom and I were resting in the lobby, a young woman approached us with a cheerful greeting.

“Oh, hello! Are you perhaps Assistant Manager Seol Yoon?”

“Yes, that’s me! I’m Seol Yoon, Assistant Manager of the Planning and PR Department’s Ideas Division!”

Her energy reminded me of a certain blonde idol friend of mine. Wasn’t she rehearsing today? No chance of seeing her, then.

“Hello! I’m Ha-eun’s mother.”

Mom stood and bowed her head.

“Hello!”

The greetings were nice, but we should probably move things along. Better to get prepared early, even with time to spare.

“So, where should we go?”

I got up, stretched, and asked.

“Oh, just follow me! First, you’ll meet the head of the department in charge of this contest.”

As I started to follow her, I paused briefly.

I thought I’d just seen someone familiar. The person looked young, around my age, but not from my school.

If my memory was right, there was only one possibility—they could be a heroine from the original story.

I may have a good memory, but I couldn’t recall everything from 16 years ago. All I knew was that she felt familiar.

“Son~ Are you coming, or—?”

“Yeah, yeah, coming.”

Mom’s beckoning brought me back, and I resumed walking.

“Wow, moving right along when you know what I was about to say.”

“I just know what you’re like, Mom.”

These small exchanges kept the mood light, but my thoughts kept returning to the girl I’d just seen.

‘Who was the heroine with red hair again…?’

After some thought, a name came to mind.

The Little Giant of the Art World.

The heroine who made a big impact in the art world, especially in painting…

Hong Yehwa.

Her being here meant that she’d likely entered this contest, too.

‘…But if Hong Yehwa had painted something, I’d have noticed by now.’

She had incredible talent for her age, often called a prodigy or even “god-handed.”

There’s no way I would’ve missed one of her works.

‘Never mind. I’ll think about it later. My head hurts.’

Anyway, this had nothing to do with me. It’s not like I was going to meet her. She was just a vaguely familiar face.

“Ha-eun, are you okay?”

Startled by Mom’s voice, I looked up.

“Oh, um. Nothing’s wrong.”

Mom was looking at me worriedly, probably wondering if something was wrong.

Wait, where am I? A waiting room?

“I was just lost in thought. By the way, where’s that bald guy, Manager Ahn Dae-min?”

“Huh? He just left after talking with you. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

…Ah. So that hovering guy earlier was Ahn Dae-min.

“I said I’m fine.”

Waving her off, I checked the time.

“It’s almost time. Let’s get ready to go.”

All I needed for the awards ceremony was one thing.

Peach Blossom Village .

The closest thing to a masterpiece I’d created in this life.

While it wasn’t quite a masterpiece, it was close. I carried it out, as they thought it would be a nice touch if I brought it myself.

To them, this was just another money-making opportunity.

After the awards, I’d reach out to the others to set up plans.

The awards ceremony was held in a banquet hall with a stage.

There was a large audience, most of whom looked like they held high positions. They looked affluent, too.

The ceremony progressed smoothly, beginning with Honorable Mentions, then Excellence Awards, Grand Prizes, and finally the top award.

They also credited contributors and sponsors, one after another.

It was a boring ceremony.

Scanning the crowd, my gaze settled on Hong Yehwa again.

Why was she here if she didn’t participate in the contest?

“And now, for the grand award! Peach Blossom Village! Congratulations!”

My name was called, and I went on stage, accepted my award, and made my way back down.

I kept my thanks brief, then apologized for any discomfort caused by my conduct at the critique session. Though surprised, everyone seemed satisfied.

As I stepped down, I briefly met Hong Yehwa’s gaze but chose to ignore her.

Afterward, I received congratulations from Mom, and we headed home.

A surprisingly uneventful day. Even I was surprised.

Originally, Korea Drawing had asked if I could spare a bit of time.

– Sorry, but I’m feeling a bit unwell. I’d like to rest at home.

– Oh… well, I understand. But please! Do visit headquarters one more time!

My health excuse disappointed Assistant Manager Seol Yoon.

Meanwhile, my YouTube channel became a whirlwind of activity, and I…

“Here we go… turning off notifications.”

…simply ignored it all. No way could I read all that.

As for Peach Blossom Village, I placed it in my little sister Yoon’s room instead of mine.

Since she was my inspiration, I couldn’t give it away so easily.

With that, my first notable artwork of this life came to an end.

—

Three tickets—the prizes I’d received from my teacher.

“Ugh, it’s so hot…”

I waited at the crosswalk, sweating in the heat.

“Where are they? It’s already…”

“Hey, Lee Ha-eun! You said you were coming to watch the rehearsal!”

I turned at the sound of a familiar voice to see Choi Yeseo and Ha Soyeol.

I delivered my prepared response to Yeseo’s complaint.

“After the awards, I suddenly felt sick.”

“Ugh, that line again…”

Being frail has its perks

.

And Soyeol—

“Why didn’t you leave with me?”

“You don’t understand a girl’s heart, Ha-eun.”

“Whatever.”

…Come to think of it, they both dressed up today.

“Soyeol, is that your first time wearing makeup? And Yeseo, you changed your perfume?”

“Good eye, Ha-eun.”

“Yup!”

Yeseo beamed at being noticed, while Soyeol kept her usual stoic face, though her lips curved slightly.

I raised two thumbs up, and somehow that made me smile.

“Let’s go, or I’ll faint.”

“Wait… but why do you call Soyeol by her first name but use my last name?”

“Yeseo, that sounds like jealousy.”

“No, it doesn’t!”

“No matter how close we are, if you go after Ha-eun…”

That familiar look—the death glare. Would they ever grow up?

The musical we watched was fantastic, leaving me with that familiar Disney feeling.

After the musical, we planned to head home, but—

“Where do you think you’re going? We still have time!”

“Shows how little you know about girls, Ha-eun.”

In this heat? They’re trying to kill me.

And Soyeol—where did you even learn that phrase?

“You’re always telling me not to use rude words, but you’re no exception?”

“‘Little you know about girls’ isn’t rude.”

“You meant it in that way, though.”

I tapped her lightly on the head.

“So, where are we going? Let’s stick to indoor places, yeah?”

“Of course. First stop, photobooth!”

Ah, the holy ground for socialites. Do I really belong there?

But I had no right to refuse.

They dragged me from the photobooth to the library, then to an art cafe in succession.

Ah, Lee Ha-eun’s exhausted…

—

Six months passed after the awards ceremony.

With winter break here, students were eagerly awaiting the graduation and closing ceremonies in February.

The streets would soon be filled with couples for Christmas.

And on that snowy day, a boy was looking up at the falling snow, deep in thought.

“Hmm… should I try creating a real masterpiece?”

His name was Lee Ha-eun, soon to turn 17 in the coming year.

It was also the time when the world’s main story was set to begin.

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