I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 33: Entrance Ceremony (2)

—

[Ha Soyeol: Where are you?]

[Me: On my way.]

Thanks to Mom’s driving, I easily made it to the front gates of the school.

But I only had five minutes left until the ceremony started.

‘It’s just the entrance ceremony. It’s not like there’s a penalty for being a bit late.’

Seoul Private Arts High School.

This high school, where I’d soon be a student, was also the main setting of the original story.

If I hadn’t been serious about pursuing art, I probably would have ended up in a regular high school again.

Our arts high school had five departments:

Performing Arts, Fine Arts, Creative Writing, Music, and Physical Education.

Naturally, I was in Fine Arts. Ha Soyeol was in Physical Education, and Choi Yeseo was in Performing Arts.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure why an arts school even had a Physical Education department. Apparently, it was because the school is technically a comprehensive arts high school.

‘Guess I’ll find out eventually… but where’s the auditorium?’

I looked around, surrounded by buildings, each one grander than the last.

With no choice, I pulled out my phone to check the map. There wasn’t even a sign in sight.

“So if I go this way…”

After rounding just one corner, I found it. And when I arrived at the main auditorium—

“Wow… this place is huge…”

The size was no joke. It was clearly set up for major events.

“Oh? You’re a freshman, right? The ceremony’s already started.”

In front of the auditorium stood a woman with a sleek look, calling out to me. A name badge pinned to her chest indicated she was a staff member.

The name read “Lee A-reum,” and her title was listed as well.

‘The Madam of Korean Art.’

It wasn’t that I recognized her because I knew the original story—I just read the news occasionally.

If someone were to name a master of the Korean art world, she’d be one of the few that came to mind.

“Is it alright if I go in now? I don’t think I’m that late.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Of course. Just try to enter quietly, okay? The chairman is speaking right now.”

“Thank you.”

Lee A-reum flashed a subtly amused smile and gestured for me to head inside.

‘She definitely knows who I am.’

It seemed that she’d seen me on YouTube. With all the attention my channel got, it was natural for people in the art world to recognize me.

I walked past her, opened the doors, and was met with a sea of heads.

It was just like any other entrance ceremony—except for one thing.

‘There’s a pink head, a green one, a blue one up front, and an orange one too.’

The colorful hair stood out.

‘And there’s Ha Soyeol and Choi Yeseo…’

In what seemed like a gesture of consideration, they’d left the seat between them empty.

As I crouched down and made my way over, I felt some eyes on me.

“Phew…”

“Why are you so late?”

I’d barely taken my seat when I was greeted by an exasperated scolding.

“I stopped by the studio.”

Ha Soyeol’s irritated expression softened as her eyes widened.

Sniff sniff.

“I smell… girl perfume…”

“What?”

I ignored her and gave Choi Yeseo a quick wave before looking toward the stage.

The bent-over chairman was giving a welcome speech, followed by the principal and vice-principal.

‘Come to think of it, this school is run by S Group, isn’t it?’

The thought made me chuckle. What a strange coincidence.

The ceremony wasn’t too long, likely out of consideration for the students.

Once it ended, they started announcing homeroom assignments.

‘The assignments are probably already set anyway.’

The arts high school was purely skill-based, which determined placements from the start.

In other words, homeroom assignments had already been decided based on our practical exams.

As they called out the names, I found out I was assigned to Class 1.

I said goodbye to Ha Soyeol and Choi Yeseo, got up, and made my way to the designated classroom.

I was expecting an ordinary day, but—

“…Long time no see.”

I ran into Lee Doyoon, who was headed toward Class 3.

…Why was he in Fine Arts?

—

The information I’d known about him was clear—Lee Doyoon would never go into Fine Arts. He didn’t have the talent.

He’d chosen Performing Arts, hoping to make a career with his looks.

But here he was in Fine Arts instead.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you going to Performing Arts?”

With the way we’d fallen out of touch, I hadn’t even asked him what he planned to pursue.

“Haha… I figured Performing Arts wasn’t the right fit for me.”

He was different from the bright, lively boy I remembered—a bit more subdued. Has he always been this reserved?

“Well, it’s your choice, so I won’t say anything else. Catch you later.”

The bell was about to ring. I waved and continued on.

“…Sure.”

Doyoon’s awkward smile lingered.

‘Something must’ve happened.’

Baek Yuseol probably went to Music, right? Like in the original story.

Surely she didn’t follow Doyoon’s lead into a different department.

The storyline I knew had already begun to unravel.

Did Yeseo meet Doyoon at that concert? Did Hong Yehwa hand him a towel?

A dozen thoughts flitted through my mind, but I brushed them aside.

Getting involved would just bring trouble. Nothing good would come of it.

When I entered my classroom, I saw a range of different students.

Some looked like foreigners; others had the air of rich heirs.

But the one who drew the most attention was Hong Yehwa.

‘So she’s in Class 1, too.’

I’d figured as much, but seeing her in person felt different.

My name, though still mentioned occasionally, had started to fade over the past half year. Now, all eyes were on the “god-handed” Hong Yehwa.

The class watched as she sat, drawing in her notebook with an air of elegance.

There was no need to get involved.

I made my way to an empty seat by the window at the back—the classic “bad-boy” spot, and my designated seat.

‘This is the best seat… Wait, why is she looking at me?’

Just as I was basking in the satisfaction, I noticed that Hong Yehwa was watching me.

When I returned her look with a “What’s your problem?” expression, she turned her head away.

What’s with her? That character certainly had a strong personality.

I shrugged and pulled out my phone.

Studying on the first day of school? That’d be more like prison.

I figured I’d read a webtoon until the homeroom teacher arrived.

Clack!

“Oh my gosh! Is that you, Yehwa?!”

A loud voice pulled my attention back to the front.

“Get lost.”

Hong Yehwa snarled, but the girl with the braided hair simply beamed at her.

Who was she? I didn’t recognize her at all.

Expecting to learn more, I watched as she noticed me.

“!”

She jumped, quickly looking away.

What’s with her? I hadn’t done anything wrong—I hadn’t committed any crimes or anything.

The noisy classroom soon quieted down as the teacher walked in.

“Nice to meet you! I’ll be your homeroom teacher this year, Lee A-reum!”

‘I figured, but it still feels strange.’

The class erupted in cheers. With a young, attractive woman as their teacher, it was a predictable response.

And the girls didn’t seem to mind—they looked at her with admiration.

“Ahem! How about I introduce myself first?”

Why not start with the day’s schedule? A little more focus, please.

“My name’s Lee A-reum! I’m still young—only 25!”

Her personality was a bit much… made me want to go home.

“I’ll be leading Class 1 in Fine Arts, so let’s have a great year together!”

Her enthusiastic greeting was met with applause. Most students here knew who she was, so it was no surprise.

“Now, let’s start introductions from the front row on the left!”

Thus began the relay introductions. I killed time by quietly fiddling with my phone until my turn came around.

Soon it was Hong Yehwa’s turn.

“My name is Hong Yehwa. I like painting. Not much I dislike. I’ll be staying in the dorms.”

Her succinct introduction left the room in silence. Though to be fair, that was how it should be.

How much more is someone supposed to say in a self-introduction?

Next was the girl with the braided hair, who seemed close to Yehwa.

“Hi everyone! I’m Kim Ji-ah! I—”

A common name and introduction. No clue who she was.

Time passed, and eventually, it was my turn. I hadn’t planned anything. I just said the first things that came to mind.

“Uh… right. I’m Lee Ha-eun. I like my sister. And…”

What else? Wasn’t the era of self-introductions long gone?

Did we really have to do this?

Just then, I locked eyes with Lee A-reum.

“Ha-eun, you won a contest hosted by Korea Drawing, didn’t you?”

Why bring that up? It was old news to anyone who cared.

“Uh… yeah…”

“That’s amazing! All the entries in that contest were top-notch.”

“Well, maybe. But none better than

mine.”

Telling me not to be arrogant wouldn’t work. I had a right to be.

But why was Hong Yehwa staring at me? I didn’t get it.

“You also have a YouTube channel with a ton of subscribers, don’t you?”

“Yup. Although I don’t handle the management myself.”

“With your talent, why not enter international competitions?”

This teacher… Why was she singling me out?

Still, I answered politely. It wasn’t a tough question.

“I’m thinking of participating in the World Art Prize this July. It’s an international art competition…”

“Oh? I’ll be competing there, too! Guess I just met my rival~!”

Something about her felt… a little immature. We weren’t on the same wavelength.

“Anyway, I’ve kept you too long. You can sit down now~.”

Finally, I was able to finish my introduction. Now, where were our textbooks?

Speak of the devil…

“Alright, next up! Time to grab our textbooks~. Follow me!”

Everyone stood up and followed Lee A-reum out. As I trailed along, my mind wandered.

The World Art Prize, an international art competition, was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, each year.

In my previous life, it was held in September, but here, it was scheduled for July.

And the prize money had changed. In my past life, the base prize was $200,000, but now it was $1.2 million.

An extra digit had been tacked on. Not just for the World Art Prize, but for other international competitions too.

Was this because I was in a rom-com world? I had no clue.

Tap tap.

Lost in thought, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. Hong Yehwa?

“You’re… Lee Ha-eun, right?”

“I just introduced myself.”

“…How good are you at painting? How good?”

“Wouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”

She’d seen my work, after all.

“Then come to my place.”

…What?

This was our first conversation, and yet… she didn’t seem normal either.