I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 104

"I made it myself."

"...Ha-Eun, you made this?"

Teacher Lee froze, fork halfway to her mouth.

Then she squinted suspiciously and gently put the fork down.

What’s her problem? Didn’t she just say it was good?

"You didn’t spray air freshener or something on this, did you?"

"I’m not sure what kind of image you have of me, but I wouldn’t stoop that low."

Not to mention, she’d already eaten a bite. I decided to hold back the rest of my retort.

At my words, Teacher Lee sighed in relief and smiled again.

"Alright, then. Thanks for the food!"

Sometimes I couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked like someone my age.

How was she supposed to be a teacher? She seemed more like a stormy high school girl.

"That just means I look young, doesn’t it?"

"That’s exactly right."

Damn it. Did I say that out loud?

"It’s written all over your face, kiddo~."

"Why not become a fortune teller instead of a teacher?"

Please stop reading my facial expressions and jumping to conclusions.

Anyway, there wasn’t much reason behind this pointless conversation.

Teacher Lee had apparently taken care of everything regarding [Paradise], saying David had prepared so much that she didn’t really have to do anything.

So why was Teacher Lee hanging out at my house—specifically, my studio?

"Is your house cursed or something, Teacher?"

"It might be~."

First, her house burned down. Now, her boiler had broken.

What a string of bad luck.

Thanks to that, she couldn’t go back home until the boiler was fixed.

And since it was winter… well, what can you do?

Why she ended up at my house instead of somewhere else, though? I had no idea. If I knew, would I be in this situation?

"You’ve eaten, so shouldn’t you head back now?"

"But Ye-Hwa has class today too, right~? Just let me stay a few days~."

She’s 26 years old… Yet somehow, this situation made my mouth feel dry.

Sighing, I tilted my neck from side to side to loosen it.

Crack!

"...You’re not going to hit me, are you?"

"Hit you? Why would I? There’s nothing but bones here anyway. Besides, I’d lose. I don’t engage in ventures where I’d take a loss."

Lately, cracking my joints had become an odd addiction. The sound was oddly satisfying.

I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad for my body, though.

After a while, Hong Ye-Hwa showed up at my studio.

"...What are you two doing?"

And with that, our nonsensical banter came to an end. Talking to Teacher Lee always made me feel like my IQ was dropping.

"You’re here? Have you eaten?"

"I ate—actually, no, I haven’t."

She started to answer, but her gaze shifted to the leftover cake.

"...Did you make this, Eun?"

It didn’t exactly look store-bought, but it was surprisingly tasty.

"If you’re hungry, help yourself. I already ate."

Teacher Lee wiped her mouth with a tissue and stood up, heading to the canvas.

"I’ll just doodle while I’m here~."

Honestly, I’m convinced Teacher Lee got hired through some kind of backdoor recommendation.

Rubbing my temples to stave off the incoming headache, I turned to Ye-Hwa and asked casually.

"What about Uncle Hong Jin-Hoo?"

"Oh, Dad’s in the U.S. He said he had business with Atlantis."

Uncle sure lived a busy life. If he could spare some time to visit his daughter, I bet Ye-Hwa would be overjoyed.

Why did I bring him up? Because apparently, Uncle Hong had also won an award at the Biennale.

I’d already congratulated him over the phone and sent him a small gift.

Nothing fancy—just some premium whiskey. Of course, being underage, I had to enlist Dad’s help to send it.

‘I’m jealous. I can’t even drink.’

Though my health was improving, that didn’t mean I could drink alcohol.

The doctor had warned me: "This would be the one drink you could have in your entire life." Basically, a death sentence in disguise.

You know, like those memes about poisonous mushrooms. You could eat them, but it’s a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

Chilled by the warning, I’d just nodded silently. What else could I do?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice until Ye-Hwa held a fork up to my mouth.

"Say ah."

"...Ah."

Is she starting to mimic Ha Soo-Yul from hanging out with her too much?

I wasn’t hungry anymore, but I could manage one bite.

The sweet taste of whipped cream and strawberries melted in my mouth.

Yes, the cake I made was a strawberry cream cake. Why did I bother making it? Because my sister wanted some.

Ordering it for delivery felt boring, so I figured I’d try making it myself. To my surprise, it turned out pretty good. Mom helped a little, but I did most of the work.

—"The sponge isn’t rising evenly—hey, why!" —"Soo-Yul loves sponge cake, doesn’t she?" —"I’m sorry, okay!"

At one point, my sister almost gave the cake to Ha Soo-Yul, but I held onto it for dear life and managed to keep it.

The three of us—Mom, Yoon, and I—each ate a slice, leaving Dad’s share for later. Then I brought the remaining two slices to the studio for Ye-Hwa and Teacher Lee.

"It’s delicious!"

"Glad to hear it."

After giving me a bite, Ye-Hwa ate the rest herself. Every time the fork entered her mouth, she reacted with such joy that it lifted my spirits.

‘Maybe I should make another one later. I could give some to Ye-Seo and Soo-Yul too.’

Seeing everyone’s positive reactions made me feel proud.

Should I switch careers to become a chef? Maybe I have a knack for it.

Then, a memory resurfaced.

—"This isn’t food, oppa." —"That hurts to hear, sis." —"But it’s true, oppa." —"Hmm. Dad said it was good, though." —"Dad didn’t even chew. He just swallowed it…" —"You’re misunderstanding, dear daughter."

Remembering that conversation, I quickly discarded the idea.

Yeah, it’s better to stick to one path. Trying to do too many things at once leads nowhere.

‘Still, I thought it tasted good…’

Wait, was tteokbokki supposed to be brown? The ones at the market were red.

Mine was somewhere between brown and black.

‘Next time, I’ll use medium heat.’

That’s not the issue here. I could practically hear Yoon shouting next to me.

Anyway, my days of lazing around like this were numbered.

It was winter, meaning the end of the semester and the beginning of vacation.

I was about to become a third-year student.

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‘Maybe I can take it easy in my final year?’

The major fires had been put out for now. Aside from [Angel], there shouldn’t be any more problems.

Unless they came out into the world, but that was a problem for another day.

I just needed to enjoy school life for now and plan a trip to France during summer break.

‘Tsk. What about [Dragon], though?’

The painting had burned away, and the dragon inside had taken refuge with the youngest.

Handling the two of them on my own seemed like too much.

So…

[Oh? What’s this? You’re calling first?] "It’s nothing urgent right now." [You’re making me nervous. What are you getting at?] "Could you help me, just once, later?"

We’d end up in the same place anyway. Surely my master wouldn’t refuse his disciple, right?

[Tsk. Is this about [Angel]? I told you—] "I know. It’s just… it’s scary dealing with the two of them alone…" [Unbelievable. Scared of your own paintings, are we?] "That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?"

After some bickering, my master finally agreed.

[When will you be here? Winter?] "It’s winter now. I’ll probably go during summer break."

Wait… now that I think about it…

"Are you in France right now?" [Sharp as ever. How’d you know?] "Why are you there?" [Had some business to take care of. Anyway, is that all?] "Yeah… pretty much."

With that, he hung up before I could say anything else.

"Your master is such an old man, Eun."

"Drop the 'old.' He’s just old, plain and simple."

Chewing on cake, Hong Ye-Hwa muttered as she peeked at me curiously.

Watching her, I raised a hand and squished her cheeks.

"Mmfft."

A strange noise came out, but thankfully, none of the cake spilled.

"...Die."

Of course, I’d have to face her wrath afterward.

‘How didn’t it burst out?’

Usually, that much pressure would’ve sent it flying.

I thought about this as I took the hit.

***

"Wow..."

"Ryoi-!"

Before Yoon could yell something out in a crowded area, I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth.

Thankfully, no one had heard, so I sighed in relief.

Ignoring her sharp glare, I met her gaze with a smirk.

Then suddenly—

Lick.

"Hey!"

Yoon licked my palm and quickly darted behind Dad, giggling mischievously.

That little brat. She’s getting cheekier by the day.

Pulling out a handkerchief from my pocket, I wiped my hand and looked around.

There’s something winter wouldn’t be complete without.

"So, this is my first time at a ski resort..."

At Choi Ye-Seo’s muttered comment, I nodded in agreement.

Today, Choi Ye-Seo’s favorite idol was holding a concert here.

And that concert was happening at this huge ski resort.

‘But isn’t that concert happening at night?’

It’s going to be freezing...

But maybe I was just overthinking it.