I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 105

"Don’t you work out, Ye-Seo?"

"Tsk. Balancing on these things is so freaking hard."

Even with help, she wobbled precariously after standing back up.

"Hey, straighten your legs, tighten your core, and walk carefully, or you’ll fall again."

"I’ve been doing that—ah, whoa!"

I facepalmed and shook my head. At this point, it might be worth checking if her equipment was faulty.

With that thought, Hong Ye-Hwa, who’d been watching silently, led Ye-Seo back indoors.

‘...It’s going to be pretty embarrassing if it’s not the equipment’s fault, though.’

Anyway, with those two gone, it was just the three of us left.

"Oppa, can’t we go to a different slope?"

"I mean, we could, but wouldn’t this one be safer for us siblings?"

Yoon had asked hesitantly, but my reasoning made her lower her head.

It made sense—one misstep, and our fragile bodies could be saying goodbye to this world. Better to stick with the safer option.

Still, this slope wasn’t exactly thrilling.

Maybe the intermediate course would be more fun? It had fewer people too.

"Alright, we’ll move later. For now, let’s practice skiing a bit more."

I wasn’t against the idea. I knew the basics—A-frame and S-turns. Though theory and practice were entirely different things.

It’d work out somehow. What’s the worst that could happen?

Right around then, Ye-Hwa and Ye-Seo returned.

Ye-Seo’s face practically glowed with confidence.

"Hah! Told you it was the equipment!"

"Go on, show us."

At Soo-Yul’s prompting, Ye-Seo eagerly moved forward.

"Ahhh—!"

...It wasn’t the equipment.

How did she even manage to walk back here?

Pulling her out of the snow, we sat her on the lift. Soo-Yul took care of the heavy lifting.

"Ugh, my legs hurt..."

Ye-Seo sulked while Soo-Yul gently patted her shoulder.

"Ye-Seo, you’re just not talented."

"That’s so mean!"

The slope we ascended was steeper than I’d expected. One wrong slip, and you could really hurt yourself here.

"I’m going first!"

Yoon was the first to go, launching herself enthusiastically. Though her legs trembled, she made it down safely.

Not bad—it even looked kind of fun.

‘But just going straight down would be boring.’

That’s how guys die early.

Still, it’s better to stay safe than try to show off and end up in trouble.

I followed Yoon at a steady pace.

The slope was wide and clear, so it was easy to go straight down without needing fancy maneuvers.

Tricks and skills? Those are just for show. My life motto is "safety first."

As long as I’m enjoying myself, that’s enough, right?

"Waaaahhh!"

As I reached the bottom, a strange noise came from behind me.

Soo-Yul was coming down, holding Ye-Seo in her arms. The latter looked absolutely mortified, while Soo-Yul’s expression remained as calm as ever.

"Ye-Seo is a coward."

"...I’m not skiing anymore."

Carefully setting Ye-Seo down, Soo-Yul’s actions left me torn between scolding her or admiring her confidence.

Then again, with Soo-Yul, you could always trust she’d make sure things turned out okay.

"Ye-Seo, come here for a second."

"...? Alright."

Looking dejected, Ye-Seo tilted her head at my call and approached hesitantly.

"Here. I meant to give this to you earlier, but the timing wasn’t right."

"Huh? Wait, is this—oh my gosh."

Tonight’s concert featured special limited-edition merchandise that had sold out during pre-orders.

But as luck would have it, I’d won the lottery for it.

How "special" could the merch be? Probably not that much—it’s just branding.

What I handed her wasn’t anything extravagant: a small handkerchief embroidered with initials. That’s what counted as a "limited-edition" goodie.

For something so basic, the pre-order price had been over 100,000 won.

‘...Pretty cheap for merch, though.’

Or maybe I’d just been wrong—it was surprisingly affordable, all things considered.

Always a matter of perspective, right? Otherwise, how do you even judge what’s good or bad?

"Can I really have this?"

"I don’t need it. Figured I’d win, and I did."

Here’s some trivia: I have my own merch too. Did you know that?

Probably not, since I’ve never mentioned it. A few items exist, but they’re just gathering dust in my room.

"Ugh, oppa, why don’t you give your sister gifts too?"

"I give you stuff every year on your birthday."

"That’s for birthdays; this is different."

"You’re becoming a real materialist."

I brushed it off casually, completely unaware of the ripple effect this small act of kindness would have later.

***

"Fuu..."

The ski resort had a hotel, along with a hot spring. It even had an open-air bath, which was particularly popular with visitors. But given that it was winter, wasn’t it cold?

I couldn’t even imagine stepping outside, so I stuck to the indoor baths.

Open-air baths... I was curious, but my health came first. The best-case scenario would be not catching a cold after exposing myself to the freezing air.

‘What is my teacher even doing out there?’

Master had gone to France ahead of me, supposedly for some "business." What that was, I had no idea. He wasn’t sharing any details, so how could I possibly know?

Leaning against the wall, I watched the rippling water while glancing around.

The adults were laughing and chatting in the hot bath on the other side. Despite it being scalding, they’d been sitting there for what felt like an eternity. Just watching them made me feel overheated.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t even handle staying in a warm bath for too long, so I had to stick to a lukewarm one.

Moments like these were reminders of just how frail my body really was.

After finishing my bath and showering, I stepped out and spotted the girls waiting at the entrance.

"A guy coming out later than the girls? Is the world ending tomorrow?" Choi Ye-Seo quipped.

"Quit saying nonsense," I replied, yawning.

Before I could finish, someone’s finger jabbed into my mouth mid-yawn.

"...What are you doing?"

I instantly recognized it was Yoon’s hand.

"Ew! Your tongue touched me!"

"And you licked my palm earlier."

To make matters worse, she wiped her hand on my clothes. Absolutely shameless.

I retaliated by ruffling her hair into a mess, then glanced over at Lee Ah-Reum, my teacher.

She had somehow been roped into this trip. Initially, she’d firmly declined, claiming she couldn’t join a family vacation.

"Really?""Ugh..."

Faced with Yoon’s puppy-dog eyes, she’d had no choice but to relent. Poor thing.

"What? Does the teacher suddenly look prettier now?"

Catching me staring, Lee Ah-Reum smirked and tilted her head, showing off her neck for no reason.

"How tragic..."

My pitying gaze made her face flush instantly.

"You—come here."

Before she could storm over, Ha Soo-Yul, Choi Ye-Seo, and Hong Ye-Hwa dragged her off.

"No, I get to go first!"

"You started this."

"But I’m the teacher—"

"And you’re supposed to set an example—"

The roasting she received was relentless. Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

Even Yoon joined in, throwing in a quick jab. "Old hag!"

"Yoon! Come here right now."

...And that was how my little sister found herself swiftly disciplined. As she vented her frustrations about how I hadn’t helped her, the others shook their heads.

"Yeah, you kind of deserved that one."

"Totally."

"Yoon, you were in the wrong here."

Unanimously, the group decided Yoon was the guilty party. With no support to be found, she sulked over to my side.

"See? You need to be more careful about who you mess with."

"They’re not my friends, though..."

Her pout was so cute that I couldn’t resist pinching her cheeks.

"Let’s head back up. The concert’s later tonight, so let’s grab dinner first," Dad suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was 6 p.m., the perfect time to eat.

As we rode the elevator, I was idly scrolling through my phone when Lee Ah-Reum called out to me.

"Ha-Eun."

"Hm?"

I turned my head slightly, curious.

"...Do I look old?"

"Do you want an honest answer or a playful one?"

"I’m being serious right now."

Ah, I’d been teasing her about her age all day. It was only a matter of time before she’d start reacting like this.

Lee Ah-Reum looked at me with such a serious expression that I was tempted to joke around—but that wouldn’t be right, would it?

"You look plenty young. At 26, you’re even younger than most fresh graduates."

"...Really?"

Her lips twitched upward, and she looked pleased. That reaction alone was proof she was feeling her age.

Was this what people called a kind lie?

Of course, it wasn’t entirely untrue. Objectively or subjectively, Lee Ah-Reum was young and beautiful. There was a reason she was a sub-heroine in the original story.

‘Still, since she’s nearing her thirties, it might be good to start thinking about skincare routines.’

...It’s only natural to have these thoughts, right?

"What are you thinking about right now?"

"Nothing at all, ma’am."

After dinner, we lazed around in our accommodations for a while.

When I checked the clock, it was already 11 p.m.

A nighttime concert wasn’t exactly common, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

For kids, it’d be way past bedtime—but for us, it was the perfect hour.

Bang.

The door to our room swung open, and Choi Ye-Seo burst in.

"Let’s go!"

Her face lit up with excitement. Sure, how cold could it really get?

Just bundle up, and you’ll be fine.

***

I regretted it instantly.