I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter14: A Young 10-Year-Old, and a New Friend (3)

The day I got a thorough scolding from Mom and Dad was a pretty gloomy one.

I thought Yoon might comfort me, but…

“Brother, you’re such a dummy.”

Even Yoon gave me a hard time, so I holed up in my room. Since then, time has passed, and now the finals are approaching, causing the third graders to stress out.

The only ones not stressed were me, Ha Soyeol, and Choi Yeseo. For me, just glancing at the textbook a few times is enough.

Ha Soyeol doesn’t seem to care about the exams, and Yeseo seems to study diligently in her own way.

Ding dong ding dong~

When the bell rang to end the first period, the stressed kids shot up and rushed out to play like nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Soyeol and I…

“This is so boring I could die.”

“Draw something for me.”

We were on totally different topics. Ignoring Soyeol’s obsession with my drawings, I leaned over my desk to rest.

“Hey! Soyeol, let’s hang out after school!”

Yeseo approached, trying to get Soyeol to hang out again. She gets turned down every time, yet she never gives up. As usual, Soyeol just shook her head.

“I have to go to my academy.”

She found yet another excuse to escape.

“Don’t lie… you went yesterday too.”

Apparently, Yeseo wasn’t completely clueless, as she tried persuading her more gently.

“…I’m going to see Yoon.”

At this point, you’d think she’d give in just once, but she’s adamant.

Even though Yeseo knew this…

“Then I’ll come too!”

It seems she had no intention of leaving Soyeol alone.

Yeseo’s gaze shifted to me, and Soyeol shook her head desperately.

“…Fine, whatever.”

I understood how Soyeol felt; my mom does the same thing to me. But I had no reason to turn her down.

If Soyeol gets to go but not her, it’s just… a headache to explain.

And besides, my family is always excited when I bring a friend home. Like Soyeol, I don’t have many close friends either.

Though I get along with everyone, it’s mostly superficial. I don’t really have anyone I’d call a true friend yet.

Soyeol’s face lost its light, while Yeseo’s eyes sparkled even more.

What’s that about? It’s kind of scary.

I avoided her gaze and looked out the window. The other kids should be returning soon.

Which means class is about to start.

“Go back to your seat.”

It was time for Yeseo to return to her seat.

“Aww, I’ll come back later!” she pouted as she walked off. Geez, what a tantrum.

I glanced at Soyeol.

“…Sorry.”

She was staring with lifeless eyes, sending a chill down my spine.

“I’ll draw you something.”

That seemed to cheer her up a bit.

“Draw a shark.”

There she goes with the shark again. Ever since we went to that art cafe, Soyeol’s had a thing for sharks.

I like sharks too—they’re pretty cool, with their sleek bodies and sharp fins.

“Here.”

I handed her a paper with a cartoonish shark on it. She took it without much comment, though her expression didn’t seem particularly excited. I guess the cutesy shark wasn’t exactly what she wanted.

Still, she smiled a little, looking at the drawing.

Grinning, I slumped over my desk. I didn’t plan to pay much attention in class today, either.

.

.

.

School ended, and as I packed up my things…

“Let’s go see Yoon!”

Yeseo popped up and shouted. Soyeol did her best to hide her grimace.

For the record, Yeseo’s been over to our house quite a few times since she transferred here, practically every week.

Mom and Dad always greet her with big smiles, and even Yoon claps with joy when she comes over.

“Yaaawn. I need to make a stop first,” I said, yawning since I’d only just woken up. Soyeol patted my head, and Yeseo watched us, looking a bit puzzled.

“You know, Soyeol, it seems like you think of Ha-eun as a puppy,” Yeseo said, making me nod in agreement. Lately, it does feel like she treats me like an animal…

Not that I really mind; it doesn’t bother me much.

“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked, and I showed her my phone screen.

[♡Mom♡: Pick up some tteokbokki on your way home~.] 2:47 PM

For the record, that heart wasn’t my doing; Mom added it herself.

“So we’re stopping by a snack shop?”

“Yep.”

Unfortunately, there’s no snack shop near our school, so we’d have to go toward the market.

Mom knew that, which is why she usually gives me plenty of allowance.

It’s not that far to the market, so it’s not too big of a hassle, just a slight detour.

“I want some, too,” Soyeol chimed in. She loves Korean street food.

“Fried combo and some soondae?” I asked.

“Yep.”

She could eat all that by herself, so I figured we’d need at least three servings of tteokbokki.

Soyeol pulled out her wallet and handed me a 5,000-won bill. I usually don’t take it, but knowing her perspective on money, I accepted it.

She once told me, “Be strict about money matters.”

It’s not something you expect a ten-year-old to say, so I was a bit taken aback.

What exactly is her mom teaching her?

Yeseo also took out her wallet, but I stopped her.

“No need. It’s not that expensive.”

I already get plenty of allowance, so taking her money too would just feel wrong.

Since this routine has happened several times, she just put her wallet away with a smile.

“Hehe, thanks in advance!”

“Sure thing.”

Sometimes, I think Yeseo and Yoon have a lot in common. Both are super energetic and get along well.

After we wrapped up our conversation, we headed toward the market. It’s about a 15-minute walk at my usual pace.

Not too far, but not super close either.

…Still, the summer heat made it a bit tough.

There’ll be cold air blasting in the house, though, so I’ll just get this over with quickly.

There’s a fountain on the edge of the market where kids were playing. Seeing it, all three of us stopped to look.

“…Should we play for a bit?” Yeseo suggested, and I almost nodded absentmindedly.

“Focus, we might catch a cold,” I reminded her.

They say summer colds are the worst, though I’ve never had one.

I tend to catch colds in spring or fall instead.

Every year, it’s the same. It feels unfair.

I grumbled internally, and before I knew it, we’d arrived at the snack shop.

This was our family’s go-to place. More specifically, it’s Mom’s favorite.

Soyeol ordered her food, and I put in my order too.

Yeseo picked her choice—kimbap?

Well… whatever.

“Are we paying together?” the shop owner asked.

“Yes. And three sodas, please.”

I nodded, adding three sodas to the order. I could really use something to drink in this heat.

While waiting for our food to be ready, we sat in the shaded area and drank our sodas.

“Phew! I feel alive again!” Yeseo exclaimed, shaking her head like an old man with a beer.

“Hooo…”

Soyeol let out a long breath, finally cooling down.

I savored the cold, fizzy soda too.

This was bliss.

After about ten minutes, the food was ready.

“Kids, your order’s ready,” the shop owner called.

We each took our bags and headed to my house.

The three servings of tteokbokki I was carrying were a bit heavy.

“Need help?” Soyeol asked with concern.

“Not really. It’s not that heavy.”

Even at ten, a guy has his pride. I couldn’t let her carry it all.

Though, honestly… How are these two not tired?

“Doesn’t this bother you?”

I asked out of curiosity.

“Nope, it’s light!” Yeseo replied.

“Yeah, it’s light,” added Soyeol.

…That was just salt in the wound. I shouldn’t have asked.

Aren’t boys supposed to have more muscle than girls?

Then again, I lose every time I arm wrestle Soyeol.

Once, I even arm wrestled Yeseo, and she said…

“Ha-eun, you’re really weak.”

The shame of that memory made me feel drained.

Anyway, after some time, we arrived at the apartment.

We found Yoon playing in the playground with Mom looking ready to collapse from exhaustion.

Yoon was happily swinging on the swing while Mom pushed him, looking worn out.

“We’re back,” I said, approaching them. Mom’s face lit up like she’d seen a savior.

“Sweetie~! You’re here! Yoon! Big brother’s home. Let’s go inside!”

She was drenched in sweat, looking just like a worker taking a break in the scorching sun.

Yoon, who looked pleased, grinned widely.

“Brother! Tteokbokki!”

At least she said “Brother” first. If she’d mentioned the tteokbokki first, I would’ve felt a bit sad.

Mom gulped down from her water bottle, looking a bit pitiful.

“Why wait out here in the heat?” I asked.

“Well… Yoon wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

“So, you played at the playground while you waited?”

“Yes. But anyway, come on in… Oh! I didn’t see you there. Soyeol and Yeseo, you’re here too!”

“Hello.”

“Just came to hang out!”

“Well, that’s great. The more, the merrier,” Mom replied, smiling as she welcomed them both.

More importantly…

“Let’s get inside, Mom. It’s boiling out here.”

Mom nodded quickly. How she managed to stay out here in this heat…

Sometimes, Yoon seems like pure mischief.

“Sweetie.”

Soyeol and Yeseo went ahead with Yoon, while Mom and I followed behind.

“…How’s your health?”

Mom’s voice was full of concern, and I shrugged.

She always asks me this after I run errands.

“I’m not that weak, you know.”

Even though I said this, Mom just looked at me with worry.

“…Honestly, I’m a little tired.”

Mom let out a long sigh.

She’d already taken the bags from me, so there was no extra weight on me now.

“Next time, I’ll just do the errands myself.”

I was the one who’d insisted on running errands in the first place.

I thought it might build my stamina a bit.

But no matter how much I tried, my endurance didn’t improve. If anything, it only seemed to get worse.

Mom never forces me to do anything strenuous. It’s always me who initiates it.

So, it’s not her fault that I’m feeling tired now.

“…Okay,” I replied, nodding reluctantly.

“I just can’t stand seeing my son struggle, even a little.”

She didn’t finish her sentence, something about what if something happened…

We reached the elevator, and Mom relaxed, then suddenly scooped me up.

“Whoa!”

Startled, I turned to look at her.

“It’s my little bee~.”

…Whether I’m a bee or not, she’s all sweaty. Not that I’m not, either.

“Sticky…”

I grimaced, squirming in her arms.

I just hope the three girls watching us and laughing weren’t real.