I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 35: Entrance Ceremony (4)

The warmth of spring filled the classroom, emanating from the chalkboard where the plum blossom was depicted—this is the essence of a masterpiece.

“…Ha-eun.”

Ms. Lee A-reum’s trembling voice broke the silence.

“Yes, Ms. Lee? Isn’t it amazing?”

“No, it’s not that…”

She denied my words, her body visibly trembling.

Smack!

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?”

I felt a slight sting on the back of my head.

“Did you really think it was okay to fix someone else’s artwork without permission?!”

“Huh? But… Well, you didn’t stop me, did you?”

“If I’d interrupted while you were drawing, the art wouldn’t look as good, would it?”

Then maybe she shouldn’t have told me where the chalk was…

“I thought you were just scribbling in an empty spot,” she said, shaking her head.

“You have mind-reading powers now?”

I scratched my head where she’d flicked me.

“Besides, does it even matter? The painting was already fading, and it’s not like Ms. Seol Yoon seems to care about it anymore.”

“That may be true, but it still feels a bit… unsettling.”

Actually, I’d already asked her permission:

[Me: Do you mind if I make a few adjustments to the plum tree on the chalkboard?]

[Ms. Seol Yoon: Oh, that plum tree? I remember putting so much effort into it, but I don’t mind if you touch it up!]

[Me: No take-backs, right?]

[Ms. Seol Yoon: If you’re making it look even prettier, there’s no reason for me to refuse! Feel free!]

The text exchange had happened before I’d even picked up the chalk. And yes, I saved her number as “Ms. Snack” instead of “Ms. Seol.”

In every meeting I’d had with her, she always had a snack in hand. Hence the nickname.

“Well, should we move on to the next classroom?”

Breaking the silence, I spoke first.

Ms. Lee squinted as she studied the plum tree, then chuckled.

“I can barely tell it was altered, but the atmosphere feels… clearer.”

“I didn’t fully restore it. I would have liked to start fresh, but it wasn’t my place to do that.”

“You’ve got quite the scary mindset…”

It wasn’t my painting, after all, so I could only touch it up enough to preserve it a little longer.

That faded tree had gotten a touch-up, but there was no bringing it fully back to life.

Ms. Lee seemed to catch on to my silent desire to move on and shook her head.

“We’ll leave it here for today. We don’t have much time left.”

I checked my phone; lunchtime was approaching.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to just take a look at the other paintings—”

“Oh, I wonder what’s for lunch~! Let’s go!”

She grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the room before I could finish speaking.

I glanced back at the plum tree one last time.

…Sorry that I couldn’t fully restore you.

My paintings can endure for generations, but a fading work like that plum tree had a limited lifespan.

Even with repairs and fresh colors, the essence of the painting wouldn’t last much longer.

At best, it’d last a few more years.

Consider it this way: a doctor can save a life, but they can’t extend a person’s lifespan indefinitely.

As we left, sunlight flooded in from the windows, casting warmth over the wooden floors.

“Feels more like summer than early March,” I murmured.

Ms. Lee nodded in agreement. “Maybe we should call it ‘Earth self-destruction’ instead of global warming.”

“That’s a little dark, isn’t it?”

Why did every teacher I met have a few screws loose?

“You’re seventeen—don’t kids your age watch horror movies and know about these things?”

“Are you sure you’re a teacher?”

“Oh, back in my day, we’d… well, things were different~.”

She was only eight years older than me—what kind of “back in the day” was she talking about?

“In real life?” I asked.

“In movies.”

I decided to stop asking questions.

After a bit of small talk, we arrived back at Class 1.

Just as Ms. Lee was about to enter, I grabbed her wrist.

“So, why did you avoid it earlier?”

Just to clarify: we weren’t having some inappropriate teacher-student moment.

I’d only asked because she’d acted suspicious when I suggested going to the other classrooms.

“Aha… sharp, aren’t you?”

Ms. Lee awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“There are definitely more paintings in the other rooms. But seeing them now wouldn’t have any impact on you.”

What did that mean? I wouldn’t feel anything?

“You saw the plum tree in the first room. If there are other paintings, why was it only the warmth from the plum tree that you could feel?”

“…Huh.”

Until now, I hadn’t considered it. Sure, there were likely other paintings in those rooms. Even if they weren’t paintings, if they were masterpieces, I would’ve sensed them.

But only the plum tree’s warmth came through.

What else is in those rooms?

“The other works aren’t anything remarkable. They’re similar to the plum tree.”

My curiosity faded as quickly as it arose. Apparently, Ms. Lee couldn’t sense the other artworks either.

“So, are all the works in the old building paintings?”

“Right. They’re all paintings, and each was selected and collected by the school director.”

One thing became clear: the reason I could only see Ms. Seol Yoon’s plum tree was that there were no restrictions on it.

“And you’re sure they’re all paintings?”

“Why else would I have the keys?”

…The director was shrewder than I’d thought.

“When I got the key from the director, they told me the building only held paintings.”

I waited for her to continue.

“But only the first classroom is accessible. All the other rooms have padlocks.”

“And the director has the keys to those?”

“Yep. I’m only here to manage the building. They said they’d hand over the other keys eventually, but didn’t specify when.”

What is this, some RPG? Am I not high enough level to access those rooms?

“Well… disappointing, but it is what it is.”

“Who knows? If you become a big shot, you might get an audience with the director.”

I think I’ve already “made it.”

My interest waned the moment I heard the rooms weren’t accessible.

“Maybe you’ll get a key if you win the World Art Prize?”

Ms. Lee grinned as she threw open the classroom door and called out.

“Let’s go get lunch, everyone!”

The students who’d been chatting excitedly shot up from their seats.

Soon…

Rumble rumble.

“What’s for lunch?”

“I heard this school’s cafeteria is one of the best in the country.”

“They serve things like king crab and lobster here?”

Students filed out one by one. Last in line were Hong Yehwa and Kim… something-or-other, the girl with the bun hairstyle.

“And then I… ack!”

As soon as Kim-whatever saw me, she quickly averted her gaze.

“Ha-eun? Where were you?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I was in the restroom.”

“The restroom… all this time? Do you have—”

“Don’t go there. It’s not that.”

Great, now she was looking at me with pity, thinking I had some digestive issue.

Both of them gave Ms. Lee a polite bow as they passed.

“Hello~! Now, let’s all go get lunch.”

So our little group of four was formed. Yehwa and her friend led the way.

“‘The Earth is governed by the law of the cosmos…’”

“…What are you babbling about?”

“A quote from Lao Tzu.”

“And it means…?”

“I don’t know. How should I?”

Ms. Lee looked at me like I was some sort of exotic animal.

Actually, the quote means that humans follow the Earth, the Earth follows the heavens, and so on, with the ‘Dao’ ultimately following nature.

Why was I even saying this now?

Probably because, like every other student here, I was entranced by the promise of lunch.

…Everyone’s huddled at the cafeteria entrance.

Looking at the crowded entrance, I spotted the lunch menu.

– Tomato Pasta
– Ham & Cheese Toast
– Mung Bean Pancakes
– Juicy Cool

There was one odd menu item, but that didn’t matter.

Pasta? No way I’m passing that up.

Though I wasn’t great at pushing through crowds, I managed to squeeze in when a gap opened up.

Ms. Lee chuckled from behind, and Yehwa and her friend stayed toward the back.

Class 3’s Lee Doyoon arrived next, followed by Choi Yeseo from the Performing Arts Department and Ha Soyeol from the Athletics Department.

Finally, Baek Yuseol from the Music Department appeared in the cafeteria.

Holding my tray, I looked around at all of them.

All the key players are here.

It looked like Baek Yuseol had, as expected, joined the Music Department. The only deviations so far were me, Ha Soyeol, and Lee Doyoon.

Could the story veer off course because of us?

I thought so. After all, Doyoon was supposed to be in the Performing Arts Department, but here he was in Art.

Taking a seat in a quiet corner, I waited for Soyeol and Yeseo to join me.

“Hi, Ha-eun.”

“Ha-eun! You could’ve waited for us, you know

!”

“Look, pasta doesn’t wait.”

With Soyeol’s calm greeting and Yeseo’s playful complaint, I just kept eating.

Doyoon and Yuseol soon joined our table as well.

I glanced at Doyoon between bites. Outwardly, he seemed fine, but his fingers twitched slightly.

We needed to talk today.

…And why was Yuseol glaring at Yeseo and Yehwa?

I decided I didn’t want to know.

Once lunch was over, we returned to our respective classrooms for the closing homeroom period, and then the other students began to file out.

I stayed behind, waiting in my seat.

In the now-empty classroom, I soon heard the door open, and Lee Doyoon stepped inside.

“You’re here.”

“Y-yeah… haha.”

Doyoon laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Watching him, I propped my chin on my hand and got straight to the point.

“You have no talent for art. So what the hell are you doing here?”

What are you doing here, Doyoon?

He froze, and a vein pulsed in my temple.