I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter1: Age Four and Mischievous (1)

Four years have already passed since I was reborn into this unfamiliar world.

Now, it’s about time I realized I had reincarnated.

“I can’t believe I died from cardiac arrest after just three bottles of soju.”

Ridiculous, but it’s true. I drank so much that, at first, I thought this was all a dream.

Yet, as one day passed, then two, and finally a month, I realized the seriousness of it all—I wasn’t waking up.

Since I was already dead, no amount of agonizing would lead to any solutions, so I just accepted it and went on with my life.

The parents of this new life are very kind people. I felt a bit confused by the contrast with my previous life.

Though we weren’t incredibly wealthy, we were well-off enough that I didn’t face any major discomforts.

As I turned one, then two, the boredom became unbearable, and I felt like I had to do something.

Think about it. What can a kid who hasn’t even started preschool do at home?

Day after day, watching TV until I fell asleep from sheer boredom became my routine.

“Why did I have to be born in 2005…!”

Back when I died, there were flying cars! Well, not exactly.

I died in 2024, so there were Samsung’s 20 series phones and Apple’s 16th model!

The drastic backward step in human civilization gave me a bit of a headache, even causing slight shortness of breath.

Luckily, YouTube was established in 2005, the year I was born, so it seemed better than boring variety shows…

“…Never mind.”

There was almost nothing to watch, even for adults, let alone kids.

The few amateur videos that did trickle in were long, unedited, and painful to watch, with terrible picture and sound quality.

I shut off the phone I borrowed from my mom and sighed deeply.

“Sweetie~ Is something wrong?”

The woman holding me, my mother in this life, rubbed her cheek against mine and asked.

“No, it’s just not that interesting.”

“Oh, well. Then, how about we go for a walk together?”

Mom, who was also bored on the weekend, suggested a walk.

I liked going for walks, so I eagerly nodded and got ready to go.

But would it be okay? Mom’s due date was coming up soon.

I considered that maybe she shouldn’t strain herself, but since she was already prepared, I let go of the thought.

“Mom knows her own body best, I guess.”

A light stroll should be fine.

So I got ready, and before leaving, I grabbed a little yellow chick hat.

It might look childish to others, but I liked it. And besides, right now, I was that “mischievous four-year-old.”

I knew all too well that I’d look cute, even with a hat like this.

As I walked down the street, hand in hand with Mom, basking in the warm spring sunshine…

“Oh! Hello~!”

Mom spotted a mother and daughter approaching from a distance and cheerfully called out.

“Oh my! Haeun’s mom. Hello! It’s been a while.”

The woman, who looked about Mom’s age, was Mrs. Yoo Ji-hye.

To be honest, she looked so young that calling her “auntie” felt a little odd.

Well… my mom looked even younger. How could she possibly be in her late twenties?

Sadly, Mrs. Yoo Ji-hye was actually in her early thirties.

“Where are you headed? Hi, Haeun~ It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

I nodded and greeted her politely.

“Hello.”

“Ahh~ Have you been well? You look even cooler since the last time I saw you!”

It had only been two weeks, though.

“Oh, we’re not headed anywhere in particular. Haeun was just getting too bored at home, so we decided to take a little walk.”

“Oh, then can we join you? We didn’t have much to do at home either.”

“Of course! Haeun was probably lonely on his own, so this is perfect.”

As those two moms said, there was indeed one more person here.

A girl around my age, Ha Soyul, was glaring at me from behind Mrs. Yoo Ji-hye.

“…?”

Why the glare?

“Oh, right, I forgot to greet Soyul! Hi, Soyul~.”

Even with my mom’s friendly greeting, Ha Soyul stayed silent, glaring. That little brat.

“Ha… kids these days can be tough.”

“Soyul, you should say hello.”

“…Hello.”

She was as chilly as she looked, like a stray cat.

“Uh-huh! Hello~.”

Mom, as always, was cheerful, which made Soyul blush and back off. But why had she been glaring at me?

While the moms chatted, the kids just stared at each other in silence.

We’d met at the playground a few times and played together—well, more like I played with her.

But I couldn’t understand why she was being so cold today.

“Shall we go?”

When their conversation ended, Mom asked, and I nodded, holding her hand. The other mom and daughter did the same.

…But where were we going?

“Where are we going?”

“Hm? Oh, right. There’s a new art café that I wanted to check out.”

Realizing she hadn’t mentioned our destination, Mom nodded and pointed.

“There’s a new café over there. Let’s go have a look.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

An art café, huh? Maybe they’d set up a café in an art gallery?

But there wasn’t a gallery in this area, so I was puzzled.

My question was soon answered by the other mom.

“Soyul, what are you going to draw today?”

It seemed they’d been to this place a few times. Listening to their conversation, I got a rough idea of what the place was.

“Hmm… a tiger!”

Such a kid-like answer. Thanks, that helps.

“Wow~ Can I look forward to your drawing again this time?”

“Yup!”

Their conversation paused, and then it was our turn.

“What’s my little artist going to draw~?”

Seeing Mom imagining my artwork with a hum, I delivered a sharp reply.

“The Illuminati symbol.”

“Huh?”

“I want to draw a shark.”

“Oh, uh, right. I must’ve heard that wrong.”

Ignoring her contemplative look, I checked Mom’s face.

She looked calm. Guess she’s okay.

When we reached the art café, I examined its exterior.

There were various pictures displayed, some well-drawn and others not so much.

It seemed like a café that frequently welcomed children.

Upon entering, I had one concern. I might end up “overwhelming” everyone here.

Not arrogant—just facts. This place might be stunned by my artwork. Haha.

‘…Let’s not go there.’

Feeling my face flush, I fanned myself with my hand, meeting Ha Soyul’s eyes.

She was still glaring, though she seemed a bit more subdued than earlier.

What was her problem?

Ignoring her, I stepped inside and thought, Wow.

“Oh my, this is really pretty.”

Agreed. It seemed many talented people had passed through here. There were landscapes, comic characters, and cartoonish styles.

This wasn’t just a café—it felt like a full-fledged art exhibit.

“Let’s sit by the window!”

Mom always wanted a window seat in a café, saying the view was important.

It was only the first floor, though, so there wasn’t much of a view.

“Sounds good~. I’ll get us some drinks.”

“Oh, then I won’t refuse—a peach smoothie, please!”

After placing her order, the other mom looked at me and Soyul.

I spoke up with my choice.

“A tropical blossom tea, please.”

“Oh, right. And…?”

She seemed surprised but quickly turned to her daughter.

I’d spotted the menu as we walked in, so I knew my options.

This new, reincarnated self had a good memory, after all.

“Chocolate milk?”

“Okay. Please wait a moment, little fairies.”

…Ugh.

I took a seat beside Mom, feeling a little queasy from the “fairies” comment.

As I looked at her rounded belly, I asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

“Hm? Oh, this is nothing,” Mom shrugged as she took out her phone to snap some photos outside.

Relaxed, I took in the cozy, peaceful café—perfect for drawing.

After a while, I sipped the tea brought by Mrs. Yoo Ji-hye.

“Haeun acts so mature, doesn’t he?”

She looked at Mom, surprised to see me drinking tea.

“Sometimes, I wonder if he has these unusual thoughts.”

“Hey, come on.”

I felt unfairly targeted, though I admitted it was true. I did have a more “grown-up” palate.

“He eats vegetables well, though he really hates broccoli. Isn’t that strange?”

“Calling your own son strange, huh?”

“What? Did I say anything untrue?”

And so, Mom and I carried on, joking like friends.

Of course, there was still that parent-child boundary, just enough to keep things light.

As we chatted, someone from the counter brought over a drawing pad and paints.

“Well, let’s get started!”

Mrs. Yoo Ji-hye seemed excited about painting, and Soyul eagerly got to work.

In contrast, Mom and I took a calm approach, each of us smiling and carefully applying our brushes to paper.

Watching the others, I grabbed my brush.

Honestly, I hadn’t planned to draw anything.

Drawing had brought me a lot of pain, a lot of disappointment. But that was in my past life, now gone.

This time, I felt a spark of hope that maybe things would turn out differently.

I’d failed once, but maybe I could succeed in this life.

With that thought etched into my heart, I dipped my brush in paint and touched it to the paper.

In the quiet, I gave my talent free rein, painting with abandon on the page.