I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 24: Sixteen and Growing, Plus a Retreat and a Competition (7)

The truth was, something had happened.

It was obvious just by looking at the class president’s face when he came back.

“Jin-hyuk, so what happened?”

When one of the kids asked, Kim Jin-hyuk gave an awkward laugh.

“Um… There was some conflict, but it’s all settled now.”

He tried to brush it off smoothly, but everyone still looked curious.

“Was it because of Kim Byung-jun?” I asked.

Jin-hyuk’s face showed surprise.

“How’d you know?”

“I stepped out into the hallway when it got noisy earlier and saw Kim Byung-jun storming back to his dorm, sweating and looking furious.”

The sight had instantly clued me in that something had gone down.

And honestly, Kim Byung-jun had changed a lot. Back then, he’d just been chubby, but now, he looked intimidating—like you didn’t want to get close.

“Did something happen during the march?” I guessed, and Jin-hyuk gave a heavy nod.

Then, he subtly shook his head as if telling us not to get involved.

“This doesn’t concern us.”

It was strange to see him draw such a firm line, with even a hint of disdain.

So Kim Byung-jun was the “bad guy” here?

Jin-hyuk relaxed his expression and smiled awkwardly.

“All right, time to head out. Keep your belongings secure.”

The soldier in charge walked in without warning, made the announcement, and left just as quickly, looking visibly irritated.

Honestly, I could sympathize. I’d probably find it annoying too, looking after a bunch of kids.

‘I totally get you, man.’

…Well, I could understand, at least.

Outside, I ran into Ha Soyeol and Choi Yeseo, who waved when they saw me.

“Hey! Why didn’t you come out this morning?”

“So you’re telling me to just drop dead? How polite.”

“I was kidding, hehe.”

“Good morning, Ha-eun.”

“Yeah, good morning.”

Yeseo started joking around from the get-go, and Soyeol greeted me warmly.

“But by the way, you two…”

“Hm? What?”

“What exactly happened this morning?”

I couldn’t help it; I had to ask.

Their expressions darkened at my question.

“Well… haha,” Yeseo seemed hesitant to answer.

“Um…”

Soyeol looked like she was carefully considering what to say.

“There’s probably no reason to hide it,” Soyeol decided, meeting my gaze.

“Remember what happened yesterday at the cafeteria?”

I thought back.

“Oh, that fight between that girl and Kim Byung-jun?”

“Yeah… But how’d you know it was Kim Byung-jun?”

“I stepped out into the hallway when it got noisy and saw him fuming there alone.”

“…Is that so?”

A faint shadow crossed Soyeol’s face, her mouth twisting into a slight frown.

…Whenever she looked like that, it was like she was ready to go punch someone.

“Did you not sleep because of him?”

“No, I was already awake.”

She quickly returned to her usual self. What was that about?

“So what happened?”

“Apparently, Kim Byung-jun wanted to get revenge for what happened yesterday, so he showed up for the march,” Yeseo scoffed, no longer holding back.

Now that Soyeol had started the story, Yeseo seemed to feel there was no reason to keep quiet.

“But the funny thing is, he got worn out and collapsed halfway through.”

Yeseo laughed openly.

“Overcome with rage, he ended up finding that girl and hit her.”

It had happened during a break in the march.

“Oh, and get this: he picked up a rock and everything. They had to rush her to the hospital.”

…That’s what happened? So that’s why I’d seen him alone earlier?

“They said he’s packing up to go home.”

“And they let him walk around alone? Shouldn’t an adult have been supervising him?”

“I don’t know about that. All we heard was that he was told to gather his things and go back.”

…Did anyone even think this through?

What was Class 1’s teacher doing, letting a student who’d assaulted someone just wander around alone?

Luckily nothing else happened while I was still there; if another incident had occurred, things would’ve been beyond repair.

That Class 1 teacher was probably in for it once we got back to school.

Our school… is something else.

“Let’s move!” a soldier shouted, and everyone started walking.

Breakfast was cereal and not much else.

Honestly, what was with the food here?

After breakfast, the day proceeded as before—relax a bit, watch another video, then start training.

For me, it meant just hanging around and chatting with the teacher until lunch.

“So then?” I prompted.

“What?”

“Tell me about this morning’s incident.”

“Let it go. It’s only going to spread rumors.”

“Ah, fine…”

The teacher remained tight-lipped.

But he did answer some of my complaints.

“But doesn’t it seem strange that they just sent him back alone?”

“There wasn’t much choice. It all happened so suddenly.”

“No, but I mean, when he came back alone. What if something else had happened?”

“…Yeah, I should’ve accompanied him, honestly.”

Apparently, the Class 1 teacher was with the injured girl. Fair enough.

But what about the other adults? Shouldn’t they have done something to prevent further trouble?

“We needed to calm the girl down quickly, and at that moment, everyone was panicking a bit.”

It was an excuse, but the teacher finished with a grim smile.

“Well… as long as there were no further incidents, that’s good enough.”

“Right. If anything else had happened, it would’ve been a disaster.”

Though the handling seemed questionable, in the end, things worked out.

“Well, adults make mistakes, too,” I said.

“Look at you, just grilling me a moment ago.”

“I mean, since nothing bad happened, there’s no reason to get mad. Otherwise, who knows.”

“This kid’s got no filter with teachers.”

We both chuckled.

“…Still, it’s kind of scary. Parents are the scariest people in the world.”

“Well, then, keep an eye on things.”

“It all happened in a flash! Besides, I was in the restroom then.”

The teacher seemed genuinely upset. The incident had happened while he was away.

It wasn’t his fault.

The only thing he could be blamed for was letting Kim Byung-jun go back alone.

“Fine… It’s my fault, okay? Happy now?”

I laughed, giving him a thumbs-up.

Being an adult, being a teacher, these things don’t come with a set age.

The teacher was almost forty, but could he really be considered a grown-up?

In my eyes, a real adult wasn’t about age.

It was about being responsible for what happens.

By that definition, my homeroom teacher was an adult.

“Time to eat. Let’s go,” he said, patting my shoulder as he stood up.

For some reason, his back looked like a towering mountain today.

Yeah… an adult has to take responsibility.

And most of the staff at our school?

They weren’t really adults.

Not just our school, probably, but society in general.

Only a few people truly take responsibility.

When this situation blows up, the Class 1 teacher will likely take the fall, or maybe even the principal or vice-principal.

If not, it might be my teacher who has to take the blame.

Sure, there are other teachers, but honestly, none of them seem particularly dependable.

Maybe I’m judging too quickly because I haven’t talked to them much.

‘Still, I hope they have some decency.’

The principal and vice-principal will probably offer apologies, but will there be any real sincerity?

From what I’ve seen, they’ll just chew out the teachers who stood by while it happened.

…Not that it has anything to do with me.

“Aren’t you coming?”

The teacher turned and looked back at me.

“Yeah, coming.”

“Old soul, aren’t you?”

The teacher chuckled, walking with his usual casual stride.

Following him, I decided that if any parents come at him, I’d stand up for him too.

What grounds do I have?

I’ll make one if I have to.

You know who my dad is, right? This is exactly the kind of time to use influence.

I’m not letting anyone innocent take the blame.

—

“…What the…!”

“Ha-eun, bad words.”

“What the heck is this?!”

Lunch was… something else. Instead of a regular meal, they’d given us deconstructed hamburgers.

In other words, military-style burgers for lunch.

There was milk and a few other sides, but seriously, where was the rice?

“…You know, this isn’t half bad,” Yeseo admitted, after looking horrified and then taking a bite.

“The taste isn’t the issue. It’s the setting,” I replied.

I loved bread, but the military cafeteria atmosphere wasn’t making it enjoyable.

On that note—

“Here.”

I handed my burger kit to Ha Soyeol.

“Huh? You’re giving it to me?”

“Finish it first, then ask.”

Gulp.

“Are you really giving it to me?”

“Yeah. Not my thing.”

I’d had enough of these in my past life. Eating it again? No, thanks.

“Hey, then give it to me!”

“Should an idol trainee be eating this much?”

“It’s muscle! I need muscle!”

…What does that even mean?

“What the heck…”

“Don’t you know? ‘Practical Compressed Fat,’ duh.”

With a groan, I turned my

head.

I noticed some sauce on the corner of Soyeol’s mouth.

“Hey, you’ve got sauce on your mouth,” I said, wiping it with my pinky and putting it in my mouth.

“Hm…”

“What the?!”

The taste was ketchup. As I casually savored it, Yeseo looked at me in shock from my right.

Meanwhile, Soyeol just kept munching on her burger like nothing had happened.

“What’s with you?”

“I mean… gross! Why did you…?”

“Oh, suddenly?”

Really? We’ve always done stuff like this.

“We’ve known each other for twelve years. Isn’t it a bit late for you to be reacting?”

Pretty sure I’ve done this in front of Yeseo more than once.

“Oh… really?” She thought hard, a flood of memories seemingly crossing her mind.

Then she looked at her burger and took a big bite, smearing sauce around her mouth.

“…Why don’t you do it for me?”

“Gross, why would I?”

Tears welled up in Yeseo’s eyes that day.

TL Note: Rate us on NOVEL UPDATES