I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 6

In the now quiet house, the first to move was Mom.

Click.

She took a pair of scissors from the drawer next to the bed and began to cut out my self-portrait that she was holding in her hand.

It was like she was carefully tracing the drawing, cutting away the white background.

“How is it, Haeun? Did I cut it well?” 

I couldn’t respond to her sudden question. Her voice trembled, but she tried hard not to show it.

When I didn’t answer, she opened the frame on the bed and took out the family portrait.

Then she placed my cut-out drawing next to the girl in the family picture.

My drawing fit right in, turning the picture from four people into five.

“Tada~.”

Mom smiled as she held up the frame. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were sad.

Dad silently looked at me.

Mom set the frame down and hugged me. Dad joined in and hugged us both.

“Eun is also our child, so we can’t leave him out.”

Her voice was thick with emotion, echoing in my ears. I had nothing to say…

“Thank you, son. And I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were feeling that way.”

Mom and Dad comforted me for a long time. It should have been them wanting to cry.

Why were the tears coming from my eyes?

Only then did I finally feel like I had broken free from the family of my past life.

But it must be strange for Mom and Dad. What’s with a kid who’s only four years old…

Sigh. It’s all my karma.

“Mom thinks our Eun is the most precious in the world. It’s a miracle that my son came to me. A very precious gift. So, Haeun, please stay by our family, by Mom and Dad. Even if it’s just in a picture.”

“Okay… I will. I’m sorry.”

Saying that while being hugged was awkward, but still, my age is only four, right?

What am I doing in such a serious situation…?

My heart fluttered and pounded. I felt good.

Seeing Dad still silent, I wondered.

“Sniff… sniff.”

I must have been crying for a long time.

“Honey… should we take our son to see a psychiatrist?”

Clap!

“Ouch!”

Mom suddenly smacked Dad’s back, sounding irritated.

“Do you really think Eun has a problem in his head? Well, I mean, you could think that way.”

For a moment, Dad’s eyes looked at me. His eyes, which smiled sadly, made my heart ache.

“Our family should help Eun get better. Let’s go to the hospital only when it’s really serious.”

“Okay… let’s do that.”

The two of them combined their opinions and made plans for the future. Most of them were about spending time with family.

I felt a bit shy still being held by Mom, but I endured it.

Ugh. It felt like such a middle schooler’s behavior…

I shouldn’t be in between my family!

Then they would have a hard time!

…I felt a little dizzy recalling those cringe-worthy past actions. It seemed like the identity crisis that usually comes during adolescence had come upon me now.

“I shouldn’t do that from now on.”

I wasn’t replacing my sister’s place anymore. I’m also a proper member of this family.

I should not cause worry for Mom and Dad anymore.

In the relaxed atmosphere, Dad picked up the frame and hung it on the wall.

The picture hanging on one side of the wall looked beautiful in its placement.

“See, Ha-yoon is surely with us. Look. She’s smiling right here, isn’t she?”

Dad smiled as he traced his fingers over the picture. My sister Lee Ha-yoon had a bright face and a cheerful smile.

“So, I hope our son, Haeun, can live as brightly as his sister. Got it?”

“Okay. I will.”

“Our son~. Thank you so much for drawing your sister. But it’s too bad that our son is left out.”

As Dad lifted me up, who had been on Mom, he expressed his regret.

At those words, I felt a bit uneasy.

“Hmm… should I draw it again?”

“No. That would ruin the meaning of the first family picture. It’s actually good that our son stands out a bit more in three dimensions, right?”

Hehe.

“Really?”

“Of course! Our son is the coolest and cutest!”

I forced myself to keep my smile from getting too wide.

“Next time, I’ll make a family picture bigger than this one. Of course, I’ll draw myself right in the center.”

“Haha. I’m looking forward to it!”

“Our son. I’m counting on you!”

As Dad and Mom took turns speaking, I felt my shoulders lifting for no reason.

Compliments made even the usually quiet Lee Haeun dance!!

While I was enjoying this pleasant feeling, 

“Oh right. Son, you have to start going to kindergarten now.”

“That’s true. But I think kindergarten might be better than daycare.”

“Kindergarten is only available from age five. It would be nice to make friends a bit earlier.”

Suddenly, Mom dropped a bombshell that made my head spin.

Wait. Didn’t we just enjoy a family moment?

What is this? That I have to go to daycare.

“That… can’t I not go?”

“Nope. We need to introduce our son to a taste of the tiny society~.”

Is it really necessary, Mom?

“Last time, Soyul’s mom recommended a daycare. I heard Soyul goes there too.”

Now they’re just talking about me without considering my feelings, huh? 

“We were having such a harmonious atmosphere just a moment ago.”

Why did it get so serious about my education facility?

“Oh~. Then should we go check it out?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. This week is a bit busy, but let’s go for a consultation next week.”

“Okay then.”

It looks like I’ll have to rub shoulders with little kids. Ugh, what am I going to do there…

I’ll probably just doodle on a sketchbook with crayons. It’s not like I can play with the kids.

Just the thought of having to deal with Soyul is overwhelming enough, let alone dozens of kids!

It would be better to stick with Soyul. At least she’s quiet.

“Please, I hope there aren’t any loud, screeching kids.”

If I’m going to have to go anyway, I wish for just that.

Thinking about it, Soyul also said she doesn’t have friends in daycare.

If I sit next to her, will it make things quieter automatically?

Well, Soyul didn’t seem like she had friends. She had an air that made it hard to approach her.

Her aloof face was like a cool cat. But from an adult’s perspective, she was just a cute girl.

For kids my age, it might be hard to approach her. That’s why she played with only me in the playground.

Even the kids who hadn’t entered elementary school yet.

Usually, at that age, kids easily reject those who are different from them.

She doesn’t seem like a typical kid. Something feels similar to me.

Thinking like this makes Soyul seem a bit pitiful. A proud little cat.

“Heh. I’ll just have to make her my first friend by force.”

Until now, she was just a neighbor.

From now on, she’ll be my Nakama!

After that troubling day passed, a week went by.

“Didn’t they say it was just a consultation…?”

“Hehe. Then, son~ I’ll come to pick you up later. You have to do well even without Mom, okay?”

I was caught off guard.

Didn’t they say it was just a consultation? Just a consultation and they would think about it?

What is this? This is betrayal, Mom.

It was supposed to be nice. 

This is the worst situation. I’m not mentally prepared yet.

But no matter what, this proud little cat…

“Why? Are you sick? Want a hug?”

As soon as I entered, she linked her fingers and brought her face close to mine.

And hugging? Save that for your future husband.

Where do you think you can win over a romantic guy so easily?

The class I entered was the Sunflower Class.

I smacked my forehead and opened my mouth, watching the front.

– Uta-ta-ta-ta.

– Ttu-tteu-ttu-tteu?

– Ssenjjaeeem!!

Is this what chaos looks like? My mind feels hazy.

Of course, it could just be that my brain is filtering it to look that way.

At least, from what I know, it was quite an impressive sight.

Please express the mental state of the speaker, Lee Haeun, in a descriptive manner.

Damn it. This isn’t some Korean literature excerpt. How am I supposed to do this? How…

“Sigh. I’d rather die than endure this.”

Isn’t this what such phrases are used for? But I feel just as tired, so I might as well have a drink~.

“Haeun, Haeun.”

A voice calling me while shaking her linked hands.

Soyul called me, blinking her eyes.

“Look over there. Let’s do that.”

What is that? But can’t you see the gazes converging on us right now?

Look at those eyes. It’s like they’re looking at another race. I’d understand if we were a yellow monkey or something, but…

Guys, we’re still native Koreans… oh wait, looking closely, Soyul’s eyes have a bit of a red hue. Is she lacking melanin?

If it doesn’t significantly affect daily life, then it doesn’t matter.

I avoided the gathered gazes and reached the place Soyul wanted.

Several puzzle pieces were scattered about. It looked like she had been working on it before I arrived.

But the number of puzzle pieces doesn’t look ordinary at all.

“700 pieces…?”

And about half of it was already done.

Oh, seriously. She doesn’t seem like a four-year-old. What’s up with her?

I even wondered if she might also be reincarnated.

“??”

But the silly look on her face made me turn my head away. Well, there’s no way.

“Eun, over here.”

She kindly showed me where to start, making the back of my neck ache.

Are we really going to finish this today? I’m terrible at puzzles.

Well, as long as there are just many pieces, it’s fine, since I have a good sense of colors.

I gathered the similar colors and found the connecting points of each.

Then, if something seemed to fit, I’d join the pieces together.

“Hmm…”

Soyul seemed to be having a hard time finding the puzzle pieces, frowning.

Wanting to finish quickly myself, I started finding the pieces.

And in about 50 minutes, my section was complete.

I sneaked a glance at the other side and saw only a few pieces remaining.

An amusing thought crossed my mind, so I moved over and sat next to Soyul.

She didn’t even notice I’d come. Her focused eyes were fixed on the puzzle.

A few minutes later, with only the last piece left.

As she was about to place it with a bright smile…

I pressed her hand and took the final shot myself.

For a moment, the surroundings went silent. Just like last time.