I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter15: A Young 10-Year-Old, and a New Friend (4)

Final exams passed smoothly.

Thanks to an unusually good memory, I could always come out on top without much studying.

“…57 points.”

Ha Soyeol had the will to study, but unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a knack for it.

“Ugh, 74 points? Seriously?”

Choi Yeseo seemed to have studied harder this time, coming out above average.

When both of them noticed my test score…

“…So unfair.”

I had slyly left my test paper in plain view with my score clearly visible.

Yeseo’s eyebrows furrowed, clearly irritated.

“Should I start going to cram school, too? Ugh, I really hate studying, though.”

For someone who says that, she actually tries pretty hard. If she did start going to cram school, her scores would likely improve.

“I never see you study, so how are you scoring so high?” Yeseo said, glaring at my test paper.

“I glanced through the textbook once or twice. That’s studying, right?”

I couldn’t resist a little smugness.

“Ugh, so annoying.”

Yeseo turned her head away and clung to Soyeol.

“Soyeol~ We’re done with exams, so let’s hang out!”

Soyeol, pretending not to hear, directed her words to me instead.

“Ha-eun, are you going away again this vacation?”

“Huh? Ah, probably. But who knows? It’s up to the adults.”

Soyeol’s question was basically asking if I’d be going on a trip again this break.

We’d gone on trips nearly every vacation, so I figured this one wouldn’t be any different.

Normally, Lee Doyoon and Baek Yuseol would join, but they couldn’t come along this time due to personal reasons.

“I wonder where we’ll go this time. Yoon was saying he wanted to visit a valley.”

As I voiced my thoughts, Yeseo perked up and asked.

“Wow, you’re going on a trip? I’m so jealous…”

“It’s pretty much an annual thing for us, so it’s not that big of a deal.”

I didn’t think there was much to envy.

With school over, I grabbed my phone and left the classroom.

Since we got out at lunchtime after exams, the school was bustling, regardless of grade.

As I walked down the hallway, checking my phone, a message popped up.

Ding!

[♡Mom♡: Ask Yeseo if she wants to join!]

Ask her to join… what, exactly? A little more context would’ve been nice.

But given the current situation, there was really only one thing to ask about.

I showed Yeseo my phone screen.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t noticed until now, but she was taller than me, too.

She wasn’t as tall as Soyeol, but still noticeably taller than me, which mildly annoyed me.

“Uh, what’s this about?” she asked, confused.

Oops, I hadn’t explained.

“Do you want to come on the trip with us?”

At my words, Yeseo’s eyes widened, and she hesitated for a moment.

“Are you sure? Isn’t it a family trip?”

“Not exactly. I mean, it is, but it’s not just our family.”

I pointed at Soyeol, walking beside us.

“She’s coming along too, along with her mom.”

“Whoa! Really?”

Yeseo’s previously gloomy expression brightened, and she nodded with a grin.

“Yes! I’d love to! I was worried about what to do over the break, so this is perfect!”

Though it’s really only a few days…

“Alright, then. By the way, what about your parents?”

“Don’t worry! They’ll be fine with it. They can’t join, but they’ll say yes.”

She looked a bit down when she mentioned her parents.

…Did I hit a sore spot?

“Alright, so you’re coming?”

I quickly changed the subject.

“Yep! And speaking of which, let’s go hang out today!”

Sometimes, Yeseo’s thought process feels even harder to follow than Soyeol’s.

“How did you reach that conclusion?”

I sighed in exasperation.

“Don’t worry, Ha-eun. I’ll handle it,” Soyeol said, patting my head before grabbing Yeseo’s arm and dragging her off ahead.

“W-Wait, Soyeol? What about Ha-eun?”

“Ha-eun has other plans today.”

Thanks to Soyeol’s self-sacrifice, I’d finally be able to head home in peace—

“Ha-eun!”

…Why is it that every time I plan to relax, something pops up?

I looked back tiredly and saw my homeroom teacher, recognizing her voice.

“Teacher? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”

She looked pale, with cold sweat running down her face.

“Um, Ha-eun… can you come to the staff room for a moment?”

‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this…’

I nodded and asked what this was about.

“Oh, you’ll see when you get there,” she said, trying to sound cheerful.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell me now?

I started guessing why I might be getting called to the staff room.

First scenario: did I accidentally litter somewhere?

But that’s something anyone might do once or twice.

Second scenario: did they catch me taking extra toilet paper? But that was a year ago, and I ended up throwing it out after it got moldy.

Lastly, third scenario: did I show off my exam scores too much, and someone complained?

…That’s ridiculous.

‘So what could it be?’

I couldn’t think of a single reason I’d be called to the staff room.

And as it turned out, the actual reason was as unexpected as my teacher had hinted.

“Is this the kid who hit my son?”

…Excuse me?

This was definitely not what I’d anticipated.

***

Humans are incredibly intelligent creatures. If humanity were even slightly less intelligent, maybe elephants or dolphins would’ve taken over.

Not that I’m interested in that kind of fantasy.

The reason I bring this up now is that I’m wondering if we shouldn’t require intelligence tests for certain people.

“Hey, did you hit my son, huh?”

What the… this woman is…

I looked at my teacher, baffled.

“Uh, ma’am, why don’t we discuss the situation first—”

“Don’t you see my child’s face? His cheek is all swollen!”

…Isn’t that just baby fat? Not to mention, he’s much bigger than me.

“Let’s take a breath and talk this over calmly,” my teacher tried to mediate.

“No, I need to see this kid’s parents!”

…Where is this even going?

I sighed and spoke up.

“Um, ma’am, I think there’s a misunderstanding—”

“Excuse me? Did you just call me ‘ma’am’?” she spluttered, as if I’d offended her honor.

Seriously, what kind of stereotype is she trying to embody here?

Well, at least her character is so clear it’s almost entertaining.

If I ever get into webtoons, I’ll have a perfect character model right here.

“And you, top student, huh? You probably cheated, didn’t you?”

The more she talked, the more she sounded like a cartoon character.

By this point, I was actually starting to enjoy the absurdity.

How often do you get to see something like this in real life?

“You’re not denying it, so you must be guilty.”

She was making baseless accusations by herself, and I was just watching the spectacle.

But I was getting tired of it.

“So, Teacher, what now?”

I wanted to wrap this up and go home.

“Um, I think we need to clear up this misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding or not, I’d be the one bullied here before I ever laid a finger on someone else.

“Why don’t you listen to reason first, ma’am?” my teacher suggested, trying to keep calm.

But the woman was practically foaming at the mouth.

“Oh, so you’re just going to side with him while my son’s hurt?”

“Uh, I wasn’t even at school yesterday.”

I’d stayed silent until now, but this was too much.

“What? You think I’d believe that?”

“Check the attendance log if you’re worried.”

Respect is wasted on people who don’t act like adults.

You have to stand up to people like this.

“What the—!”

She looked ready to burst.

I was genuinely surprised her son wasn’t foaming at the mouth like she was.

“I stayed home sick yesterday. Right, Teacher?”

I glanced at my teacher, who smiled and patted my head.

Lately, people have been patting my head a lot. Weird.

“Yes, Ha-eun frequently misses school due to health issues.”

“What does that have to do—”

“He’s also physically weaker than most girls.”

“……”

“So, ma’am, please stop with these baseless accusations.”

‘Wow. Is this my teacher? She’s fiercer than I thought.’

My teacher’s sharp words finally made the woman pause.

“J-Jun… are you sure this is the kid who hit you?”

Realizing things weren’t going her way, she tried to change tactics.

Pathetic. But this isn’t exactly a unique case.

Parents coming to school to berate teachers and causing a fuss is a common problem.

Teachers are forced to bow to parents, as their complaints pile up day by day.

But my homeroom teacher… She’s different. She’s a true educator.

“Teacher, can I go now…?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. Actually, Ha-eun, you didn’t need to come in the first place.”

She looked down, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Ha-eun. I should’ve thought more carefully before calling you.”

It seems she brought me here out of fear after receiving complaints from this woman.

Come to think of it, this is her first year as a teacher.

She’s still young and is already facing challenges. But honestly, I couldn’t leave without having the last word.

The pudgy kid glared at me.

What, you think that glare will do anything?

Just before leaving the office, I spoke up.

“So, did your cheek really hurt? I bet the extra fat cushioned it pretty well.”

“What did you just—”

Thud!

Perfect timing.

Why did you have to drag in an innocent person? You could’ve picked anyone else.

Now you have to deal with the consequences.

With a lighter heart, I stepped out of the office.

I heard angry shouts behind me, but does that matter to me?

Let her try filing for defamation.

Like she’d embarrass herself enough to actually do it.

I could already picture the look on that kid’s face tomorrow.

Maybe I’ll draw a pig today.

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