I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 61: Summer Art Homework (end)

As soon as I entered the café, I felt obligated to order something, so I got myself a cup of coffee.

“Hmm, should I just get an iced Americano?”

Normally, I’d have gone for an espresso to savor its distinct bitterness, but today, I wasn’t in the mood for that.

After ordering an Americano at the counter, I returned to my seat.

“Ha-yoon, introduce us.”
“Why isn’t he an idol?”
“Wow, he looks way better in person than in photos or videos…”

My sister’s friends were whispering to each other while glancing at me.

Wait a second—aren’t they only 14? What on earth are they on about?

‘…Do elementary school kids even date these days?’

Come to think of it, I vaguely recall something like that back when I was younger. Though, of course, those relationships barely lasted long.

“Shut up, all of you. I’m not sharing him with anyone.”

‘Sister, could you tone down that sharp tongue of yours?’

Ha-yoon raised an eyebrow and glared at her three friends.

“And besides, my brother already has three—no, four—girlfriends!”

“Alright, that’s enough. How much lower are you planning to drag me down?”

I quickly covered my rebellious sister’s mouth with my hand.

Lick.

She licked my palm in retaliation.

I pulled my hand away and wiped it on a napkin from the table.

“Gross. It tastes weird.”
“Of course it does; I put on sunscreen. Also, could you take a look at your friends’ faces?”

Her friends were now staring at us with wide eyes, as if they’d just witnessed something incomprehensible.

“Uh, are you two always this close?”

One of them timidly asked, but Ha-yoon and I just shrugged in response.

“There’s no reason for us to have a bad relationship, so why not?”

Ha-yoon casually replied.

“She’s just really lively. Even if she gets mad, she cools down quickly.”

I chimed in to back her up.

“Really? Most siblings are at each other’s throats. Like me and that blood-related brat I live with.”

Blood-related brat? Where do these kids learn these terms? The vocabulary of today’s youth is terrifying.

“But Minji, isn’t your brother ranked first in his entire school?”
“What’s the big deal about being first as a high school freshman?”

Kid, being ranked first as a freshman is actually a huge deal.

“Minji, you’re ranked first in your class too. From the bottom.”
“Shut up, you little brat!”

‘…Is this how middle school girls talk these days?’

Ha Soyeol and Choi Yeseo never talked like this. Maybe it’s because of a different environment?

While I was silently observing, Ha-yoon leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“Sorry. My friends are a bit… wild.”
“They’re not wild. This is a jungle.”

At my comment, Ha-yoon burst out laughing, slapping my thigh as she did so.

Ouch, that hurts.

Still, I was curious about something. Minji’s brother, the one ranked first in his school, must be the same age as me.

“Hey, what’s that Minji girl’s last name?”
“Choi. Why do you ask?”

Choi? Could it be… her brother?

“Is her brother’s name Choi Seung-chul?”

Minji, sitting nearby, widened her eyes in surprise at my quiet question.

“Huh? How did you know that?”

What a coincidence. Who’d have thought an old connection would surface here?

“Wasn’t Choi Seung-chul the student council vice president back in middle school?”
“Yeah! That guy—uh, I mean, he was the vice president!”

“Then it’s him. We went to the same school. Though he went on to a humanities-focused high school.”

We weren’t particularly close, but he was someone who was well-respected, kind, and popular.

I guess things weren’t quite the same between him and his sister.

“But when are we starting our homework?”

Ha-yoon tapped her notebook with her pen to get my attention.

“Oh, right! We don’t have time for this!”
“Minji, this is your fault for distracting us!”
“Shut up. You guys were having fun too.”

The conversation level here is just too advanced for me to keep up. Also, isn’t that a typical bully mindset?

Anyway, we finally got started on the homework.

“So, what exactly do you need me to help with?”

Resting my chin on one hand, I looked over at my sister.

“This! Just help me with the coloring! I’ve finished the sketch, but coloring’s tricky.”
“Coloring?”

I glanced at her notebook.

Sure enough, thanks to my influence, her drawings were above average.

The kind of drawings that would make classmates ask, “Can you draw something for me?”

Still, coloring over these sketches would be a bit much.

“You need to do line art first before coloring. It’ll make the lines much cleaner.”
“Oh, right. I got confused because in your streams, you skip the sketch and go straight to the line art.”

No, no. The thickness of the lines is completely different between a sketch and line art…

As I watched her diligently trace over her sketch to make clean lines, I felt eyes on me from across the table.

“?”

When I looked up curiously, one of her friends spoke up.

“Um, could you help us too? Haha…”
“This isn’t difficult or anything. Which part do you need help with?”

And so began an impromptu art lesson, which lasted over an hour.

“Whew! Finally finished the sketch!”
“Keep it down. We’re not the only ones here, you know?”
“Too late for that now.”

As Ha-yoon’s friends continued their bickering, she slid her notebook toward me.

“Brother, what should I do next?”

Having finished her line art and added some details, she seemed ready for the next step.

“Now you color. If you want it to look clean, I recommend using colored pencils.”

Ha-yoon pulled out a case of colored pencils from her bag.

I’ve never seen this before. Did Mom buy it for her separately?

Well, all of my art supplies were stored in my studio, so it made sense.

“Here you go.”

Once again, Ha-yoon handed me her work. Wasn’t this basically asking me to do it for her?

‘Oh well.’

Since my cute little sister was asking for a favor, how could I possibly refuse?

“Wow, you’ve become so stuck-up, brother.”
“That’s physically impossible, dear sister.”

Ignoring her nonsense, I picked up the colored pencil.

While my specialty was brushes, I could still handle various tools. Since I had a colored pencil in hand, I might as well show her an example.

The primary characteristic of coloring with colored pencils was that, unlike paint, you don’t mix colors beforehand and apply them to the paper. Instead, you create colors directly on the paper as you draw.

Two major techniques for this are layering and burnishing.

“Those are terms I’ve never heard before.”
“I’ve mentioned them on my streams a few times.”

Ha-yoon froze, her expression betraying that she’d been caught. She nervously avoided my gaze.

Anyway, here’s how layering works:

In simple terms, it involves applying colors in layers, as the name suggests. This technique allows you to create a variety of hues, offering a different vibe compared to paint.

By building up layers, you can intensify existing colors or even create entirely new ones. This is one of the advantages of colored pencils.

Then there’s burnishing. This technique involves blending colors or creating a smudging effect while enhancing the glossiness of the surface.

Honestly, I don’t use burnishing that often. It requires rubbing the surface of the paper after applying the color.

‘That gets your hands dirty.’

Even beyond that, the process is similar to smudging pastels, which I wasn’t a fan of.

It’s tiring, really. It doesn’t just involve moving your hand—you have to use your whole arm.

It’s such a hassle.

That’s why I generally avoid burnishing and rely more on layering instead.

“Got it, sister?”
“Understood, kind of?”
“Why are you mixing languages? Stick to one.”
“You said burnishing was about mixing, right?”

That’s not the same thing.

As we bantered, I noticed Ha-yoon’s friends watching us with fascination.

“There’s definitely a lot I could criticize, but… weirdly, the vibe’s kind of chill.” 

“Yeah, just like how you shut up whenever your chest gets criticized.”
“You little—!”

…Or maybe not.

Pretending I hadn’t heard anything, I turned my head away.

“Oops!”
“Sorry, Ha-yoon. Don’t glare at us like that.”
“The princess is angry, you idiots.”

I decided to just roll with the situation. This must be how middle school girls hung out.

Why not? Boys their age also ran around in the rain thinking it was poetic.

It wasn’t surprising that girls had their own unique way of playing.

A bit of coarse language? Well, that’s just how some kids are, right?

‘But aren’t they barely out of elementary school?’

Still, I couldn’t help but worry about their futures.

“Done coloring.”
“Thanks, bro! I’ll cover the coffee.”
“It’s just one Americano. Don’t bother.”
“Come on, you came all the way here. Let your little sister treat you for once!”

It was hard to say no when she put it that way.

We spent the rest of the time helping her friends finish their homework as well.

“Whew, man, if we hadn’t finished today, it would’ve been hell.”
“I’m already in hell. I have to go to cram school now.”

“Yikes…”

Before we knew it, it was 5 PM. Ha-yoon’s friends waved goodbye as they left the café.

“Yawn.”
“It’s almost dinner time.”
“Duh! There’s a separate stomach for dessert, you know!”
“You’ll regret it if you can’t finish dinner later. Mom’s going to scold you.”

The two of us lingered in the café, passing the time.

Why weren’t we leaving yet? Because my dear sister was still eating a slice of cheesecake.

“You’re going to gain weight.”
“…No, I won’t? I actually need to gain weight, you know?”

Her slightly defensive pout wasn’t very convincing.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her sulky expression.

‘This scene feels familiar—like something I’ve seen in America.’

Whenever we had moments like this, they always seemed to get disrupted by some unwelcome event.

But today, contrary to my expectations, the café remained peaceful.

Maybe I’ve been too on edge lately.

There was so much to do and so much to worry about, but I couldn’t possibly keep everything under control.

Just like you can’t stop sand from slipping through your fingers.

I wanted to hold onto this peaceful moment for as long as I could.

I rested my hand on Ha-yoon’s head and gently stroked her hair.

“Mm?”

Her cheeks puffed out as she held a mouthful of cake.

I had the urge to poke her cheeks, but she’d probably get mad if I did.

‘As expected, my sister’s too precious to let go.’

Couldn’t she just stay with our family forever?

Though she was only 13, all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind.

“Drink your latte, too. You’ll choke on the cake.”

I pulled a napkin from the corner of the table and wiped her mouth.

Despite her neat tendencies, Ha-yoon sometimes had moments like this.

After finishing her cheesecake, she smiled brightly and grabbed my hand.

“Brother, let’s go home!”

I hoped this peacefulness would last forever.