I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 70

"Introduce yourselves. This is Seiren, and this is Choi Ye-Seo."

I gestured between the two with my fingers.

“...This is why you suddenly insisted we meet?!”

Choi Ye-Seo turned to me, her face a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.

“How is it? Cool and refreshing, right?”

Seiren, seemingly pleased to have company, smiled warmly as she spoke.

“Uh... it’s a bit scary, though.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. As long as you stay on the rock, you’ll be safe.”

I avoided Choi Ye-Seo’s meaningful gaze, which seemed to say, What exactly have you gotten me into this time?

Trust me, I want to change this environment too.

Seiren, now animated, began peppering Choi Ye-Seo with questions.

As I watched them, my thoughts drifted back to earlier, replaying the events that led up to this moment.

***

[What? Right now? You want me to come out now?!]

Choi Ye-Seo’s flustered voice rang out over the phone.

“Are you busy? If you are, we can do it later. We’ve got time.”

[N-No! I’m coming now!]

There was a loud commotion on her end, but I chose to ignore it and hung up the call.

“Haha. You two must be close,” Lee Ji-Cheol commented with a smirk.

“We are, but it’s not exactly a normal friendship,” I replied.

“Oh, interesting.”

Lee Ji-Cheol chuckled again, clearly amused.

We were in his private studio.

Despite granting me access to [Seiren], he had insisted on attaching several conditions, saying he felt uneasy just handing it over.

One of those conditions was working alongside him here.

“Don’t you have anything else to do, Chairman?” I asked.

“There’s a saying. While others leave their games on auto-battle to work, I let my work run on auto-pilot so I can play my games directly.”

“That’s... incredibly cool.”

Success in life is subjective, but this seemed like the epitome of it.

“Haha. Didn’t you say it yourself? Time is a luxury we fully own. I’m the same.”

“Most people in high positions are always claiming they’re busy, though.”

“Of course, but it’s often a lie.”

We exchanged lighthearted banter as we waited for Choi Ye-Seo to arrive.

Meanwhile, Lee Ji-Cheol gently stroked the large painting of [Seiren] resting on the table.

“I may not be able to see it anymore with my own eyes, but I can still feel it with my hands.”

“Is that so?”

Being young, I couldn’t fully grasp the sentiment behind his words.

...Well, maybe I could, if I added the years from my previous life.

‘But let’s leave those out for now. Gotta stay honest.’

“As someone who’s dedicated their entire life to art, it’s only natural.”

Lee Ji-Cheol chuckled softly, then let out a sigh.

“I’ll give you the key to the old school building.”

“Huh? Just like that? Out of the blue?”

“Haha. I’ve always intended to give it to you—ever since you won the prize.”

So it wasn’t too long ago.

It was just as Ms. Lee Ah-Reum had mentioned, though something about it still felt unsettling.

Handing me a set of keys, he asked, “Why the face? Need to use the restroom?”

“No, it’s not that. Just... there aren’t any ghosts or anything in the old building, are there?”

“Hmm? Pfft! Hahaha!”

At my question, Lee Ji-Cheol burst into laughter, so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes.

“That’s a good joke.”

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed too. So please stop laughing.”

I knew how ridiculous it sounded. But if ghosts were to appear through the illusion of a masterpiece, that’d be terrifying.@@@@

‘...How did they stabilize the spatial coordinates for these things?’

I wasn’t even sure it was possible, given that this was all an illusion.

‘When I go, I’m definitely bringing Ms. Lee with me. No way I’m dying alone.’

“But seriously, what’s in the old building that’s so heavily guarded?”

“Wu Hua left instructions for it to be passed on to their next student. I don’t even know what’s in there.”

This was bound to take some time.

‘Even with just layering, it’ll probably take about three months.’

"I didn’t expect you to grant permission so easily," I said, lifting my brush and preparing myself.

"Call it a whim. Besides, didn’t I set a number of conditions?"

"Still, with all your wealth, why charge a rental fee?"

"Haha, without it, I’d feel like I was losing out."

"Have you considered that I might mess this up? I’m only 17."

"Not a chance. As Wu Hua’s disciple, mistakes shouldn’t be in your vocabulary."

The wisdom of age, I suppose. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just a scam to have such a good eye for people.

Once I was fully prepared, I finally picked up the brush.

All masterpieces were created with brushes. Not that they were exclusively used, but they were essential tools.

[Seiren] was an oil painting.

"Seiren incorporates all the techniques of oil painting," I explained.

Impasto, wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, glazing, knife painting, blending, pointillism, and marbling.

It utilized all eight techniques.

"This will take a while. Let’s start with impasto today."

Impasto involves applying thick layers of paint, typically with a brush, knife, or even one’s hands.

In my case, I’d be using a brush.

Artists like Vincent van Gogh and Diego Velázquez had used this technique, as had others like Raine or Byun Wol-Ryong.

Impasto emphasizes specific areas, and today, I’d focus on refining the rock.

The jagged edges needed smoothing, and parts exposed to waves required small walls for added stability.

Of course, I had to be careful not to make it too smooth—slippery surfaces could lead to falls.

Finishing all the impasto work in one day was impossible.

"Let’s call it a day. Six hours have already passed."

A cool sensation on my cheek helped me catch my breath.

"That exhausting?"

"If you spent six hours in this body, you’d understand. Plus, fixing a masterpiece takes a ridiculous amount of mental energy."

I cracked open the can of soda he handed me and downed it in one go.

"Phew... I feel alive again."

"Isn’t it time to fetch that young lady?"

"Right. It’s almost dinner, so we should wrap this up."

Lee Ji-Cheol offered to treat us to dinner, but I initially declined.

"Even if it’s wagyu omakase?"

"Let’s go."

...Sometimes, you just have to let whims guide you.

Focusing once again on [Seiren], I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, I was back in the ocean world.

On the rock, Seiren and Choi Ye-Seo were laughing together, clearly enjoying themselves.

"Ye-Seo. Time’s up. Let’s go grab dinner."

“Ah! You scared me—oh, Eun-ah. Okay, got it.”

Reluctantly, Choi Ye-Seo glanced at Seiren.

"I’ll come back soon!"

"Sure, take care," Seiren replied with a warm smile, waving goodbye.

Soon, Choi Ye-Seo’s form disappeared, leaving only me and Seiren.

"That was fun."

"I could tell."

A brief silence fell between us.

"You really changed the rock. Ye-Seo doesn’t seem to have noticed, though."

"I put in a lot of effort. It’s tiring just to change one rock."

"Hehe. Good work, Eun-ah."

"Alright, I’m off too. I’ll be back in two days, at most."

"I’ll wait for you."

With a light farewell, I closed my eyes again.

When I opened them, I let out a deep breath.

Sweat clung to my body, drenching me.

"Ugh. Shower first. I can’t go anywhere like this."

At my words, both of them nodded in agreement.

Man, there’s just way too much to do these days.