I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy Chapter 9

The sea... It’s been such a long ti.

Even in this life, and in my previous one, I hardly ever visited the beach.

The last ti I went was right after I beca an adult.

I still rember that one-day trip with friends vividly.

“Ugh...”

I stretched my sore shoulders as I stepped out of the changing room.

The early sumr sun bore down, heating the sand and making squint in discomfort. It wasn’t unbearably hot, but the warmth clung to , making it irritating.

Dad followed behind, saying he’d find a spot with the other adults.

When I walked toward the shoreline, the kids greeted excitedly.

Ha-Soo-Yul was the first to wave, followed by Ha-Yoon, who ran over. Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol gave small waves from a distance.

Everyone looked great in their swimsuits.

As for mine? It felt... plain.

I was wearing black swim trunks paired with a white rash guard with simple stripes.

It was the kind of swimsuit you’d see anywhere—nothing special.

Mom had wanted to wear sothing more “cute,” but I refused.

No way was I wearing sothing like a chick-patterned swimsuit.

Looking at everyone else, I raised a thumbs-up to complint them, especially Ha-Yoon, whose adorable dog-print swimsuit was just perfect.

We headed into the water, staying where it reached our ankles at first.

Eventually, the water ca up to our waists.

“Ha-Yoon, let’s stay here and play with your big brother.”

I held her back from going further.

Any deeper, and it could get dangerous. Even though she had a float ring and a life jacket, I wasn’t about to take any chances.

The other kids, being slightly older, had more freedom.

“You guys shouldn’t go too far either,” I called to the others. “It’s dangerous if you go too deep.”

Lee Do-Yoon waved back confidently, and Ha-Soo-Yul gave a smug look, as if saying, Don’t worry about .

Ah, kids and their overconfidence.

I had a bad feeling, but for now, they only ventured up to chest height and didn’t go further.

Still, I couldn’t shake the unease, so I started thinking of a way to keep an eye on them.

Suddenly, a large hand gently tapped my head.

“Don’t worry too much, son. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

It was Dad, followed by Lee Do-Yoon’s father, who also volunteered to watch the kids.

Relieved, I nodded as Dad tousled my hair before heading off to join the children. He even took over playing with Ha-Yoon.

Dad was a good swimr, so I wasn’t too worried.

Still, I couldn’t help but follow them, staying within a safe distance.

Every so often, Dad would glance back at , as if silently reassuring .

I looked around. The mothers were seated under a parasol, chatting happily. Among them was Baek Yoo-Seol’s father, his silver hair a mirror of hers.

At first, I thought he was a foreigner, but he spoke flawless Korean. Apparently, he was a quarter mixed-race.

For reference, Ha-Soo-Yul’s father was currently in the United States. I’d only t him three tis so far.

I decided to stay where the water reached my waist. No need to get overconfident and risk an incident.

Sitting down in the water, I sank in up to my shoulders.

Yeah, this is enough for .

I watched the six kids playing in front of . Dad was focused on Ha-Yoon but glanced back at occasionally.

When our eyes t, he gave a reassuring wave, and I relaxed.

I knew he felt bad that I wasn’t joining in, but hey, I chose this life as a voluntary outsider.

I scanned the others. There was Lee Do-Yoon, Baek Yoo-Seol, and their dad playing together.

But... where was Ha-Soo-Yul?

Alard, I jumped to my feet, scanning the area.

“Ha-Eun, what’s wrong?”

I spun around at the voice behind .

There she was, her wet hair slicked back.

She must’ve gone to the restroom.

“Did you tell the adults?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, good…”

I let out a relieved sigh. Kids are so unpredictable sotis.

Instead of rejoining the others, she sat next to . With just our heads floating above the water, we looked like a pair of bobbing dolls.

“Why aren’t you playing with them?”

“No sharks. Disappointing.”

Of course, there aren’t any sharks. What does that have to do with playing, though?

“Being with you is better than playing with them.”

“Oh, um. If that makes you happy.”

If she’s happy, that’s all that matters.

I glanced at Dad. He looked exhausted, panting as he tried to keep up with Ha-Yoon’s boundless energy.

Even though only 30 minutes had passed, he already looked drained.

When our eyes t, he gave a tired smile. I twirled my index fingers in the air, mouthing: Want to switch?

After a mont of hesitation, Dad nodded and brought Ha-Yoon over.

“I’ll take five minutes to rest, son. Thanks.”

His voice trailed off as he trudged away.

Now it was my turn to play with her.

But instead of being excited, Ha-Yoon pouted as we moved closer to shore.

“Ha-Yoon, let’s play with your big brother.”

Normally, she’d agree enthusiastically, but today she turned her head away.

Sigh. My poor life.

“You like the deeper water, don’t you?”

She nodded and pointed toward it decisively.

Not wanting to disappoint her, I grabbed the ends of her float ring.

Ha-Soo-Yul, standing nearby, kept an eye on the depth, telling us when to stop.

Just as we reached her designated stopping point, Ha-Yoon whined.

“No! I want to go further!”

“Ha-Yoon, if we go any further, we’ll drown.”

I tried reasoning with her. “It’s dangerous past this point. Even your big brother can’t go that far.”

She pouted in silence, her lips jutting out comically.

Ah, raising siblings…

I glanced back at the shore to see if Dad was coming.

Nope. He was fast asleep under the parasol.

…Seriously?

At least soone ca to help—Baek Yoo-Seol’s father approached us with a kind smile.

“Ha-ha! Your dad looks exhausted, so I’ll take over.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Relieved, I handed Ha-Yoon over to him and stepped back with Ha-Soo-Yul.

“You saved the day back there. Thanks for keeping an eye on the depth.”

“It’s nothing. Not a big deal.”

She downplayed her role, but kids this age don’t understand the danger they’re in.

We sat back down in the water, splashing idly.

For fun, I scooped up a handful of water and flicked it at her face.

“!”

The startled look on her face was priceless.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ll get you for that!”

She tried to retaliate but couldn’t figure out the technique.

“…Teach .”

After taking three hits, she gave up and asked for help.

“Alright, first, clasp your hands together.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah. Then scoop up the water.”

“Got it.”

“Now, just fling it.”

Splash.

“……”

She glared at , clearly unimpressed.

Uh-oh. Ti to run.

But before I could escape—

“Help! Sobody help!”

A cry for help from the deeper waters made freeze and turn around.

Baek Yoo-Seol was far out, where even adults hesitated to go.

The first thought that crossed my mind was: Why?

Why was she out there? That depth wasn’t for kids—it wasn’t even safe for most adults.

“Yoo-Seol!”

Her father, who had been playing with Ha-Yoon, imdiately ran toward the water.

“Stay here,” I told Ha-Soo-Yul.

But her grip on my wrist tightened. “No! It’s dangerous!”

“There’s no ti!”

With that, I plunged into the water.