I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy Chapter 78

"Chairman, I've brought Lee Ha-Eun with ."

The secretary stepped forward and greeted Lee Ji-Cheol.

The worry etched on his face gave way to a slight sense of relief.

"Co in. I’m sorry for the sudden trouble, but I must ask for your help."

"I would’ve had to deal with this anyway, so it’s better to get it over with quickly."

"Thank you for seeing it that way."

There was an unusual humility in Lee Ji-Cheol’s tone. It felt strange.

Seeing him so anxious over his granddaughter was a stark contrast to his usual deanor. Then again, he was human, after all.

"Where is Lee Soo-Rin now?"

"I’ve sent her to a separate room. Only her body, though…"

"I see. I’ll head in now."

With that, I opened the door behind them and stepped inside.

The familiar workshop held only one thing—a solitary painting.

"The Gumiho… This doesn’t seem like the type to cause casualties."

It felt odd, but I figured I’d understand once I faced it directly.

"Let her go and play with instead. It’s been a while."

A voice echoed through the workshop. Suddenly, my vision shifted.

***

This place… It’s been a long ti. Looks like the forest I rember from before.

The mories were faint, but I still couldn’t forget that day.

The day I t my ntor and encountered the fox—The Gumiho.

This world reflected those mories.

Unlike what I rembered, the vast forest stretched endlessly now.

The trees weren’t densely packed, though.

It felt like a tranquil forest placed on a green plain. How else could I describe it?

It was the kind of enchanted forest you’d only see in fairy tales.

"Miho~. I don’t have much ti. I can’t stay here long."

I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, but there was no answer.

Hmm. Maybe over there. It must know I’m here.

The one who pulled into this illusionary world couldn’t possibly be unaware of my presence.

"Miho~."

I kept calling, but still, only the sound of rustling air filled the forest.

Though I wandered aimlessly, I was heading in the right direction.

If my mory served right, it would be there.

“Of course, I knew it’d be here.”

In the heart of the forest was a small clearing.

It was about the size of a typical playground.

There, Lee Soo-Rin and The Gumiho were playing together.

"Oh! Ha-Eun-nim?!"

Spotting , Lee Soo-Rin covered her mouth with her hands in surprise.

I gave her a slight bow in greeting.

"Ahaha, hello. It’s been a while. Chairman Lee is worried about you…"

I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior at the banquet hall, but the words wouldn’t co out.

"Oh! I see. But, um… this fox won’t let go. What should I do?"

With an awkward smile, Lee Soo-Rin pointed at the fox sitting on her lap.

It yawned lazily, then shot a glare.

This was definitely the Gumiho I knew.

"Hey, let her go. Play with instead."

"No."

"Wh-what?! The fox talked!"

Lee Soo-Rin’s eyes widened in shock at the fox’s response.

So it had been pretending to be an ordinary fox until now. Typical.

"You brat. The person you dragged in is important outside, you know? We’re short on ti."

"Uh, excuse … How long has it been outside?"

She cautiously asked, her tone tentative. I pinched the bridge of my nose as a headache began forming.

"About three hours, I think."

"That long… I wanted to stay longer, though."

With a faint, regretful smile, Lee Soo-Rin petted the fox’s head.

"Um… could you let go now?"

"No."

The fox enjoyed her touch, but its answer remained the sa.

Cunning little rascal.

"Why does a fox that usually hates strangers cling to her?"

"…She slls like my owner."

Owner's scent?

There had been a brief encounter at the banquet hall, but no way their scents had mingled.

Still, understanding the fox’s nature, the explanation made sense.

"The owner’s here now, so let her go. People are worried sick outside."

"Hmph."

The fox turned its head away with a pout, then glanced at Lee Soo-Rin again.

"Do I have to go? Can’t I stay a little longer?"

"Ahaha, sorry. I’ll co back next ti. Can’t you let go now?"

The fox turned back to , its expression reluctant.

"…Fine. I’ll let you go. But you have to co back tomorrow, okay?"

"Ah! Thank you! Yes, I’ll co back tomorrow!"

Beaming, Lee Soo-Rin petted the fox for a long ti before looking at .

"Um, so… how do we get out of here?"

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

.

.

Once Lee Soo-Rin was sent out and it was just the Gumiho and left in the clearing, I turned my attention to the fox.

The Gumiho, sprawled lazily on a tree stump, let lift it up and place it on my head without any resistance.

No protests, only a drawn-out yawn.

The Gumiho was always like this by nature. That’s probably why I liked it from the very beginning.

“Comfy up there?”

“Mm-hmm. This is the best spot, as always.”

Sohow, my head had beco the Gumiho’s favorite perch since the day we first t.

And this place—this clearing—was where my connection with the Gumiho began.

It was also the place where my journey as an artist started.

“Have you seen the Seiren?”

Breaking the silence, I spoke while looking at the seemingly tranquil forest and blue sky.

But what is greed, after all? Foxes are greedy creatures by nature. Yet here, there was nothing to gain.

This place was the epito of boredom. My first painting in my past life captured this exact sentint.

It was back when I was stuck in a creative slump.

“Recently. It ca to visit when I arrived in Korea.”

The Gumiho rarely moved, preferring laziness over playfulness—its laziness was on another level.

“I see. Nothing unusual happened, then?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little late for you to ask that?”

Its casual words left a bitter taste in my mouth. The Seiren had said sothing similar before, and it was true—I was too late.

“…Still, I appreciate you coming back for us.”

The Gumiho, seemingly shy, rubbed its snout against my head repeatedly.

“Why did you bother people so much? There had to be a reason.”

“No reason. I was bored.”

“Even so, kidnapping people to play with isn’t okay.”

“Well… uh… sorry.”

With that, the Gumiho shifted and leapt down in front of .

As it landed, it transford into its human form—a small boy with fox ears and nine tails.

His delicate, almost feminine features made him captivating, the kind of face that lured people in.

Of course, most who approached him with such thoughts usually ended up regretting it.

The Gumiho enjoyed that part the most.

“Master.”

“Speak. I’ll answer most of what you want to know.”

“Why did you abandon us?”

His trembling orange eyes locked onto mine.

“You promised to stay with us until the end.”

Now, his voice quivered with tears that tugged at my chest.

“Why… did you die?”

Tears finally began to spill from his eyes.

“Did you hate us… that much?”

He was even starting to bla himself.

I looked at him quietly for a mont before letting out a sigh.

“Co here.”

Hesitating briefly, the Gumiho slowly approached .

I placed a hand on his head, stroking his hair gently, and gave him a faint smile.

“That’s not it, you idiot. You’re a part of , and I’m a part of you. How could I ever hate you?”

As I wiped away his tears, I continued speaking.

“The problem lies with , so don’t bla yourself. You heard from the Seiren, right?”

“…Yeah. You’re going to change all the masterpieces.”

Still sniffling, the Gumiho nodded, his voice weak like that of a child.

“I’ll fix this place too, so you won’t be bored anymore.”

For 17 years, the fox had been alone in this frozen forest.

The once-greedy Gumiho had lost interest in the forest long ago and wandered aimlessly.

No matter where he went—north, south, east, or west—everything looked the sa.

He couldn’t leave this place. Boredom and monotony had consud his existence.

For a creature defined by greed, it was a cruel fate.

Even if he wanted sothing, there was nothing to take—just trees as far as the eye could see.

So the Gumiho devised a plan. If he couldn’t escape, maybe he could bring people into this illusionary world and find amusent in them.

While the world of illusions was fake, the humans who entered it were real.

Surely, they would provide so fun.

The sly, fun-seeking fox decided to play tricks.

And now, that had led us to this mont.

“Looks like I’ll have to get to work as soon as I get out of here.”

“It’ll be hard… I was your first painting, after all.”

“I know. But what choice do I have? I’ll do what I can.”

“…Don’t leave us again, Master.”

“I won’t, you silly thing,” I said, stroking the Gumiho’s hair.

That being said, the remaining masterpieces are going to be a pain.

I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge others, but those guys were truly unhinged.

Especially Wrath, the Dragon. Just thinking about him gave a headache.

That one didn’t listen to at all.

Anyway, the reason I ca to the Seiren and the Gumiho first was simple: they were the gentlest of the masterpieces.

They didn’t actively antagonize people. Even though there were reports of casualties in Japan, it probably wasn’t too severe.

Despite appearances, the Gumiho had a soft heart.

He’d probably stopped playing and let his “guests” go before anything too serious happened.

After all, I hadn’t heard any news of deaths.

“Looks like it’s ti to go.”

“Don’t leave.”

“If I stay too long, you’ll never see again. Is that okay?”

“…Co back tomorrow.”

It seed the Gumiho already knew about my condition, probably thanks to the Seiren.

Still, perhaps because it had been so long since we’d last t, he didn’t want to let go.

“Don’t worry. I’ll co back in the morning.”

Though our reunion had been sudden, it ended on a good note.

The Gumiho… wasn’t it a watercolor painting?

Looks like I’ll be busy again starting tomorrow.