I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy Chapter 81

"Ti sure flies."

It feels like I just started school yesterday, but here I am, already in my second year.

I let out a yawn and opened the classroom door. So faces were familiar, while others I was seeing for the first ti.

It seed like so students had moved up due to changes in their rankings from last year.

They must’ve worked hard and put in the ti to make it into this class.

The opening ceremony was already over, and an awkward atmosphere lingered in the room.

Last year, everyone had been more or less friendly with one another.

Except for those who stuck to their own cliques, most were quiet now.

‘It’s kind of tear-jerking. I don’t have any friends either.’

It would’ve been nice to see so familiar faces I could consider friends, but there weren’t any. I only knew people by their nas or faces.

At most, I’d nod in acknowledgnt when passing by in the hallway or elsewhere.

I didn’t really have any close friends in the art departnt.

Well, there was Hong Ye-hwa, but even that...

"Ye-hwa! Long ti no see!"

And just like that, a group of girls—including one whose na I’d already forgotten—swept her away.

"Sniff."

Not knowing anyone made feel out of place. It looked like this year, too, I’d end up sitting quietly in the corner of the classroom.

Feeling a little lonely, I doodled idly in my notebook.

"Lee Ha-Eun—is Lee Ha-Eun here?"

Soone who looked like a school staff mber opened the classroom door and called my na.

‘What’s this about? I haven’t done anything to get in trouble.’

Well, they called for , so I guess I’d better go check.

As I stood up and stepped out of the classroom, I felt everyone’s eyes on .

‘What’s going on? Did I really do sothing wrong?’

The sudden attention from classmates who usually couldn’t care less about was unnerving.

Feeling a slight chill, I stepped into the hallway.

"Wooow… Hey, did you see that? That was Lee Ha-Eun, right?"

"Didn’t they say he’s bad at sports? But look at those proportions..."

"I want to get closer to him, but there are just too many girls around him already. Sigh."

Lee Ha-Eun remained blissfully unaware of it all.

***

"Uh… did I do sothing wrong?"

The tired-looking man, presumably a school staff mber, rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. The student council asked for you. I'm the advisor, so I’m just relaying the ssage."

"Ah, I see. But… why ?"

"They said it’s about the festival. I’m not sure on the details. The council will explain it to you."

The festival? But that’s still two months away. Why would they need for anything?

"Isn’t it normal for an advisor to know these things?" I asked, puzzled.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "The student council here operates independently. I’m more of a figurehead—just in na only."

"A ghost mber, huh?"

"Sothing like that. I just help out when they ask to."

Basically a servant. I didn’t dare say it out loud, though. The exhaustion etched into his face stopped . The idea of students bossing around faculty was baffling… but then again, this wasn’t a normal school.

This was a paradise for ritocrats. And that included not just the students but the faculty as well.

The student council was composed of the best of the best. Their wealth, intelligence, and influence were unparalleled.

They were the type to always make the best decisions in any situation.

Each departnt elected one representative to the council, making them a class apart from regular students.

‘Although, they’re still just students at the end of the day.’

If I rembered correctly, Hong Ye-hwa, Lee Do-Yoon, and Baek Yoo-Seol were part of the council. But as second-years, they didn’t have much decision-making power yet.

Whoever called must have been from the third-year council mbers—those who had already stripped themselves of the "amateur" label. From a peer’s perspective, their level of dedication would make anyone lose their motivation.

‘Not that it concerns .’

To , school was just a place to eat lunch or gain a bit of social experience.

Lost in thought, I realized we’d arrived at the student council building.

Though slightly smaller than the chairman’s building, it was still overly extravagant for student use.

Especially considering it was only for the 15 mbers of the council.

‘An entire building for the student council? S Group doesn’t hold back, huh.’

The council was primarily managed by third-years, with lower grades filling in the gaps. If a third-year was absent, the lower grades would take over temporarily.

‘This setup feels like sothing straight out of a manga.’

The fact that this building actually existed still felt surreal. I hadn’t even set foot here during my first year.

Why would I? It’s not like I was part of the council. Coming here seed like a waste of energy.

I followed the advisor into the building, only to learn that the eting room was on the third floor. Thankfully, there was an elevator, sparing the climb.

When we finally arrived, the advisor quickly made his exit, mumbling sothing about needing to get back to other work.

‘Wow… Poor guy. He must’ve been through a lot to be that scared of students.’

Feeling a bit sorry for him, I opened the door.

And what greeted …

‘We’re definitely still in Korea, right?’

Like the chairman’s office, the council room was over-the-top. The sheer effort that must’ve gone into its interior design left speechless.

I sighed deeply and stepped inside.

As expected, five people were present—each a well-known na from their respective departnts.

‘So, the first-years are on the first floor, second-years on the second, and so on?’

I wondered briefly if any of my acquaintances might be here. Nope. Guess not.

"Did you leave your manners at ho or what? Where’s your knock?"

A guy lounging on the sofa, who looked like your typical thug, shot a glare.

"Oh, right."

I’d completely forgotten to knock. I was about to step back out and fix that when—

"It’s fine. Just co in," said a girl who hadn’t even looked up from her paperwork.

Even so, I figured I should at least apologize for barging in.

"Uh, sorry for coming in without knocking—"

"Save it. Say your piece and leave."

"...?"

The thug waved dismissively and turned away, clearly uninterested in any sort of conversation.

‘What’s his deal? I didn’t do anything to him.’

Was it because I didn’t knock? Or maybe I was late?

Either way, I had no desire to deal with soone so prickly.

Minutes passed. Five. Ten.

"Um… if there’s nothing you need, can I leave?"

Calling soone over and then saying nothing? Co on, I had important things to do. Like doodling.

The girl who had been face-down on her desk suddenly shot up.

"Oh, right! Sorry about that."

Her dark eye circles reminded of the advisor from earlier.

"Phew. There’s just so much to do… My apologies."

Watching her rub her eyes and sigh, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.

‘Yup. Note to self: never join the student council.’

Just glancing at the stacks of paperwork made it clear that this was far too much for a student to handle.

"It’s fine, really," I said, shaking my head. There wasn’t much else I could expect from soone so overworked.

"Thank you for understanding. Now, about the open seat… Oh, wait, there isn’t one. Just a mont."

She stood up and walked over to the thug on the sofa.

And then—

Smack!

‘Oof. That’s gotta hurt.’

Without hesitation, she delivered a brutal kick to his… sensitive area.

The other council mbers froze in place, visibly cringing.

The third-year council was made up of three won and two n. One of them, likely a literature student, seed to be retreating into his own imagination, possibly already drafting a story inspired by the scene.

"If you’re going to be rude to a guest, get out. Unless you want to die," she said coldly.

"Gah… It’s broken… I’m done for…" the thug groaned, clutching himself as he stumbled out of the room—likely headed to the infirmary.

"Sorry about that," said the council president, Kim Yoo-Jin, with an awkward smile. "He’s from the athletic departnt. I think he was sulking after losing to a junior recently."

Her comnt jogged my mory. Ha Soo-Yul had ntioned coming to school during the break for sports practice. Maybe she had sothing to do with his loss?

"It’s fine," I replied.

The now-empty sofa, with its luxurious upholstery, seed to invite to sit.

‘S Group really does have too much money… This isn’t even surprising anymore.’

Kim Yoo-Jin sat to my left, while the three other mbers, who had been silent until now, sat across from .

At so point, an iced tea had appeared in front of . Kim Yoo-Jin smiled and gestured to the others.

"You probably already know who I am, so let introduce everyone else. Starting from the center—"

"I’m Jo Ha-Ru, from the music departnt," said the girl in the middle.

"And to her left, Ha Soo-Cheong from the entertainnt departnt. Lastly, Park Jin-Woong from the literature departnt. The guy who just left was Cha Ji-Wook from athletics."

"I see," I said, feigning ignorance. Truthfully, I already knew their nas and faces. You tend to pick up these things in this circle.

"But is this guy really going to be any help? He’s just a second-year," Jo Ha-Ru said, pointing at .

Really? Pointing at soone you just t?

I already knew Jo Ha-Ru had a strong personality, but seeing it in person was… sothing else.

I needed to correct her misunderstanding.

"Well, I did win the competition, so…"

"Huh? What competition?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Uh…?"

Her cluelessness left montarily speechless. Sure, not everyone needed to know who I was, but still…

I must’ve looked dumbfounded because Jo Ha-Ru tilted her head curiously. She didn’t seem like a bad person—just genuinely unaware.

"It was an international competition. Quite well-known in the art world," I explained.

Kim Yoo-Jin nodded in confirmation, being part of the art departnt herself.

"Whoa, so you’re a genius too?" Jo Ha-Ru leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

Feeling uneasy under her intense gaze, I turned to Kim Yoo-Jin. "So… why exactly did you call here?"

"Oh, it’s nothing serious. Just a small favor to ask. Can you help us?"

Her sweet smile sent a chill down my spine.

‘It really isn’t anything serious… right?’