I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy-Chapter 89

Exchange students had to travel separately. Unlike before, I couldn’t go with my family this time.

Instead—

“Eun-ah!”

“Over here! This way!”

Hong Ye-Hwa and Choi Ye-Seo were waving at me from near a duty-free shop.

Ha Soo-Yul, who had come with me, was currently in the bathroom.

They had both applied for the exchange program too, so we’d be going together.

"One supervising teacher and a few students are still missing."

We weren’t the only exchange students heading to China.

Each department had sent a couple of students, so it wasn’t just our group.

“Hmm…”

Before I knew it, Soo-Yul had returned and was leaning against my back, munching on something.

“You didn’t eat breakfast?”

“…Nope. It’s fine now.”

This wasn’t the first time she’d done this, so I didn’t bother saying anything further.

She was holding something orange in her mouth.

“Want some taffy? It’s pumpkin-flavored.”

“Ye-Seo would probably like that more than me.”

I didn’t understand why anyone would eat it. They said it tasted like pumpkin, but I wasn’t a fan.

Taking the opportunity to hand it over to Ye-Seo, I looked around.

"The students seem to be gathering, but where’s the supervising teacher…"

Aside from the four of us, six other students were present.

It seemed two had been sent from each department.

Among them, I recognized a familiar face, though I chose to ignore it. They didn’t seem to recognize me either.

"The student council… Wasn’t she Jo Ha-Ru from the music department?"

Even the first time I saw her, it seemed like she didn’t know who I was. She must be the type to forget people easily.

Not that I was offended or anything.

"There’s no need to introduce myself unnecessarily."

If fate had plans for us to cross paths again, it would happen naturally. For now, it wasn’t important.

I turned my gaze back to the students chatting among themselves, their laughter filling the space.

They seemed to be having a great time.

I, too, felt a bit of excitement about the trip.

But honestly… China didn’t hold much appeal for me.

"The air pollution alone makes me wary."

This trip was about work, and I didn’t have any particular plans for entertainment.

It wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to.

“Huff… Huff… Sorry, I’m late!”

While eavesdropping on the others’ conversation, the supervising teacher finally arrived, panting and out of breath.

"Wait… Isn’t that the student council advisor?"

It was someone I’d seen before—the teacher who looked more like a graduate student and had once escorted me to the student council.

“Whew… At least I wasn’t too late,” he said, catching his breath.

“The flight leaves in ten minutes, though,” Jo Ha-Ru pointed out.

“…That’s more than enough time.”

The teacher laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.

“This is your fault for sleeping in, isn’t it?”

A voice spoke up from behind him, one I immediately recognized.

“…Chairman?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

Startled, I turned to see none other than Chairman Lee Ji-Cheol staring at me with a puzzled expression.

Why was he here?

Shouldn’t the school’s top official be, well, at school?

“Uh… Nothing,” I muttered, deciding it wasn’t worth asking.

Knowing him, I wouldn’t get a normal answer anyway.

“I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d tag along. Satisfied?”

“You’re the chairman, and you have nothing to do?”

“The principal handles most of it. I’m more of a figurehead, really.”

So he’s basically just an honorary chairman.

Not that it mattered much.

Still, for someone who claimed to have nothing to do, he certainly wasn’t an ordinary chairman.

He’d immediately approved my last-minute exchange student application, along with those of the others.

"Must be nice to have power without responsibility."

I envied that kind of position. Maybe someday I’d find something similar. For now, I had a long way to go.

“Haha… I’m sorry. I had so much to take care of, waking up early was impossible,” the teacher said sheepishly, rubbing his cheek after being scolded by the chairman.

“Well, there’s no time to waste. Shall we head out? The flight leaves in a few minutes,” the chairman said, turning to the group.

“Of course. Is it first class?”

“No, just economy.”

“Lack of foresight,” the chairman muttered under his breath.

Judging by their banter, the advisor and chairman seemed close.

It wasn’t surprising—being the student council advisor wasn’t a position just anyone could take.

I decided not to think too much about it.

With the teacher and chairman joining us, the group of twelve finally moved toward the gate.

Despite my fear of flying, there was no point in showing it. I just bounced my leg, keeping my anxiety to myself.

"And I’ll have to fly again for the Prize later…"

The thought alone made me sigh.

***

China.

One of the undeniable global powers throughout history.

Yet, despite its size and strength, Korea had stood its ground and even triumphed against it in the past.

"Looking at today’s situation, it feels like it’s on the verge of collapse."

Still, it’s not my homeland. I couldn’t wish it ill.

We landed at Beijing Capital International Airport after a three-hour flight. Surprisingly, the place was nicer than I’d expected.

"I really need to let go of these prejudices. Just hearing the name ‘China’ makes me bristle."

Their persistent attempts to claim Korea’s traditions as their own and their historical aggressions annoyed me.

But not every Chinese citizen was at fault for that.

It was just the blatant actions that left a bad taste.

"Anyway, we should probably get going soon."

According to the schedule, a bus was supposed to pick us up shortly.

Just as I was thinking that, the supervising teacher spoke up.

“Alright, shall we head out? You can finish resting on the bus.”

We left the airport and boarded the waiting bus. I grabbed a window seat near the back.

"It’s been a while since I’ve sat in the back of a bus."

It felt a little odd, considering I hadn’t been on a bus in ages.

The back seats were usually where the popular kids sat, after all.

But this was China, and the bus was reserved just for us students.

So the back seats were free real estate.

“Yaaawn…”

I heard a yawn next to me. Without even looking, I knew who it was.

Sure enough, it was Ha Soo-Yul in the seat beside me, with Choi Ye-Seo and Hong Ye-Hwa next to her.

"And the middle seat… As expected."

The middle seat in the back was always a disaster waiting to happen.

It was better to avoid it entirely—rolling forward during a sudden stop wasn’t something I wanted to experience.

"Dad and Yoon’s lodging is near the school."

Even here, Dad would be running around tirelessly.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Mom wouldn’t have much to worry about, but Yoon was a different story.

“I’ll just take the GED.”

Yoon, being a student, couldn’t skip school for too long.

Her middle school didn’t have an exchange program like mine, which made things tricky.

“I didn’t like school anyway, so this works out for me.”

Despite our parents’ protests, she remained unfazed.

“Friends? Not like I can’t meet them outside of school.”“School life? Boring~.”

And that was that.

I’d tried to dissuade her, but what could I do?

"She’s a smart kid. She’ll manage."

My family would join me in a week. Not just them—these girls sitting next to me would bring their families too.

It was a heavy responsibility, knowing this whole ordeal was because of me.

The adults and kids were excited about the trip, but…

"I’m not."

I sighed, waiting for the bus to start moving.

“Eun-ah. Say ah~.”

Next to me, Soo-Yul was holding something up to my mouth.

“Ah.”

At this point, I’d given up resisting. It was easier to just go along with it.

The flavor spread through my mouth as I chewed.

“Sweet and sour pork?”

“Yep. They were selling it at the airport. How is it?”

“Not bad.”

Though honestly, it was ridiculously greasy. The Chinese version was worlds apart from the Korean-style Chinese food I was used to.

"At least the chicken inside tastes okay."

Before long, Ye-Seo and Ye-Hwa joined in, sharing snacks they’d bought.

“Ugh, I’m full…”

“Already? You didn’t eat much.”

Looking at Ye-Seo’s puffed-out cheeks, I hung my head.

“I’m normal, okay? You guys are just anomalies.”

There was no way the average teenage girl’s stomach was bigger than a guy’s.

It defied logic.

As the bus finally started moving, the strange atmosphere dissipated.

Though it was my first time in Beijing, my initial impression was positive.

I still didn’t know much about the school we were heading to.

Not that I’d bothered to look it up or even ask for its name.

My focus was entirely on the paintings.

"It’s probably not a regular school. More like an arts-focused one, like ours."

That made the most sense.

I could’ve asked for details, but where’s the fun in that?

Part of the adventure was diving into the unknown and figuring it out as I went.

Discovering things little by little was a joy in itself.

“The school we’re going to is apparently for elites!”

“Like a gifted academy?”

“Hmm…”

I silently stored the bits of information coming from my seatmates.

I was curious about how the Chinese education system worked.

What kind of training did they undergo to claim their place as a global powerhouse?

Not every Chinese person would think that way, of course.

"But with their population, they’d naturally have more resources than Korea."

I felt a mix of anticipation and unease as the bus rolled onward.