I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 20: Sixteen and Growing, Plus a Retreat and a Competition (3)

King Sejong created the Korean alphabet, Hangul.

Its purpose was to enable easier communication among the people, but a person’s character can’t be expressed through language alone.

In ancient times, some individuals were designated as priests to communicate the will of Heaven.

Under Heaven, even if we’re all human, social ranks exist, and people are expected to carry the dignity befitting their rank.

“Snorrrk…”

It was hard to describe the image of a teacher, holding the rank of “Mr.,” snoring away like that.

“Ha-eun, here.”

Ha Soyeol handed me a spiral potato she’d bought at the rest stop.

Why are we at a rest stop? Well, we’re on our way to boot camp.

‘It’s technically a retreat, but we’re under strict rules for everything. That’s basically the army.’

They took our phones, confiscated our AirPods. So what are we supposed to do in the meantime?

“Thanks. Keep the change.”

I was going to give her a card. Nothing’s as convenient as a card.

But since Soyeol insisted on paying with her card, I ended up giving her cash instead.

‘Still, it feels wrong to let a kid treat me.’

If you look only at my body, I’m 16, but morally… let’s just say I’ve lived twice that.

Anyway, we’re currently on a bus heading to our retreat (military camp).

We stopped at a rest area so those who needed to could use the bathroom.

I already went before getting on the bus, so I wasn’t in a rush. See, it’s convenient to go in advance.

Soyeol and Yeseo said they were going to buy snacks, so I gave them some money to run an errand.

Since I paid for the snacks, it’s probably a good deal for them.

The seating arrangement was Soyeol and I, with Yeseo and a girl who seemed to be her friend sitting in front of us.

I don’t know her well, just that she hangs out with Yeseo.

She looks like a model student, but I haven’t spoken to her to confirm.

Gulp.

…What was that sound? I turned my head.

Soyeol was looking at me with hopeful eyes.

This was a bit awkward.

“Do you want some?”

“Yes.”

By the way, Soyeol bought boiled baby potatoes. She has a surprisingly traditional taste.

Even as a kid, she always enjoyed seasoned vegetables.

“…!”

The untouched top of my spiral potato disappeared.

“Tasty?”

Nod, nod!

Her eyes sparkled. But something didn’t feel quite right.

“…Do you want some too?”

In front of us, Choi Yeseo was eyeing the potato with her mouth open, practically drooling.

Ugh, how embarrassing.

“Yes, please! I’ll trade you one of mine.”

Yeseo reached into her cup and handed me a sausage-on-a-stick.

Is this why you bought two?

“I’ll give you one of mine, too.”

Soyeol also handed me one of her baby potatoes.

So, now I had a sausage-on-a-stick, half a spiral potato, and a baby potato.

This felt oddly familiar.

“How’s the baby potato?”

“It’s good. Tasty.”

I started with the baby potato, and it was more tender and savory than I expected.

Maybe I’ll ask Mom to make some when I get home.

Then again, I could probably make it myself. Don’t you just steam it in a rice cooker?

Or maybe not.

“Sigh… Guess I won’t need lunch.”

After finishing all three, I was already full.

But unlike me…

“Man, I should’ve bought one more.”

“Such a shame.”

It seemed like Yeseo and Soyeol were still hungry. Must be the metabolism of actual middle schoolers.

One thing that always amazed me is how they eat so much without gaining weight.

I get that Yeseo is an idol trainee, so she probably dances and practices a lot.

‘But Soyeol, what do you do?’

How does she—uh… hm.

I quickly looked away as Soyeol tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s nothing.”

“? Okay. Oh, Ha-eun, help me with this.”

“With what?”

Soyeol showed me her phone screen. It looked like some cat puzzle game.

I think you’re supposed to fit the shapes into the grid correctly.

This looks too easy.

“Here. Like this.”

I solved it in an instant and handed her phone back. Soyeol looked at me, puzzled.

“…Explain it to me?”

I reset the game and walked her through the blocks one by one.

“You know Tetris, right?”

“Yeah, you stack blocks to clear lines.”

“Right. It’s similar to that. Just place this long cat-shaped block here…”

It probably took ten minutes to explain everything. By that time, the bus had already started moving.

I’m actually a bit of a Tetris expert. I’ve never lost.

Things like Iminos or T-spins don’t apply here, so I didn’t bother explaining those.

It’s just about fitting blocks into a box.

“What would I do here?”

By the time I finished explaining, I felt like a professor.

Soyeol, my diligent student, answered right away.

“This block?”

“Exactly.”

Somehow… I felt a bit strange.

Anyway, I spent the ride playing the puzzle game with Soyeol.

“Everyone, get off slowly. Be careful not to bump into the person in front of you. Make sure you have all your belongings before you leave.”

Our teacher, who’d woken up at some point, was guiding everyone off.

Since we were seated in the back, we still had some time before we could get up.

“It looks like all the students are here. I feel bad for the first-year students.”

Agreed. They only graduated elementary school a couple of months ago. Now they’re off to boot camp.

Yeseo glanced back at the buses behind us, looking sympathetic.

I hope she remembered to inform her agency about this trip, though that’s none of my business.

After knowing each other for years, it feels like we have a bond of friendship.

‘…Or maybe a frenemy relationship?’

Considering the way she treats me, it does seem like that.

“Looks like we can get up now. Let’s go.”

I stood up with Soyeol and Yeseo, along with Yeseo’s friend.

Once all the students were off the bus, the teacher and staff gathered everyone.

“Line up.”

The teacher said that and then joined the other teachers.

In the meantime, someone approached us who seemed very familiar with the place.

A soldier.

‘Is he a sergeant?’

I used to be a military buff, so I already know all the ranks.

The soldier spoke with the teachers.

Meanwhile, the students…

“Ugh, I’m dying…”

The heat was unbearable. Wait, is this really spring weather?

Feeling hot, I took off my cardigan and held it in one hand.

The short-sleeve shirt underneath didn’t really help. The breeze was warm at best.

The longer the adults talked, the more frustrated the students got.

Just as one student was about to lose their patience…

“Form a line and follow me!”

…Is it starting now? Paying to experience military life.

The sergeant took over for the teachers in leading the students.

Of course, he couldn’t handle everyone alone, so the teachers helped.

When we arrived at a certain point, several soldiers were waiting for us.

Judging by the numbers, it seemed they were assigned to each class.

“Ha-eun, look over there.”

“Hm?”

Soyeol, who was walking next to me, pointed.

Some guys were running in formation.

‘They don’t look like soldiers. Are they students?’

I’d noticed other groups in different uniforms as we came.

It seemed like other schools had come, or maybe they were actual cadets.

‘Not that it really matters.’

For now, let’s focus on what’s ahead of us.

We arrived at the drill ground. You know, the place people often call a dirt field.

‘Damn it. I never thought I’d see this place again.’

Unpleasant memories started creeping up.

When I pulled a face, Soyeol looked at me, concerned.

I waved it off, letting her know it was nothing, and looked ahead.

The sergeant we’d seen earlier was gone, replaced by another soldier standing on a podium.

He started talking, but let’s be real, why bother listening? He’s probably just trying to intimidate us.

A classic example:

“Did you come here to play?!”

Yes, actually. But the way he said it was so predictable.

Just as life drained from the students’ faces…

“The building in front of you is the boys’ dorm, and the one opposite is the girls’ dorm.”

The mention of accommodations finally lifted the mood a bit.

Then he explained the schedule. Yeah, I’ll just ignore that.

One thing stood out. Tomorrow night, they’ll have some kind of performance with fireworks in the drill ground—damn it, the training field.

Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

The students started moving under the guidance of the teachers and soldiers.

Soyeol and Yeseo left with a female soldier.

Each class seemed to have two assigned soldiers, one male and one female.

Our class was assigned a male soldier.

He looked slender, but that was misleading.

“You have until 11 o’clock to change and be back here!”

As soon as we entered the dorm, he just gave us this announcement, leaving us stunned.

“Wait… we’re staying here?”

“Heh. This is intense.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s 11 o’clock, and we only have 15 minutes left? What about break time

?”

The reactions varied, but the most common one was…

“Well, at least sleeping here won’t be too uncomfortable.”

With four bunk beds, they seemed reasonably satisfied.

Each class was assigned two rooms, so there wasn’t any overcrowding.

There are about 13 guys in our class, with the other five in the adjacent room.

“Wow, damn. These are actual military uniforms.”

So many memories. Easily some of the most pointless days of my life.

Ignoring the complaints from the others, I changed into the uniform.

Seeing the military storage lockers after all this time… what a pain.

Once I’d stowed my belongings and was fully geared up, helmet and all, I waited.

With elbow and knee guards for protection, it really did feel like training camp.

‘Life.’

Attention, all students should assemble at the training field.

As the announcement came over the scratchy speakers, we began heading out one by one.

Before stepping out, I took one last look at the dorm we’d be staying in for the next two—no, three days.

…It’s gonna suck, but I have to go.

‘I’m opting out of every activity I can.’

My goal is to sit out as much as possible over the next three days.

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