I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 78

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

The secretary stepped forward and greeted Lee Ji-Cheol.

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

"Come 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 demeanor. 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 me instead. It’s been a while."

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

***

This place... It’s been a long time. Looks like the forest I remember from before.

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

The day I met my mentor and encountered the fox—The Gumiho.

This world reflected those memories.

Unlike what I remembered, 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 time. 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 me 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 memory served me 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 me, 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 come out.

"Oh! I see. But, um... this fox won’t let me 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 me a glare.

This was definitely the Gumiho I knew.

"Hey, let her go. Play with me 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 time."

"Uh, excuse me... How long has it been outside?"

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

“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 blame himself.

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

“Come here.”

Hesitating briefly, the Gumiho slowly approached me.

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 me, 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 me, so don’t blame 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 same.

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

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

Even if he wanted something, 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 amusement in them.

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

Surely, they would provide some fun.

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

And now, that had led us to this moment.

“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 me a headache.

That one didn’t listen to me at all.

Anyway, the reason I came 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 time to go.”

“Don’t leave.”

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

“...Come back tomorrow.”

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

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

“Don’t worry. I’ll come 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.