Chapter 31

It took about ten minutes to arrive at Drawing Korea.

Taking my directionally-challenged mom along wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

“Son, you already sent your artwork ahead, right?”

“Yeah. Three days ago. They confirmed its arrival via email.”

“That’s a relief. It’s a piece you worked so hard on.”

As we stepped into the lobby, a cool blast of air conditioning greeted us.

I had sent my artwork to Drawing Korea three days earlier. They needed to set it up in advance or something.

I had also sent along a video of me creating Peach Blossom Village.

Apparently, it was necessary to address the controversies surrounding the artwork.

‘Well, I gave them my YouTube channel details too, so they’ll handle it.’

Once today’s awards ceremony was over, my name would gain more recognition, and there would be various things to finalize, which wasn’t bad at all.@@novelbin@@

The ceremony was also being streamed live on YouTube, and I planned to promote my channel during it.

If I was going to do this, I might as well make the most of it.

‘Originally, I was just after the musical tickets...’

That goal hadn’t changed, but there was no harm in reaping any additional benefits along the way, right?

“Ah, Haeun. Drawing Korea just uploaded your video,” my mom said, showing me her phone.

Sure enough, my video had been posted on their official channel.

Uploading it before the awards ceremony—what a move. I had sent the video along with the artwork when I submitted it.

The comments were about what I had expected:

[Ohhh~ I knew it all along~]

[What the heck is going on????]

[Really------?]

[LOL, these idiots denied it so vehemently, and now there’s an official explanation!]

[Sure, it’s fake.]

↳ [Look at the description; the creator’s channel is right there. LOL.]

Some people who had been proven wrong were now the target of ridicule, while others delighted in mocking them.

When I switched to checking internet news articles, the headlines were just as dramatic:

[The Mystery of the Painting… Is the Creator Really Just 16? Professors Praise the Young Prodigy.]

Views: 16,000

[Who is the Artist Behind Peach Blossom Village?]

Views: 25,000

[HAEUN’s YouTube Channel… Surpasses One Million Subscribers Overnight!]

Views: 89,000

These articles had just been posted, but the impact and view counts were already phenomenal.

The controversy split people into camps: those who doubted until the end, those who claimed they knew all along, and supporters who always believed in me.

While most recognized me, some still denied my age.

[But his face isn’t shown on YouTube. Couldn’t it be someone else?]

Comments like that kept popping up. But here’s the thing: those commenters weren’t considering everything.

[You fools... The kid in the creation video and the critique session footage is clearly the same person.]

That’s right—I had appeared on camera in both videos.

People tend to focus on one aspect and forget the rest, losing perspective.

Those commenters would end up deleting their posts to avoid exposing their lack of thought.

‘Maybe I should’ve revealed my face earlier.’

My looks received plenty of compliments, but…

[His attitude towards the professors seemed off...]

Issues like that also arose. Some were accusing me of being disrespectful, trying to paint me in a negative light despite my appearance.

Drawing Korea responded promptly with an official statement, uploaded as a fresh video:

Lee Ha-Eun did not disrespect or look down on the professors.

Instead, he corrected and explained their mentioned techniques, clarifying why they were wrong.

The professors even asked for his personal contact details after the critique session.

In summary, everything they said was true. I had three numbers saved under “Professor” in my phone contacts.

The professors hadn’t taken offense, acknowledging that age didn’t matter when it came to learning.

Still, since some people felt uncomfortable with my behavior, I figured a brief apology was in order.

“Ah! Hello!”

As my mom and I rested in the lobby, a young woman approached us with a cheerful greeting.

“Oh, are you Manager Seol Yun?”

“Yes, that’s me! I’m Seol Yun, Manager of the Planning and Promotions Division!”

Her upbeat demeanor made me think of someone with blonde hair. Wasn’t she supposed to be rehearsing today? I wouldn’t be able to check that out, though.

“Hello~ I’m Haeun’s mom,” my mom said, standing up and bowing to Manager Seol Yun.

“Hello!”

The greetings dragged on, but I thought it would be better to start preparing early, even if there was still time.

“Where do we go now?” I asked, standing up and stretching.

“Ah, just follow me! First, we’ll meet the department head who’s overseeing this competition.”

As I followed her, I stopped for a moment.

I thought I recognized someone who had just passed by.

They seemed around my age but weren’t from my school.

In that case, there was one possibility: they might be a heroine from the original story.

While my memory was sharp, I couldn’t remember everything from sixteen years ago.

I just felt they seemed familiar.

“Son~ If you don’t come—”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

At my mom’s prompting, I resumed walking.

“You knew exactly what I was going to say, huh?”

“I’m scared of what you might say.”

The playful exchange lightened the mood.

But my mind lingered on the girl I had just seen.

‘Which heroine had red hair again...?’

After some thought, one name came to mind.

The little giant of the art world.

A heroine who was particularly active in painting.

‘Hong Yea-Hwa.’

If she was here, it could only mean one thing: she was also participating in this competition.

‘...But that doesn’t make sense. If she had painted something, I would’ve noticed by now.’

Hong Yea-Hwa possessed immense talent, enough to be called “God’s Hand.”

There was no way I would’ve missed a painting by her.

‘Whatever. I’ll think about it later. It’s giving me a headache.’

It wasn’t directly related to me anyway. It was just interesting that she might be here.

“Haeun, are you okay?”

Hearing my mom’s voice, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up.

“Oh, yeah. It’s nothing.”

She was watching me with concern, likely thinking I was having symptoms of some kind.

Wait, where are we now? A waiting room?

“I was just lost in thought. Anyway, where’s Manager Ahn Dae-Min?”

“Huh? You just talked to him a moment ago. Are you really feeling okay?”

Ah. So that guy loitering around earlier was Ahn Dae-Min.

“I’m fine.”

I waved my hand dismissively and stepped back. How much time was left, anyway?

“It’s about to start. Let’s get ready and head out.”

Before heading to the awards ceremony, there was only one thing to grab:

Peach Blossom Village.

The near-masterpiece I had created in this life.

While it wasn’t perfect, it was close, and it felt off to call it anything less.

Bringing it personally to the stage would add an extra touch, they said.

To merchants’ eyes, even something like this would just be another money-making opportunity.

Once the awards ceremony was over, I could contact the others and set up plans.

The venue was a banquet hall with a stage.

There were plenty of unfamiliar faces among the audience.

Most of them seemed to be high-ranking individuals, judging by their refined appearances.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly, moving through the Encouragement Award, Excellence Award, and Grand Prize categories.

Afterwards, credits rolled for those who supported the competition, along with messages from sponsors.

It was a dull affair.

Scanning the audience, I spotted Hong Yea-Hwa again.

Why was she here? She didn’t even participate in the competition.

“And now, the grand prize-winning work! Congratulations to Peach Blossom Village!”

My name was called, and I stepped onto the stage to receive the prize.

I kept my speech brief, adding an apology for anyone who had felt uncomfortable with my earlier behavior.

Though the audience seemed puzzled, I didn’t pay much attention and returned to my seat.

As I descended the stage, I made eye contact with Hong Yea-Hwa but walked past her without acknowledging it.

Afterwards, I simply went home with my mom, who congratulated me.

It was an unexpectedly uneventful day.

Korea Drawing had asked if I could spare more time for them, but I declined with the excuse of being unwell.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well and need to rest at home.”

“Oh... I see. Well, please visit our main office again sometime!”

Manager Seol Yun’s face fell, but I didn’t change my mind.

Meanwhile, my YouTube channel was becoming a storm of activity.

I ignored it all, muttering, “Found the notification settings… there.”

As for Peach Blossom Village, it ended up in my sister Yoon’s room instead of mine.

After all, she was the inspiration for it. It didn’t feel right to hand it over to someone else.

And so, my first significant creation in this life, Peach Blossom Village, was complete.

The prizes included three tickets, courtesy of my teacher.

“It’s so hot...”

I stood by the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.

“What time do these guys think it is...”

“Hey, Lee Ha-Eun! You said you’d come to watch the rehearsal!”

I turned at the sudden voice and saw Choi Ye-Seo and Ha Soo-Yul approaching.

At Choi Ye-Seo’s irritated remark, I delivered my pre-prepared line:

“After winning the prize, I suddenly felt unwell.”

“That’s such a lame excuse.”

Being weak does come in handy at times like this.

More importantly, Ha Soo-Yul...

“Why didn’t you leave with me earlier?”

“Ha-Eun, you don’t understand girls at all.”

“What are you talking about?”

...Now that I think about it, they both dressed up today.

“Soo-Yul, it’s your first time wearing makeup, huh? And Ye-Seo, did you change your perfume?”

“Wow, Ha-Eun, you’re observant!”

“Exactly!”

Choi Ye-Seo beamed at being noticed, while Ha Soo-Yul’s expressionless face gave only the faintest smile.

When I gave her a thumbs-up, she returned it.

For some reason, that made me laugh.

“Let’s go. I’m going to collapse at this rate.”

“Hey... But why do you call Soo-Yul by her first name, and me with my full name?”

“Ye-Seo, are you jealous?”

“I am not!”

“No matter what you say, you’re being protective of Ha-Eun...”

That was the “death sign” I hadn’t seen in a while. Would these two ever grow up?

The musical we ended up watching was fantastic.

It felt like something out of Disney, which wasn’t bad at all.

After the musical, we were supposed to part ways and head home, but...

“Where do you think you’re going? We still have plenty of time!”

“Ha-Eun, you really don’t get girls.”

They wanted to hang out in this sweltering heat? Were they trying to kill me?

And Soo-Yul, where did you even learn to say stuff like that...

“You always tell me not to say bad things, but you’re an exception?”

“That word isn’t a curse.”

“But you’re using it in that context, aren’t you?”

I gave her a light flick on the forehead.

“So, where are we going? Let’s stay indoors.”

“Don’t worry, we will. Let’s hit a photo booth first!”

Ah, the sacred ground of social butterflies. Would I even fit in there?

But I had no veto power.

And so, I was dragged from a photo booth to a library and then to an art café.

Poor Lee Ha-Eun might just collapse...

Half a year after the awards ceremony.

As winter break approached, students eagerly awaited the graduation and completion ceremonies in February.

Couples filled the streets, preparing for Christmas.

And a boy, lost in thought, gazed up at the snow-filled sky.

“Hmmm... Should I try creating a true masterpiece this time?”

That boy was Lee Ha-Eun, who would turn 17 the following year.

And so began the true start of the world’s story.