Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Campus Reunion and Lunch
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Daeun and I headed straight to school.
It had been a while since we'd taken the bus, but maybe because I had so much on my mind...
It felt like we got there faster than expected.
We arrived at school and were about to head straight to the professor's office...
'No, wait.'
I'd originally planned for us to arrive around 5 PM, but I'd deliberately timed it for lunchtime.
The reason was obviously to see Minji, but the problem was how to run into her naturally.
I figured I could say we came for lunch and drop by.
Or maybe make up some other excuse. As I mulled it over...
We ran into a group greeting us in front of the college building.
It was Aram and her friends.
"Hey, hello!"
"Wow! It's the Painter!"
"Daeun, hi!"
"Hello!"
Daeun gave a polite bow at their appearance, and I lit up at the sight of them.
"Are you all coming back from the art supply store?"
Aram blinked in surprise at my question.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"The bags, you're holding Future Art Supply bags."
"Oh! Right."
Kim Eunbi chuckled as she chimed in.
"Are you an idiot?"
"That could happen. Anyway, what brings you here? I was hoping to say hi if I ran into you, Painter."
"To me?"
"Yeah, back during your special lecture, you gave feedback on my painting. I never got to properly thank you for that."
"Haha, no need to thank me."
Aram shook her head at my response.
"No, I really mean it. Ever since that day, I've had so much more confidence in my work, and I finally managed to finish it!"
"Oh! Really?"
"Yes, it's all thanks to your encouragement. Thank you so much."
She bowed her head to me sincerely.
Her gesture felt a bit overwhelming, but at the same time, I was relieved.
I'd received help from others myself, so being able to pay it forward felt good.
"I'm grateful you credit me like that. Thank you."
Aram smiled then.
"If you're not busy, want to come see my painting? I've been wondering when I could show it to you."
Her words made my eyes light up.
"Will Minji be there by any chance?"
"The TA? Hmm, probably. She's been stuck in the studio critiquing other classmates' work."
"I see."
If Minji was there, we could chat naturally.
It was lunchtime, too—perfect timing for a casual get-together.
I smiled at Aram and her friends.
"How about I treat you all to lunch if that's okay?"
Their faces lit up instantly.
"Sure!"
"Wow! Awesome!"
"Thank you!"
No, I wanted to say I was the one who should be thankful.
But instead...
I just grinned widely and nodded.
Thanks to running into Aram and her friends, we made it into the studio naturally.
With the semester almost over, all the students seemed laser-focused on their final pieces.
Still, they remembered the special lecture and greeted me warmly.
"Hey! Painter!"
"It's the Painter!"
"That lecture was amazing!"
"Thanks to what you said, I've been working so much more comfortably!"
"Hahaha..."
For some reason, all the students seemed unusually friendly toward me.
Of course, I'd given the special lecture, so that made sense.
But it felt... different somehow.
That's when Minji approached me with a grin.
"Look who's here, Mr. Celebrity."
"Yeah, what?"
"You're super famous among the students now, you know that? As the ultimate romantic."
"R-Romantic?"
What was this about?
But Minji's explanation left me chuckling awkwardly.
"That first love story you told at the end of class that day."
"Yeah, so?"
"Apparently, it left a huge impression. One of the students even turned it into a webtoon."
"What!"
W-Webtoon?
As I reeled in shock, a student came over and showed me an image from the bulletin board.
And there it was—a webtoon adaptation of the story I'd shared that day.
'It looks just like a shojo manga.'
They'd drawn me like the male lead in a romance comic, and Hyorin like the perfect heroine.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.
"Haha, what's this? Even Jungeun's in here."
There was Jungeun, drunk off his ass, begging me for a cigarette with his hand out.
The image set off my laugh track immediately.
Minji laughed too.
"I cracked up when I first saw it, but what's even funnier is they drew Jungeun just based on your story alone."
"Yeah. I bet he'd lose it if he saw this."
As I said that, I quickly scanned Minji's expression.
Since they'd fought, I figured there might be some reaction.
But...
She just smiled.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll show him sometime."
No change, even mentioning Jungeun.
Seeing that gave me a glimmer of hope.
It felt like the groundwork was laid for bringing him up naturally.
Minji grinned and asked.
"But didn't you have dinner plans with the professor? Why are you here so early?"
"Oh, uh, just... visiting."
"'Visiting'? You make it sound so casual."
I couldn't exactly say I came to see you.
"Well, kind of. You said you were busy and might not make dinner, so I figured I'd at least drop by and see your face. That's part of it."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
Gulp.
Oh no, did I say too much?
I'd tossed it out casually to test the waters, but Minji seemed a little overly sensitive.
She shrugged it off soon enough, though.
"Didn't know you were looking out for me like this. Right, Daeun?"
"Daddy missed Auntie Minji, he said!"
"Yeah, why's Kanghyeok so into me?"
Oh, Daeun, please...
Not sure if she sensed my panic, but Daeun tried her best to cover for me.
"I dunno! Daeun doesn't know!"
It was obvious, but I let out a sigh of relief at her earnest little lie.
"Okay."
She gave me a slightly suspicious look.
Under that gaze, I smiled awkwardly.
"...What?"
"Nothing. Just feels like you came here for a reason."
I'd always known it, but Minji's intuition was razor-sharp.
Luckily, she didn't dwell on it.
"I heard you're treating us to lunch."
"Oh, yeah. Figured you all work so hard, might as well buy lunch."
The studio erupted in cheers.
"You're buying?"
"Wow! Painter, you're the best!"
"We'll eat well, thank you!"
There were about ten of them, but lunch wouldn't break the bank anyway.
"Bento boxes okay?"
I nodded at Minji's suggestion.
"Yeah, sounds good."
"Daeun too, right?"
"Yeah, as long as it's not spicy."
"You think I'd order something spicy for Daeun?"
She pulled out her phone and started browsing bento menus.
As I leaned in to look at the screen...
Bzzz—
A call came in.
It was from Jungeun.
'Perfect timing.'
As I thought that, Minji glanced at it with a sour expression.
Swipe!
She dismissed it without answering.
Pretending not to notice, I asked.
"Why didn't you pick up?"
"It's fine, don't need to."
Seizing the chance, I probed.
"Did you two fight or something?"
Her face darkened for a split second before snapping back.
It was quick, but I definitely saw it.
I'd thought she wasn't that mad...
Gulp.
'She's pretty pissed...'
Her anger seemed worse than I'd imagined, and my confidence dipped.
Could I really smooth things over and get Jungeun's proposal to land as planned...?
'No, don't think negatively.'
It was Jungeun who'd lobbed the proposal ball.
Sure, there'd been a hiccup, but surely it'd end happily...
Pat.
"Okay, this one it is."
I watched awkwardly as she finished ordering the bentos.
I prayed her anger would fade without issue.
"Y-Yeah, th-thanks."
When the bentos arrived, the students sprang into action like they'd rehearsed, clearing space around them.
They shoved their paintings aside and dragged the long worktables to the center of the studio.
They spread out newspaper and a few set up the food.
It was impressively efficient, and I remarked on it.
"Wow, you're fast."
Minji, watching from the side, snorted.
"They want to live."
"Yeah, survival instinct."
"You know how it is. The studio's a warzone this time of year."
"Y-Yeah..."
Thinking back, I'd been the same.
Mealtime was sacred liberation for everyone.
A desperate survival tactic.
Rustle!
The students called us over once they were ready.
"All set! Have a seat!"
"Ah, thank you."
Daeun, Minji, and I sat in the middle of the long table.
All eyes turned to me, and I felt the pressure.
"Sh-Shall we eat?"
The students grinned.
"Let's eat well!"
"Bon appétit, Painter!"
"Dig in!"
And so the survival lunch began.
You'd think they'd chat, but they ate in silence.
The solemn atmosphere caught me off guard, so I just focused on my food and Daeun's.
About ten minutes in...
"All done!"
"Al-Already?"
It was more like inhaling than eating.
But the students were pros, unfazed.
Five more minutes, and they were all finished.
Daeun and I had barely made a dent.
...
"Ah, that hit the spot."
Minji finished too and looked my way.
Hmm...
Sure, they could eat fast, but it felt awkward.
Like they were lingering because of us.
The students just watched quietly, no nagging.
'Ugh, this is gonna give me indigestion...'
As I forced down bites under their stares...
A student spoke up.
"But, Painter."
"Gah! Y-Yes, ahem, what is it?"
My throat tightened from the vibe, so I chugged the included water and turned back.
"Y-Yeah, got a question?"
Probably something from the lecture.
As I wondered...
The student beamed.
"Um, could you tell us a bit more about that first love story from the lecture?"
"Fi-First love?"
"Yes! We wanna hear it again!"
What, were they possessed by love-starved ghosts or something?
Why crave someone else's first love tale so much?
But Minji's follow-up had me nodding unwittingly.
"Sigh, they're like this. Sorry about them. They haven't dated in forever, so they're hooked on vicarious romance."
"Ahaha..."
Long time no love, huh.
I'd had Hyorin all through school, so I'd never felt that.
But for them, it made sense.
My situation wasn't exactly common.
"What do you mean us! W-We just wanna hear it, that's all!"
Don't cry while you say it.
The teary-eyed student got backed up by a friend snapping at Minji.
"Then have you been in love, TA?"
Minji's eyes widened.
"Of course I have. What, you think I'm like you kids?"
"Whoa! So unfair!"
"What is?"
"How can you date without us?"
Minji laughed heartily.
"I've gotta get married someday. Look at my age."
Marriage—that sparked an idea.
Perfect segue to Jungeun.
I smiled faintly at the students.
"You really wanna hear?"
"Yes!"
"How about I tell you how I ended up marrying that girl from the story?"
"Yes! Awesome!"
"Please do!"
I'd expected the hype.
The stage was set.
Now, just use this to melt Minji's anger.
I turned to her.
"Minji, remember back then?"
"When?"
"Graduation day, what I said to you."
"Graduation day..."
With that, I took everyone on another trip down memory lane.