The Illustrator, Part 4

"I'll treat you better. I'll do whatever you want... so please, love me. I'm begging you..."

Shin Jiwu clung to me, pathetic to the very end.

But the affection I had felt for her was nothing but a fabrication.

I didn't have a single shred of feelings left to give her.

The Shin Jiwu standing before me wasn't even human.

She was just trash who hurt others for her own gain.

The kind of unrecyclable garbage that belonged at the bottom of a landfill.

"That's not what I want to hear! Why did Sia have to get hurt because of you? Did she ever do anything wrong to you? Did she?!"

I shouted, violently throwing off Shin Jiwu as she clung to me.

She fell flat on her butt, groaning in pain.

I knew Sia's prickly personality made it easy for people to dislike her.

But she was never the type of person to intentionally hurt someone else.

We had been together for seven years.

She might not show it on the outside, but I knew better than anyone that Sia was a deeply warm and caring person!

"That bitch... she was in the way! She kept trying to get between you and me! If only Lee Sia wasn't around!!! I could have dated you without any trouble... That fucking bitch... That goddamn fucking bitch!!!"

Shin Jiwu shrieked like a madwoman, sitting there on the dirt floor.

The rage boiling inside me was about to burst past its limits.

I wanted nothing more than to throw a punch at her face right then and there.

"You... what is it about me that you actually like?"

"W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"Answer me. Now!"

"Well... because you're handsome, Hyunseong... and tall... and kind...?"

"Don't lie to me."

"It's not a lie... I fell for those parts of you..."

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blatant lie.

I pulled out my smartphone.

I played the audio file Jeongho had sent me.

The voice coming from the speaker was, without a doubt, Shin Jiwu's.

"H-how did you... Did you record me secretly...?"

Jiwu's pupils shook violently.

She looked completely panicked.

"You only wanted to date me because I'm the heir to Saseong Group, didn't you? What...? I'm kind? I'm handsome? Don't make me laugh. In the end, you just craved power! Am I wrong?"

"...Fine. I guess there's no helping it since you found out."

Jiwu brushed off her skirt, stood up, and continued.

"You're a man who will soon hold immense power. A man like you deserves someone like me!"

She pointed a finger at herself and shrieked.

"I started dating Sia yesterday. Thanks to you, I finally realized how much I love her. So, thank you."

I delivered my gratitude with a voice dripping with cold anger.

It was only because I had gone on that date with Jiwu.

That I was able to clearly see where my heart truly lay.

In the end, I really did owe it to this bitch.

"What...? You're lying, right...? Why did you choose Lee Sia over me?!"

"Because... I love Sia. There is no other reason."

"What does she have that I don't?! My grades are better, and I'm way prettier than her! Sure, my chest is a bit... s-small, but still! Why?! Why did you choose that bitch over me?!"

"I told you. I love Sia. I have nothing left to say to you. Don't you dare touch my girlfriend ever again."

Leaving behind the screaming, hysterical Jiwu, I turned to head back to class.

But the moment I took a step—

"You're mine! You're going to date me right now, Ryu Hyunseong!"

She grabbed my arm, practically trying to force me into a relationship. At that moment, my anger finally snapped.

My father had once told me this:

"Making others cry is a breach of etiquette."

Well, today, I was going to be extremely rude.

"Get lost, Shin Jiwu. You're lower than an insect. How dare you open your mouth? You know exactly who I am, don't you?"

"H-Hyunseong...? Why are you being like this all of a sudden...? You're scaring me..."

I glared at her with an intensity that looked ready to kill.

Jiwu trembled from head to toe, slowly letting go of my arm.

She was utterly terrified.

"You said you draw, right? Should I ask my grandfather to make sure you can never hold a pencil again for the rest of your life? Actually... I could just ruin your entire family. How about it? If you want, I can call my grandfather right now."

"Are you... t-threatening me...? Do you think I'll g-give up just because of that?"

She tried to act tough,

but her eyes were already brimming with tears.

Of course she was terrified. Saseong Group was easily one of the top three conglomerates in the world.

If my grandfather truly set his mind to it, destroying a single person's life was child's play.

"Should I call my grandfather right now?"

"T-that..."

"Well? Speak up. Grandfather is waiting."

"I'm sorry... I won't do it again... I'll give up on you... Just please don't tell your grandfather... Please... I love drawing."

I had no actual intention of calling him.

I was just acting to scare her straight.

The moment I pulled out my phone and pretended to dial, Jiwu immediately tucked her tail.

Seeing her collapse to the ground, tears streaming down her face, a tiny sliver of pity stirred within me at the sincerity in her eyes.

She loved drawing, huh...

"Don't ever touch Sia again. Don't talk to me either. This is your last warning. And... keep working hard on your art."

I didn't really need to add that last part.

Cheering on a lying piece of trash like her...

But her love for drawing seemed genuine.

And since I felt the same way about writing, I could relate to that much.

I left Jiwu crying alone and walked back to class.

After that day, the girls stopped bullying Sia.

Of course, they only stopped the bullying.

No one actually tried to be friends with her.

The only ones by her side were me... and now, Jeongho.

The three of us spent the rest of our school days together until graduation.

Naturally, after that incident...

I never spoke to Shin Jiwu again,

nor did I ever acknowledge her presence.

Anyway...

I got so lost in my memories that five minutes had already passed?!

I hurriedly peeled back the lid of the cup ramen.

Steam billowed out, revealing a perfectly cooked, mouthwatering cup of instant noodles.

I didn't have any kimchi, but it didn't matter.

Cup ramen was delicious enough on its own!

· · ·

And so, I settled my lunch today with cup ramen.

Since Jeongho bought it, it was completely free!

Now that my stomach was full, drowsiness began to creep in.

I really wanted to take a nap.

But I had to resist.

Instead, I opened Yutonovel and began reading the novels on the Today's Best list one by one.

I needed to increase my input.

I definitely wasn't slacking off just because the top-ranking novels were too entertaining.

I lost track of time, completely absorbed in reading.

I uploaded my scheduled chapter right on time,

and by the time I emerged from my reading trance, it was already night... I should sleep and get back to work tomorrow.

I'll outline the plot properly tomorrow!

I'm counting on you, tomorrow's me!

Ryu Hyunseong.

Former heir to Saseong Group, current web novel author.

And my high school classmate.

Currently, I was working on a commissioned illustration for him.

One of Hyunseong's requests was a composition that emphasized a large chest.

Does Hyunseong... like big breasts?

I twirled my tablet stylus, lost in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought mid-stroke.

I had wanted to be with Ryu Hyunseong, the heir to Saseong Group.

If I married him...

I thought I would be able to grasp the power of Saseong Group.

If I became wealthy, I would have all the time in the world to paint, wouldn't I?

But Lee Sia was always glued to his side.

She was his childhood friend.

That spot should have been mine.

I was so jealous.

I had to separate Sia from Hyunseong.

First, I spread nasty rumors about Sia to the girls around us.

Through that, I was easily able to isolate her.

The effect was greater than I had anticipated.

Surprisingly, there were many girls who disliked Sia just as much as I did.

Yet, Hyunseong remained by Sia's side.

He didn't budge.

In fact, it backfired.

I had been naive.

They were childhood friends.

Just because some girls hated her,

there was no way Hyunseong would hate Sia.

If anything, they only stuck closer together.

So, I changed my approach.

First, I asked girls from other classes to bully Sia.

Then, I would call Hyunseong over and "rescue" Sia right in front of his eyes.

The result was a massive success.

Because of that, Hyunseong began to treat me with kindness.

He went out of his way to help me when I was carrying heavy loads.

He handed me a pastry when the school store ran out of the ones I wanted.

He even took a flying ball to the back for me.

I thought that with just a little more effort, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could make Ryu Hyunseong mine.

Or so I believed.

Emboldened, I called Sia out directly.

I fed her that lie.

Hearing those words, Sia looked utterly devastated.

Unlike me, it seemed Sia loved Ryu Hyunseong with all her heart.

Foolish girl.

Finally, I asked Hyunseong out on a date.

Though I called it a date, it was really just an invitation to watch a movie together.

I didn't even know if he would consider it a date.

On the day of our meeting,

I confessed my feelings to him.

Of course, it wasn't sincere.

I didn't love him.

All I wanted was the power that came with the name Ryu Hyunseong.

But midway through our date, Hyunseong suddenly rushed off somewhere.

I didn't even get an answer to my confession.

They say if you play with fire, you'll eventually get burned.

In the end, all my misdeeds were exposed to him.

And with eyes full of disgust, Hyunseong delivered a shocking piece of news.

He had started dating Lee Sia.

Why...?

What did I lack compared to her?

Why did he choose Lee Sia?

I couldn't understand it at all.

I tried to cling to him and convince him otherwise, but...

Sia had already taken up residence in his heart.

There was no changing it.

Hyunseong and I were never meant to be.

It was as if he and Sia were bound by a red thread of fate.

There was absolutely no room for me to squeeze in.

And so, I prepared to give up on him.

After all, I didn't actually love him anyway...

But the final words Ryu Hyunseong spoke to me—someone who had committed such a terrible sin against Sia—were completely unexpected.

He had cheered on my dream.

Why...? Why did he support my dream?

I wanted to ask, but he had already walked away.

From that day on, I never touched Sia again, nor did I speak to Hyunseong.

I knew Sia must have been deeply scarred by my actions.

My sins were irreversible.

Yet, Ryu Hyunseong was kind.

His encouragement had struck a chord deep within my heart.

And just like that...

I have been harboring an unrequited crush on Ryu Hyunseong for eight years.