Chapter 22 – Next Time, I Will Definitely Win
“Ooooh! Which parts exactly did you like, Min-hyuk-kun?!”
“Me too, me too!”
At Min-hyuk’s single comment, Oh Dong-gyo and Kim Rok-hee’s eyes sparkled as they pressed him for details.
When he saw them in their comics, their skills were so impressive that he hadn’t really noticed, but watching them now like this…
‘They really are just kids.’
Seeing them like this made it hit home all over again that these two were only in their third year of middle school.
“Well… Ma Dong-hyun already said most of it, but Dong-gyo, you handled that Japanese subculture style… really at a pro level. And Rok-hee, your dialogue is great, and the comic itself is just fun, you know?”
“Khehehem! High praise indeed!”
“Your comic was fun too! Hehe… hehehe…”
The two of them replied, both sounding oddly excited.
Min-hyuk easily understood why they were acting this way.
‘They probably never had anyone their age to talk seriously about comics with.’
Meeting someone around the same age who was this serious about drawing comics wasn’t exactly a common experience at this age.
In fact, one of the biggest reasons he had originally aimed for Korea Animation High School was exactly this.
While the three of them were excitedly chatting away—
“Kang Min-hyuk.”
“Hm?”
At the sudden cold voice, Min-hyuk turned his head.
There stood Han Yu-ra, arms crossed, staring straight at him.
‘What’s with her all of a sudden?’
Did she want to join in too?
Min-hyuk awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth and opened his palms in a casual shrug.
Han Yu-ra narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“How was my comic?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’m asking how my comic looked to you.”
“…It was good?”
“Stop messing around and tell me seriously. What did you really think?”
Her voice carried a chilling sharpness.
Min-hyuk stroked his chin for a moment before answering.
“I thought it was a really good comic. The directing, the dialogue, the character designs… honestly, I think it’s at a level where you could debut professionally right now without anyone batting an eye.”
It was the plain, unfiltered truth—no exaggeration, no sugarcoating.
Sure, he had the advantage of regression, but she was just a third-year middle schooler.
Compared to Oh Dong-gyo and Kim Rok-hee, who were already incredible monsters in their own right, this girl was…
‘A genius.’
The word felt completely natural. No hesitation at all.
If he had seen her work purely as a fellow third-year middle schooler, he couldn’t even imagine the level of despair he would have felt.
But apparently, that answer didn’t sit well with her.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Mocking you? Me?”
Han Yu-ra openly furrowed her brows.
‘What’s bothering her so much?’
While Min-hyuk tilted his head in confusion, Yu-ra shot him a glare full of killing intent and declared,
“Next time, I won’t lose.”
“…To what?”
“I’ll make you admit it. Someday, I’m going to draw a comic… better than yours.”
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere, this?
‘…Am I seriously getting warned right now? By a third-year middle schooler?’
Should he feel honored, or just bewildered…?
Min-hyuk scratched the back of his head, choosing his words carefully.
“Why, got something to say about that?”
When Yu-ra pressed again, Min-hyuk scratched his chin and muttered,
“…It’s gonna be tough.”
“What?”
“I’m saying it won’t be easy to beat me. My goal’s kind of big.”
“What goal?”
“To become the best comic artist in the world.”
For a moment, did she look genuinely pissed?
No… it was more like…
‘A declaration.’
Even if the person in front of him was just a middle school third-year, he wanted to say it out loud here and now—what he was aiming for, what he was going to become.
If he threw out the big words—even if they sounded like empty bravado—it would force him to struggle like hell to actually live up to them.
“Ooooh… Min-hyuk-kun!”
“The best?”
Oh Dong-gyo and Kim Rok-hee blinked wide-eyed at him.
Han Yu-ra scratched her forehead with one finger, then answered with an annoyed expression.
“…Are you an idiot? Have you been reading too many shonen comics?”
“I’m being serious?”
“What?”
“If you’re going to say you’re going to beat me, shouldn’t you at least have that much confidence? I’m the one who’s going to be the best, but honestly… it’d be nice to have a proper pacemaker, you know.”
Min-hyuk tossed out the words with a sly, mischievous smile.
Han Yu-ra squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then opened them again. She clicked her tongue and muttered,
“Idiot.”
Whoosh!
With that, she turned around, returned to her own seat, sat down, and crossed her arms tightly.
But somehow…
‘She doesn’t actually look that upset.’
The very corner of Min-hyuk’s mouth lifted ever so slightly as he watched Yu-ra.
***
In the meeting room next to the grand lecture hall, at the desk.
Department Head Ma Dong-hyun and Hong Mi-seon sat facing each other.
“The prize money will be deposited by the end of this month, ma’am. In addition, there are a few other things you should confirm…”
“Ah, yes.”
Ma Dong-hyun went over each item on the contract placed in front of Mi-seon, explaining them one by one.
The clause allowing the school to use the winning work for promotional purposes.
Details about the prize money, copyright ownership, and so on, all densely written.
After finishing the full explanation,
“Ahem… I think that covers most of the contract details.”
Ma Dong-hyun met her eyes and asked in a serious tone,
“And the most important part: there is an admission privilege. As was announced from the beginning, if Kang Min-hyuk wishes, he can enroll in Korea Animation High School at any time. What are your thoughts on this, ma’am?”
“……”
Until now, Hong Mi-seon had been nodding continuously, but now she froze like stone and fell silent.
She moved her lips for a long while before finally speaking slowly.
“I know this might sound rude, but…”
“Please speak freely.”
“If Min-hyuk becomes a comic artist… will he be able to make a living?”
The moment Ma Dong-hyun’s eyes widened slightly, Mi-seon hurriedly continued.
“I-I’m embarrassed to even say this, but… his father isn’t here anymore. I’m raising him alone, and I already feel the burden of earning money by myself… And beyond that, if something happens to me and I’m gone, I worry so much whether Min-hyuk will be able to support himself as a comic artist. That’s… um…”
Her words stumbled over each other.
Her shoulders and back gradually hunched more and more, as if she had become a sinner.
Ma Dong-hyun gave a bittersweet smile and replied,
“Please lift your head, ma’am.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not saying anything you shouldn’t. It’s a perfectly natural worry for a parent. I would feel the exact same way.”
“…Thank you for understanding.”
Ma Dong-hyun closed his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them again and continuing.
“May I speak a little more frankly about that part, ma’am?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s true that right now, in Korea, being a comic artist is a very difficult profession. Many publishers are going under, and there aren’t that many places to serialize anymore. Even if you create a hit work, it’s hard to earn a large income because of illegal copying and rental shops.”
“So… it really isn’t easy.”
As the bitterness deepened on Mi-seon’s face, Ma Dong-hyun shook his head.
“But Kang Min-hyuk… no, the artist Kang Min-hyuk is a different story.”
“Yes? But what you just said…”
Thud.
Ma Dong-hyun lightly placed his hand on his own chest and continued.
“Ma’am, do I look like someone who’s struggling?”
“No… you don’t look that way at all.”
“It’s true that the current comic market is in a bad state. But as always, no matter how difficult the times or the market may be… the people who become the best in the industry survive. It’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I, too… was once called one of the best in Korea, and that’s how I’ve been able to live with dignity.”
“Ah…”
Mi-seon gave a small nod, as if she had suddenly understood something.
“I believe Kang Min-hyuk has far greater talent and skill than I ever did. He’s not someone whose talent will end in Korea—he has more than enough potential to reach beyond that. Ma’am… have you read the comic that Min-hyuk drew?”
“Ah, yes, I have read it, but…”
“How was it? Honestly, I think the content itself is almost like a message Min-hyuk is sending directly to you.”
Hong Mi-seon closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
[Thank you. If it weren’t for you, Mom… I never would have made it this far.]
The contents of the comic flashed vividly in her mind.
For some reason, her body began to tremble, and she could feel something warm welling up behind her eyes.
After a long pause, one sentence finally emerged.
“Honestly… I was moved. I don’t have much discernment, so I can’t say it definitively, but… I could tell that Min-hyuk really has a lot of talent.”
At that, the corner of Dong-hyun’s mouth lifted slightly.
“You saw it exactly right. So, if you’ll allow me to be so presumptuous… I’d like to say something bold.”
Dong-hyun closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again, his gaze burning with intensity as he continued.
“Please send Kang Min-hyuk to our school. If you do… no matter what it takes, I will take full responsibility and support him so that he can become the very best.”
Mi-seon’s face filled with turmoil.
How long did the silence last?
“……”
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she met his eyes and answered.
“Alright. Then… I’ll trust Department Head Ma Dong-hyun and let Min-hyuk enroll here.”
“You’ve made the right decision, ma’am.”
Was he a little excited?
Dong-hyun’s voice rose slightly in pitch.
Mi-seon looked straight at him and asked,
“But… may I ask what exactly you mean by ‘taking responsibility’?”
“Hm? What do you—”
“You just said you’d take responsibility for Min-hyuk. I’m curious what that means specifically.”
“Ah.”
“Will you be covering tuition? Or perhaps acting as a guarantor later on? It’s not just empty words, right?”
“Uh… well, I haven’t thought about the specifics yet, but…”
Had he not anticipated this far?
Sweat beads began to trickle down the forehead of the tiger-like Ma Dong-hyun.
And at that moment—
Pfft.
Mi-seon’s lips curved upward. She waved her hand lightly and said,
“I’m joking.”
“Yes?”
“I said it was a joke just now. You were being so serious… I couldn’t resist teasing you a little.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Only then did the tension drain from Dong-hyun’s face.
“Ahem… I see.”
Well… this mother is no ordinary person either.
At that point, Mi-seon spoke again.
“Just… please make sure he never regrets it. Coming to this school. Choosing to become a comic artist.”
“Yes, of course. I will make absolutely certain of it.”
Dong-hyun nodded firmly. A solemn, determined aura filled his expression.
***
A little later, on the way home from Korea Animation High School, inside a certain restaurant.
Min-hyuk sat at the table, pouring water and setting out chopsticks while muttering to himself.
“Krrrrr, it’s been years since I last came here.”
Asa Gamjatang.
A cheap, delicious, legendary neighborhood spot.
In his childhood, whenever something good happened, he and Hong Mi-seon would always come here to celebrate.
Mi-seon tilted her head and asked,
“Years? Hasn’t it been less than a month?”
“Ahaha, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue.”
For the 34-year-old Min-hyuk, it really had been nearly ten years since his last visit.
‘I really need to watch my mouth.’
Well, no matter what he said, there was no way anyone would figure out he had regressed.
“Here’s the small gamjatang.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
A short while later, the gamjatang was placed on the burner and began to bubble and boil.
As the signature spicy aroma stung his nose, Min-hyuk lifted his head and stole glances at Hong Mi-seon.
‘Should I bring it up soon…?’
He had successfully kept his promise to win the Grand Prize.
Now it was time to get a firm answer about going to Korea Animation High School.
But when it came time to actually say it… he couldn’t quite find the right moment.
Then, Hong Mi-seon grabbed the ladle and spoke in a casual, almost indifferent
tone.
“Hey, is there anything you need?”
“…Suddenly? Like what?”
“You’re going to enroll in Korea Animation High School now. Isn’t there anything you need right away for drawing comics? If there is, tell me so we can prepare in advance.”
“Ah…”
The moment he heard those words,
Min-hyuk’s eyes widened in surprise… and then slowly, they softened into a faint, gentle smile.