Chapter 59 – Family Month
Clink clink.
The table was laden with food.
Doenjang jjigae, five different side dishes, and even galbi jjim.
A true feast.
Chomp chomp!
Min-Hyuk shoveled food into his mouth with gusto.
At this rate, one might mistake him for a competitive eater.
Hong Mi-seon watched with a faintly concerned expression and asked,
“Slow down, slow down. Are you starving at school or something?”
“Nope? I eat fine there. It’s just… the food here tastes so good.”
Min-Hyuk answered with both cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
At that, the corners of Mi-seon’s mouth lifted into a small smile.
“So… nothing you’ve been craving or need?”
“Nope, nothing. This is more than enough.”
“And school’s not too hard on you?”
“I’m doing great. It’s fun. Manuscripts are going well too.”
Mi-seon nodded, poked at her rice for a moment, then asked again.
“Brave King Chapter 15 was really something.”
“Cough!”
An utterly unexpected question.
Min-Hyuk choked, coughing repeatedly before gulping down a big glass of water and asking back,
“You… read that, Mom?”
“What, you think I don’t? Look over there—all the books I bought.”
Hong Mi-seon tilted her head toward the living room and pointed with her chin.
When Min-Hyuk turned…
There, neatly lined up on the shelf, were the first volume of <Brave King> and every issue of <New Chance> that had come out so far.
Placed prominently, almost like they were on proud display.
Even a few volumes by Shin Pil-ho were lined up beside them.
“Huuuh…”
His mom had bought comic books?
Min-Hyuk blinked in genuine bewilderment. Mi-seon asked,
“Why that face?”
“No, I just… thought you weren’t really into comics.”
“Into them? Well… I wasn’t, originally. But now that my son’s doing this for a living, how could I not take an interest?”
“…Ah.”
Honestly, he was a little shocked.
Was this really the same Hong Mi-seon who, in his previous life, had glared with wide-open eyes and declared, “You cannot become a comic artist”?
Or perhaps…
‘I might have been the one closing her off all this time.’
In his past life, he hadn’t even properly tried drawing comics. And when he finally became a webtoon artist…
He’d hidden it from her out of fear she’d find out.
But seeing her like this now made the regrets of that previous life sting even more.
What if he’d confronted her more honestly back then?
What if he’d been more open?
What if he’d been more desperate—would the ending have been different?
But…
‘That’s already the past.’
No matter how much he regretted it, he couldn’t go back.
And precisely because he knew that, this present moment felt all the more precious.
The choice he’d sworn never to regret again… he was seeing with his own eyes that it hadn’t been wrong.
As Min-Hyuk slowly smiled, Mi-seon asked again.
“So… what happens next?”
“Next?”
“Yeah, that super scary-looking guy showed up this time. The king or whatever—really creepy one. Can they beat him?”
She asked with bright, eager eyes, clearly hooked.
Min-Hyuk gave a soft grin.
“You’ll have to wait and see when it comes out. It’s a secret.”
“Come on, you can at least tell your mom.”
“Nope. Now you tell me—what’s going on with the gukbap place lately? And how’s your back and knees?”
“Well… Mom’s got her share of hardships too. Oh, right—this time a new hire came in, and let me tell you…”
Maybe it was the mood.
Or maybe because, at some point, Min-Hyuk had suddenly grown up and started acting like a proper adult.
But naturally, Mi-seon began chatting away about her own life, her voice bright and lively.
“Hahaha! Come on, isn’t that kind of thing just cute?”
“Cute? That little stunt caused me so much trouble, you have no idea.”
Min-Hyuk nodded along, chiming in or laughing at the right moments.
The conversation flowed busily back and forth.
In that warm atmosphere, both of them felt it.
The small wall that had stood between them had, at some point, quietly crumbled away.
How much longer did their simple, everyday conversation continue like that?
By the time they came back to themselves, the rice bowls were completely empty.
“Ahh, I’m stuffed.”
“Want more rice?”
“No, no—if I eat any more I’ll explode…”
Min-Hyuk proudly patted his full belly. Mi-seon smiled softly and asked,
“What are you up to over the weekend? Any plans?”
“Well… tomorrow I’m meeting Seung-heon and we’re heading over to Shin Pil-ho sunbaenim’s studio together.”
“Ah… okay.”
For the briefest moment, a flicker of disappointment crossed Hong Mi-seon’s face.
Min-Hyuk crossed his arms, thought for a second, then said,
“And on Sunday… how about a date with Mom? Sound good?”
“A date?”
“Yeah, it’s Parents’ Day—let’s eat something delicious, watch a movie, spend some time together for once. I’ll book everything. Why, are you busy that day?”
Mi-seon’s lips curved into a subtle, pleased smile as she replied,
“I’m not busy. I was just worried you might not have time.”
“I’ve got plenty. Nothing pressing.”
Then Min-Hyuk gathered the empty bowls from the table and carried them to the sink, already slipping on rubber gloves.
“Move over, I’ll do the dishes.”
“No way—how often do you even come home? Let me show off a little.”
“…Then Mom can rest?”
“Yup yup, go rest, madam.”
Min-Hyuk shrugged playfully, all cheeky confidence.
‘When did this kid suddenly turn into such an adult?’
Mi-seon watched his back as he scrubbed the dishes, a gentle smile spreading across her face.
***
The next day, around lunchtime.
In the corridor of an old villa, Min-Hyuk stood in front of Oh Seung-heon’s house.
‘Feels like forever since I last saw him.’
Ever since starting at Animation High, they’d kept in touch often through texts and messages.
[Kang Min-Hyuk: Yo, check this manuscript real quick?]
[Oh Seung-heon: Oki oki—but you gotta look at my storyboard in return.]
Min-Hyuk had shown Seung-heon his own roughs and manuscripts plenty of times too, asking for feedback…
[<<Whoa, only 25 people in your whole class?? What kind of university is that??>>]
[<<What about your school—any problems there?>>]
[<<Problems? Tons… like seriously tons.>>]
They’d exchanged silly, trivial chatter about school life, helping each other shake off the awkwardness of the new semester.
But even so…
They used to be practically glued together from morning till night just last year. Now nearly two months had passed without seeing each other face-to-face. It felt strangely unfamiliar.
Min-Hyuk took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
“Oh Seung-heon, I’m hereee.”
A moment later.
Click!
The door opened, revealing a middle-aged man who looked exactly like an older version of Oh Seung-heon.
“Oh, Min-Hyuk’s here.”
“Hello, sir! How have you been?”
It was Seung-heon’s father.
Min-Hyuk bowed politely. The man gave a warm, friendly smile.
“Ah, I’m always doing fine. Haha! But seriously… having a famous comic artist come all the way to our house? The honor’s all mine.”
“Come on, sir, it’s not that big a deal.”
“What do you mean? I’ve read your work too. Your skill is no joke—and it’s popular! I bought and read everything you’ve put out.”
“Thank you!”
“No, thank you.”
“…You’re thanking me?”
Min-Hyuk tilted his head in confusion. Seung-heon’s father gave a sheepish grin and lightly nudged his side with an elbow.
“You’ve been teaching that son of mine how to draw comics, right? My boy’s teacher coming over? Of course I’m grateful.”
“…You knew Seung-heon was drawing comics?”
“Of course I did. How could a father not know?”
Min-Hyuk blinked, genuinely puzzled, and asked,
“You’re… not against it?”
“Against it? Why would I be?”
“Most parents… usually aren’t thrilled about that kind of thing.”
Seung-heon’s father waved his hand dismissively.
“Come on now—what’s wrong with having something you’re passionate about? Seung-heon’s never been great at studying or sports. If he’s got something he can pour himself into at this age, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah, I guess so?”
“And who knows—maybe someday our Seung-heon will hit it big just like our Kang artist here. Haha!”
Seung-heon’s father was so optimistic it bordered on carefree.
A strange sense of dissonance washed over Min-Hyuk.
Had he been judging everything too much through his own lens?
No… when he thought about cases like Kim Mi-na, it wasn’t necessarily strange…
The biggest hurdle he’d expected when Seung-heon said he wanted to draw comics had been resolved so easily.
It felt… enviable in a completely different way.
“Well, he’s even thinking about going to a comic or animation department in university… and lately the kid’s actually studying harder than before, you know? Drawing comics isn’t necessarily a bad thing!”
Just as Seung-heon’s father was getting really animated—
“Dad, stop talking nonsense to this guy.”
“Nonsense? I’m just stating facts!”
Seung-heon came out wearing a large backpack, slipping on his sneakers.
Once he was ready—
“Sigh… we’re heading out.”
“Have fun, you two!”
The two boys stepped out of the house.
A short while later, they walked side by side down the street.
“Oh Seung-heon, did you gain weight?”
“Ugh… ever since I got home I’ve just been drawing comics nonstop. I’ve been craving food like crazy lately.”
“Control your weight. If you get too heavy, it’ll be tough to work later.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the one—hey, you’re not getting bullied at Animation High, right?”
“Bullied? There’s no bigger insider than me in the world.”
“Bullshit…”
As the two traded silly banter and walked through the alley, smiles naturally spread across their faces.
They’d only talked for a little while…
But it felt like they’d seen each other just yesterday.
Comfortable. Fun.
Perhaps this was exactly why Oh Seung-heon had remained Kang Min-Hyuk’s oldest friend for so long.
After about ten minutes of walking—
“Shin Pil-ho sunbaenim! We’re here!”
“How have you been?”
“Oh my, you two came!”
They arrived at their original destination: Shin Pil-ho’s studio.
After meeting him at Namdaemun Market, Min-Hyuk had promised to bring Seung-heon along next time—so here they were to keep that promise.
But contrary to expectation, the situation took a slight turn.
“Sorry, kids… could you wait just a little longer? The manuscript isn’t finished yet.”
“Huh? You haven’t finished it yet?”
“Well… I ended up doing a few rounds of revisions after you left last time. Haha!”
“Revisions?”
“Yeah, something kept bothering me after you guys left. I figured if it was for the sake of the work, I should fix it. Everyone’s suffering because of me, though.”
Min-Hyuk’s eyes widened.
‘So that’s why the recent manuscript quality has been noticeably higher. He was doing this much revision.’
Somehow…
There was a fierce fighting spirit radiating from sunbaenim’s face.
He looked so different from the Shin Pil-ho they’d first met that it almost felt like a different person.
“You two sit here and wait. I’ll really finish it soon—super soon.”
Shin Pil-ho led them to the kitchen table.
Min-Hyuk blinked, then cautiously spoke up.
“Um, sunbaenim… would it be okay if we helped too?”
“Hm? Helped with what?”
“Assistant work. Right, Seung-heon?”
“No need to ask—I already help him a lot anyway.”
“Really?”
“Of course. This body’s officially a comic artist now.”
Since they had to wait anyway, why waste time doing nothing?
‘Might as well warm up my hands.’
It also brought back old memories—nice ones.
The corners of Min-Hyuk’s mouth lifted into a small smile.
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