Chapter 78 – Kim Rok-hee as a Leader
The next morning, during homeroom.
For some reason, Kim Rok-hee was sitting at the teacher’s desk instead of Teacher Choi Jung-an.
Her expression was oddly brimming with energy, yet at the same time filled with serious determination.
“Okay, I’ll explain it quickly just once, so listen up carefully.”
Click! Click!
Rok-hee projected a PPT document onto the TV at the front of the classroom and began explaining while moving the mouse.
It covered the decorations and booth structures and designs to be used for this year’s comic creation department event.
“This stairwell area will use the concept of animals hiding in the bushes. It’ll flow into the corridor side so it feels like one continuous theme. Before we start coloring, I’ll do a first review myself, and…”
She had already fully planned out the overall concept images based on the “animals and sports” keywords she mentioned yesterday.
The PPT meticulously included details like what materials to use during the process, how to give intermediate feedback, and so on.
Just by watching this one presentation, everyone could grasp exactly how the preparations would proceed until the event began.
Of course…
“Haaaa, so much to do.”
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
Most of the kids—regardless of how polished the PPT was—simply looked annoyed at the sudden mountain of tasks appearing before them.
But at least for Min-hyuk, a faint look of surprise appeared on his face.
Putting everything else aside…
‘She did all of that in just one day?’
Having planned comics multiple times himself, Min-hyuk knew exactly how much went into it.
The work itself was obviously hard, but the preparation process to make everything run smoothly was no small feat.
Rough sketches and coloring to properly convey the tone and manner of what needed to be made.
Sample images, patterns, and even a process that allowed 25 people to systematically divide and handle the workload.
Honestly, completing a plan of this level of detail and quality in a single day felt downright unbelievable.
‘So it’s not just that she likes cute things.’
Usually Kim Rok-hee was just bouncy and energetic, acting like an excitable puppy.
But right now, there was a glint in her eyes and an inexplicable charisma radiating from her.
‘Helping out last time wasn’t a fluke either.’
When they went to Namdaemun last time, and now this…
He was getting the strong impression that she was exceptionally talented in this area.
If all that talent were fully utilized, he wondered if she could create something even greater than the Kim Rok-hee he had known so far.
“Huuu… Anyway, that’s my plan up to here. I’ll print this out and hand it around.”
After her roughly ten-minute-long speech ended, Rok-hee turned her head and asked,
“So, what do you think, Teacher?”
“Ugggggh…”
“Teacheeeer.”
Then, Teacher Choi Jung-an—who had been slumped over beside her—slowly lifted her head.
Her face was pale, with deep dark circles under her eyes; just looking at her, it was clear her condition was terrible.
“S-sorry, Rok-hee. Teacher’s not feeling too great right now.”
Min-hyuk tilted his head.
‘That doesn’t look like she’s actually sick, though…?’
As someone well-versed in overwork (?), Min-hyuk could tell immediately.
This wasn’t the look of someone who was ill in a specific way—it was exactly the appearance of someone who had pulled an all-nighter and gotten completely ground down.
Maybe she had been catching up on delayed manuscripts?
At that moment, Jung-an spoke while her body trembled slightly.
“The… the content looks really good. If you proceed exactly like this, it should be fine.”
“Yes!”
When Rok-hee nodded energetically, Choi Jung-an turned back to the front and said,
“Starting today, during drawing class, everyone gather in the classroom to work on event preparations… After dinner, three people come with me in the car to buy supplies. Who wants to go with Teacher?”
When Choi Jung-an raised her hand to ask, Kim Rok-hee naturally raised hers.
The rest of the kids averted their eyes.
‘Too much hassle.’
‘It’s already so hot outside…’
It was early July, the weather was already scorching, and anyone could see this would be a bothersome errand.
And Min-hyuk himself…
‘Ughhh, I really don’t want to go if I don’t have to. When I have free time, I’d rather use it to brainstorm the manuscript…’
He had planned to use the evening to organize the future storyline for Brave King, so he didn’t particularly want to disrupt that.
Choi Jung-an asked again.
“Anyone coming alooong?”
“Me!”
“Ah…”
Then, Oh Dong-gyo adjusted his glasses and raised his hand.
‘What the—?’
‘What’s up with him?’
Throughout the entire event preparation period so far, Dong-gyo had been whining nonstop about wanting beautiful girls.
Since he stepped up so readily, everyone else tilted their heads in mild surprise.
“I’ll go too.”
This time, class president Song Hyun-hee spoke while adjusting her glasses.
“…Then that’s all three. Come to the teachers’ office after dinner later.”
“Yes!”
Everyone nodded.
“Uhuhu, uhuhuhuhu. Perfect.”
In the midst of it all, Dong-gyo let out a strangely low chuckle.
‘He’s definitely… up to something.’
Well, with Kim Rok-hee and the class president there, he probably wouldn’t cause any real trouble… right?
Min-hyuk glanced at Dong-gyo with a slightly uneasy expression.
***
After that, time passed uneventfully.
The only slight difference from usual during classes was—
“Okay, no homework today! Everyone focus on preparing for the Tujiman chang event!”
“Niceeee!”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
The major-subject teachers, who would normally have piled on assignments like mountains of rice, actually let them off.
Each time, sunflower-like smiles bloomed across the kids’ faces.
And so, after classes ended for the day…
Once everyone had eaten dinner and returned to the classroom,
“I’m going with Teacher Jung-an, so move the desks so everyone can work comfortably.”
“Okay!”
“Take care, Rok-hee!”
Kim Rok-hee took the lead, dragging Song Hyun-hee and Oh Dong-gyo out of the classroom.
The remaining kids pushed their desks together in groups according to who they were working with.
Scissors, knives, paints, boards, and all sorts of materials were spread out—there was so much stuff that they were using the classroom instead of the drawing studio.
Screech! Screech!
“People working on the stairwell, gather over here!”
“Okay.”
The kids quickly rearranged their spots while dragging desks.
Most groups had four or five people each.
But in Min-hyuk’s case…
Since he was supposed to work with Dong-gyo and that guy wasn’t even here, all he did was push the adjacent desk over to join his.
“Let’s finish this quickly and play.”
“Ahhh, but once the event starts, it’ll be fun, right?”
“Haaaaaaa… I just want to rest a bit.”
While the kids gathered in small clusters, chatting away,
‘It’s kind of empty in here.’
Min-hyuk let out a sigh and started jotting down and organizing ideas for Brave King’s story in his notebook.
Then—
Screeech! Thud!
The sound of a desk being dragged made him look up.
Han Yu-ra was standing there, asking,
“Can I sit here?”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“I don’t have a group. I don’t want to stand out, and it’s awkward being alone.”
“Do whatever.”
Well, they were in pretty similar situations.
Min-hyuk shrugged in response, and the two of them quietly went back to focusing on their own tasks.
About an hour passed like that.
Screeech!
The classroom door opened.
“Kids… come help with the stuff.”
“Ah, Teacher!”
The group that had gone out with Choi Jung-an returned carrying boxes piled high with supplies.
All four of them looked exhausted, sweat beading on their foreheads from the effort.
“Okay, okay—one person from each group come up as representative and take your things. Make sure to double-check that nothing you requested is missing.”
“Yes!”
The kids moved in perfect sync.
The necessary supplies were quickly distributed.
“Then… keep working hard, everyone. Teacher has something else to take care of, so I’ll head out now.”
“Take care, Teacher.”
“See you tomorrow!”
Choi Jung-an, looking half-dead, backed out of the classroom.
“Okay, let’s get right to it! If anyone gets stuck while working, tell me immediately!”
“Okay!”
“We believe in Kim Rok-hee!”
Afterward, when Kim Rok-hee clapped her hands, everyone dove straight into serious work.
Here and there, people gripped mechanical pencils to sketch underdrawings, cut materials, divided tasks…
Work exploded simultaneously in every direction.
It truly felt like a chaotic marketplace in full swing.
But somehow…
‘It’s a festival. A real festival.’
Watching the scene, Min-hyuk couldn’t help but feel the corners of his mouth lift.
“Oh Dong-gyo, let’s get started too.”
“Okay.”
The two of them each grabbed a 4B pencil and split the large sheets of drawing paper between them.
Dong-gyo would handle the backgrounds, while Min-hyuk would draw the main characters combining animals and sports (not furries… definitely not).
The rough plan was to draw their parts separately, combine them afterward, and attach plywood backing to complete the standing signboard.
Scrape scrape. Scrape scrape.
Min-hyuk and Dong-gyo each picked up a utility knife and began sharpening their pencils.
They deliberately left the leads long and blunt.
Since the paper was enormous, this was the best way to draw long, thick lines with proper weight.
In the middle of it, Min-hyuk tilted his head and glanced at the sheet of paper on the desk.
The printout Kim Rok-hee had handed out.
A rough sketch with rough colors applied over it.
‘A Siamese cat playing badminton.’
The uniform’s coloring and design perfectly matched the Siamese cat’s body colors.
The dynamic pose looked ready to smash the shuttlecock at any second, and the composition guided the viewer’s eye perfectly.
Next to each element were meticulous notes.
At first glance it looked casual, but the planner’s clear intentions shone through every line.
Overall impression…
‘I want to draw this.’
The urge came naturally.
Min-hyuk lifted the corner of his mouth and…
Scrape scrape!
Began sketching boldly, extending his arm in wide, confident strokes.
While he was deeply immersed, furiously scribbling with the 4B pencil—
“Huuuu…”
He had roughly laid out the layout.
Min-hyuk swung his arms around to step back and look at the full sheet.
To check the overall balance.
It was natural to confirm this first before diving into details.
‘Not bad.’
Even in this rough stage—just positions blocked in—he could already clearly envision what the finished piece would look like.
‘It’ll look pretty impressive once it’s done.’
Good. This was solid.
But just as he was about to move on to detailing—
“Ahem!”
Suddenly Oh Dong-gyo cleared his throat loudly, glanced around sneakily to check if anyone was watching, and stealthily pulled out a paper bag.
Min-hyuk blinked and asked,
“Huh? What are you doing, Oh Dong-gyo?”
“Shh. Just need to check something real quick.”
Dong-gyo pressed a finger to his lips, then took a book out of the paper bag.
A single issue of New Chance magazine came tumbling out with it.
Min-hyuk had never seen this one before—probably the first issue of July.
The moment he saw it, Min-hyuk’s eyes narrowed.
“…Wait. Did you only tag along today to buy that?”
“Hey, I just slipped away for a second while I was in the bathroom.”
So that’s why it felt off.
The mystery of why Dong-gyo—who had been so unenthusiastic about preparing for this event—suddenly became so proactive was finally solved.
“If you’re going to read it, do it during break. Everyone else is working.”
“Ahem. Just for a second, Min-hyuk-kun.”
“I’m saying do that ‘second’ during break.”
“Omae… the battle of the century. Aren’t you curious about the result?”
Dong-gyo adjusted his glasses as he answered.
Min-hyuk let out a sigh.
“What battle of the century.”
“David vs. Yang Jae-han. The clash of two white-horse-riding superhumans who lit a spark in the dying Korean comic industry! As a student aspiring to be a comic artist, isn’t it obvious we have to know the outcome?”
“……”
Ah, right.
Min-hyuk scratched his forehead with a finger.
Only now did it belatedly hit him.
Today was…
‘The day the Ankeito results are announced.’
Shallow wrinkles formed on Min-hyuk’s forehead.
**************
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