As soon as I picked up the brush, I felt a strange mix of emotions.

The thrill of being able to paint again filled me with excitement, but also a lingering fear.

Still, I’d already picked up the brush. I might as well go through with it.

Whenever I put color onto paper—whether with paint or colored pencils—it always brought me joy.

This blank white canvas was waiting for me to fill it with my own world.

I imagined the outline of a shark and began sketching it smoothly.

I couldn’t aim for photorealism due to the lack of tools, but paint would do the job. All I really needed was the shark’s shape.

Even though I started later than the others, the shark’s outline was already complete.

I hadn’t rushed. I simply focused on capturing its form.

I did wish I could use a pencil to sketch a preliminary outline, maybe even shade it. Should I ask the counter for a pencil?

I shook my head and picked up the brush again.

“True masters don’t blame their tools.”

What a load of nonsense. Masters do care about their tools.

Still, if you don’t have teeth, you make do with your gums.

I squeezed some black paint onto the palette and turned the brush upside down, using the blunt plastic handle to dab and shape details like the gills and face.

Combining form and quick strokes, I began creating the visual impression of a shark.

At a glance, it was already looking somewhat like a shark.

I drew smooth curves to outline its fins and gave the tail a sharp, angular shape. By the way, the shark had eight fins.

I added sharp, jagged teeth to the shark and drew scratches along its body to give it some character.

Next, I focused on the background.

Sharks are known to inhabit warm coastal waters, so I decided to add sunlight piercing through the water. I also added elements like rocks and seaweed—classic features of an underwater scene.

After outlining these details, it was time to add color.

The top of the shark’s body was a dark gray, while its underbelly was a dull white. Thankfully, these weren’t difficult colors to mix.

I squeezed more black and white paint onto the palette and began mixing them to create the right shades.

As I adjusted the ratios, the color slowly approached the perfect dark gray. Using the leftover paint, I mixed up a dull white for the belly.

The process of refining and blending felt almost meditative. I could see the colors reaching what I’d call their "ideal tone."

With the prepared paint, I started filling in the shark, all the while thinking about how I could monetize this skill. Maybe I could upload the process to YouTube?

‘I should try it someday.’

Of course, YouTube Shorts wouldn’t exist for another decade.

In this frustratingly backward era, the only fun things to do were going for walks and painting.

The thought left me feeling a bit melancholic.

Lost in these thoughts, I soon realized the shark was complete.

To soften the rigid look of acrylic paint, I used water to give the painting a watercolor effect.

The shark emerged with vivid yet delicate colors, as if it might leap off the paper.

With the shark done, I adjusted the leftover gray paint to make it darker for the rocks.

I also mixed colors for the seaweed and starfish that would dot the scene.

I dipped the brush into murky water, then blotted it dry with a tissue, repeating this three times until the color softened. Then I reloaded the brush with paint and started coloring the rocks.

The rocks were eroded and jagged from the ocean currents. Using the back of the brush, I added shading and highlights for depth.

On top of the rocks, I drew seaweed in shades of green and starfish in red and blue.

At that moment, I achieved the perfect RGB color palette.

To enhance the details further, I painted the background a bright blue and added flowing water currents.

The swaying seaweed and starfish clinging tightly to the rocks, the shark swimming gracefully above them—it all came together.

It wasn’t photorealistic, but it was close to something you’d see in Unreal Engine.

Finally, I added sunlight streaming through the water to spotlight the shark, making it the focal point. Perfect.

I couldn’t help but admire the result. For something I’d painted myself, it was astonishingly good.

I dusted my hands off, wiped them with a tissue, and looked around the table.

The others were still deep in concentration. I must have finished early.

A glance at the clock showed I’d spent about 40 minutes on it.

It wasn’t even as if I’d put in that much effort—it just came together quickly.

My eyes drifted to Mom’s drawing.

She had painted a squirrel with its hands on its hips, looking smug.

It was adorable. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Mom always had a thing for drawing cute stuff.

Then I looked at the drawing in front of me.

It was… some kind of gorilla? Or maybe a monkey?

It was Soyul’s drawing. On top of the primate, she’d drawn a small circle and some wavy lines to represent the sun.

‘Wait… Are primates supposed to be yellow?’

The earlier conversation came back to me.

—A tiger!

‘Ah, right… Hmm.’

If tigers had limbs like that, they’d definitely be a subject of scientific study.

Maybe I should come up with a scientific name for her new species.

Meanwhile, Ms. Yu Ji-hye’s drawing wasn’t faring much better.

Honestly, her drawing looked better than Soyul’s, but she should probably step away from the canvas for her own sake.

"Haah… All done!"

Mom was the first to finish among the three of them.

She proudly held up her squirrel painting and smiled confidently.

"Ta-da! What do you think, Ha-eun? Isn’t it amazing?"

"Wow. Surprisingly?"

"…Surprisingly?"

Mom raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.

I quickly shook my head and gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up.

"It’s excellent."

"Hmph. You know, I used to draw a lot back in the day!"

Apparently, that wasn’t a lie—she said she’d show me some of her old drawings when we got home.

"Ugh, done!"

The next to finish was Ms. Yu Ji-hye. But what on earth had she drawn?

"Ahem! Well… I don’t have much talent for drawing."

"Oh no, no! It’s really good!"

What a fake laugh. You could tell she was trying to be polite, but it sounded like a backhanded compliment.

"Still, I was trying to draw a cat since Soyul was drawing a tiger…"

"Ms. Yu, attaching two triangles to a circle doesn’t make it a cat."

"…Stop it."

As Ms. Yu Ji-hye’s face started turning red, I decided to change my target.

The last one to finish was Ha Soyul.

Her drawing was… well, calling it a tiger was quite a stretch. Actually, it was nearly impossible.

Still, the two moms showered her with praise.

“Wow~. Is this really something my daughter drew? It’s amazing!”

“I know, right? She’s going to be so popular at school someday!”

Wait, was that a compliment about her looks or her drawing? Definitely the former, not the latter.

“Hehe.”

Soyul seemed pleased by the adults’ kind words, her lips curling into a smile.

“And now, shall we take a look at my son’s drawing?”

With a nasal hum, the three of them turned their attention to the painting in front of me.

Their reactions were immediate, with two of them gasping in amazement.

“Whoa! This is insane—no, I mean, incredible. Wow. No, seriously, this is amazing!”

That was Ms. Yu Ji-hye, absolutely in awe.

“…What on earth is this?”

And that was my mom, looking like she’d malfunctioned.

Both of them couldn’t tear their eyes away from the painting, their expressions a mix of shock and admiration.

Their reaction was only natural. My shoulders puffed up with pride. Hmph.

“Wow, Ha-eun. Can I keep this for myself?”

Mom gently placed her hand on my painting as she asked. I didn’t particularly mind, so I shrugged.

“Sure. But you owe me an ice cream.”

“Of course!”

Mom beamed with delight as she carefully rolled up the paper. Luckily, the paint had dried, so it was safe.

“How can someone be so good at drawing? It’s amazing,” muttered Ms. Yu, still in a daze.

Then she seemed to remember her daughter standing nearby.

“Oh, uh…”

Soyul, meanwhile, looked stunned, like someone seeing the vastness of space for the first time.

“W-well… should we get going?”

With that, Ms. Yu suggested we leave, and we all got up from our seats.

Something told me this wouldn’t be the end of it. I had a feeling Mom would start pestering me to draw more once we got home.

Was she going to beg me to draw something as soon as we got back?

“Hey… um…”

“Hm?”

Just as we were leaving the café and heading home, Soyul called out to me.

“I… uh… I’m sorry about last time.”

“Last time?”

Her sudden apology caught me off guard.

“Oh, um, right.”

“What is it about?”

Mom seemed to know what it was about, and Ms. Yu quickly caught on as well.

“Is it about the swing?”

At Mom’s words, I remembered what had happened two weeks ago.

I was on the swing when Soyul came over and said she wanted to use it, asking me to move.

I hadn’t minded, but apparently, others thought differently.

It must’ve looked like I had taken Soyul’s spot on the swing.

Even though I had stepped aside without any fuss and gone home, it seemed Ms. Yu had scolded Soyul for it—harshly.

Apparently, she’d even given Soyul a little flick on the forehead for it.

I had barely spent five minutes on the swing, which only made things seem worse.

“Well… okay,” I said, accepting her apology.

Though honestly, I felt a bit guilty since she hadn’t done anything wrong.

It must’ve looked like she got scolded because of me, even though she just wanted to play on the swing.

Was that why she had been glaring at me earlier?

After hearing my response, Soyul’s face brightened with a cheerful smile.

Now that I thought about it, kids her age probably don’t apologize very often.

Even adults struggle to say sorry—how could I expect it from children?

Most kids are more likely to blame others than take responsibility themselves.

“Well then, let’s head home~,” said Ms. Yu in a booming, almost fatherly tone, leading the way.

Soyul followed behind her, with Mom and me walking side by side at the rear.

“Ha-eun.”

“Yeah?”

Mom looked down at me, her eyes twinkling.

“Our Ha-eun is really talented at drawing, huh?”

“I know.”

“Hmph. So, do you think you’ll keep drawing from now on?”

Mom’s voice lowered slightly, sounding more serious.

She seemed to be considering something deeply, likely thinking about my future.

I pondered for a moment.

To be honest, I wanted to keep drawing. But the memories of my past life’s failures held me back.

But then again…

‘…How will my parents in this life react?’

In the end, I nodded. I decided to trust my parents. They didn’t seem like the type to force me into studying all the time.

“Yeah. I think I can.”

At my answer, Mom smiled and gently patted my head. My chick-shaped hat got in the way, so I took it off.

The setting sun in the sky looked especially beautiful today.

Maybe when we got home, I’d try painting a landscape.

A week after visiting the art café.

“AAAAAAAHHH!”

At 2 a.m., a piercing scream echoed from Mom’s bedroom.