To sum it up, she didn’t talk to me for almost a month.

From that moment on, sensing something was wrong, I went through every possible effort to cheer her up.

Nothing worked. No matter what I did, it wasn’t enough.

Finally, I asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“…Draw me something,” she said.

So, I did. I drew her a picture.

Knowing that a half-hearted effort would only lead to more sulking, I put some real effort into it.

Thanks to that…

“Because of Ha-Eun, Soo-Yul just stares at the picture at home now…”

“Hohoho. Doesn’t that mean our son’s artwork is that amazing? Right, unni?”

Eventually, Yoo Ji-Hye, Soo-Yul’s mom, showed up to vent her frustrations.

For reference, Mom and Mrs. Yoo were on casual speaking terms. Dad even called her "unni."

Meanwhile, Mom was busy bragging about me to Mrs. Yoo.

I looked away from the chattering ladies and turned to the front.

“Do you really like it that much?”

Unable to hold back anymore, I asked Ha-Soo-Yul, who was nodding fervently.

“It’s so pretty. Really.”

Can’t you say it’s cool instead of pretty?

Most boys prefer being called cool or awesome over pretty or cute, you know.

Well… if you’re not mad anymore, that’s what matters.

The picture I gave her wasn’t anything fancy. Just a quick croquis of myself.

I drew it in pencil, adding shading to make it less plain.

It turned out fairly decent, but self-portraits always felt embarrassing to me. Was that just me?

Anyway, as soon as she got the drawing, she was completely absorbed in it. Why, though?

At least she puts it down when she visits my house to look at me instead.

Does she actually like me?

She smiled as she fiddled with my hand, looking as though she was in a great mood.

“It’s so soft.”

That’s how all kids’ skin is. Go play with your own hand, not mine.

“Aren’t you getting too close?”

“Huh? I don’t know.”

I wasn’t asking for much, but come on.

We were so close that our noses were practically touching. I could barely move.

Hey, hey. At this rate, we’re going to end up kissing.

I glanced over at the moms.

Giggles.

They were absolutely loving it. My God.

Covering their mouths, they whispered “Oh my” and exchanged sly glances. Their eyes sparkled mischievously.

They might already be picturing their future grandchildren.

I sighed in exasperation.

“Hihi.”

But her smile made me swallow the sigh back down.

At this point, you might wonder why these kids weren’t in preschool today.

“Well then, little fairies, since we couldn’t go to preschool today, let’s play to our hearts’ content!”

Shouldn’t that be the opposite, Mrs. Yoo? Isn’t it like saying, “Since we didn’t go to cram school, let’s study even harder”?

But no, she seemed completely serious about playing. She even brought board games and other toys she hadn’t shown us before.

Oh, and they planned to stay over at our house today. Even better, Ha-Soo-Yul decided she wanted to sleep in my room.

Why was preschool canceled today? Mom only said it was due to "circumstances," but I didn’t get any details.

Ah, life feels so exhausting sometimes.

***

Summer passed into autumn.

Autumn into winter.

Winter into spring, and once again summer.

After three cycles, I was now seven years old.

As spring's bloom drew to a close, something major happened in my life.

“Hi~!”

“……”

Who the heck is this kid? And who’s that next to them? Why are they suddenly acting like they know us while I’m playing with Ha-Soo-Yul?

The name tags gave me the answer.

Lee Do-Yoon. Baek Yoo-Seol.

The memories hit me like a ton of bricks.

It seemed impossible, but here it was: I’d reincarnated into a world that was clearly a romantic comedy.

But seriously—what was the main character doing here?

Look at that face. His eyes practically screamed, I’m the male lead! Even at seven, the kid was annoyingly handsome.

I’d always been confident in my own looks, but this… this was unsettling.

Let’s think about this. I was certain Lee Do-Yoon was the protagonist because of the illustrations in the novel.

Even though he was still young, his features matched perfectly with the novel’s depiction. If he grew up as expected, he’d look exactly like the protagonist’s art.

And Baek Yoo-Seol… she was the childhood friend heroine, wasn’t she?

Her appearance also closely matched the illustrations.

There was no denying it now. This world was the setting of a romantic comedy novel.

Not that it mattered much.

Knowing this didn’t really change anything. This wasn’t some fantasy world with life-or-death stakes.

If anything, being around the protagonist might be entertaining. Watching teenagers flirt and get into love triangles could be amusing.

One thing was certain, though—neither I nor Ha-Soo-Yul were part of the original novel.

We’re not even background extras. Perfect.

Still, one question lingered.

Why were these two here?

“Um…?”

When neither Ha-Soo-Yul nor I responded, Lee Do-Yoon awkwardly tried to make conversation.

Honestly, if two pairs of eyes were silently staring at you, that’d be intimidating for anyone.

Baek Yoo-Seol, on the other hand, glared at Ha-Soo-Yul and clung to Lee Do-Yoon’s arm.

Oh, here we go.

Seeing the two cling to each other like that stirred something unpleasant in me.

But wait, isn’t this a harem story?

I remembered the author bending the rules of the world to allow polygamy when the characters grew up, just to fit the adult arcs.

…Could I pull that off too?

…Nah, not happening.

As I was lost in thought, Baek Yoo-Seol kept glaring at Ha-Soo-Yul.

What was her problem? Was she trying to protect Lee Do-Yoon from Ha-Soo-Yul or something?

I let out a sigh.

“Hi.”

I finally returned the greeting. Ha-Soo-Yul, who had been silent until now, waved her hand in response.

I didn’t know all the details about the novel’s backstory, particularly where the protagonist spent his childhood.

But the fact that it happened to be the same preschool I attended? That couldn’t just be a coincidence.

“So… what were you doing?”

“Just playing with puzzles.”

The new arrivals drew the attention of the other kids, though none dared to get too close.

Lee Do-Yoon plopped down next to us, followed by Baek Yoo-Seol, who sat neatly while scanning her surroundings.

She really is the quintessential rich girl character, I thought.

Her vibe was similar to Ha-Soo-Yul’s, yet clearly different.

Ha-Soo-Yul’s quietness came from a lack of interest in her surroundings. Baek Yoo-Seol, on the other hand, deliberately refrained from speaking.

Their contrasting personalities were evident even in their silence.

“Ha-Eun, Ha-Eun, where does this piece go?”

At that moment, Ha-Soo-Yul leaned against me, holding a puzzle piece in her hand.

She could’ve just asked from where she was sitting, but I’d long since given up trying to understand her behavior.

“Even though it looks like a solid brown, if you look closely, there’s a break where the reddish-brown fades. Find the piece that connects there.”

I explained patiently, because talking about art always made me happy.

She squinted at the puzzle piece, as if glaring at it would make the answer appear.

I chuckled and fit the piece in for her.

Unlike last time, she smiled as we continued working together.

Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol, who had been watching us, started working on their own puzzle nearby.

Maybe they were trying to give us space.

…Yeah, right.

Baek Yoo-Seol’s glare shot toward me the moment our eyes met.

What’s her problem?

I didn’t even do anything…

Annoyed, I turned my attention back to Ha-Soo-Yul.

“...What are you doing?”

She looked up and stared directly at Baek Yoo-Seol.

Her expression was blank, almost doll-like.

And then, without warning—

Slide.

Ha-Soo-Yul raised her fist, extended her thumb, and made a throat-slitting gesture.

“……”

Uh…

To top it off, she twisted her lips into a sinister smirk, as if making a murder declaration.

Baek Yoo-Seol, horrified, hid behind Lee Do-Yoon. He looked confused, unsure of what was happening.

Then there was Ha-Soo-Yul.

“It’s okay now.”

She gave me a thumbs-up.

Sigh.

Should I tell her mom? “By the way, your daughter made a death threat today…”

I had so much to say but kept silent, instead watching as Ha-Soo-Yul smiled brightly, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Well… if it makes you happy.

To be fair, Baek Yoo-Seol started it with her glares. Besides, Ha-Soo-Yul had no interest in Lee Do-Yoon. Baek Yoo-Seol was jumping to conclusions.

Still, my shoulder felt heavy.

I quickly found out why. The aloof little cat had decided to rest her head on me like I was her personal cat tower.

“Hey, you’re heavy.”

“I’m not heavy.”

Sigh. No use arguing.

And so, we continued working on the puzzle, her soft hair brushing against my hand and tickling my skin.

But it wasn’t just my hand that felt tickled.

Eventually, we finished the puzzle. As always, I let Ha-Soo-Yul place the final piece.

“Hehe.”

Her bright smile made me chuckle despite myself.

The completed puzzle depicted a serene landscape: lush green plains, streams cutting through them, and a few scattered trees on the edges.

“Draw this for me.”

As always, she asked me to draw the finished puzzle. It wasn’t difficult—I just had to copy it.

Since puzzles couldn’t stay assembled forever, with other kids waiting their turn, drawing them seemed like a fitting way to preserve them.

New puzzles came in every month, which kept the kids entertained. Especially Ha-Soo-Yul.

I had a feeling she just wanted to see more of my drawings.

Getting up to start sketching, I glanced over at Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol.

Curious about their progress, I took a look.

“Hmm… Does this go here? Oh, guess not.”

They hadn’t even finished 100 pieces.

As I stood there watching, my stomach growled.

What should I ask for dinner tonight?