Chapter 1

It had been four years since I was reborn into this strange world.@@novelbin@@

By now, it was undeniable—I had been reincarnated.

‘Who would’ve thought I’d die from cardiac arrest after drinking three bottles of soju?’

Honestly, it was absurd.

When I woke up in this new body, I thought it was all just a dream.

But then a day passed, then two, then an entire month.

When I didn’t wake up from the “dream,” the seriousness of my situation finally hit me.

I was already dead, and no matter how much I agonized over it, clutching my head in frustration, there was no solution.

So I gave up and just went along with it.

The parents I was born to in this life? They’re incredibly kind people.

Their warm demeanor was so different from my previous life’s parents that it confused me at first.

They weren’t absurdly wealthy, but they earned enough to support a household comfortably, so I never felt any real inconvenience.

As I turned one, then two, I grew bored out of my mind. The monotony became unbearable, and I decided I had to find something to do.

Think about it: what can a toddler who hasn’t even started preschool yet do at home all day?

Watching TV endlessly until I dozed off out of sheer boredom had become my everyday routine.

“Why did I have to be born in 2005?!”

When I died in 2024, we weren’t flying around in cars, sure. But we had things like the Galaxy 20 and the iPhone 16!

The sheer backwardness of human civilization in 2005 was so jarring it nearly gave me a panic attack.

Thank God YouTube was founded in 2005—the same year I was reborn. At least I wouldn’t have to suffer through mind-numbing variety shows.

‘…Or so I thought.’

There was nothing good to watch.

There weren’t even decent videos for adults, let alone kids.

Even now, four years later, the occasional wildlife video gets uploaded, but the editing and quality are awful.

Hours-long videos with no polish to their visuals or sound—it was enough to make my eyes hurt.

The audio and video quality were so terrible that it felt like someone was deliberately trying to assault my senses.

I turned off the phone I had borrowed from Mom and let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?”

The woman holding me—my mother in this life—rubbed her cheek against mine as she asked.

“Nothing, it’s just boring.”

“Oh, hmm… How about we go for a walk? It’s been a while since we’ve gone out together.”

It was the weekend, and since she didn’t have anything better to do, Mom suggested we go out for a stroll.

I enjoy walks, so I nodded eagerly and started getting ready.

But wait… Is this okay? Mom’s due date is coming up soon.

Shouldn’t she be avoiding any unnecessary strain?

Before I could say anything, Mom was already ready to go.

‘Well, it’s her body. She knows best, I guess.’

A light walk shouldn’t be too much, right?

After finishing up, I grabbed my little yellow chick hat and put it on.

Sure, it might look childish, but I liked it.

And besides, I’m only four years old—no one can say anything when a kid this age wears a cute hat.

Holding Mom’s hand, I stepped outside and basked in the warm spring sunshine as we walked down the street.

“Oh! Hello~!”

Mom called out cheerfully, waving at a mother-daughter pair approaching from a distance.

“Oh my, Ha Eun’s mom! Hello! It’s been a while!”

The woman Mom greeted, Yu Ji-hye, appeared to be about the same age as her.

Honestly, calling her “ajumma” felt weird because she looked so young.

But then again, my mom looks even younger.

Still, it was hard to believe Ms. Yu Ji-hye was already in her early thirties.

“Where are you heading? Oh, hello, Ha Eun! It’s been a while!”

I bowed politely and greeted her.

“Hello.”

“Oh my, you’ve grown even more handsome! It’s only been a couple of weeks, but look at you!”

…It’s only been two weeks. What kind of growth spurt does she think I’ve had?

“Oh, we’re not going anywhere specific. Ha Eun was bored, so I thought we’d go for a little walk to get some fresh air.”

“Ah, I see. Do you mind if we join you? We don’t have much to do at home, either.”

“Of course! Ha Eun’s been a little lonely lately, so this is perfect.”

As the moms chatted, I noticed someone else standing behind Ms. Yu Ji-hye.

It was a girl about my age.

Ha Soyul.

And she was glaring at me.

“…?”

Why is she looking at me like that?

“Oh, haha! I forgot to introduce Soyul. Hi, Soyul~!”

Even after Mom greeted her warmly, Soyul just kept glaring at me.

Seriously, what’s her problem?

“Haha… Kids these days are so hard to figure out.”

“Soyul, say hello.”

“…Hello.”

Her voice was as cold as her expression. She was like a wild cat in human form.

“Hi!”

Mom’s cheerful response seemed to fluster Soyul. She turned away, her cheeks tinged pink.

But that didn’t explain why she had been glaring at me earlier.

As the two mothers continued chatting, Soyul and I stood in awkward silence.

We’d played together a few times before at the playground—though, to be honest, it was more like me entertaining her.

But today, for some reason, she was acting colder than usual.

“Shall we get going?”

When Mom asked, I nodded and took her hand, following along as Soyul and her mom joined us.

…Wait, where are we going?

“Where are we going?”

"Oh? Ah, there’s an art café nearby. I thought we’d check it out."

Mom, realizing she hadn’t mentioned where we were going, nodded and pointed ahead with her finger.

"It’s a new café just over there. Let’s give it a try."

"Okay, sounds good."

An art café. Was it one of those places where they opened a café inside an art gallery?

But there weren’t any galleries around here as far as I knew.

My question was answered by the conversation between the mother and daughter next to us.

"Soyul, what are you going to draw today?"

It seemed like this wasn’t their first visit. From their chatter, I started piecing together what kind of place it might be.

"Hmm… A tiger!"

What a perfectly childlike answer. Thanks for the insight.

"Wow~! My daughter’s drawings are always amazing. I can’t wait to see this one!"

"Yup!"

As their conversation wrapped up, it was our turn.

"And what is my son planning to draw~?"

Mom’s voice was playful, almost as if she was imagining the masterpiece I’d create.

"The Illuminati logo."

"Wh-what?"

"A shark."

"Oh, uh… Right. I must’ve misheard you..."

Mom paused, clearly processing my words, but her face remained calm. She didn’t press further.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the art café. I took a moment to check out the exterior.

The walls were adorned with various paintings, some excellent and others… not so much.

It looked like a place where children came to draw often.

As we stepped inside, I found myself grappling with a moral dilemma.

What if I unintentionally crush the other kids’ spirits with my skills?

It wasn’t arrogance—just a fact. They might be shocked by my work.

‘…Stop it.’

Feeling my face heat up at my own thoughts, I fanned myself with my hand.

When I glanced over, I caught Soyul staring at me again.

This time, her expression was less hostile, softer.

What’s with her today?

I ignored her and walked further into the café.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," Mom said.

I had to agree. This wasn’t just a café—it felt like a full-blown art exhibition.

From scenic landscapes to cartoon-style sketches, the variety of artworks was impressive.

"Let’s sit by the window!"

Mom always preferred sitting by the window whenever we went to a café. She claimed the view was important, even though we were on the first floor with no view to speak of.

"Sounds good! You guys relax, and I’ll handle the orders," said Ms. Yu Ji-hye.

"Oh, in that case, I’ll have a peach smoothie!"

After taking Mom’s order, Ms. Yu Ji-hye turned to Soyul and me.

I spoke up first, having already decided on my drink.

"Tropical Blossom Tea."

"Oh, uh… And for you, Soyul?"

After a moment of hesitation, Soyul responded.

"Chocolate milk."

"Alrighty, just wait a bit, my little fairies!"

…Ugh.

Suppressing a gag, I sat down next to Mom.

As I glanced at her growing belly, a thought crossed my mind.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, this? It’s nothing."

Mom shrugged nonchalantly, brushing it off as no big deal. She pulled out her phone and started filming the scenery outside.

Feeling reassured, I began scanning the café’s interior.

It wasn’t very large, but it had a cozy, inviting atmosphere.

Perfect for drawing.

After soaking in the moment for a bit, Ms. Yu Ji-hye returned with our drinks.

"…Ha Eun seems so mature for his age," she remarked, looking at me with a mix of awe and confusion as I sipped my tea.

"Sometimes I wonder where he gets his quirky ideas from," Mom said with a chuckle.

"What? That’s not true…"

It was unfair, but I couldn’t deny it. My tastes were much more refined compared to other kids my age.

"He even eats his vegetables! Though, for some reason, he absolutely hates broccoli. Isn’t that odd?"

"You’re calling your own son weird now?"

"Well, was I wrong?"

That was just how Mom and I were. Our relationship was casual, almost like friends.

Of course, there were boundaries—we were still parent and child, after all.

As we chatted about trivial things, a staff member approached our table.

"Here are your canvases and paints!"

The young man at the counter placed the art supplies on the table and walked away.

"Alright, let’s get started!"

Ms. Yu Ji-hye was surprisingly enthusiastic, diving right into her artwork. Soyul, too, was already focusing intensely.

In contrast, Mom and I were calm and unhurried. Mom smiled softly as she picked up a brush and began painting.

I watched the three of them for a moment before picking up a brush myself.

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be painting again.

My past life had left me with a lot of scars when it came to art. But that was the old me—someone long gone.

Maybe this time, things would turn out differently.

I’d failed once before, but perhaps this life would be different.

With that hope in my heart, I dipped the brush into the paint and brought it to the canvas.

In the quiet, I let myself go.

I let my talent flow freely onto the canvas.