Chapter 006: Elementary School Student

"Hmm......"

I couldn't think of what to say.

Just from a single page of the sketchbook, I could gauge the skill of this kid.

The content of the comic seemed to be about a general trying to press the nuclear bomb button and a subordinate trying to stop him.

'His human figure drawing is still a bit slow, but...'

Rough yet clean lines.

Impressive staging and panel distribution.

Background descriptions that skillfully mix omission and emphasis.

He even used only black and white to bring out the colors without using 'screen tones,' which are typically used for coloring comics.

'An elementary school student?'

This level of skill was far beyond what a child could achieve.

"Your name is Seo Jun, right? How old are you?"

"13 years old."

Just a sixth-grader.

How could a 13-year-old draw like this?

Park Jin-ho had a hunch.

'At least at the level of our assistants.'

This kid is a genius.

No, he has even more talent.

Park Jin-ho suppressed his trembling heart and replied with a smile.

"You draw well. If you keep practicing, you could become a great artist."

He praised the kid appropriately to prevent him from falling into self-satisfaction.

'If he were a bit older... If he were a high school student, I would have offered him an assistant position.'

Park Jin-ho felt a bit disappointed.

He was skilled, but his young age was a concern.

'With this kid, he might really make a big impact in the comic industry.'

Make a big impact?

No, he will definitely make a big impact.

He had a clear intuition.

'I want to help him...'

It was a pure desire to nurture this kid.

His heart was burning, but his age was a stumbling block.

He was filled with regret.

"Did you come to me to get your drawing evaluated?"

The most puzzling thing was why this talented kid came to him.

The kid answered with a confident look in his eyes.

"I came because I want to be Mr. Park Jin-ho's assistant."

"......My assistant?"

Park Jin-ho's eyes widened.

The two of them looked at each other.

* * *

"Since it's sudden, let me think about it for a moment."

As expected.

Park Jin-ho seriously considered the proposal.

'If I show my full skill, it might cause a lot of confusion.'

He deliberately drew the characters with less effort.

He showed the important background and effect lines for the assistant work to a level that wouldn't hinder the work.

Park Jin-ho, who had been crossing his arms and stroking his chin, looked at me again.

"You're still a kid, so you need your parents' permission."

"I haven't gotten permission for the assistant work, but I'll say I'm learning drawing from you."

Park Jin-ho blinked at my answer.

I continued.

"I can tell my mother I'm learning drawing. Actually, my goal isn't money, but to gain experience in comics. As I mentioned earlier, my dream is to be a comic artist."

"Hmm......"

Park Jin-ho nodded.

He seemed to be convinced by my answer.

"To be honest, with your skill, you could easily be an assistant. But there are many other artists. Why do you specifically want to be my assistant?"

"Because my house is close by!"

"Your house?"

He looked a bit puzzled.

"And there's a contest being held in two months."

Park Jin-ho nodded as if something came to mind.

"Ah, the contest. I heard about it from the manager. It's quite a big one this time."

"Yes! I want to participate in the contest and gain experience by working in your studio."

Park Jin-ho had a 'that's it' look.

"I don't need a salary. Just let me draw my own manuscript here after finishing my assigned work."

At my answer, Park Jin-ho shook his head firmly.

"Ahem! You shouldn't say that. Taking what you deserve for your work is very natural."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm not scolding you."

Park Jin-ho burst into laughter and extended his hand.

It seemed he wanted to shake hands.

"Seo Jun, let's work together!"

"Thank you. I'll do my best, teacher."

I grabbed his extended hand and shook it lightly.

"Alright, then. I'll introduce you to our studio. There are only two of us, including me......"

Park Jin-ho led me to the living room.

In the living room, there were four work tables, and a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was working at one of them.

She glanced at me and gave a slight nod.

"Is he your nephew, teacher?"

"He's An Seo Jun, who will start working with us tomorrow. This is Kim Hee-won."

"Nice to meet you, Hee-won."

I bowed, and the woman's expression changed as if she had seen something strange.

"Teacher, isn't April Fool's Day over?"

"Of course, it's over!"

"He's saying he's going to work?"

"Don't underestimate him just because he's a kid. He drew this. He'll start working as an assistant tomorrow."

Park Jin-ho showed Hee-won the sketchbook page, and she snorted.

"Phew, you're really joking. How could a kid draw this? You must have helped him, teacher."

"No, I'm serious!"

Despite his frustrated tone, Hee-won still didn't believe him.

"I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."

"Ah, right. Seo Jun, why don't you introduce yourself properly to her?"

Park Jin-ho, who seemed proud, offered me a chair at the work table.

I sat down and picked up a pen.

"I'll draw on the manuscript paper this time."

I needed to establish clear trust.

I drew a martial arts action style, depicting two swordsmen clashing.

Hee-won, who was watching from the side, opened her eyes wide and looked at the filling manuscript.

Encouraged by this, I drew more confidently.

'It feels like I'm drawing better than before the regression?'

Maybe the psychological comfort of being young was making my skills improve.

'Right, this time I'm different.'

I was no longer a failure, and my confidence was restored.

Scribble, scribble. I drew the pen quickly.

After a while, I put down the pen.

"I'm done."

I handed over the fully filled manuscript page.

When I looked up, Hee-won, who had been watching me the whole time, was speechless.

The comic, or rather, the drawing on the manuscript paper, was at a level that no child could reach.

"How about it? I was right, wasn't I?"

Park Jin-ho smiled and said, and Hee-won finally exclaimed.

"Genius?!"

* * *

The next day.

After school ended in the afternoon, I went straight to Mr. Jin-ho's studio.

Hee-won and Park Jin-ho, who were working at their desks, looked up and greeted me.

"You're early, Seo Jun!"

"Today, we only had four classes."

I took off my shoes and entered the studio.

I sat in the remaining seat and prepared to start working.

Park Jin-ho handed me a few sheets of manuscript paper and sat next to me.

"Since it's your first time working on comics, I'll give you a brief explanation. Since you draw so well, you'll understand it easily."

He started with very basic explanations, from screen tones to pen selection for different situations.

Of course, I already knew this information, but I maintained a learning attitude.

After the explanation, he asked me a question.

"Is there anything you don't understand?"

"Your explanation was clear, so I understand it well."

"Really? You already understand everything?"

"Yes, it's not that difficult."

Park Jin-ho looked a bit surprised.

He then showed a bewildered smile and nodded.

"Alright. Add emphasis lines to the fourth panel on the first page, and draw the backgrounds for the designated panels from the second to the sixth page. Use this as a reference."

It was a small travel photo album.

There were small notes attached to indicate which parts of which pages to reference, making the work easier.

'He's so considerate.'

It might be because I was so young, but it was rare for an artist to be this kind and respectful to an assistant.

'When I was an assistant, I had many conflicts with artists.'

From smoking in the studio to salary cuts and excessive overtime, there were countless troubles.

But it seemed I wouldn't have to worry about such things with Park Jin-ho.

'Let me check the content first.'

Before starting the work, I read the manuscript to understand the content, but I felt some issues.

'There are still many unsatisfactory parts.'

My impression after reading the first six pages of the unpublished manuscript.

There were no major problems in the staging, but there were flaws in the content.

'But it could become a good work with some revisions.'

I put it aside after thinking that.

I was busy with my own work and couldn't meddle in someone else's work.

'A kid's advice won't be taken seriously anyway.'

I picked up the pen and started the work as requested.

'This comic's style is closer to a shonen manga.'

I needed to adjust my drawing style to match the artist.

A gekiga-style background in a shonen manga for teenagers would feel out of place, wouldn't it?

I adjusted the pen lines to match Park Jin-ho's style.

As time passed, a 21st-century modern background suitable for a shonen manga was completed.

"I'm done."

"Wow, it's only been three hours."

Hee-won, who had approached from the side, smiled.

"You draw better than the teacher, don't you?"

"W-What kind of joke is that!"

Park Jin-ho, who seemed nervous, spoke in a loud voice.

He cleared his throat and turned back to me.

"Seo Jun, how many years have you been drawing comics?"

I was at a loss for how to answer Park Jin-ho, who was looking at me seriously.

'I can't say 15 years.'

After a moment of thought, I spoke.

"I've been drawing since I was young, and I've been seriously drawing on manuscript paper for about two years."

"Two years......"

Park Jin-ho's face darkened at my answer.

It was understandable. If someone could achieve this level of skill in just two years, catching up wouldn't be far off.

He must have felt a kind of envy or jealousy.

I, too, felt such emotions when I saw talented newcomers.

Was Park Jin-ho feeling doubtful about his own comic talent?

Or did he realize that he was less skilled than an elementary school student?

'I hope he doesn't get hurt.'

I wanted to say something, but it seemed best to keep quiet.

After checking all the manuscripts, Park Jin-ho gave me a thumbs up.

"Seo Jun, good job. You can work on your own manuscript now."

"Thank you!"

I returned to my seat and took out my storyboard and manuscript paper.

'There's about two months until the contest.'

I needed to complete a one-shot in this period.

I had to draw a total of 48 pages.

Drawing one page a day would be more than enough time.

'This is quite relaxed.'

I had plenty of time to improve the quality.

If I were my past self, I might have played online games or soccer during this time.

But this time was different.

'Let's draw one more page of comics instead of playing.'

This time, I would dedicate myself to comics.

I was ready to die if I failed.

I filled the pages with all my effort.

By evening, it was around 7 PM, and the implicit curfew time was approaching.

"Uncle Jin-ho, Hee-won, see you tomorrow."

"Sure, be careful on your way home!"

I said goodbye and went home.

It was only a three-stop bus ride, so I arrived quickly.

"I'm back!"

"Are you hungry? I've prepared dinner."

Mother had just finished preparing dinner.

'She probably thinks I was playing outside.'

It seemed best not to tell her about the comics yet.

She strongly opposed my becoming a comic artist when I was in high school.

I wanted to show her something meaningful and persuade her.

After dinner, I sat at my desk and took out the 6-1 Math (A) textbook.

'If I neglect my studies, I won't be convincing.'

Even at the elementary school level, I could finish my homework quickly.

Studying didn't end there.

'I need to study Japanese whenever I have time.'

I took out the Japanese textbook I had bought in advance.

Mother was already looking into my room, surprised to see me studying quietly.

"Seo Jun, what's with you studying on your own?"

"Is it that surprising that I'm studying?"

"You always had to be forced to study, didn't you?"

That's true.

I hated studying in those days.

'I thought studying was boring during my school days.'

It's still boring now.

But after growing up and working, I realized that studying, even if it's not fun, is necessary.

It wasn't just for academic credentials.

'I study for myself.'

To prepare for Japanese serialization.

My goal is the 1st-level qualification.

I want to submit my work to Japanese comics after reaching native-level proficiency.

'They called it N1 in my time.'

In 2000, before the Japanese language qualification system was revised, it was divided from 1st to 5th level.

Before the regression, I had obtained up to N3, so with a few months of study, I might be able to get the 1st-level qualification in 2000.

'Now I understand why I should study at this age.'

It was easier to understand and absorb knowledge like a sponge compared to when I was an adult.

"Jun, aren't you studying too hard?"

After some time, when it was time to sleep, Mother hinted at it.

'Now it's time to sleep.'

After finishing all my tasks, I turned off the lights and got into bed.

Now, it was time to check today's achievements.

"Lapis, are you watching?"

"You're calling me quite late."

"I was so busy, I didn't have time to call you."

Lapis smiled slightly as if he knew everything.

"That's right. You worked hard today."

"It wasn't a big achievement, but I'm making gradual progress."

Now, it was time to see the results.

"Point update."

As I said in a small voice, a hologram appeared, emitting a bright light.