That woman was virtually a member of the chairman’s circle.

Since they had been living together from the beginning, it must have been just errands for side dishes.

It made sense. Having organized his thoughts, Oh Byunghoon lowered his head.

“No, I was mistaken for a moment. There’s no one.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Satisfied with Byunghoon’s answer, Hyesu lifted the corners of her mouth. Then, as usual, she fidgeted with her phone a few times.

Ding. A notification appeared on Byunghoon’s phone. Money had been deposited.

The next day, Kitaek, who left work early from the department store for the first time in a while, headed straight to the gallery.

Just like yesterday, as soon as he got into the car, he covered his eyes with his arm.

Crazy guy.

Kitaek recalled last night’s events.

Although he had planned to drop her off at home and turn around, he impulsively went back.

His plan to leave after just seeing her face got distorted.

It became challenging to stay rational since the moment he coincidentally encountered her on the street, with her all dressed up.

In the end, they fell asleep together in her studio and only left after the sun had risen.

She must have shone brightly even in a place where he wasn’t present.

Kitaek felt annoyed by unknown men. There must have been men who cast longing glances at Yoon Gaeul in places where he couldn’t see, right?

But it wasn’t like he would only put her where his eyes could reach. Jealousy at this age…

He behaved impulsively due to emotions he had never felt before. He admitted that fact.

Tsk, Kitaek clicked his tongue.
Having arrived at the gallery unnoticed, Kitaek wiped away his consciousness and entered. He planned to check the paintings that would ultimately occupy the main spot, leaving about two weeks for the exhibition situation.

As Kitaek entered the gallery, Director Park warmly welcomed him.

“Representative, you came early today.”

“Yes, I want to check the exhibition situation.”

“I’ll guide you.”

“Enough with the formalities, let’s start with the main spot.”

“Yes, Representative.”

No matter how busy, what Kitaek absolutely checked was the paintings that would occupy the main spot.

Emphasizing skill and selecting paintings that would sell better, he usually secured a good spot. However, there were no significant changes.

For three years now, the main spot hadn’t changed, with several artists leading the gallery. It was because they led the gallery.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Is that so?”

Kitaek, who checked the paintings, nodded obediently.

About to take a step, he suddenly stopped and asked Director Park.

“What about Yun Gaeul’s painting?”

“It’s over there.”

Following Director Park, Kitaek walked.

‘She worked hard.’

As Kitaek looked down at each of Gaeul’s paintings, a warm atmosphere gradually permeated his eyes. Glancing at Kitaek, who slightly raised the corners of his mouth, Director Park also spoke with a bright smile.

“This autumn’s sheep paintings are also very good.”

“That’s right.”

Director Park praised Gaeul. He was a fan of the late Yun Daeho, and that played a role, but both Gaeul’s paintings and the person herself were so good that a fatherly smile naturally appeared.

Director Park unfolded the story that Kitaek hadn’t asked about.

“When Gaeul first came to the gallery, I thought she followed Yun Daeho’s style a lot since she learned painting from her father. That was true until the first exhibition. But these days, it seems like she has changed a lot.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s not as flashy as before, but when you look at it, a smile naturally comes. It’s something warm… A warm feeling seems to emanate.”

In Director Park’s words, Kitaek continued to look through the remaining paintings of Gaeul.

Unlike most of the early paintings that captivated everyone’s attention with vivid color contrasts, hers was different. She provided a comfortable painting with natural arrangements of subtle colors. Overall, there was a feeling of outer ostentation disappearing.

In the seemingly cleaner painting style, warmth, which hadn’t been seen before, subtly emerged. The current style seemed more like autumn.

‘She has started to draw her own paintings.’

As Kitaek looked at her with satisfaction, the smile that had been floating disappeared the moment he looked at the last painting.