Suddenly stopping, Kitaek’s gaze followed Director Park with a puzzled expression.
Confirming the painting at the end of his gaze, Director Park smiled faintly and said, “Ah, that painting? She drew it quite well, didn’t she? Honestly, of all the paintings Gaeul Yang has presented in this exhibition, this one is my favorite.”
Kitaek, pointing at the couple in the painting, asked abruptly, “Director, those two people. Do you happen to know who they are?”
“…You mean the people in the painting?”
“Yes.”
Kitaek’s gaze remained fixed on the two figures beyond the landscape.
After examining the painting carefully for a moment in response to Kitaek’s question, Director Park answered, “Well, I’m not sure. Perhaps Gaeul Yang painted them abstractly, or it could be someone she glimpsed while passing by.”
Hahaha! In response to Director Park’s answer, Kitaek let out an unusual sound, bursting into laughter.
The gallery echoed with his laughter.
Kitaek, looking at Gaeul’s painting again with a joyful expression, gazed at it.
Unbeknownst to Director Park, he was smart enough to know exactly who the two people were.
Everything in his memory matched the day, the clothes he wore, and the scenery he saw.
‘When I went to the botanical garden.’
Kitaek’s gaze gently settled on the figures in the painting.
It was Gaeul and himself.
Whether I looked at Yun Gaeul like that. It was a loving scene like that of a close couple.
Unable to see my expression, I couldn’t tell, but somehow, through the painting, I could understand that it remained a good memory for Gaeul.
Looking at Kitaek, who suddenly burst into laughter, Director Park looked at him as if puzzled.
Kitaek, who was immersed in the painting and now noticed Director Park’s gaze, raised his hand and said, “It’s nothing. Well… as Director Park said.”
Kitaek looked at Gaeul’s painting again.
In that serious gaze, there was something beyond warmth, something that tickled the viewer’s heart.
Kitaek, lifting the corners of his mouth as if passing by, asked casually, “So, what is the title of this piece?”
“Oh, yes. The title of this piece is…”
Seeing Kitaek asking many questions about Gaeul’s work today, Director Park, who glanced at him briefly, quickly rummaged through the exhibition documents and said, “.”
Hearing the title, one of Kitaek’s eyebrows rose keenly. Then, quickly, he asked, “My beloved… lover?”
“Yes. Isn’t the title beautiful?”
“Yes, it is.”
Kitaek recalled the face he had seen until he left the studio this morning.
She looked a little more grown-up, carefully wrapping the blanket around her, leaving without waking her up or saying a word…
He wanted to see that face again.
Looking at the painting with a warm gaze, Kitaek, like pointing at it with his hand, said, “I’ll take this painting.”
“What? Weren’t you planning to exhibit it in this exhibition? Why on earth…”
Director Park asked in confusion.
This picture seemed like something he couldn’t compromise on. It was the first painting he wanted to own.
“Representative, that one, Gaeul Yang put the most effort into that painting. She really wanted to exhibit it.”
Having completely taken the painting in his hand, Kitaek turned around and said, “If you feel unfairly treated, tell Yun Gaeul and come to the office.”
Director Park, bewildered by his statement, was left speechless.
Pointing at other paintings by Gaeul, he shamelessly continued, “There are many good paintings besides this one, you know.”
Of course, that was true.
However, even though he had never taken his artists’ paintings for personal reasons, Kitaek, passing by a grumbling Director Park, quietly said, “I must take this painting.”
Alright.
Ignoring Director Park, Kitaek went upstairs with only the painting in hand.
Anyway, he does whatever he wants when I’m not around.
Entering the office, Kitaek picked up his phone. Then, he made a call.
On the screen, Gaeul’s name appeared.
My cute you, what should I do?
The three-star icons flashed on the screen.
Rrrr……. Rrrr…….
Gaeul, who was in the annex, picked up her phone.
Checking the caller ID, Gaeul smiled. It was the person who had stayed by her side until late last night.
‘When did he leave?’
When she woke up, he wasn’t there. She had fallen asleep without realizing. The only evidence that he had been there was the carefully covered blanket.
Whether he left after she fell asleep or went straight to work while she was still asleep in the studio…
“Hello?”
Gaeul answered the phone. He asked straight away, “I left work early today, should I come outside?”
Gaeul, eyes wide open for a moment, immediately smiled and replied, “Yes! That sounds good.”
The three-star icons flashed again.
They came to the restaurant with a beautiful view where they had their first meal.
The river outside the window was still a beautiful sight.
But… today, the representative was really strange.
Gaeul, with pursed lips, stared intently at Kitaek sitting across from her.
He was different from usual, even more so than yesterday.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
