3 weeks ago, Gi Tae, who had been working overtime as if it were a meal due to the overwhelming work at the department store he had returned to, got into the back seat of a black sedan after leaving work late at night.

Gi Tae, who had said to go to the officetel, lifted his eyelids again and reversed his instructions.

“No, let’s stop by the main house for a bit.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Suddenly, it was because she came to mind.

I wonder if Yoon Ga Eul is doing well.

It had been nearly 2 months since he told her to participate in the contest and neglected her until spring was almost over.

Though he couldn’t take care of her because he was busy, it wasn’t an empty promise, so despite his fatigue, he turned the direction because it was on his mind.

What did she paint, and how much did she paint? This should have been enough time.

Grandfather kept talking about Yoon Ga Eul so much that he already knew her studio existed behind the main building.

However, this was the first time he was going to see her paintings or visit her studio.

She’ll probably be sleeping by now.

He had no intention of encountering her, so he planned to just take a quick look at the paintings and leave. If it seems like she can’t grasp the inspiration, he intended to give her some advice.

“Shall I call ahead to the main building to let them know you’re coming, Representative?”

“No, I’ll be out soon.”

“Ah, yes.”

He rarely visited the main house, but he secretly came all the way here. Because of Yoon Ga Eul.

He chose the dark night time, worried that something troublesome might happen. If he faced his grandfather, who had become displeased due to the gallery, it was obvious that he would be scolded without even seeing it.

Soon, the familiar building revealed itself. Before getting out of the car, Gi Tae instructed the driver.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Yes, Representative. Have a pleasant visit. I’ll be waiting.”

Tap, Gi Tae got out of the back seat and moved his steps by feeling in the darkened sight.

As he entered the back road where there seemed to be no one usually walking, the surroundings became even darker. Carefully walking on the rough stone road, at the end of the back road he reached, Gi Tae looked at Ga Eul’s studio, from which light was seeping out, with a strange look.

When he opened the door slightly, she was still in the studio.

“Yoon Ga Eul.”

However.

“Mmm…”

Asleep.

‘Has she been living here the whole time.’

She, who he thought would be sleeping in the annex, was taking a nap sitting on the floor in an apron and arm covers stained with paint, her face buried in a chair.

Because she was lying on her arm cover stained with paint, there was a cute red paint spot on one of her cheeks.

Pic, Gi Tae, who came in with a laugh, took his eyes off Ga Eul and roughly scanned the canvases lined up on one wall. There were drawing books filled with sketches lying around carelessly under his feet, showing how much she had been sketching.

Gi Tae picked up a drawing book and flipped through it from the first to the last page. He also checked all the canvases lined up against the wall without exception. Among them, there were some on which the paint had not yet dried, and some that had taken quite some time and had a perfect shape.

The landscapes and flowers beautifully embroidered showed that she had majored in Western painting following Yoon Dae Ho and was quite good at it.

I thought it was just grandfather’s taste. There was talent that could not be seen as a novice who had just graduated from college. Gi Tae looked at Ga Eul’s paintings for a long time.

‘What. There was no need to worry.’

He had worried for nothing.

Turning off only the lights in the studio so that Ga Eul could sleep comfortably, Gi Tae silently turned around.

Gi Tae, who returned to his car, got into the back seat again.

And so, the sedan with no exhaust sound quietly left the Hannam-dong main house without a trace.

On a dark, late night when everyone was asleep, his secret visit took place.

* * *

Reflection, you say.

Instead of answering, Ga Eul pressed her lips together.

If his displeasure was due to the commotion, in fact, the Daerim Construction chairman’s shouting played the biggest part. Ga Eul was busy calming him down and explaining.

However, if he took issue with the fact that the image of the gallery he cherished was almost damaged due to the commotion… she had nothing to say. Because she was the one who caused it.

If the purpose was a successful exhibition, it might have been natural for him to be displeased.

When she reached that thought, Ga Eul naturally began to look at his reaction.

Knock knock.

Then, a knocking sound was heard from outside, breaking the silence. Because of that, Ga Eul’s gaze, which had been scanning the floor pattern, turned to the door.

‘It’s the director.’

Recognizing the face of Director Park, whom she had briefly seen on the day of the exhibition, Ga Eul immediately pressed down on the hat she was wearing more deeply.

Director Park had a beaming smile on his face from the moment he entered the office, and he thrust a glass of iced tea with a straw in front of Ga Eul and said as if he was happy to see her.

“You’re Ga Eul, right? Drink this.”

“Yes… Thank you, Director.”

“If you need anything else, let me know.”

Even though I was wearing a hat pressed down, how did he recognize me…?

Since she didn’t expect to meet again like this, Ga Eul gave an awkward smile.

Director Park, who had been staring at Ga Eul as if he was happy to see her to the point of embarrassment, turned to his representative, still with a beaming smile on his face.

Then he carefully asked him, who was still looking down at the documents.

“Representative, you came a little late today. Were you busy with department store work?”

“There’s that, and I had to catch Yoon Ga Eul.”

“What? Ah, yes. You… caught Ga Eul.”

Director Park, who seemed surprised by his answer, soon continued as if he was used to it.

“Is bringing… no, catching Ga Eul related to the contract?”

There was a particularly strong emphasis on the word ‘contract’ in Director Park’s tone. Ga Eul, who had been spinning the iced tea straw out of embarrassment, also lifted her head with a jerk and looked at Gi Tae.

The fountain pen that had been moving nimbly stopped, and he lifted his head, glanced at the expressions of the two, and made a deflated sound.

The director who came in and asked a question instead of bringing a drink as he had clearly instructed his secretary to do, and Yoon Ga Eul who was looking up at him again with an expectant expression even after causing an accident.

Gi Tae’s gaze went to Ga Eul, not the one who asked the question.

Then Ga Eul shook her shoulders and quickly avoided his gaze.

She does that every time she looks at me.

The corner of Gi Tae’s mouth went up, shik. It was a rare smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“Well. What should I do with her?”

That annoying little thing.

* * *

Recalling the paintings he had personally seen 3 weeks ago, Gi Tae looked at Ga Eul sitting with an innocent expression and raised one corner of his mouth diagonally.

‘I was going to accept whatever she submitted, thinking it would be fine…’

Her paintings seemed to have inherited Yoon Dae Ho’s qualities, and there were quite a few parts that were considered similar. Gi Tae also liked Yoon Dae Ho’s works, so her paintings quite matched his taste as well.

However, among the paintings he checked that day, there was no painting sold at the exhibition. If it was a continuation of , he would have definitely recognized it.

The rose flowers that felt vivid with the contrast of red colors on the grey faded walls. That painting, which was the most expensive of Painter Yoon Dae Ho’s works ever sold, was still clearly remembered even though it was more than a decade old.

Staring at Ga Eul, Gi Tae asked in a low voice.

“Yoon Ga Eul. Why did you submit a continuation of to the contest? You could have sufficiently submitted something else instead of that painting, right?”

As if she didn’t expect him to suddenly speak to her, Ga Eul, who had been chewing on the straw, answered with a startle.

“Since it was the first time I was presenting my painting, I wanted to first show the world the continuation I had promised my father. The time to draw that painting as promised was approaching, and I wanted to confidently show many people and my father how much I had grown.”

Ga Eul spoke logically and calmly, but his question soon followed.

“Is it purely for that reason?”

“…What? O-of course…”

“Are you sure?”

“…”

At the somehow sharp question, Ga Eul’s words were blocked and she closed her mouth. Then, she calmly continued.

“It was a work I had decided to complete someday since 14 years ago when I promised my father. I just decided to draw it this time.”

Ga Eul thought she had perfectly convinced him. However, with a sneer, he said suggestively.

“Don’t think about lying, are you saying a decision that didn’t exist until 3 weeks ago suddenly came up 3 weeks before submission?”

“What?”

“Isn’t it because you lacked confidence and relied on your father’s fame?”

“What do you mean…”

“I visited your studio 3 weeks ago. To check what paintings you drew and how much.”

“…!”

Ga Eul’s face turned pale.

To think he knew… Realizing what he was angry about, Ga Eul had no choice but to confess.

“…You’re right. Actually, if I had time, I would have drawn it when my skills had grown a little more. Not now.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because… I had no choice to meet the conditions.”

Ga Eul avoided his gaze. She thought she would be scolded.

As expected, his voice immediately followed.

“That work would have had the right timing, as you said. It wasn’t something to be presented at this exhibition.”

Ga Eul, who had been keeping her mouth shut, answered as if she was wronged.

“But it wasn’t just because of that…! That painting is a precious one that I absolutely must not ruin. I didn’t intend to just take advantage of my father’s name without skills…”

She continued in a slightly smaller voice as if she was discouraged.

“However, if you think it’s cheating… I’ll accept it. I apologize for causing a commotion.”

At Ga Eul’s sincere apology, Gi Tae was silent for a moment.

Then he gave an answer quite different from a little while ago.

“It would have been possible even if it wasn’t that painting. I meant you would have had a chance to draw the continuation whenever you wanted.”

“What…?”

Not believing what he said to her, Ga Eul opened her eyes wide.

However, that wasn’t the end.

“I acknowledge that you used your wits to attract people’s attention and submitted a work that could take responsibility for the choice.”

As Ga Eul was just blinking her eyes, he said in a low voice.

“This should be enough. Come to TS and show your potential.”

He suggestively said those words and called the secretary. Along with instructions to prepare the contract.

“We’ll do the contract after work, so wait.”

“…Yes!”

Ga Eul, who had been dazed, answered with a startle.

To think it would have been possible even if it wasn’t her father’s continuation…

In fact, she still couldn’t believe that he had seen all her paintings and acknowledged them. Her heart kept pounding as if it was full.

* * *

Inside a private room of a famous Korean restaurant, a dinner party of large company chairmen was taking place.

Baek Ho, who arrived last, entered the room with the guidance of an employee, and greetings were given to him from here and there.

“You’re here, Chairman Han.”

Of course, the person who welcomed him the most was Shin Min Chul, the chairman of Daerim Construction.

“Sit in front of me. I’ll pour you a drink.”

“Hoho, let’s do that.”

The liquor stored in a pretty porcelain bottle was filled to the brim in a blue celadon cup. As soon as he received it, Han Baek Ho downed a glass in one go, and Shin Min Chul burst into a hearty laugh.

Then, as if he had been waiting, he said as soon as Baek Ho emptied the glass. As if he had been waiting to bring this up the whole time.

“Do you know who I saw this time?”

“Who did you see?”

“I saw the daughter of Painter Yoon Dae Ho. Haha, perhaps because she takes after her father, she paints very well.”

“Oho, is that so…?”

At Shin Min Chul’s words, Han Baek Ho, who had slightly raised the corners of his mouth for a moment, put a piece of grilled meat in front of him into his mouth and tilted his glass again.

The liquor tasted especially good today, as if it would go down smoothly more than usual.

‘Han Gi Tae, this guy. He said he didn’t like it, but I knew this would happen.’

Because that child’s talent is quite something.

He had no doubt that she would one day raise the prestige of the gallery as much as Yoon Dae Ho, but to think he would hear news through Chairman Shin already.

For Baek Ho, Ga Eul was the perfect child to show off. With the title of being Yoon Dae Ho’s daughter, she was a perfect fit.

He would call Ga Eul back to the main building soon.

Hahaha!

Baek Ho’s laughter echoed loudly through the hanok house.