She emphasized the fact that she earned money. Kitaeyoung laughed as if finding her cute.

Though Gaeul was delighted and cute, she couldn’t yield on this weekend.

When Gaeul, seemingly thrilled, looked at Kitaeyoung, he suddenly lifted her and whispered gently in her ear.

“I’d love to have a meal you buy, but not this weekend. Next time, okay?”

“Gee. I saved money from drawing, so I can really treat you to something delicious. It’s okay even if it’s expensive!”

For some reason, thinking that she didn’t believe her, she kept mumbling about being okay even if it was expensive.
“He keeps being cute. I want to take him with me right now.”

The exhibition was still in full swing. Despite the ongoing docent session, it was challenging for Gaeul to leave due to the line of collectors waiting for her and others who wanted to greet her.

Despite that, Gaeul, who was eager to do something for him, had a beautiful heart. Kitaeyoung was already planning to take Gaeul away as soon as the exhibition ended.

This desire manifested when Kitaeyoung’s hand, still on Gaeul’s shoulder, revealed a subtle obsession. In the gentle caress and sweep over her small, round shoulders, a deep attachment was evident.

At that moment, Baekho, who had finished exploring all the paintings in the gallery, discovered the two and approached them.

“Han Kitaeyoung.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Gaeul was suddenly surprised by Baekho’s unexpected appearance during the busy exhibition. However, whether she was the only one surprised, Kitaeyoung casually responded to the chairman’s call.

“Why is this kid here at this hour?”

“It’s my gallery, and since it’s an important exhibition day, I thought I’d take a look around.”

“Since when did you care about such things? It’s the first time I’ve seen you here at this hour.”

Baekho’s words were correct.

There was Park, the gallery manager, who handled gallery-related tasks very proficiently. Kitaeyoung also trusted Park’s abilities, so he didn’t need to be in the gallery during the busiest time on the day of the exhibition.

Seeing Kitaeyoung brazenly respond, Baekho chuckled as if it were absurd.

Then, looking at the two people who were still affectionately close, Baekho inwardly thought of Hyesu.

‘Hyesu, why did you get jealous for no reason…’

When did they become so close?…

The two were very close.

More precisely, it seemed appropriate to express it as Kitaeyoung, who did not easily let go of his side, must have been impressed by Gaeul’s abilities. Gaeul’s mentality was not like other kids these days. Since she respected and cared for adults, it was clear that she was influenced by her grandfather’s attitude, always giving in and agreeing with her grandson’s story.

‘…That kid.’

Baekho recalled the expression of his grandson, who he had seen while approaching the two who were still intimately close.

I don’t know what conversation they had from a distance, but for some reason, his grandson, who found it funny, was laughing heartily at Gaeul’s story.

Certainly, with a common thread of art like drawing, communication between the two was undoubtedly smoother.

The peculiar intimacy between them and Gaeul’s peculiar mentality, which was not like other kids these days, strongly suggested that the grandson was supporting his grandson’s story beside him, even though Gaeul did not easily let go of his side. That’s how the child was.

‘…That brat.’

Baekho, who had once again seen the expression of his grandson, still laughing, couldn’t help but smile.
At home, he was always my grandson who never smiled warmly, and suddenly, he felt strangely uncomfortable. Despite this old man’s demand, there was a time early in the year when he refused to accept Gaeul, saying he couldn’t tolerate her.

Moreover, these days, he only stands up to me, seriously.

Recalling this fact, Baekho, for no reason, made some gruff remarks toward my grandson.

“Why are you laughing so much with Gaeul? Don’t you see the people waiting for Gaeul’s docent over there? Let go of Gaeul; you should also take care of the guests who visited the gallery.”

Baekho pointed to Sehyun, an executive from the electronics company, who had visited the exhibition today.

Kitaeyoung, who had just released his arm from Gaeul’s shoulders, shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and replied, “Oh, the conversation was quite interesting. I’ve been holding onto Gaeul for a long time.”

However, it was purely words.

After giving such an answer, Kitaeyoung not only didn’t step aside but still stood right next to Gaeul.

For Gaeul, awkwardly smiling was all she could do.

With no one to replace her, she couldn’t leave her seat, but it was uncomfortable to stand next to him and confront Baekho. He didn’t even move away from Gaeul.

Gaeul’s discomfort was quickly noticed by Kitaeyoung, who, facing my grandfather, shamelessly asked, “You’ve seen all the paintings already. Aren’t you going?”

At that moment, Hyesu, who was secretly peeking into TS Gallery from outside, tightly clenched her fists.
The exhibition of Yoon Gaeul, which I had hoped would fail miserably, seemed to be progressing very successfully, even to my unknowing eyes. The reactions of people looking at the paintings were like that, and especially at the booth where her paintings were hung, famous figures crowded around.

“In my eyes, it looks like an ordinary painting. What’s so good about it that people are willing to pay money for it?”

Hyesu, seeing Gaeul’s painting for the first time, evaluated it this way.

The painting hanging in a prominent place visible even from outside the gallery seemed to have a value that could be sold at a high price, even in her own view, but she absolutely did not want to admit it.

“I came here for nothing. Ugh, how unlucky.”

Approaching the gallery to see Yoon Gaeul’s painting more closely was something her pride could not allow.

Even though she had come all the way to the gallery, Hyesu turned away. It was when she was about to take another step.

“What’s this? That beggar is…”

A man, in a somewhat sneaky manner, was standing in front of the gallery just like her, only peering inside. It didn’t seem like he had any intention of going inside like the others. Unaware that Hyesu was looking at him, he continued to peek inside.

“Is it because it’s crowded? Why is that beggar, who looks like Kitaeyoung, lingering around Mr. Kitaeyoung’s gallery? Why aren’t the staff clearing him away immediately?”

If it were her, she would not have left it alone and would have immediately instructed them to clear him away.

The man’s behavior, contrary to others, and his appearance that seemed like a beggar who might be chased away if he went inside, caught Hyesu’s eye for a moment, but that was it.

Hyesu passed by Daejun, who was loitering around the gallery, and got into her waiting vehicle.

Unconsciously, she completely forgot about the man acting strangely. Once again, the memory of Gaeul’s exhibition and her smiling face came to mind, making Hyesu shiver.

“Now, just hearing the name makes my teeth chatter. How do I get rid of that while next to Mr. Kitaeyoung?”

Due to the man who avoided meeting her, Hyesu’s anger reached its peak towards the unfortunate Gaeul.