For young Ga Eul, painting was just a little game of imitating her father.

Since childhood, she followed her father better than her mother.

There was no particular reason.

She stayed with her kind father as they left the house together for his studio, and except for the times when her mother took young Ga Eul out, saying she might be a disturbance, it was always a continuation of home, studio, and paintings with her father.

Wanting to be by her father’s side, she would throw a tantrum, promising to sit still, not even thinking of leaving the studio. At some point, the sight of her father painting began to look cool to her.

Wanting attention, Ga Eul’s first painting was a feeble picture drawn with colored pencils in a small sketchbook, proudly showing it off.

“Dad, Ga Eul drew a flower too!”

She thought he might scold her for constantly seeking attention and being a disturbance, but her father never pushed her away.

He would just put down his apron and brush and lift young Ga Eul up to look at her drawing.

“Oh my, let’s see.”

“How is it, Dad?”

“Ga Eul takes after Dad and draws well too. What can’t our daughter do?”

“Hehe…… There’s nothing like that.”

The smell of paper and paint in the studio.

The warmth of the afternoon sun on her back as she lay on the floor, claiming to draw.

The hot breeze and cicada cries slipping through the open window.

Then, when she dozed off, Dad who quietly piggybacked her.

Even the voices of Mom shopping and the merchants on the way home.

Though she woke up, she pretended to sleep until they got home because she liked Dad carrying her. Sometimes her feet wiggled in excitement, giving away her fake sleep, but Dad pretended not to know until the end. Back then, she really thought he didn’t know.

The first time she held a brush was when Dad was busy painting several landscapes with little time left before an exhibition.

As more people came looking for her father, it became difficult to get his attention even while in the studio together.

She was so young then, without any concept of why he was working, but felt so disappointed for some reason……

Wanting attention from her father who was pressed for time to paint, she threw an unreasonable tantrum for the first time.

“Dad! I want to draw too!”

“Really? Then should Ga Eul draw here in this sketchbook? Dad will take a look in a bit……”

“No, not that. I want this too!”

How perplexed he must have been while busy.

He could have just flatly refused, but instead he sat me on his lap and put the brush in my hand.

“Then, do you want to try drawing the tree, Ga Eul?”

“…..Huh? Really? Can I?”

“Of course, of course. If Ga Eul wants to try drawing it, what can’t you do.”

“But why a tree. I want to draw flowers.”

“People say they really want to see the tree Dad painted. Dad drew everything else, but there’s no tree? Dad is so tired, could Ga Eul help with that?”

“Really? Then, Ga Eul will draw it all for Dad.”

After boldly offering to draw it, Ga Eul vacillated, worrying she might ruin the painting. Yoon Dae Ho placed his hand over his daughter’s little hand, moving it together as she wished.

The warmth of his large hand felt nice, and it was fun. She became elated thinking she was assisting in the work of her dad, whom she always thought was cool.

However, upon seeing the completed painting, Ga Eul burst into tears.

“What do I do…… Sob. Ga Eul ruined Dad’s painting.”

She thought she could do well. That’s why she put her hand to it, but an ominous tree that could appear in a horror movie was born.

Yoon Dae Ho, who burst into laughter at the sight of Ga Eul crying in frustration, wiped her tears with the back of his hand and said,

“I think it’s the most wonderful tree Dad has ever seen.”

“Don’t lie……”

“It’s true. Then, shall we test it?”

“…..Test?”

“Yeah, test.”

Ga Eul, who became curious, stopped crying and looked up at her father with round eyes.

“Whether this painting will sell or not.”

Her father’s figure, brimming with confidence without a hint of unease, seemed endlessly large and reliable, like the big green pavilion tree in the neighborhood boasting its thick, sprawling size. It was a different texture from the tree she drew.

Ga Eul’s big pavilion tree embraced even the small, ugly tree preciously.

“If it sells, it will be proof that the tree Ga Eul drew was a good painting to someone, right?”

As Ga Eul still hesitated to answer, Dae Ho gave a slight laugh.

“Then will you believe Dad’s words? That Ga Eul’s tree is quite a well-drawn tree.”

“Yeah. ……But will this really sell?”

“Of course.”

Amazingly, as her father confidently said, that painting sold on the day of the exhibition.

She didn’t know who bought it, but at that time, it was very surprising that the painting she drew together was sold.

With that money, they bought beef with her mother on the way home from work and had a delicious meal. Her father said the meat tasted even better thanks to his daughter.

Even the grotesquely drawn tree…… To think there was someone who wanted it.

It felt like discovering a world she didn’t know. From then on, she wanted to draw even better paintings and learned to paint beside her dad. No one ever told her to.

That painting was . The painting she sold 17 years ago returned to her hands, as if the time was insignificant. That painting she had completely forgotten.

How could she have forgotten this painting……?

The lovely painting full of memories with her father, who first let her hold a brush.

Ga Eul quickly but preciously held the canvas in her arms and left the studio.

As she arrived in front of the main building after passing the garden, she ran into Mi Jeong. She widened her eyes in surprise and opened her mouth.

“Oh my, you startled me. Ga Eul, where are you going in such a hurry?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Madam. Did I surprise you a lot?”

Ga Eul gave an embarrassed smile. The thought of showing it to her mother too suddenly came to her, making her rush and startle Mi Jeong.

Ga Eul’s feet itched to quickly pass by her and show the painting to her mother, but she greeted her first.

“It’s alright. More importantly, you’ll fall if you run around like that.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll be careful. By the way, where are you going, Madam?”

“Just to tend the garden since new flowers arrived.”

Glancing at the newly planted flowers in the garden, Ga Eul responded, “They’re pretty.” In fact, they didn’t catch her eye well, so she quickly bowed her head and tried to turn around, but stopped again.

‘Come to think of it, who left this painting?’

Since it was a painting sold 17 years ago, it naturally had an owner. She didn’t know how such a painting could come to her studio, but in any case, it was clear that someone other than her left it.

Ga Eul thought of Gi Tae and casually asked Mi Jeong.

“Madam. By any chance…… did you visit the CEO’s family home yesterday?”

“No. That kid Gi Tae told me to come, so I did.”

Then who was it?

Leaving the puzzled Ga Eul, Mi Jeong added,

“It seems Gi Tae went home late at night after attending an event in place of Gi Jeong. Is this kid sleeping while working?”

Ah, I see……. She naturally thought he gave it. Ga Eul responded with a laugh.

How could someone who doesn’t even have time to sleep, so much so that even his mother can’t come see him, have the time to bring her a painting?

She felt somewhat embarrassed for assuming it was him as if it were natural, now that they made up and became close again.

Then…… could it be that the Chairman gave it?

Thinking it was the Chairman, she became a little puzzled as to why he gave it. She recalled the unpleasant favor she recently received from him.

‘He told me not to act close with the CEO for Cha Hye Su’s sake not long ago. Why the sudden painting……’

However, if it was from the Chairman, she thought she should express gratitude regardless of the recent incident.

Regardless of that day’s events, the fact that he gave her such a precious painting remained unchanged.

* * *

“Mom! Mom!”

“Oh, Ga Eul.”

Ga Eul entered the main building and quietly called for her mother. Hee Sun noticed her and approached, so Ga Eul hid the painting behind her back.

Meanwhile, Hee Sun, with her cheeks flushed peach-colored, perhaps from running or excitement, quickly approached Ga Eul who was urgently calling her with a smile.

“What brings you to the main building at this hour?”

“Hehe…….”

“Hmm, what could our daughter be hiding behind her back?”

She ran here thinking only of showing it to her mother, but now she was a bit nervous.

Would she be as surprised and happy as me? Or could she possibly be shocked…….?

She brought it with good intentions, but now that she was about to show her, she started to worry a little. She had been pulling herself together and living well, but what if seeing this painting made her think of father again and become greatly distressed?

As Ga Eul hesitated, Hee Sun playfully urged her while stroking her cheek.

“Didn’t you bring it to show Mom? It’s a canvas. To show Mom a painting?”

Boasting about a painting.

She smiled, thinking her daughter came to brag about a painting for the first time in a while. She was still her cute baby in her eyes. It was so adorable that she came to the main building carrying a canvas, her face flushed enough to brag.

“No, that’s not it. Mom, do you know what I brought?”

“It must be a painting, right? Since it’s a canvas. Not Ga Eul’s painting?”

“Yeah, it’s a painting, but not mine.”

Hee Sun showed a puzzled look at Ga Eul’s words.

Why did she deliberately come to show a painting that wasn’t even hers? Unlike Dae Ho and Ga Eul, Hee Sun didn’t have much interest in paintings. She just liked them together because the two of them liked it.

After a brief pause, Ga Eul brought out the canvas she had hidden behind her back in front of Hye Jeong.

“Mom, do you remember this painting? It’s .”

“Oh my!”

The eyes that were only warm looking at Ga Eul flickered greatly once. She remembered the painting before even hearing all of Ga Eul’s words.

Although she didn’t know much about art, she remembered all the paintings her husband created.

“Oh my…… Oh my…….”

“Seeing it again after a long time? Dad’s painting.”

Hee Sun was so surprised that she could only repeatedly utter exclamations. Her eyes turned bright red, and soon they were moist with tears. Seeing that, Ga Eul also rubbed the bridge of her nose, which was tingling, with the back of her hand.

Earlier, she was so surprised that she only thought of showing it to her mother, but now her heart was tingling.

It was a complicated feeling of being so happy to see her father’s painting after a long time, but also aching because she missed her father who she could never see again.

Ga Eul was somehow worried that her mother might collapse from the big shock. So she tried to create a light atmosphere by putting on a bright smile. She even tried to talk more cheerfully.

“Even looking at it now, the tree I drew back then seems so miserable. How did that even sell?”

“…..Sob.”

Even at Ga Eul’s joke, Hee Sun finally burst into tears. Soon, as if her legs gave out, she plopped down in front of the painting.

Surprised to see Hee Sun like that, Ga Eul also immediately sat next to her.

Her mother struggled on anniversaries even if she pretended not to. She needed time to let out her emotions for once. Was it because she had been holding back too much even though she still missed him? And was that…… possibly because of me?

She had no intention of ever mentioning Uncle Dae Jun’s story as it would be too shocking, but this much seemed okay sometimes. Talking about father, why did we avoid it like that……

Well, of course it was out of consideration for each other.

Soon, Hee Sun showed a sorrowful smile with a tear-stained face.

Looking at the painting, her saddened heart would soon be filled with memories and gradually with happiness. Ga Eul, who gently rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, also showed a sorrowful smile.

“Dad’s painting. It’s so nice to see it again after a long time. Right, Mom?”

“Yes, it’s so nice. My memory of what your dad’s paintings were like was getting hazy…….”

A warm energy seeped between the two who shared their sorrow. Their first talk about father since coming to the mansion.

Ga Eul smiled softly.

To her, it was a precious painting incomparable to anything else, like a gift.