Perhaps… such a reaction was to be expected. After all, she might be the only one in the world who approached painting this way.

“Why are you so insistent on this method?”

At his question, Autumn let out a half-hearted laugh, agreeing somewhat with his reaction.

“It wasn’t my choice.”

“You mean, the Chairman wanted it that way?”

He seemed utterly astounded and then spoke softly.

“This won’t do. Meet me in front of the gallery this weekend.”

True to her word, Autumn went to the gallery as planned on the weekend.

Arriving, she saw him leaning against a car, engaged in a phone call.

Noticing him, Autumn stopped in her tracks and observed him for a moment.

Usually clad in a suit, his current attire of jeans and a white shirt felt refreshingly different. The unfamiliar look made him seem almost like a stranger to her.

Feeling oddly out of place, Autumn scratched her neck and slowly approached him.

“Chairman. Hello.”
Upon noticing Autumn, he nodded his head instead of a warm greeting.

“Ah, yes. Go ahead and get in the car.”

Thinking it was a meeting about paintings, Autumn expected to head to a studio.

“What do you usually paint?”

“I mostly paint flowers and trees, whether in landscape or still life paintings.”

“Is that so.”

After a brief inquiry, however, he drove the sedan to a destination far from any studio Autumn could imagine.

Curious about their destination, Autumn subtly inquired, but he only responded with, “You’ll see when we get there.” After a long drive, they arrived at a large botanical garden adjacent to an amusement park.

The setting briefly gave Autumn the illusion of being on a date. Anyone visiting such a place might feel the same, but Autumn knew he wasn’t that type of person.

‘I guess he brought me here to learn something. But what could that be…?’

The botanical garden, unlike a studio, was a refreshing change. Autumn’s eyes gradually grew more serious as she surveyed the flora.

He noticed her intense gaze and lightly tugged her shoulder to disrupt her thoughts.

“Don’t overthink it. Just look and observe what’s in front of you. If you smell something nice, go and take a whiff. Feel free to touch if you want.”

“…? Oh, yes.”

Startled by his sudden pull, Autumn blinked in confusion.

‘Why did he bring me here, if not to learn? Just to see and feel?’

She wondered about his intention, but soon started exploring the garden, following his suggestion.

Curiosity sparkled in her eyes. The botanical garden struck a chord with her tastes.

‘Wow… it’s really beautiful here. The scents are wonderful.’

Amidst the enchanting summer blooms, she was pleasantly surprised. Eager to explore more, Autumn hurried ahead of him, drawn by the captivating array of flowers and their vivid scents. The time spent cooped up in the studio felt distant now.

‘It’s so rejuvenating.’

While engrossed in her explorations, she spotted a morning glory-like flower, the bindweed. Recalling the flower her father had taught her about as a child, she excitedly approached it.

“Chairman! Doesn’t this flower look just like a morning glory? But it’s actually a bindweed. They look so similar, except for the color. I used to mistake bindweed for morning glory when I was younger…”

Enthusiastically chatting away, Autumn turned around.

She had been smiling at the flowers, but upon facing him, her expression froze. Unbeknownst to her, he had quietly approached right behind her, leaning in over her shoulder to respond.

“Yeah. How do you know all that?”

“…”

His voice was so close it vibrated right next to her ear.

Feeling overwhelmed by his proximity, Autumn, instead of answering, just rolled her eyes in confusion. He, looking down at the flower, then turned his gaze to her, inquiring,

“Yoon Ga-eul?”

Oops. He asked something, but what was it?

“Um, what did you say?”

“How do you know about that stuff?”

“Ah…! My father taught me when I was young. He loved painting flowers and knew a lot about them…”
“You didn’t just learn painting from your father.”

“Yes, that’s right. He always taught me a lot of different things…”

As they continued their light conversation by the bindweed, he suddenly pointed to her hair. Then, he gestured as if to tell her to remove something.

“Yoon Ga-eul. There’s a flower petal in your hair.”

“Where is it?”

“Right there.”

Autumn tried to feel her hair following his gesture, but she couldn’t quite locate it.

“Here…?”

“No, not there, the other side.”

As Autumn continued to fumble, he let out a sigh and reached out his hand.

“…”

That was unexpected.

His hand briefly touched her hair and then withdrew.

The petal was apparently stuck on the back of her head. Startled by his sudden proximity and the rush of his cool scent, Autumn felt her body stiffen.

“I got it.”

“Oh, it was further back. Thank you, Chairman.”

Feeling awkward about the situation, Autumn bit her lower lip and looked around as he stepped back and dropped the petal on the ground.

“…”

“…”

Since arriving at the botanical garden, Autumn had been the one initiating most of the conversation. So when she suddenly fell silent, an awkward quietness settled between them.

Perplexed by her sudden change, he asked her.

“Why?”

‘What’s wrong with me…?’

Confused by her own timidity, Autumn quickly pointed towards a crowd of people and changed the subject.

“No, it’s nothing… I was just curious about what’s over there where all those people are gathered.”

She quickly moved away from his side, creating some distance between them.