“Kitae, it’s been such a long time! I heard you were back in the country, but why is it so hard to see you?”

“It’s been a while, Cha Hyesoo.”

“Chi… I’m really upset, you know.”

The woman, with a joyful expression spread across her face, touched his shoulder once with her pleasant voice and laughed. He reciprocated with a politely friendly smile.

Her candidness in expressing her feelings was striking.

With a straightforward and confident aura, she seemed endearing even in her petulance.

Ga-eul looked again at the woman Kitae called ‘Hyesoo.’ Despite her adorable and cute demeanor, she exuded glamour with her long, wavy hair falling elegantly over her shoulders.

Even Ga-eul, who didn’t know much about luxury brands, could tell that the woman was adorned with expensive items. When Hyesoo flipped her hair behind her ear, long drop earrings sparkled under the lights.

A woman who seemed to have been showered with love from both her appearance and demeanor, attracting more attention.

She boasted her familiarity with him.

“I never expected to run into you here.”

Expecting to start with sightseeing.

With Hyesoo suddenly joining, Ga-eul silently held her place. Kitae, too, had to stop in the middle of the hall to respond to Hyesoo.

“How have you been?”

“Busy. I joined my father’s company this time.”

As the conversation prolonged, Ga-eul felt awkward just standing there.

‘Maybe I should take a look around and come back…?’

It seemed better to step aside.

Just as Ga-eul was about to move, Kitae abruptly grabbed her wrist.

Startled by the sudden grip, Ga-eul turned to look at him.

She thought he had completely forgotten her presence.

He frowned and spoke.

“Yoon Ga-eul, where are you going?”

“I was thinking of looking at some paintings…”

“Stay here. Don’t make me look for you in this crowd.”

“…Okay.”

Hyesoo, talking to Kitae, turned to look at Ga-eul as well. Ga-eul smiled awkwardly under her direct gaze.

“Who is she?”

Her eyes returned to Ga-eul, scrutinizing her openly. Feeling embarrassed, Ga-eul bit her lower lip.

“She’s with my company.”

“TS Gallery, you mean? Oh, so you came to the art fair for business today.”

Misunderstanding his words, Hyesoo prattled on.

“So, she’s a gallery employee…”

Kitae interrupted and corrected her.

“She’s an artist.”

“Ah… really…?”

Hyesoo stared at Ga-eul curiously for a moment after hearing his words, then turned back to him, extending the same smile she had shown him to Ga-eul.

“So, you’re an artist! Nice to meet you. I’m Cha Hyesoo.”

“Yes, I’m Yoon Ga-eul.”

As Hyesoo initiated the greeting, Ga-eul reciprocated by shaking her hand.

After exchanging greetings, Hyesoo moved back to his side. Unwittingly, Hyesoo took her place to his left and Ga-eul to his right.

Ga-eul glanced at her standing beside him. She was talking to him and laughing continuously.

‘Are they together…?’

With Hyesoo joining naturally, the three of them began to walk through Hall A together.

Business talk between people involved in business was expected, but it left Ga-eul without much to say.

‘I wanted to talk about paintings with the director… Well, it can’t be helped.’
Despite the unexpected company, Ga-eul wasn’t bothered, as there were plenty of sights to see. Her eyes sparkled with life, just like when she first entered the exhibition.

With every gallery in Seoul gathered in one place, the variety was immense. From a distance, the artworks seemed like a vast ocean, but up close, they revealed themselves as intricate pointillism paintings. There were also sporadic, large sculptures.

There were paintings with strong Oriental characteristics, different from what Ga-eul usually painted, providing her an opportunity to observe diverse styles.

Every painting was distinct, but the characteristics of each exhibiting gallery were also clearly discernible.

As Ga-eul browsed various booths, her attention was suddenly captured by one particular gallery booth, bustling with people, sparking her curiosity.

Carefully navigating through the crowd, she tiptoed to catch a glimpse of the artwork.

“Wow… this is beautiful.”

She was mesmerized by the painting. Then, she suddenly remembered.

“Ah, right! Where is the director…?”

Scanning the crowd, her eyes quickly moved around, startled to find the man standing right beside her. She had been so absorbed in the painting that she hadn’t realized she’d fallen behind. She had thought he’d be talking with that woman, but he had quietly appeared beside her without notice.

As their eyes met, he chuckled and turned his gaze to the painting, just like Ga-eul had earlier.

“This painting, it’s pretty good.”

Ga-eul nodded.

“Yes. It’s by an artist I’ve never seen before… They seem quite talented.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“…?”

Puzzled, Ga-eul tilted her head and looked at him, prompting him to speak again.

“This artist is quite recognized in the domestic art scene.”

“Really…?”

“You haven’t heard of them before?”

“No, this is my first time seeing their work.”