They were untouched, left as they were initially served.

As he put a canapé in his mouth and was about to pour more wine, Ki Tae suddenly spoke.

“I don’t know.”

“……What? What are you saying you don’t know?”

Ju Hyeok, puzzled by the unexpected reply, paused in pouring the wine, and Ki Tae spoke again.

“Why I feel so bad, I don’t know.”

“……Eh?”

Surprised, Ju Hyeok’s hand slipped, and the bottle fell to the floor.

Though the bottle didn’t break, the remaining expensive wine spilled out. Ju Hyeok made a fuss, which caused Ki Tae to frown again.

Ju Hyeok raised his voice in response to Ki Tae’s frown.

“It’s because of the strange things you’re saying all of a sudden. If you don’t know why you’re feeling bad, then who does?”

“That’s why I said I don’t know.”

“……Huh.”

After summoning staff to clean up and sitting back down, Ju Hyeok decided to continue drinking.

Just then, the lower floor became noisy.

Curious about who had arrived, Ju Hyeok got up before he could relax and approached the railing.

“……?”

Recognizing the person, Ju Hyeok uttered a word. It was to divert Ki Tae’s brooding attention. However, the main subject of his attention seemed indifferent.

Eventually, to attract Ki Tae’s interest, Ju Hyeok had no choice but to ask outright.

“Hey, do you know who just came in?”

Seeing Ki Tae still appearing uninterested, Ju Hyeok exhaled heavily and returned to his seat, starting to talk to himself.

“It’s the grandson of the chairman of Daerim Construction. Looks like he came to hang out with a friend. To think I’d see that face here.”

At that moment, Ki Tae’s eyebrows raised sharply.

It was someone he was very familiar with. The three-letter name, which he hardly remembered, has been vividly coming to mind since yesterday.

Before Ju Hyeok could mention the name, Ki Tae murmured it.

“Shin Yeon Woo.”

“……Huh? You know him too? Of course. These days, anyone who should know probably does. You probably know him better than I do.”
As Ki Tae finally showed interest, Ju Hyeok seemed excited and began to talk more about Yeon Woo.

Thanks to his father being a newspaper company president, Ju Hyeok, despite his unrelated veterinarian profession, knew a lot more than others.

“Recently, my father’s company has also been paying attention to him. There was a lot of talk about him being a parachute appointee when he suddenly appeared, but he quickly achieved significant results and kept getting rapid promotions. He’s managed to suppress the executives’ dissatisfaction with his skills and is known for his business acumen.”

Ju Hyeok was using his mouth more for talking than drinking, and Ki Tae looked at him irritably.

Displeased with the way the conversation was going, Ki Tae stood up.

Ju Hyeok looked up at him in surprise and asked,

“Hey, are you done already?”

“Yeah.”

“I just got here. I’m just starting…?”

“Keep drinking and leave later.”

“Hey, it’s no fun without you!”

As Ki Tae walked down the stairs, Ju Hyeok, grumbling, eventually picked up his jacket and followed him. Just as Ki Tae was about to get into the elevator,

“Han Ki Tae?”

Someone called him. Ki Tae turned around to see Yeon Woo smiling brightly at him.

With a lifted corner of his mouth and his eyes warmly crinkled, Yeon Woo extended his hand towards Ki Tae.

“What do you want?”

As Ki Tae just stared at his hand, Yeon Woo awkwardly withdrew it and approached him in a friendly manner.

“I heard from Miss Autumn that you had to leave in a hurry yesterday.”

“……Ha.”

What is this about?

Ki Tae stared keenly at him.

They occasionally greeted each other out of politeness but had never interacted like this. Surprised by this unexpected behavior, Ki Tae turned fully to face him. Yeon Woo, seeming a bit shy, addressed Ki Tae.

“If you’ve known Miss Autumn for over 10 years, you’re almost like a real brother to her.”

So, he had indulged this conversation out of curiosity…

It’s clear what he’s up to.

Yeon Woo’s response was exactly what Ki Tae had anticipated.

“Then, may I call you ‘hyung’? I’d like to get closer.”

He still had a shy yet cheerful smile.

When Ki Tae immediately rejected Yeon Woo’s request, he seemed momentarily dejected but soon smiled again.

Throughout, he politely greeted and even followed him to his car, clearly trying to score points.

Ju Hyeok bombarded Ki Tae with questions about whether they knew each other, where he was going next, but Ki Tae just got into the car.

Why couldn’t he shake off this sharp, edgy feeling?

His annoyance grew amidst the noise. Ki Tae, sitting in the backseat, raised his arm to cover his face.

The driver, noticing the weary look of his boss, spoke up cautiously.

“I’ll take you to your apartment, sir.”

The sedan drove silently and stopped in front of Ki Tae’s apartment. The driver was about to notify him of their arrival when he turned his head towards Ki Tae.

Ki Tae, who had been deep in thought, looking out the window, instructed,

“Go back to the main house.”

The car, having almost reached the apartment, turned around and headed back to the main house.

Ki Tae, telling the driver he didn’t need to inform the chairman and his wife of his arrival, left a message to wait and walked towards the back of the main building.

The effects of alcohol had worn off, and his eyes were clear. He noticed the lights still on in the studio.

It was well past the time he usually visited, deep into the early morning.

Without any intention of hiding his presence, Ki Tae pushed open the door of the studio.

Inside, Autumn was wrapped in a blanket, huddled up.
Was she trying to paint, or just resting? Looking around, Ki Tae didn’t see any signs of recent work.

Why does she keep sleeping here uncomfortably…

It was later than his usual visiting time, and Autumn, who would usually greet him with a smile and offer tea, was sound asleep.

Ki Tae bent his knees and sat beside Autumn, who was lying down, viewing her from a much lower perspective.

“……Mmm.”

Half-asleep, Autumn turned over. As a result, her clear face, which was only visible from the side before, was now fully exposed.

Ki Tae, looking down at Autumn with her hair in disarray and a slight frown on her forehead, gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

He let out a quiet chuckle.

All day long, he had felt on edge for no apparent reason, but seeing her peaceful face, that feeling seemed to dissipate as if nothing had happened.

The next day, Autumn left the annex with a smile, unlike the previous day.

She had thought he was cold to her, but he, whom she hadn’t been able to meet all day yesterday, had contacted her first to come to the gallery.

‘Maybe I was mistaken.’

She had worried all day yesterday for nothing. After all, she hadn’t really done anything wrong to him.

Autumn hurriedly hailed a taxi and got off in front of the gallery. She had rushed over without knowing why he had called her, but now she was curious about the reason.

Approaching the office, Autumn was recognized by the secretary who knocked on the door for her.

“Sir, Yoon Autumn is here.”

A soft voice from inside invited her in.

Autumn entered the office, her lips curving into a bright smile. Her heart was fluttering, but she made sure her voice sounded calm and composed.

“Sir, why did you call me?”

Their eyes met intently.

Feeling the weight of his gaze on her, Autumn tensed up again.

Suddenly, he stood up, put on his jacket, and said,

“Let’s have dinner together.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why, do you have plans?”

“No, I don’t.”

It was an unexpected invitation, but why not?

A gentle smile appeared on Autumn’s face.

Seeing her smile, Ki Tae also let out a soft laugh.

The two of them, with similar smiles, got up.

As Autumn and Ki Tae were just leaving the gallery lobby,

“Ki Tae!”

Autumn turned to the familiar voice.

Hye Soo was calling Ki Tae with a friendly demeanor, quickly approaching them.