Shaking off her unnecessary thoughts, Autumn finished her glass of wine in one go. The wine quickly went to her head, making her feel detached from reality.

As she opened up under his steady gaze, Autumn began to speak.

“So, about that man… He was a friend of my father. A close friend, actually. He used to visit our house often, and I even have clear memories of playing with him when I was very young.”

The taste of the wine was bitter, or maybe it was just her mouth. As Autumn looked down at her empty glass, he refilled it for her.

Maybe this is how people get used to drinking. Accepting the wine he offered, she continued.

“My father was swindled by him. We were suddenly burdened with debt, and before my mother and I knew it, my father felt so guilty that… in his workshop…”

Seeing the flicker in Autumn’s eyes, he cut her off firmly.

“I got it, that’s enough.”

“Okay.”

He poured her more wine. She snatched the bottle from him.

“I’ll pour for you too. It feels like I’m the only one drinking.”

As Autumn poured for him, he also drank. She didn’t want to be the only one tipsy, so she had casually suggested it, but he readily accepted.
It was unclear whether he was drinking because she poured for him, or if it was his intention all along, but he matched her pace anyway.

Autumn watched him drink the wine, and instead of her usual bright laughter, she wore a rare, sarcastic smile.

“But then, that man came back asking to borrow money again. After what he did to my father, he should have had the decency not to show up asking for money. …It’s just too much.”

As Autumn’s eyes drooped sorrowfully, a large hand unexpectedly patted her shoulder. The rhythmic, comforting patting somehow felt reassuring.

“I was so angry, I wanted to ignore him and walk away, but he kept holding on to me, talking about money… That’s how it happened.”

Her eyes now aimlessly wandered after several quick drinks. She expected tears from the melancholy stories, but her mouth was bitter, her vision blurred, and she found herself giggling senselessly. It seemed like a drunken habit.

Despite sitting upright, Autumn slightly swayed. Mistakenly, her head leaned against his shoulder, but he didn’t push her away. He just continued to sip his wine.

Surprised by the sudden contact, Autumn’s eyes widened, but she soon subtly leaned in. Realizing he wasn’t pushing her away, she felt emboldened.

His heartbeat felt like a soothing lullaby, prompting a small laugh from Autumn. The warmth and coziness made her feel unexpectedly happy.

‘I’m glad I suggested drinking…’

Autumn relaxed her body, and after a while, he unexpectedly broke the silence.

“Yoon Autumn, who are you working under now?”

“Huh? That would be you, the CEO, right?”

“Then whose orders should you prioritize?”

Puzzled, Autumn looked up at him, and he lightly tapped her forehead with his finger, teasingly.

“Don’t foolishly follow your grandfather’s instructions again. From now on, listen to me.”

“Okay. I understand.”

Recalling their recent argument, Autumn nodded obediently. Despite following her grandfather’s request, she knew she had wronged him.

She had lied and blatantly avoided him.

Looking down at her agreeable response, he chuckled and finished off the remaining wine.

“If my grandfather says something strange again…”

After tapping the wine glass aimlessly, he finally spoke up again.

“Tell me about it.”

“To tell you?”

Caught off guard, Autumn burst into laughter, finding it an unusual phrase for him. Unable to contain her laughter, she inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with her hands, feeling it inappropriate to laugh about his grandfather.

Becoming increasingly uninhibited under the influence of alcohol, he sighed with a half-smile.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

As a tipsy Autumn insisted on more wine, another bottle from his collection was opened. They had already finished two bottles between them.

Being tipsy in this unfamiliar place, sitting unusually close to him, everything started to feel comfortable.

Even though she knew she’d feel embarrassed the next day, she asked questions she wouldn’t normally dare to ask.

“Are you going to marry Cha Hye-Soo?”

“Why would I?”

“Huh? Aren’t you? The chairman mentioned it…”
The word “marriage” with Hye-Soo knotted together, causing the elegant smile that had been faintly hanging on his face to crumple. Realizing she might have said something she shouldn’t have, Autumn belatedly checked his reaction.

Looking at Autumn, who seemed to take their marriage as an obvious fact, he sighed.

“Was my opinion ever considered in that?”

“Then, it’s not true?”

“No, it’s not.”

She liked his firm response today.

Worried it might show, Autumn tried to suppress her happiness inwardly. Even under the influence of alcohol, she struggled to keep her rising smile in check and continued, genuinely curious.

“Why? Cha Hye-Soo comes from a good family.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Honestly, she’s pretty too…”

At Autumn’s words, his expression visibly soured as he poured the rest of the wine. Autumn’s eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected response.

“You’re prettier.”

“Me, really?”

Her heart seemed to race at his sudden comment.

Was he serious? As Autumn tried to gauge his sincerity, he chuckled and added,

“When you listen well.”

“Ah…”

“Just listen to me from now on.”

Autumn gave a bitter smile.

“Enough now. Go to bed.”

“And you?”

Last night, she hadn’t noticed, but there was only one bedroom.

At her question, he gestured dismissively, indicating she should just go to sleep. With no further questions, Autumn nodded and headed to the bedroom.

Just as she was about to go to bed, she opened the door again, causing him to frown.

Autumn peeked out and said,

“I don’t dislike you, CEO.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not just something I’m saying, I really don’t dislike you.”

Acknowledging her repeated words as drunken babbling, he pushed her into the room.

“Got it, now go to sleep.”

Once Autumn quieted down, he glanced at the room and turned away, letting out a small laugh before lying down on the sofa.

“Take a break for a while. Don’t even think about painting.”

After leaving these words for the ailing Autumn, Ki-tae got into his car.

He dropped her off at the Hanam-dong mansion and headed to the gallery.

Entering the gallery office, Park Gwanjang followed him in.

“How is Autumn doing, CEO?”

“She’s getting better, but I told her to rest for a while.”

“Ah, I see.”

As Park Gwanjang was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and added,

“CEO, do you remember Leon Gallery?”

“Leon?”

Ki-tae tilted his head, vaguely recalling the name.

“Yes. Why Leon?”

Park Gwanjang’s expression changed as he mentioned Leon Gallery’s financial troubles leading to its closure.

“The gallery’s director is showcasing all the paintings he personally owned, including someone’s work. Guess whose?”

Unlike Park Gwanjang, who was excited about the news, Ki-tae was indifferent. He didn’t care what was in the director’s personal collection, confident there wouldn’t be any painting to meet his expectations.
“Apparently, the director of Leon Gallery personally owned a painting by Yoon Dae-Ho. Yoon Dae-Ho’s painting is also going to be featured in this exhibition.”

As he was casually listening and taking off his suit jacket, Ki-tae suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A painting by Yoon Dae-Ho…

He was reminded of Autumn, who had a sad smile while recalling her father, and the memory flashed through his mind.