“Ki-Jung and his family are coming over in three days, right?”

“Yes.”

“We might be short-handed, so could you come over for a bit to help with dinner? Are you busy?”

“No, I’m not busy.”

“Oh good! It’s nothing difficult. Hee-Sun and An-San will handle the cooking; you just have to help serve. I ordered a lot because there’s so much I want to serve them.”

“Alright, I’ll come to the main house that day, Madam.”

“Great, thanks, Autumn.”

‘It’s been a while since she’s been to the main house.’

After hanging up, Autumn naturally thought of Ki-Tae’s brother, Ki-Jung.

He had already been married and independent when she first came to the mansion with Han, so they had hardly met.

Ki-Jung, married to a beautiful woman, had a strategic marriage early on due to Han’s recommendation. They seemed like an ordinary couple, neither particularly affectionate nor distant.

Autumn tossed and turned, thinking of Ki-Tae. She knew he usually attended these gatherings, never missing them. She had seen him leaving the main house from a distance a few times.

‘Will Mr. President come too…?’

After pondering over him for a while, Autumn yawned and slowly closed her eyes, feeling sleepy. She hadn’t slept well last night and was now exhausted.

She had no intention of completely stopping her painting, but she lacked the energy to pick up the brush right now. She’d probably be able to paint in the evening. Overwhelmed by sleepiness, she finally closed her eyes.

‘He actually bought it.’

Bothered by Yoon Dae-Ho’s painting, Ki-Tae lined up at Leon Gallery to match their opening hours. It was his first time queuing in front of someone else’s gallery, and he kept feeling indignant about it.
” was not considered a highly valuable work in the art world, but being a creation of Yoon Dae-Ho, Ki-tae felt compelled to purchase it quickly, lest someone else snatch it first.

As expected, upon entering, a line of people hoping to purchase Yoon Dae-Ho’s painting had formed. Ki-tae outbid them all, offering the highest price.

Surprised by Ki-tae’s actions, others tried to offer more, but Ki-tae consistently raised his bid, ultimately securing the painting.

“Ha…”

The absurd amount he had spent seemed pointless now. The painting was, frankly, subpar. Ki-tae chuckled as he looked at it again.

Spending so much on such a painting was undoubtedly an impulsive act, unlike his usual behavior.

His gaze deepened as he looked at the trees in the painting titled .

The reason for his hesitation.

The painting had received much criticism for its mediocre depiction of trees, to the point where Yoon Dae-Ho’s reputation was questioned. Even now, the overall landscape was beautiful, but the trees planted on the canvas were a mess.

No matter how generously one might judge, the overcrowded, poorly executed trees significantly reduced the painting’s value.

Yoon Dae-Ho’s works, both before and after , were exceptionally beautiful. This one painting had seemingly borne the brunt of all criticism.

This remained true even now.

Rrrr… Rrrr…

After seeing the caller ID, Ki-tae, who had been carefully placing in the back seat, picked up the call.

“Yes, Father.”

“Ki-tae.”

“What’s the matter?”

“You should attend the founding anniversary event of Sejin Hotel.”

Leaning on the car, Ki-tae glanced at the painting in the passenger seat before lifting his gaze. He thought his brother was supposed to attend… His brow furrowed.

“What about my brother?”

“He said he can’t make it due to sudden business with a client. It’s an important event, so I need you to go in his place.”

Ki-tae sighed and then nodded.

“Alright, I’ll attend.”

After an unexpectedly lengthy event, he was finally able to leave late into the night, feeling even more exhausted from the tedious affair.

Ki-tae, fatigued, covered his eyes with one arm in the back seat of the car.

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

As soon as he entered the car and saw the painting, Ki-tae changed his destination.

“No, let’s go to the main house.”

He intended to quickly hand over the painting to its rightful owner, having not originally intended to keep it for himself.

Late at night, the sedan quietly pulled up beside the main house. Ki-tae, holding Yoon Dae-Ho’s painting, got out of the back seat.

He looked satisfactorily at the dark studio and was about to enter when he suddenly frowned.

“She really doesn’t listen…”

Despite his advice to rest and avoid painting for a few days, Yoon Autumn was curled up and sound asleep in a corner of the studio, comfortably wrapped in a blanket as if it were her own bedroom.

Ki-tae, dragging an easel over and placing on it, sat down beside the sleeping Autumn.

“You always just give the right answers.”

He gently tapped her cheek, causing her to murmur in her sleep.

Ki-tae chuckled softly at her slightly furrowed brow and quickly withdrew his hand, cautious not to wake her. He then turned his attention back to Yoon Dae-Ho’s painting on the easel.
No matter how he looked at it, the painting didn’t seem like one of Yoon Dae-Ho’s works that Ki-tae was familiar with. It was clear that the artist had experience with painting trees, yet these trees were disappointingly executed.

His thoughts then drifted to , a painting hanging in the hallway of Chairman Shin’s house.

“Of course, the painting you would want is something like .”

“Uh-huh…”

Even in her sleep, Autumn managed to interject at the right moments.

Amused by her, Ki-tae looked at her briefly before turning back to the painting and speaking again.

“Accept it as a gesture from the giver.”

After all, it cost a lot to finally acquire it.

, a painting that wouldn’t be sold even if he offered money for it, was beyond his reach to gift.

It wasn’t a matter of money. Ki-tae chuckled as he unconsciously stroked Autumn’s hair.

“I’m doing all sorts of things because of Yoon Autumn.”

Relieved that his persistent concern was resolved, Ki-tae stood up without any hesitation.

Nonetheless, he bought a painting for someone who doesn’t even listen. Despite his grumbling, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as he tucked the blanket around her more snugly and left the studio.

The next day, Autumn woke up with the sunlight on her face, slightly cringing, and stretched her arms.

“Ah, I was only going to rest my eyes until the paint dried…”

Planning to finish her work and then sleep in the annex, she had fallen asleep in the studio again. Sitting up, Autumn looked around her surroundings.

Ki-tae had advised her to rest for a few days, so she didn’t want to be seen in the studio. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t visited, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“He definitely would have said something if he had come.”

After tidying her messy hair, Autumn began to tidy up the studio, intending to leave.

But then.

“Huh…? What’s this?”

She noticed an unfamiliar canvas placed there. It wasn’t one she had brought, and it wasn’t even blank.

With curiosity, her eyes finally focused on the canvas, and she recognized the familiar painting. Autumn quickly checked the side of the canvas. Her father always left a small signature on the side after finishing a painting, and there it was, clearly etched on the side of this canvas.

Autumn held her breath.

Her father’s painting, which she had completely forgotten, was there in her studio.