Covetous Sponsorship (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

Warm spring sunshine. White petals, having overcome the lingering chill and now holding their first warmth, joyfully revealed their exquisitely delicate beauty without reserve.

At one side of Ga Eul’s window, magnolias boasting soft, velvety textures peeked out shyly, beautifully adorning her room.

Though the lingering cold of early spring hadn’t fully receded—forcing people to keep their coat collars buttoned—the fresh green life that had just pushed through the earth felt vibrant and alive.

The slightly gentler scenery seemed to offer a small hope that this year might be different.

Ga Eul’s heart pounded fiercely with anticipation and nervousness.

“It’ll go well. I worked hard on it, after all.”

Ga Eul pulled out a neat, elegant beige-toned suit set and put it on, then finally slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder before stepping out of her room. It was an important day, so she’d dressed with extra care.

Ga Eul crossed the living room and reached the shoe cabinet.

Hee Sun, who had still been in the annex, quickly approached Ga Eul just as she was about to leave the house.

“Ga Eul-ah!”

Ga Eul, mid-step into her shoes, looked up in surprise at Hee Sun.

“Huh? Mom, you’re still here?”

“Yeah. Chairman Han’s leaving for work late today.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Ga Eul-ah, I won’t be able to come see your exhibition. What should I do?”

“It’s fine. You can’t come because you’re working, right?”

“Ugh, still… Should I go tell Chairman Han right now and head over together?”

Ga Eul smiled brightly and declined Hee Sun’s offer.

“No, don’t bother. You just got ready and were about to leave. I’m okay.”

Relieved to see Ga Eul answer confidently instead of looking disappointed, Hee Sun smiled broadly at her daughter.

Then, she gave her the most encouraging words anyone could possibly hear.

“That’s right. Then go do great, my daughter. You’ll do well at your exhibition today, won’t you?”

“But I already submitted my painting earlier, and there’s really nothing for me to do at the gallery today…”

“Just stay confident. Someone who truly appreciates your work will come.”

“Got it.”

Ga Eul nodded firmly.

Hee Sun had no idea about the arrangement between Gi Tae and Ga Eul. Yet, her gentle voice quietly gave Ga Eul strength whether she realized it or not.

Facing the one person who made her feel truly supported, Ga Eul suddenly felt her rising anxiety begin to fade.

‘Right. It’ll sell. Because it means something to me.’

Repeating her mother’s encouragement in her mind, Ga Eul left the annex.

* * *

TS Gallery’s Seoul branch was said to be Han Gi Tae’s pet project—the largest among all his gallery locations.

Standing before the uniquely imposing gray building that undeniably justified Gi Tae’s claim of ownership, quite a few people—clearly collectors—were already milling about, having heard the news and come early.

At exactly 10:30 a.m., Ga Eul arrived right on time for the gallery’s opening and was able to walk straight in among the crowd without waiting.

‘My painting is over there…’

Was it only natural that people would head straight for the most anticipated pieces first?

Since the artworks on display had already been publicized, everyone seemed to be heading in the exact same direction—far from where Ga Eul’s painting was hung.

Ga Eul slipped past the throng heading toward the gallery’s main booths and stepped back outside. Then, lingering near the entrance, she rummaged through her crossbody bag, pulled out her phone, and typed a message.

[When are you guys getting here?]

She posted it in their three-person group chat, and replies came almost instantly.

[Do Jin: I’ll be there soon, Ga Eul-ah.] [Joo Ah: Me too! I just got off the bus.] [Do Jin: Perfect, Baek Joo Ah. I’ve got two more stops. Let’s meet at the bus stop and go in together. Wait there.] [Joo Ah: Ugh, seriously… Hurry up, oppa.] [Do Jin: Okay.]

They’re bickering again. Seeing their usual playful exchange, Ga Eul briefly smiled.

Just then, a large crowd gathered at the gallery entrance—even though most collectors should’ve already gone inside.

Confused by the sudden influx, Ga Eul looked around. Overhearing a couple nearby, she caught their conversation.

“What’s this? I thought you hated looking at art. Why the sudden gallery visit?”

“No, I’m just curious. It looks fun with so many people here, and I’ve got some spare time—why not check it out?”

“…Well, sure.”

‘Ah, so this gallery really stands out.’

The building itself was already eye-catching, situated right in a busy downtown area with heavy foot traffic. But today, with collectors swarming in after hearing about the exhibition, even passersby with no interest in art were peering in with unmistakable curiosity.

Ga Eul was newly impressed by just how remarkable the gallery truly was—so much so that she thought anyone who loved art would surely dream of holding a solo exhibition here, even without Chairman Han’s personal recommendation.

She’d once heard from the Chairman that the original, modest TS Gallery building had been completely demolished, replaced after a massive renovation with the current grand structure.

Everything—from constructing the new building to earning its present reputation—had been possible thanks to Han Gi Tae’s relentless efforts.

While Ga Eul was still lost in thought, gazing at the building, Joo Ah appeared in her line of sight. Pushing through the crowd, Joo Ah dashed to the gallery entrance, caught her breath, and spoke.

“Ga Eul. Sorry I’m late.”

“No, it’s fine. I just got here myself.”

Do Jin, who’d arrived with Joo Ah, greeted Ga Eul as well.

“Ga Eul-ah, hello.”

“Yes, oppa. Hello.”

“Have you seen your painting yet?”

“No, I waited so we could look together.”

Seeing Ga Eul—dressed up nicely for the first time in a while—flash him a sweet smile, Do Jin stood momentarily dazed before muttering and walking ahead.

“Then… let’s go in quickly.”

The paintings selected from the contest were hung in the farthest, most secluded booth—exactly the kind of location one would pass only after seeing everything else in the gallery. It was clearly a disadvantageous spot for drawing attention.

After confirming the paintings, the three of them stepped back slightly, careful not to obstruct foot traffic.

Still curious about people’s reactions, they lingered nearby, discreetly observing from a distance.

Just then, Joo Ah stared fixedly at Ga Eul’s painting and murmured softly,

“…Hmm, but Ga Eul-ah, this piece feels really different from your usual style.”

Ga Eul nodded in agreement.

Of course it couldn’t possibly resemble her usual work.

It was so strikingly reminiscent of Yoon Dae Ho’s paintings that one might mistake it for his own—she’d replicated his style faithfully.

Ga Eul had her reasons for painting it this way.

Seeing that Joo Ah didn’t immediately recognize Yoon Dae Ho’s influence, Ga Eul felt a twinge of worry—but quickly dismissed it, confident that someone out there would remember her father.

After all, even Han Gi Tae had recognized it.

To fulfill Gi Tae’s proposal, Ga Eul hadn’t chosen a bold theme, nor her strongest subject—she’d chosen her father’s reputation.

Now that her father was involved, Ga Eul knew she absolutely had to earn recognition at this exhibition—separate from their deal.

‘Please help me, Father.’

Feeling cornered, Ga Eul tightly clasped her hands together.

* * *

That evening, Director Park ran outside the gallery upon spotting a black sedan arriving just as the sun was setting.

“You’ve arrived, President.”

“Yes. How was today’s exhibition reception?”

“It went well. Many paintings sold, and since it’s been a while since we’ve held an exhibition, it was busier than usual.”

“That’s good.”

By now, closing time had nearly arrived. The gallery stood empty and quiet in the dimming light, with only the steady echo of men’s dress shoes against the floor.

He walked past the main booths—whose artworks he’d already seen—and continued onward.

Although he hadn’t personally attended the exhibition today, Director Park’s unwavering smile confirmed the truth of his report: the event had indeed been a success.

Noticing Park’s expression, Gi Tae completely averted his gaze from his own gallery artists’ works and headed straight for the last booth—where Ga Eul’s painting should be hanging.

‘…What? Yoon Ga Eul’s painting already sold?’

Gi Tae, who had intended to check only Ga Eul’s painting before leaving immediately, now stared at the blank wall space.

He’d been too busy to personally oversee minor details like the contest submissions, so he hadn’t even seen the actual painting. He wondered what it could have looked like.

It had sold on opening day of a week-long exhibition—now he was curious.

As Gi Tae scrutinized the empty spot with a sharp gaze, Director Park—who had been smiling until now—kept opening and closing his mouth as if he had something to say.

If you have something to say, just say it. Annoyed by Park’s hesitant lip-flapping, Gi Tae spoke first.

“If you have something to say, say it, Director Park.”

“Ah, well… actually, there was a minor incident at the gallery today.”

“An incident? What do you mean?”

“It’s about Ms. Yoon Ga Eul’s painting you’re looking at. Nothing serious happened, and it was resolved well… but…”

“What exactly happened?”

“Chairman of Daelim Construction, who visited today, claimed Ms. Yoon Ga Eul’s ‘Pure White Roses’ looked plagiarized—said it was suspiciously similar to a piece he owns. He even questioned why we’d display a potentially plagiarized work without verifying its originality first.”

At this absurd news, Gi Tae’s eyes turned sharp.

“Seriously? How could you neglect something like this? What were you even doing?”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve checked myself, but I was too busy managing our own artists’ works…”

What on earth did she paint? This could turn into a major problem.

Hearing this troubling development, Gi Tae’s eyes narrowed tensely.

For a moment, he almost regretted giving her this opportunity.

“I’m not blaming you, Director Park. Go on.”

“After hearing that, other collectors also examined Ms. Yoon Ga Eul’s painting closely and agreed it did seem plagiarized—said it looked extremely similar.”

“Whose work was it allegedly copied from?”

“Master Yoon Dae Ho—you remember him, right? The artist who passed away about ten years ago. It was his ‘Rose Garden.’”

Of course he knew. He was Yoon Ga Eul’s father.

Gi Tae’s gaze returned once more to the blank wall where Ga Eul’s painting had hung.

The sold painting was now impossible to verify firsthand—only hearsay remained.

Seeing Gi Tae’s visibly displeased expression, Director Park carefully continued.

“There was quite a commotion right here in front of this booth. By the time I rushed over after hearing the news, Ms. Yoon Ga Eul was already calmly explaining things to the collectors herself.”

“…”

“She said it wasn’t plagiarism—it’s a sequel to ‘Rose Garden.’ She explained that since she’d only ever learned painting from her father and never received formal training from anyone else during Master Yoon Dae Ho’s lifetime, their styles naturally ended up similar. She also mentioned they’d planned several sequel pieces together when she was young, vowing to exhibit them side by side once she turned adult—and ‘Rose Garden’ was one of them. She even pointed out specific details proving it was indeed part of the series.”

As Director Park spoke animatedly, Gi Tae realized exactly what she’d done.

Meanwhile, remembering once again that Ga Eul was Yoon Dae Ho’s daughter, Director Park—still absorbed in the revelation—enthusiastically continued his report even without further prompting.

“She said she chose this debut piece as a way to show she’d finally grown enough to fulfill their promise, even though they could no longer hold an exhibition together now. A daughter, fresh out of college, honoring a long-held promise with her late father—it was really…”

“What did the Chairman of Daelim Construction say?”

“The Chairman, being a father himself, understood how a jointly planned sequel could happen and accepted her explanation. He even commented that her painting was quite good—clearly inherited from her father—and said it stood up well as a true sequel. Honestly… it’s fortunate it ended as just a minor commotion. Thanks to Ms. Ga Eul stepping forward to explain immediately, it never escalated further.”

“…Ah, I see.”

As Gi Tae replied flatly, Director Park added one more unexpected detail.

“Oh! And because of that, Ms. Yoon Ga Eul’s painting sold for the highest price among all the contest participants.”

Her painting sold for a high price amidst all that?

“They reacted strongly once they heard it was a sequel to ‘Rose Garden’ by Yoon Dae Ho’s daughter. It ended up being a very impressive debut for her at TS Gallery.”

“…”

“Um… President, are you alright? It really wasn’t a big deal. I even double-checked the whole venue myself to make sure no reporters were lurking around.”

Gi Tae gave a cursory nod, as if he understood, offered Director Park a brief farewell, and promptly left the gallery.

Outside, now fully dark, Gi Tae dialed someone’s number before getting into his sedan.

“Send me Yoon Ga Eul’s phone number.”

I told her to sell her painting, and she went ahead and pulled off something outrageous.

Gi Tae’s lips curled into a faint, amused smile.