Ji Hoo suddenly let out a long sigh. Usually, he would have gone along with Min Je’s joke, but now he was about to say something extremely important, so it didn’t work out well.

Min Je was flustered by Ji Hoo’s suddenly darkened expression, and Ha Yeon bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Still, feeling the need to react somehow, she deliberately raised her voice and answered.

“Wow, that’s great. I can’t eat chicken with beans in it.”

At that, Min Je glared at her sharply.

Huh? I wasn’t teasing. Even responding gets me in trouble. Ha Yeon chuckled and took the bag from his hand.

“It’s the food we usually eat when we come to the annex.”

Min Je said, as if apologetic for not preparing a grand meal. At the main house, they ate food prepared by Mi Ran, so they didn’t have many opportunities to eat such delivered food. For Min Je and Ji Hoo, chicken was like a special treat they could have when they went out.

“Oh, what are you saying? Chicken is always the truth.”

Ha Yeon said with an extremely serious expression, then quickly set the food on the table.

The savory smell of oil filled the space. Ji Hoo, who had been sulking for an unknown reason, approached as he smelled the aroma. His expression had completely softened by now.

“Ji Hoo, were you hungry?”

When Ha Yeon asked with a smile, Ji Hoo nodded with a grin. You cute little thing. Ha Yeon stroked the child’s cheek and then told him to go wash his hands quickly.

The time spent eating around the table was enjoyable.

“As expected, Director, you’re quite generous.”

Ha Yeon said in an impressed voice, looking at the variety of chicken Min Je had bought. How could one not be in a good mood with crispy fried chicken, oven-roasted chicken brushed with spicy sauce, and chicken sprinkled with seasoning that everyone, regardless of age or gender, couldn’t help but love!

Min Je chuckled at Ha Yeon’s sincere words. He hadn’t known she was such a chicken enthusiast.

Should I have bought it earlier? As he thought about it, his mood naturally lightened. He couldn’t remember when he had last had a meal in such a comfortable and pleasant mood.

What a strange woman. He watched in amazement as Ha Yeon chattered away while devouring the chicken as if she were deboning it. And yet, the way she carefully looked after Ji Hoo made her seem incredibly capable.

He couldn’t understand why such behavior seemed capable, and a hollow laugh kept escaping him as if he were constantly deflating.

“I’m planning to send Ji Hoo to the art museum experience program tomorrow morning. Is that okay with you, Ji Hoo?”

Min Je paused mid-sentence to ask Ji Hoo’s opinion, and the boy, who was busy tackling a chicken leg, nodded and smiled brightly.

“Yes! I’d like that.”

The experience program, which operated every weekend, changed its activities quarterly, and the number of participants was steadily increasing.

“Oh, then what should I prepare?”

Ha Yeon asked, seemingly trying to grasp tomorrow’s schedule in advance.

“There’s nothing to prepare. While Ji Hoo is at the experience program, do whatever you want. Rest, take a walk, do anything you like.”

“What? You want me to rest?”

Ha Yeon’s eyes suddenly widened. She couldn’t help but be surprised by the unexpected break.

“That’s why I suggested coming to the art museum…”

Min Je said indifferently, as if telling her not to worry about it.

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

Ha Yeon thanked him, feeling dazed. What on earth was this man thinking, doing things like this? Was she misunderstanding his intentions when he was just trying to be nice to an employee?

‘This keeps making me expect more.’

She forced a smile to hide her complicated feelings.

Due to the change in sleeping quarters and her complicated feelings, she tossed and turned, causing her to wake up early. It was just dawn, but perhaps because the sky was heavily clouded today, the surroundings were dim.

Ha Yeon, seeing the weather forecast that predicted rain, quickly dressed and went outside. She planned to take a walk around the art museum’s trail before it rained.

As she entered the trail, the fresh scent of grass filled the air, improving her mood. As if to confirm that it would indeed rain, a few small birds flew low, passing by her.

It was still early, so the surroundings were very quiet. Due to the cloudy weather, it seemed that no one else was using the trail.

Ha Yeon took slow steps, listening to the occasional bird songs and insect sounds. Just breathing in nature seemed to be healing. The feeling of heavy, moisture-laden air filling her lungs was also pleasant.

After walking a bit further, she came upon a lake shrouded in mist. The lake, with its gray cloudy sky reflected on the surface and a faint mist spread over the water, was as beautiful as a scene from an ink wash painting.

‘I should have brought my drawing materials.’

As she was lost in thought, staring blankly at the scenery, she heard footsteps nearby.

Ha Yeon, suddenly alert, looked at the figure looming in the mist.

‘I guess there’s someone else taking a walk at this hour besides me.’

As she was about to step aside, the figure emerging from the mist was surprisingly a familiar face.

“Director?”

As Ha Yeon looked at Min Je with wide eyes, Min Je, who hadn’t expected to encounter her here, also widened his eyes in response.

“What brings you here?”

“I was out for a walk.”

They hesitated, not knowing how to handle this situation. After a moment of silence, Min Je nodded slightly and spoke first.

“Shall we sit for a moment?”

“Oh, sure…”

They sat side by side on a bench with a clear view of the lake.

The cool morning air and mist enveloped them as they flowed by. Just sitting on the bench made it feel as if daily life was suddenly flowing incredibly slowly.

“I didn’t expect you to come out this early.”

“They said it might rain.”

After exchanging a few words, the conversation broke off again. Ha Yeon fidgeted with her fingertips, feeling unnecessarily nervous.

‘There are definitely fateful encounters in this world!’

She couldn’t understand why her friend Yu Jin’s words, repeated many times, came to mind at this moment.

It’s just a chance encounter. Just like we don’t call it fate when we brush past many people on the street, meeting him this morning is simply a coincidence.

She knew all this, she understood it…

Yet her heart was racing uncontrollably.

‘Get a grip! Pull yourself together, Jang Ha Yeon!’

She let out a bitter laugh, self-deprecating. She felt so pathetic for being so easily swayed.

‘Right, this is just like being a fan.’

She forcibly fit her fluttering feelings into the guise of harmless admiration. With that, she finally found the courage to look at him with a smile.

“Director, do you always take walks this early?”

She asked a trivial question with a trembling voice. How foolish.

“Almost always when I sleep at the art museum. I like taking walks without running into anyone.”

Min Je glanced at Ha Yeon’s face. For some reason, her expression, tense enough to make her hair stand on end, kept catching his eye.

Even knowing it was rude to stare, he couldn’t turn his gaze away. Was being alone together such a nerve-wracking experience?

He didn’t dislike that she showed this side of herself only in front of him, usually being carefree and energetic. He also wanted to see what expression she would make if he got a little closer.

A twisted desire he hadn’t experienced even in puberty tempted him. He fought the urge to push her and make her blush.

It was an unpleasant and sinister feeling completely contrary to the refreshing morning.

What was this ambiguous feeling that followed him like a tag every time he saw her? It seemed like it would remain an unsolved mystery forever.

“Is it hard taking care of Ji Hoo? If there’s anything difficult, just let me know. I’ll do my best to accommodate.”

So he ended up steering the conversation towards work.

“It’s not hard at all. Ji Hoo is very mature and obedient. Thank you for your consideration.”

Min Je’s gaze deepened as he watched the woman’s voice warm up at the mention of Ji Hoo. He briefly considered revealing the secret about Ji Hoo that he hadn’t told her yet, but then closed his mouth.

“I’m grateful. For caring for the child, I mean.”

Ha Yeon’s eyelashes fluttered at his casually expressed inner thoughts.

No more. Don’t waver anymore. After repeating this to herself several times, Ha Yeon carefully composed her expression and said,

“It’s nothing. It’s only natural.”

Ji Hoo is a lovable child. So it’s natural for him to be loved. She didn’t want to receive thanks for that. It was truly just a natural thing.

As Ha Yeon shook her head, raindrops began to fall from the sky with a pitter-patter.

“Oh? It’s raining?”

“What should we do?”

They hurriedly stood up from their seats. If they hadn’t spent time sitting on the bench, they would have finished their walk by now.

The weather forecast is usually wrong, but why is it so accurate today of all days? The raindrops had already grown larger and were falling heavily.

“Let’s head over there for now.”

Min Je pointed to a large ginkgo tree. They ran to the shelter of the massive tree that could block the rain.

Splash, splash, the sound echoed as they ran through the pouring rain. Despite the short distance, they were completely soaked in just a moment.

Even under a large tree, they couldn’t completely avoid the rain. Raindrops fell through the dense leaves, but it was still better than being completely exposed to the rain without any cover.

“Are you alright?”

Min Je asked, brushing his wet hair back.

“Ah, well…”

Ha Yeon’s face turned bright red as she trailed off. Her clothes had become soaked in the rain, revealing the outline of her undergarments, which was quite embarrassing.

Ahem, Min Je cleared his throat. Unintentionally, his gaze had wandered to places it shouldn’t have.

He immediately began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Why, why are you…”

Ha Yeon’s eyes shook like an earthquake as she watched Min Je suddenly take off the shirt he was wearing. She was so shocked that she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

Meanwhile, she could only gape at how shocking the man’s bare body was. Despite having seen the shape of his chest and abs through portraits, it was not at all familiar.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the well-defined muscles as they flexed. As her heart was pounding so loudly she thought she might die, he came closer.

“I think this would be better.”

He wrapped Ha Yeon with the shirt he had taken off.

The distance was so close that she couldn’t breathe, but Ha Yeon thought hard. That she couldn’t just accept his kindness without question.

It was May, and the morning air was still cool. Moreover, if he got completely soaked in the rain with his bare body, he would surely catch a cold.

“No, you can’t. What about you, Director?”

Ha Yeon tried to give his shirt back. But he held onto the collar tightly and wouldn’t let go. So she ended up trapped in his hands, unable to do anything.

Min Je could proudly say that his action was truly done with no ulterior motive, only for her sake. He just wanted to help her in her predicament.

But when he saw her wet eyelashes trembling as he wrapped her shoulders, he was overcome with a strange feeling. Moreover, when her shaking eyes looked straight at his face, he barely suppressed the urge to mutter a curse.

Perhaps that’s why he couldn’t let go of the collar. Since he wouldn’t let go, Ha Yeon was surrounded by his shirt, unable to move.

Even as he thought he should release her, trembling like a pitiful animal caught in a trap, the hunter’s instinct suddenly reared its head.

The faint fragrance wafting from her rain-soaked hair instantly numbed his reason.

Her slightly parted lips, as she stared at him blankly, swam in his vision more dizzily than the pouring rain.

‘I’ve gone mad. I must be crazy.’

He muttered a curse and chuckled bitterly.