Eun Mi seemed surprised as well, as she let out a gasp.

“Are you making fun of me right now?”

Eun Mi raised her voice angrily, forgetting to use polite speech.

“Why would I make fun of you, Chairwoman?”

Min Je calmly replied while staring at Eun Mi with cool eyes. He looked extremely competent in maintaining a professional demeanor with her until the end, but on the other hand, it seemed like he was drawing a line that their relationship was only that much.

“Th-then, d-does that woman really paint, you say?”

Eun Mi, who had barely regained her senses, stuttered with an incredulous expression.

“Please refrain from using such terms to her face.”

Min Je frowned as he ran a hand through his hair. Noticing that his patience was starting to wear thin, Eun Mi bit her lip slightly.

She had a lot she wanted to say. But feeling like she would only repeat “that’s absurd” if she opened her mouth, she chose to back down for now.

“Fine, that’s for the director to decide, so it’s not my place to comment. But if you ever need my help, just let me know.”

Eun Mi emphasized “but if” as she glanced at Ha Yeon. Ha Yeon smiled at her, implying that wouldn’t be necessary.

Not expecting Ha Yeon to smile so smugly, Eun Mi frowned deeply. A woman she disliked. If Min Je hadn’t been there, she would have taught her a good lesson, which she regretted.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“Go ahead, we won’t be going far.”

As Min Je replied coldly until the end, Eun Mi turned on her heel and walked out of the gallery with exaggerated dignity.

Seeing her leave, Min Je sighed deeply as he ran a hand over his face. Then he said apologetically to Ha Yeon and Ji Hoo:

“Sorry, that must have been very uncomfortable.”

As soon as Eun Mi left, Ha Yeon quickly attended to Ji Hoo.

“Ji Hoo, are you okay?”

The child just nodded. His complexion was still pale, so Min Je and Ha Yeon exchanged worried glances.

“Could something have happened?”

Min Je asked Ha Yeon as he examined Ji Hoo’s appearance.

“No, that woman spoke confrontationally earlier, but Ji Hoo’s expression turned pale as soon as he saw her face before she even spoke to him.”

Hearing her words, Min Je muttered as if blaming himself:

“It’s my fault. I knew Ji Hoo didn’t like Eun Mi and tried to keep them from meeting, but I didn’t know she’d come today.”

Usually Ji Hoo got along well with various people without being picky. But there was one exception – Chairwoman Go Eun Mi. No matter how many times he asked what happened or why, the child gave no particular answer.

It was frustrating, but he couldn’t push the child. So he tried his best to keep them from meeting, but of all days, she showed up unannounced today.

Haah, seeing Min Je let out a deep sigh, Ha Yeon said:

“We should head home for now.”

“You’re right. Wait just a moment.”

While Ha Yeon watched Ji Hoo, Min Je packed up their things and loaded them into the car. He could have called Jun Won, but Min Je chose to drive himself.

“Take a nap if you’re sleepy.”

Ha Yeon, sitting in the back seat next to Ji Hoo, laid the child’s head on her lap. Seeing the child lie down powerlessly as if all his energy had been drained, Ha Yeon kept stroking Ji Hoo’s round forehead, feeling sorry for him.

After the child fell asleep, silence enveloped the car.

Ha Yeon’s mind was quite complicated due to worry for Ji Hoo and what Min Je had said earlier.

Glancing at Ha Yeon’s face through the rearview mirror, Min Je broke the silence:

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Ha Yeon flinched momentarily at the question, as if he had seen right through her thoughts. She tried to smile it off casually, but she felt she needed to address what he had said earlier.

“Are you really going to take my paintings to KIAF?”

Ha Yeon’s heart fluttered nervously, worried Min Je might say it was just a passing remark and ask if she really believed it. If he said that, what should she do? As she was having such useless thoughts, an unexpected answer came:

“Ah, sorry. I should have asked for your permission first.”

So that wasn’t a joke but the truth? Ha Yeon’s eyes trembled all over.

“Do, do I deserve such an opportunity?”

She felt pangs of conscience at the thought of hastily grabbing such a big chance suddenly given to her. After all, she was just a student on leave who hadn’t even graduated yet, and had never completed any notable works.

“Do you need qualifications to paint?”

At Min Je’s casually tossed question, Ha Yeon was momentarily dazed. She had never thought about it before. That painting wasn’t something you did because you were given some qualification.

“Ah, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I didn’t offer to tutor you because your skills are lacking. The tutoring is just a curriculum that connects from basics to practical work. Your paintings now are complete enough to be displayed in a gallery right away, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

He spoke more than usual. Knowing it was for her sake, Ha Yeon tried to calm her stirring heart.

“Then what… should I do?”

When Ha Yeon asked seriously, Min Je smiled and replied:

“Don’t feel burdened and just paint. Paint what you want to paint.”

Ha Yeon felt choked up for some reason. She didn’t know there would be someone to say such things to her. After her father passed away, she had given up on ever hearing such words again.

After steadying her tangled breath, she made up her mind. To seize the opportunity given. This chance that came to her life like a gift might never come again, so she should hold on to this luck tightly.

“Thank you, I’ll give it a try.”

As Ha Yeon answered in a clear voice, as if she had made up her mind, Min Je’s lips curved into a round smile.

“Just in case, don’t think I made this offer to help you. I’m not that soft. I made this decision based purely on your talent, so have confidence.”

Is this man so good at speaking, like someone appearing on a motivational lecture? Listening to him made courage well up like a spring, as if she could do anything.

So Ha Yeon thought. That now she might be able to say what she had been thinking about all this time.

She glanced at Min Je, then cleared her throat unnecessarily with an “ahem.” Originally she wasn’t going to say this, but perhaps because of his uncharacteristic praise, it seemed okay to say it now.

“Since you put it that way, I have something to say. Please answer comfortably, it’s really okay if you refuse after hearing it.”

At her somehow solemn voice, Min Je unconsciously gulped.

Something to say? It’s okay to refuse after hearing it… This is almost like a confession, isn’t it?

His hands gripping the steering wheel unconsciously tightened.

A confession? Is it really that? He chuckled as he realized his own mind getting carried away. He knew humans were self-centered and selfish creatures, but he didn’t want to realize it through his own behavior.

As a strange anticipation suddenly raised its head, he felt flustered yet a smile crept onto his lips. Still, he replied casually without changing his expression:

“What is it that you have to say?”

Then he glanced at her expression in the rearview mirror again. Seeing her look visibly nervous, he thought his guess must be right.

What should he answer if she confesses? As he was thinking that, Ha Yeon suddenly said:

“Well, I… I’d like to paint you, Director.”

“Huh? What?”

You want to paint me? At the answer that completely missed his expectation, his hand on the steering wheel slipped. The car swerved as it was driving at high speed. The car in the next lane urgently honked its horn.

Min Je gestured an apology towards the car in the next lane and barely managed to calm his startled heart.

“I’m sorry. It’s too much after all, isn’t it?”

Ha Yeon smiled awkwardly as she studied Min Je’s expression. Ah, I shouldn’t have said it. She felt self-loathing belatedly.

“No, it’s not too much…”

Min Je trailed off. Strangely, he felt a bad taste in his mouth as his expectation was off the mark.

What is this unsettled feeling? What was the term for this feeling again…

‘Disappointment.’

One word popped up precisely in Min Je’s mind. Surprisingly, it was the correct answer. There was no word that could more accurately represent his feelings in this situation.

He inwardly muttered harsh curses at himself for feeling disappointed that Ha Yeon’s words weren’t a confession, then said:

“I’m just surprised. I didn’t know you wanted to paint me.”

Even to himself, it seemed shameless to reply like this without changing his expression. But he was a person accustomed to speaking without revealing his emotions behind a poker face. So to Ha Yeon, it seemed like he didn’t consider this a big deal.

‘What a relief.’

She sighed in relief. It already felt like too much to receive tutoring, so asking to model as well seemed too shameless.

She wanted to work hard at whatever she was learning. Thinking that she had to paint something to exhibit at the art fair made her want to work even harder. So she wanted to paint from life rather than just plaster casts.

And Min Je, whom she met at the studio every evening, was the most suitable person to paint from life. It would be better to paint him rather than sit next to a plaster cast anyway.

His facial features were so distinct that he could rival any decent plaster cast.

‘As expected of a professional.’

If she had known he would accept so readily, she should have spoken up earlier without hesitating.

“I’ve never painted from life before. And it would be hard to find a model as worth painting as you, Director.”

As her words were about to be misinterpreted again, Min Je slowly stroked his chin. Was he finally going crazy? Her words sounded like “I’ve wanted to paint you for a long time, Director. There’s no one else I want to paint but you.”

“Hmm, hmm, well, it’s no problem. I’ll do it.”

Min Je cleared his throat to cut off his improper thoughts, then answered calmly.

“Thank you.”

Ha Yeon, oblivious to everything, smiled brightly as she thanked him.

Meanwhile, the car arrived in front of the house.

“Stay there. I’ll carry Ji Hoo.”

Min Je got out of the car and opened the back door to take the sleeping Ji Hoo. Since Ji Hoo had fallen asleep with his head on Ha Yeon’s lap, some contact between them was unavoidable as he tried to lift the child.

As Min Je slid his hand behind Ji Hoo’s neck, it brushed Ha Yeon’s knee. Seeing her body flinch, Min Je unconsciously looked up and their eyes met.

They were too close. Min Je stared at Ha Yeon’s face as if he had no intention of moving. As he neither backed away nor took Ji Hoo, but just kept looking at her face, Ha Yeon’s face gradually began to turn red in embarrassment.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

Ha Yeon stuttered out a question, wanting to somehow quickly escape this situation.

“No, just… Ji Hoo seems to have grown a lot. He’s heavier than I thought.”

Min Je smoothly delivered a crude excuse that she could accept, then swept his gaze over her face once more.

Her fluttering eyelashes and reddened lips kept drawing his attention.

“Th-then wh-what should we do?”

Ha Yeon stuttered her question, not knowing why his gaze felt so burning hot.

“What else, I’ll have to use my strength.”

Only then did Min Je lift Ji Hoo up and exit the back seat. Ha Yeon unconsciously let out the breath she had been holding and leaned deep into the seat.

Recalling the dizzying sensation when their bodies were close, she felt as if the ground beneath her feet was sinking.

‘Mom, Dad, what should I do?’

Ha Yeon wished there was someone to tell her what to do in situations like this – she felt like signing up for a class on it right away if there was one.