The two moved to a cafe near the art gallery.

“Please sit. I’ll bring it.”

When the buzzer rang, I Tae strongly prevented Ha Yeon from getting up and made her sit back down.

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Ha Yeon watched I Tae’s retreating figure and thought. That this person was someone with ingrained manners. Or else a playboy. Judging by his attitude, it had to be one of the two.

I Tae returned to the table with the drinks he ordered and a delicious-looking ice cream waffle, wearing an eye smile that melted women’s hearts.

“Here, eat it before it melts.”

He skillfully spread a napkin in front of Ha Yeon and placed a spoon.

“Thank you.”

It would be normal to feel comfortable with his kind attitude, but Ha Yeon felt oddly uncomfortable and kept feeling wary, which was quite troublesome as she ate the food in front of her.

“When did you start painting?”

He asked, looking contentedly at Ha Yeon eating.

“Not long ago. The work you saw last time was probably my first official piece.”

“Wow, really? I thought you were a veteran artist.”

It seemed like obvious flattery, but it was the first time she received praise for her painting, so it didn’t feel bad.

“If you give such an unrealistic compliment, it feels more like you’re mocking me.”

But Ha Yeon had lived a tough enough life not to be immediately swayed by someone’s words.

Seeing Ha Yeon’s unexpected reaction, I Tae seemed to feel an even stronger desire to make her his.

He wanted to make her fall for him, not Kang Min Je, to the point where she couldn’t escape. Then, after making her cling desperately, he wanted to discard her like an old shoe and plunge her into ruin.

Hiding the thrill he felt just imagining it, he put on an even kinder smile and said:

“Ha Yeon, you’re very modest. In my opinion, your skills are good enough that you don’t need such modesty.”

“Haha, enough with the flattery, don’t you want something from me?”

Seeing Ha Yeon who had no way of speaking indirectly, I Tae momentarily gathered his bewildered thoughts. Outwardly, he showed no sign, so his expression was no different from before.

“Since you ask so directly, it’ll be easier to talk about.”

Sensing that he was finally going to reveal his true intentions, Ha Yeon focused her eyes. Surely he’s not trying to lure me using my work as an excuse, thinking I’m naive.

“After seeing your work, I couldn’t look at any other pieces. How about signing an exclusive contract with our gallery to sell your work?”

Good heavens! He was a con artist! Ha Yeon immediately made that judgment upon hearing his words.

What merit could the paintings of an unknown artist like herself have to warrant an exclusive contract? There was only one answer.

‘This con artist!’

What should I do? Ha Yeon began to ponder how to escape this situation without either of them getting red-faced.

Seeing Ha Yeon thinking hard without answering, I Tae thought she was no different from others and smiled triumphantly.

“I guarantee we’ll price your work the highest in the industry. And we’ll do our best to support you in holding a solo exhibition.”

Every art artist dreams of a solo exhibition. Saying he’d do that, indeed, he was a con artist. A proper reaction is needed for a con artist.

“Oh my, really?”

When Ha Yeon raised her voice with a surprised expression, I Tae grinned smugly. There’s no one in this world without material desires. Who would refuse when offered wealth, fame, and power combined?

“Meeting me is truly your lucky break, Ha Yeon.”

Seeing I Tae immediately enter boasting mode upon seeing her attitude, Ha Yeon inwardly laughed.

“I suppose so. But I’m too cautious to accept such great luck, so I’ll think about it a bit more and contact you.”

“There’s no need to think about it, but if that’s what you want, I can’t help it.”

I Tae thought Ha Yeon had already stepped into the net he had set. He complacently thought that she couldn’t help but be caught after throwing out the most tempting bait.

Even until now, he didn’t realize that not everyone in the world was like him.

“You must contact me within three days.”

So he just handed her one business card, thinking he had done his part.

“I will. Thank you for the good offer today. And for the delicious tea.”

“Next time, let’s have an even more delicious dinner.”

After parting with I Tae like that and leaving the cafe, Ha Yeon frowned as soon as she got on the bus going to Min Je’s house.

‘He said he saw my work and found out my name, but he didn’t say anything about which part of the work was good or how.’

Recalling I Tae who seemed to be wearing a smiling mask, Ha Yeon shuddered for no reason. Somehow, she felt it would be better not to get involved with that person in the future.

As a rule, people with the same goal tend to form a strong bond. In that sense, these days Min Je and Ji Hoo had a bond that was unimaginable before.

After dinner, the two sat side by side on a bench in the garden, looking at the moon shining in the night sky.

“Winning someone’s heart isn’t as easy as I thought.”

“You’re right.”

Whew, they both sighed at the same time and momentarily shrugged their shoulders. They say blood doesn’t lie, but after spending years as father and son, their behavior patterns had unknowingly become similar.

“But it’s strange. It seems like noona likes dad?”

“Does it look that way to you?”

“Yes.”

As Ji Hoo nodded confidently, Min Je wished that was true.

But her reaction was somewhat ambiguous to believe that blindly. If she liked him, she wouldn’t try to run away, at least.

Min Je, who had only seen women approaching him until now, couldn’t quite grasp Ha Yeon’s feelings.

Suddenly, that waxing gibbous moon in the sky seemed like Ha Yeon’s heart. It resembled how the moon had waxed but wasn’t yet full.

“I’ll try a little harder.”

“Yes, fighting.”

It was good that they were in sync, but the content of the conversation was somehow gloomy. Just as Min Je, unable to hide his bitter feelings, was about to tell Ji Hoo to go inside, the front door opened and Ha Yeon came out.

“I’m not here to disturb, but it looked too good.”

She said, approaching with a slightly moved expression.

“We were looking at the moon.”

Ji Hoo pointed to the sky with a proud smile.

“It’s not a full moon yet, but the moon is exceptionally bright today.”

Ha Yeon’s gaze fixed on the waxing gibbous moon emitting a bright yellow light. Ji Hoo, who had been rolling his eyes, suddenly stood up from the bench and moved to Min Je’s right side.

If Ji Hoo had stayed where he was, the child would have been sitting in the middle, but because he moved, Min Je had no choice but to sit in the middle.

Realizing Ji Hoo’s intention, Min Je raised the corner of his mouth and gently stroked the child’s head.

“Come sit here.”

Min Je patted the seat next to him.

Hm? What’s this? Something seems different? Ha Yeon tilted her head and slowly sat down on one side of the bench.

The arrangement of the three sitting side by side on the bench looked unstable like the Chinese character for mountain (山), but at this moment, no one was there to point that out.

Since they said they were looking at the moon, Ha Yeon’s thoughts naturally turned to the moon.

“Ji Hoo, have you heard about the rabbit and the cinnamon tree on the moon?”

“Ah, the story about the rabbit making rice cakes by pounding a mortar?”

Ha Yeon, who had turned her head towards where Ji Hoo’s voice came from, flinched unconsciously. Ji Hoo was almost invisible, hidden by the large Min Je.

She leaned forward to speak to Ji Hoo, but her gaze kept meeting Min Je’s.

“Ahem, yes. So Ji Hoo has heard the moon rabbit story too.”

So she cleared her throat unnecessarily and turned her gaze to look ahead as she spoke.

“Eh, but they say that’s not true. They say people imagined it by looking at the shadows on the moon’s surface.”

“Oh? You already knew that?”

Surprised, Ha Yeon unconsciously turned her head towards Ji Hoo, only to meet Min Je’s gaze again and flinch.

No matter how much people are creatures of forgetfulness, to turn away after just making eye contact and then repeat the same mistake… Ha Yeon bit her lip slightly in self-deprecation.

Her breath caught at Min Je’s observing gaze. His sharp eyes that she liked so much, now gently curved, aroused a desire to permanently capture the moment, but she also knew well how dangerous that was.

“Come on, noona must think I’m a baby. Even the kids in my class know this story.”

“I-Is that so?”

Min Je happily watched Ha Yeon’s eyelashes trembling in embarrassment. Thinking that her changing expressions were much more interesting than the moon that could be seen anytime, he must be slowly going crazy.

‘But it’s not all bad to be obsessed with something.’

He thought quite comfortably, his eyes shining as he wondered what Ha Yeon would say next.

With Min Je sitting firmly in the middle of the bench like a mountain and silently observing the conversation, Ha Yeon felt flustered.

Moreover, her attempt to return to childhood and talk about the moon rabbit with Ji Hoo had also been thwarted. Tsk, kids these days learn scientific facts too early.

As she puffed her cheeks sulkily, Min Je couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“What are you so dissatisfied about?”

His low voice mixed with laughter sounded pleasant. Ha Yeon spoke to him as if complaining, deliberately not showing it.

“I just wanted to be the first one to tell Ji Hoo about it.”

Hearing this, Ji Hoo poked his face out from behind Min Je’s shoulder and said to Ha Yeon:

“Um, then I’ll pretend I don’t know. Noona, tell me the moon rabbit story. I’ll act like it’s the first time I’m hearing it from you.”

Your angelic heart is admirable, but that won’t work. Ha Yeon shook her head.

“It’s already lost its charm, I can’t do it.”

“Eh? How can that be?”

“How can it be? It just is.”

After bickering like that, Ha Yeon eventually had to tell Ji Hoo the moon rabbit story while putting him to bed later. These days, she often sat by Ji Hoo’s bed with Min Je to put the child to sleep, enduring the cringing pain while narrating the story to Ji Hoo like a fairy tale.

Coming out after putting Ji Hoo to sleep, Ha Yeon followed Min Je down to the first floor, watching his broad back. Now that she had finished the portrait, she needed to start painting in earnest for the art fair.

Ha Yeon stood in front of the studio, looking at Min Je with an expression that said she had something to say.

“What? You look like you want to ask something.”

Noticing this, Min Je shrugged once, telling her to speak. After hesitating, Ha Yeon asked what had been circling in her mind ever since meeting I Tae.

“I’m curious about what you felt seeing my work that made you give an opportunity to exhibit at the art fair to a novice like me.”

Min Je responded without much thought, as if casually throwing out words:

“When I look at your work, it’s just like you.”

Not fully understanding the meaning of those words, Ha Yeon twitched her eyebrows, and Min Je chuckled before adding:

“Just like you, once seen, it can’t be forgotten.”