Seeing Ha Yeon’s wavering eyes, Min Je continued speaking.

“I think anyone who sees your work will feel that way. The artwork will keep lingering in their minds, right? It will keep flashing before their eyes, making them think for days about how much they want to own that piece, until they finally come to the gallery to buy it.”

Watching him speak with such confidence about something that hadn’t happened yet, as if he had already seen it, Ha Yeon felt her heart flutter wildly.

“Director… how do you know such things?”

Seeing Ha Yeon’s obvious disbelief, Min Je chuckled.

“I may not look it, but I’ve been in this field for 15 years already. Call it foresight, if you will? Anyway, I’m confident in my eye for art, so trust me.”

He grinned and patted Ha Yeon’s head. At his somewhat clumsy and awkward touch, Ha Yeon felt the boundaries she had carefully maintained crumbling helplessly.

Most people in this situation would say, ‘You need to do well. Try your best.’ But he took all the burden placed on her with just the words ‘Trust me.’ Perhaps it was only natural that she, left alone in this world, felt the desire to rely on him.

She wanted to fall into his arms and lean on him completely. For some reason, she felt certain that he would unconditionally take her side. However, Ha Yeon barely managed to nod, suppressing the urge to jump into his arms right then and there.

“Your words give me courage. I’ll work hard.”

Ha Yeon buried all her complex emotions deep in her heart and smiled brightly. Somehow, that seemingly pitiful smile was etched into Min Je’s eyes.

Several days passed, and Saturday arrived. This was the day Yu Jin was supposed to visit.

When Ha Yeon cautiously asked Min Je about Yu Jin’s visit, he replied:

‘If it’s a friend you vouch for, it’s perfectly fine.’

Had she gained his trust? If so, it was somewhat touching. It felt like she had become someone a little meaningful in his life.

Ha Yeon went out to the gate to greet Yu Jin at the time of her arrival. She did this not only to welcome her but also to give her some warnings.

“Listen! Don’t reveal that I’ve been fangirling over Director Kang Min Je. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Wow, the house is nicer than I expected?”

Seeing Yu Jin’s halfhearted response, Ha Yeon didn’t believe her words at all.

“Please, just visit quietly and leave.”

“You’re acting like I’m some kind of troublemaker.”

If I looked at your face, I’d have no choice but to think that way. Ha Yeon couldn’t bring herself to say that and just laughed awkwardly.

Unlike her usual self, Yu Jin had dressed up excessively and was looking around with sparkling eyes. Her curly hair that seemed meticulously styled with a curling iron, large dangling earrings that glinted with every movement, and even high heels she rarely wore – she came fully armed. Anyone would feel uneasy seeing that appearance.

“Hello? You must be Ji Hoo.”

Yu Jin lowered herself to meet Ji Hoo’s eyes as she entered the foyer and greeted him.

“Hello.”

Ji Hoo’s eyes showed considerable confusion at Yu Jin’s appearance and tone, which were completely opposite to Ha Yeon’s.

“Call me Aunt Yu Jin. As expected, you’re exceptional from a young age. Ji Hoo, you’ll probably break many hearts when you grow up, huh?”

“What? W-why would I make women cry?”

Ji Hoo’s eyes wavered at Yu Jin’s blunt words.

“Can’t you watch what you say?”

Ha Yeon lightly hit Yu Jin’s back with her palm, giving her a meaningful look. Especially in front of a child, one should be careful with their words.

“Geez, you’re so picky.”

As Yu Jin shrugged her shoulders once, Min Je came out to the living room, seemingly having heard the noise.

“Oh, Director Kang Min Je? Nice to meet you. I’m Park Yu Jin.”

Ha Yeon exhaled in exasperation as she saw Yu Jin immediately change her expression and offer a handshake. Yu Jin had always been brazen and unconcerned about others’ opinions since their school days.

To put it nicely, she was overflowing with confidence, which led her to consistently take on roles like class president, student council president, and department representative. As a result, she was always at the center of gatherings and had a wide network.

Min Je grinned as he saw Yu Jin’s outgoing personality and took her outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kang Min Je.”

He found it quite interesting that two people with completely different personalities were best friends.

“I’ve heard so much about you from her that it doesn’t feel like we’re meeting for the first time…!”

Ha Yeon firmly stepped on Yu Jin’s foot, who had clearly ignored her warnings.

“Did Ha Yeon talk about me?”

Min Je stroked his chin with an intriguing look in his eyes.

“Of course, I’m close enough with Ha Yeon to talk about anything. She praised you so much, saying what a good employer you are. Hohoho.”

Ah, my head. Ha Yeon put her hand to her forehead as she watched Yu Jin exaggerate.

“Ah, just a good employer, I see.”

Min Je mumbled in a somewhat skewed tone. Yu Jin, quick to catch on, narrowed her eyes and let out a meaningful laugh.

What’s wrong with her now? As Ha Yeon raised her eyebrows with an uneasy feeling, Yu Jin smoothly asked questions as if she had seen everything.

“By the way, do you have a separate place to store artworks at home? I heard art enthusiasts often have such spaces. It’s been my dream to see something like that.”

Did she eat something wrong today? Ha Yeon gaped blankly at Yu Jin, who seemed determined to act like a fool.

While Yu Jin was usually outgoing and overly friendly without being shy, she wasn’t rude. She wasn’t the type to blurt out words so strangely like today. As Ha Yeon blinked and watched, Min Je answered.

“There’s a separate storage room for artworks in the basement.”

“Oh my, really?”

Yu Jin exclaimed with unnatural amazement, her eyes sparkling.

‘Wow, what an actress.’

As Ha Yeon chuckled in disbelief, Min Je said:

“Well, it’s not difficult to show you.”

Ha Yeon’s shoulders twitched at his words. She herself had never been to the basement art storage room yet.

As she was trying to compose her somehow complicated feelings, Min Je continued:

“I’m showing you specially because you’re Ha Yeon’s friend.”

Ha Yeon’s shoulders twitched again. Not only Yu Jin but Min Je was also acting quite strange. Doesn’t he know that speaking like that could easily lead to misunderstandings?

“Of course, I’m so happy to be Ha Yeon’s friend.”

Hearing Yu Jin’s actor-like tone, Ha Yeon sighed, thinking it didn’t matter anymore.

In the basement, there was a space Min Je had put his heart and soul into. Most artworks are greatly affected by humidity and temperature. Even if you own expensive artworks, improper management can ruin them. That’s why Min Je created a storage room in the basement that controls humidity and temperature.

Beep, the door opened as he entered the password.

“Once the door closes, it can’t be opened from the inside, so be careful.”

Min Je said as he opened the door wide. It seemed the door was designed to open only from the outside to prevent theft, given the high value of the works inside.

“Wow, it’s amazing.”

Yu Jin raised her voice as she saw the paintings and pottery on the walls.

The artworks were neatly displayed according to specifications in a spacious area that could be called a small art museum. Automatic sensors for adjusting humidity and temperature could be seen attached to various parts of the walls.

Ha Yeon, also seeing this sight for the first time, was dumbfounded and couldn’t take her eyes off the artworks.

“This painting has quite a story. It’s a work by the late painter Kim Hyun Woong.”

“Painter Kim Hyun Woong?”

Ha Yeon’s eyes widened. Kim Hyun Woong was a painter who became famous after his death when his works were recognized for their value.

“This painting was forcibly handed over to me when that old man couldn’t repay the money he borrowed from me. At that time, I had given up on getting the borrowed money back…”

Min Je stood in front of the painting and explained enthusiastically. Ha Yeon was so engrossed in his story that she listened intently.

Yu Jin quietly retreated, making sure her footsteps were silent.

‘What are friends for? You should be really grateful to this sister.’

She left the storage room carefully with a triumphant smile, gently closing the entrance door.

Beep, click. The sound of the door locking was truly delightful.

“Don’t worry, I’ll open it in two hours. Good luck.”

Yu Jin left the basement leisurely with a wide grin, muttering about what fun things she should do with Ji Hoo in the meantime.

“…In conclusion, it was a business that made at least ten times profit. I didn’t know the painting’s price would skyrocket like that after his death.”

“It’s amazing that such things can actually happen.”

They were enjoying their conversation when they realized they had forgotten about Yu Jin’s presence. At that moment, the lights in the storage room suddenly went out with a pop.

“Huh? Why, why is it suddenly like this?”

Ha Yeon looked around in surprise. The storage room was very dark, with only light coming from the emergency exit and automatic sensors.

“The entrance door has closed.”

Haah, Min Je sighed and ran his hand through his hair once. This storage room was set to automatically turn off the lights exactly five minutes after the door closed. In other words, they had been chatting excitedly for five minutes without realizing the door had closed.

He had been unable to take his eyes off Ha Yeon’s focused expression, unconsciously losing himself. Min Je smiled bitterly in self-deprecation. In his entire life, there had been only a handful of times when he had been so defenseless.

At that moment, Ha Yeon was also self-deprecating. She rolled her eyes in embarrassment as Yu Jin was nowhere to be seen.

“She must not have heard your explanation properly earlier, Director. She wouldn’t have closed the door on purpose.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. I don’t want to blame anyone, but…”

He paused while rummaging through his pockets, then sighed again.

“I didn’t bring my phone. You?”

“What? Me, me neither.”

The lack of means to contact anyone meant they would have to wait endlessly until someone came to open the door again.

“She’ll be back soon. For now, let’s sit down.”

Min Je sat down on the floor with a thud. As Ha Yeon couldn’t do anything about the situation either, she reluctantly sat down on the floor as well.

They sat on the dark storage room floor, leaning their backs against the wall, and after a while, they chuckled, finding the situation incomprehensible no matter how they thought about it.

“I never thought I’d be locked up in a place like this in my life.”

“I know. I guess you really can’t predict what will happen in life.”

As they spoke in the darkness, their hands brushed against each other. Ha Yeon’s body trembled once, involuntarily.

“If you’re scared, shall I hold your hand?”

Instead of moving away from her, Min Je slowly enveloped Ha Yeon’s hand.

Gulp, Ha Yeon swallowed dryly and slowly nodded. Although she didn’t feel particularly scared being with him, somehow she couldn’t bring herself to push his hand away.

Ha Yeon rationalized this moment, thinking it must be because the darkness gave her courage.

The touch of their joined hands was warm. It felt like a ticklish sensation was spreading throughout her body from her palm.

If just holding hands felt like this, what would it be like if other parts touched? Ha Yeon’s eyelashes fluttered at the sudden question that popped into her mind.

Eyes now accustomed to the darkness could see much more than before. For instance, Ha Yeon’s flushed face, clearly showing her tension.

Min Je’s gaze moved from her blushing cheeks to her quivering lips, unable to look away.