But how did he know she had information she had collected about him? Although it was difficult to reason due to her drunkenness, Ha Yeon racked her brain hard.

“Yu Jin must have told you everything! This won’t do. That bad girl.”

Thinking Yu Jin had revealed all her secrets, Ha Yeon put her hands on her hips with force in her eyes. Though it was probably an action out of anger, to Min Je, it wasn’t scary at all but rather very cute, causing a chuckle to escape.

“I’d like to see the materials you’ve collected. Would you show them to me?”

Min Je gently coaxed Ha Yeon once again with a soft expression and tone.

“But… it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Ha Yeon hesitated, feeling awkward at the thought of him seeing the materials she had collected.

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like it’s a diary. If it’s just magazine and article clippings, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Hmm, is that so? Ha Yeon tilted her head at Min Je’s seemingly reasonable words.

Because she was in a slightly tipsy state, she failed to notice the hidden trap in his words. The fact that he seemed to know the contents as if he had already seen her files.

“In that case… wait just a moment.”

As Ha Yeon headed to her room, unable to refuse any longer, Min Je covered his mouth with one hand to hide his rising smile.

A little while later, Ha Yeon returned with a stack of files.

Wasn’t it just one? Min Je’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

“I guess I collected quite a bit as I gathered various things.”

Ha Yeon let out an awkward laugh. Min Je slowly flipped through the pages of the files, feeling an indescribable, strange emotion.

Most of what she had clipped was excerpted from art-related magazines, and there were even snippets of articles from local newspapers that no one paid attention to. Seeing that she had diligently collected even yearly exhibition pamphlets from the Liam Art Museum, Min Je asked with an intensified gaze.

“Did you come to Liam Art Museum often?”

“Um, mostly whenever there was a new exhibition. But I haven’t been able to go since my parents passed away.”

Hearing her words, Min Je muttered slowly.

“Why didn’t I recognize you sooner?”

If she had come to the museum often, they should have crossed paths. The fact that he didn’t recognize her made him feel like the saying about having a good eye for faces was all nonsense.

“We did meet once, from afar.”

Ha Yeon, interpreting Min Je’s words literally, smiled and pulled out a few photos. Min Je chuckled as he looked at the photos that were clearly taken secretly.

“Was my impression originally this… unfavorable?”

Min Je dramatically softened his words, nearly asking if he looked ‘dirty’ as usual. But his appearance in the photos looked so prickly and sensitive that there was no need to soften the words at all.

“Well, the director’s sharp eyes are part of his charm.”

Ha Yeon grinned broadly as she pulled the corners of her eyes outward with her fingers. Perhaps because she was drunk, she seemed to have no intention of hiding her emotions.

Min Je ran his hand over his face, which was starting to heat up, and regretted his actions. He wondered if he had made a mistake in asking her to show him the materials she had collected. Seeing how he now overlaid the affection of years of collected materials onto her gaze towards him.

No, perhaps it wasn’t her gaze that had changed, but his own gaze towards her. Otherwise, his heart wouldn’t be racing so madly at her smile.

“You’re so damn pretty.”

Min Je muttered in a cracking voice, as if suffering from a fever. Ha Yeon, who somehow understood him, shook her head and corrected his words.

“No, not pretty, but handsome. The director’s face is perfectly my type.”

Ha Yeon smiled a blinding smile again with her chin resting on both hands. Now he understood well that her drinking habit was to smile a lot and become honest. The problem was that he just realized how vulnerable he was to her drinking habit!

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Min Je let out a bitter laugh, suffering as if his patience was being tested.

At the same time Min Je was suffering due to Ha Yeon’s drinking habit, preparations for bedtime were in full swing at Ji Hoo’s kindergarten. The children, seated in a circle on their laid-out bedding, were in the midst of excitedly sharing stories in eerie voices.

“Ji Hoo, have you ever seen a ghost?”

“No, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

When Ji Hoo flatly stated this, the other children began to speak excitedly.

“No, they do exist.”

“Yeah, they even appear on TV.”

“My grandmother says she’s really seen a ghost before.”

As several children chimed in like this, Ji Hoo became perplexed.

‘But Dad said there’s no such thing.’

Min Je always said that. That there are no such things as ghosts. Even if there were, he said there’s no need to worry about such things because in this world, people are scarier than ghosts.

“My older brother told me a scary story, want to hear it?”

By now, the conversation had shifted from whether ghosts exist or not to spooky urban legends. The children huddled together under the dim sleeping light, their eyes shining with excitement. Ghost stories were something they wanted to hear, even if they had to cover their ears out of fear.

“There was a child who fell to their death from the school rooftop…”

Eek! Even with just one sentence, muffled screams erupted. Why do scary stories always have to start with someone dying? Ji Hoo hugged his pillow, his face turning pale.

“One day, a letter came from that dead child asking to meet. So the child’s friend waited in the classroom, and from far away, a sound could be heard. Slide, thump, ‘Oh, not here?’ The sound kept getting closer.”

The children were now completely absorbed in the story, holding their breath.

“The sound came from the next classroom. Slide, thump, ‘Not here either?’ And then the door of the classroom where that child was waiting opened…!”

At that perfect moment, slide, the classroom door opened.

“Children, it’s time to go to sleep now.”

“Aaaaahhhh!”

The teacher who opened the door felt her heart drop at the sudden burst of screams.

“What? What happened?”

“Nothing, we were just surprised because we were telling scary stories.”

Ji Hoo calmly explained, and the teacher clutched her startled chest.

“What if you can’t sleep after that? It’s time to go to bed now.”

“Yes, teacher.”

The children giggled as they went to their own bedding. Ji Hoo also lay down to sleep, but somehow sleep wouldn’t come.

‘It’s definitely not because I’m bothered by the scary story.’

Ji Hoo shook his head firmly and squeezed his eyes shut. Soon, the children began to fall asleep one by one. How much time had passed like that?

Slide, sli-slide…

Ji Hoo’s eyes snapped open at the strange noise. Huh? This sound? It’s like the sound the ghost made when it appeared in the urban legend his friend was enthusiastically telling earlier.

Ji Hoo looked around with a pale face. All the children were sound asleep, so there was no one suitable to ask.

Slide, slide…

Once again, the strange sound was heard. What should I do? As he rolled his eyes this way and that in the darkness, Ji Hoo gathered his courage and stood up, thinking he should protect his friends from the ghost.

And then he looked in the direction of the sound.

‘Teacher?’

That unidentified sound was coming from the direction of the sleeping teacher.

Snore, snore…

At the sound heard once again, Ji Hoo let out a sigh of relief, feeling deflated. The problematic sound was the teacher’s snoring.

The teacher, who had been busy all day for the enjoyable camp, had fallen into such a deep sleep out of exhaustion that they were even snoring, which Ji Hoo had mistaken for the sound of a ghost approaching.

‘Well, that’s a relief.’

Ji Hoo chuckled as he returned to his spot and lay down. And so, Ji Hoo finally fell asleep quite late.

At first, Ha Yeon was embarrassed, but as she pulled out more files, her expression became visibly excited.

“This exhibition back then was also amazing. I feel like I can still vividly remember the sculpture that was placed in the center of the second floor.”

From praises about past exhibitions,

“I think suits fit the director really well. Especially navy-colored ties suit you the best.”

To infinite positivity about appearance,

“How is your face so perfectly my type?”

To uninhibited expressiveness that couldn’t be seen normally.

As time passed, Min Je felt his patience reaching its limit and hurled bitter curses at himself for creating this situation.

He seemed to be breaking out in a cold sweat now from suppressing his dizzying impulses.

“Okay, okay. I now understand very well how you think of me.”

Too well, in fact. He sighed as he neatly organized the files Ha Yeon had scattered.

“Is it over already?”

Ha Yeon’s lips protruded in a pout. The greatest happiness for a fan is to freely boast about their favorite. Having been able to show her feelings that she had suppressed for so long without any hesitation, she felt disappointed when told to stop.

“Yes, if I keep listening, I don’t know how I might suddenly change.”

Seeing Min Je sigh, Ha Yeon tilted her head and then said with a broad smile.

“Even if you change suddenly, I’m sure you’ll still be cool.”

Haa, this is driving me crazy. Min Je ran his hand through his hair and stared blankly at Ha Yeon’s face.

Her clear face, exuding happy energy, evoked complex emotions.

“Thank you.”

For liking someone like me. Min Je gazed into Ha Yeon’s eyes, leaving the latter part unsaid.

Had he ever received such overwhelming love in his life? To him, who didn’t even know what parental love was, the affection Ha Yeon showed was like grasping an unimaginable fortune – bewildering yet invaluable.

The feeling of having a single ally in a world surrounded entirely by enemies. It was a better feeling than he had imagined.

One could live without knowing this feeling, but once known, it’s impossible to let go. No, he would make sure it could never be let go.

Min Je’s gaze, wandering on the edges of complex emotions, suddenly sparkled with intense possessiveness.

“Let’s go to bed now.”

He supported Ha Yeon to help her stand up.

“I can walk on my own. I’m not that drunk.”

Ha Yeon shook her head and staggered slightly, losing her balance.

“Ah, really…”

This is the limit now. Min Je let out a sigh and pulled her arm that he was holding, drawing her into his embrace.

Her small frame fit perfectly against his body as if made to be there.

“You smell nice…”

Ha Yeon giggled and wrapped her arms around his back, returning the embrace. Min Je stiffened at the unfamiliar feeling of her fragile arms enveloping him.

He thought he had rolled and tumbled through countless worries today, but it seems there was something even more intense left. Seeing how his reason crumbled helplessly like someone with no immunity to her body embracing him.

He lowered his head, buried his face in the nape of her neck, and deeply inhaled her scent. Then he hugged her tightly, let go, and whispered in her ear with a voice full of seductive energy.

“You asked if it’s over already? If you find it regrettable to end like this, there’s a way.”

What is it? Ha Yeon looked up at him with wide eyes.

“We can sleep together.”

Then there’s no way you’ll feel regretful. Min Je added smoothly with a sleek smile.