Min Je’s eyebrows twitched. Ha Yeon, realizing her mistake, quickly closed her mouth and awkwardly greeted him.

“G-good morning.”

Though his expression didn’t look like a good morning at all, what did it matter? One couldn’t spit on a smiling face, after all.

“Come see me for a moment.”

Huh? Maybe not? Judging by his current expression, it seemed like he could spit and curse at a smiling face.

“Ah… yes.”

Ha Yeon hesitantly followed him.

Click, the door opened, revealing a study. Ha Yeon stared blankly for a moment at the interior that resembled him so much.

The study, in shades of gray and deep mahogany, was decorated with meticulously organized documents and peculiar ornaments reminiscent of modern art.

“Sit down for a moment.”

Ha Yeon perched on the edge of the plush sofa he indicated.

“I called you to sign a contract. Not to eat you alive.”

He joked, seeing how stiff she was, but somehow her body seemed to stiffen even more.

“Ahaha, I see.”

Ha Yeon understood his words were a joke, but not knowing at which point to laugh, she answered with a strange expression, smiling with her mouth but not her eyes.

Twitch, Min Je’s eyebrows moved again.

Why did I like such a stern-looking man… Ha Yeon regretted the times she had squealed over his magazine and newspaper appearances.

If she had known he exuded such a suffocating atmosphere, she might have harbored different thoughts.

“By the way, did you write this resume properly?”

Min Je asked, flipping through the resume Ha Yeon had submitted beforehand.

“Yes, I wrote it properly.”

Ha Yeon tilted her head. Having done so many part-time jobs, how could she write a resume incorrectly?

“Hmm, I see.”

Min Je nodded. Although he had done a background check on her before, he had only focused on criminal records, so there were new things that caught his eye. For instance, that she looked younger than her age, or that she was an art student.

“Korea University, Department of Fine Arts?”

“I’m currently on a leave of absence.”

Ha Yeon rolled her eyes. What’s this? Is there something wrong with my background?

“Are you still painting?”

“Pardon?”

Ha Yeon’s eyes trembled at the unexpected question. No one had ever asked her such a thing before.

“Ah… well, no.”

She was about to casually say she painted occasionally, but faced with his sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through her inner thoughts, she ended up telling the truth.

“Do you have a specialty? Or something you enjoy painting…?”

Once again, Ha Yeon’s eyes stirred. Why was this man asking such questions?

He had hired her to take care of his son, so he should just ask about her experience or background in childcare.

“I mainly painted in oils.”

“I see.”

He closed the file he had been looking through with a thud and stood up.

“Follow me.”

Unsure how to react to his unpredictable behavior, Ha Yeon slowly followed him, wondering what this was all about.

Leaving the study, Min Je headed towards the farthest room on the first floor.

Click, as the door opened, Ha Yeon let out a small gasp.

Sketchbooks, easels, canvases, and sculptures were scattered around.

“This is…?”

“It’s where I paint. Well, you could think of it as a studio.”

Smelling the paint, Ha Yeon looked around the room with a slightly flushed face.

Seeing art supplies after so long brought a smile to Ha Yeon’s face. Her painting had been limited to doodling with ballpoint pens during breaks from part-time jobs, so professional tools were truly a sight for sore eyes.

“While Ji Hoo is at kindergarten, you can use this place if you want.”

Ha Yeon looked up at Min Je in disbelief upon hearing his words.

“What’s with that expression? Did I seem like such an evil employer that I’d work people to death without any consideration?”

He crossed his arms tightly with a sullen face.

“No, not at all. I’ve never had such an angelic employer in my life.”

Having done all sorts of jobs, Ha Yeon was equipped with automatic flattery for survival.

“Well, that’s true.”

His serious nod made Ha Yeon’s expression falter for a moment.

As she was looking around the room, examining various items, Min Je suddenly said,

“Show me your paintings.”

Her heart sank to her feet at his voice that penetrated deep into her eardrum.

Ha Yeon slowly turned her head to look into his eyes, trying to discern his intention.

Eyes without a trace of mischief, serious and straightforward. He sincerely wanted to see her paintings. But why…?

“Why my paintings…?”

“Just curious, that’s all.”

He tilted his head sideways and smiled slightly.

Her heart started pounding madly at the sight of his slightly creased eyes and exposed white teeth.

Ah, if nothing else, his smile was undoubtedly harmful to the heart.

“No need to feel pressured. I just want to see them, that’s all.”

Ha Yeon just nodded. She would have to show her paintings anyway if she used the studio. As he said, it was likely just simple curiosity.

“Yes, I’ll show you when I finish.”

But contrary to her thoughts, her voice trembled.

This was just a workplace, and yet… Somehow, it felt like coming to a nostalgic home.

Ha Yeon closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them. Her late father’s voice seemed to linger in her ears.

‘My daughter, will you show your finished work to Dad first?’

Her heart stirred uncontrollably. And Ha Yeon realized.

‘Actually, I wanted to paint.’

Her nose suddenly stung. While working various part-time jobs, she thought painting didn’t matter anymore. Survival was the priority.

But the moment she saw his face, that gaze that seemed to pierce through her heart, she realized her true feelings.

Ah, I wanted to paint all along.

Tears suddenly welled up. To hide them, Ha Yeon deliberately asked in a cheerful voice.

“What should I paint?”

“Anything. Paint whatever you want to paint.”

Ah, damn. Why does this man keep saying cool things that strain the heart?

Ha Yeon resolved to be more vigilant from now on.

Before long, time passed and Ji Hoo returned from kindergarten.

“Ji Hoo!”

Ha Yeon waved her hand, happily greeting Ji Hoo as he got off the school bus. As he entered through the main gate, Ji Hoo’s eyes filled with questions.

“What’s all this?”

No wonder, as part of the yard was all dug up.

“We’re going to plant sweet potatoes.”

“Sweet potatoes?”

Ji Hoo’s eyes widened.

Huh, surprised are you? Ha Yeon, amused by the child’s reaction, added an explanation.

“If we plant seedlings here, sweet potatoes will grow later.”

“R-really?”

But strangely, the desired reaction didn’t come out. Originally, Ha Yeon had expected Ji Hoo to react with ‘Wow, that’s amazing!’ or ‘I want to do it too!’

Ha Yeon had fond memories of playing in the dirt at her grandmother’s house in the countryside during her childhood. So she was confident that this activity would be beneficial for the child’s emotional development.

It was an ambitious plan to help the child’s emotions and also to get closer to the child by working together like this, but why is the reaction like this?

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy them from the store? Why go through all this trouble?”

The child asked, genuinely curious.

This kid, just look at his way of thinking. Ha Yeon snorted, utterly dumbfounded.

Like father, like son, how can their expressions and way of speaking be so identical?

“Haven’t you heard of terms like eco-friendly, organic, things like that?”

Ha Yeon listed some impressive-sounding words, raising her chin.

“Hmm, is that so?”

The child thought deeply for a moment, then said as if granting a favor,

“Okay, I’ll help too.”

Watching Ji Hoo roll up his small sleeves, Ha Yeon grinned. Well, whatever the case, the plan was a success.

While planning this, she never expected Ji Hoo to help with anything. She just hoped the child would play happily in the dirt, as children should.

In that sense, Ha Yeon handed Ji Hoo a small trowel. But when the child received the trowel, one of his eyebrows rose.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Only incompetent people blame their tools, son.

But unable to completely ignore the child’s words, Ha Yeon replaced Ji Hoo’s trowel with a hoe.

“The end is sharp, so be careful not to hurt yourself.”

“Yes, yes.”

This kid, where did he learn to answer so lifelessly!

Ha Yeon swallowed the words that were about to burst out. Be patient, all of this was prepared for Ji Hoo’s sake.

While they were each absorbed in their tasks,

“Kyaaaa!”

Ha Yeon suddenly screamed and trembled violently.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Ji Hoo looked up at Ha Yeon with wide eyes.

“E-e-earthworm…”

“Oh, is that all.”

Ji Hoo sighed, as if to say he got worried for nothing.

Hey, that’s not it. Why isn’t this a big deal? Earthworms are terrifying creatures!

Seeing Ha Yeon pointing at the earthworm with a shaking finger, Ji Hoo chuckled and picked up the earthworm with his hoe.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of this, noona?”

“Kyaaa! Get it away!”

As Ha Yeon recoiled in fear, Ji Hoo giggled.

Just then, the front door opened and closed, and Min Je came out. Dressed in an impeccable suit, he approached, having heard the commotion.

“What… are you doing now?”

The dug-up flowerbed, dirty clothes, screams… None of it was easy to explain.

“Ah, well, we were planting sweet potatoes. You said we could use the unused part of the flowerbed…”

Seeing Ha Yeon rolling her eyes, Min Je thought. Was this what she meant by ‘using’ the flowerbed?

It was clearly different from what he had in mind when he said ‘use’.

“You’re planting sweet potatoes?”

“Yes, sweet potatoes.”

Ha Yeon hadn’t particularly expected praise, but she thought he might at least say a word of appreciation for her effort.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy them from the store? Why go through all this trouble?”

She didn’t expect him to say exactly the same thing as Ji Hoo, as if copy-pasted.

Sigh, what should I expect? Ha Yeon sighed, resolving not to expect anything from these two.

“Are you going somewhere?”

Compared to her dirt-covered self, his pristine suit seemed to shine dazzlingly, prompting the question.

“Ah, I have a quick meeting about an exhibition schedule. Please take good care of Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo, you behave well too. And that…”

Min Je frowned, pointing at the earthworm wriggling on Ji Hoo’s hoe.

“Noona is scared of this.”

Ji Hoo said, as if revealing a great secret.

“I-it’s not that I’m scared, I just don’t like it. Isn’t this unpleasant to anyone?”

Ha Yeon laughed awkwardly, seeking agreement.

“I might be late. Don’t wait up, go to sleep.”

“Okay, take care.”

Father and son exchanged greetings, ignoring her question.

Wow, did they just ignore my words? Snorting, Ha Yeon waved her hand vigorously towards the departing Min Je, not to be outdone by Ji Hoo.

“Take care!”

The warm afternoon sunlight filled the garden.

Min Je turned back slightly as he stepped out, feeling something unfamiliar.

There, a scene he had never experienced in his life unfolded. People waving goodbye with smiles as bright as the sunlight.

Feeling somewhat ticklish, Min Je hurriedly left through the front door.