Se Eun stared intently at Sun Woo’s red lips.

In fact, she had been constantly worried about falling asleep on his back yesterday.

As such, she was very curious about what he would say next.

However, instead of continuing to speak, Sun Woo abruptly stood up from the sofa and strode over to Se Eun.

“Here.”

As if nothing had happened, Sun Woo held out the fallen brush.

After hesitating for a moment, Se Eun carefully took it from him.

When she timidly looked up, he had a slightly dazed expression on his face.

“What were you…”

Perhaps because of that expression, Se Eun voiced the curiosity she would have normally just put aside.

“Hm?”

“…What were you going to say to me?”

“Ah.”

As his drowsy gaze seemed to regain clarity, Sun Woo soon blurted out a startling statement.

“Shall I take some off for you, Yeon Se Eun?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock.

But before she could protest, he tapped Se Eun’s thick coat.

“Do you need to wear this even inside the house? Ah, I guess you’re doing it because you’re conscious of me. But it’s so puffy, it looks like your arms won’t move properly when writing.”

“…It’s fine.”

“What’s fine about it? And you’re still wearing this kind of padded jacket?”

“Ah…”

Se Eun blushed in embarrassment.

Most of the clothes she owned were old ones that Mona had discarded, so they were quite outdated.

The padded jacket Sun Woo had just pointed out certainly had bulky arms like sausages, making it not very suitable for activities.

“It’s really fine… Oh my goodness!”

In an instant, Se Eun’s body twirled around once.

“I’m not fine with it. At least take off this padded jacket.”

As soon as Sun Woo finished speaking, Se Eun abruptly stopped spinning.

Somehow, the thick padded jacket had left her body and was now in Sun Woo’s hands.

Feeling suddenly stripped of her outer layer, her cheeks flushed even more.

“What are you doing…!”

“Why, you look much better. If I had my way, I’d like to take off that grandmotherly vest too, but that would require more delicate handiwork than just now.”

Startled by the dangerous remark, Se Eun quickly crossed her arms to cover her upper body.

However, Sun Woo’s gaze had already shifted to the padded jacket he had just snatched.

For some reason, he had a seemingly serious expression.

“Ki Sun Woo?”

When she called his name, Sun Woo quickly turned his head back.

Soon, he smiled brightly as if nothing had happened, his light eyes twinkling.

“I’ll hang up your coat properly. By the way, what are you going to write today? Samoyed? Chihuahua? Poodle?”

“…I told you not to worry about it.”

“I’m just curious about how many dog breeds Miss Yeon Se Eun knows.”

Instead of replying, Se Eun plopped down in her seat.

She thought that if she started calligraphy in earnest, he would naturally step back.

However, her expectation was completely off the mark.

Far from returning to the sofa, Sun Woo took up a position right next to Se Eun.

Then he fixed his gaze on the white rice paper.

“…Why are you staring like that? It’s burdensome.”

“I told you. I’m just watching to see what you’ll write. Don’t mind me.”

“…”

“I said don’t mind me and just do what you need to do.”

“How can I not mind when you’re doing that?”

Before she knew it, an annoyed tone flowed from her lips.

In response, Sun Woo’s chuckling laughter spread like a cloud above her head.

“That’s what you say to me every day. Now do you understand how I feel?”

At a loss for words, Se Eun began grinding the ink stick on the inkstone.

But even as she ground the ink, Ki Sun Woo showed no sign of moving away.

A strange tension lingered from the fact that he was standing right beside her.

Trying to ease the awkward atmosphere that only she felt, Se Eun blurted out something random.

“Do you… want to try writing too, Ki Sun Woo?”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s not difficult. Just dip the brush in the ink and write something you like.”

“…Something I like, huh.”

Was it her imagination that Sun Woo’s voice suddenly seemed to deepen?

Before she could examine his expression closely, he poked Se Eun’s forehead with his finger.

“I’ve been found out, Yeon Se Eun.”

“Pardon?”

“You really do like dogs, don’t you?”

“Ah…”

Once again feeling embarrassed, Se Eun lowered her hand holding the brush.

It was certainly cold until just a moment ago, but her cheeks felt hot now. Was it because she had taken off her thick padded jacket?

That’s when it happened.

He moved even closer towards the back of the chair.

Then one of his hands came down on the brush Se Eun was holding.

More precisely, on the back of Se Eun’s hand holding the brush.

“…!”

The heat rose instantly due to their overlapping hands.

There was only one brush, but two hands.

And such a large, unfamiliar hand at that.

His fingers were so straight and long that she kept looking at them even though she knew she should look away.

While she didn’t know what to do, a low voice flowed from above her head.

“Today, let’s just write about what you like together, Yeon Se Eun.”

For some reason, Se Eun couldn’t shake off that hand.

Nor could she let go of the brush.

*

Even though he had aged, Ko San still went to the company every day to oversee things personally.

His influence was still strong, so his schedule was quite tight.

As a result, it had been quite a while since everyone in the Ko family had gathered for dinner.

Normally, Ko San did not like to open his mouth during meals.

But even Ko Do Hwa, who always watched his moods, had no choice but to speak up this time.

“Father. Have you looked into where Se Eun is living?”

“…”

Instead of answering, a sharp gaze flew to the top of Ko Do Hwa’s head.

Since she had expected it anyway, Ko Do Hwa continued the conversation with a forced smile.

“I was thinking of going to take a look myself. The house has been empty for almost twenty years, so I should check if it’s in a livable condition…”

“There’s no need for that.”

Ko San cut her off curtly, showing his displeasure all over his face.

“Do Hwa, I heard you called Sun Woo and Se Eun to this house recently?”

“How did you… know that…”

“Don’t do useless things. I hate troublesome matters.”

“Oh, Father. I was just curious. You suddenly married off Se Eun without saying a word to me…”

“Since when have I ever consulted with you before taking action?”

Ko Do Hwa’s chopsticks froze in mid-air.

After her elder sister died, Ko San had been treating her more like a daughter than before.

Of course, she knew well that this was due to the special circumstance of the absence of the eldest daughter.

She had tried to subtly gauge his intentions, but Ko San’s attitude suggested it was futile.

He disliked anyone trying to fathom his inner thoughts from the start.

“Grandfather~ Please don’t get angry. Okay?”

Mo Na interjected between the two, putting on airs of sweetness.

Mo Na also had a goal she needed to achieve with Ko San today.

“Grandfather. It’s already been 2 years since I joined the company!”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. Some products I designed were released in the second half of last year, have you seen them?”

“If they sold well, I would have seen them by now.”

Mo Na shrank her shoulders for a moment at the sharp remark.

But for her, this was an opportunity she couldn’t miss.

After all, wasn’t it the time when Yeon Se Eun, whom Ko San had always considered a thorn in his side, had finally left this house?

He must be feeling somewhat relieved, so she had to seize this moment of vulnerability.

“So, about that~ I’d like to launch a brand under my name, and I was wondering if Grandfather could invest…”

Clang!

The chopsticks made a loud noise as they were thrown down onto the marble dining table.

Then a clicking sound of the tongue shot towards Mo Na.

“Mo Na, I thought you’d be a bit different from your mother, but you’re exactly the same. Exactly the same.”

“…Pardon?”

“A brand? Wasn’t it because of the halo effect of being Ko San Group’s granddaughter that you even got hired at that company in the first place?”

“…”

Mo Na tightly shut her mouth. She couldn’t completely deny it.

Moreover, judging by Ko San’s expression now, it was clear that if she pursued this conversation further, she would only face a backlash.

As both mother and daughter finally fell silent, Ko San picked up his chopsticks again and declared:

“Forget about any thoughts of starting unnecessary ventures.”

*

Ignoring her mother following behind her, Mo Na slammed the door shut with a huff.

She hadn’t expected him to give permission right away, but to be looked down upon like this.

The feeling of humiliation gave rise to anger and irritation.

“Ugh, damn it!”

As she swept away her proudly displayed works from the dressing table with both hands, the sound of jewels dropping to the floor could be heard.

Too disgusted to look, Mo Na didn’t bother picking them up and went straight to the bed, flopping down.

Her ambition, which seemed almost within reach, kept circling around the same spot.

There was only one reason for this.

“Where on earth is the Queen’s Tear?!”

That’s right. The special jewel that was both an heirloom and a symbol of the Ko San Group.

That jewel which her aunt, Ko Yeon Hwa, was said to have possessed.

According to her mother, Aunt was planning to unveil the ‘Queen’s Tear’ at the founding ceremony of the jewelry brand she was developing.

But now it had vanished without a trace.

No matter how much she yelled at or hit Se Eun, she only said she didn’t know.

If only she could find that, she could achieve what Ko Yeon Hwa had failed to do. It was unbearably frustrating.

Creating the jewelry brand that Aunt Ko Yeon Hwa had tried to establish, but under her own name.

That was Mo Na’s secret ambition.

And for that, the ‘Queen’s Tear’ was absolutely necessary.

Gnashing her teeth, Mo Na threw darts at the wall while sitting in place.

In the middle of the gray wallpaper was a photo of Se Eun.

Ever since her mother divorced and entered the Ko household when she was young, Mo Na had instinctively marked Se Eun as her enemy.

At that time, the picture-perfect family of her living aunt and uncle with Yeon Se Eun was too much for her to bear.

It was a very short, fleeting moment.

But even that brief instant of time was unacceptable to Mo Na.

One beloved and acknowledged granddaughter in this Ko household was enough.

Glaring at the brightly smiling young Se Eun, Mo Na whispered ominously.

“Just you wait. It’s me, not you, who inherited Aunt’s talent.”