"Let’s go, Young Master Yi Kyung. He’s been waiting for you."
Only then did Seo Yi Kyung come to his senses at Butler Do’s words.
This is no time to stand here in a daze.
His heart pounded violently against his chest, but Yi Kyung forced his face into a calm expression and stepped forward.
Han Seung Jae, who had remained standing all this time, opened his large hand and took the umbrella from Secretary Park.
Yi Kyung hesitated for a moment. Perhaps noticing, Seung Jae extended the umbrella, creating ample space beneath it for him. Secretary Park’s gaze settled on the back of Seung Jae’s black suit. The steady drizzle was soaking through it.
"……"
Unable to stand by any longer, Butler Do gently placed a hand against Yi Kyung’s back. All he wanted was for Han Seung Jae and Seo Yi Kyung to grow closer.
Lowering his head slightly, Yi Kyung slowly stepped beneath the umbrella. Only then did Seung Jae move his long legs, which had remained rooted in place. Raindrops splashed across his polished black shoes. Butler Do hurried over to Secretary Park, who was standing in the rain.
They followed the two men ahead at a measured distance. Butler Do stared at the backs of Han Seung Jae and Seo Yi Kyung as they walked side by side, then turned his head slightly and whispered to Secretary Park.
"Director Han must enjoy paintings."
His voice was quiet enough to be swallowed by the rain. Perhaps that was why Secretary Park did not answer. Or was this simply how someone who served Director Han behaved?
In the end, Butler Do closed his mouth and turned to look where Secretary Park was looking.
Lights glowed on either side of the art exhibition’s entrance through the falling rain. Viewed from behind as they climbed the steps together, the two men looked like a loving married couple.
With the navy jacket draped over his arm, Butler Do quietly exhaled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Young Master Yi Kyung’s life had contained nothing but painting. Whether he was happy or sad, even when he laughed aloud, paintings had always been there beside him. So perhaps this was one blessing amid all the misfortune. What were the odds that Director Han would also happen to like the one and only thing Yi Kyung had?
"……"
Tap, tap. Raindrops struck and shattered against the umbrella, intruding upon the silence. Beneath his dress shirt and vest, Yi Kyung’s chest rose and fell faintly.
They were so close that he worried Seung Jae might hear his heartbeat. Whenever the elbow of his cast brushed Seung Jae’s black suit as they walked, he flinched.
Stealing a sideways glance, he saw blue veins standing out across the back of Seung Jae’s large hand where it gripped the umbrella. Was it because of the rain? The white agarwood pheromones clinging to Seung Jae’s hand and black suit seemed unusually intense.
His chest tightening, Yi Kyung slowly turned his head. Even then, he had to lift his chin farther to see Seung Jae’s face. He had just hesitantly raised his gaze as far as Seung Jae’s sharply defined nose when the click of approaching heels sounded through the rain.
"Welcome. We received word that you were coming and have been waiting for you. Thank you sincerely for taking an interest in our Artelier Gallery."
Im Jeong Yoon, who introduced herself as the director of Artelier Gallery, wore a radiant smile. Her bobbed hair framed a face whose softly curving lips were coated in pale lipstick. The two employees standing behind her bowed politely in greeting.
Her gentle voice flowed between the sounds of the rain.
"If you don’t mind, may I guide you through the artwork?"
Im Jeong Yoon’s gaze settled on Yi Kyung. He nodded. This was actually for the best. Not only did he know very little about art, but looking at paintings alone with Seung Jae would have been so awkward that he doubted he could concentrate on anything.
Secretary Park approached and took the umbrella from Seung Jae’s grasp. As though he had been waiting for precisely that moment, Butler Do unfolded the navy suit jacket draped over his arm and placed it around Yi Kyung’s shoulders.
The rain had left the interior of the building somewhat chilly. The moment they stepped through the glass doors, they were met by a massive crystal installation in the very center of the lobby, tall enough to nearly touch the ceiling. Beside it stood an enormous display showing a panorama of the artists whose works were being exhibited there.
The exhibition hall was silent now that visiting hours were over. Light poured from the ceiling, every beam focused upon the paintings displayed along the walls. Im Jeong Yoon’s voice carried through the illuminated space.
"……Isn’t this entire forest, cultivated with nothing but brush and paint, truly beautiful?"
Yi Kyung followed the direction of her hand and looked at the painting before him. It was filled with dreamlike trees in every imaginable color.
As they toured the exhibition while listening to Im Jeong Yoon’s explanations, his fear gradually subsided. The fact that he was not alone with Seung Jae brought him further relief.
A short distance away, Secretary Park was handling work on his tablet. Butler Do, standing beside him, remained preoccupied with monitoring Yi Kyung’s complexion, though his own gaze repeatedly drifted toward the paintings.
Yi Kyung listened closely as Im Jeong Yoon explained everything from the painstakingly rendered petals filling an entire canvas to the fact that the flowers blooming along a slender branch were red plum blossoms.
He became completely absorbed in her stories, from anecdotes about an expressionist painter whose work bordered on photorealism to the process behind a painting by a first-generation master of abstract art. Perhaps he simply wanted to escape the pressure emanating from Seung Jae by immersing himself in her words.
Throughout the entire exhibition, not a single word passed between the two men. In a space displaying works by nearly thirty artists, only Im Jeong Yoon’s voice echoed.
"The painting before you is Artist Seok’s signature work."
Yi Kyung’s gaze followed her fingertip and came to rest upon the painting.
Sunlight streamed through a window surrounded by blossoms, evoking a languid afternoon. It felt so peaceful that he could almost imagine himself standing by that window, gazing outside.
Im Jeong Yoon, who had begun walking toward the next piece, suddenly stopped and stared fixedly at something.
When her voice fell silent, Secretary Park looked up from his tablet. After observing the situation, he approached her and spoke. Im Jeong Yoon’s eyes immediately lit with delight.
Her pale lips moved slightly. As though confirming the intuition she had harbored for some time, she murmured in a voice only Secretary Park could hear, "Director Han really isn’t interested in the paintings, is he?"
Several days earlier, upon being informed that Director Han would visit, Im Jeong Yoon had personally volunteered to conduct the tour. Director Han of Myungjun Group possessed an exceptional eye for investments.
If word spread that he had taken an interest, not only would the artist’s market value soar, but Artelier Gallery’s own standing would change as well.
Artelier Gallery was, after all, the organizer of a commercial art exhibition. Selling paintings was part of its business.
Im Jeong Yoon had spared no effort, delivering lengthy explanations without once pausing to rest, yet Han Seung Jae appeared to let every word wash over him.
Rather than looking at the paintings, he had been watching Seo Yi Kyung.
Apparently unaware of his gaze, Yi Kyung merely stared as though entranced at the painting depicting a languid afternoon.
After finishing the tour, Seo Yi Kyung stepped outside the Artelier Gallery. They had spent more than an hour viewing the paintings.
Han Seung Jae reached out and took the open umbrella from Secretary Park. He left Butler Do no opportunity to intervene.
As Seung Jae’s umbrella covered Yi Kyung’s head, a deep shadow fell across his pallid face.
The two descended the steps side by side, retracing the path they had taken earlier.
Butler Do moved alongside Secretary Park. Secretary Park soon hurried ahead, but Seung Jae personally opened the sedan’s rear door. Butler Do’s eyes wavered almost imperceptibly.
Yi Kyung climbed into the sedan Seung Jae had arrived in, while Secretary Park took the front passenger seat. There did not seem to be any place for Butler Do. After a moment’s hesitation, he climbed alone into the car waiting behind them. The two vehicles traveled along the same route.
Their destination was the lounge of an exclusive restaurant. Yi Kyung watched the raindrops strike the vast windows and stream down the glass. Viewed from the hundred-and-twentieth floor, the nighttime cityscape below was beautiful enough to send a thrill through him.
Perhaps visiting the exhibition had left him feeling sentimental. As he watched the rain fall, he found himself drifting into contemplation. Looking at paintings had not been as bad as he had expected. Some of them had even made him feel at peace.
He imagined the face of an artist he had never seen and found himself wondering about them. But his thoughts did not last long.
"Are you going to keep doing that?"
"……?"
Yi Kyung slowly turned his head. Seung Jae’s eyes had narrowed slightly. Extending one long arm, he set a plate down in front of Yi Kyung.
As though drawn to it, Yi Kyung lowered his gaze to the steak, which had been cut into bite-sized pieces. Then he raised his head again and looked at Seung Jae.
Just how long had Seung Jae been watching him?
Yi Kyung’s expression turned briefly contemplative. Had he done something to displease him?
"You haven’t looked at me once this whole time."