At the unexpected destination, Seojin’s eyes wandered aimlessly for a moment. Then he remembered that Euni and Manager Kim would be with him and slowly steadied his breathing.
Soon, Seojin relaxed his expression and spoke as though it were nothing.
“If it’s JS Gallery, the night view of Seoul should be amazing too.”
He remembered it being located on a mountainside on the outskirts of Seoul, so the scenery had been beautiful.
‘Ah, before that, it’s also the place where Shin Seyoung faces his first ordeal and makes contact with Yoon Haegang.’
Still, as long as he didn’t get out of the car, there was no reason for him to get dragged into it too.
“Thanks for saying that, Seojin. You’re really my lifesaver.”
Manager Kim showered him with an emotional look. Feeling slightly burdened, Seojin quickly took Euni’s hand and headed toward the entrance.
The three of them went down to the first floor. There were only three cars parked in the piloti-style parking lot, and one particularly large foreign car immediately stood out.
“Oh… what the heck. Don’t tell me, Seojin.”
Manager Kim, who had been following behind, asked in surprise.
“……Were you born with a silver spoon?”
“No. Of course not. If I had been, I wouldn’t be living in a villa like this, would I?”
“Then what’s this?”
“……A gift?”
Probably?
“Car-poor…….”
“I’m not, okay? The house is mine too.”
“Huh? Silver spoon?”
“I said I’m not.”
“Then what are you?”
“……A gift.”
Manager Kim seemed determined to get a proper answer somehow, but Seojin brushed him off vaguely as he opened the rear door and seated Euni in the child seat.
“Euni, you’re not uncomfortable, right?”
“Yeah!”
Judging by the way even her feet were swinging, she seemed extremely excited about going for a drive. Seojin smiled and closed the car door.
“I’ll drive. Seojin, you sit in the back with Euni.”
A realistic concern briefly crossed Seojin’s mind about what would happen if they got into even a minor accident.
“Don’t worry. People go out of their way to avoid expensive cars like this anyway. And I may not look it, but I’m a veteran with twenty-five accident-free years behind the wheel.”
As though he had noticed why Seojin was hesitating, Manager Kim drove the point home even more firmly.
“More importantly, wouldn’t Euni rather ride with her dad than with me?”
Once he put it that way, Seojin had no choice but to trust him with it.
Besides, he figured Manager Kim probably knew the fastest route from the office to the gallery better than anyone.
“All right, let’s go!”
At Manager Kim’s cheerful shout, Seojin checked Euni in the child seat one more time.
“Kyaa…… Let’s gooo!”
The child was too busy staring out the window with an excited expression, and Manager Kim glanced at the two of them through the rearview mirror before nodding in satisfaction. Only then did Seojin lean back against the seat.
Soon, they arrived at the building where the office was located.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll grab it and be right back!”
Manager Kim hurried out of the car, and before long, he returned holding a document envelope. Even though the roads were crowded with Friday-evening traffic, Manager Kim skillfully slipped through it. Before even ten minutes had passed, the Seoul nightscape began to spread out beyond the window.
“Wow! It’s prettyyy!”
Euni exclaimed, pressing her nose close to the window. Seojin gently stroked his daughter’s hair as well. Even then, his other hand resting on his lap couldn’t stop fidgeting.
The problem happened at the security booth just before they entered the parking lot.
“Huh? We can’t go inside?”
“Vehicles are not allowed in unless they belong to invited guests or staff. Today’s event is for invited VVIPs only.”
Manager Kim had opened the driver’s door to speak with security, and an awkward expression appeared on his face.
“Haah, then can a person go in? I have important documents that need to be delivered inside.”
“What is the guest’s name?”
“Yoon Haegang.”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll check.”
Manager Kim tapped his fingers anxiously against the steering wheel. Seojin also looked outside. Only a few streetlights were lit near the entrance, making the area look somewhat dark.
The gallery was probably only a little farther down this road. Then was Yoon Haegang waiting out front? The moment that thought occurred to him, his fingers curled again.
Just then, loud trot music blared from Manager Kim’s phone.
“Yes, yes, Boss! Aigoo, I’m already at the gallery. But they said cars aren’t allowed in, so I’m stuck at the entrance. Just a moment, I’ll put you on!”
Speaking awkwardly, Manager Kim held the phone out toward the security guard.
“It’s my boss. Here, take it.”
The guard accepted it with a puzzled look, spoke briefly, then handed it back to Manager Kim.
“The vehicle still can’t enter, but you may deliver the item and come right back out.”
“No, but then what am I supposed to do with the car…….”
That’s your problem.
Under the guard’s gaze that seemed to say exactly that, Manager Kim awkwardly clicked his tongue.
“Daaad, Euni has to pee…….”
While watching the situation, Euni whispered into Seojin’s ear. He hadn’t planned to get out of the car, but now there was no helping it.
“Yeah? Okay. Then just a second.”
Seojin pressed his lips together, then released them and tapped Manager Kim on the back.
“Manager Kim, give me the documents. I’ll deliver them.”
“Gasp! Seojin, are you sure?”
Manager Kim, who had been too busy arguing with security to hear the exchange behind him, brightened immediately. Even so, he couldn’t hide his apologetic expression.
“Euni needs to use the restroom anyway, so I’ll just deliver them quickly while I’m there. I only need to give them to the boss, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Seojin.”
Seojin smiled and got out of the car. He took the documents first, then lifted Euni into his arms.
“He said he’s at the gallery entrance right now, so you should meet him as soon as you get there.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.”
Seojin hurried away. After passing through a beautiful garden decorated with landscaping trees and sculptures, a single-story building came into view.
The gallery, which blended traditional tiled roofing with modern architectural techniques in an exquisite way, stood out even more beneath the bright lighting.
But what caught his eye first was Yoon Haegang, who was exhaling white smoke. Seojin wasn’t even close to him yet, but somehow it already felt as though the air itself had grown heavy and oppressive.
“Dad, when are we getting theeere?”
Seojin, who had faltered, quickly came back to his senses at Euni’s urging. After taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace. When he reached the front, Yoon Haegang glanced at Euni and asked,
“What’s that?”
Calling someone’s precious daughter that?!
Seojin bristled and furrowed his brow, only to smooth it out again immediately.
He couldn’t show Euni an angry face when she was right there.
“My daughter. Euni, say hello. He’s Dad’s boss.”
“Hellooo, I’m Noh Seojin Dad’s daughter, Noh Euuun.”
Embarrassed by the handsome man staring down at her, Euni twisted shyly from side to side. The way she nestled into her father’s arms and peeked sideways at the man in front of her was incredibly cute, but instead of smiling, Seojin handed Yoon Haegang the documents he was holding.
“Boss, here are the documents.”
It had already been quite a while since Euni said she needed the bathroom. She had to be nearing her limit by now, so there was no time to linger.
“I’ll be going, then.”
After watching Yoon Haegang open the envelope and check its contents, Seojin quickly slipped past him.
“Where are you going?”
But Yoon Haegang strode over with his long legs and matched his pace beside him as he asked.
“To, uh, take care of some business.”
“Ah. Then go ahead.”
As he said that, he jerked his chin toward the inside, leaving Seojin no choice but to enter the gallery with Yoon Haegang beside him. Fortunately, a restroom sign was visible not far from the entrance.
“I’ll see you Monday, Boss.”
Wanting to part ways with him as quickly as possible, Seojin bowed his head and turned away. Yoon Haegang was already outside his concern. The way Euni kept squirming in his arms felt like a warning that she had truly reached her limit.
“Dad, Euni has to pee…….”
“Yeah. Euni, we’re almost there. Just a little longer.”
Seojin stared ahead anxiously. He had definitely seen the sign earlier, but the restroom simply wouldn’t appear.
‘Where the hell is it?’
Only after turning several corners did he finally spot his destination, and his steps quickened. Someone was leisurely following behind him, but Seojin had no attention to spare for that.
Seojin rushed straight into the restroom and entered the first stall, seating Euni inside. Only when he saw the child’s expression relax did a sigh of relief finally escape him.
“All right, Euni. Shall we go out now?”
“Yeah!”
Seojin firmly supported Euni as she threw herself into his arms with a bright smile, but he froze as he stepped out of the stall.
The scent of roses was drifting through the restroom from somewhere.
It was definitely a smell he had encountered before.
Shin Seyoung’s pheromones, which he had happened to pass by on the street during lunch today.
The moment he realized it, Seojin instinctively pulled Euni closer to himself. He carefully drew in a breath, but he hadn’t been mistaken. The damp, sweet scent, almost as though soaked in water, seeped directly into his nose.
“Hngh…….”
Then, from the stall farthest in the corner, came a moan that sounded almost like a sob.