Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: The Best Gift
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Actually, I thought CEO Yun had simply bought the painting because she liked it, without any special meaning.
No, that had to be it.
A painting chosen instinctively, without her even realizing it.
'Now that I think about it, I get why she bought this painting.'
Daeun said.
CEO Yun had bought paintings from me that featured Hyorin and me.
That was something I only realized after looking back at the paintings she'd purchased.
There was actually a special pattern in the paintings CEO Yun had bought.
'You can feel the parents' love through my paintings.'
She'd said that she and her parents had been separated when she was very young.
That meant she might not have fully experienced her parents' love.
In fact, CEO Yun had told me she started every day by gazing at the paintings.
A day that began with her parents' love.
Perhaps that was something she'd longed for her entire life.
"As expected of you, Daeun. You've put into words exactly what the artist's works mean to me."
Swish.
As she spoke, CEO Yun subtly turned her head to gaze at the paintings filling the room.
"At first, I didn't understand it. Why I was so obsessed with the artist's pieces. They're just paintings, yet I couldn't bear to let them go—I couldn't even explain it to myself. But now I get it. I understand what they mean to me."
"Auntie sees mom and dad too?"
When Daeun asked curiously, CEO Yun gave a faint smile in response.
...What?
'Sh-she smiled?'
CEO Yun's subtle smile was quite the shocking sight.
"At first, I didn't see it. But now I think I do. I see what you see, Daeun."
Then she turned to me and said,
"Thank you sincerely for letting me feel these emotions."
"Ah...."
Paintings can be interpreted in various ways depending on the viewer.
But I never imagined mine could evoke emotions in someone like this.
"That's why I'd like to give a gift to the artist who made me feel this way."
"A gift?"
"Yes. I'd love to give you money, but I know you wouldn't accept it."
I wondered what kind of gift she had in mind.
Swish.
CEO Yun bent down and spoke to Daeun.
"Daeun."
"Yes!"
"Would you like to pick one of Painter Kanghyeok Lee's paintings here?"
"Oh, Daeun can take a painting home too?"
She beamed.
"Yes, I'd like to give you one of the paintings here, Daeun."
At the mention of giving away a painting, my eyes widened.
"C-can you really give that away?"
"Yes. Honestly, I'd like to give you even more."
Swish.
CEO Yun looked at Daeun with fond eyes and said,
"But I think this is the best gift I can offer."
At first, I couldn't understand.
Why would a painting be the best gift?
But belatedly, I realized what she meant by offering a painting.
'You want to give it to Daeun.'
In a way, CEO Yun might have felt sorry for Daeun, who was in a similar situation to her own.
Especially after returning to the US and seeing these paintings.
"So, Daeun, pick the one you want. I'll give you one."
Daeun's face lit up with delight at those words.
Her eyes sparkled as she scanned the paintings.
"I can really take one?"
"Yes, go ahead and choose."
"Okay!"
With that, Daeun hurried into the inner room where the paintings were displayed, examining them with an excited expression.
In the meantime, I spoke to CEO Yun, who was watching Daeun with a warm smile.
"You look good when you smile."
Sigh.
At my words, CEO Yun's expression vanished in an instant.
"Ah, did I?"
It seemed like she reverted to her usual self once she became aware of it.
"Yes. It might be hard to control right now, but with a little more time, it'll be fine, don't you think?"
Her father wouldn't be a source of anger for CEO Yun anymore.
At my words, CEO Yun gazed at me quietly before replying.
"I hope so."
"It will be."
"Thank you."
If anything, I should be the one thanking her.
She was handing over an important piece to us for Daeun's sake.
Her thanks made things feel awkwardly formal, so I smiled faintly, looked toward Daeun who had wandered off a bit, and said,
"Then I'll go help Daeun pick one."
"Sure. I'll head downstairs and grab something light to drink. Take your time."
"Yes, thank you."
CEO Yun nodded slightly and went down to the lower floor. Smiling, I called out to Daeun.
"Daeun!"
To pick out CEO Yun's gift together.
Daeun examined the paintings for a long while.
I thought she'd decide easily at first, but it seemed more difficult than expected.
So I approached her and asked,
"Why is it so hard to choose?"
Nod.
"Yeah, it's hard for Daeun."
She pouted her lips.
'She's really struggling.'
I thought she might just be saying that, but she was genuinely having trouble.
They all looked the same to me, but Daeun saw them differently.
I respected Daeun, but I was curious.
What exactly made choosing so hard?
"What's so difficult?"
"If Daeun picks one, the painting will be sad."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Whoosh!
Daeun looked straight into my eyes and repeated,
"It'll be sad!"
Sad? It was hard to understand, but I smiled as best I could and asked again.
"Wh-why would the painting be sad?"
"Because Daeun picks it!"
"So why would it be sad if you pick it?"
"Well....!"
Daeun mumbled, struggling for words.
What was the problem that she couldn't choose?
I asked, but it didn't provide a clear answer.
Daeun pondered in front of the paintings for a long time again.
Eventually, she seemed unable to decide and asked me,
"Daddy, pick one."
"Is it okay if Daddy picks?"
"Yeah, Daeun can't choose."
I was willing to help since she couldn't.
Swish.
I went to her side to look at the paintings together.
"Let's see...."
As I drew closer to examine them, forgotten memories began to bloom vividly.
There were paintings I'd done while snacking with Hyorin, and ones that had taken over a month to complete.
All of them were connected to Hyorin in some way.
One painting caught my eye.
'Oh, this one.'
It was a white background with two fish swimming leisurely together.
'Right, this painting was here too.'
Was it the third exhibition?
I'd agonized over what to paint back then.
It was a time when I'd painted so many pieces that the indecision was even worse. After days without sleep, Hyorin had casually suggested it out of pity for me.
Why not paint our story as it is?
That sparked the image that became this painting.
A future where nothing was visible, but with you by my side, I could overcome any hardship or adversity.
To express that, I painted the two fish.
Was it because those memories resurfaced?
"Daeun, what about this one?"
I liked this painting.
But.
Shake, shake.
Daeun shook her head, rejecting my choice.
"No."
"Why?"
"If I pick this, that painting over there will be sad!"
Huh? That painting.
Daeun was pointing to a picture of fruit hanging from a tree.
'Ah, that one....'
That was connected to Hyorin too—the one I'd painted right after the fish.
I'd painted it with a more relaxed mind.
It was one I thought I'd done quite well.
Seeing Daeun point to it made a thought strike me.
'Could she be connecting the paintings together?'
With Daeun's abilities, that was entirely possible.
If so, her words made sense.
If she saw them as a sequence, picking one would make the others sad, like taking a friend away.
'Hmm.'
How should I explain this?
If she was right, we couldn't take any of them.
'Now I see why she's been struggling.'
After quietly thinking about her attitude, I said,
"Daeun."
"Yeah, Daddy."
I bent my knees slightly to meet her frowning gaze head-on.
And spoke directly to her.
"Daddy thinks like this."
"How?"
"CEO Yun wants to give you a painting."
"Yeah."
It might be a bit hard to grasp.
"The paintings' feelings matter, of course, but your feelings matter more. You want to take a painting home, right?"
She nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, Daeun wants to take one!"
"Then how about picking the one you want, instead of worrying about the paintings' feelings?"
"Forget about the paintings' thoughts?"
"Yeah. Pick the one that will make you happiest."
It might be tough for Daeun, who could feel the paintings' emotions, but I thought this was right.
"Hmm...."
At that, Daeun looked at the paintings again.
She didn't fidget anxiously like before.
Just for herself.
She was trying to choose a painting that would make her happy.
After a moment of thought, Daeun picked one.
"Then this one."
A painting that would make Daeun happy.
"Th-this one?"
"Yeah, Daeun wants this one."
The painting Daeun chose was a bit different from the others.
Somewhat abstract, like a human figure sketched out.
Of course, since I couldn't sense emotions like Daeun, I couldn't know for sure.
'Why this one?'
No matter how I recalled, nothing special came to mind.
It was just a standard piece, in a word.
But Daeun was different.
"Daeun likes this one!"
"Daeun, can I ask why you picked this painting?"
She nodded eagerly and said,
"Mom is smiling."
...What? Mom is smiling?
No matter how I thought about it, there were no memories of Hyorin tied to this painting.
So why did she say Mom was smiling?
I couldn't comprehend it.
Hee!
But Daeun's bright smile stopped me from asking more.
Rustle.
In the dark night, the door to Kanghyeok's studio opened, and someone entered.
"Huh? What's this? Why is it so dark?"
Hyorin, who had opened the door, hurriedly tried to turn on the studio lights.
But then.
Snore, snore.
'Huh?'
She paused at the faint breathing sounds, slowly walking toward the source.
"Are you asleep?"
Not knowing when he'd dozed off mid-painting, Hyorin grabbed a blanket from the chair nearby and carefully draped it over the sleeping Kanghyeok.
At that moment.
Whoosh-!
Her foot caught on the chair leg, making her body sway wildly.
In the near-fall crisis, Hyorin quickly steadied herself.
Thud!
But the brush that had been resting lightly flew into the air and splattered onto the corner of the painting Kanghyeok was working on.
'Ah!'
Realizing the disaster, she tried to wipe it off in a panic, but worried that touching the painstaking work would ruin it, she ultimately did nothing.
At that moment.
"Mmm."
Kanghyeok rubbed his eyes, sitting up and asking,
"Huh? What? When did you get here?"
"Uh, y-yeah, just now."
"Oh, just now? Yawn!"
He stretched vigorously, then looked at the painting he'd been working on.
"Ah, I must've dozed off while painting."
Then he glanced at the bottom right where Hyorin's accident had happened.
"Huh? What's this?"
Hyorin swallowed dryly.
'Ah, I should just tell him.'
Better to confess first than let it grow worse with lies.
As Hyorin opened her mouth to admit her mistake,
"It actually works."
"Huh?"
"Looks like I did this in my sleep. It has a nice feel. The abstract vibe was missing a point, but this hits it. Perfect."
"P-perfect?"
"Yeah. Guess I really am a genius."
At Kanghyeok's words, Hyorin stared blankly for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.
Snap!
"Right, a genius!"
She gave a thumbs up.