Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Truth Behind the Wall Painting
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Click.
The manager, Daeun, and I had to step out, leaving just the two of them inside.
"She'll be okay, right?"
The manager couldn't tear her eyes away from the room where those two were, clearly worried about them.
"She'll be fine. Now that she understands the meaning behind that painting."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Just then, Daeun, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up.
"Daeuni felt super happy when drawing that picture."
Yeah, happy, huh?
I wondered if it was because she'd drawn her mom and dad, like she'd mentioned before, so I asked.
"Because you drew Mommy and Daddy?"
"No, when drawing that, she was super duper happy!"
"Oh, the director's daughter?"
"No, Uncle!"
"Yeah, Uncle? You mean Painter Oh?"
"Yeah! Right! Uncle drew that one!"
If Painter Oh drew it...
Oh!
It finally clicked for me, all the pieces falling into place.
I'd thought it was just a printed photo from some old snapshot stuck on the wall.
But hearing Daeun's words changed everything.
That painting was something the director's daughter had drawn long ago, and Painter Oh had painstakingly recreated it directly on the wall himself.
That's why Painter Oh had told the director that story.
'To show it to you.'
'I made it because I wanted you to see this room.'
Exactly.
Swish.
Now that I knew the truth, my heart raced a little.
The director needed to know this. She needed to understand just how much Painter Oh needed his family right now.
Only then could their relationship heal.
But with the two of them having sent us out so they could talk alone, we couldn't just barge back in. All we could do was wait.
Right then.
Swish.
"Daddy, hold Daeuni's hand tight."
Daeun grabbed my hand firmly.
As if to calm my fidgeting.
Her gesture melted away my tension like magic.
Smile.
"Thanks, Daeun."
Those two will be fine.
They'd just never had the chance to talk properly before, that's all. Never confirmed each other's feelings.
Maybe the director's daughter had wanted to bring them back together like this.
Pitiful that they'd grown apart because of her passing.
Tick-tock.
Time passed, and about an hour after we'd stepped out...
Click.
The door to that seemingly unopenable room swung open, and the director emerged.
'Huh?'
Her eyes were red and bloodshot. She'd fixed her makeup, but it was still obvious—they must have talked and cried together.
"Director!"
Daeun beamed and ran straight to her, and at her cry...
Smile.
The director smiled for the first time.
"Did you wait long?"
Her tone was still cool, but her changed expression made her seem so much brighter.
Daeun must have loved this change in the director.
She asked in an even more excited, bubbly voice.
"Did you draw the picture, Uncle? Daeuni saw that picture and felt super super happy."
Nod.
The director nodded with a smile too.
"I liked it too. It was a painting I hadn't seen in so long. I'd forgotten about it for a while, but seeing it brought back old memories."
Swish.
Then the director looked at me and said something completely unexpected.
"I was annoyed about the lie, but thanks to you, I was able to let go of those long-buried emotions. I won't pursue this any further. And... thank you."
"Yes."
"Thank you. I owe you one."
Ha, who'd have thought I'd hear thanks from the director.
You live and learn.
"Oh, no, I just..."
I started to reply, but the words caught in my throat.
Why had I gone to such lengths to mend their relationship?
Looking back now, it was meddlesome.
Things worked out fine, but if they hadn't, I could've lost her trust over that lie.
Even so, I hadn't feared failure. Hadn't even considered it.
'Why?'
Thinking about it now, I realized the reason.
"Just... well."
"I just wanted to have dinner with you, Director."
"What?"
Her expression twisted oddly at my dinner invitation.
Still smiling, I asked her.
"Do you like nurungji by any chance?"
* * *
An early dinner.
Unlike yesterday, it wasn't even 6 PM yet, so the restaurant was utterly deserted as we all—the director, Painter Oh, the manager, Daeun, and I—sat down together.
'Quite a crowd.'
Five of us, including the manager.
As we gathered around the table, the owner lady who'd kindly seated us yesterday approached.
"Ready to order?"
Painter Oh smiled and placed the order.
"Nurungji for five, please."
"Yes, nurungji for five, and I'll bring a baby spoon too, right?"
She remembered us from yesterday.
The lady mentioned the baby spoon first.
I nodded with a smile.
"Yes, that's right."
"Scissors too?"
"You remember well."
At her question, the owner lady chuckled.
"When you're in business, you have to remember your customers' quirks to make things smooth. Not exactly, but things like when they came, what they talked about, what they ordered."
"You remember all that?"
I asked, amazed if she really did, and she gave a knowing look.
"Not everything, but roughly, yeah. You never know if someone you've waited on for ages might come back. Right?"
She was looking pointedly at Painter Oh and the director as she said it.
Daeun and I knew exactly what she meant, but Painter Oh—who'd recommended this place to me—and the director seemed to have no recollection at all.
'Well, it was ages ago.'
Even so, the owner lady didn't let on that she knew.
"Aigoo, getting old makes me chatty. Just wait a bit. I'll bring the food out as quick as I can."
With that, she scurried off to the kitchen.
Watching her go, I tried to change the subject.
"Didn't notice yesterday with all the people, but this place is surprisingly clean."
"Right? I come occasionally, and the food's always neat, the place spotless. That's why I recommended it to you, Kanghyeok."
"The food does look so tidy. But how'd you know about this place, Painter Oh?"
"This place?"
I brought up the old days, hoping maybe it'd jog his memory.
Sadly, both of them seemed to have long forgotten this spot.
"Hmm, not sure. Can't remember exactly when, but I think someone recommended it. Don't even recall who I was with."
Then Painter Oh turned to the director.
"You know it? Nah, probably not."
She shook her head.
"I came once a long time ago. No idea when or with who."
Some subconscious inkling lingered, maybe.
We were the ones on the edge of our seats hearing them.
Especially Daeun.
Squirm! Squirm!
She was dying to spill everything.
Couldn't even sit still, fidgeting nonstop, ready to blurt it out at the first chance.
Yet she held back patiently. Daeun was something else.
'Sshould I just tell them?'
Talking about the photo wouldn't hurt.
We'd brought them here to show it in the first place.
But I wanted to give them time to recall the past on their own.
Daeun knew that too, so that's why she was holding out so hard.
Swish.
"But it's kind of mysterious."
Just then, the director scanned the restaurant and made an odd comment.
"Old place like this gives off a cozy vibe."
Painter Oh agreed.
"You feel it too? Same here. Like... did we do something here back in the day?"
Oh! Were the memories surfacing?
It was like scenes from the past sharpening in their minds.
"We were here and..."
The director furrowed her brow just like Painter Oh, straining to remember.
But.
"Hmm, no clue."
"Tch, yeah. What would we have done here? Right?"
"Ah..."
Daeun let out a disappointed sigh at that.
It was cute, but also heartbreaking.
How badly she wanted to tell them.
Rattle!
Right then, the owner lady wheeled over a cart loaded with food.
She began setting it all out on the table.
Thud, thud, thud.
The food placed wordlessly.
I'd eaten my fill yesterday, but seeing it again made me hungry all over.
Amid this curious sensation...
Thud.
"Huh? We didn't order this."
An unrequested dish appeared on the table.
Yukhoe, raw beef.
"This is on the house."
"Yes?"
Service? Not soda, but yukhoe?
Does that even make sense? I asked.
"You're giving us yukhoe for free?"
She smiled brightly.
"Why? Can't serve yukhoe on the house?"
"Oh, no, it's not that."
Her bold confidence flustered me more.
Then a question popped up.
"But why not yesterday? Because there were more people?"
Sometimes service depends on group size.
I wondered if that was it, but she shook her head.
"No, not about the number of people."
"Then?"
Curious, I pressed, and she glanced at Painter Oh and the director.
"It's service for VIPs."
VIPs?
She'd said it looking right at them.
'She knew.'
The lady must have recognized them from the photo.
Swish.
After hints like that, surely they'd remember.
I glanced over...
'Huh?'
Painter Oh was smiling.
And Director Go was smiling back at the lady.
What did those smiles mean? As I pondered...
The director asked her.
"Want us to take a photo for you?"
Painter Oh chimed in.
"Nah, photo alone won't do. Gotta sign too."
Aha.
Now I got the smiles on their faces.
'They knew all along.'
They'd known about this place from the start. Knew the stories we'd told bringing them here.
The owner lady knew too.
Everyone knew, but no one said a word.
Why? It hit me quick.
"Ohoho, having celebrities drop by—too exciting! Sign here, please."
"Sure, as many as you want."
"Oh, photo with you too, ma'am?"
"Hoho, of course!"
"Then print it and pin it up on that bulletin board. We'll come back to see it."
"Pin the nice one of us two up there."
"Yes, right up top with the other photos."
She pointed to a spot where a photo hung of the two arm-in-arm, grinning ear to ear.
A youthful shot of Director Go and Painter Oh, looking blissfully happy.