Chapter 72
Chapter 72
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Mutual Portraits
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Drawing pictures for each other.
Of course, they wouldn't be proper, fully composed paintings, but wouldn't they hold tremendous meaning for one another?
"But our cute little artist doesn't have her tools here. Is that okay?"
"Yes! Daeun can draw well with anything!"
"Oh, really?"
With that, Erina led Daeun to the spot where she kept her own tools organized.
"Hmm, for drawing tools, just grab anything you like from here and use it. And if you need something specific, just let me know. I've got pretty much everything, so feel free to use whatever you want."
"Wow! Can I use all of this stuff?"
Erina nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! If our cute little artist is going to draw me a picture, I could do even more than that! Oh, but come to think of it, I still don't know your name. What might our adorable artist's name be?"
At the question, Daeun answered energetically.
"Daeun!"
Daeun and the other kids had a habit of referring to themselves in the third person.
Daeun was no exception.
Even now, she called herself Daeun, so anyone could have figured it out without asking.
"Daeun, huh! What a pretty name, just like our cute artist!"
At the compliment about her pretty name, Daeun boasted proudly.
"Daddy made it up!"
"Oh! That explains it—it's super pretty!"
Then she glanced at me and asked.
"But I heard earlier that you're an artist too, sir. Mind if I ask your name?"
"Oh, of course. I'm Kanghyeok Lee."
"Yes."
For a split second, her expression shifted oddly.
"You're... Painter Kanghyeok Lee?"
Yeah... what?
Her tone suggested she knew me somehow.
"Do you know me by any chance?"
"Ah, well. It's not exactly that I know you, but I do own one of your paintings."
"Yes?"
"One of my fans knew I paint, so they said they'd send me their favorite artist's work. That's how I ended up owning one of your paintings, Painter Lee."
Huh, what a coincidence.
Of course, plenty of people liked my work, but it wasn't as if there were so many out there that I'd run into owners of them like this all the time.
Which meant meeting someone who owned one of my pieces right now was something truly special.
"That's amazing."
"That's what I should be saying! Having the artist of the piece I was gifted right here in front of me feels like a dream."
"D-Dream?"
I'd thought it was just flattery, but she insisted it was sincere.
"Yes. Even though it was a gift, I kind of get why that fan chose your painting for me."
She seemed to grasp the meaning behind the gift.
Her subsequent thoughts on the work left me too embarrassed to even look up.
"When I look at your paintings, my mind feels so at ease. It's like they're comforting the viewer."
Click.
The door opened, and President Jeong walked in—she'd been out taking a call.
"Ah, you're here!"
"Aigoo, sorry. I got held up by a sudden call from the office."
"No, work comes first, of course! Come on in. We've just been having a little tea time."
With that, she handed President Jeong an iced Americano and an egg tart she'd prepared in advance.
"Do you like egg tarts by any chance? I wasn't sure, so I got the most famous ones around here."
"Oh! Egg tarts? I can never say no. Does Miss Daeun like egg tarts...?"
President Jeong glanced at Daeun as she spoke, then smiled brightly at the remnants smeared all over her lips and cheeks.
"Looks like she enjoyed them a ton!"
Daeun jumped in surprise at that.
"How did you know, auntie?"
Daeun, honey, with that much on your face, even a random passerby could tell if you grabbed them.
But no one answered her adorable question honestly.
"It's written all over your face, Miss Daeun.
'I ate an egg tart!'"
"Huh!"
At President Jeong's words, Daeun startled and turned to me.
"Daddy! It's really written on Daeun's face! Wipe off the egg tart stuff! Can't have writing on your face!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Daeun's cute speech.
She really thought there was writing on her face—it must be true, then.
That saying about kids being fatally lethal just by existing.
Ah, lethally cute, of course.
"Ah, but you can't write on Daeun's face..."
"Why not?"
"Then I can't have another one."
Worrying about not getting more to eat—nothing could be cuter.
"Whoa! Here, have them all! Auntie will keep buying egg tarts! Eat up! Our cute artist Daeun, eat them all! Got it?"
At her reaction, President Jeong smiled brightly and said to me.
"You all seem to be getting along great. I was worried the mood might get awkward without me."
"Well, it's all thanks to Erina here. She's so upbeat, it never felt awkward at all."
"Right? When I first met her, I thought the same. There's just something about her that puts people at ease."
Just then, Daeun, who'd been chatting with Erina, told President Jeong about what happened earlier.
"Ah! Auntie and I are gonna draw pictures for each other!"
"Oh, pictures?"
"Yeah! Daeun draws auntie! And auntie draws Daeun!"
"Oh, that sounds so meaningful—exchanging portraits like that. Mind if I watch from the sidelines?"
At that, Erina clapped and said.
"Of course! Watch all you want."
"So when are you doing it? Not today—you must be busy."
Not today? Does Erina have another appointment?
Then she clapped again.
"Ah, right. I do have a schedule tomorrow."
A schedule?
At the sudden mention, she looked apologetically at Daeun.
"Aigoo, I'm really sorry. I forgot—I have a broadcast shoot tomorrow, so I need to prep for that today."
Ah, right—she's a celebrity.
With her popularity soaring, she must have a packed schedule.
She popped up on variety shows often when I flipped through TV channels.
Daeun asked curiously.
"Broadcast? Auntie does broadcasts?"
The word "broadcast" piqued Daeun's interest a lot.
"Like Totongee on TV?"
"Totongee?"
It seemed like she meant some kids' TV show she'd seen before.
For little Daeun, TV probably just meant the children's programs she'd watched.
Understanding, Erina smiled and said.
"Yep, something like Totongee."
"Wow! That's so cool!"
"Auntie, you're awesome!"
"Yeah! Daeun's super curious how auntie appears on TV!"
The world behind the TV screen, something Daeun had never experienced—she was dying to know.
Her expression grew subtly thoughtful as she listened to Daeun.
"You're curious how broadcasts get filmed, Daeun?"
"Yeah!"
It could've been brushed off as a kid's whimsy.
But she didn't. She tried her best to understand and believe Daeun.
"Then want to come watch auntie film her broadcast tomorrow?"
Her sudden invitation surprised me more than anyone.
"Yes? You want us to come watch the shoot?"
Swish.
Amused by my reaction, she nodded with a smile.
"Yes. No problem. I've already cleared it with President Jeong ahead of time. They're filming me working in this studio anyway."
Hearing how the broadcast worked, a variety show came to mind.
Panels observing celebrities' daily lives, often solo lifestyles.
Probably that one.
"How about it? Wanna come watch auntie film?"
Daeun naturally looked at me. Instead, I looked back at her and said.
"Honey, we're grateful, but what if we get in the way...?"
"No worries there. The director's super nice, and the vibe on set is really casual. He'll probably love having Daeun around."
She reassured me it was fine, but I was still concerned.
Still, she was so insistent, and besides...
[Daeun looks so excited.]
Daeun stared at me with sparkling eyes, clearly dying to see Erina's shoot.
After a moment's thought, I said.
"Then can we watch from far away so we don't disturb...?"
Daeun cheered.
"Yay!"
Smirk.
Was it that great?
The next day.
Daeun and I got up early, got ready, and headed to Erina's studio.
Since the shoot started at dawn, we had no choice but to rise early to avoid interfering.
"Yawwwn."
Maybe because it had been so long since we'd woken up this early, Daeun yawned the whole taxi ride.
I wiped the tears from her slightly watery eyes with a tissue and asked.
"If you're sleepy, you can nap. Daddy'll wake you when we get there."
It was a ways off—even by taxi, it'd take over 30 minutes.
But Daeun shook her head at my words.
"No way, Daeun wants to chat with Daddy on the way."
"Okay."
"You're sleepy too, Daddy."
Oof, how does she say things so cutely?
Feeling oddly cheered by that, I rummaged in my pocket with a smile.
"Daeun tummy not hungry?"
"Nope, tummy not hungry."
"In case Daeun gets hungry, Daddy brought some candy. Want some?"
I pulled out the few candies I'd packed before leaving and showed her.
Normally, she'd snatch them up in a heartbeat, but not today.
"No wanna."
"Okay, not hungry?"
"Uh-uh. Not hungry. Daddy eat."
Instead, she pushed them toward me.
'Huh.'
Daeun turning down her favorite candy? Her unusual behavior made me a bit anxious.
Was she feeling under the weather?
Seeing her react like this to food had me seriously worried.
"Come on, try just one. Daddy brought your favorites."
Normally, that'd work at least once.
"No wanna. Don't wanna eat."
Her next action let me breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't her condition.
Gulp.
"But Daddy."
"Yeah?"
"If you go on TV, tummy not hungry?"
"What?"
Swish.
Daeun asked me with utmost seriousness.
"Erina auntie! What if you go on TV and can't come back out?"
To Daeun, filming seemed like magic entering the TV world.
"Daeun thinks it'd be super scary, but auntie's going!"
Like entering a fantasy land. Chuckling, I said.
Smirk.
"Then should Daeun go protect auntie?"
Daeun balled her fists and replied.
"Yeah! Daeun will protect her!"