8.7

Junmo returned home at dawn, dragging his tired body.  

He moved as quietly as possible, thinking of Leeseo, who would be asleep.

The bed in the bedroom was neatly made.  

Two pillows were lined up straight, and the blanket was spread flat without a wrinkle.

He showered first.

After washing off his fatigue, drying off, and changing into comfortable clothes, he gently opened Leeseo’s door.  

When the door was open about a hand’s width, Junmo stopped moving.  

He saw Leeseo asleep.

Leeseo had fallen asleep curled up on the floor, without even a blanket.  

Junmo stepped inside, reaching out to touch her shoulder, but paused.

The pencil drawing on the easel caught his eye.

The lines of the shadowed face were clear and powerful.  

The direction of the light and the shadows on the face created a subtle sense of happiness—the drawing was alive with emotion.

It was clearly his own face, but it felt unfamiliar.  

It wasn’t the tense, frowning face imprinted in his mind, but a lively image of Gu Junmo.

‘So that’s how I looked… That’s how Leeseo saw me.’

What would you call Gu Junmo, with all the intensity drained away in the drawing…  

He looked like a blissful fool.

A fool…

Junmo let out a soft, incredulous laugh and gently lifted Leeseo into his arms.  

As she snuggled into him in her sleep, Junmo felt his heart stir strangely.

“…When did you get here?”  

Leeseo, slowly opening her eyes and blinking several times, asked sleepily, like a purring cat.

“Just now.”

“…I drew you.”

“I saw.”

“I haven’t been this absorbed in forever… I lost track of time.”

“But really, why did you fall asleep on the floor instead of the bed? What if you catch a cold?”

He gently laid Leeseo on the bed in the main bedroom.  

As soon as he did, Leeseo stretched her arms wide.

“Want me to hug you?”

“I just wanted to hold you. Is that okay?”

Junmo leaned over, careful not to put any weight on her.  

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, Leeseo whispered softly, almost inaudibly.

“I was excited the whole time I was drawing you.”

The warmth spreading from her words traveled down his spine and through his whole body.  

His heart trembled at Leeseo’s shy expression, and her words made his heart flutter.  

Junmo lay down beside her and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

“It feels like I’m dreaming.”

Leeseo placed her hands on her cheeks and blinked slowly.

“A nightmare?”

“Would you prefer it was a nightmare?”

“No.”

It was just a bashful remark.

“Thinking about it… Even if it was a nightmare, it’d be okay as long as you’re here.”

Leeseo mumbled sleepily, her eyes fluttering shut.

Junmo brushed back Leeseo’s hair covering her round forehead.

“Yeah, I’m your talisman. The one who chases away nightmares.”

Soon, Leeseo fell asleep, breathing softly and steadily.  

Junmo kissed the bridge of her nose.  

Her lips twitched, then curled up slightly.  

At least, it didn’t seem like she was having a nightmare.

* * *

“Chairman, how could you do this? The Cheongju Factory, of all places.”

Chairman Gu Jaman looked at Oh Soohyun, who had come to complain early in the morning, with a displeased expression.

“Junhyung volunteered to go.”

“You should have stopped him, Chairman. You should have told him to get proper management training under his uncle. Even Junmo, look at him.”

It was still before breakfast, before the day had even begun.

“What did Junmo do?”

“He secretly registered his marriage, and now he won’t even take my calls.”

Chairman Gu Jaman narrowed his eyes.

“I suppose you’d only hear the same old complaints, right?”

Oh Soohyun dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and sighed.

“If she were just any ordinary girl, I wouldn’t be saying this. But Father, she’s had surgery—brain tumor surgery. Even if I put everything else aside, her health is different. You, of all people, know how I’ve lived after losing Junhyung’s father so young.”

Chairman Gu Jaman let out a long snort.

“She must have had major surgery. So, is she still at the hospital?”

“I hear she’s been discharged… Once a body is opened up, it’s never the same, you know you have to take care of it for life.”

“That’s the girl, right? The one who came and went here as if this was her home, in your place.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Gu Jaman clearly remembered Yoon Leeseo.  

A girl who quietly did her work, never spoke unless necessary, moved so quietly she drew attention.  

The wisdom to know ten things from seeing one—perhaps a gift from life’s experience.

His eldest daughter-in-law had once remarked on her too: that every holiday, every family occasion, Leeseo never once failed to thoughtfully prepare gifts even for the servants—never skipping a year, which had astonished her.

The eldest daughter-in-law added one last thing.

‘Yoon Leeseo has an exceptional eye for art. Her reputation even reaches the main rooms of the chaebol families, Chairman.’

At her words, a memory flashed through his mind.

One day, he’d seen Yoon Leeseo waiting in the study.  

She hadn’t even sat down, just stared at the painting on the wall with remarkable focus.  

He’d approached and asked if she liked the piece.

Yoon Leeseo, in a cautious tone, asked if she could speak honestly.  

Since he’d asked, of course he said yes.

‘Replica pieces can be moving, but they never match the real thing, Chairman.’

For such a gentle statement, it was a bold remark.

To boldly declare a painting hanging in the founder’s study of Daemyung Group as a replica—such audacity was not something just anyone could muster. It required more than ordinary nerve and courage.

‘What, are you saying if this isn’t genuine then my eyes must be blind?’

Chairman Gu Jaman retorted, picking a pointless quarrel.

‘I studied art history and wrote a thesis on American painting. I’ve even had the good fortune to see a genuine William Innes. Though this was meticulously copied, it lacks the unique melancholy of William Innes.’

Her words left no room for doubt.

He thought, indeed, the eldest daughter-in-law’s words weren’t empty. The original William Innes painting was carefully stored in the basement vault of Chairman Gu Jaman’s building.

“If you truly care about us, Chairman, please transfer Junhyung to the Seoul headquarters. If he goes to the Cheongju Factory, what will become of my reputation?”

Chairman Gu Jaman clicked his tongue.

“Your reputation? Ha! How is it that someone who claims to be a manager can’t even see the bigger picture his own son is painting?”

Oh Soohyun tightly closed her mouth. It was a clear rebuke. Internally, she felt a sting. She realized she’d come here clueless, only to whine.

“How can you be so dull? You need to look around, see ahead. You need to understand international affairs. If you don’t set up a system that runs ahead, a company can collapse overnight like a sandcastle. The foundation being laid at the Cheongju Factory is exactly that—research and development. I’ve been watching Junhyung. He made a praiseworthy decision for once. Tsk!”

“I’m sorry, Chairman.”

Faced with Gu Jaman’s anger, Oh Soohyun bowed her head.

“I wasn’t thinking enough.”

“How long will you keep your children in the palm of your hand, controlling everything?”

“Chairman?”

“Even with Junmo’s partner, you know her character and behavior better than anyone, having watched under the same roof. You entrusted her with all sorts of tasks because you recognized her abilities. And now you say she’s not healthy enough to be Junmo’s spouse?”

“You know that’s not what I mean, Chairman.”

“I’m telling you, child, you can spot a promising tree from the sprout—I trust my youngest grandson. Even when he said he wanted to play soccer, I didn’t stop him. When an injury shattered his dream, I just watched, never said a word. When he decided to go to medical school, everyone laughed, but not me. My youngest grandson… is something else.”

“I understand your words and intentions, Chairman. But this is a different matter.”

“How do you expect to change his mind?”

“If you say something, Junmo will listen.”

“Suppose you somehow change his mind—where would you find a woman who could handle Junmo?”

“If I look, somewhere….”

“And you say that after living with my son yourself?”

His voice was icy, his words piercing.

“How could a mother think of pushing her son into a pit?”

It was a cutting remark. It wasn’t much different from saying that by marrying Oh Soohyun, his son had lived in a pit. In the end, even the Chairman blamed her. Oh Soohyun swallowed words she could not say.

“If you keep opposing, there’s nothing I can do. How can I watch my grandson live without a proper wedding? Daughter-in-law!”

Before Oh Soohyun could gather her tattered emotions, Gu Jaman called for his eldest daughter-in-law.

“Yes, Chairman.”

She entered and answered politely.

“What shall we do?”

Leaving her standing at the door, Chairman Gu turned back to Oh Soohyun, his tone sharp and unyielding. It was a threat—if you won’t take charge of Jun-mo’s wedding, then I’ll give the honor to my eldest daughter-in-law.

Oh Soohyun looked up and met Chairman Gu Jaman’s eyes. She saw two things there: he would never change his mind, and she might be cast out for good. Above all, having her son’s wedding managed by her sister-in-law was something her pride couldn’t allow.