By Zephyria 
Seo Yi-kyung stayed in his bedroom and only appeared on the first floor after noon. He sat on the sofa and waited for Jin Seon-yu to arrive.
After some time, Butler Do informed him that Jin Seon-yu had arrived. Seo Yi-kyung slowly turned his head.
“Welcome.”
Only about a week had passed, but it felt as if it had been a very long time since he last saw him. Jin Seon-yu took handmade wagashi out of the shopping bag he was holding and placed them on the table.
“These are really delicious. I tried them myself and bought some on my way here today.”
Drinking the tea served by Butler Do, Seo Yi-kyung and Jin Seon-yu sat side by side and ate the handmade wagashi.
Seo Yi-kyung pressed a wagashi topped with a petal to his lips and looked at Jin Seon-yu beside him. Was it an illusion, or had Jin Seon-yu’s hands barely been moving for a while now?
He was usually someone who enjoyed eating everything more than Seo Yi-kyung did, yet his expression wasn’t joyful even with the wagashi he claimed to have personally tasted and bought right in front of him.
Having taken a bite of the wagashi, Seo Yi-kyung’s lips chewed slowly.
“Did something happen while we were apart?”
Jin Seon-yu placed the wagashi he was holding back onto the plate. Even that was unlike him. Seo Yi-kyung lifted his teacup to his lips, took a sip, and spoke.
“What is it?”
“Well, you see…”
Then, as if he had been waiting for the question, Jin Seon-yu began to talk about what had happened with Kwon Gwi-jun.
Listening calmly to his words, Seo Yi-kyung couldn’t fathom why Jin Seon-yu seemed so angry. However, he decided to listen to him for now.
“…So I told him to contact me once the deal was finished.”
“Mm.”
Seo Yi-kyung lowered the tea he was drinking. His cup was already nearly empty, but Jin Seon-yu’s cup was barely different from when it was first poured. Jin Seon-yu showed no interest in the wagashi he had called delicious and was preoccupied with talking.
“But I haven’t heard from him.”
Having listened to the end, Seo Yi-kyung felt he vaguely understood why Jin Seon-yu was so upset.
“Even you must think he’s really teasing me this time, right?”
“….”
Seo Yi-kyung lifted the teapot in front of him, tilted it into his empty cup, and spoke.
“Were you continuously waiting for Mr. Kwon Gwi-jun to contact you?”
“….”
There was no answer from Jin Seon-yu. Despite having spoken without pause until a moment ago. Because of this, the clink of Seo Yi-kyung setting the teapot back down on the table sounded loud.
Soon after, Jin Seon-yu took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
“It’s not that.”
If that wasn’t the case, why did he have such a disappointed expression? At least, that’s how it looked to Seo Yi-kyung. He lifted the teacup in front of him and blew on it gently.
Jin Seon-yu looked around to confirm no one else was there. It seemed that after speaking heatedly without realizing who was around, he had belatedly come to his senses and was now overcome with embarrassment.
He leaned his upper body toward Seo Yi-kyung and lowered his voice.
“No matter how you look at it, he’s teasing me.”
Seo Yi-kyung stopped drinking his tea and turned his head to look at Jin Seon-yu.
“Maybe the deal isn’t finished yet.”
His tone was calm, almost to the point of being blunt.
“….”
Jin Seon-yu’s eyes widened, then crumpled again.
After taking a sip of tea, Seo Yi-kyung set the cup down. He reached for a wagashi. It was delicious. Just as Jin Seon-yu said, the soft wagashi paired well with the tea, making him crave more. As he ate, Seo Yi-kyung added,
“So that’s why you looked like you were in a bad mood as soon as you arrived.”
“Who? Me? No, I’m not.”
They say that excessive denial is sometimes a form of affirmation. Seo Yi-kyung stared at Jin Seon-yu while bringing a wagashi to his lips.
“If it’s too hard to wait, why don’t you try contacting Mr. Kwon Gwi-jun?”
“Me? Why?”
“You’ve been clutching your phone in your hand this whole time.”
Seo Yi-kyung opened his mouth and took a bite of the wagashi he was holding.
Jin Seon-yu seemed to lower his head for a moment, then tossed the phone in his hand onto the sofa. He acted as if he were trying to show he had no lingering attachment.
“Is it possible that a deal might not end on the same day?”
Perhaps Seo Yi-kyung’s words finally hit home, as Jin Seon-yu asked with a very serious expression.
Unlike his two older Hyungs, Jin Seon-yu had spent his time preparing to marry Ham Gyu-ho upon graduating from college. However, since the engagement was broken, he was now simply painting every day with Seo Yi-kyung. Furthermore, whenever Jin Seon-yu approached Jin Tae-won or Jin Seok-young, they often cut him off while talking about work. Thus, it was only natural that he didn’t know well how corporate affairs worked.
Seo Yi-kyung nodded, chewing. He didn’t know much about company work either, but he had seen plenty of Han Seung-jae’s behavior in the original novel.
“It depends on who you’re meeting, but wouldn’t that be the case for most?”
If it were Han Seung-jae, whatever it was, a decision would have been reached in about five minutes. He would flip through a few pages of documents and make a quick decision. That was possible because of his fast-paced personality. But Han Seung-jae and Kwon Gwi-jun were different, weren’t they? Comparing them didn’t make sense in the first place.
“I see. So that’s possible.”
As he continued the conversation with Seo Yi-kyung, Jin Seon-yu’s face gradually softened. He placed the phone on his thigh and picked up a wagashi.
“Is it good?”
Jin Seon-yu asked, looking at Seo Yi-kyung. Seo Yi-kyung nodded in response.
“You try some too.”
Jin Seon-yu had bought them, but Seo Yi-kyung was eating more of them. Jin Seon-yu put a wagashi in his mouth. Watching this, Seo Yi-kyung spoke casually.
“Also, thanks to you, the number of people asking for my paintings as gifts has increased.”
So he should say thank you. In the past, the previous Seo Yi-kyung’s canvases were filled with nothing but earthworms. With Jin Seon-yu’s help, they were now at a level that could actually be called paintings.
“That’s great. If you keep at it a bit more, you’ll find your touch in no time. The paintings of yours I saw when we were in school were really good.”
Jin Seon-yu hurriedly corrected himself.
“Ah, they’re great now too!”
Looking at Jin Seon-yu’s flustered face, Seo Yi-kyung smiled instead of answering. He could guess just by looking at the landscape painting of scattering cherry blossoms hanging in Han Seung-jae’s study.
“I know what you mean. I think so too.”
* * *
Late in the evening, Butler Do hurried to the second floor. He came to call Seo Yi-kyung, who had been in his bedroom after dinner.
“Young Master, are you asleep?”
A few soft knocks sounded. Seo Yi-kyung, who had been leaning against the bed, swung his legs down and put on his slippers. When he opened the door, Butler Do spoke.
“I think you need to come down to the first floor for a moment.”
Seo Yi-kyung started to follow Butler Do but stopped and walked back into the room. There would be people downstairs, and he was concerned about his pajamas. He grabbed the cardigan he had hung over a table chair, slipped his arms in, and left the bedroom.
Ding. Seo Yi-kyung stepped out of the elevator. There, the helpers were standing and staring at one spot. They greeted Seo Yi-kyung and made a path for him.
The house had become quite noisy due to a sudden visit. People wearing hats and uniforms were positioned next to a large box.
“…?”
To Seo Yi-kyung, who was standing there confused, Butler Do murmured.
“Secretary Park mentioned that this is a gift sent by Director Han. I wondered if it would be alright to put this in the painting studio…”
Seeing Butler Do’s trailing voice, it didn’t seem to be because the painting studio lacked space.
“What is this?”
Seo Yi-kyung soon realized why Butler Do—who knew better than anyone that Secretary Park’s words were essentially Han Seung-jae’s instructions—had come to find him.
It was understandable why Butler Do had hesitated. Seo Yi-kyung’s expression turned to one of utter shock as the box was removed to reveal an ultrasound machine. Staggered by the shock, Seo Yi-kyung’s knees buckled instinctively before he straightened them.
“I just thought it might be a bit odd to put this in the painting studio.”
“Ha.”
Seo Yi-kyung let out a short, deep breath. Beyond being absurd, he was practically speechless. If he put this in the painting studio, wouldn’t it literally become a private warehouse? Even now, the studio was sufficiently losing its original function.
Especially for Butler Do, who had watched Seo Yi-kyung spend more time in the studio and begin to enjoy painting, he couldn’t help but worry about whether this should go in there. Even knowing that Secretary Park’s words were Director Han’s orders. That was why he had come to knock on Seo Yi-kyung’s door so late.
Pushed by the gaze of the people, Seo Yi-kyung requested that it be moved to his room instead of the painting studio.
“Follow me.”
As if they had been waiting, the uniformed staff began to move following Butler Do. Seo Yi-kyung pressed his hand to his forehead as he watched the people move nimbly toward the destination. The feeling of a sudden slight fever was likely not an illusion.
As if leaving the bustling commotion behind, Seo Yi-kyung headed for the elevator. He pressed the button. The doors slid shut.
Since Han Seung-jae bought it, he can deal with it himself.