By Zephyria 
“Were you here?”
He set down the tray he was carrying. It held tea and cookies. Seo Yi-kyung reached out. As he picked up a cookie and chewed it, a sweet taste spread across his tongue.
Butler Do’s gaze landed on Seo Yi-kyung’s wrist. Still chewing, Seo Yi-kyung pointed to the opposite side.
“Please, sit.”
Butler Do slowly bent his knees and perched himself. His eyes remained fixed on Seo Yi-kyung’s wrist. He lightly scanned the surroundings and then leaned his head closer, as if whispering a secret.
“Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this matter with your father?”
Seo Yi-kyung turned his head to look at Butler Do before taking another bite of the cookie in his hand. There was no malice in the suggestion; the butler’s eyes were filled with genuine worry.
“…….”
Seo Yi-kyung picked up the teacup, opened the lid, and drank it all in one go as if he were thirsty. Setting the cup down, he wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand. An unfamiliar ring scratched against the corner of his lips.
“You know it’s useless to tell him.”
At Seo Yi-kyung’s words, Butler Do fell silent.
“He probably already knows everything.”
There was no way his father didn’t know Han Seung-jae’s temperament. Seo Yi-kyung stood up.
Furthermore, in the original story, Han Seung-jae dealt with people of high standing. Among them were those who disapproved of how Han Seung-jae wielded vast sums of money right before their eyes. Nevertheless, the majority of them cast aside their pride and humbled themselves, devoting everything just to receive his investment.
Thus, patience was like a breeze brushing past his fingers to him; he acted however he pleased, whenever he pleased. If something got in his way, he simply cleared it out of sight.
And it was certain that telling his father would not improve the situation in the slightest. To them, ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ was merely a rare extreme dominant Omega—nothing more, nothing less than a means to reach Han Seung-jae.
Above all, whenever ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ was shaken, money came jingling out, so there was nothing better for them than that. Telling them would only be a waste of breath. It would only give them an excuse to demand more money from Han Seung-jae.
Seo Yi-kyung looked down at his wrist. He had pulled it slightly and then let go, yet a bruise had formed so easily.
As he walked, Seo Yi-kyung grabbed a few cookies from the tray and put them in his cardigan pocket. Butler Do stood up and followed.
The two walked back the way they had come, side by side. Seo Yi-kyung looked around and scratched his forehead, asking about a detail he couldn’t quite recall.
“Ah, by any chance, is there a landscape painting with cherry blossoms?”
“……Cherry blossoms?”
Butler Do’s response, holding the tray in one hand, came a bit late. Seo Yi-kyung nodded, gazing into the distance.
“Yes.”
Since the original owner loved painting and must have painted many pieces, it wouldn’t be strange if there were several landscapes featuring cherry blossoms.
However, rather than searching for them one by one, he thought it would be faster to ask the person most likely to know. Seo Yi-kyung turned his head. Butler Do had stopped walking.
“……?”
The confusion lasted only a moment.
“Would you like to visit the painting studio?”
The back of Seo Yi-kyung’s neck, which had been relaxed, suddenly stiffened. It felt as if his skin were crawling and his fine hairs were standing on end. Butler Do added with a smile,
“I am sure you will like it once you see it.”
Upon entering the house, Butler Do handed the tray to a passing helper and led the way, occasionally looking back to check if Seo Yi-kyung was following. However, Seo Yi-kyung’s pace slowed, as if he were reluctant.
The painting studio was located at the very end of the town house, which had an ‘L’ shaped structure. It was practically as if an entire section had been handed over solely for painting.
Butler Do reached the door of the studio.
“Young Master, Little Young Master……”
Seo Yi-kyung lifted his lowered head. Then, Butler Do turned slightly and swung the door wide open.
The large room was shaped like a giant dome. Elegant patterns were carved into the ceiling and walls. Long streaks of sunlight poured deep into the room, filling the vacant studio.
“Please look here. Isn’t this what you’ve wanted for a long time? These are all brand new.”
Butler Do busily picked up and arranged items on the wall shelves, the spacious work table, and the oil paints and tools placed all around.
Butler Do stroked the worn work table and opened a drawer. Inside, the heat suppressants that Seo Yi-kyung took were stored in pill form.
Back at the main house, Seo Yi-kyung used to keep his medicine here and take it. A heat period resembled a cold. Since Butler Do was a Beta and could not smell the scent, there had been an embarrassing incident where he mistakenly gave the wrong medicine, thinking it was a cold. After that, Seo Yi-kyung kept the medicine here and took it himself.
Butler Do closed the drawer and stepped forward. In addition to this, he had brought items that Seo Yi-kyung had cherished at the main house. However, most of them were new. Because the studio was so large, Seo Yi-kyung’s belongings seemed to occupy only a small portion of one side.
Seo Yi-kyung slowly looked around before staring at a wooden easel placed along the wall. Butler Do stopped fiddling with the brushes and watched Seo Yi-kyung walk toward it.
Paintings were perched atop easels of various sizes. Countless other paintings leaned against the wall beneath them.
Seo Yi-kyung blinked. He stood before an easel and reached out to touch a painting of a refreshing summer sky that had been left unfinished. He had never properly learned how to paint. Yet, he could feel this painting.
The bright colors and the landscape containing a soft, cozy breeze felt warm.
“It seems you finally feel like painting. Didn’t I tell you that you would like it here?”
Butler Do approached and held out a brush. Seo Yi-kyung looked at the smiling man, shook his head, and turned away.
This painting would never be finished.
* * *
A sedan stopped in front of a tall town house located in Seongbuk-dong. Secretary Park stepped out first and opened the rear door, revealing long legs clad in a dark suit.
“Good work. You may head home now.”
“I will come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”
“Alright.”
Passing through the open iron gates and crossing the garden, Han Seung-jae entered the house. The helpers passing by bowed to him. Han Seung-jae’s gaze brushed past Butler Do. Seeing that the person he was looking for wasn’t there, he asked as he passed by.
“Is he in his room?”
Though he didn’t specify who, there was no way Butler Do wouldn’t understand.
“Ah, well……”
Han Seung-jae turned his head slightly. Butler Do quickly added,
“Since returning from the painting studio, he seems to have suddenly felt unwell and hasn’t left his room.”
The pale complexion he had seen this morning flickered before his eyes. Did he paint in that condition? Han Seung-jae continued walking. He entered the dressing room and took off his suit. He changed into comfortable clothes, though they were by no means casual.
Han Seung-jae fastened his cuff buttons. As he opened the door and stepped out, Butler Do asked if he would like dinner, as if he had been waiting. Han Seung-jae replied,
“I’m not interested. More importantly, did he like the painting studio?”
Startled by the completely different question, Butler Do paused for a moment before nodding with a feigned calm expression.
“Yes. He liked it very much.”
Han Seung-jae turned around. Butler Do swallowed hard as he watched the man’s back heading toward the elevator.
He managed and supervised every corner of this house. The home, designed by a world-famous architect, was a exquisite harmony of lines and light. It was clear that the painting studio had been crafted with as much effort as the bedroom. And it had been made the largest and most beautiful of all.
* * *
After stepping off the elevator, Han Seung-jae walked down the hallway, indifferently passing the paintings hanging on the walls. When he opened the room door, a painting of a dark, gloomy river and trees caught his eye. He turned his head nonchalantly to look at the bed. The empty bed bore only the traces of someone who had just left.
Han Seung-jae’s gaze reached the slightly open terrace door. The curtains fluttered due to the wind blowing through the gap.
Walking forward without hesitation, he pulled back the curtains to find the profile of Seo Yi-kyung standing on the terrace, looking down. The lights from the garden traced the outline of his white facial features. Slender, elegant eyebrows, a delicate nose, and closed lips.
Seo Yi-kyung was immersed in something. Then, he seemed to rub his eyes with his hand before suddenly turning around, as if sensing a gaze.
“!”
Seo Yi-kyung was startled. The gloomy emotions that had settled over him after seeing the paintings vanished instantly. As the glass door opened and Han Seung-jae stepped out, the back of Seo Yi-kyung’s neck stiffened. It felt as if he had finally snapped out of his sentimentality and realized the reality of the situation.
Han Seung-jae’s sharp eyes scanned Seo Yi-kyung’s face. His gaze landed on Seo Yi-kyung’s reddened eyes.
“……?”
Overwhelmed by the rushing pressure, Seo Yi-kyung pulled his upper body back and curled his fingertips around the railing. He felt as if his knees would buckle on their own if he didn’t do so.
“Did you cry?”
Han Seung-jae’s voice was low. The fingertips of Seo Yi-kyung, gripping the railing, flinched.