“Before throwing the tooth, um, you have to sing a song.”
She didn’t make up a lie, but she didn’t know why her face was getting so hot. She somehow fixed her gaze only on Jiho, feeling embarrassed.
“What song?”
Jiho asked curiously, widening his eyes.
“Uh, that’s, uh… ‘Magpie, magpie, old tooth, give me a new one.’ There’s a song like that.”
Hayan felt an impulse to run into the house right now. But she forcibly composed herself and mumbled under her breath.
Raising a child is a challenging task. Now, calm down. Eye-level education, eye-level education…
Minje pressed his lips tightly to avoid laughing at the irritated Hayan.
‘She’s not swearing, right?’
Judging by her expression, she might be muttering some incredible profanity.
“Then let’s sing together.”
Jiho, who knew nothing, smiled gently and said,
“Yeah, should we?”
Hayan, still not looking at Minje, sang with Jiho. Since Jiho didn’t know the song, it was mostly Hayan’s solo.
Ah, I might start disliking magpies from now on. Minje, with a pale face, waited for the end of the song and asked,
“Is it done?”
Their eyes met briefly. Seeing Hayan biting her lip when she noticed his smiling eyes, Minje nodded soon.
“Yes, now you can throw it.”
As he took a step back, he swung forcefully, facing the building’s rooftop. It was like watching a pitcher on the mound during a baseball game.
“Wow…”
Jiho exclaimed, looking up at Minje.
“Now you don’t need to worry, right?”
Minje smiled and patted Jiho’s head.
“Yes!”
The child replied in a bright voice.
“Now, let’s go to sleep.”
Since it was already time for Jiho to go to bed, Minje went inside, taking care of the child.
Following them, Hayan’s eyes narrowed.
‘Did he really throw it? It doesn’t look like he did.’
No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem like something had flown from his hand. Of course, distinguishing Jiho’s tiny tooth in the dark garden might be difficult.
But still, her intuition was telling her that was the case.
‘Well, maybe he has some plan.’
Hayan thought that way and helped Jiho get to bed.
After Jiho fell asleep and came down to the first floor, Hayan found that the studio door was open and walked toward it.
Minje was deeply lost in thought. And in front of his unfinished work!
“Ah, it’s not finished yet.”
Hayan, unintentionally bouncing, stood in front of him. Her intention was to cover her artwork, but since Minje was standing so close to it, the distance between them was closer than she thought.
When the eyes that seemed to penetrate a person’s inner thoughts stared at her, Hayan was embarrassed. Those sharp eyes seemed to reproach her. Like saying, “You don’t have talent for painting. Is this all you can draw?”
“It’s still an unfinished painting, and I was going to show it to you when it’s done.”
She spoke incoherently and then averted her gaze. Although she loved drawing since childhood, after entering the art major, she couldn’t enjoy it as before. Instead of drawing joyfully, her focus was on being evaluated, and that’s why she couldn’t enjoy it anymore.
Even now, it felt that way. As if he would assess my drawing as if it were a test.
“Do you think there’s a correct way to express objects?”
In response to Minje’s question, Hayan slowly lifted her head and met his gaze. She didn’t understand why he was asking such a question.
“Well, I…”
Although Hayan thought her answer sounded foolish, she couldn’t come up with a different one the moment she saw his eyes.
“However you express objects, it’s the artist’s heart, isn’t it?”
Hayan nodded slowly. Minje’s expression, which she thought would reprimand her, unexpectedly softened, making her feel somewhat awkward.
“You like butterflies, right?”
Minje, glancing over Hayan’s shoulder, asked. Realizing that blocking her unfinished drawing was meaningless, Hayan stepped aside and answered.
“Yes, I think creatures that emit a mysterious light like butterflies are fascinating.”
As she stepped aside, the still incomplete drawing revealed itself. On the canvas, large butterfly wings were attached behind Jiho, who was brightly smiling.
Minje carefully observed the unfinished painting where coloring had yet to be completed. The method of using colors seemed somewhat unique.
“Is it ebru (a traditional Turkish painting technique using water and oil)?”
“Yes, I like oil marbling.”
Hayan replied, while also observing his reaction. Minje was renowned in the art world for his innate eye and brush skills. Rumors circulated that any artist caught in his eyes would inevitably become a master.
Despite her nervousness, she couldn’t stop her trembling hands, and resentment surged. According to the plan, she was supposed to show the completed painting later. This meant that she could have experienced this awkward situation a bit later.
Whether Hayan sent a gaze mixed with resentment or not, Minje remained focused solely on the painting. Oil marbling utilizes the repulsion between water and oil, resulting in various shapes depending on how the paint is swirled and dropped.
However, the oil marbling created by Hayan resembled traditional Korean mother-of-pearl patterns. This color scheme not only piqued his interest but also made him curious about whether she could consistently produce such colors in the future.
No, not only the color scheme but also her artwork itself became interesting. The image of Jiho’s expression drawn on the canvas had been stuck in his mind as if it wouldn’t fade away. His bright smiling face was so believable that it seemed almost angelic.
The power to capture people’s attention and the energy to make viewers happy. He could feel these qualities in Hayan’s painting.
“If it’s okay with you, how about short-term intensive tutoring?”
“What? What do you mean?”
Hayan made a bewildered face in response to Minje’s unexpected words. Just a while ago, it seemed like he was going to make profound criticism, and now what? Short-term intensive tutoring?
With a doubtful look, Hayan asked again.
“So, you’re saying I’ll receive private tutoring from you, Director?”
Upon hearing this, he responded with a captivating voice that he could not refuse.
“Yes, you’ll be very satisfied.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
