In the quiet table, the only one constantly chewing her food was Yuna.

However, her eyes were rolling, realizing that the situation was strange.

‘What’s going on with these people? Do they have something to do with oppa?’
Hong Jin-Hoo, I thought he was a good guy.
He bought us food and seemed to get along well with oppa, so I thought he was a nice person.
But maybe I was wrong?

Yuna subtly tugged at oppa’s sleeve, who had just brought his coffee cup to his lips.

• What’s going on?

I asked him with my eyes.

• They’re bothering me.

With the same silent answer, oppa took a bite of cake from me.

They say that eating something sweet helps your brain work better when you have a lot on your mind.
I hoped this might help him a little.

Oppa, chewing on the fork for a moment, suddenly let out a small chuckle.
I saw the rest of the group tense up at his reaction, but this was just a normal sibling moment for us.

“Is it good?”

I returned the question that oppa had asked me.

“Yeah, it’s good. Maybe because it’s from my little sister.”

Oppa, who doesn’t really like sweet things, always says it’s good when I give him some.

And in moments like these, it helped him relax.

He always did the same when mom and dad scolded him.

When I saw the tension ease from his neck, it made me feel a little better.

I wished that this awkward silence would end soon.

That was what I thought.

***

Thanks to Lee Ha-Yoon, the tension that had been building up eased, and I was able to view the situation more leisurely.

I had provoked them, but the initiative was still in my hands.

If I kept it this way, things might go smoothly.

"Hmm. I understand why you’re being cautious."

David, speaking in Korean, smiled kindly.

"Given our position, we have to be careful with our actions. And, of course, Lee Ha-Eun's recognition is quite high."

"I suppose this could be considered a kind of event."

Hong Jin-Hoo chimed in, shrugging his shoulders.

"Event? Are you really renting out an entire café just for an event?"

I hadn’t realized it earlier. I thought no one was coming to the café.

But now I saw that wasn’t the case.

"Haha, just for one day. It’s quiet, and the atmosphere is nice, don’t you think?"

"I’m still too young to fully appreciate that kind of vibe."

"Heh. You only use your age as an excuse when it suits you, huh?"

Hong Jin-Hoo chuckled as if he found it amusing.

"Tch. So when are you going to get to the point?"

As if he had been waiting for this, David suddenly stood up, bowed slightly, and said,

"I’m David, from Atlantis, representing Jupiter in the Solar System."

He handed me a business card along with the introduction.

"Heh."

A half-laugh escaped me at that moment.

Was I supposed to be nervous?

I had thought they were here to pressure me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

"Are you offering me a scouting proposal?"

"Haha, I’ll leave that up to your judgment."

I examined the business card for a moment before slipping it into my pocket.

Leave it to my judgment? That’s pressure.

I furrowed my brow, as if confirming my guess.

"I’m not interested."

My statement made the other two planets raise their eyebrows in surprise.

"I don’t want to belong to any organization, and I don’t want to do art as a job."

"Not want to do it as a job? With that kind of talent? Are you crazy?"

It was Callin. A man in his mid-30s, his energy seemed to be at a high level.

Irene didn’t speak, but her gaze clearly indicated her discomfort with me.

"You could have just joined us and received guidance from the planets. You would shine even more."

"The planets were destroyed by Hollow Snow, and I’m the one who painted it."

Guidance? That was a joke. If they could somehow replicate one of my masterpieces, then I’d consider it.

At my words, Callin fell silent. It seemed like he realized it didn’t make sense even to him.

"Well, I gave up long ago, but they kept insisting, so I brought them here."

Hong Jin-Hoo chuckled as he took a sip of his espresso.

"Then why didn’t you try to convince me first, instead of bothering me?"

"I lost all motivation the moment I saw Hollow Snow. I felt uneasy even from the Dohwonhyang."

True, as Hong Jin-Hoo said, if he had convinced me, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

"We're too small to contain you. You’re not the kind of person who should be tied down to anything."

Maybe in 10 years, I’ll be able to see a new masterpiece...

Hong Jin-Hoo muttered.

"Well, David, do you want to argue some more?"

David scratched his head and let out a deep sigh.

"Hmm. If Hong Jin-Hoo says that, then I really want to see that talent up close."

He must be talking about Miracle Land—the one drawn with that perverted look in his eyes?

I rubbed my arms, feeling uncomfortable.

"Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s possible. My apologies."

He gave up surprisingly easily. I had expected him to be more persistent.

With a slightly awkward smile, he responded.

"I’m not the type of person who gives up easily. Unlike Miss Callin here."

"Did you just call my name?"

When Callin’s name was called, she swiftly turned her head.

David shook his head.

"Oh dear, we’ve taken up too much of your time. We should get going now."

He checked his wristwatch for a moment before standing up and giving us a nod.

"As Lee Ha-Eun said, we’re quite busy."

"Oh, yes. Please take care."

That guy, he pretended to be all nice but really wasn’t.

Callin and Irene muttered something under their breath before following David out.

"I haven’t given up. We’ll see each other again. At least here, we will."

"Go on, then. Stop being so ridiculous."

"Well, this little one is more charming than I thought. And good-looking too."

What the hell is he talking about? I’m almost 20 years younger than him!

Is this what they call flirting from the homeland?

I felt dizzy from the absurdity.

I quickly made a gesture with my wrist to signal that they should leave.

Irene, the Mercury representative, also gave one last playful smile before leaving, despite her previously upset expression.

Well, I guess I’ll see them often while I’m in America.

That was probably true.

I also planned to appear in the media as the creator of Hollow Snow.

I might meet them again then.

...Do I have to meet them?
I started thinking of Callin as that guy now. It felt like it would be too much to treat him as a person.

There was nearly a 20-year age gap between us.

I can already hear it. The reporters are coming.

The headache from the future was already creeping in.

"By the way, why aren’t you leaving, Uncle?"

I looked at Hong Jin-Hoo, who had been happily eating dessert while observing the situation, with an expression of confusion.

"Hmm? I’m not with them. I just helped out a bit since we’re from the same company."

"Don’t you have somewhere to be? Aren’t you a big deal like the Sun?"

Who would think the master of the art world is here eating cake at a café?

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head when he noticed my look.

"Well, a person has to rest sometimes."

"You shouldn’t be resting now."

Shouldn’t you be focusing on articles about the prize or something?

Hong Jin-Hoo said that his subordinates handle that, and he just eats and rests.

That sounds like a typical company boss.

What a messed-up class system.

"Oh, look at this."

While eating the cake, Hong Jin-Hoo suddenly showed me his phone.

"What’s this?"

I tilted my head and saw a picture.

It was a picture of Hong Ye-Hwa smiling with a bouquet in her hand.

"...She won at the National Art Exhibition?"

There? Did I underestimate Hong Ye-Hwa?

Or did my involvement affect her win?

Either way, it was good news.

"Congratulations. Your daughter won."

"...When you put it that way, it strangely annoys me."

Even when I complimented him, he found a way to get upset.

"This is just a little hard to deal with."

He quickly explained that he had received news last night about Ye-Hwa’s departure.

"What... did she fly right after winning?"

"Probably."

Why was everyone so eager to come here? Was there honey all over the place?

"Oh, and I heard the rest of the kids are coming too."

"The rest of the kids?"

Could it be Ha Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo?

Why were they coming?

Just thinking about it made it feel like a headache was about to start. Yuna was happily finishing her dessert without knowing what I was thinking.

***

“Ugh, do we really have to take another flight?!”

The blonde-haired girl complained loudly.

Next to her, the black-haired girl pouted and muttered, “Muscle loss…”

Hong Ye-Hwa glanced at the two of them before briefly shifting her gaze to her suitcase.

The painting that had won the National Art Exhibition was stored there.

She wanted to show it to Lee Ha-Eun.

Like an oasis in the middle of a desert.

She wanted to say thank you. Thank him for helping her decide on the theme early.

And for drawing a clear line that allowed her to refine the painting with more attention to detail.

If it hadn’t been for Lee Ha-Eun, she might have entered the youth category of the exhibition, just as he had suggested.

Winning in an easier category would have been better than not winning at all.

And step by step, perhaps her mother would awaken someday.

“Ye-Hwa! It’s time!”

At Choi Ye-Seo’s call, Hong Ye-Hwa began walking, following her.

There was still an hour until they reached the place where her mentor was waiting.

At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the three girls boarded the plane.

After a one-hour flight, they arrived at Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Lee Ha-Eun was.

The suitcase was heavy, but their steps were light on this journey.

It wasn’t just Hong Ye-Hwa; even Ha Soo-Yul and Choi Ye-Seo had their eyes shining with excitement.

They had found the boy awkwardly standing at the airport.

For the first time, a mere two weeks had felt unbearably long.

Like a cat that had caught a scent, Ha Soo-Yul was the first to run ahead, much to Lee Ha-Eun’s dismay.

Crunch.

‘...Is her back broken now?’

That was the only concern that came to mind.

 

TL Note: I hope all of you know that oppa means 'older brother'?