The Winning Bid

Seol-hee hunched her shoulders and turned her head over them.

Fortunately, the person who had tapped her shoulder was Chae Eun-mi's manager, with her short-cropped hair.

"Did I startle you? I called out several times, but I think the music drowned me out."

Onstage, a cellist's performance was still unfolding.

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment... But what brings you to see me? Is there something else you need?"

The manager waved her hands in protest.

"No, nothing like that. Professor Chae wanted to thank you in person, so she sent me."

Only then did Seol-hee remember Chae Eun-mi's condition, which had slipped her mind.

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's feeling much better now."

"That's a relief."

"But... why don't you ask more? Aren't you curious about the professor's condition?"

Seol-hee took a moment to choose her words.

She couldn't exactly say she'd seen it from the future.

"Ah, well. I'm not sure what you mean."

Seol-hee decided it was better to play ignorant.

It was also her way of saying that even if she knew, she wouldn't press, and she wouldn't tell a soul.

Chae Eun-mi's manager, reading her intent, offered a grateful smile.

"You mean you won't even accept her thanks?"

"I don't think I've done anything worth thanking."

For Chae Eun-mi herself, revisiting that moment would be a painful thing.

"You're quite firm about it."

The manager considered for a moment, then glanced toward the stage.

"The auction is next, isn't it? Then I suppose we can repay you then, with a good deed."

It sounded very much like a promise to bid generously on one of the auction items.

Seol-hee thought for a moment.

This was an opportunity.

The perfect chance to take her revenge on Yeo In-ok.

Seol-hee hesitated, then spoke carefully.

"If you truly want to thank me, may I ask one favor?"

"Anything."

Seol-hee beckoned her closer, asking her to lend an ear.

The manager leaned in without thinking, and Seol-hee whispered softly. A brief exchange followed between them.

After a moment, the manager spoke cautiously.

"I'll speak to the professor. Though if she attended this event because of that matter, I can't imagine how she'll react."

"I know it's a lot to ask. Please, do your best."

The manager nodded and slipped out of the venue.

Before long, the auction finally began.

Ten items in all went under the hammer. Under the banner of charity, the winning prices climbed higher and higher. The atmosphere grew heated, and before anyone realized it, the final lot had arrived.

Seol-hee worried that Yeo In-ok might have left after what had happened earlier. Fortunately, she arrived and took her seat before the last item came up.

Dong-chan still kept vigil at his mother's side, and Ryu Ah-reum, having changed her clothes, sat back down in her place.

As if nothing had happened at all.

It's just like that day.

All the preparations were complete, and finally Chae Eun-mi, too, took her original seat.

Seol-hee stood at the very back, where she could watch everyone at a glance.

Chae Eun-mi's gaze found her. When Seol-hee offered a brief bow of her head, Chae Eun-mi returned a faint smile and turned her eyes to the stage.

Bright lights washed quietly over it. When a single ink wash painting of imposing presence was brought out, every eye in the room snapped to it at once. Hushed gasps of admiration broke out here and there. The mist-veiled scenery of Mount Jiri seemed to breathe and stir within the vast canvas.

"And now, the final lot of today's Shinwol Foundation Charity Auction: a work by the late master painter Go Tae-san of Muk-san. A representative piece from the artist's late period... notable for his signature ink bleed and masterful use of negative space."

The male auctioneer's voice carried a note of excitement.

"As far as we've been able to verify, works from this period are held by a select group of collectors and institutions, with very few ever shown publicly. This piece was offered specially by its owner, who was moved by the Shinwol Foundation's charitable mission."

The confident voice drew the crowd's expectations to a fever pitch. The invited guests' eyes gleamed.

"A chance to own a defining work from an artist's major period does not come along often."

Everyone straightened in their seats and fixed their attention on the stage.

Every guest gathered here wanted to own a Go Tae-san painting. Especially those two.

Seol-hee held her breath, watching Yeo In-ok and Jin Dong-chan.

In the past, Chae Eun-mi had won the Go Tae-san painting. But this time would be different.

"Let us begin. The opening bid is... 300 million won."

Paddles rose and fell in quick succession. With each exchange, the price climbed.

"400 million. 460 million, thank you. 500 million, very good."

The price rose steadily until it reached one billion won.

"We're at one billion."

"Shall we try for 1.1 billion?"

At that moment, Chae Eun-mi raised her paddle.

Every gaze turned toward her — and among them, Yeo In-ok's. She thrust her paddle high into the air.

From then on, the bids the two women traded climbed ever higher. The price soared in an instant to two billion won.

Chae Eun-mi immediately called out 2.5 billion.

Two and a half billion.

Yeo In-ok's hesitation lasted only a breath. She snapped her paddle up.

She couldn't back down here.

This was a Go Tae-san masterpiece, after all. It was certain to appreciate if she simply held it for a few years. He was hailed as a master even abroad — the painting might well double in value.

Yeo In-ok glared at the woman at the next table.

She could not let her walk away with it.

Her lips twisted.

Yeo In-ok bid a massive amount all at once.

"Three billion!"

Half a billion won, gone in a heartbeat.

Even for her, it was a painful price. Her husband Jin Soo-sung would fly into a rage the moment he found out.

And yet she couldn't bring herself to give up a painting she knew would turn a profit.

Seol-hee fixed her attention on Chae Eun-mi's profile.

The auctioneer raised his gavel. A faint smile flickered across Chae Eun-mi's lips. She lowered her paddle to the table.

"No further bids? Once... twice... sold!"

The auctioneer brought the gavel down with a crisp crack.

Yeo In-ok made no effort to hide her delight. Beaming ear to ear, she shot a triumphant look at Chae Eun-mi.

Only then did Seol-hee relax, letting out a quiet sigh.

She took the bait.

Chae Eun-mi rose from her seat and offered Yeo In-ok her congratulations. Amid the swelling applause, the maestra and her manager left their seats and walked toward the door.

They passed right by Seol-hee.

Their eyes met.

'May I ask you a favor?'

'Anything.'

'Then, the Go Tae-san painting. Would you be willing to yield it?'

'Why would you ask that?'

'There is someone I want to have that painting.'

'Who would that be?'

'You'll find out as the auction unfolds.'

What Seol-hee had wanted was to rig the board so that the painting would pass into specific hands.

Chae Eun-mi had understood the situation — and Seol-hee had used her.

To the maestra passing beside her, Seol-hee offered a silent glance of gratitude, and Chae Eun-mi left the hall wearing a gracious smile.

Watching Yeo In-ok and Dong-chan rejoice from a distance, Seol-hee sketched a faint smile of her own.

Second-floor control room of the event hall.

A secretary who had been watching the auction in hushed silence alongside Do Yi-hyuk finally spoke.

"It sold for more than the projected price."

The corner of Do Yi-hyuk's mouth lifted, almost imperceptibly.

"Yes, it did. I'm pleased the piece went to such a deserving owner."

His gaze, sweeping down over the hall, followed Seol-hee as she moved from table to table handing out gifts.

"That ball, I imagine..."

That was your doing, wasn't it.

The board was turning over.

In a direction no one had anticipated.

When Woo Seol-hee had stormed out of the wedding, he had already sensed the shift. But having lived through the tragedy born of one rash misjudgment, he couldn't help handling every choice and every action with painstaking care.

Which was why he had tried all the harder to keep his distance.

But the day she accepted his candy, his resolve had crumbled beyond saving.

He had worried he might be inviting some fresh misfortune — but no. Perhaps she had simply found her way at last.

"It might be the beginning of a shift that drags the whole board over to our side."

The secretary, who had been listening closely, tilted her head.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I see hope — reason to expect even better results."

The secretary assumed he meant the staff busily moving about below.

"That's good to hear."

"You really think so?"

To Do Yi-hyuk, who seemed to be seeking her answer, the secretary replied with a voice full of conviction.

"Of course. If you root for them and offer the occasional helping hand, they'll deliver even more."

Do Yi-hyuk, still smiling, followed Seol-hee with his eyes through the hall below.

"Rooting and helping, hm."

He murmured it low.

If it's for you, then that's what I'll do. Seol-hee.

As if answering his call, Seol-hee slowly lifted her head, and her gaze rose toward the control room on the second floor.

Across the empty air, their eyes met.