Chapter 68

Yawn.

I let out a wide yawn and glanced around.

The hallway was quiet, and the muffled sounds of a lesson drifted from the classroom.

I had just closed the classroom door, so it made sense.

‘Where is the Chairman’s office again?’

I began walking, trying to recall the school’s layout. If I remembered correctly, it wasn’t in this building.

‘Must be in the main building.’

At our school, there was only one building that could be considered the main one—the large structure visible as soon as you walk straight from the front gate.

Everyone referred to it as the Main Hall.

I left the building and made my way to the Main Hall.

I didn’t encounter anyone along the way. Everyone was in class, after all.

I’d probably find out why I was summoned once I arrived.

The massive lobby of the Main Hall greeted me as I stepped inside.

‘Every time I see this…’

It really reminded me of a hotel lobby.

This was the first place visitors encountered.

Not students or staff, but external guests.

It was where they received assistance and information.

After briefly scanning the lobby, I approached a man who appeared to be a staff member.

“Excuse me, could you tell me where the Chairman’s office is?”

“Huh? Oh, just a moment.”

The man looked slightly flustered before hurriedly pulling a small notebook from his pocket.

‘Must be new here.’

As that thought crossed my mind, he finally answered.

“The Chairman’s office is on the third floor, at the far end.”

“Got it. Thank you.”

I nodded slightly and moved past him. It still felt strange to act this polite.

Using the elevator, I went up to the third floor.

‘The Chairman seems to have a thing for gothic style. First, the banquet hall, and now this.’

The corridor on the third floor was barren.

It was empty, silent, and still.

This must be a private floor, exclusively for the Chairman.

‘Must be nice to have more money than you know what to do with.’

Well, no surprise there.

Being part of the S Group family and holding the position of Chairman—claiming they had no money would be a blatant lie.

As I walked deeper into the corridor, I saw countless doors.

Was it just me, or did this place feel strangely familiar?

Hopefully, I wouldn’t get lost here.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find the Chairman’s office.

Anyone could tell just by looking at the door.

It was adorned with a butterfly design, as if made using a decalcomania technique.

It was so ornate it almost hurt my eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Hearing the voice from inside, I opened the door and stepped in.

“Excuse me…”

The Chairman’s office was unexpectedly... empty.

The hallway and door were decorated so lavishly, yet the actual office was bare.

The space was painted a dull gray, containing only a glass table and two chairs.

“Haha, have a seat, Lee Ha-Eun.”

The Chairman, Lee Ji-Cheol, whom I had met before, greeted me warmly and gestured to the chair across from him.

“Oh, thank you.”

“This must seem odd. As you can see, my office is quite plain.”

“No, I prefer simplicity over flashiness,” I replied.

Lee Ji-Cheol chuckled softly and waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s only this room. If I called my secretary, they’d bring whatever was needed.”

I didn’t respond. Sitting in this space still felt awkward.

“You’re still on guard, I see. Didn’t we meet before?”

“We’ve only met twice. You’re still unfamiliar to me.”

“Ah, I see. I’ll have to work harder to earn your trust.”

A moment of silence passed, the air thick with unspoken tension as we both tried to gauge each other.

Then, the secretary entered, serving tea before leaving quietly.

“Do you like iced tea?”

“I don’t dislike it.”

Breaking the silence, Lee Ji-Cheol spoke first.

“You must have a lot of questions.”

“Well, sure, but why don’t you go first, Chairman?”

“Hmm? I don’t really have anything to ask.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Wait… you didn’t call me here out of curiosity?”

“Why would I? What would I gain from that?”

That was a lie. I’d met plenty of people like him before.

As I stared at him intently, he let out a small sigh.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop messing around. You’ve got a sharp look in your eyes.”

“Was that an insult just now…?”

Chuckling, he shook his head.

“No, not your appearance. I mean the eyes of your soul. They’re deep—too deep—and hard to meet directly.”@@novelbin@@

“Is that so? I never noticed.”

If he meant my ability to discern artwork, my mentor would easily surpass me.

“Well, since I’ve been caught, I’ll ask first.”

“Go ahead. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

After a brief pause, he spoke.

“Your mentor—is it ‘Wu Hua’?”

The name froze me in place. Why was that name coming up here?

“Judging by your reaction, it seems I’m right.”

“…How do you know that name?”

“Ah, that’s right. It’s not a name widely known.”

Why was that damned mentor of mine in this world? Did they also die reading a novel like me?

‘Now that I think about it, didn’t they recommend the novel I read before I died?’

The mere thought of my mentor being here made me uneasy.

That eccentric... here?

‘Then again, maybe they’re the reason those masterpieces ended up here.’

One thing was clear: Wu Hua, my mentor, was in this world.

“So, why did you bring up my mentor’s name all of a sudden?”

“I was curious. Your talent is far beyond your age, so it’s clear someone guided you.”

It seemed he didn’t know about my reincarnation.

“So I looked through various records to figure out who your mentor was, but I found nothing.”

“…Did you just take a wild guess?”

“Pretty much. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure, but it turned out to be true.”

His tone of admiration left me speechless.

“To tell you the truth, Wu Hua is the one who discovered several masterpieces in this world.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The masterpieces were discovered relatively recently, within the last fifty years or so.”

“The artist is unknown, but the discoverer is my mentor…”

I muttered under my breath, but he didn’t seem to catch it.

Lee Ji-Cheol sipped his tea, giving me a moment to process the information.

The revelations were overwhelming, and I’d need time to sort them out.

“Do you know where Wu Hua is now?”

I’d have to meet them to get answers—and maybe pull out all their hair while I was at it.

“Hmm. I don’t know. It’s been nearly thirty years since I last saw them.”

“…I see.”

Disappointment filled my voice as I sighed.

“Well, that’s all I wanted to ask for now. Your turn to ask me something.”

“Alright, then—”

I hesitated as he quickly changed the subject, but I let it slide.

There were plenty of things I was curious about—the incident at the banquet hall, why he kept such a low profile despite being the Chairman, the origins of masterpieces like Hollow Snow and Peach Blossom Paradise, and how he acquired [Seiren].

The questions kept coming, and Lee Ji-Cheol answered as much as he could.

“Oh dear, look at the time.”

“Yeah, it’s almost lunchtime.”

The others must be waiting for me. I should get going.

Standing up, I adjusted my clothes and bowed slightly.

“Thank you for your time. May I visit again sometime?”

Lee Ji-Cheol smiled warmly and nodded.

“Of course. Feel free to drop by anytime. I’m glad you’ve started to let your guard down around me.”

“Haha… Well then—ah, one last thing, Chairman.”

I turned back just as I was about to leave, a lingering curiosity prompting me to speak.

“Why is this room so empty?”

“…Hmm.”

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze softening as he glanced around the room.

“This used to be my daughter-in-law’s room—or rather, the former Chairman’s room.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Haha, no need to apologize. If anything, I should thank you. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a meaningful conversation in here.”

“It seems the previous Chairman enjoyed conversations?”

“Yes, they loved to chat endlessly, about anything and everything.”

Lee Ji-Cheol’s throat moved as he swallowed hard.

“I hope they’re just as lively up in heaven.”

With those words, I left the Chairman’s office.

The quiet hallway felt even lonelier now.

For some reason, I couldn’t shake this strange feeling.

***

After school, I didn’t feel like heading straight home.

I told the others to go to the workshop first.

They seemed curious, but no one pressed me for an explanation.

Once they left, I hailed a taxi.

“Thank you,” I said as I got out a little while later, starting to walk.

“What a coincidence this is.”

The memorial park, laid out in terraced steps, stretched before me.

“[Seiren] is at the Gangnam Memorial Park. My daughter-in-law loved that painting dearly.”

That was the last thing Lee Ji-Cheol had said, chuckling fondly as he reminisced about how she spent her life looking at that piece.

‘But is it really okay to leave [Seiren] in a memorial park?’

Well, Lee Ji-Cheol must’ve had his reasons.

Before going to see [Seiren], I made my way to a particular spot in the park.

I stopped in front of a neatly placed stone.

[Lee Ha-Yoon]

The name was engraved in large letters.

I’d never met them. I didn’t know their face, their voice—nothing.

I didn’t know who Lee Ha-Yeon was.

But I did know one thing: they were family.

I took a flower out of my pocket and placed it on the stone.

A lisianthus.

“I just… had something to do here, so I thought I’d drop by and say hi.”

Just know this, sis—your family always loves you.

I took a deep breath and let it out.

Now, it was time to see [Seiren].

‘Wu Hua, what are you up to these days?’

I walked toward the grave of Lee Ji-Cheol’s daughter-in-law, the former Chairman.

In front of me stood [Seiren].

Getting in here had been easy.

All it took was a quick call to the Chairman for permission.

“No need for grand gestures, right?”

As soon as I finished speaking, the scenery around me changed.

I was standing in the middle of a raging ocean, with a typhoon swirling around me.

“It’s been a while, Seiren.”

An old connection had brought us together once again.