Puzzlent simultaneously appears on the faces of those present.
Naturally, it would be surprising to suddenly address soone else's esteed mother as your own.
"I saw my mother in you, Madam Kang," I explained, having pondered this point for quite so ti.
There were hardly any commonalities between my mother, who endured a lifeti of hardships, and the dignified lady of a wealthy household.
I added with a slight smile, "My mother is the queen of questions. If you're with her for an hour, she'll be asking questions the whole ti."
Minyoung bursts out laughing and wraps her arm around Mrs. Kang's, saying, "Ha! My mom is like that too."
"Really? What kind of questions does she ask?"
"Well, the usual stuff, like whether you've eaten or slept well."
"That's right. If you say yes to 'Have you eaten?', what cos next?"
"What did you eat?"
"And if you answer that?"
"Was it good? Are there any nice restaurants nearby? This ingredient isn't in season now, so try sothing else. It goes on like that."
I snapped my fingers and laughed, "My mom's the sa. Perhaps all mothers are like that endlessly curious about everything around their children, always anxious if they haven't done enough for them."
I looked back at Mrs. Kang and continued, "I know your initial questions weren't out of concern for . But as you learned about my situation, you genuinely started to worry. That's probably why I felt like you were mother-like. The love of a mother, lting into those many questions."
I reached for the veil again, saying, "These days, n... Well, it's hard to say it's only n, but anyway. n often speak ill of won. They criticize those who, despite having no money themselves, only go after n with money, or they call them thoughtless. And it's the sa with middle-aged won. Many n criticize the way so won aggressively push through crowds in the subway to find a seat."
I turned around to face the painting and said, "But no man ever speaks ill of the woman called 'mother'."
Holding the veil tightly, I looked at Mrs. Kang and declared, "And in conversing with you, Madam Kang, and hearing you talk about your children, I saw how your eyes lit up, how infinite love shone through them. And I wondered, how can I capture the essence of your heart in my painting?"
My hand tugged the edge of the veil.
As it slid off, revealing the massive 100x100 painting, the eyes of the onlookers widened.
"And this is the answer I ca up with."
**
Minyoung was not pleased with the situation.
She had been watching the man circle around the painting, talking for over ten minutes.
Knowing her mother, who disliked people who beat around the bush, Minyoung had been watching her closely. But perhaps because of the rapport built over ti, her mother showed no particular reaction.
Actually, she seed to be smiling warmly at the man.
'She would have been happier with a straightforward presentation of the painting.'
Minyoung had not held high hopes for a painting that would satisfy her mother. But if disappointnt was inevitable, it would be better to minimize the ti spent, so as not to upset her mother too much. This man seed utterly oblivious.
Minyoung was leaning towards not entrusting him with any further commissions for the hotel's decorative art, but being an artist herself, she refrained from passing judgnt before seeing the painting.
Finally, the man unveiled the painting, declaring it his answer.
The mont Minyoung saw it, her thought process ca to a halt.
A portrait that should have featured just one person.
But there, five individuals were visible.
Minyoung's eyebrows twitched as she glared at the painting.
'A family photo?'
No, she had no mory of ever taking such a photo.
Moreover, such a beautiful imagination could not have originated from a re photograph.
Mrs. Kang, with a benevolent smile, is holding two sons and a daughter in her arms.
Mr. Yu, her husband, is behind her, eyes closed, embracing the children as well.
Her brothers around the age of ten and herself.
In contrast to the realistic portrayal, the children, drawn a bit smaller, are nestled in their mother's arms, smiling blissfully.
Such a beautiful painting!
But Minyoung's eyes fluttered uncontrollably.
Her mother's hand.
The right hand without fingers, prominently displayed at the very center of the fra. And in the darkly rendered background, ominous wolves with yellow eyes seem to be glaring at the family.
Minyoung couldn't help but look at Junghoon with eyes filled with rage.
'What intention could lie behind this painting?'
She's on the verge of screaming. Regardless of the painting's beauty, it's a portrait. The whole painting, even in part, should not contain any ominous elents.
Just as Min-young is about to throw the cushion she's holding, she catches Jeong-hoon smiling and gesturing with his eyes. What's this signal? His eyes point towards her mother.
Frowning, Min-young turns sharply to look at her mother, only to be stunned.
"Mom?"
Her mother's profile.
After the painting's completion, her mother, who would usually just leave with a brief word of acknowledgent, is now beaming with joy.
Radiantly so.
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