Ji-Yeon's cries echoed throughout the Kang mansion as she stumbled through the front door, her eyes swollen from tears and her dominant hand wrapped in thick white bandages.
The servants immediately stepped aside.
Mrs. Kang hurried into the foyer.
"Ji-Yeon!"
She rushed to her daughter and gently held her shoulders.
"What happened? Why is your hand like this?"
Ji-Yeon threw herself into her mother's embrace.
"Mom..."
"I was humiliated..."
Mrs. Kang's expression darkened.
"Who did this?"
Mr. Kang descended the staircase with hurried steps.
"What happened at the academy?"
Ji-Yeon wiped away her tears.
"My painting..."
"It was ruined."
"The paint started smudging in front of everyone."
"The judges questioned me, and Master Dong-Hyun asked me to recreate it before the entire audience."
Her voice trembled.
"I couldn't..."
"My hand was injured..."
Mrs. Kang hugged her tightly.
"My poor daughter."
Mr. Kang clenched his fists.
"This should never have happened."
Just then...
Soft footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Min-Ho quietly entered the living room, carrying a tray with cups of warm tea.
She looked around in confusion.
"Mother... Father..."
"What happened?"
Her eyes widened when she saw Ji-Yeon's bandaged hand.
"Unnie!"
She hurried forward.
"Are you alright?"
Before anyone could answer, Ji-Yeon suddenly glared at her.
Her grief instantly turned into anger.
"You..."
Min-Ho froze.
"...Me?"
Ji-Yeon's eyes filled with resentment.
"You painted that masterpiece!"
"If you had done your job properly, none of this would have happened!"
The words struck the room like lightning.
Min-Ho stared at her sister in stunned silence.
Mrs. Kang's expression also hardened.
"Min-Ho."
"Did you make a mistake while painting?"
Mr. Kang frowned.
"Were you careless?"
Min-Ho's lips parted slightly.
"I..."
She lowered her head, her fingers tightening around the tea tray.
"I don't understand..."
Ji-Yeon stepped closer.
"Don't pretend you don't know!"
"The paint melted!"
"I was humiliated because of your painting!"
"You embarrassed our entire family!"
Min-Ho's shoulders trembled.
"I..."
"I never wanted that..."
Mrs. Kang sighed in frustration.
"Min-Ho."
"We trusted you."
"You know how important today's competition was."
Mr. Kang added coldly,
"If Ji-Yeon's reputation is damaged..."
"Our family's reputation suffers with it."
Min-Ho slowly looked up.
Her eyes had already turned red.
"I-I'm sorry..."
She spoke so softly that her voice almost disappeared.
"I painted it exactly the way I always do."
"I never wanted Unnie to get hurt."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I tried my best..."
She lowered her gaze again, looking frightened.
"I... I thought I had done something terrible..."
Seeing her trembling like a frightened child, Ji-Yeon's anger eased slightly.
Min-Ho hesitated before speaking again.
"Father..."
"May I ask something?"
Mr. Kang looked at her impatiently.
"What is it?"
Min-Ho nervously twisted the edge of her sleeve.
"The paints..."
"...weren't they the new imported ones you bought for Unnie?"
Mr. Kang nodded.
"Yes."
"They were from a premium supplier."
Min-Ho blinked innocently.
"Then..."
She hesitated.
"Could... could something have been wrong with them?"
Everyone fell silent.
Min-Ho quickly shook her head.
"I-I don't mean Father bought bad supplies."
"I was just thinking..."
"I've used many different paints before."
"They've never smudged like that."
She bit her lip.
"So..."
"Maybe the paints themselves were defective?"
Mrs. Kang exchanged a glance with her husband.
"...Defective?"
Min-Ho nodded cautiously.
"If the binder inside the paint wasn't mixed properly..."
"It could separate after drying."
"I've read about that in a book before."
She immediately looked down again.
"B-But maybe I'm wrong..."
"I'm sorry..."
"I shouldn't have said anything."
Mr. Kang frowned deeply.
"The supplier did guarantee their quality."
Min-Ho looked genuinely confused.
"Then..."
"How else could the paint suddenly melt overnight?"
"I've never seen that happen before."
The room became quiet.
Ji-Yeon's expression slowly changed.
She replayed the incident in her mind.
The painting had looked perfect.
Only during the evaluation had it begun falling apart.
"...Maybe..."
she whispered.
"It really was the paint."
Mrs. Kang nodded.
"That makes sense."
"My daughter couldn't possibly have painted something so unstable."
Mr. Kang folded his arms.
"I'll have someone investigate the supplier immediately."
"If they sold defective materials..."
"They'll answer for today's humiliation."
Min-Ho quickly shook her head.
"Please don't be angry because of me."
"I was afraid everyone thought I had failed Unnie."
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
"I felt so guilty..."
Mrs. Kang's expression softened immediately.
She walked over and gently held Min-Ho's hand.
"No."
"This isn't your fault."
"If the materials were defective, you couldn't have prevented it."
Mr. Kang nodded.
"You've painted countless works for Ji-Yeon before."
"There has never been a problem."
"It doesn't make sense that you'd suddenly become careless."
Ji-Yeon looked at Min-Ho.
The anger she had felt moments ago slowly disappeared and was replaced with anxiety to console Mim-Ho.
She sighed.
"...I'm sorry, Min."
"I shouldn't have blamed you."
"I was just... upset."
Min-Ho forced a small smile despite the tears still lingering in her eyes.
"It's alright, Unnie."
"I understand."
Mrs. Kang gently brushed Min-Ho's hair behind her ear.
"You've always worked hard for this family."
"And you'll continue helping your sister, won't you?"
Min-Ho lowered her head obediently.
"Of course."
"As long as Unnie needs me..."
"I'll paint for her."
Mrs. Kang smiled with relief.
"That's my good girl."
Mr. Kang also nodded approvingly.
"We're counting on you."
"Our family's reputation depends on Ji-Yeon's success. We are also depending on the prize money to appoint a very good doctor for your treatment, dear. "
Min-Ho smiled meekly.
"I won't disappoint you."
Outwardly...
She looked like a frightened girl desperate for her family's forgiveness.
Inwardly...
She almost laughed.
With only a few innocent words, she had shifted every ounce of suspicion away from herself.
The Kang family now believed the imported art materials were responsible for Ji-Yeon's humiliation.
They never once suspected that the ruined masterpiece had been part of Min-Ho's plan from the very beginning.
As they comforted the very person they believed they could continue exploiting...
None of them realized that the obedient girl standing before them had already begun dismantling their lives, one brushstroke at a time.