I closed my eyes slowly, then opened them again. My mind was still sluggish with sleep. Something worth staying up all night for... Was it because he’d been so busy, some materials or reports he had to review?

“Did you finish watching it?”

At my question, Kwon Yido let out a laugh like a breath. Withdrawing his hand, he looped the tie in his other hand around his neck.

“No. I doubt I could finish even in a lifetime.”

The movement of his long fingers was graceful, even though all he was doing was tying a tie. The skillful way he knotted it somehow struck me as strangely suggestive. Maybe that was why my lips moved without thinking.

“Your tie... should I do it for you?”

“...”

He paused mid-motion. My voice was rough from just waking, but neither of us seemed to mind. Sitting up in bed, I naturally took the knot from his hands.

“There’s a knot I’ve been wanting to try.”

He let his hands drop and rest quietly on the bed. I recalled the style I’d once seen a shop employee do and slowly imitated it. Maybe a bit much for everyday wear, but it would suit him well.

“Since your suit doesn’t have a pattern today, a distinctive knot would look nice.”

His plain charcoal-gray suit and silk tie were both black. A little accent wouldn’t look out of place. Watching me work, he raised one eyebrow when the knot was done.

“...Where did you learn this?”

There was an odd sharpness to his tone. The extra comment that followed was the same.

“Most people can’t tie another man’s tie.”

He was right—even those who wore ties daily often fumbled with someone else’s, because the direction was reversed. But that didn’t really apply to me.

“A shop employee showed me.”

Yido lifted his gaze. Meeting his eyes, I gave a light shrug.

“I usually pick things up just by watching once.”

“...”

Only then did his expression soften. Tucking the tie neatly into his vest, he offered an easy compliment.

“You’ve got good hands. It’s not easy to copy an Eldredge knot after seeing it once.”

I didn’t know the name, but let it pass. Suddenly aware of my just-woken state, I self-consciously touched the back of my head. With a pleasant smile, he asked,

“Will you untie it for me too?”

“If you come home early, I’ll think about it.”

My dry chuckle only deepened the curve of his mouth. Adjusting his clothes, he remarked almost regretfully,

“Shame. Normally, if you help me dress, undressing comes as part of the set.”

So, he wouldn’t be home early today either. Was I that busy when I was still working? Barely two months ago, yet it felt like a distant past. Without further comment, Yido stood and apologized that I’d have to eat breakfast alone again today.

I think... that left me a little disappointed.

***

After breakfast, I drove to the workshop in the car he’d given me. Lee Taeseong sat in the passenger seat, looking a bit less tense than yesterday. Maybe in a few days, he’d be as comfortable as he was reading beside me in the greenhouse.

“Welcome.”

Despite the early hour, Lee Heena greeted me with a bright smile. When Taeseong followed me in and stood with his hands behind his back, she added warmly, “Hello to you too, Mr. Taeseong.”

“Did you finish the homework?”

“Yes, here...”

I’d already shown the notebook to Yido, but I still felt nervous handing it over for her review. Along with it, I passed her the fragrance materials I’d brought; her eyes softened with a smile.

“You can keep those.”

She explained that it was all included in the tuition, and anything she gave me in future kits was mine to use personally. Flipping through the notebook page by page, she smiled faintly.

“No headaches from smelling so many scents?”

“No, I was fine.”

“That’s good. The nose tires easily, so it needs care.”

Even now, the workshop was filled with fragrance. She’d said they used natural oils—maybe that’s why the scents were pleasant, neither as sharp as pheromones nor as synthetic as commercial perfumes.

“The more sensitive your sense of smell, the better, but too sensitive and it tires out fast.”

She explained that making even one perfume meant smelling over a hundred raw materials. With constant strain on the nose, headaches were common—but, she added, training could improve tolerance.

“You wrote well. Very specific, with good imagery—you could use it as a marketing blurb.”

It was clearly meant as polite encouragement, but it still didn’t feel bad to hear. After checking the final page, she smiled again. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“I’ll give you a few more materials at the end of today’s session, like yesterday.”

Before starting, she briefly outlined the day’s lesson—floral-type fragrance structures—and said we’d finish with simple olfactory training. Even though I was her only student, she handed me printed sheets detailing the scent development stages.

Honestly, not all of it was thrilling. The theory was just memorization, and the blending practice was just following her instructions.

Even so, I felt alive during the lesson. Simply being able to do something I’d chosen for myself—after wasting two months in idleness—was enough to make me happy.

“Mr. Sejin.”

When class ended and I was packing up, Heena spoke lightly. Taeseong stepped forward and, as usual, took the shopping bag with my notebook and materials.

“I’m curious about something—may I ask?”

“Of course.”

I nodded readily. She watched me for a moment, then asked,

“Why did you want to take a perfume-making class?”

It °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° was a sudden question. As I hesitated, she leaned forward and added calmly,

“Usually, people who like perfume take it for fun a few times. Or couples come for a unique date.”

Her delicate hands rested on the table, her loosely tied hair slipping over her shoulders.

“So I thought you’d just take a class or two as a hobby. I didn’t imagine someone who’d been a division head at a financial group would be interested in this.”

“...”

“But you seem quite serious about it... so I got curious.”

She said I didn’t have to answer if I didn’t want to, but it wasn’t that—it just felt oddly embarrassing. To voice aloud something I’d buried in memory, for the second time.

“...My childhood dream was to be a perfumer.”

As I spoke slowly, I felt Taeseong’s eyes on me, almost questioning if it were true. I smiled deliberately, speaking lightly.

“Not something I was desperate to be—just a vague fancy for a while. Then I happened to get a good opportunity to try it. Nothing much to it.”

“Wow... but it really suits you.”

Her wide-eyed sincerity didn’t feel like flattery. She murmured in admiration, glancing at Taeseong for agreement—which he, as usual, withheld.

“So did you quit your job to become a perfumer?”

“Oh, that...”

How much did she know? My fingers fidgeted with the ring on my fourth finger. Just because Yido had introduced her didn’t mean she knew my situation like Taeseong did.

Fortunately, she dropped the question quickly.

“I really didn’t mean to pry.”

She glanced at my ring with a smile, then smoothly changed the topic.

“Are you interested in a perfumer’s certification?”

“Certification?”

“Yes. There’s no national license, but there are private ones—you could try for one of those.”

A certification... I’d never thought about it. I wasn’t aiming to become a real perfumer; this was just another hobby, replacing my reading. I started to shake my head, but she gestured toward a shelf.

“It’s good to have something to show for it—it can help later.”

On the shelf were certificates labeled HUI NA LEE, three in a row like plaques. Not just perfumery, but cosmetics manufacturing and management as well.

“They don’t really help you get hired, but it’s better than nothing. Real work is learned after you’re in... Oh, but that doesn’t really apply to you.”

With a sheepish smile, she winked. Employment—such a foreign word to me. Playing with her hair, she added slowly,

“Anyway... it feels good to have an achievement.”

I turned my gaze back to the shelves. There were a few French novels, several perfume-related essays, stacks of spiral notebooks, even books with scent strips tucked in as bookmarks.

“Think about it.”

And with that, she ended the conversation. At her “See you tomorrow,” I stood and said goodbye.

Even as I left with Taeseong, her words stayed in my mind.

***

In the days that followed, I found myself strangely busy. Mornings at the workshop, afternoons spent on the homework she gave me. True to his word, Yido had the staff prepare a sunlit third-floor room just for me, with a white desk and chair and every kind of stationery neatly arranged.

By the time I finished, dusk had fallen outside. Even with the longer days, darkness came quickly. Yido still wasn’t home by then, so I’d eat an elaborate dinner alone and return to my room.

Then came the nightly struggle with sleep. The sleeping pills Mr. Kim had procured were, as always, useless. The difference now was that instead of simply lying there trying to sleep, I read or looked into perfumer certifications.

“...You didn’t sleep again, I see.”

A week later, on Monday, Yido finally appeared at breakfast. Seeing my hollow eyes, he gave a faint frown.

“Is sleeping in my room that uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that...”

Was it strange that even his frown felt welcome? I gave a thin smile and rubbed my tired eyes. I’d slept in snatches, but it didn’t bother me much.

“I was just doing something at night.”

“I didn’t know you had a hobby that kept you up.”

His tone was calm, but the next thing he said was far too suggestive for the breakfast table.

“If I’d known, I would have stayed up with you.”

“...”

There was no need to ask what he meant—anyone could guess. Clearing my throat lightly, I picked up my chopsticks, and he said,

“Hye-yul will be coming this morning.”

Right, he’d said his niece would be visiting this week. She was coming to see some paintings, but surely she wouldn’t leave after just that.

“She’ll probably be here when you get back from the workshop.”

Was it okay to leave a child alone? I quickly dismissed the thought—there were enough staff to look after her.

“When will you be home?”

“Around... five. Things are wrapping up now.”

His expression was refreshed as he said it. I mentally sorted my day—workshop in the morning, time with Hye-yul in the afternoon, homework before bed. If he came home early, I wouldn’t need sleeping pills tonight.

“I won’t be late like this anymore. Tomorrow I’ll only be out in the morning.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?”

“...Let’s just say it’s something.”

He brushed it off, saying I’d find out soon enough. I didn’t press—it wasn’t like I could do anything with work-related information anyway.

“Hye-yul shouldn’t give you trouble, but if anything comes up, call me. She’s shy, so she’ll probably be quiet.”

Last time, he’d said I had no obligations—that same nuance was here again, like he was making sure I wouldn’t be inconvenienced. It felt almost like a line being drawn.

“...Do you like children?”

I asked it softly—it was something he’d once asked me. He glanced up briefly, then lowered his eyes.

“Not particularly...”

“...”

“But I have thought it might be nice to have one.”

His well-shaped lips curved faintly. For a moment, his expression turned dreamy, then just as quickly, back to neutral.

“But like I said, I’m not sure I’d be a good father.”

For all his confidence in most things, Yido seemed unsure here—not out of false modesty, but because he truly thought himself unqualified. It wasn’t something I could contradict lightly, so I kept quiet.

“Then, I’ll be off. Be careful going to the workshop.”

With that, he left. I watched his back until the door closed, then headed upstairs.

Maybe I’d visit the greenhouse today, I thought.

***

Over the past week, I’d learned a lot from Heena. I’d finished the floral category and moved on to oriental types, including classification methods. Training really did sharpen the sense of smell—I could now savor the perfume Yido had given me more deeply.

“Mr. Sejin, you look happy today.”

At the end of class, she remarked in her usual bright tone. When she teased me about having a date, I could only smile faintly. I wasn’t sure whether she knew about Yido and me.

Back home, I headed to my room with my new materials and notebook. Hye-yul must not be here yet, I thought as I climbed the stairs.

From the third floor came light footsteps—and then a small figure appeared. Tiny hands clutched the railing, and a pair of round, bright eyes peered down at me.

“...”

“...”

It was Kwon Hye-yul—Yido’s niece.