Summary
Chae Jeong‑hyeon has lived his life in the shadow of his father, the famous Painter Chae. Instead of getting credit, he’s forced into being a “ghost painter”—restoring art and doing what his father is celebrated for, but without recognition. When the old master passes away suddenly, Jeong‑hyeon’s long‑nurtured yearning for revenge is left unfulfilled, because the person who wronged him is no longer alive; he is consumed instead by despair and a desire to abandon everything.
At Jeong‑hyeon’s lowest point, a mysterious stranger appears: Yeom Tae‑hwa, a being caught somewhere between mortal and divine. Tae‑hwa proposes a bargain. He asks Jeong‑hyeon to restore what was lost and to live under his roof; in return, Tae‑hwa promises to restore to Jeong‑hyeon the honor that was stolen from him due to his father’s reputation and legacy. Jeong‑hyeon, though reluctant, accepts—grasping at this fragile hope.
As they live together, what begins as a cold, contractual agreement gradually shifts. Jeong‑hyeon finds himself drawn to Tae‑hwa’s mystery and, as they share day‑to‑day life, the lines between obligation, fascination, and desire begin to blur. Meanwhile, Tae‑hwa’s own secrets—especially something tied to his 200‑year‑long silence and perhaps supernatural origins—loom in the background.