Cozy Obsession

You are the red curtain that stained my eyes with blood. You are the black beast that tore my heart to shreds. The stars have fallen, and the earth has crumbled. Now, let’s cross hell and journey to heaven together. Before everything turns to bubbles. This time, I’ll protect you there. In that place where everyone will be happy. My beloved…

Silence

– The End

A bluish darkness filled the surroundings. The characteristic damp mold smell of the basement and the metallic tang of rust lingered in the air. It was cold, stifling, and difficult to breathe. All senses except for sight became acute: smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Seo Heemin waited for his feverish body to calm down in this desolate place, as if the world had ended.How much time had passed? The heat that had swept over his entire body disappeared. Blink, blink. Heemin repeatedly opened and closed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. However, it was as if a dark blue curtain covered his head; nothing was clearly visible.With difficulty, he stretched out a powerless hand to wave it in the air. Soon, he felt the chilling touch of a cold metal pillar, enough to send a shiver down his spine.A cage…?Suddenly, he came to his senses. He, who should have been lying on a bed, was trapped in an unknown place. All around him were iron bars, and the floor was covered with rough wooden planks that creaked with every movement. A chill ran down his spine.“Next is number 20, prime omega. Get ready!” “Yes, sir!”The gruff voices of men mingled with the creaking of the planks, echoing like a chorus.…Omega? Could this be a dream?It seemed like he was dreaming. The sensations he was experiencing mirrored the text he had read just before falling asleep.The distant voices of people, the creaking wooden planks, the presence of iron bars, and the mention of a prime omega. It was an incredibly vivid dream.‘Hey, Seo Heemin. Look at this. There’s a character with the same name as you.’In the BL novel his third sister had thrown to him, claiming it was creepy that the main character had the same name as their younger brother, there was a scene like this too. ‘Seo Heemin,’ who was pursued by creditors after his father’s death and captured by human traffickers, was imprisoned in a cage and sold at an omega auction.Half repulsed, half curious about the character sharing his name, Heemin had read the BL novel Silence until dawn and then fallen asleep. Reflecting on the lingering ending, he had skimmed through the beginning again, and just before the reunion scene with the main character ‘Cha Yiheon,’ he had drifted off. The last thought he remembered was how dreadful the omega auction was, and now here he was, dreaming that very scene.Heemin, a book addict, was the most frequent visitor to the local library. When the books he wanted were unavailable, he would even borrow his sisters’ novels, regardless of genre, reading all kinds of stories.He had never felt particularly attracted to men, but he had no prejudice against homosexuality, partly because his second sister had a same-sex partner. Moreover, contrary to his initial expectation that such novels would be purely erotic, he found that many had surprisingly deep content. He was drawn to the detailed exploration of falling in love, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation.One author’s works particularly stood out to him, and Silence, the book his sister had given him, was their latest work. Despite its somewhat dry style, he appreciated the author’s affectionate gaze towards humanity, so he naturally picked up the book even though the main character shared his name.Maybe it was because of his sisters’ tastes, but having only read ordinary modern stories, the Omegaverse world with alphas, betas, and omegas was initially hard to grasp. However, the dark and desolate atmosphere, starkly different from the author’s previous works, drew him in, and he read Silence nonstop through the night.The final scene where ‘Seo Heemin’ embraces the corpse of a man who died protecting him and commits suicide left the deepest impression. The profound monologue that followed this death also lingered in his mind.Did the stars symbolize the dead child, and the earth the ruined world of the two? What was this place where everyone would be happy? While pondering if the two, having crossed through hell, would finally achieve the love they longed for, he found himself dreaming of being trapped in a cage. The creaking of the planks shattered his poignant reflections on the ending.‘This is too real.’He occasionally experienced lucid dreams, but it was impossible to control his consciousness and thoughts within them. This dream was different. He could move freely. Moreover, the chilling sensation of the metal still lingered on his fingertips. Heemin clenched his fingers into a fist. The pain from his nails digging into his flesh was unmistakable.Such vivid senses.It was strange. It felt as if his soul had inhabited ‘Seo Heemin’s body rather than being a dream. Dreams are said to be manifestations of the unconscious, but experiencing the novel’s scenes from ‘Seo Heemin’s perspective rather than as an observer was probably because he felt a strong connection to the character.‘Seo Heemin’s life, sharing his name, was full of hardship. In his childhood, a traumatic incident made him fear alphas, leading him to push away even his close friend ‘Cha Yiheon,’ who later manifested as a prime alpha, and he spent his school days consumed by trauma.Just as he found some stability through drawing, his father’s misdeeds, which ruined Cha Yiheon’s family, came back to haunt him. To make matters worse, he was sold and forcibly embraced by Cha Yiheon, who had become an executive of a corporate gang.Heemin felt pity for ‘Seo Heemin,’ who was forced to hate Cha Yiheon despite his love for him. Every time ‘Seo Heemin’ had a monologue, he would burst into tears, the sorrow spilling out like an old wound being reopened.Creeeak―In contrast to the pitiful situation of ‘Seo Heemin,’ Heemin was internally marveling at everything in amazement when a rusty door opened with a hair-raising sound.Clatter. Clatter.A few people started pushing a cart with a curtain still draped over the cage. However, Heemin was not surprised. Everything was unfolding according to the novel’s plot.Somehow, it felt less like a dream and more like experiencing virtual reality at a VR café. The VR content title would undoubtedly be Silence.If things continued this way, he would soon be on stage. Instead of fear, his heart pounded with anticipation at the prospect of seeing the auction hall. He was excited to vicariously experience something that would never happen in real life, even if it was in a dream. Heemin quietly sat and waited for the cage to stop moving.It wasn’t long before he heard the murmur of dozens of voices. Unfamiliar and unique smells mingled and pricked his nose.‘Pheromones!’They were like ripe fruits, had the heaviness of tree bark, and the salty scent of the sea. However, these were fundamentally different from artificially blended perfumes; they were the smell of flesh. His instinctive senses told him so.It was fascinating to the point of madness. As he raised his head and kept sniffing, a sudden wave of nausea hit, making his head spin.…What is this?The initially pleasant smells turned his stomach upside down. Heemin covered his mouth with his palm, retching continuously.It was unbearable. Nothing came out, and a bitter taste lingered in his mouth. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Forget about the auction hall; he wanted to settle his upset stomach with a bowl of ramen soup.Heemin pinched his nostrils with his thumb and forefinger to block out the smell and held his breath. When his breath became short, he inhaled and exhaled through his mouth repeatedly.Once he had somewhat calmed down, a realization struck him. Only alphas and omegas could detect pheromones.Most of the auction participants were alphas. Remembering that ‘Seo Heemin’ could feel alpha pheromones ten times more intensely and even have adverse reactions, Heemin finally grasped the seriousness of the situation.‘No way…’It was unbelievable. It felt like he had really been possessed by ‘Seo Heemin’s body rather than it being a dream.Unlike Heemin’s inner curiosity about this unrealistic situation, ‘Seo Heemin’s body was unmistakably trembling like a willow branch in the north wind. It was due to the fear and helplessness towards the unspecified alphas, in other words, his alpha trauma. Unable to endure the pain, Heemin collapsed to the ground like a newborn fawn.“The auction is nearing its end, so let us introduce you to a very special omega. Here is the highlight item of today!”The curtain lifted, and the doors to the waiting room began to open on both sides. The cage moved to the center of the stage along rails installed on the floor, making a buzzing sound.In this world, omegas, especially prime omegas, were as rare as endangered animals.A prime alpha is not born from a relationship with a female beta. Moreover, if a female alpha gives birth to a prime alpha with a probability of one in a thousand, the probability of a prime omega giving birth to a prime alpha is only one in ten.Thus, alphas with wealth and power would stop at nothing to get their hands on prime omegas for their own benefit.The problem was that in this process, illegal breeding and trading were rampant, pushing prime omegas into dire situations. As a result, the overall omega population decreased, and particularly, the male prime omega population plummeted to a cliff level, further increasing their rarity.There was a good reason why the prime omega ‘Seo Heemin’ was introduced as the last auction item and treated as a special omega.“…Ugh!”Bright pin lights shone on Heemin from all directions. Even though he had expected it, experiencing it was overwhelming. His vision bleached white as if his retinas were being burned. Heemin closed his eyes and gagged once more.The long sleeves covering the backs of his hands, the hem reaching down to his thighs—’Seo Heemin,’ wearing nothing but a white shirt, drew cheers from the participants. Whistles sounded here and there. The climax of the auction was fast approaching.“Mister, hey, mister.”Heemin grabbed the bars of the cage and called out to the emcee in a colorful suit. Since ‘Cha Yiheon’ would be the one to buy ‘Seo Heemin’ anyway, he wanted to at least calm his nauseous stomach, as there was no stopping the auction.However, the emcee, glancing back while holding the microphone, ignored Heemin and continued the product introduction.“Item number 20. Height 178 cm, weight 58 kg. Prime, no pregnancy experience….”“Mister, please give me some water!”“Omega….”“I said give me water, mister! I feel like I’m going to throw up!”The emcee suddenly closed his mouth and gestured with his chin to an assistant holding a long electric shock stick. It meant to give Heemin the water he wanted. They didn’t want the stage to be dirtied with vomit. Soon, a cold bottle of water was placed in Heemin’s hand.He drank hastily. He could feel the gaze of dozens of people on the thin stream of water running down his neck. He could even hear someone gulping dryly.“The bidding starts at 100 million won.”“One hundred million!”“Two hundred million!”“Three hundred million!”“Three hundred million, do I hear four hundred million?”“Five hundred million!”“Seven hundred million!”“One billion!”“A telephone bid of one and a half billion!”In reality, Heemin had never been directly bullied, but for some reason, both boys and girls tended to avoid him. The only friend he had was a classmate from middle school.However, in the novel, ‘Seo Heemin’ was a delicate lily attracting swarms of men even when he stayed still.Normally, he should have been trembling with anger and tears at the alphas raising their hands, emitting pheromones. But Heemin drank his water calmly, hoping the price would go higher.After all, ‘Seo Heemin’ was set to be an extraordinary beauty. Even if it meant paying off a debt with his body, it felt good to be recognized for his value as the protagonist of this novel.The atmosphere in the auction hall heated up in an instant. Heemin, who had emptied half the bottle of water, wiped his mouth and began to look at the participants one by one with a relieved expression.‘Cha Yiheon must be sitting somewhere…’He had been curious about ‘Cha Yiheon’s face throughout reading the novel. This was because ‘Cha Yiheon,’ who both loved and hated ‘Seo Heemin,’ shared the same name as Heemin’s only friend.From the moment he opened the first page of the novel, Heemin was shocked. He knew his name appeared, but he hadn’t expected ‘Seo Heemin’s counterpart and best friend to share the same name as his own friend. It was the first time he had felt like giving up on finishing a book.At first, he thought his sisters were playing a prank by changing the character names. But as he read on, it turned out to be a mere coincidence that they had the same names.The two people were incredibly different. Firstly, their personalities were different, and secondly, their described appearances were different as well.Over 190 cm tall, sharp and distinct features that drew attention, and firm muscles showing under a taut dress shirt. In contrast to his attractive looks, his oppressive atmosphere and the cold impression created by the furrowed brow made him seem ruthless.Heemin could only laugh at the description of ‘Cha Yiheon’ as a handsome man with a striking appearance but a ruthless butcher who mercilessly killed people.The reason was that his friend Yiheon had neither a fierce atmosphere nor furrowed brows. However, he did have a knack for making other men look like squids in comparison, making the term “ruthless butcher” quite amusing.Yiheon was tall, just like ‘Cha Yiheon,’ and so good-looking that entertainment agencies competed to sign him. However, with his model-student image, he didn’t have the rough look of a gangster. He was, in fact, far from being a mobster.Their personalities were also distinctly different. Yiheon, though not very talkative, was amusing with his witty comments that always landed well.He was like a big dog that always followed Heemin around wagging its tail, was scared of ghosts and couldn’t watch horror movies, and turned into a power vocalist who wouldn’t let go of the mic at karaoke.‘I’m curious. What does he look like?’He was excited to see what the mobster ‘Cha Yiheon’ looked like. The novel had a hard cover with a black background and red spots. Without any illustrations of ‘Seo Heemin’ or ‘Cha Yiheon,’ their appearances were left entirely to imagination.Heemin held his nose and searched the crowd for ‘Cha Yiheon.’ The bald man with the oily head was out, the bespectacled skinny guy was out, and the overweight man who seemed to weigh over 100 kg was out…“Fifty billion.”As he crossed names off his list one by one, someone raised their hand from the darkness where the shadows were long.The deep, low-pitched voice that resonated clearly. Just from hearing that voice, he knew. The man with a slightly thicker and heavier voice than his friend was undoubtedly ‘Cha Yiheon.’Despite it being a reunion after ten years according to the original story, ‘Seo Heemin’s body seemed to remember his presence distinctly, judging by his unbearably rapid heartbeat.It was frustrating not being able to see his face properly. Heemin, forgetting that he had been sold for fifty billion instead of thirty billion as in the original story, leaned out of the cage to see Cha Yiheon.But he just sat quietly in the shadows without a single movement. The pin lights turned off, and the rails moved again. Moved to a container with yellow lights, Heemin anxiously awaited Cha Yiheon’s arrival.After some time, a pair of black shoes with a strong and solid impression came into view. They were plain toe Oxfords without brogues.He thought the shoes suited Cha Yiheon’s character well, a tyrant disguised as a gentleman. Although he always acted contrary to this with ‘Seo Heemin,’ causing rage.A deep lingering scent entered his nose. It was a heavy musk scent that radiated presence. The bold pheromones that resembled Cha Yiheon’s personality. His breath quickened.Heemin slowly lifted his head. The long legs, the dress shirt highlighting the chest muscles, the prominent Adam’s apple, and then finally, the face he had been so curious about came into view.How could this be? For a moment, he stopped breathing.“Seo Heemin.”Would his friend look like this in nine years?A forehead with sharp angles like a Westerner’s, a strong nose like a mountain peak, a scar on the eyebrow creating a fierce impression, and a cold, expressionless face.Though his features were the same as his friend’s, the intense masculinity like a wild male emanating from him was astonishing. He was both the Cha Yiheon he knew and ‘Cha Yiheon.’‘This is unbelievable.’Though he had been possessed by a character in the novel, it seemed that this world had been reconstructed by his subconscious. Otherwise, the faces couldn’t resemble each other so closely.“It’s been ten years.”Cha Yiheon’s pitch-black eyes, which seemed to swallow even the darkness, pierced through Heemin. At that moment, his heart sank, and his fingertips trembled slightly.His gaze, unwavering like that of a soldier facing an enemy, was rude and blatantly intense. The ruthless desire to conquer ‘Seo Heemin’ was transmitted through his pheromones.“You look well.”Yiheon’s gaze lingered on Heemin’s cheek for a long time. He said he looked well, but his tear-streaked face must have been a mess without even looking. It was clearly sarcasm.“You seem happy. Sold for fifty billion.”Yes! I’m proud to have been sold for more than in the original!He couldn’t bring himself to say that, so he kept his mouth shut. Yiheon spoke with a smirk.“How much have you been through to put on such a pathetic show? Trying to catch the eye of some rich old man? You cost me an extra twenty billion.”Was he referring to the moment Heemin had begged the auctioneer for water? If so, it wasn’t ‘Seo Heemin’s appearance that changed the price, but his own thoughtless action. Heemin looked at Yiheon with a surprised expression.Inside his gently curving eyes, there was a cold gaze. However, Heemin did not feel fear towards Yiheon. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the slightly upturned corner of his lips. Was this what sensual meant? It was the same shape, but the feeling was completely different, which was fascinating.“You’re not even worth ten million, but having a friend who’s willing to sell his body for loose change is disgusting, isn’t it?”Yiheon’s words flowed out as if reading a script directly from the original. Heemin bit his lower lip.Yiheon slowly grasped Heemin’s chin. Then, looking deeply into Heemin’s eyes like a black forest, he spoke slowly.“I need a hole to release my pheromones. I’ll knock off five thousand per screw. No, let’s make it a hundred million. Try to be worth fifty billion to me.”Now it was ‘Seo Heemin’s turn to say, ‘Just kill me.’“…Pfft!”He too was supposed to recite his line from the original, but seeing his friend saying such lewd things with his face was too funny. Heemin couldn’t help but burst out laughing.Yiheon’s neatly furrowed brows twisted instantly. His slender eyes sharpened.“What’s so funny?”“There’s such a huge gap from the real person… Puhaha.”“You must have been drugged out of your mind.”He seemed to think Heemin was speaking nonsense due to the drugs. Unable to hold back his nausea, gagging, drinking water frantically in the middle of the stage, and now saying things that didn’t suit a delicate, sensitive character—he couldn’t be blamed for thinking that way.Yiheon let go of Heemin’s chin as if throwing it aside and this time grabbed his wrist, as if trying to confirm something. The strength of his grip made Heemin’s body sway momentarily.“…Ah!”Examining ‘Seo Heemin’s thin, pale right and left arms, Yiheon bit his lip for a moment. There were injection marks on his blue veins, several on each arm.Yiheon took a cigarette from his jacket pocket and put it between his lips. A man standing behind him, like a shadow, lit it politely with both hands.A red dot glowed in the dim container. A curl of cigarette smoke, like a coiled snake, spread into the air.Heemin occasionally smoked in reality. However, ‘Seo Heemin’s weak bronchial tubes seemed to be uncomfortable with the acrid cigarette smoke. He immediately started coughing.Yiheon blew smoke deliberately into Heemin’s face, causing his eyes and throat to sting and making him cough madly. A brief smirk crossed Yiheon’s lips.“You really are a mess. Acting like a drug addict.”A scowling expression and cold words. He looked at Heemin, who was coughing uncontrollably, with a gaze as if looking at a disgusting insect.“I’m not a drug addict… Ugh.”