Cozy Obsession

The tone was calm yet soft, but the warning was clear: even Dr. Hwang wouldn’t be spared if he interfered again. It was as if Yiheon was saying he would let it slide just this once.Heemin and Dr. Hwang both shuddered at Yiheon’s icy smile. Only Secretary Jung remained unaffected, bending slightly to greet Yiheon with, “Have a good night.”Heemin was left alone with Cha Yiheon. Uncertain about the meaning behind Secretary Jung’s “good night,” he hesitated until his wrist was grabbed firmly.“Come here.”Yiheon’s forceful grip left Heemin no choice but to be dragged into the dark room. The moonlight barely seeped through the curtains, and Yiheon’s eyes glinted menacingly in the darkness, sending chills down Heemin’s spine.“Take it off.”“What…?”“Take off your clothes. Have you forgotten your role?”‘Seo Heemin’s’ role was to alleviate Yiheon’s stress and serve as his sexual plaything.Heemin slowly met Yiheon’s gaze. The dangerous atmosphere and the feral pheromones made it hard to breathe. Yiheon seemed serious about taking him. He clearly ignored Dr. Hwang’s advice to avoid physical contact.In the original story, Cha Yiheon slapped ‘Seo Heemin’ when he refused, tearing off his clothes and violently forcing himself on him. He had then made ‘Seo Heemin’ suffer through brutal acts.‘Who told you to drool?’‘…H-hic.’‘Suck it again.’Yiheon had even forced him to swallow every drop of his semen.Looking up at Yiheon’s tightly shut lips, Heemin hesitated before reaching for the top button of his shirt. Yiheon’s eyes followed his slow-moving fingers.Pop.A button came undone, revealing ‘Seo Heemin’s’ pale skin. Heemin wondered if he should continue undoing the buttons while watching Yiheon’s reaction. He wanted to ask if he was really going to force him into performing fellatio.Pop.Another button was undone. Yiheon didn’t seem intent on hitting or undressing Heemin himself but wasn’t planning to stop either.Heemin was filled with resentment toward the familiar yet unfamiliar face before him. If only Yiheon were a complete stranger. Because of his name and resemblance to a friend, Heemin had trusted him despite knowing he was a gangster.Yiheon was actually a ruthless man who threatened people without hesitation and used violence whenever things didn’t go his way.Heemin had naively thought he wouldn’t go so far despite knowing ‘Seo Heemin’s’ suffering. Now, it was his own body at stake. He couldn’t regard ‘Seo Heemin’s’ existence lightly as an outsider anymore.“…Sob.”As these thoughts crossed his mind, thick tears began to fall from Heemin’s eyes. He had ignored the growing fear since being thrust into this world. When the dam of suppressed emotions burst, uncontrollable sorrow flowed out.‘I’m sorry, Mom….’He had only attended school for two semesters, but he had student loans. He had planned to get a job at a large company like his sisters to provide a better life for his hardworking mother, but now, at twenty-one, he was about to die in this strange world, leaving behind nothing but debt.Wouldn’t his disappearance leave his family with a lifelong heartache? Despite their frequent scoldings, his sisters truly loved him. They would be devastated by his sudden disappearance.He felt a deep sense of injustice. If he had known something like this would happen, he would have made different choices—socializing with other kids instead of just Yiheon, maybe even experiencing a romantic relationship, studying harder to earn a full scholarship. Regret swirled within him.“Why did I have to read that book… If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have read it… Mom, Noona… sob.”He clung to Yiheon and began to sob uncontrollably. Large tears poured from his big eyes like a flood, causing Yiheon to frown.Yiheon roughly shook off Heemin’s hand, which had been gripping his arm tightly. Then, with a sneering tone, he spat out in irritation.“Can’t tell if you’ve lost your mind on drugs or if you’re just pretending to be insane.”Seo Heemin had no mother or sisters. It seemed Yiheon thought Heemin was showing signs of a nervous breakdown due to extreme despair.“I’m not crazy. Choi Sukyoung, Seo Heejae, Seo Heejung, Seo Heeyeon! They are our real mother and sisters! You wouldn’t know, of course.”“You? Ha.”With a low sigh, Yiheon unhesitatingly grasped Heemin’s pale, slender neck.“Huh!”“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t pull any ridiculous stunts. No matter what you do, you can never escape my grasp. You were sold to me.”“Ugh… Huh.”Heemin’s adam’s apple twitched in Yiheon’s palm with his labored breathing. He couldn’t bear the intense fear from Yiheon’s dilated pupils and snake-like, piercing gaze.Seo Heemin couldn’t escape Cha Yiheon’s grip until he was on the verge of death. Despite trembling at the man’s obsessive behavior, Heemin sought out Yiheon whenever his anxiety disorder worsened, ironically because Yiheon was the only one who would take him in.Yiheon had severed all of Heemin’s other relationships, making Heemin solely dependent on him. Yiheon would rather kill everyone else to be Heemin’s one and only.Cha Yiheon was like a quagmire; the more Heemin struggled to escape, the deeper he sank. Just as he resigned himself to giving up, a hot tear fell from his cheek onto Yiheon’s injured hand.“…Really, this is fucked up.”Yiheon released Heemin’s neck, perhaps because the water stung his wound or because he was in a bad mood. After staring at Heemin, who had collapsed onto the bed, for a while, Yiheon turned and headed toward the dressing room inside the bedroom.“Change your clothes.”The clothes he threw covered Heemin’s head and torso one after another. Heemin, with reddened eyes, looked at the black T-shirt and track pants.First, he tells him to strip, and now he wants him to get dressed.In the heavy silence, Heemin blinked in confusion as Yiheon left the room entirely.Was he planning to have him change clothes from the start? Heemin stared blankly at where Yiheon had disappeared, then raised his arm to his nose. The shirt indeed had an unpleasant, musty basement smell.Feeling drained, Heemin, who had been scared and cried like a child thinking Yiheon just wanted his body, felt a bit embarrassed. Although he was twenty-one inside, Seo Heemin was thirty now, so Yiheon must have found it ridiculous.After changing into the ill-fitting clothes with drooping shoulders and a loose waist, Heemin cautiously opened the door and came out of the bedroom. The smell of alcohol stung his nose as he turned his head to see Yiheon sitting on the living room sofa, pouring whiskey into a glass.He couldn’t tell if the bloodstains on Yiheon’s hand were his own or someone else’s, but they caught his attention. The sight of Yiheon drinking with a wounded expression after getting angry first unusually held Heemin’s gaze.Heemin opened the drawer of the living room table and took out a first-aid kit. Yiheon’s eyes, watching Heemin’s tear-streaked cheeks, followed him.“Give me your hand.”“Get lost.”Yiheon’s cold words echoed through the living room. His upturned, snake-like eyes looked eerie. Heemin’s hand holding the first-aid kit trembled slightly. He never knew how to speak kindly, even though his true feelings were different.“Please, let me treat you.”Heemin squeezed out the words, barely managing to speak. But Yiheon just glared at him without any reaction.“Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me say get lost?”“You bought me for five billion won, didn’t you? I should at least earn my keep.”“Ha.”Yiheon chuckled incredulously at the implication that, even if Heemin couldn’t offer his body, he could still do other things.Heemin, undeterred by the cold response, opened the box and took out items useful for first aid. Yiheon glared at him as if wondering how he knew there was a first-aid kit in the drawer.“The doctor told me it was here.”In truth, he had seen it in a book.“Give me your hand.”“….”“Hurry.”Heemin quickly grabbed and pulled Yiheon’s hand as he set down the glass. Yiheon didn’t seem entirely opposed as his wrist was pulled along. His expression remained stern, but his eyelashes trembled slightly.Such a child.A moment ago, Heemin had been terrified of him, but now he felt nothing. Perhaps it was because he knew that, despite hating Seo Heemin so much, Yiheon was a coward who couldn’t stand being hated in return. Smiling slightly, Heemin gently rubbed the wound with a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic.“You’re so slow. When are you going to finish?”As Heemin carefully blew on the wound and cleaned the dried blood, Yiheon, seemingly frustrated, poured the antiseptic directly onto his hand.That must sting a lot. But Yiheon kept a straight face, not showing any discomfort. It was so typical of Cha Yiheon to maintain his pride and put on a show.“Uh…”“What?”Heemin looked up at Yiheon’s indifferent response to carefully observe his expression. Although his face was stiff, he didn’t seem as irritated as he had been when he first came home.Heemin fanned Yiheon’s hand to dry the antiseptic quickly and asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a while, very bluntly.“Did you kill someone?”Yiheon’s head tilted as he fixed his gaze on Heemin, who was fanning his hand. After scrutinizing Heemin with narrowed eyes, he answered straightforwardly.“No.”“Then why is there so much blood on your clothes?”“I beat someone up until they were nearly dead.”“Who?”“The bastard who stuck a syringe in your arm.”To Heemin’s recollection, Seo Heemin had not been injected with drugs multiple times but had swelling from an intravenous injection, leading to repeated injections in other areas.He felt a bit sorry for the gang member who had been turned into a bloody mess without reason. However, it was a virtual world character, and he rationalized that the person deserved punishment for administering illegal injections without being a medical professional.Considering that Cha Yiheon, known as a brutal killer, hadn’t actually killed the person, it was somewhat of a relief.Since Heemin’s value was not five billion but fifty billion won, and it was a fact that his neglect had marred the merchandise, he didn’t think the situation would escalate as he had feared.Phew…Heemin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he wouldn’t have to worry about being killed by a Bukseong group gang member’s knife for the time being.“Now I’ll apply some ointment.”Heemin spread ointment over the entire area of the hand where the skin had peeled off, then wrapped it in a bandage. As he contemplated whether to redo the clumsily wrapped bandage, Yiheon, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up.“Why do you keep using formal speech with me? Seeing you after such a long time, do I feel like a stranger to you?”“Well, there’s a nine-year age difference…”Realizing his mistake, Heemin trailed off mid-sentence. He quickly glanced at Yiheon, but he couldn’t read his thoughts as he brought the glass to his lips.The real 21-year-old Cha Yiheon preferred soju over whiskey and didn’t drink without snacks. Whenever they went to a bar together, he’d order at least three appetizers, filling Heemin up.Considering how different he was in every way, it seemed odd to speak informally to him.If he had a personality similar to his friend, Heemin would have used informal speech regardless of age. But the atmosphere, the intimidation, and the maturity emanating from Yiheon made Heemin naturally use formal language.“I don’t know what you’re up to.”With his bandaged hand, Yiheon downed the remaining liquid and fixed his gaze on Heemin. Then, with eyes gleaming like a child discovering a new feature in a toy, he spoke again with a mischievous glint.“Go on. This is really entertaining.”A strange light crept into his eyes, slowly and deeply, like rainwater seeping into the earth. Although it was Yiheon drinking, Heemin felt dizzy, as if he had stepped into a swamp he couldn’t escape.After scrutinizing Heemin’s face like a specimen, Yiheon stood up, taking the empty glass and whiskey bottle with him. Heemin also tidied up the first-aid kit and put it back in the drawer.“You have three older sisters and are nine years younger than me, Seo Heemin.”“…Excuse me?”“I’m going out early tomorrow morning. Just so you know.”“Out? Where to?”“You don’t need to know.”“Ah, where to? Please tell me.”“Just go to bed.”He motioned towards the glass door, signaling Heemin to go to his room without further argument.“Goodnight.”Like Secretary Jung, Heemin bowed politely and entered the room with a clear view inside. He could feel Yiheon’s persistent gaze on the back of his head, but he ignored it and lay down on the bed.Yiheon turned off the lights in the living room and kitchen before entering his own bedroom, leaving the door wide open to keep an eye on Heemin.Despite lying on a bed with soft pillows and cozy blankets, Heemin couldn’t sleep. Perhaps it was because he had only recently woken up.Lying quietly in the dark room, Heemin stared blankly at the ceiling. The long night was coming to an end.“At least I made it through the day.”Unlike Seo Heemin, who was constantly plotting his escape, Heemin planned to stay put for now. He had no money and nowhere to go.The outside world was dangerous, full of places where Omegas were captured and sold. In this safe haven, Heemin wanted to enjoy the delicious food Cha Yiheon provided and live comfortably.Instead of fighting, clawing, and causing chaos, he had treated Yiheon’s hand, which led to Yiheon making a joke about having three older sisters and being nine years younger. Though it wasn’t a joke to Heemin.Rebelling against Yiheon would only exhaust Heemin. If he acted carefully and skillfully, this place could become the coziest cage imaginable.He had no intention of living like Seo Heemin, a pitiful bird in a cage. Regardless of his feelings toward Yiheon, survival was his priority.Thinking about the flow of events, tomorrow was the day Seo Heemin would discover that Cha Yiheon was the president of Wooshin Capital and have a meltdown.Seo Heemin’s father, Seo Jae-han, had borrowed heavily to fund his business expansion, leading to severe financial difficulties. Unable to repay the due corporate bonds, he borrowed high-interest loans from Wooshin Capital, ultimately defaulting and initiating bankruptcy procedures.The savior who appeared was none other than Cha Yiheon, the son of a man Seo Jae-han had once ruined and the president of Wooshin Capital who had lent the money.The past had come back to haunt him.However, unaware of the past events or his father’s true nature, Seo Heemin saw Cha Yiheon only as his father’s murderer and harbored deep hatred for him, oblivious to another entity’s involvement in Seo Jae-han’s accidental death.The scene where Dr. Hwang administers a sedative during Seo Heemin’s meltdown was supposed to occur, but now it seemed they were going somewhere.“Is this okay?”The term “butterfly effect” suddenly came to mind, referring to how small actions can lead to significant changes.Perhaps Heemin’s minor actions had altered the storyline. With some effort, the tragic ending where everyone dies could turn into a happy one—a just and happy ending where the protagonist finds happiness.All the other novels by the author of Silence ended with the protagonists exchanging rings or watches, promising eternal love, often in a wedding scene.The novel Silence was written to break away from the repetitive themes of self-replication, and the author had once mentioned in a postscript that they wanted to write a story about two people without any hardships. With that in mind, Heemin thought, if he could recreate the wedding vow scene from the author’s previous works, he might be able to turn the pages back to reality, back home.In this Alpha-Omega universe, two men could marry each other without any issue. Whether they held a grand wedding ceremony, submitted a marriage registration at the district office, or quietly pledged their eternal love to each other, promising eternal love to Cha Yiheon would likely end this cursed novel.If Heemin had to end up with someone, wouldn’t it be better to deal with the kind Cha Yiheon from the days when he was friendly with “Seo Heemin” rather than the terrifying, hate-filled Yiheon? Heemin didn’t want to spend his days constantly on edge, watching Yiheon’s every move until the ending.Thus, there was only one solution. To survive until the last page, to live comfortably without being oppressed, Heemin had to transform Cha Yiheon back into his former self, even if it meant sacrificing himself.But the thought of being with a man, especially Cha Yiheon, was terrifying. Cha Yiheon was described in the novel as having a weapon-like object hidden between his legs. Moreover, being an Alpha, it was mentioned that the base would swell like a dog’s knot.‘I’m going to die, please, stop… ugh!’ ‘You wanted it so badly you were drooling, and now you want me to stop? Not a chance.’ ‘Aah!’Heemin imagined the knotting scene from the novel in 3D, where “Seo Heemin” cried out in agony, feeling like he was being torn apart, while Cha Yiheon continued to pour himself into him until his belly swelled.Just the thought made Heemin’s face flush with embarrassment. He clutched his head in agony.‘This is driving me crazy.’However, in this high-intensity BL novel world, to shift the relationship between “Seo Heemin” and “Cha Yiheon,” physical contact was necessary. It was the only way for the characters’ emotions to evolve and for the plot to progress smoothly.Ultimately, there was only one option. He had to share warmth with Cha Yiheon and develop their relationship into a romantic one.Heemin, with tears in his eyes, resolved to start a project to change Cha Yiheon’s character keywords starting tomorrow.Cha Yiheon might look like his friend, but he was essentially a stranger. Besides, it wasn’t his real body, so it wasn’t like Heemin in the real world would lose his virginity.‘I need to survive, no matter what.’Knowing all the upcoming events was like holding a powerful weapon. Heemin convinced himself he wasn’t the tragic protagonist of a sad ending but the player of a dating simulation game, then buried his head in the pillow.Sleep soon overtook him. His eyes, which had been so wide open, slowly closed. Once again, Heemin was in the world of dreams within a minute.***“Ahhhhh!”Heemin’s shrill scream echoed from the bathroom. Urgent footsteps followed, and Yiheon burst through the door.“What’s wrong?”“My face… my face…”The author’s description of an unparalleled beauty was an absolute lie. The person in the mirror looked nothing like the character Heemin had expected.He had hoped for big, round eyes without double eyelids, slightly droopy eyes, a delicate nose, and cheeks like glutinous rice cakes, but instead, it was his own face he had seen for 21 years, just a bit older.Despite the character’s age being set at thirty, the light brown eyes he had always disliked, the red lips, and the pale skin remained unchanged. Even the double eyelids over his wavy eyes and the high nose were still there.It was disappointing. He had even felt a bit nervous before looking in the mirror, but instead of a stunning beauty, a guy looking like a pretty boy stared back at him, reminding him of his sisters’ remarks that his face was common. This was the worst luck ever.If his looks, which he thought were his only cheat, were like this, how was he supposed to seduce Cha Yiheon? Heemin, who had his head buried in the sink in despair, straightened up and told Yiheon.“It’s nothing, I must have seen things because I just woke up.”