Cozy Obsession

Heemin didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere on the first day of his plan, so he flashed a smile that Yiheon had previously said was bearable. However, Cha Yiheon didn’t seem pleased; instead, he frowned deeply.So, he really couldn’t stand him, regardless of his feelings towards ‘Seo Heemin.’ Heemin’s confidence waned a bit.“Get washed up and come out.”“…Yes.”Heemin washed away the past miseries of ‘Seo Heemin’ as if cleansing them with water and emerged feeling somewhat refreshed. He changed into clothes that seemed newly acquired by Secretary Jung, which clung to his body nicely, making his thirty-year-old self look somewhat presentable.“Where are we going?”After a simple breakfast, they got into a sleek, shiny black sedan. Given that they were well-dressed and fed, it didn’t seem like they were heading out to be tormented. However, Cha Yiheon still wouldn’t reveal their destination.Even though he would eventually find out once they got there, Yiheon didn’t seem inclined to share any details in advance. He seemed more focused on practicing looking serious, as he remained silent with a furrowed brow.“We’ve arrived.”A long time had passed since they left home, and Secretary Jung stopped the car in the basement parking lot of a quiet shopping complex. Heemin got into the elevator with a puzzled look and got off on the third floor.[Haesong Mental Health Clinic.]As soon as they turned the corner, an old bronze signboard appeared in front of them. The place where Cha Yiheon had dragged Heemin to was none other than a psychiatric clinic.Haesong. Haesong Mental Health Clinic.The name of the hospital sounded vaguely familiar. Heemin had rarely gone to hospitals due to his family’s difficult financial situation. It puzzled him why he would remember the name of a psychiatric clinic.“…Ah!”It suddenly flashed through his mind that this was the hospital ‘Seo Heemin’ had been visiting regularly since elementary school. Heemin let out a small exclamation, and Yiheon, with a blank expression, looked down at him and asked,“Surprised that I know about this place?”This was a hospital that the young ‘Seo Heemin’ had kept secret even from his closest friends. It was odd that Cha Yiheon, who hadn’t known about ‘Seo Heemin’s’ trauma until midway through the story, was aware of the hospital’s existence. Heemin looked at him in bewilderment and asked,“How do you know about this place?”“Back in third grade of middle school, I followed you.”“Ah…”‘Seo Heemin’ used to skip school once a month to visit Haesong Mental Health Clinic. He preferred visiting on weekday mornings, which were relatively quiet, instead of Saturdays when the clinic was busier due to his social anxiety. This was mentioned briefly in the novel.Even though Heemin’s response was calm despite hearing the unsettling word “followed,” Yiheon’s eyes narrowed slightly.“When I asked that father of yours, he said you often had nightmares and came here for medication. He begged me to keep it a secret from you.”“Did he?”Now that Heemin thought about it, there was a flashback scene where Cha Yiheon asked ‘Seo Heemin,’ who had just arrived at school, about his dreams rather than greeting him with a typical ‘Did you sleep well?’ or ‘Did you have good dreams?’ It had seemed odd at the time, but there was a reason behind it.Given that ‘Seo Heemin’ was highly sensitive and vulnerable to stress, Yiheon must have assumed it was plausible and didn’t dig deeper into the reasons for his hospital visits. If only he had directly asked ‘Seo Heemin’ why he lied and secretly visited the hospital, their relationship might not have reached such a dire state.Although it was likely out of concern for his son, Heemin felt a fresh wave of resentment towards Seo Jaehan. He was utterly useless and did more harm than good. While silently cursing him, Heemin noticed Yiheon’s searching gaze on him as he murmured to himself.“It’s still strange.”“What’s strange?”“Why aren’t you angry?”“About you following me?”“Yes.”“I just thought it was something you would do. You can’t stand being curious, can you?”Cha Yiheon had a tenacious personality that ensured he accomplished whatever he set his mind to. He was willing to swallow his pride, bow to his wealthy and powerful granduncle, and wallow in the mud, all driven by a relentless determination to punish those who betrayed him. Heemin knew that Yiheon’s obsession with ‘Seo Heemin’ wasn’t born out of nothing, so he just accepted it. In fact, it would have been stranger if Yiheon hadn’t followed him despite his curiosity.“But why did you bring me here?”There were plenty of mental health clinics near their home, so taking Heemin to this far-off place seemed to show some consideration for ‘Seo Heemin.’ Although he wasn’t sure what Yiheon’s intentions were in bringing him here.“I wanted to know your intentions.”Yiheon finally revealed his true motives.“…I don’t have any intentions.”Heemin’s heart raced because he was just about to start the “keyword changing project.” However, he pretended to be clueless.Yiheon leaned closer and looked into Heemin’s eyes, his own eyes gleaming with a cold blue light, as if to say that lying was useless. Remembering how Yiheon had raged last night sent a shiver down Heemin’s spine.“Let’s go in.”Yiheon opened the door and walked inside. The bell on the glass door chimed softly. Heemin, after calming his racing heart, followed Yiheon, curious about what the doctor would diagnose for his possessed self.“Welcome.”The nurse at the reception desk greeted them. It seemed they had arrived right when the hospital opened, as there were no other patients.“May I have your name?”“Seo Heemin.”“You’re born on September 3rd, right?”“Ah…”In reality, Heemin was born on September 4th. He was amazed at how his birthday was just one day apart from ‘Seo Heemin’s.’ While he stood there with his mouth slightly open, Yiheon answered for him.“Yes, that’s correct.”“Please have a seat for a moment.”Heemin sat on a leather sofa with sunken cushions, looking around. The clinic itself felt unfamiliar, but instead of the typical disinfectant smell, there was a scent reminiscent of a temple, which intrigued him. It seemed to ease his tension.“Mr. Seo Heemin, please come into the consultation room.”It wasn’t long before the nurse called Heemin. As he stood up, preparing himself, Yiheon stood up to follow him.“Are you coming in with me?”“I need to explain your symptoms.”“Isn’t that a violation of privacy laws?”“It’s legal to accompany someone for psychiatric consultations, and you belong to me.”“…”“Why would I come here if I was going to send you in alone?”True, he was an extremely busy man who barely slept four hours a day. He was so busy that he worked all night even after being with ‘Seo Heemin.’Heemin had planned to reveal to the doctor that this was a world inside a book. Although he would undoubtedly be treated as a delusional patient, he wanted to unburden his secret and find some peace of mind.But Cha Yiheon’s presence ruined that plan. He couldn’t possibly tell the doctor in front of Yiheon that he was someone who had possessed a character in the novel <Silence> and was destined to die.Not that Yiheon would believe him anyway.Heemin glanced at Yiheon’s back with a face full of discontent. He had lost his chance to reveal his true feelings. It seemed pointless to have gone through the trouble of treating his injured hand.Worry started to creep in. Could he really revert this arrogant man, who naturally oppressed people with his power, back to his kind, past self?It seemed like it would be a difficult challenge. With a deep sigh, Heemin followed Yiheon into the consultation room.“It’s been a while, Mr. Heemin. How have you been?”The doctor peeked out from behind the monitor, recognizing Heemin and greeting him warmly.“Oh? …Aunt Eunkyung?”She had neat bobbed hair and round, rimless glasses. Her eyes, always crinkled from smiling, radiated kindness. She looked exactly like the woman who was closest to Heemin’s mother.“Did you just call me Aunt?”The doctor tilted her head slightly as she looked at Heemin.“Oh, I must have misspoken because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Dr. Eunkyung… haha.”Heemin awkwardly laughed as he glanced at the crystal nameplate on the desk. To his surprise, just like Cha Yiheon, the doctor also had the same name and appearance as someone he knew in reality.“Don’t just stand there, come in and sit down.”“Ah, yes, yes.”Heemin, unable to hide his confusion, sat down awkwardly in the patient’s chair. He had the same feeling he had when he first faced Cha Yiheon—this world seemed to reflect parts of his subconscious.The novel only mentioned that ‘Seo Heemin’ had been receiving counseling at Haesong Mental Health Clinic for a long time. The doctor was not even an extra in the story.Apart from the setting of a beta, she wasn’t supposed to have a name, but it seemed additional settings were added as the story progressed.It felt a bit like someone was borrowing elements from his subconscious at random, but it was much better than dealing with complete strangers. If he ever got homesick, he could come here for counseling, so it might actually be a good thing.“What is your relationship with Mr. Heemin?”Eunkyung’s gaze shifted to Yiheon, who was standing behind Heemin. She seemed quite curious about the identity of the well-built man in a perfectly fitting, expensive suit.“We’re partners.”Yiheon answered succinctly. His calm voice lied without hesitation, as if he had prepared for this.“Are you… Cha Yiheon?”“How do you know my name?”There was a sharpness at the end of his polite tone. However, Eunkyung wasn’t fazed by Yiheon’s cold demeanor and calmly explained.“It was during high school. Mr. Heemin showed me a drawing of Mr. Cha Yiheon, saying you were his closest friend. It left quite an impression, so I remembered.”“…”The words “closest friend” made Yiheon’s expression harden. His eyes darkened deeply, like sand settling at the bottom of the ocean. He turned his gaze silently to Heemin. Eunkyung also turned her gaze to Heemin, who didn’t know what to do and just sat there.“I’ve been worried because I hadn’t heard from you for half a year, but it seems a lot has happened, Mr. Heemin.”Her eyes softened. Heemin wanted to say that a lot had happened in just one day, not half a year. However, Yiheon’s hand pressing gently on his shoulder made him force a smile.“How’s your insomnia? You must have run out of the sleeping pills you were taking.”“Well…”“I sleep well. Surprisingly deeply.”Before Heemin could finish his sentence, Yiheon interrupted. He looked down at Heemin with an expression that seemed to say he would expose all of Heemin’s secrets.“The reason we came here today is that this friend believes he is twenty-one years old.”“Twenty-one?”“He also believes he has family members who don’t exist.”“Are you referring to his deceased mother?”“He says he has sisters too. Three of them.”“Let’s run some tests.”Eunkyung’s previously gentle voice dropped slightly. Heemin swallowed nervously, feeling that the inevitable moment had arrived.“Dissociative identity disorder. More commonly known as multiple personality disorder.”Dr. Eunkyung, who had been examining the test results with a serious expression, finally gave her diagnosis. Heemin had expected to hear that he had delusional disorder or even grandiose delusions, but the result was unexpected.“Have you experienced any significant shocks recently?”“Yes, there have been.”Once again, Yiheon answered on his behalf.“What kind of events?”Yiheon’s gaze slowly scanned Heemin. His dark pupils seemed to glisten with various colors, like an oil slick. Perhaps, he was wavering.‘Seo Heemin,’ whom he had thought was mocking him with lies, turned out to be a genuinely different person. The ‘Seo Heemin’ he sought revenge on was not there.He must have thought he had grasped everything about his target, but it wasn’t the case. ‘Seo Heemin’ was not a being that could be bought, even with fifty billion won.Cha Yiheon had planned to slowly ruin the life of the father he hated, like his mother who had been in a vegetative state for over a decade. But Seo Jaehan had died in a car accident, and ‘Seo Heemin’s’ personality had disappeared. He must have felt disheartened.Yiheon, who looked at Heemin as if he were a mirage that could never be caught, slowly parted his lips.“He lost his biological father in an accident. He was also kidnapped by human traffickers.”Eunkyung’s eyes widened.“Did he experience any sexual abuse during that time? Such trauma could split his personality.”“There was no such thing. I confirmed it myself.”“That’s a relief…”After a moment of silence, Eunkyung typed something into the chart. Then, in the kindest voice, she called out to Heemin.“Heemin.”“Yes?”“You’re aware that another personality, a thirty-year-old version of yourself, exists within you, correct?”“Yes.”There was no ‘Seo Heemin’ personality within Heemin. If ‘Seo Heemin’s’ consciousness had been alive somewhere in his body, he would have noticed.However, strangely, the sense that the hypersensitive and overly reactive ‘Seo Heemin,’ who had a fate of pushing Cha Yiheon away all his life and eventually committing suicide, no longer existed in this world.Nevertheless, Heemin deliberately lied. If he couldn’t properly deal with Cha Yiheon, he could end up spending one or two years in this world without achieving anything by the time he reached the ending.Since he was someone whose emotions showed on his face, it seemed better to confidently live as another personality rather than pretending to be ‘Seo Heemin.’ It would also be more helpful for his keyword-changing project.Things were progressing more smoothly than he had expected. He had obtained an unexpected benefit. Yiheon, who stood there with a hardened expression, did not seem to think so.“Partner.”“Yes.”“It must be confusing, but you must never deny the new personality. The current Heemin is also a part of him. Treat him warmly as you always have, to prevent his ego from falling into chaos. Heemin is a person with many wounds.”To Yiheon, ‘Seo Heemin’ was the son of the enemy who ruined his family and a young master who had been raised in an overly protective environment.He seemed unable to believe the talk of wounds or personality changes, and he furrowed his brows. His thick, prominent eyebrows drew a straight line.“…Ha.”Unable to laugh sarcastically in front of Eunkyung, Yiheon covered his face with his bandaged hand.After covering his face and remaining silent for a while, he looked at Heemin. His twisted lips showed an emotion that might have been self-mockery or contempt.Heemin also looked up. He met Yiheon’s gaze, eyes as dark as a stormy sea. Then, with an innocent smile devoid of any wrinkles, he spoke to him.“Nice to meet you, Yiheon Hyung.”It was the first greeting exchanged after a day had passed.Keyword Changing Project: To explain this further, it means changing the tags of the novel. Heemin wants to change the previous tags of the novel 'Silence' to a better one.