Cozy Obsession

Yiheon Hyung. Heemin was a bit surprised that saying it out loud didn’t feel as awkward as he thought. Whenever his friend treated him to something delicious, he used to jokingly raise his shoulders and say, “Thank you, Yiheon Hyung! I love you!” multiple times like a subordinate in an organization.Although in reality, his friend was not an ordinary college student but an actual gang member, the familiarity seeped into his tone, perhaps because they shared the same name.“We agreed not to deny it, didn’t we, partner?”As Yiheon, who had received the greeting, remained silent with a stiff face, Eunkyung urged him from the side. “Ah.” He let out a short exclamation with a low sigh and asked as if to reconfirm, “This personality is also a part of ‘Seo Heemin,’ right?”“Of course. Think of it as different leaves growing from the same stem. It’ll be easier to understand that way.”“Different leaves, huh.”He murmured as if chewing on Eunkyung’s words. Would it be a mistake to say that there was a hint of interest nestled between the pauses he took to catch his breath?The storm that had been raging in his eyes suddenly calmed down. The subtly changing gaze pierced through Heemin’s chest. Thump, thump. For some reason, his heartbeat quickened. Even though consciousness might not be present, ‘Seo Heemin’s’ body was clearly reacting to him. It was a bit confusing, not knowing whether it was out of fear of his violence or because he couldn’t suppress his attraction to him despite that.“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”Yiheon extended his bandaged hand briskly. His long, rugged hand with protruding knuckles. Staring at that rough hand for a moment, Heemin cautiously took it. He barely touched it due to the thick fabric of the bandage, but Yiheon gripped it tightly.As if to say, no matter which ‘Seo Heemin’ you are, I have no intention of letting you go.If it had been ‘Seo Heemin,’ he would have found his obsession dreadful, but Heemin rather welcomed it. Despite having the same appearance, he was relieved that Yiheon’s obsession remained unchanged due to the different personalities. He feared that Yiheon might discard both revenge and interest due to the change, but it was an unnecessary worry. It seemed like there would never be a day when Cha Yiheon would lose interest in him.Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, he didn’t know.In this world, nothing was scarier than not moving on to the next page, that is, when the story didn’t progress. Even if one suddenly received a dual personality diagnosis like a morning drama and the character’s nature changed, destroying plausibility, as long as the story progressed and Cha Yiheon made a promise for the future like in other works by the <Silence> author, the story could certainly be concluded. This belief seeped into Heemin’s heart.Heemin smiled brightly, undeterred by the force exerted. Enjoying the rapidly beating heart, he silently shouted, ‘Let’s see what happens, us. Let’s go all the way.’Every Friday, he left the hospital after receiving sleep therapy. In principle, he was supposed to undergo medication treatment as well, but Heemin strongly refused to take the medicine, so he only received home visits for treatment.It was a confinement life that could easily become boring. Gaining the opportunity to officially go out once a week, Heemin was very happy. The only regret was that he couldn’t openly show it because of Yiheon’s overly serious expression.“Have you arrived?” As he descended to the basement, Secretary Jeong, who had been waiting, opened the car door.“To the house.”“Yes, sir.”Having said not a word while taking the elevator down, he gestured Heemin to go in first. Sitting in Yiheon’s place, Heemin immediately looked at the profile of Yiheon checking the piled-up messages on his phone in the back seat.His neatly trimmed pomade hair, neither too short nor too long, revealed his smooth forehead. Beneath it, the scar on his rough eyebrows gave a dangerous charm and added a mature atmosphere to his incredibly handsome face.He looked even more stunning when consciously observed. It was fascinating to see a similar yet different appearance, making it hard to take his eyes off. He hadn’t known in reality, as he had never stared so intently before, but surprisingly, Yiheon had long, pretty eyelashes.Unable to take his eyes off Yiheon, Heemin thought of the word ‘seduction’ in his mind. He seriously contemplated how he could seduce this handsome man.Although he had boldly launched the keyword changing project, he was a complete novice who didn’t know the first thing about seduction, not even the ‘s’ of it. Yiheon was a man filled with hatred toward ‘Seo Heemin.’‘How would I know when I’ve never been in a relationship?’He attended co-ed schools in middle school, high school, and university. However, because he stuck like glue to Yiheon, he never had a proper conversation with the girls.The romantic experiences of the protagonists in the countless novels he read were of no help in reality. Characters like ‘Seo Heemin,’ who were pitiful and tragic, were uniformly insincere, only rejecting and not taking a single step towards the other person. Following them clumsily would only lead to anger, it was obvious.As he sighed, thinking that he had no choice but to physically approach, Yiheon, who had turned off his phone, looked back at Heemin and spoke harshly.“If you don’t want to get devoured, stop staring.”“Are you going to devour me?”Since he had been thinking along those lines, Heemin unconsciously opened his eyes wide and asked if it was true. Although he hadn’t finished preparing mentally, he had to offer his body. It was too soon.Fortunately, they had failed yesterday, but he did not want to experience the fear and terror he felt when he met the eyes filled with raw desire again.There was a vast difference between being forced into his arms and willingly seducing him after mental preparation. As Heemin couldn’t hide his anxious look and swallowed nervously, Yiheon frowned. With a faint sigh between his parted lips, a tone mixed with annoyance flowed out.“Why do you think I bought you for five billion?”Because you like me.Swallowing the words he couldn’t bring himself to say, Heemin answered.“Because we’re classmates?”“Wrong.”Yiheon elegantly raised his index finger and pointed at Heemin’s lower abdomen.“To shove my cock into here.”It was an uncompromising expression contrasting with his slow tone. It felt like facing the beast he saw last night again. His skin prickled beneath the expensive fabric of his clothes.It seemed that he genuinely intended to embrace him. With a gaze colder than the night dew, Yiheon looked Heemin over and continued to speak.“Yesterday, I let it slide because of what Dr. Hwang said, but not today. I don’t care if you’re thirty or twenty-one. Who cares about age when it comes to sex?” ‘Yiheon’s lips twisted into a smirk. His pheromones crashed over Heemin like waves, overwhelming him even without any physical contact. Heemin felt like he was being choked.This can’t continue.Instead of seducing Yiheon, Heemin was on the verge of being overpowered. If they slept together under these circumstances, it would be impossible to expect any tenderness from Yiheon.Standing at a crossroads, Heemin decided to play his trump card—a risky move he had been reluctant to use. It was the only hope to turn Yiheon away from destroying ‘Seo Heemin.’“Do you know why ‘Seo Heemin’ pushed you away right after being diagnosed?”Yiheon tilted his head, his eyes narrowing sharply at the mention of that fateful day when his close friend abruptly abandoned him without warning.“Tell me.”“He was sexually assaulted in elementary school by an alpha in rut.”Yiheon’s face hardened. The car was enveloped in silence, broken only by the occasional hum of the engine. Heemin continued.“‘Seo Heemin’ has an alpha trauma.”‘Seo Heemin’s life had been a series of misfortunes. Born in exchange for his mother’s life, he grew up under the overprotective eye of his father, raised by a nanny. After starting school, he spent more time at various academies than with his nanny—piano, art, English, math, writing. He preferred the writing academy because of a kind teacher who always listened to him.But that trusted teacher, using rut as an excuse, abused young ‘Seo Heemin,’ telling him, ‘You’ll manifest as a superior omega.’ Though the teacher was caught and arrested, the trauma left a lasting scar on ‘Seo Heemin.’ He viewed alphas as threats and, unable to shake off his trauma, he abandoned even his closest friend after being diagnosed as a superior omega.When Eunkyung was first captured by Yiheon, she had asked if Heemin had been sexually abused because of this history.“I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret.”‘Seo Heemin’ and ‘Cha Yiheon’ had always been tragic figures. Heemin, looking at Yiheon who was now as still as a marble statue, spoke sincerely. He wanted to see a happy ending, not just for himself but for Yiheon as well.Yiheon bit his lower lip, a slight crack appearing in his otherwise emotionless face. He pressed a button to lower the window, a beam of light cutting through the darkened glass.“…And you?”He was asking if Heemin also had such a trauma.“…I don’t know yet.”Even without conscious thought, Heemin’s body reacted to alphas. Physical rejection occurred despite his feelings, indicating memories etched into his body.Yiheon, who had habitually taken out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket, looked at Heemin and put it back. Instead, he turned his head to gaze out the window.As the conversation ended, Secretary Jung, who had been driving silently, turned on some music. Debussy’s piano piece, “Reflections in the Water,” filled the quiet car with its gentle, flowing melody. Heemin thought it resembled the unpredictable nature of Cha Yiheon.When they returned home, there was a small pair of shoes at the entrance—those of the housekeeper, Mrs. Ahn.[Welcome back.]Mrs. Ahn, her hair neatly tied and wearing an apron, approached with a phone displaying a message. She could understand speech but couldn’t speak herself. She was a trusted confidante of Cha Yiheon, though she made ‘Seo Heemin’ uncomfortable.“Stay until I leave,” Yiheon said.[Understood. What about lunch?]Yiheon glanced at the hesitant Heemin before replying.“We’re eating out. Get him… pizza or something kids like.”“Can I order the Black Angus Steak Pizza? Triple Cheese Burst Edge, large, with three extra hot sauces?”Heemin loved pizza. It was expensive and he couldn’t have it often, but he would eat it every day if he could. Excited by the opportunity, he blurted out his request.Yiheon stared at him as if he were speaking a foreign language.“If that’s too much, I can order something cheaper.”Feeling dejected, Heemin lowered his head, while Secretary Jung and Mrs. Ahn exchanged awkward glances. Yiheon, unfazed by their reactions, clenched his bandaged hand. Just as Heemin feared he was angry, Yiheon spoke indifferently.“Order whatever you want.”His tone implied it didn’t matter whether Heemin ordered Black Tiger Shrimp or Black Angus Steak, with three or ten extra hot sauces.“Really?”Heemin’s face lit up, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Yiheon, who remained motionless.“Can I really order anything?”Yiheon, expressionless, moved only his lips.“Yes.”His eyes were still hard, but as he met those dark blue, night-like irises, he felt as though the soft, melodic music from the car was playing again. Suddenly, the image of his only friend overlapped with the man in front of him. He’d thought they had nothing in common except their appearance, but maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Both were wealthy, generous, surprisingly attentive, and even bought him pizza.It was a bit sad. If only ‘Seo Heemin’ and ‘Cha Yiheon’ had put aside their pride and taken a step back, the ending of Silence wouldn’t have been so tragic. Heemin had no intention of repeating the tragedy born from a lack of communication. He resolved to express his feelings and thoughts, regardless of the reaction, and said to Yiheon, “Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”For a moment, a thin light flickered across Yiheon’s stiff, wooden face. The slight shift in his facial muscles changed his overall expression and demeanor. “You like hearing ‘thank you’ that much? You’re even smiling.”“I didn’t smile.”As soon as he said it, Yiheon’s face returned to the cold, unyielding expression of a gangster. His voice was colder than before, dripping with frost. He was a man who seemed impenetrable. “Secretary Jung. Let’s head out.”“When will you be back?”He called out to Yiheon, who was turning away. It was a family rule to have dinner together unless there was a special appointment. He wanted to have dinner with him.“We’ll see.”“At least give me a rough time….”“I don’t know, so stop wasting time and stay in your room.”“Do I have to stay in my room? I was planning to watch TV in the living room.”Although the living room was visible through the glass wall, the angle wasn’t ideal for watching TV. Heemin looked up at him with a pitiful expression, like an abandoned puppy. “……”One of Yiheon’s eyebrows twitched again. After scrutinizing Heemin with cold, sharp eyes, he gave instructions to Mrs. Ahn. “Report everything he does in real-time.”[Yes.]She quickly typed her response on her phone. She seemed determined to follow any of Yiheon’s orders.Mrs. Ahn would later become the mother of Kim Minseok, who would appear as ‘Seo Heemin’s’ monitor. Kim Minseok killed his alcoholic, abusive father, and Yiheon, who rarely went out to collect money, happened upon the scene and helped cover up the incident. Grateful for covering up her son’s crime and finding her a job, she volunteered to be a housekeeper here. Though it was to pay off her debts, she served Yiheon with dedication.Quick-witted, laconic, and loyal only to Yiheon, it was clear why ‘Seo Heemin’ found her unsettling. She, like Secretary Jung, was entirely Yiheon’s person.“Let’s go.”“Yes, sir.”“Be careful and don’t come back injured like yesterday.”He waved to Yiheon and Secretary Jung. Secretary Jung bowed silently, but Yiheon turned and left without a word.Such coldness, even when someone shows concern.The door closed with a bang, and the door lock clicked. The thick musk scent that had been suffocating him disappeared. Whether due to relief or ‘Seo Heemin’s’ frail body, his head spun, and he felt dizzy. A chill ran across his skin, likely due to a cold.[Are you okay?]Mrs. Ahn tapped his back when he stood there, unable to move.“I’ll be fine after a while.”[Let me help you.]She put her phone in her apron pocket and supported him. He leaned on her and sat down on the living room sofa.[I’ll call the doctor.]“I’ll be fine after eating pizza, don’t call him.”He’d just managed to calm Yiheon down after dragging him to a psychiatrist, and he didn’t want to risk another outburst. He smiled reassuringly at her and changed the subject.“I ate the two cups of ramen in the auxiliary kitchen.”[Did you?]“Sorry for eating without asking.”[It’s okay.]Unlike Dr. Hwang, Mrs. Ahn wasn’t someone he immediately warmed up to, but he didn’t find her uncomfortable. Knowing she would never betray Yiheon was reassuring. Seeing the future meant distinguishing friends from foes, a crucial weapon and strength for someone like him.[Use this to order. I don’t know what’s what.]She handed him her phone after bringing him a warm mug and a thin blanket. If it had been ‘Seo Heemin,’ he would have contacted his side character Do Junyoung to plan an escape. But Heemin had no intention of involving Do Junyoung. Handling Yiheon was challenging enough; dealing with another man was out of the question.Pizza was best enjoyed alone. Adding too much diluted the taste. If this were a dating sim game, he might have gone after multiple characters, but this was a sad ending novel where even love with Yiheon wouldn’t succeed.Instead of texting Do Junyoung for help, he searched for Domino’s Pizza on a portal site. Luckily, the official site of his favorite pizza chain appeared. Realizing Mrs. Ahn couldn’t speak, he downloaded a delivery app, received a first-order discount coupon, and filled the cart. He added three hot sauces, garlic dipping sauce, and cola.“What’s the address here?”The seasons had changed from midwinter to early spring, but the view outside was hardly different from the place Heemin used to live. The only problem was that this place looked exactly like the mixed-use apartment where his friend Yiheon lived.Heemin carefully watched as Mr. Ahn wrote the address, thinking it couldn’t possibly be the same.[17 XX Boulevard, XX District, Seoul, Building 101, Unit 5001.]He didn’t show his surprise to avoid making Mr. Ahn suspicious, but he was quite shocked that even the unit number was the same. The interior was different, but the large structure was identical to his friend’s house.How could this be?He thought he was familiar with the layout because of the detailed descriptions in the book, but that wasn’t the case. The reason the place didn’t feel strange was because Heemin had often visited Yiheon’s home.Books aren’t like movies or dramas that are visually realized. It requires the reader’s imagination to complete the story created by the author. Maybe that’s why familiar scenes were unfolding now that he was inside the book.Despite reading many books, Heemin seemed to have a very limited imagination. The world was constructed only from such a narrow perspective.[Please rest. I’ll go clean up.]After placing the order and returning the phone, Mr. Ahn handed him the remote control. Heemin turned on the TV and waited eagerly for the pizza to arrive.The TV was filled with shows not much different from those he had seen in reality. After flipping through the channels, he finally settled on a movie channel and pulled the blanket closer as he got comfortable.The movie was a fresh love story between an omega high school boy who was bullied and an alpha class president. It made him smile a bit, as it reminded him of the story between Yiheon and himself, minus the part where the protagonists became lovers instead of friends. Memories from his childhood came flooding back.Whether it was because he was under the blanket or because he had been bustling around since morning, he couldn’t fight off the drowsiness.Heemin closed his eyes as the sound of the TV faded like a distant dream.* * *Growl.To hide the sound from his stomach, Heemin cleared his throat. His stomach, demanding food today, seemed unreasonable, and he clutched it tightly to silence it. He kept repeating to himself that it was the last period and soon he could go home.Due to cafeteria renovations, he had to bring a packed lunch for the entire month of March. Not wanting to trouble his busy mother, Heemin had skipped lunch from the first day of school.Instead, he spent his lunch breaks in the library reading books. He hadn’t made any friends, but at least he didn’t have to force himself to buy lunch, and he thought that was enough.“You must be really hungry.”As he was putting his textbooks into his bag after class, the big guy in the front seat turned around and said.“…What? Me?”“Yes, you. Seo Heemin.”His face flushed as he realized he had been caught. He lowered his head. He felt even more embarrassed when the neat scent of soap wafted from the boy. Heemin apologized in a small voice.“Sorry. Was it noisy?”“A little.”“I’ll be more careful not to make noise from now on.”The class president was popular in the school. Despite being a new middle school student, he was as tall as a high schooler and handsome, making him liked by everyone in the class and even the entire school. Everyone wanted to be friends with him, and even the teachers trusted him.Heemin didn’t want to be friends with Cha Yiheon, but he didn’t want to be on bad terms with him either. He decided he’d need to bring a cup to drink water and avoid disrupting classes with his stomach growling.“Going to your cram school?”Yiheon asked slowly.“No.”“Great. Let’s go.”“Where?”“My house.”Yiheon slung his bag over one shoulder and stood up. The sight of the light green curtains swaying in the wind and the bright afternoon sunlight streaming through the gaps made him look like a scene from a youth movie. Heemin couldn’t bring himself to ask, “Why do I have to go to your house?”“Bye! Yiheon.”“Bye, Yiheon!”“See you tomorrow!”As Yiheon walked out of the classroom, the students called out to him one after another. Even students from other classes they passed in the hallway waved at him as soon as they saw him. It was a stark contrast to Heemin, who had unintentionally remained friendless.Heemin wasn’t bullied, he was just a voluntary loner. Still, he didn’t want people to find it odd that Yiheon was hanging out with someone who had no friends, so he kept a step behind him as they walked.In his view was the neatly trimmed back of Yiheon’s head and broad shoulders. Despite wearing the same design of school uniform, Yiheon’s navy blazer looked like a high-end brand, which Heemin found intriguing.He was the only one in a black-and-white world who had color. The boys looked at him with admiration, and the girls tried desperately to talk to him. Heemin felt like a spectator as he slowly walked.“Seo Heemin?”He was trying to follow quietly to avoid arousing the curiosity of the other kids. Yiheon, having descended the stairs, suddenly stopped and turned around with a stern expression.“Huh? Why?”“I thought you had left.”“I was following you closely.”“Walk beside me.”Cha Yiheon beckoned with his hand. Heemin quickly descended the stairs and stood beside him. At that moment, Heemin felt the gaze of others on him, a mix of jealousy and envy. Strangely, a peculiar sense of superiority sprouted in his chest. Maybe it was because, in elementary school, his friends were all on the same level as him.Heemin walked towards the bus stop, occasionally sneaking a glance at Yiheon to match his pace. Yiheon’s face was slightly flushed as he walked silently.Why did he want to go to his house?Today was the first time they had a real conversation. Actually, the earlier situation was just Yiheon telling him to be quiet, so it couldn’t even be called a conversation.Could it be that the growling noise had disturbed his concentration in class?He was the class president. If he asked to see someone’s notes in front of others, he might lose face, so he probably wanted to copy the notes at home. Heemin felt sorry for that. Although he was very hungry, he thought he should endure a bit more and followed Yiheon onto the bus.“Two tickets.”Yiheon said to the bus driver, handing over his card. Before Heemin could stop him, the fare for two was already deducted from the card reader.“I have a bus card too.”Yiheon seemed to think that Heemin walked to school. In reality, Heemin lived in a place where he had to transfer buses twice due to a random draw. Yiheon’s unexpected words caught him off guard.“I’m inviting you, so I should pay.”“Oh… I see. Thanks.”It was a consideration he hadn’t expected. Yiheon wasn’t just mature in appearance. Now he understood why everyone liked him so much.They sat towards the back, in the second-to-last seat. He took off his bag and closed the slightly open window. The warmth from their touching thighs and the scent of soap at the tip of his nose made the situation even more awkward.It had been a long time since he spent time alone with someone other than his family. He had no idea what to say. While staring at the bleak scenery outside, Yiheon spoke to him.“Do you prefer hamburgers or pizza?”“Huh?”“Which do you like more?”“…Pizza?”Recently, his oldest sister’s boyfriend had come to their house. Trying to make a good impression on the family, he brought a lot of expensive handmade burgers. The awkwardness of the situation caused Heemin to get a bad case of indigestion. He suffered for days. Now, even hearing the word ‘burger’ made him feel nauseous and brought back the sour smell.On the other hand, pizza was something he only ate a few times a year because it was expensive. Without a moment’s hesitation, he chose pizza, and Yiheon, who had been staring at Heemin, casually replied.“Me too.”“Oh, really?”“Pizza is better than hamburgers. You have good taste.”He had wondered why Yiheon asked such a question out of the blue. It seemed he wanted to create a topic of conversation. With this common ground, the awkwardness melted away like snow in spring rain.Cha Yiheon wasn’t a talkative person. But each word he spoke had a deep resonance that naturally made people listen. After that, their conversation flowed naturally like a stream. They talked like ordinary friends until they reached their destination.“Wow, you live here?”Yiheon lived in a mixed-use apartment on a major boulevard. It was newly built and had a unique exterior, unlike ordinary apartments, leaving Heemin in awe as soon as they entered. It was on a different level compared to the old semi-basement house Heemin lived in.They passed through strict security for external visitors and took the elevator. Yiheon pressed the top floor button, and although Heemin thought it would take a long time, they reached the 50th floor surprisingly quickly.“Excuse me.”