Cozy Obsession

Did Cha Yiheon change his mind because he was pestered so much? Still, to transfer so quickly to another supporting character… Isn’t he just an extra at this point?“Hello, sunbae.”“Oh, hi. …Hello, boss.”Junyoung stood up and greeted Yiheon with a stiff face. Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Heemin fidgeted with a napkin, when Junyoung’s companion spoke to Heemin in an innocent voice.“I’ve heard a lot about you from oppa, Heemin. Nice to meet you.”“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you too.”Did she vent about her past love to him? It was still absurd, but he thought it was better this way and greeted her with a smile. Since Do Junyoung was now pushed out of the original story, all that was left were Gwak Yoonseong and Shin Seungbeom. It was indeed fortunate.“I didn’t know Assistant Manager Do had a girlfriend.”Yiheon spoke to Junyoung in a sarcastic tone.“You two look really good together. Congratulations.”He had heard somewhere that people who look alike make good couples. When he smiled and genuinely blessed the two, Junyoung looked at Heemin with a face that turned pale.“What are you talking about? That’s my twin sister, Heeyoung. I’ve shown you so many photos, don’t you remember?”He continued speaking with a trembling voice.“Even before this, you’ve been acting strange. You’re not the Seo Heemin I know.”He made a mistake. A mistake one should never make with siblings.Heemin alternated his gaze between Junyoung, who was looking at him with eyes full of reproach as if to ask why he was doing this to him, and Heeyoung, who was smiling while trying to keep her composure.Her gently curved eyes seemed kind at a glance, but her clearly shining pupils were full of displeasure. Even if she didn’t say it outright, it was clear she was quite unhappy.No matter how good-natured and handsome Do Junyoung was, he was still her own flesh and blood, and a twin brother at that. Beyond the tenderness of family, a sibling was someone one would rather keep a distance from, not even jokingly connect with as a romantic partner.Having three older sisters, Heemin could understand her feelings better than anyone. It was fortunate that she didn’t grab him by the collar and hurl curses at him.This was indeed a predicament.Was it because the narrative of ‘Seo Heemin’ and Cha Yiheon was so strong? Strangely, he had no particular interest in Do Junyoung. His family relationships, which had no impact on the development of <Silence>, were none of his business.Since there was only a single line in the book stating that he was the son of a prestigious private school foundation, Heemin had no idea that Junyoung had a twin sister.However, unlike Heemin, who guessed their relationship based solely on the visible situation without any information, Yiheon must have said such things to provoke Junyoung while knowing everything.Although he hadn’t directly shown himself, Cha Yiheon had spent the last ten years keeping an eye on ‘Seo Heemin’. Investigating people’s backgrounds was a basic aspect of loan sharking. There was no way someone like him wouldn’t have looked into Do Junyoung. He would have known much more about the two than someone like Heemin, who had only gathered information from books.Although it was a bit regrettable to have been fooled by Yiheon’s skillful lie, it was more Heemin’s fault for dismissing the similar pheromone feeling as a mere coincidence. Since he had enthusiastically chimed in and made a mistake, he had no one else to blame.‘What should I do? She looks really pissed off.’While Cha Yiheon, a total stranger, could be ignored, it was understandable that ‘Seo Heemin,’ who had known her brother for a long time, would be exasperated by his slip of the tongue.For a moment, the children’s song ‘Good Child’ echoed in his ears. Normally gentle as a lamb, his second sister would turn into an angry beast when Heemin made a mistake. He saw this resemblance in Heeyoung, and it made his spine tingle.“So, um… You look so much prettier in person than in the photos that I thought you were someone else…”He mumbled a clumsy excuse, glancing nervously at Heeyoung. The awkwardness of his words made his ears burn, but he had been taught to apologize first and foremost, regardless of how awkward it might be. Heemin bowed his head politely and begged for her forgiveness.“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. You must be really upset.”“No, it’s okay. It can happen.”Heeyoung waved her hand as if it was really nothing. However, having dealt with his sisters for over twenty years, Heemin could precisely understand the underlying meaning in her words. ‘What do you mean it can happen, you blind fool,’ was the real sentiment.Still seated with her legs crossed and looking haughty, Yiheon was forcibly pulled up by Heemin, who patted his broad back as if urging him.“What are you doing, Yiheon? Apologize quickly.”Yiheon’s forehead crumpled like a can crushed underfoot. Secretary Jung and Kim Minseok, who were watching from a distance, also looked wide-eyed in surprise. Do Junyoung flinched as well.“Hurry up, okay?”He had no awareness of the audacity of making a gangster do such a thing. All he could think about was resolving the situation smoothly.“…I apologize.”A low, dry voice, suppressing discontent with the tip of his tongue, flowed from Yiheon’s lips. The way his jaw muscles tensed and relaxed was conspicuous.He wanted to pat Yiheon on the head and praise him for swallowing his pride and apologizing. But for now, resolving the incident took precedence. Heemin offered a plate with a strawberry tart and cheesecake to Heeyoung with a naive smile.“I didn’t mean it in a bad way at all, so please have this and cheer up.”“Oh my, I was really okay. Right, oppa?”“Oh? Oh… yes.”As Heeyoung reluctantly accepted the plate, Junyoung nodded with a sullen face. Although he still looked doubtful, he didn’t seem to think that Heemin’s personality had changed or that another soul had taken over.‘Seo Heemin’ might have feared male alphas, but he was always kind to women and children. Showing his true self in front of Heeyoung meant that Junyoung would no longer say things like, “You’re not the Seo Heemin I know.”“Thank you, Heemin. I wanted to eat this anyway, so I’ll enjoy it.”“You’re welcome. Enjoy.”“Oppa, let’s go order some drinks.”Junyoung reluctantly grabbed his wallet and headed to the counter with Heeyoung. Heemin ignored the persistent gaze Junyoung sent his way as he kept glancing back and sat down with a sigh.“Phew…”With a long sigh, Heemin put the baseball cap he had thrown on the corner of the table back on his head. With the brim of the hat blocking his view, the only person he could see was the man sitting across from him.‘He must be angry.’Having put out the immediate fire, Heemin now had to deal with the remaining issue. He met Yiheon’s sharp gaze with a cautious look, as if trying to read his mind. Yiheon’s dark eyes seemed especially intense today. Suppressing his fear of being scolded, Heemin carefully opened his mouth.“I’m sorry for speaking informally. I had no choice just now…”“Seo Heemin.”He had expected Yiheon to raise his voice in anger, but to his surprise, his tone was calm as he called Heemin’s name. It was calm enough to make Heemin, who was prepared for the worst, even more nervous.“You.”He called Heemin once more, taking a breath. A faint hint of confusion seeped through the pause, which made Heemin feel slightly puzzled.Could it be because of Do Heeyoung, not Do Junyoung? Was he upset that Heemin gave something away without permission, especially to a female alpha?Heemin’s mouth went dry with anxiety, and he swallowed hard. Instead of answering, he sent Yiheon a questioning look. Yiheon, with a strangely cold expression, asked Heemin a question.“You said you were twenty-one, right?”“Yes. But why?”“And you’re university seniors and juniors with Do Junyoung.”Do Junyoung, who had just returned from studying abroad, fell for Seo Heemin at first sight and audited art classes. Using the excuse of wanting to learn how to paint, he gradually got closer to Seo Heemin and became recognized as a suitable son-in-law by Seo Jaehan. Do Junyoung was the only alpha Seo Heemin, who never opened up to betas, called ‘Sunbae’ and maintained a close relationship with even after graduating.It was suspicious that Heemin didn’t recognize such a person’s sister despite their close relationship. Maybe Yiheon wanted to find a flaw to deny that Heemin had a dissociative identity disorder. Determined not to fall into Yiheon’s trap again, Heemin spoke clearly.“I’m not the other ‘Seo Heemin.'”“The other ‘Seo Heemin,’ huh.”Yiheon’s voice dropped unusually low. His dark eyes, swirling like a calm wave in the darkness, showed signs of confusion. His intense gaze, the scent of his subdued pheromones, and the cool atmosphere unsettled Heemin.Was it not the answer Yiheon wanted? Just as Heemin was about to ask what the problem was, Yiheon spoke again.“When personalities change, do memories disappear as well?”“You saw it earlier. Even if I know who Do Junyoung is, I didn’t know he had a sister.”Despite answering as honestly as possible, Yiheon continued to look at Heemin with heavy, sunken eyes.“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Do I seem like I’m lying?”“No.”“Then why…”“It seems too easy.”“What’s too easy?”“Forgetting.”Yiheon leaned back in his chair with an inscrutable expression. The emotional distance felt as if it had grown, matching the physical distance. A vague sense of unease, like a morning mist, enveloped Heemin’s heart.“Did you want me to recognize Do Heeyoung?”“Who knows.”Frustrated, Heemin asked directly. But Yiheon, lost in thought, quietly drank his coffee, giving an ambiguous answer.What is this lukewarm reaction?It wasn’t anger, annoyance, or outright jealousy, which made it all the more confusing. Heemin couldn’t guess his intentions, which made him feel even more anxious. It felt like he was being tested.Was Yiheon upset because Heemin was acting like twenty-one-year-old Seo Heemin despite being thirty? Or did he want Heemin to revert to the Seo Heemin who knew Do Heeyoung? Suddenly, Heemin felt a surge of irritation.“Why? Are you mad because a young brat spoke informally and made you apologize? Even gave your precious cake to Do Junyoung’s sister? Do you hate me because I didn’t recognize her right away like the other ‘Seo Heemin’ would?”“It’s not that. Just eat your bread.”Yiheon pushed a plate with a split cream bread toward Heemin, signaling for him to shut up and eat.“…Ah.”Watching Yiheon take a sip of his black coffee, Heemin picked up the cream bread. Distracted, he got cream on his hands again.He had felt offended earlier, but the soft, moist texture of the cream calmed his anger. Instead,‘Sweet.’The memory of the sensation of his tongue lightly licking his fingers came to mind, making his heart race.The warmth of his tongue, the sensual lower lip sucking on his skin, and the downward-cast eyelashes. The recollection of the touch and the scene made his hair stand on end.…He won’t lick me again, will he?Just as he flinched, expecting the worst when Yiheon set down his coffee cup, Yiheon clicked his tongue and tossed him a pack of individually wrapped wet wipes.“…”“Why aren’t you wiping? Don’t you have hands?”“I’ll wipe after I finish eating.”“Suit yourself.”Heemin had no intention of embarrassing himself again in public. Despite this, he felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment at the sudden shift in Yiheon’s attitude. The drastic change in behavior within a few minutes annoyed him.It felt like I was expecting it. It made me feel wronged, as if I were some strange person hoping he’d lick my fingers again like before. It was Yiheon who kept acting inconsistently, confusing me.Even though he pretended not to care, it seemed like he was genuinely upset about our date being ruined by running into Do Junyoung and having to bow his head to someone else. On top of that, he couldn’t deny Heemin’s dissociative identity disorder, so he was probably just being petty out of frustration.‘Yeah, I should be the bigger person and just let it go. What else can I do?’Despite his harsh words, Yiheon was the one who had taken Heemin to the department store to buy new clothes and send him to the hospital. After staring at the wet wipe for a moment, Heemin set it aside and took a bite of the bread. The soft, savory cream should have lingered on his tongue, but he couldn’t taste anything, as if something was wrong with his senses. He took another big bite, but the remembered taste did not return.***Beep, beep.The sound of the electronic door lock from afar was loud. It seemed Yiheon had finally returned. Heemin closed the book he was reading and quickly ran to the entrance.“Welcome back!”Yiheon’s suit fit him perfectly, just as it did when he left, as if he had just taken it out of the closet. However, the strong smell of cigarettes clinging to him and the exhaustion on his face showed how tough his day had been.From what Heemin had heard, Yiheon had spent the day touring provincial factories with Secretary Jung. Meeting with factory managers and handling company business from early morning had clearly worn him out. Even two bodies wouldn’t be enough to manage it all.“Have you eaten?”“Yes.”Yiheon gave a short answer to Heemin’s question and then dismissed Minseok, who was standing at attention like a soldier.“Good job. You can go now.”“I’ll be off then. Take care, sir!”Minseok’s energetic farewell made Heemin chuckle as he waved to him. Minseok was a fun character, quite different from the always-polite Secretary Jung.“Are you just always happy, huh?”You don’t understand anything.With a barely audible mutter, Yiheon stared intently at Heemin before turning around and heading to his room.Is there anything wrong with living a happy life?It’s been days, and he’s still sulking about what happened at the department store. He’s got such a narrow mind. Heemin followed Yiheon into the bedroom, watching him undo the buttons of his jacket and roughly pull at his tie. Noticing Heemin staring, Yiheon frowned slightly and asked what he wanted.“What?”“Are you not going out today?”“It’s late.”“You came back late yesterday too, so we couldn’t go for a walk.”“If you want to walk that badly, use the treadmill.”Does he want the neighbors below us to come running up here? Using the treadmill at this hour? Heemin pouted, openly expressing his dissatisfaction at the nonsensical suggestion.“That’s different. I’m going stir-crazy being stuck inside all day. Just let me go out for a bit. Please?”Despite Heemin’s protest, Yiheon ignored him and continued undressing, removing his jacket and shirt.“Seriously. Are you not going out?”“Read your book. Be good.”Yiheon’s large hand ruffled Heemin’s round head gently. His expression was indifferent, and his tone was dismissive, but the touch of his hand was soft, leaving Heemin wishing for more of the comforting gesture.“I’m going to take a shower.”As Yiheon walked towards the bathroom attached to the bedroom, a tattoo of a dragon flying through a forest of blossoming peach trees was visible on his back, carrying a bird in its mouth.The dragon, a symbol of absolute power, and the bird representing ‘Seo Heemin’ with clipped wings. Despite the dragon’s desire to possess the bird, his cold demeanor as he turned away was disheartening.I can never figure him out.Watching Yiheon’s retreating figure, Heemin absentmindedly touched the spot on his head where Yiheon’s hand had been, the faint pheromone scent and residual warmth calming his simmering discontent. Though he felt disappointed at not being able to go out, he decided to wait patiently for another day, considering how tired Yiheon must have been.‘Let’s just read.’Heemin returned to the living room, sat on the sofa, and opened his book, scanning the last part he had read.***Fate (因緣) refers to the direct cause (因) and the indirect condition (緣) coming together. When these two combine, they produce the result (果).—According to the book, meeting Do Junyoung and his sister was a result of fate, and the subsequent distance Yiheon kept from Heemin was also a product of cause and effect.‘He’s probably just sulking out of pride.’Heemin chuckled at the thought that he might be applying a grand philosophical concept to something so simple. He continued reading the next passage.—Even if there is a cause (因), without the condition (緣), fate does not come to fruition.—Do Junyoung had been Seo Jaehan’s chosen match for ‘Seo Heemin.’ However, despite multiple opportunities, the two never ended up together. They lacked the condition (緣) to overcome their trials.However, if there is a connection (緣), someday, somewhere, they can meet and form a bond.Did that mean that the reason Heemin had possessed ‘Seo Heemin’ and met thirty-year-old Cha Yiheon was because of this connection? As if coincidences combined to become fate. After all, they shared the same face and name, so it was hard to say there was no connection at all. If Cha Yiheon, the person entangled in a love-hate relationship with ‘Seo Heemin,’ had looked completely different, like Do Junyoung, Heemin might have kept his distance, struggling to get along, let alone completing the keyword swap project.Being friendly like now, or even holding hands, would have been difficult. He would have needed time to get used to a person who was entirely unfamiliar.He needed to make up with him quickly.Even though playing the role of a lover was a bit embarrassing, Heemin couldn’t just leave Cha Yiheon, who looked like his closest friend, alone.After all, it was his actions that had crushed Yiheon’s pride. So, he had to take the initiative to cheer him up.Heemin flipped through the pages of his book, pondering ways to reconcile. Offering him something delicious, like he did with his sisters, didn’t seem like it would work, leaving him deep in thought.What do protagonists do in these situations? Communicate with their bodies…?Ideally, they would calmly exchange thoughts to resolve misunderstandings. But in most of the novels Heemin had read, characters used physical affection to overturn the dynamics of their emotional relationships.“Sigh…”In the end, he wondered if physical contact was the only solution, and let out a thin sigh. At that moment, Yiheon, who had just finished his shower, came into the living room carrying a stack of printed papers.His damp hair, moist and smooth cheeks, and unusually fresh scent made Heemin’s heart flutter. The thought of getting close physically suddenly made him feel strange.“Where are you going? Sit down.”Heemin was about to get up when Yiheon placed a tablet PC and papers on the table, grabbing Heemin’s arm and forcing him to sit down.“I thought I might disturb your work,” Heemin said.