Cozy Obsession

Heemin was about to ask if Do Junyoung really made a huge mistake, but he trailed off and closed his mouth as a sudden thought struck him.“Do what?” Yiheon prompted.“Oh, no, it’s just… I absolutely won’t help Kwak Yoonseong,” Heemin replied timidly.Yiheon gripped the steering wheel, looking at Heemin as if he couldn’t believe such a dull response. Soon, the accelerator was gently pressed, and the car slowly pulled out of the underground parking lot.Heemin watched Yiheon silently drive and fell into thought. The Do Junyoung described in <Silence> was a highly capable talent, so much so that Seo Jaehan had considered him for the next company president. Knowing that he was under Cha Yiheon’s control, it was unlikely that someone as composed as him would commit a serious mistake.It was probably this man’s doing. He likely used Do Junyoung, who was in Seo Jaehan’s line, to shift all the blame onto Kwak Yoonseong. Cha Yiheon was more than capable of orchestrating such a scenario. Just as he had meticulously cut off Seo Jaehan’s limbs after sharpening his knife for years, he must have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to eliminate the two eyesores at once. He was a ruthless man who showed no sympathy to anyone other than ‘Seo Heemin.’As Heemin stared endlessly at the cityscape passing by the window, he spoke cautiously, just in case.“Don’t send Kwak Yoonseong to the provinces. If he’s out of sight, who knows what he’ll do. We need to bring him down where we can see him.”Yiheon, who seemed to plan on tightening the noose slowly rather than beheading him, found Kwak Yoonseong more tenacious and vicious than he imagined. Knowing all the company’s secrets, leaving any room for betrayal would be disastrous, potentially handing him over to Shinsungbeom, who was eager to expand his power.Yiheon glanced at Heemin seriously from the passenger side. He stopped the car at a red light and gazed at Heemin silently for a long time.Was it unnecessary interference? Just as Heemin began to regret his words, Yiheon’s narrowed eyes softened, and he spoke in a leisurely tone.“Getting out of sight and doing something rash.”“…What?”“That’s you.”“What did you say?”“No, actually, you’re even better at it since you do unpredictable things right in front of me.”Given Heemin’s frequent unexpected actions, it wasn’t entirely untrue. But it felt a bit harsh to joke about genuine concern, especially comparing him to Kwak Yoonseong. Annoyed, Heemin glanced sideways at Yiheon and retorted.“Kwak Yoonseong and I are worlds apart, you know? He has a malice that I don’t. Where else can you find someone as nice as me? You’re too much, really too much.”He thumped his chest with his fist as if he were unjustly wronged. Not only was he treated like a child, but now also like a bouncy ball. Of course, he was planning to do something behind Yiheon’s back tomorrow, but that was to somehow save the man who might otherwise die, not for any other reason.Yiheon had no idea how much Heemin struggled to create a happy ending of “And they lived happily ever after.” This was a book, and he couldn’t exactly explain that he knew the ending of this damn novel. It was frustrating, but saying it would only make him seem crazy. He had to endure it, no matter how sorrowful it felt.“Heuh…”He sighed deeply and turned his head toward the window. Meanwhile, Yiheon, who had started driving again as the signal changed, spoke quietly.“Seo Heemin.”“What?”“Put your hand in the inside pocket of the jacket you’re wearing.”“No, thanks.”“You’ll regret it.”Was he supposed to lower his head and crawl before getting scolded? What a typical gangster threat. It was a bit odd to ask to put his hand inside rather than take something out, but Heemin reluctantly did as instructed.As soon as he put his hand in the pocket, he felt something thin, flat, and smooth—a glass-like object that was familiar to the touch. He had felt a hard object against his chest with every step he took.“Here.”Heemin took the phone out of his inner pocket and handed it to Yiheon. He expected the usual coal-black phone but was slightly surprised to see a white phone, his preferred color.Why a white phone? Isn’t black the default for Cha Yiheon?Yet, despite asking for it, Yiheon didn’t take the phone from Heemin. He continued driving, focused solely on the road ahead.What is this situation? Is he subtly bragging about his latest model phone to make Heemin jealous?“Why aren’t you taking it? Didn’t you ask for the phone?”“That’s yours.”“…What?”“It’s yours.”“Really? This is my phone?”Heemin asked, bewildered, unable to believe it. Yiheon’s teasing had worked him up, and now this unexpected statement took him by surprise.“Don’t like it? Want to swap?”Yiheon pulled out his phone from his pants pocket, the same model as Heemin’s but in black.“So, you’re saying this is a gift from you?”“Not exactly a gift.”“Why the sudden change? You said you’d never buy me a phone.”His voice was full of suspicion, but his lips were already forming a wide grin. A sleek new phone, fresh from a TV commercial, was now his. His heart raced with excitement.“You said you wanted to seduce me.”Yiheon continued with a deep look.“Since you’re trying to seduce me, try to do it right.”At the cheesy line that sounded straight out of a book, Heemin flinched for a moment, but then, forgetting all his previous sulking, he smiled brightly. His eyes curved into crescent moons.“I’ll use it well, hyung. Thank you.”It might have been to stop him from borrowing other people’s phones, but it was clear that today’s message had changed his mind. It was fortunate he hadn’t sent something silly like a chain letter by mistake.Now, he could look up whatever he wanted online, read e-books comfortably, and contact Yiheon directly without involving anyone else.Of course, it was probably a clone phone, meaning all his activity and location would be transmitted to Yiheon. Nevertheless, Heemin was still delighted.“But what plan is this on? It’s not one of those plans that only gives you 300MB, right?”“Why would you think that of me? Do I seem that stingy to you?” Yiheon replied, frowning with an incredulous expression.“No, it’s just… I was worried it might only allow calls and texts. I need to chat with you, and it would be sad if I couldn’t send pictures because there’s no data,” Heemin muttered, realizing he had misspoken in his excitement.Yiheon, still watching the road, responded briefly, “It’s all unlimited.”“Really?”“Yes.”“Oh, that’s great. Thanks, hyung. I’ll be in touch often.”Knowing Yiheon’s straightforward personality, Heemin was relieved. Yiheon wouldn’t have given him a phone in a half-hearted manner. Heemin installed apps like KakaoTalk, YouTube, and e-book readers while Yiheon drove.As expected, the email address from ‘Seo Heemin’s account was the same as his, making the downloads easy. He suspected the phone number might be the same too.010-9X24-0709.As he pressed the numbers to save Yiheon’s number, the name “Cha Yiheon” appeared on the screen, written plainly without any embellishments. It made him chuckle.He considered changing it to “Gangster Uncle,” but remembered how Yiheon reacted furiously to being called an uncle. Knowing the screen would be shared, he changed the contact name to “President Cha Yiheon.”He needed a distinction because “Cha Yiheon” would remind him of a pampered university student of his age.“But why aren’t any other numbers saved? Auntie, Minseok hyung, Secretary Jung, and Dr. Hwang…”The contact list had only Yiheon’s number. Even in reality, his contacts were sparse, with only his mom, three sisters, and a friend. It felt even lonelier with just one contact saved.“If you have anything to say, tell me.”“But emergencies might happen. We should save them just in case…”Before he could finish, Yiheon responded coldly, “You’ve managed fine so far without them. I didn’t give you a phone to waste time chatting.”“Okay,” Heemin replied quickly, not wanting to upset him further. Despite his recent aloofness, Yiheon had a possessive nature towards ‘Seo Heemin.’Ms. Ahn might be acceptable, but it must have been uncomfortable for Yiheon to see other men’s contacts on ‘Seo Heemin’s phone, even if they were trusted aides.“Hyung, look here,” Heemin said, opening the camera app and raising his phone above his head. He intended to snap a selfie before the light turned green. As he watched the screen, Yiheon shielded his face with his palm and said gruffly, “I don’t need one. You take it alone.”“Why? We should take a picture to commemorate the new phone. Please?”Because of a friend who constantly took and sent pictures, Heemin’s photo gallery was bursting. But thirty-year-old Cha Yiheon seemed like someone who wouldn’t even know his phone had a camera.So Heemin felt he had to step up this time. Yiheon didn’t have the knack for taking selfies like his friend, but Heemin didn’t want to pass up capturing this moment.“Okay, one, two, three.”Click. The screen showed a smiling Heemin flashing a V-sign and a stern-faced Yiheon staring at the camera. It wasn’t a particularly warm photo, more like a B-roll, maybe even a C-roll, but it was their first commemorative picture.“It might be blurry because it’s night. Let’s take a few more.”More photos meant better practice for sketching portraits. Using the excuse of potential blurriness, Heemin kept pressing the shutter button. While he changed his expressions and poses, Yiheon remained as motionless as a still life on canvas. No fun at all.“Enough. Sit properly. We’re moving,” Yiheon said, turning his attention back to the road. The car began to glide smoothly along the road again.Click, click.Heemin wasn’t particularly into photography. But holding a phone after so long, he felt an urge to capture these fleeting moments. He took pictures of Yiheon, who never glanced his way, and the softly glowing riverside at night. It saddened him that he couldn’t take these photos back to reality when this story ended.As Heemin was absorbed in taking photos, the car turned onto a tree-lined forest path. Passing winding roads and hills, they arrived at a modern two-story building, not an old hanok. The sleek architecture was hidden at the end of a steep mountain path. An Italian restaurant name was prominently displayed on one wall. Pizzeria di Brandi. Wait, a pizzeria?“Did we come all the way here for pizza? We could have had it delivered to the house.”He had assumed they were going to the Korean restaurant Yiheon had taken ‘Seo Heemin’ to in <Silence>. He expected to see a courtyard with stylish pine trees, staff in hanboks, and neatly arranged royal cuisine in brass dishes. But a pizza place? That was unexpected.“Don’t you want to eat?”“No! I love it!”He had eaten chueotang for lunch, so he wanted something greasy rather than another similar soup or stew. For example, a devil’s cheese pizza topped with cheddar cheese, camembert cream cheese, gouda cheese, and mozzarella cheese.As Heemin waved his hands enthusiastically, indicating he didn’t mind at all, Yiheon finally turned off the engine and got out of the car. Heemin quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and followed him outside. It was surprising and very touching that Yiheon knew about a place that served a food he would have never thought Yiheon would touch, like tteokbokki, and had taken the trouble to bring him there.It seemed that Yiheon had put in some effort for their first meal out together with twenty-something-year-old Seo Heemin. Heemin hurried after Yiheon, sticking close to his side as he climbed the steps with large strides. He glanced at Yiheon’s expressionless profile and called out to him.“Hyung.”“What.”“It’s not my birthday today.”“I know.”“Then why are you being so nice to me? It’s scary.”Receiving a gift and going out to eat something delicious made it feel like a special day that should have quietly passed by without meaning, just like any other day. It made him feel scared instead. In a story where crises and hardships follow the protagonist like fate, it was hard to believe such good things would happen repeatedly.He suspected that Yiheon might be plotting something to reclaim thirty-year-old Seo Heemin. Maybe Yiheon also kept an eye on the twenty-one-year-old who claimed to be Seo Heemin with suspicion. Feeling an unexpected sense of camaraderie, Heemin found his emotions mixed.Whether Yiheon knew of Heemin’s anxiety or not, he spoke in a careless tone.“Are you scared of me?”“It’s not that I’m scared… It’s just different from usual, so it’s awkward.”“If you’re scared, stop causing trouble. I almost lost my mind today because of you… Ha.”Yiheon, looking exhausted, rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply. Heemin had thought Yiheon was in a good mood because he wasn’t drawing lines like before. But it seemed that was just Heemin’s misunderstanding.Apparently, Yiheon had tried to coax him with a phone and pizza instead of just getting angry or ignoring him because that wouldn’t work with Heemin. It seemed Yiheon was trying to prevent him from getting into trouble.Even though Heemin might cause trouble tomorrow, today, he felt unjustly accused. He had planned to quietly draw and wait for Yiheon until 9:30, but who could have predicted that Gwak Yunseong would suddenly show up? If anyone had made Gwak Yunseong anxious enough to come to the house, it was Yiheon, not Heemin.Though he hadn’t expected Yiheon to say something cheesy like, “I wanted to see you happy,” he still felt disappointed. Despite understanding Yiheon’s feelings, his excitement quickly faded. He didn’t feel like eating pizza anymore. Heemin stopped in his tracks and, without realizing it, snapped at Yiheon.“It was Gwak Yunseong who caused trouble today, not me. Did something go wrong because of me again? Did my debt increase or something?”“No.”“Then why is it my fault?”“…”“What did I do wrong that made you almost lose your mind? Tell me.”As Heemin stubbornly demanded answers, Yiheon sighed again and spoke in a low, level voice.“I almost crashed the car several times on the way here. I was anxious because I didn’t know what you would do next.”Yiheon must have driven himself, anxious to get to Heemin quickly, instead of riding with his secretary. Even with surveillance cameras at the house, it wasn’t enough to ease his anxiety. Although Gwak Yunseong was Seo Heemin’s last remaining family, even if they weren’t blood-related, Yiheon was worried that Heemin might be tempted to run away with him.Heemin, looking into Yiheon’s eyes, which seemed like a storm had passed through them, asked quietly.“Did you almost get into an accident on the way here?”“…”Yiheon’s reluctance to answer made him seem very scary to someone who didn’t know him. They might think he was angry. However,“Are you worried about me? It’s not that you were going to lose your mind from anger.”Heemin knew Yiheon’s true nature hidden behind his cold facade. He had witnessed Yiheon, who had suffered from a love like a fever all his life and eventually sacrificed his life for Seo Heemin.As Heemin confirmed the faint cracks in Yiheon’s otherwise emotionless face, he looked him in the eyes and asked again. If Yiheon kept trying to hide his feelings with harsh words, Heemin would just read them for him.“You’re buying me pizza because I didn’t cause trouble, called you right away, and was quick to follow your instructions, right?”“…Yeah.”Finally, Yiheon nodded slightly. The shadows on his face, clouded with mixed emotions, started to lift a bit.“Then you should have explained that from the start. Saying it’s my fault makes me misunderstand. From now on, tell me everything. If you don’t tell me, I won’t know anything.”While Heemin could read and understand the character developments and personalities in a novel, he couldn’t know what Yiheon was thinking in real time.If Heemin hadn’t persistently questioned him, it could have led to a misunderstanding and emotional strain. They might have had a big fight and lost their appetite for pizza, leading to a sad, terrible event.But instead of reacting with a stern reprimand as Heemin had expected, Yiheon surprisingly complied with his request.“I’ll try.”Oddly enough, that one phrase eased the tight feeling of disappointment in Heemin’s chest. A hint of a smile appeared on Heemin’s face, which had been full of dissatisfaction.“…I’m sorry for getting angry.”A phone and pizza weren’t tools of persuasion but a reward for him. It was his fault for feeling a pang of suspicion instead of accepting the kindness purely. He had no right to blame Yiheon.Even though he was planning to visit the company the next day, his actions contradicted his words, hiding his true feelings. Gratitude and guilt intertwined, causing a sense of indebtedness. He thought it best to speak up first, but just as he was about to say something, Yiheon interrupted.“Enough, let’s just go eat.”Yiheon’s rough, steady hand pressed down on Heemin’s head, still covered by his hat. The moment that solid hand touched his head, the words that had been tickling his throat vanished, and a flush of heat rose to his face. An overwhelming, unidentifiable emotion surged within him, and his heart pounded loudly.He felt joy, disappointment, anger, embarrassment, and then happiness again, all because of Yiheon’s words and actions. His emotions were on a rollercoaster ride.Trying to hide his confusion, Heemin fidgeted with his fingers inside his sleeves that hung down to his knuckles. Yiheon suddenly bent down to meet his gaze.“Are you okay?”“Huh? What do you mean?”Yiheon examined Heemin’s face closely, his expression serious, like a doctor checking on a patient.“Your face is really red. You don’t look well.”This time, Yiheon’s hand touched Heemin’s forehead under the brim of his hat. Heemin flinched as his dry palm covered his closed eyelids, the faint scent of musk that no suppressant could mask wafting to his nose.Perhaps because the scent wasn’t too strong, the alpha’s pheromones carried by the gentle spring breeze felt unexpectedly comforting.What’s happening? This is strange.He felt a peculiar sensation deep in his stomach, an unprecedented tickling feeling. His heart hadn’t fluttered like this even when they walked hand in hand or kissed before. Unlike yesterday’s kiss, which was driven by overwhelming sexual curiosity, he couldn’t understand why his body reacted so strongly to Yiheon’s touch.