Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 113

Actually… the car looked really cool. Everything from its exterior, wheels, interior to the leather upholstery was solid black. This car was just like Sejin’s dream: sharp and stylish. Perfectly suited for a handsome man like him.

If I drive this car, Cheon Sejoo will probably think I’m cool, right?

Sejin smiled, his heart fluttering slightly. He gently kissed the small mole on the back of Cheon Sejoo’s neck, lightly kissed his jawline, then moved away from him and started the car, which was in standby mode.

“Let’s go. I’ll drive you around.”

The decisive voice, as if he had made up his mind, finally made Cheon Sejoo smile. His lips curved softly, he tightly held Sejin’s hand and pressed the button to open the car roof.

“Let’s go.”

The sound of the exhaust echoed in the parking lot along with the brief command.

The car left Seoul, heading towards Yangpyeong. Cheon Sejoo liked the cafes along the Bukhan River above Yangpyeong, where one could feel as if floating on water due to the close proximity to the river. They had frequented such a cafe for several years.

After Sejin enlisted, he couldn’t travel far, so even on leave, he only stayed around Seoul. So this was their first outing in nearly two years. The cafe they used to frequent was still there. After greeting the owner, who still recognized them, and getting their drinks, they walked to the other side of the road.

The small garden was paved with white pebbles, with low trees planted in rows, and benches facing the river. They chose the spot closest to the Bukhan River and sat down. Placing the coffee on the table, a gentle, cool breeze swept across his slightly sweaty forehead. Summer had arrived.

“Cheon Sejoo, is it hot? Should we go inside?”

“No, I like it here, it’s quiet.”

“Hmm, then I like it too.”

Even though sweat beaded on his forehead, Sejin nodded and said that. Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly, picked up the coffee cup with condensation and brought it to Sejin’s flushed cheek. Sejin pressed the cup to his cheek to cool down, then picked up a fork and cut a piece of cake. At first, he intended to put it in his own mouth but then redirected it to Cheon Sejoo’s lips.

This action, contrary to his “greedy” instinct, was clear proof of Sejin’s great love. Cheon Sejoo smiled, looking at him gently, but still slightly tilted his head to refuse.

“You eat it.”

Sejin didn’t press further, obediently opened his mouth and ate the cake. He felt the fresh cream melt in his mouth and the bread soaked in syrup, then chuckled and asked Cheon Sejoo, who was staring at the river without blinking.

“Cheon Sejoo, am I driving well?”

Hearing that, Cheon Sejoo suddenly burst into clear laughter. He found Sejin so adorable, as if he was expecting praise, so he glanced around to confirm no one was there and lightly kissed his cheek.

“Very well. You’re good at parking too. It seems you’re good at everything that involves putting things in and taking them out, aren’t you?”

The gentle praise, accompanied by a superfluous remark, made Sejin blush and frown. He pinched his inner arm as a warning.

“Don’t say things like that in public…”

“What? What are you thinking?”

“You think I don’t know anything, do you?”

Seeing Sejin glare, Cheon Sejoo chuckled and leaned his head on his shoulder as if going crazy from cuteness. “I know, I know, I’ll be quiet.” Then he reached out and caressed Sejin’s exposed knee under his shorts. The action was clearly suggestive. Sejin, who was eating cake, also naturally placed his hand on Cheon Sejoo’s thigh.

“I’ll start studying again tomorrow.”

The affirmation, like a vow, made Cheon Sejoo raise an eyebrow. He held the cold coffee cup tightly, took a sip, and nodded, asking.

“Which library? Don’t lie and go work part-time again?”

“…No…”

Hearing the old story mentioned, Sejin lowered his eyes and denied it. “That’s over…” – he mumbled to himself, then glanced at the silver ring on Cheon Sejoo’s right hand. Now Sejin’s left hand also had a similar ring. Sejin looked at the two rings in turn, smiled shyly to himself and said:

“I’ll study at home. Before going back to school, I have to complete my TOEIC certificate to graduate.”

“Ha… the torture begins again.”

“I don’t need your help!”

During the time Sejin was studying for university entrance exams, countless troubles had occurred between them. After every outing or tutoring session, there was an argument. At that time, Sejin often complained to Cheon Sejoo, asking what good it was to be handsome and smart, but Cheon Sejoo shamelessly retorted: “That’s enough. What more do you want?” then laughed and said that if he were any more modest, he would be committing a sin against other boys.

Anyway, Cheon Sejoo used to call that tutoring period “torture.” The more difficult things he taught, the more obvious the skill gap became, to the point that he himself felt his ability to explain declined when he had to teach simple things.

“You’re good at studying alone now.”

At Cheon Sejoo’s joke, Sejin puffed out his cheeks, angrily drinking almost all of his iced coffee. Cheon Sejoo again gently stroked the back of his neck.

The skin on the back of his neck, beaded with sweat, was incredibly smooth. Although he was 25 and had completed his military service, Sejin still had many childish features, such as thin, sparse downy hair or a small horseshoe-shaped birthmark on his hip.

Every time he saw these things, Cheon Sejoo fell into mixed emotions. On one hand, he felt self-conscious because Sejin was twelve years younger than him, and on the other hand, he wished Sejin would forever remain a child so he could rely on him. He knew these were not healthy or normal emotions, but he had never expressed them.

Cheon Sejoo played with the rim of Sejin’s ear, who was puffing his cheeks while eating cake, then lightly traced the outline of his ear, sliding his finger like a snake down his neck, until he touched his collarbone, where Sejin grasped his hand.

“Don’t do that in public. What if someone takes a picture and posts it online?”

“No one will dare to flirt with you when they see my face.”

“…”

Not only was he not afraid of being called gay, but he even thought that if photos of their couple spread, no one would dare to approach Sejin. The confident answer left Sejin stunned, his mouth agape, unable to say a word.

Cheon Sejoo chuckled and put his finger between his lips, but was immediately bitten hard, making him wince slightly.

“Are you still a baby? Are you still teething?”

“I’m a man who’s served in the military. Don’t tease me.”

It was as if he were a conservative teacher from Cheonghak Village. Lately, Kwon Sejin had been puffing out his chest as if military service was the true symbol of a man.

Cheon Sejoo was an orphan whose parents’ identities were unknown, so he had been exempted from military service. When Sejin found this out, he felt a surge of joy, pleased that he could at least boast of being more experienced than Cheon Sejoo.

At Sejin’s stern tone, Cheon Sejoo chuckled as if to say, “Oh, right, of course,” then leaned back in his chair. He glanced at Sejin’s shorts, pulled high, revealing long, straight legs, reddened knees, and small, delicate ankles, then returned to their previous topic, complimenting him.

“You’re a really good driver. Keep it up.”
“I know! Just trust me, Cheon Sejoo.”
“Yeah, I know you’re great at ‘hitting things,’ but don’t go ‘hitting’ things randomly on the road, okay?”
“…”

The words, spoken in a charmingly deep voice as if from a movie, ultimately amounted to just that. Sejin scrunched his face, his lips pouting like a bullied kitten. He stared at Cheon Sejoo, then let out a scoffing laugh, nodding.

“I know, now you shouldn’t drive anymore. You’re getting to the age where your eyes are blurry, it’s dangerous.”
“…Blurry eyes?”
“Elderly drivers have been getting a lot of talk lately. And your eyes aren’t good either, so just let me take care of it now.”

Whenever Cheon Sejoo teased him, Sejin would bring up his age. He was only twelve years older than Cheon Sejoo, nothing to be ashamed of. But still, every time Sejin used his age to tease, Cheon Sejoo felt annoyed.

Yet Sejin bit his lip, trying to suppress a laugh, as if immensely proud of having gotten a rise out of Cheon Sejoo. Seeing that innocent expression, Cheon Sejoo also relaxed, smiling softly and nodding.

“Alright. Speaking of old people, how about we look into nursing homes?”
“Yeah, I’ll find a place where both of us can live together.”

Cheon Sejoo replied in a joking tone, but Sejin was even more playful. Though he was speechless, the fact that Sejin wanted them to be together even until death made him happy. Cheon Sejoo smiled faintly and took Sejin’s hand.

Sunlight filtered through the tree canopy, casting shimmering patches of light onto their heads. The tranquil river reflected the sparkling light, and the hot summer breeze swept in like waves, but the humid, oppressive season didn’t affect Cheon Sejoo. He remained lost in the warmth transmitted through the hand holding his.

When he turned twenty-six, Sejin returned to school to continue studying nursing. His reserved personality, which kept everyone at a distance, meant he had almost no friends. Still, Heo Woojin and Lee Hyunjung would occasionally take it upon themselves to show him concern, sitting and eating next to him in the cafeteria as a way of integrating him.

Sejin’s ordinary yet distinct student life had two years left. After graduating and passing the nursing certification exam, he would start work, becoming a true member of society.

Becoming useful to the world satisfied him. Even though Kwon Yongbeom always wished he would just die, no one else in the world would wish him dead. That belief uplifted Sejin. He felt completely different from that disgusting man, whose blood relation made him nauseous.

And it was on an autumn day, in his final semester of senior year, that Sejin discovered a small secret of Cheon Sejoo’s.

Not long after the new semester began, it was Cheon Hyein’s death anniversary. Immediately after school, Sejin rushed to the supermarket with the intention of going home to perform the ancestral rites right after midnight. He carried two bags full of groceries and entered the lobby, where he saw several letters in the mailbox. Since both of them entered and exited through the underground parking lot, the mailbox was usually only checked once a week. Sejin thought they must be letters that had accumulated over several days, so he took them and put them in his grocery bag to take home.

After putting the groceries in the refrigerator, showering, and tying on the white lace apron Cheon Sejoo had bought, his eyes suddenly fell on the stack of letters on the table. And then he noticed something strange: all four letters were from different insurance companies addressed to Cheon Sejoo.

“…”

It wasn’t a New Year’s card, and receiving so many letters at once in the autumn was unprecedented. Sejin tilted his head in wonder, then tore open an envelope to look. And what he discovered was the existence of death insurance policies with enormous sums insured.

It seemed Cheon Sejoo had recently changed his primary bank, which was why he received transfer notifications. The paper clearly listed the insurance products and the monthly premium amounts. Adding up the four contracts, he was spending nearly 5 million won each month.

This was a type of product that guaranteed a refund; if he didn’t die by the maturity date, he would get back the principal plus interest. But with Cheon Sejoo also having his own savings, there was no reason for him to choose to accumulate wealth in the form of death insurance.

Sejin bit his lip, clenching his fist. He didn’t need to think further to understand why the other person had bought this type of insurance; it was surely to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, to take care of Sejin’s future.

His pained gaze lingered on the crumpled paper. The only instruction sheet had the registration date written on it. Spring, six years ago, not long after he and Cheon Sejoo became lovers.

That was a time when they talked a lot, trying to heal each other’s wounds. While he was dreaming of a future living with Cheon Sejoo, the other person was preparing for a future where he no longer existed. This truth cut deep into Sejin’s heart.

Of course, at that time, Cheon Sejoo was still in the response team, and before the car accident happened in early summer that year, it was common for him to get injured. When Cheon Sejoo didn’t come home for days, Sejin could only hope he was okay and wait.