Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 114

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t incomprehensible that Cheon Sejoo had such thoughts. But even understanding, Sejin still felt very sad. Even as a joke, he didn’t want to imagine Cheon Sejoo’s death. He didn’t care about what happened after the person died; he had never wanted such things.

Sejin looked at the papers with a pained expression, then gathered them, intending to talk clearly with Cheon Sejoo when he returned. He would say that he didn’t need these things, and if possible, to cancel them.

Perhaps Cheon Sejoo also knew he was safe now, so he probably wouldn’t say anything and would accept the suggestion. Sejin thought so, but when he brought up the matter that evening, Cheon Sejoo’s refusal left him at a loss for words.

“…”

Facing Sejin’s intense gaze, Cheon Sejoo slightly curled his lips, thinking to himself that he should have been more careful. He took a sip of water and replied as if it were nothing.

“It’s called death insurance, but with such a large sum, you can think of it as a form of savings. I understand what you mean, but I don’t think it’s necessary to cancel it. As you said, if you want to escape the ‘car poor’ life, you have to save diligently.”

Cheon Sejoo shrugged, trying to shift the topic to a joke by mentioning ‘car poor,’ but Sejin truly couldn’t stand it. He hated, absolutely hated, the name “death insurance”; it was unlucky and made him uncomfortable.

One billion won. When she was in the hospital, Kim Hyun Kyung had also talked about the insurance money Sejin would receive after her death as if to say, “At least there’s this.” That day, Sejin had been furious. He screamed that he didn’t need those things, that what he needed wasn’t money, but Kim Hyun Kyung seemed to regard that one billion won as a substitute for herself.

If leaving Sejin was a sin, then that billion was like an indulgence, something that would take care of him in her stead.

And that’s what Sejin hated. The thought that “it’ll be fine because there’s that insurance money,” when it wasn’t true at all. Without Cheon Sejoo, he would become a helpless child, living the rest of his life hopelessly and bleakly. Don’t think that’s okay.

Sejin suppressed his choked emotions and began to question Cheon Sejoo:

“Why does it have to be saved that way? Why not a proper bank, but these unreliable insurance companies? If it’s really to escape being car poor, as you said, then transfer it to a bank. That would work too.”
“Once a contract is signed, how can it be easily canceled? You’re just obsessed with the words ‘death insurance,’ but many people save this way. It’s not strange at all, is it?”
“I don’t like it! I hate that you bought that insurance in the first place!”

Seeing Sejin shout, Cheon Sejoo sighed, rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache. Seeing that expression made Sejin even more heartbroken; his eyes reddened, and he poured out all his feelings to him.

“What if… you actually die? Are you sure you won’t think ‘at least there’s that, thank goodness’ in your last moments? No, right? Even if I’m left alone, you’ll still think ‘at least I left him insurance money, so he’ll be fine,’ right? Leaving me and still thinking I’ll be fine…”

Tears streamed down his pale cheeks. Sejin roughly wiped his face and tightly clasped Cheon Sejoo’s hand. He buried his face in his large palm and mumbled.

“I won’t be fine at all. I’ll be very lonely and sad. I might even want to follow you. You have to know that…”

At Sejin’s sobs, Cheon Sejoo clenched his lips in silence. Initially, he thought Sejin was just misunderstanding the death insurance, but now he truly understood the meaning behind those words. What Kwon Sejin wanted to say was… don’t think that death at the end of life is acceptable just because there’s insurance money. If he died, Sejin’s life would be shattered, so he had to survive and return at all costs.

“…Why would you think that?”

Cheon Sejoo’s quiet voice resonated above Sejin’s head. He embraced Sejin’s trembling shoulders, holding him close, gently patting his small back.

“It’s not like that, Sejin. And it won’t happen. I can’t say I never thought about it when I got the insurance, but not now. I know, you can’t live without me. I know that well. Just imagining life without you makes me want to die, so why would you think I’d be fine without you?”
“Then cancel it! It doesn’t matter anyway!”

As he had told Sejin, Cheon Sejoo had never thought that insurance money could replace him. However, certain assumptions still stood in his way.

When he was in the response team, he had gone through a lot. Throughout that process, he couldn’t be sure that no one resented him. Cheon Sejoo always thought that one day, as a form of retribution, he might be stabbed to death by someone. So he was just preparing as a precaution.

He knew well that Sejin couldn’t use Kim Hyun Kyung’s insurance money. If he died, Sejin wouldn’t be able to touch that money, but because of that, Sejin wouldn’t be able to let go of life.

It was his preparation, wanting to leave Sejin more, because he wanted him to survive, even if he had to cling to something to keep a trace of him.

Unlike the past, when he had thought about erasing all traces in the house so no one would have to clean up his belongings. Now, Cheon Sejoo was leaving many traces of himself in this house, preparing for that day to come.

“Don’t overthink it. I don’t have any other intentions, so I don’t plan to cancel the contract. Just think of it as savings.”

At Cheon Sejoo’s firm tone, Sejin bit his lip and looked up. His face was tear-streaked, his reddened eyes staring at him, then he stood up and walked into the room alone. The door slammed shut with an angry sound, making Cheon Sejoo sigh.

He sat alone on the sofa, quietly looking at the turned-off TV, then reached for a cigarette. Although he was trying to quit, today he couldn’t help it. Cheon Sejoo comforted himself and lit a cigarette. White smoke drifted and dispersed into the air. Cheon Sejoo’s thoughtful gaze remained fixed on the door where Sejin had just entered.

After learning that Cheon Sejoo had bought insurance, Sejin was sad for a whole day. On the second day, he started to get angry, and by the third day, he couldn’t control his rage.

He hated Cheon Sejoo for not understanding him. He was annoyed with Cheon Sejoo for pretending to comfort him but having no intention of listening to him.

From that day on, Sejin only thought about his future working at the hospital and getting paid. Every day he put all his effort into studying with the determination to get back at Cheon Sejoo.

Time passed slowly, and after graduating from university, Sejin passed the national exam and became an official nurse. The number of vacancies was smaller than expected, so he didn’t get accepted into his desired hospital, but he unexpectedly got into Sunchon International Hospital, which he had chosen as his second option. Finally, Sejin became a useful member of society, as he had always wished.

Cheon Sejoo was happier than anyone. He praised Sejin as if he were the greatest person in the world and even made another strange banner to hang at home to cheer him on.

Looking at the words “Miracle of the Multiplication Table,” Sejin felt a little embarrassed, but thinking of Cheon Sejoo’s angry face, he gritted his teeth and endured it.

“Hello.”

Sejin’s first workplace was Sunchon International Hospital in central Seoul, about a 20-minute drive from home. Sejin was assigned to the emergency room as he wished, but perhaps because it was near an entertainment district, quite a few drunk people came in and out at night.

At first, the senior nurses found it strange and curious to have someone with a good-looking face and a large build, but now they had begun to grow fond of someone like Sejin, who was always quiet and dedicated to his work. As long as it was work, no matter how difficult, he never complained and always fulfilled his duties, which is why Sejin had recently become quietly more beloved.

Finishing his night shift and stepping out of the hospital, the cold early morning wind greeted Sejin. He blinked his sleepy eyes, walked towards the parking lot, and tossed his backpack onto the passenger seat.

When he started the car, the heavy exhaust sound rumbled. Sejin felt the eyes of people on their way to work glancing at his car, but he paid no attention, just quietly drove off. He had to go fast to catch even a glimpse of Cheon Sejoo.

Like all general hospitals, Sejin also worked on a three-shift system. On duty days, he could work more than 16 hours. The work schedule changed every two weeks, and after today’s night shift, he would switch to the morning shift, working from early morning until late afternoon.

As he pressed the accelerator, Sejin wished the holiday would come a little sooner. In the nearly ten days of night shifts, he had only met Cheon Sejoo twice, which made his heart burn with impatience.

The sleek black coupe that Cheon Sejoo had ordered glided smoothly through the city. Sejin texted Cheon Sejoo: “Are you awake?” then continued along the still unfamiliar road. When he arrived, he parked the car in the designated spot in the lot, grabbed his bag, and hurried towards the elevator.

Putting his bag down by the entrance, he almost ran into the kitchen where Cheon Sejoo, in a neat suit, was drinking water before leaving home. The man pressed the bottle to his lips, raised an eyebrow at Sejin, and waved hello.

“Cheon Sejoo.”

Sejin rushed forward and hugged Cheon Sejoo tightly. Their bodies, separated all night, clung together as if they had never been apart. As Cheon Sejoo gently stroked his hair, Sejin responded by kissing the back of his neck, then his chin, then his earlobe, as a fervent greeting.

“You worked hard. You must be tired.”
“…Mmm…”

Sejin didn’t deny it, just nodded slightly at the words accompanied by a gentle pat on his bottom.

Since he started working, Sejin often thought of his mother. Before being taken to Ihwagak, she had worked two jobs at once. From morning until 7 PM, she worked in a restaurant, then from 8 PM until 2 AM, she continued as a chef in a pub. He, on the other hand, was exhausted after only 8 hours of work, and he couldn’t understand how his mother could work that much. The more he thought about it, the more he admired her.

The same went for Cheon Sejoo. Sejin leaned against him in his exhaustion, placing a kiss on his lips.

Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly, gently returning the kiss. His hand lightly traced Sejin’s waist, his tongue delving deep into his mouth, stirring. But soon he pulled back, gave a light kiss, and left.

A quiet voice escaped Sejin’s lips:

“You have to go already?”
“Yeah. If things go smoothly today, we might meet tonight.”
“Okay…”

Sejin pouted and grabbed Cheon Sejoo’s hand. He walked along, playfully fiddling with his palm, chattering as he saw him off to the door. When Cheon Sejoo closed the door and went out, Sejin returned to the living room, picked up the discarded bag, put his uniform in the washing machine, and took a shower.

Then he went into the kitchen and started cooking. Sejin prepped king oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms and set them aside, then stir-fried onions and garlic in a pan with oil until fragrant, then added minced beef and sake. When the liquid in the meat evaporated and a sweet aroma began to rise, he added a sauce made from soy sauce, chili powder, sugar, and doubanjiang, and continued to cook. When the meat was well-seasoned, Sejin poured in all the mushrooms and stir-fried them until tender, then turned off the heat, drizzled sesame oil around, and sprinkled sesame seeds on top. Then he scooped a generous amount of rice into a large stainless steel bowl, topped it with the stir-fried beef and mushrooms, and ate heartily with a spoon.

Sejin finished a portion of rice enough for three adult men in the blink of an eye, started the dishwasher, then went to the utility room to get his washed uniform.

After that came cleaning time. Since Sejin started working, Cheon Sejoo had bought five robot vacuum cleaners for the house. While the robots were working, Sejin used a dry cloth to wipe away dust from the furniture.

Twenty minutes later, when the robots returned to their charging stations, Sejin continued to mop the floor with a wet mop. Although this was done daily, so the floor was almost spotless, seeing the sparkling, damp granite surface still made him feel satisfied. He put his hands on his hips, nodded contentedly, and went to the bathroom to shower again.

By the time he was done, it was noon. Sejin went into the study, studied for two more hours for work, then returned to the bedroom. He drew the curtains, hugged the pillow that still smelled strongly of Cheon Sejoo, and fell into a deep sleep.

When he was awakened by the alarm, it was 9 PM. Sejin rubbed his eyes and sat up, immediately checking his phone.

When he found no one beside him, he had somewhat guessed, and indeed, there was a message from Cheon Sejoo saying he would be home late. Today, too, he would have to go to work without seeing him.
“I know, even if you’re tired, try a little harder. Love you.”
9:02 PM
Sejin messaged back wearily and got out of bed. He went back to the bathroom to shower, then ate dinner in the kitchen, studied a bit, and went to work. Driving alone to the hospital, Sejin felt a surge of loneliness. Is this what adult life is like? If so, he wanted to go back to his twenties…

While Sejin was feeling down about his busy life, time passed quickly, and he finally received his first monthly salary. Sejin dug out an old grudge deeply hidden in his heart and sent a message to Cheon Sejoo.

“I got paid today, Cheon Sejoo.”
5:11 PM
How would he reply? Sejin nervously adjusted his heartbeat, waiting for Cheon Sejoo’s response. After more than ten minutes, his phone vibrated.

My Love
“ㅋㅋㅋ Happy? What are you going to do with the money? Buy snacks? Buy something delicious for me.”
5:24 PM
Seeing the answer he expected, Sejin gave a twisted smile. He snorted, then quickly typed a decisive reply:

“After deducting 300,000 won for gas, I used the rest to buy insurance. Death insurance.”
5:25 PM
As soon as he pressed send and threw his phone onto the sofa, the phone began to vibrate continuously. Without a doubt, it was a call from Cheon Sejoo, but Sejin didn’t pick up. He crossed his arms and sat in Cheon Sejoo’s usual spot, as if challenging him, “If you want to talk, come here,” and waited for him to return.

At 6:30 PM, Cheon Sejoo got off work, drove like a madman through Seoul, and arrived home. He entered the house with an unhappy expression. Seeing Sejin stubbornly sitting on the sofa with a sulky face, he let out a forced laugh.

“Hey.”
Even though his voice was clearly angry, Sejin remained composed.
“Don’t call me ‘hey.’ I have a proper name.”
“Our Sejin is so good. If he’s not good, he’s not Kwon Sejin.”
Seeing Sejin intentionally retort, Cheon Sejoo sighed softly as if in disbelief. He strode over and sat on the sofa opposite Sejin, took off his vest and placed it beside him, then exhaled tiredly, running a hand through his gelled hair.

When his hair was disheveled, Cheon Sejoo’s face softened. He rested his chin on his knees, staring at Sejin. As if wondering: What should I do with this kid now…
Sejin didn’t avoid his gaze, holding it steadily, unwavering.