Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 118

Did he want to show off his height? Just a quick glance showed he must be over 1m80. There was no need to ask to confirm that he was shorter.

Sejin pretended not to hear the question.

“It’s hard to hear your voice.”

Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly as if he didn’t expect anything, then sighed lightly and closed his eyes again.

A soft, steady breath echoed. Sejin still hadn’t brought the egg tart to his mouth, only held the damp paper bag, fiddling with it in his hand. He listened to the fragile breaths that seemed like they could break off at any moment, then spoke:

“…Are you sick?”

“…”

At that question, Cheon Sejoo immediately opened his eyes wide. He turned his head as if to confirm he hadn’t misheard, then asked:

“Are you talking to me?”

His attitude was as if he couldn’t believe Sejin had just spoken to him. Seeing this, Sejin intended to remain silent, feeling teased, but then stubbornly retorted:

“Who else is here besides you?”

Hearing that, Cheon Sejoo raised an eyebrow, and immediately burst into clear laughter. His face unexpectedly became as innocent as a child, making Sejin bite his lip lightly, his face flushing as if he had caught the heat from the other person.

His heart thumped rapidly in his chest. Sejin once again became silent as a clam, his gaze sharp as if looking at an enemy. From the first day they met, talking to him had become strangely difficult, but once he uttered a word, everything seemed less complicated. Only when he stopped laughing did Sejin seize the words:

“Are you sick?”

It wasn’t out of concern for his health, but because if he was truly sick, he might have to move elsewhere, so he intended to send him away…

At Sejin’s persistent question, Cheon Sejoo met his gaze and smiled gently, his lips curving slightly into an expression that was both wonderful and satisfied before he replied:

“Not sick. Why, do I look weak today?”

“How silly.” Sejin narrowed his eyes at him with a critical face. His face was still flushed, clearly showing signs of illness, yet he joked and lied like that. Sejin was annoyed:

“But you are sick.”

“No, I’m not sick, do you want me to be sick?”

“Your face is so red.”

“It’s probably because you made me laugh so much.”

His reversal of the conversation made Sejin even more irritated. Sejin pursed his lips, writhing in annoyance. If there was a thermometer, just touching it once would reveal the lie, but physical contact with men always made him feel uncomfortable.

“It’s annoying. Whether you’re sick or not has nothing to do with me.”

As Sejin’s mood calmed, he fell silent once again. It was then that Cheon Sejoo realized something, smiled gently, and extended his hand:

“What, that face again?”

Before he could hesitate, he gently stroked his head for the second consecutive time. Sejin couldn’t help but unconsciously shrink his shoulders.

The soft hand brushed through his thin hair, but it didn’t feel as uncomfortable as he expected; no, it seemed…

“……”

Isn’t that right, it’s just a small thing, isn’t it? In a strange confusion, Sejin tried to shake his head, dispelling the tangled thoughts, then gathered all his courage and reached out to him the way he had just done to him.

When Sejin’s hand touched his forehead, a clear warmth spread; the temperature was so high that no thermometer was needed to know, making Sejin’s shoulders suddenly stiffen.

“You have a fever.”

His confident voice rang out. Yet, even when truly sick, why did he keep boasting that he wasn’t? Sejin scoffed inwardly, but just as he was about to withdraw his hand, a large hand unexpectedly pressed down on Sejin’s hand. Cheon Sejoo tightly held Sejin’s hand, which was touching his forehead, as if their fingers intertwined, creating a strange connection.

“Your hand is so cool. Can you leave it there for a while?”

At that sight, Sejin saw him smile brightly, his rosy face appearing on his skin. His heart fluttered again.

After about three minutes, Cheon Sejoo suddenly said:

“…Shall I give you some medicine?”

Although Sejin always knew to use polite language with kind people, initially, because he used informal speech, Sejin also responded informally. But after realizing that Cheon Sejoo was a 12th-grade senior, he always used polite language with him.

Those words made Cheon Sejoo open his eyes wide, slowly lifting his eyelids, revealing his deep dark eyes beneath his gradually relaxing eyelashes. His usually silent gaze, when it met Sejin’s eyes, suddenly sparkled like stars, and he replied:

“Yeah, I don’t feel like eating.”

His voice was mixed with a slight smile, but every time he smiled with his eyes like that, Sejin felt an inexplicable discomfort.

Despite receiving an answer, Sejin suddenly felt strangely stifled and turned his head away. At that moment, on the turned-off TV screen, the man’s image still smiled. He raised his hand, his back slumped, stroking his hair, then suddenly turned to Sejin and said:

“But… you only speak when you ask if I want to eat something, right?”

“……”

Those words made Sejin’s face flush with embarrassment. Thinking back, it seemed he only asked questions related to sharing food…

But Sejin had no idea what to say to senior Cheon Sejoo. For a very long time, because he never had friends, he had no communication skills. It was as if he never exchanged small jokes or casual conversations.

“Don’t you wonder anything about me?”

In the silence, he suddenly asked. Among the two, even if only one of them was extroverted, it was still considered fortunate. Anyway, Sejin felt a little surprised.

Since the peanut pastry incident, even though he often came to the house, Cheon Sejoo never initiated anything other than bringing food, occasionally saying that he was cute, or quietly smiling to himself while studying, then leaving. It was as if he was the one who voluntarily took care of meals for an old man living alone.

Today, he thought that after eating the egg tart, Cheon Sejoo would leave as usual, but then he suddenly brought up such a strange question. “Don’t you want to know anything?” Sejin was busy repeating the question to himself when Cheon Sejoo murmured:

“For example, do you wonder what grade I’m in…”

“……”

He already knew what grade he was in; he saw the words printed on the reference book he read.

“Or, how tall I am…”

Was he proudly showing off his height? Just a quick glance showed he must be over 1m80. Sejin didn’t want to be reminded that he was shorter, so he pretended not to hear the question.

“Your voice is really hard to hear.”

Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly as if he didn’t expect those words, then sighed and closed his eyes again.

A gentle breath echoed. Sejin still hadn’t brought the egg tart to his mouth. He only delicately touched the damp paper bag, then listened to the fragile breaths that seemed about to vanish, to the point that he opened his mouth to ask:

“…Are you sick?”

“……”

At that question, Cheon Sejoo’s eyes snapped open. He turned back as if to ensure he hadn’t misheard, then asked:

“Are you talking to me?”

He acted as if he couldn’t believe Sejin had dared to speak to him. That feeling made Sejin fall silent, stunned for fear of being teased, but then he still replied:

“Who else is here besides you?”

Hearing that, Cheon Sejoo raised an eyebrow. Soon, a burst of laughter rang out, a clear laugh that made his face suddenly brighten like a child’s. Sejin bit his lip lightly, his face flushed, as if the heat from him was spreading to him. Only when his smile faded did Sejin open his mouth again.

“I asked if you’re sick?”

It wasn’t out of worry. If he was really sick, he might infect him, so he asked to send him away… At Sejin’s persistent question, Cheon Sejoo looked him straight in the eyes and grinned. The corners of his lips curved into a satisfied smile, then he replied:

“Not sick. Why, do I look weak today?”
Nonsense. Sejin looked at him with a scowling face, still flushed. Clearly sick, yet he was acting like an idiot, daring to lie so brazenly. The stubbornness in Sejin flared up.

“You’re sick.”

“No, I’m not. Do you want me to be sick?”

“Your face is so red.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re talking to me, so I’m too happy.”

Now he was even turning it back to tease him. Anger surged, making Sejin press his lips together in annoyance. He didn’t have a thermometer, but if he just touched him once, he’d probably know right away if he was lying or not. But physical contact with a man made him uncomfortable, so he hesitated.