Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 13

At the expected question, Cheon Sejoo leisurely smoked his cigarette and sat up. As he sat with his legs crossed, the soft silk robe flowed open, revealing his long, straight lower body. His smooth, hairless thighs were composed of thin yet firm muscles, presenting an appealing sight to anyone who looked.

Then, Cheon Sejoo’s long fingers ran through his mostly dry hair. He held the cigarette in his mouth and looked at Sejin in that state.

Sejin, meeting his indifferent yet cold eyes, remained silent with his lips pressed together. He simply lowered his eyes slowly and adopted a pitiful demeanor, as if begging for a single glance.

“You can do it…”

A weak voice echoed through the living room. Only then did he play pitifully. Cheon Sejoo, thinking he was cunning, opened his mouth.

“If you go to school diligently, I’ll let you.”

Cheon Sejoo didn’t just bring Kwon Sejin home out of pity. He brought him because he intended to take responsibility for Sejin until he became an adult, just like Hyein, who was unprotected by her parents and guardians and isolated in the world.

Responsibility, yes. It was my responsibility. If he hadn’t had that mindset, he wouldn’t have even looked at him in the first place.

Therefore, he couldn’t stand by and watch Sejin neglect school. Opportunities for learning were limited. Sejin’s present was a crucial period that would determine his future. The period when effort yielded results, and those results were directly reflected in one’s life, was precisely now. This was especially true for someone like Sejin, who had nothing.

So, he absolutely couldn’t stand to see Kwon Sejin throwing away that opportunity and time right before his eyes. It was obvious that Sejin would think he was a hypocrite, but Cheon Sejoo really wanted to send him to school. He didn’t want to let Kwon Sejin miss out on this chance.

At his words, Sejin predictably frowned. It was an expression that asked why he cared about such things. Cheon Sejoo then threw out a threat, or something akin to it, at him.

“If you don’t go to school, I’ll tell your mother everything. That you’ve given up on life and treat school like a restaurant.”

It was a bit mean and crude, but since he wouldn’t listen to kind words, there was no choice. At Cheon Sejoo’s words, Sejin widened his mouth in annoyance, then sighed and hung his head.

Then, hesitantly, he fidgeted with his hands on his thigh and confessed the real reason he couldn’t go to school.

“…I don’t have bus fare.”

“……”

Cheon Sejoo had thought Sejin wasn’t going to school because he had no interest in learning, but it seemed that wasn’t the only reason. Cheon Sejoo narrowed his eyes at the unexpected words and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Indeed, the distance from here to Dongseoul High School, which he attended, was quite far. It was over 10km by car, so he couldn’t walk.

Cheon Sejoo, who had not even considered bus fare as an issue, nodded and stood up. “Wait,” he said, and went into his room to rummage through his wallet. He soon found a credit card with a public transport function. He took it and handed it to Sejin.

“Use this while you’re at home. Buy whatever you need, and use it for public transport too.”

And, of course, Kwon Sejin got angry at those words.

“…Why would I use your card? Who are you calling a beggar?”

It was a good sign that his spirit wasn’t broken enough to abandon his pride, but Kwon Sejin insisting on his pride in this situation was quite annoying. However, he had now completely mastered how to handle Sejin. Cheon Sejoo looked at the high-maintenance dependent and angrily retorted in kind.

“Who said you could use it for free? Do you have no conscience?”

“What?”

At his words, Sejin frowned and lifted his head. Meeting his gaze, Cheon Sejoo said something he didn’t mean.

“Why would I give a card to a rude kid like you? I’ll charge everything you spend to your mother. Every single ten-won coin for eating and taking the bus. So use it sparingly.”

At those words, Sejin’s face flushed. For a moment, he seemed embarrassed that he had misunderstood Cheon Sejoo’s intention, his cheeks turning red as he closed his mouth. ‘Embarrassed, aren’t you?’ Cheon Sejoo laughed inwardly at him, then soon chided him in a bored voice.

“Don’t just eat at school, study when you have time.”

“……”

“It means think about your future and act accordingly.”

Sejin, who had been taking the card, paused at his nagging. His sharp eyes, without fail, turned towards Cheon Sejoo. From the first day they met, Sejin, who had only ever glared at people with those beautiful eyes, asked sarcastically,

“You forcibly dragged me home, and now you’re going to force me to study? What, if I don’t study, you’ll tell my mom that too?”

“How did you know? You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”

When Cheon Sejoo affirmed, teasingly, Sejin bit his lip and huffed. He truly hated the attitude that, after letting him into the house out of brief pity, now tried to interfere deeply in his life.

‘Even so, it was an interest that wouldn’t last a few weeks, no, not even a few days. Eventually, you’re going to kick me out before I turn adult, so how far do you plan to meddle? You don’t even know what situation I’m in, so why are you telling me to study or not to study…?’ Sejin fumed, then glared at Cheon Sejoo and snapped,

“Shouldn’t you be the one studying? Your future seems darker than mine. Do you even know what they teach in high school?”

At those words, Cheon Sejoo pointed to himself with his fingertip. ‘Me?’ At his rhetorical question, Sejin nodded, then let out a bewildered laugh, as if it wasn’t even funny.

He couldn’t deny that his future was dark, but the need to study didn’t apply to him at all. Cheon Sejoo was the only perfect scorer on the Suneung (college entrance exam) the year he took it. Thanks to that, he entered Korea University Medical School on a full scholarship and received temporary sponsorship from various companies. He entered the school as the top student and graduated as the top student, never losing his top rank for six years. Although he was born intelligent, Cheon Sejoo had never been lazy in his efforts.

To him, Sejin’s sarcasm was just a fresh joke that didn’t even offend him. Cheon Sejoo looked at Sejin, who was saying such things without knowing anything, with an endearing gaze.

Kwon Sejin was looking at Cheon Sejoo with a triumphant face, as if asking if he was wrong. Seeing that beautiful face brimming with confidence, Cheon Sejoo felt drained, so he simply smiled and got up from his seat.

“Anyway, do as I say. Unless you want to see your mother crying and struggling.”

And he didn’t forget to leave behind a vexing remark. Leaving Sejin, who was huffing and glaring at him, Cheon Sejoo headed to his room. Even if he showed such rebellion, Kwon Sejin would eventually go to school. He was surprisingly simple, which made him endearing. Cheon Sejoo involuntarily smiled, thinking of Sejin going to school with a sulky face.

***

Having resolved the urgent matter, there was no need to rush to the office.

Cheon Sejoo remained nailed to his bed until the next day. He lay on his back as if the bed were his tomb, not moving a muscle, as if the duvet and mattress were his coffin. Then, after going to the gym at dawn and sleeping again, when he finally went out to the living room in the afternoon, the whole house was quiet. Sejin had probably gone to school.

Cheon Sejoo roughly picked up some fruit rolling around in the refrigerator, ate it, and then crawled back into bed. He wasted time as if he had nothing to do but sleep. While he was napping, he heard a clattering sound from somewhere. Cheon Sejoo slowly opened his eyes, thinking it might be an intruder, and reached for the jackknife on the nightstand. Then, he quickly reminded himself that he now had a cohabitant and left the bedroom empty-handed.

Rubbing his eyes, he saw someone peeking around the kitchen. Sejin was rummaging through all the kitchen cupboards, searching for something. Cheon Sejoo slowly ran a hand over his sleep-filled face, wondering what he was doing, then asked in a hoarse voice, “What are you doing?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Sejin spun around. His hair was slightly wet, as if he had just showered, and his face was paler and softer than yesterday. He was so beautiful it took his breath away. He truly glowed.

The T-shirt and shorts Cheon Sejoo had lent him were much too big. The slightly oversized top came down to Sejin’s elbows, and the shorts covered his entire knees. Cheon Sejoo was suddenly reminded of how Do-yoon had looked wearing his clothes and felt the need to buy Sejin new clothes. For some reason, he felt that Sejin shouldn’t be dressed like Do-yoon.

“I was thinking… maybe I could make some side dishes.” Sejin mumbled hesitantly.

It was exactly as Kim Hyeon-kyung had said. Despite being prickly and sensitive, Kwon Sejin’s nature was tender. At first, it had been temporary help, and he probably hadn’t even thought of repaying him, believing Cheon Sejoo was the kind of person who’d swindle his own mother. But now, it was plain to see that he thought living in someone else’s house and doing nothing was shameless. It seemed he felt sorry for having boasted he wouldn’t do anything, then simply accepted everything.

While Cheon Sejoo was lost in thought, Kwon Sejin pointed to the kitchen counter as if he had a lot to say. Did we have something like that in our house? Did he buy it on his way back from school? The cleanly washed radish sitting on the counter looked utterly out of place. As Cheon Sejoo stared at it blankly, Sejin asked again, “I’m going to make braised radish, but… don’t you have any red pepper powder?”

There was no way there would be any. Cheon Sejoo wasn’t someone who knew how to cook, nor had he ever thought about making food at home. Sometimes he got side dishes from Moon Seonhyuk, or ate what Chae Beom-jun brought from Hwagak, but that was all. The induction cooktop on the 41st floor had never properly served its purpose. A microwave, perhaps.

When Cheon Sejoo shook his head, Sejin subtly frowned. Looking at his clear face, Cheon Sejoo opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. If nothing else, there was no shortage of beer and other alcohol.

“Side dishes, you… know how to make them?”

Click, with a refreshing sound, the smell of beer wafted. Cheon Sejoo chugged a can of beer like water and leaned against the island bar. Gulp, gulp. As he felt the alcohol enter his system and his mind clear, he opened his eyes and saw Sejin staring at him with one corner of his mouth turned up. He looked like he was watching an alcoholic. Then, their eyes met, and he quickly averted his gaze. Looking down at the large radish, Sejin said, “I can make most things. But there are no ingredients at all. No red pepper powder, no anchovies, no salt or sugar.”

“What else do you need? I’ll buy them.”

“Vinegar, soy sauce, Dashida…”

“Dashima?”

At his question, asked while pulling a bottle of water from the fridge, Sejin narrowed his eyes. He looked at Cheon Sejoo as if he couldn’t be trusted, then gestured towards the entrance.

“Don’t go alone, just come with me. I’ll pick out what we need.”

“Okay. But you want to go now?”

“We have to go now to have dinner.”

At Sejin’s obvious tone, Cheon Sejoo subtly frowned. There was a supermarket near his house, but Cheon Sejoo wanted to stop by the department store while they were out. It was because he felt he needed to buy clothes for Sejin, who was a single-outfit man.

But that would require driving, and he had just had a beer. He could take a taxi, but he didn’t particularly want to. Cheon Sejoo deliberated, then went back to his bedroom and picked up his phone. He ordered blood sausage soup for Sejin, then informed him, “I ordered blood sausage soup for dinner, so eat that, and let’s go tomorrow after you come back from school. I can’t drive now.”

“…Then I’ll just go by myself. I saw a supermarket right in front.”

“No, we’re going to the department store tomorrow.”

At Cheon Sejoo’s indifferent reply, Sejin’s face crumpled again, seemingly annoyed.

“The supermarket is much cheaper, why go to the department store? I told you I can just go by myself?”

Perhaps because he was young, he never let a single word pass. Cheon Sejoo looked down at Sejin with eyes that suddenly felt tired. This is why I never dated anyone younger, he thought, and blurted out something he didn’t mean.

“I get hives from eating things bought at the supermarket. Don’t even think about putting cheap stuff in my mouth.”

Even he thought it sounded obnoxious, and Sejin reacted flaring up again. Cheon Sejoo lightly chuckled at the disgusted sigh and looked Sejin gave him, then went straight to the sofa and lay down.

And the next day, Cheon Sejoo encountered an unexpected person in his house.

At 9 AM, it wasn’t his gym day, so he woke up late, finished a call with Moon Seonhyuk, and after checking on the progress of his work, Cheon Sejoo was heading to the living room bathroom to shower, undressed. But just as he turned the doorknob and was about to enter, he heard a click from somewhere.

Holding his breath, Cheon Sejoo pulled back and looked around the hallway. His sharp gaze searched for signs of an intruder. But immediately, nothing seemed to have changed. However, he had clearly heard a door close just now.

Cheon Sejoo narrowed his eyes and turned his gaze towards Sejin’s room. He had given Kwon Sejin a transit card to go to school. And it was quite late in the afternoon when he had met Sejin at home yesterday.

It was a time when one would expect him to have returned from school, so Cheon Sejoo had not suspected his commute at all. But Sejin had already skipped school once during his brief stay at the house, and the house was so large that Cheon Sejoo wouldn’t even notice his presence if Sejin just stayed holed up in his room.

He went into the bathroom with a what if feeling, put on a robe, and headed to Sejin’s room. All the while, he hoped he had misheard…

“What are you doing here?”

The moment he flung open Sejin’s door, his eyes met Kwon Sejin, who was standing there holding his breath. Anyone could tell he had been about to step into the hallway, seen Cheon Sejoo, and then ducked back inside to hide. Cheon Sejoo instantly grasped the situation, let out a hollow laugh, and ran a hand through his hair. He quietly rolled his tongue inside his mouth, suppressing his incredulity, and questioned Sejin accusatorily.

“You, you bastard, didn’t you go to school?”

“…I did.”

“What do you mean, you did! Even if you just checked attendance and left, you couldn’t be home at this hour. Did you fly back?”

“……”

Sejin seemed about to answer Cheon Sejoo’s interrogation, then pressed his lips together tightly, exercising his right to silence. Cheon Sejoo stared down at his sullen face with an exasperated expression, then shook his head as if it was hopeless. What do you mean, no bus fare? It was obvious he just didn’t want to go. This kid is really crazy. I don’t know what’s important…

A torrent of nagging filled Cheon Sejoo’s throat. He genuinely felt he could sit him down and talk for ten hours. But Cheon Sejoo held back. He knew that nagging an 18-year-old boy in puberty would only hurt his own mouth, and it wouldn’t have any effect. However, there was one thing he truly couldn’t hold back from asking.

“You didn’t go yesterday either, did you?”

“……”

This time, Sejin turned his head away from Cheon Sejoo, feigning disinterest. His intention not to answer was clear. Cheon Sejoo let out a suppressed sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. His blood pressure was rising… But saying anything here would only start another tedious argument. Calm down… There might be bullies at Sejin’s school, and that could be why he didn’t want to go.

Thinking that, the incredulity that had risen to his head subsided. Finally succeeding in not nagging him, Cheon Sejoo managed to talk to Sejin with a relatively nonchalant expression.

“That’s good then.”

What’s good about it?

“Since you’re home, let’s go to the department store now.”

If he were honest, he really wanted to ask if he wasn’t going to school because of those bastards, or if he just didn’t want to go. Frankly, given Sejin’s rebellious personality, he doubted it was the former.

Anyway, the world wouldn’t end just because he skipped school for a day or two, or even four days if you counted last week. Almost a week? So, Cheon Sejoo composed himself, thinking that Kwon Sejin also needed time to adapt to his changed environment.

“I’ll shower and come out, so wait.”

At his words, Sejin looked up at Cheon Sejoo with a he’s not angry again expression. Then he nodded and quietly replied, “Okay.” How pretty would he be if he just behaved so meekly no matter what he said?

Cheon Sejoo thought so as he turned and headed back to the bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, he took Sejin to the parking lot.

As soon as they arrived at the department store, they headed not to the food court but to the shopping mall. Kwon Sejin followed him around with an expression that said he was wasting time unnecessarily. But when the clothes Cheon Sejoo had chosen were placed in shopping bags and handed to him, he realized something was off and stopped walking. In front of a sports brand store, Sejin, holding two large paper bags in both hands, looked up at Cheon Sejoo with an expression that asked, Are you crazy?

“Why am I taking these?”

There were many answers to that question. He could have asked how long he planned to wear that one shabby hoodie, or said he wanted to buy him clothes because he reminded him of his younger brother, or simply that he felt bad seeing him wear the same clothes over and over. But saying any of that would surely not get a good response from Kwon Sejin.

Again, it was obvious that telling the truth would result in him refusing the clothes, so Cheon Sejoo lied to him again.

“Then, should I just let the beggar living in my house wander around looking like a homeless person?”

“……”

“Anyway, I’ll bill all of this to your mom. If you don’t wear them, I’ll throw the clothes away and collect the money, so if you don’t like it, throw them in the trash.”

He could almost hear a mutter, You son of a bitch. Kwon Sejin stared blankly at the clothes in his hands at the mention of billing his mother, then shifted his gaze and glared at Cheon Sejoo.

If that was the reason, he could have bought cheaper, cleaner clothes, but Cheon Sejoo had bought hundreds of thousands of won worth of expensive brand clothes without even asking him. Sejin’s face was resentful, almost loathing. He clamped his mouth shut, looking as if he was desperately holding back from cursing him as a swindler.

Cheon Sejoo, having completely mastered how to handle him, smiled contentedly. Whether Sejin swore internally or not, he didn’t care and dragged him to do groceries. When Cheon Sejoo said that as he was ostensibly his housekeeper, he, the homeowner, would pay for the ingredients, Sejin filled the cart to the brim as if seeking revenge. Seeing him pick out a more expensive and larger bottle of soy sauce, Cheon Sejoo couldn’t help but chuckle. No matter how much he pretended to be dignified and not young, a kid was still a kid.

The two spent the day like that. After returning from the department store, Kwon Sejin, as if he had been waiting, made side dishes and filled the refrigerator, and Cheon Sejoo was secretly surprised by his unexpected skill. Sejin’s cooking suited his taste more than the food Moon Seonhyuk had provided him with for several years. He thought he had done well to take him in as a housekeeper.

And the next day.

Cheon Sejoo decided to guide Sejin through observation rather than nagging. His studio, Sinsa Capital, and Sejin’s school were all nearby anyway. Even if he had nothing to do, he could spend time at the studio. So, he woke up early in the morning, finished his workout, then woke up Sejin, who showed no intention of going to school.

“Get up. I’ll give you a ride.”

Sejin went into the bathroom with a sullen face, but he didn’t seem to intend to resist going. That was at least a relief.

Cheon Sejoo, having showered, put on his suit and came out to the living room. In the meantime, Sejin had eaten breakfast and was sitting on the sofa, wearing his new hooded zip-up over his school uniform, waiting for him. It went without saying that he had no bag. Seeing him standing lightly as if going for a stroll, Cheon Sejoo tsk-ed and turned. Sejin trotted after him.

It was rush hour, so it took 40 minutes to cover 10 km. Sejin got out of the car, which arrived at the school gate at almost 9 AM. As he was about to close the door, Cheon Sejoo called out the one thing he wanted to say to him.

“Go and study hard.”

“……”

The front of the school was bustling, as it was peak commuting time. As Sejin got out of the pristine sports car, numerous students at the school gate showed interest in him as if he were a celebrity. Sejin pulled his hood down low, as if embarrassed, feigned not hearing Cheon Sejoo’s words, and left the spot.