Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 18

“Listen closely.”

And then he recited the multiplication tables from 2 to 29, without any hesitation. Sejin watched him with a blank face. His beautiful lips spat out numbers, and his mind felt dizzy. Cheon Sejoo only stopped after saying 841 last. Sejin, meeting his gaze that seemed to ask if this was enough, belatedly shouted,

“Don’t be ridiculous. I can just blurt out numbers from my mouth too!”

“I’m going to lose my mind.”

He’s so stupid that even when given the answer, he doesn’t understand and doubts the other person. Cheon Sejoo suppressed the urge to hit those shameless lips and gestured with his chin. “Get your phone out,” he said, then clearly recited the 29-times table again. His own situation, having to recite the 29-times table from early morning just to be deemed qualified to teach a mere 18-year-old the multiplication tables, was not just laughable but pathetic. However, he couldn’t let Sejin misunderstand that he was trying to teach him the multiplication tables without knowing them himself.

“Lies…”

As time passed, various emotions flickered across Sejin’s face. After suspicion and disbelief, surprise and horror, Sejin stared intently at Cheon Sejoo’s hands to see if numbers were written on his palm, and then, after checking if his calculator was wrong by turning on another calculator on Cheon Sejoo’s phone and comparing the answers, he ‘partially’ admitted that he was better than him.

“When I’m your age, I can naturally do that much too.”

“……”

Well, even if Kwon Sejin were reborn, he probably wouldn’t be able to catch up to the innate difference in intelligence, but Cheon Sejoo, feeling acutely tired from early morning, didn’t want to continue this low-level argument about who was smarter with Sejin. It wasn’t like he was solving competition problems by mental arithmetic, and it was just the 29-times table… He found himself ridiculous even now.

“Fine. Anyway, since you couldn’t memorize the multiplication tables, you can’t go to Hwahak today.”

Cheon Sejoo, wanting to end the long argument, declared. Sejin, as if on cue, retorted,

“You said we’re going to Hwahak next week anyway, so give me until next week!”

“No. I clearly said in the morning.”

It didn’t matter if Sejin was upset or not. The conversation was over. Cheon Sejoo firmly rejected Sejin’s request and then drove Sejin to school, stopped by Shinsa Capital to check on Kim Dong-gil, and then headed to his office. At the office, he spent time with team members who had their own tasks, and in the afternoon, he had lunch with Moon Seon-hyeok, sparred, and then drove onto the road.

He arrived at Dongseoul Namgo High School before 4 PM and picked up Sejin, who was standing with a sullen expression. While driving home in the car, Cheon Sejoo asked Sejin the multiplication tables again. And so, Sejin memorized the multiplication tables, and on some days, English words, and on others, math formulas.

It didn’t take long for this to become Cheon Sejoo and Kwon Sejin’s daily routine. Of course, Sejin’s school life hadn’t changed much. Lee Haegyun and Kim Byungjoon still tormented Sejin, and Sejin couldn’t concentrate in class. However, his daily life after school had changed significantly since meeting Cheon Sejoo.

After school, Sejin would go home, study mindlessly, and then prepare dinner in the kitchen when it was time. The two ate dinner together, and afterward, they sat in the living room and studied again. Unlike the boring and annoying school life, the time spent at the man’s house was so quiet and peaceful.

The boy, who always had a sullen face, slowly melted into Cheon Sejoo’s dry life. The two were at odds like oil on water, but at some point, they spent so much time together that their separated appearance felt natural.

And just like that, autumn quickly disappeared as if it had never come, and a chilling wind began to blow, cold enough that a single suit was no longer enough to withstand it. It was around that time that Sejin went to the hospital.

Cheon Sejoo’s commute with Sejin was only to the school gate. On the way from home to the underground parking lot and back, he hardly felt half the cold outside, so Cheon Sejoo hadn’t considered Sejin’s situation, who only wore a thin hoodie.

It was one of those days when he had gone out early in the morning for his workout and returned. Feeling the stillness that had settled in the living room, Cheon Sejoo tilted his head. It was because Sejin, who should have been eating breakfast, was nowhere to be seen.

Is he oversleeping? Thinking that, Cheon Sejoo first went into the bathroom to wash up. Even if Sejin woke up late, it just meant he would miss breakfast, not that he would be late for school right away, so there was no need to wake him up urgently.

However, even after he finished showering, went into the dressing room, and came out dressed, the living room was empty. He had never been this late. Only then did Cheon Sejoo sense something was wrong and walked a little faster towards the end of the hallway.

“Kwon Sejin.”

He called his name with a knock, but there was no answer. Cheon Sejoo quietly raised his eyebrows, and when he felt no sign of life inside, he cautiously turned the doorknob. Sreureuk, the door opened without resistance, and a warm sensation emanated from within.

Sejin’s room, heated much warmer than the living room, was still shrouded in darkness. Inside the room, where blackout curtains prevented any sunlight from entering, a rounded shape was visible on the bed. Cheon Sejoo quietly approached it, sat on the edge of the mattress, and called Sejin’s name again.

“Kwon Sejin. Wake up.”

At the call, something stirred under the blanket. But that was all. Confirming that Sejin was not waking up easily, Cheon Sejoo frowned and gently pulled back the blanket he was covered with.

Then, in the faint light filtering from the hallway, Sejin’s face was revealed. His expression was strained, his dry lips slightly parted, and he was wheezing—undoubtedly the appearance of a sick person. He’s sick. Only then did Cheon Sejoo ascertain Sejin’s condition, letting out a small click of his tongue as he reached out a hand.

Placing his hand on Sejin’s forehead, he felt a warmth as hot as a stove. Realizing immediately that it was quite a high fever, Cheon Sejoo clumsily kneaded his cheek to wake Sejin.

“Kwon Sejin. Snap out of it. Hey.”

At his kneading touch, Sejin finally opened his eyes with a squint. Seeing Cheon Sejoo through his barely lifted eyelids, Sejin slowly turned his head, confirmed that this was his room, and frowned.

“Why…”

A cough erupted with that short reply. Cheon Sejoo, clicking his tongue at Sejin who was writhing with coughs, got up and headed to Sejin’s dressing room. He brought a change of clothes from there, then pushed aside the blanket covering Sejin and helped him sit up.

“Get dressed. Let’s go to the hospital.”

“Why go to the hospital…”

“You have a cold. You have a fever.”

At that, Sejin blinked blankly. He raised his wrist, which in Cheon Sejoo’s view looked like it would break with a slight touch, felt his own forehead, and then, with a small sigh, plopped his head back onto the pillow.

“…I just want to sleep.”

Cheon Sejoo shook his head at the words, which Sejin had uttered with difficulty, having cleared his throat. There was no immediate medicine available. Moreover, a child who had been fine until yesterday suddenly had a high fever and a cough, so considering it was the season for the flu, it seemed better to go to the hospital once.

“Go and then sleep.”

“……”

Seeing Cheon Sejoo speak so firmly and try to pull him up again, Sejin sighed briefly. His body felt heavy, but knowing that he ultimately couldn’t win against the man’s stubbornness, Sejin silently surrendered his body to Cheon Sejoo’s hands, which were dressing him.

Wearing a hoodie, his only outerwear, over the short-sleeved t-shirt he wore as pajamas, and still in his training pants, Sejin got out of bed and followed Cheon Sejoo with weak, shuffling steps.

“Come here.”

He was worried that the boy, who was so weak he swayed, might collapse. Cheon Sejoo looked back several times, then finally slowed his pace and approached Sejin’s side. He felt relieved only when he put his hand on Sejin’s shoulder and supported him from a step behind.

The two went out to the entryway, took the elevator down to the first floor. Coming out through a different route than usual, the chilling morning air finally felt more distinctly on their skin. Was it this cold? These days, Cheon Sejoo only experienced the cold morning air for a brief moment, getting out of his car and heading to his studio. He hadn’t been going out much lately due to lack of work, so he hadn’t realized how cold it was in the mornings.

Cheon Sejoo’s gaze swept over Sejin’s nape, which was in front of him. Goosebumps were rising on his feverish skin. The hoodie he wore was for transitional weather, but it wasn’t enough to withstand this cold. Cheon Sejoo belatedly realized that Sejin needed new outerwear and stretched the corners of his mouth.

Still, because it was a mixed-use apartment complex, the walk to the hospital was short. The two quickly entered the mall’s connecting passage and walked diligently towards the internal medicine clinic on the second floor.

“What is it?”

But when they arrived at the hospital, the door was locked. Whether it was closed on a non-holiday or not, there was no notice on the chained entrance about when it would open. Cheon Sejoo looked down at Sejin, who was shivering with chills, and quickly took out his phone. Searching for a hospital, he found a pediatrics clinic in the apartment complex’s shopping area right next door. They couldn’t go back without seeing a doctor after coming all this way, so Cheon Sejoo took off his suit jacket, draped it over Sejin’s head, and said,

“There’s another hospital next door. Let’s go there.”

“…I don’t need this.”

Sejin, his face flushed, lifted Cheon Sejoo’s jacket, which had slipped down his shoulder, and offered it back to him. However, instead of taking the jacket, he grabbed its lapel and neatly draped it over Sejin’s head. When he buttoned it up to his neck, it was like a noblewoman wearing a jangot (a traditional Korean overcoat for women). Cheon Sejoo chuckled, looking at Sejin’s fair and flushed face peeking out from between the black jacket.

“Stay like that because it’s cold. If you don’t like it, I’ll carry you.”

“Ha…”

When presented with the worst option, Sejin tended to be quite obedient. He frowned at the mention of being carried, then swallowed his annoyance, puffed out his cheeks slightly, and relaxed his face. Cheon Sejoo walked, trying to suppress his laughter, leading Sejin who, with an expressionless face, gestured for him to go first.

The pediatrics clinic was a five-minute walk from the commercial building they were in. It was a short distance, but they had to cross a crosswalk on a busy road, so Sejin had to stand alone on the cold sidewalk.

Still, wearing the man’s jacket, it wasn’t as cold as when they first left the apartment. Sejin huddled his body inside the coat and bowed his head to avoid the strong wind. It was at that moment. The wind blowing towards him slowed down.

“……”

He glanced up and saw the man, who had been standing a short distance away, approach and block the direction of the wind. Because he had given Sejin his jacket, he was only wearing a thin shirt, which made the tattoo on his back faintly visible. Sejin stared blankly at the man, looking at his broad back where the blurred shape of a tiger could be seen.

He thought the man’s pity wouldn’t last more than a few days, a week at most, but this life had already passed a month. During that time, the man treated Sejin no differently than at the beginning of their cohabitation. The man’s interest in him neither increased nor decreased.

‘Instead of telling me to quit, you get used to it. I’ll take responsibility for you until you leave my side.’

And just as the man had said, Sejin was gradually getting used to the man who tried to take responsibility for him.

“Let’s go.”

An indifferently extended hand wrapped around Sejin’s shoulder. The man, who stood blocking the wind, felt dependable. Sejin, unable to bear this extremely awkward situation, turned his eyes and glanced at the man.

Cheon Sejoo was just looking straight ahead. He should have been a little annoyed and frustrated because he couldn’t go to work on time due to Sejin’s illness, but there was no sign of such feelings. Seeing his indifferent face, a corner of Sejin’s heart inexplicably felt excited.

Sejin couldn’t even remember the last time he had gone to the hospital with his mother. Her husband, who wandered outside, brought Kim Hyunkyung nothing but increasing debt, and in such a situation, to protect her precious son, she had to wake up early and go to work. She cherished Sejin, but ironically, because she loved Sejin, her priority always had to be work.

So, it was Sejin’s first time going to the hospital with an adult man. In fact, even walking shoulder-to-shoulder with a man like this felt awkward. As far as he could remember, he had never walked like this with his father. He was always walking ahead angrily, or he wasn’t present around them.

“Go in.”

As he followed the man into the pediatrics clinic, a quiet and warm atmosphere greeted Sejin. Feeling the chills subsiding, Sejin registered for his appointment on the tablet placed on the reception desk.

Throughout, Cheon Sejoo was with him. He waited by Sejin’s side, and brought him hot water from the water purifier when his lips turned blue. The kindness and warmth the man showed were so unfamiliar. Sejin gripped the paper cup tightly with both hands, looking down at the floor like someone who didn’t know what to do.

“Kwon Sejin. Sejin, you can go in now.”

Suddenly, at the voice calling his name, he looked up and saw the nurse standing in front of the examination room, looking at them. As Sejin got up, the nurse’s gaze turned to the man sitting beside him.

“Will the guardian also come in?”

At her sudden words, Sejin unconsciously bit his lip. The man was not Sejin’s guardian. He was just someone who had tried to sell him, then changed his mind and hired him as a housekeeper. Sejin had no intention of letting the man who had pushed his mother into the abyss of debt sit in the position of his guardian.

And yet…

“Yes, I’ll go in with him.”

Sejin couldn’t refute the man’s words.

Responsibility. Did the man really intend to take responsibility for him until he became an adult? Why? You’re not my father, nor my uncle… Such an echo spread from deep within his heart. What Sejin tried to suppress by denying it was the expectation growing in a corner of his mind.

No. That man will eventually abandon me like those people… Even those related by blood didn’t take responsibility for him, so it was only natural for that man to abandon him. Sejin recalled the hateful backs of his father and uncle, whom he had last seen, and tried to steady his wavering heart.

***

Sejin’s cold lasted for a full week. As Cheon Sejoo had worried, it was due to the flu. Cheon Sejoo took care of Sejin, who could barely move, by giving him medicine and porridge, and when Sejin finally managed to get up, Cheon Sejoo headed to a department store alone on his way home from work.

While Sejin was sick in bed, the beginning of winter had passed. As the season entered early winter, the wind became even colder, so he was there to buy a new jacket.

“Welcome. Are you looking for something for yourself, customer?”

As he entered the outdoor padding brand store, popular among young people these days, an eager staff member hurried over, smiling politely. Cheon Sejoo quietly shook his head and opened his lips to answer awkwardly.

“No. …It’s for my younger brother. A boy about this tall.”

He reached out his hand and waved it at the height where Sejin’s head would be. The staff member nodded and led Cheon Sejoo to show him the most popular padded jacket these days.

The jacket, which contained microfiber, came in beige and khaki. Cheon Sejoo stared at the clothes and, recalling Sejin’s delicate and handsome face, chose the beige color. The bright color seemed to suit Sejin well.

When he arrived home with the clothes and entered the entryway, he belatedly wondered how he should give it to him. Kwon Sejin had softened considerably compared to the beginning, but he didn’t think he would readily accept something so expensive.

He couldn’t force him to accept a gift, and he didn’t want to bring up Kim Hyunkyung again, lest the somewhat subdued wariness flared up again. Cheon Sejoo, being human, also didn’t like having someone living in the same house constantly on edge around him.

As he pondered this and entered the living room, Sejin, who was preparing dinner, turned his head. Watching Sejin, who met his gaze, greeted him, and then returned to stirring the pan, Cheon Sejoo silently approached him.

“Kwon Sejin.”

He called his name, and Sejin turned his head to look. Conscious of his gaze, Cheon Sejoo took out the padded jacket from the shopping bag. Behind Sejin, who had a bewildered expression as if a fashion show was suddenly taking place, he forcibly squeezed his arms into the clearly too-small jacket.

“I got this as a gift. How does it look?”

“……”

Naturally, his expression wasn’t good. Sejin looked at the beige padded jacket, whose zipper couldn’t be closed and sleeves revealed 10cm of his wrists, with a look of disbelief before evaluating it.

“Did you pick it up somewhere?”

“……”

“Whoever gave you this gift doesn’t seem to like you much. They don’t even know the recipient’s size?”

The evaluation was scathing. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Cheon Sejoo twitched his eyebrows and took off the jacket. Anyway, the goal was achieved. It was the perfect situation to pass on the clothes.

“You’re right. The size doesn’t fit. Can’t throw it away either, do you want to wear this?”

At his spiritless words, Sejin, who was drizzling mayonnaise on an egg roll, raised his eyes and turned his head again. While turning the egg roll with one hand, his clear eyes swept over Cheon Sejoo’s shameless face.

“……”

“If you don’t want to wear it, I’ll throw it away.”

The man’s face showed no trace of regret as he said that. Yet, Sejin easily discerned that his words were a lie. It seemed unlikely that anyone would give a padded jacket designed for children to that man, and Cheon Sejoo didn’t seem like someone who would bring home clothes that didn’t fit him without checking. Knowing full well that he had brought the padded jacket to give to him as a gift, Sejin bit his lip and hesitated.

From the moment he took him to the hospital, no. The longer this strange cohabitation continued, the more he found himself constantly hoping for the man. That this man would be different from his father or uncle, that perhaps this gangster-like man might be the first responsible adult male in his life, and that he could truly live comfortably in his house until he became an adult.

He tried to suppress it, suppress it, because he didn’t want to be disappointed, but it was difficult now. Regardless of his background, Sejin couldn’t help but think these days that he was different from his father or uncle. He couldn’t hide his expectations.

“…Yes. I’ll wear it.”

At Sejin’s difficult reply, Cheon Sejoo curled the corner of his mouth into a smile and held the clothes he was holding up to Sejin’s chin. Just as he had expected, the beige jacket suited Sejin very well.

From that gift on, Cheon Sejoo and Kwon Sejin’s relationship seemed to take a step forward. The atmosphere between the two softened a little, and they no longer felt uncomfortable with each other.

As time passed, December arrived, early winter with bone-chilling winds.

On Monday morning, Sejin woke up as usual, tidied his bed, and went out to the living room. He made a protein shake for Cheon Sejoo, who didn’t eat breakfast, and took out his own rice and side dishes to place on the dining table.

They had recently bought high chairs, so the two now ate at the island bar instead of on the floor. Sejin sat at the table, still half-asleep, and ate his meal. While he was doing that, Cheon Sejoo, having finished his workout, came home, his body still warm.

The white t-shirt he wore was slightly damp on the front and back. Sejin saw him breathing heavily and gently pushed the protein shake on the table towards Cheon Sejoo. Cheon Sejoo opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water, drank it, and then sat on the opposite side of Sejin.

“Did you memorize all the words?”

That was the first thing Cheon Sejoo said. Checking on their studies every morning was part of their routine, so Sejin silently nodded. If it was the words given two days ago, of course he had memorized them. He was a little confused, but it didn’t take long to memorize only 20 words.

He didn’t know because he didn’t study, not because he was stupid. Although Cheon Sejoo didn’t seem to see it that way at all, Sejin thought so himself.

As he nodded, Cheon Sejoo reached out a hand as if to praise him and tried to stroke Sejin’s head. Sejin sharply turned his head away to avoid the hand and glared at Cheon Sejoo with a sullen expression.

“Don’t touch my head.”

“I’m curious how heavy it’s gotten. It was a bit light yesterday. Has it gained one gram today?”

“……”

He was implying that his head was empty, but in a roundabout way. Sejin gritted his teeth to avoid reacting to Cheon Sejoo, who, as always, got on his nerves, but he couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Thud, thud, Sejin scooped rice with his spoon and shoved down the side dishes, then rinsed the dishes roughly and put them in the dishwasher before turning around. On his way to his room, he smacked Cheon Sejoo’s hand, which was reaching for his head again as if to tease him, and went to put on his school uniform.

When Sejin came out wearing his winter uniform and padded jacket, Cheon Sejoo was also dressed in a suit, leaning back on the sofa. His appearance was largely unchanged from the day the two first met. However, with his coolly handsome face, sharply tailored suit, and a coat over it, Cheon Sejoo looked so splendid that anyone passing by might mistake him for a movie star.

Sejin bit his lip, looking at the man who was blankly staring at the floor, unaware of his presence. When he winked and grated on his nerves, he was truly annoying to even look at, but when Cheon Sejoo stood alone like that, he felt distinctly different. He didn’t seem to belong to reality. He seemed detached from the world, like someone wandering far away, somewhere in memory.

It was always like that when Cheon Sejoo was alone.

It was as if only his surroundings were faded, as if only the man shone alone in the darkness. It was an unreal sight.

The man, Cheon Sejoo, was truly strange. At least, that’s how Sejin felt.

Sejin’s first impression of the man was nothing more than a mere gangster, unnecessary to the world. His gaze looking down on others, his attitude of treating others’ opposition as ridiculous—Sejin simply felt he was a rich, arrogant punk.

But after he started living in his house due to the man’s veiled threats, Sejin often wondered. Is this person really a thug who oppresses others and extorts money? That’s how much the man’s behavior inside the house differed from when he was outside.

The man’s main activity at home was lying down.

Whether it was the weekend or a weekday, after eating, he always lay listlessly on the sofa as if he had nothing he wanted to do. He only got up to drink water, go to the bathroom, or teach Sejin. When Sejin started solving problems, he would lie back on the sofa and simply stare blankly into space, doing nothing. The man at home was lethargic.

The man was handsome like a movie star. Unbelievably, when he taught, he seemed smarter than most people. He wasn’t vulgar or ignorant as Sejin had thought, nor did he easily disdain or ignore others. When he went to the department store with him, Sejin felt that he was considerate of many people.

The man only acted like a gangster when Sejin refused to listen to him. When he wouldn’t eat, when he kept choosing homelessness instead of coming home, when he refused to study.

So, it was natural for questions to arise.

What exactly does that man do? Is he really a gangster? Sejin’s curiosity grew.

Whenever the man left the house, he was mostly in a no-tie suit, an outfit Sejin had seen countless times while homeless outside the Shinsa Capital building. All the gangsters there wore the same style of clothing as him.

Therefore, the man clearly seemed to be one of them, but seeing him standing alone in a suit and coat, such thoughts vanished without a trace.

The man, standing blankly with an expressionless face, was like a movie actor mimicking a thug. He seemed like someone who, if someone clapped a slate, would smile brightly and return to his original self.

Silently thinking such thoughts, Sejin suddenly felt uncomfortable and pulled at the corners of his mouth. He erased the absurd imaginations and recalled the men who had bowed 90 degrees to the man in front of Shinsa Capital.

If humanity were to be classified into good and bad people, the man clearly belonged to the latter. Sejin, finding himself pathetic for constantly romanticizing him just because he was a little kind, shouted at the man.

“Aren’t you going?”

The sharp voice broke the silence. The man’s lone figure became clear, and the faded scene returned to vibrant colors. Now he seemed to belong to this world. Sejin brushed past the man, who stood clearly before him, and headed to the entryway first. He felt the man’s presence following him silently.

The drive to school was, as always, quiet. The man occasionally asked Sejin about what he had taught him, and Sejin answered what he knew and remained silent about what he didn’t. Each time, the man would nod, as if to say, “Finally, he’s at a human level,” but then he would also sigh, looking at him as if he were an ape.

And it was when the car stopped in front of Dongseoul Namgo High School that the man reached out his hand towards Sejin again. He was waiting for the car to be unlocked when the man, who had been staring at Sejin, reached out the hand that was gripping the steering wheel.

Lately, the man had been trying to touch Sejin’s head more often. Each time, Sejin felt uncomfortable. It was because he felt so strange whenever the man’s hand stroked his head as if he were a good boy. This time too, thinking he was going to do that, he tried to swat his hand away, but the man’s hand went not to Sejin’s head, but to his forehead.

“……”

A cold palm pushed through his hair and touched his forehead. He looked up in surprise and saw a hand larger and longer than his own resting quietly on his head as if taking his temperature. Sejin lost his words at his sudden action and looked up at the man. His coolly handsome face was tilted slightly.

“I think you have a fever.”

The man said that after a moment, lowering his hand. Fever? Sejin, who hadn’t felt any such sign, blinked blankly, and the man frowned slightly and reached out his hand again. Thwack, he tapped Sejin’s earlobe with his fingertip. It hurt.

“Here’s red too, not a high fever… about 37.6 degrees Celsius.”

“What? Are you a doctor?”

“It’s true. Aren’t you getting another cold?”

His voice, delivering the diagnosis, was serious. Sejin thought there was no way and shook his head. He didn’t know about the fever, and he was just dumbfounded by the man suddenly playing doctor.

At his expression, Cheon Sejoo clicked his tongue briefly as if he knew Sejin wouldn’t believe him, then unlocked the car. He showered Sejin with nagging as he silently got out of the SUV.

“Kwon Sejin, if you want to see your mom, memorize all 30 words.”

“…Alright!”

Sejin retorted irritably at the endless nagging and slammed the SUV door shut before getting out. Ignoring the gazes of the students directed at him, he put on his bag and entered the school.