Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 22

Sejin, sitting next to him, widened his eyes and looked up at Cheon Sejoo’s profile. Seeing his handsome face, lips firmly pressed together, his vision seemed to blur. ‘Guardian.’ Sejin was slowly enveloped by the resonance of those three syllables.

“Do you know how many times I’ve seen your son bully our child?”

Cheon Sejoo said this, naturally lowering his hand and clasping Sejin’s hand over his own. At the lukewarm body heat that cooled his fever, Sejin bit his lip tightly and bowed his head.

“Our child.” It was a truly unfamiliar term. His face flushed and it felt stifling to breathe. Sejin slowly took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. Meanwhile, Cheon Sejoo’s voice continued.

“Leaving aside what I saw with my own eyes, you must have encountered me in front of the supermarket across from the school. And just recently, you were about to hit Sejin in front of the school gate, and you stopped because of me. …Isn’t that right? Lee Haegyun.”

His slowly explaining voice paused, and Cheon Sejoo looked at Lee Haegyun with fiercely raised eyes, asking him back. Lee Haegyun tried to retort but was silenced by his mother gripping his thigh, telling him to shut up. Seeing him like that, Cheon Sejoo snorted and threw out a relaxed question.

“Think about it. From the beginning of the semester until now, for ten months, a child who was being bullied couldn’t bear it anymore and just lightly slapped a head full of nothing but crap with a meal tray. Does it make sense to call that mutual assault or unilateral assault?” 

“H-head? Look here! Watch your language!”

As Cheon Sejoo’s chilling words continued, the atmosphere grew colder. Lee Haegyun’s mother screamed, tightly clutching her son’s hand. But it was not enough to calm Cheon Sejoo, who had lost his temper. As if he wasn’t finished, he raised his hand, silencing the woman, and said with a chilling laugh,

“Even if he slit his belly open with a sashimi knife, I’d say he did well. If you’re going to keep babbling about mutual or unilateral assault over just this much, then take your son and leave. Because I’ll really make it happen.”

“……” 

“T-t-teachers, there, please calm down…”

Wiping away the sweat pouring down his face, the principal tried to calm them, or rather, Cheon Sejoo.

Younger people nowadays only knew the name DG, but for those over forty, the name Daegam was more familiar than DG. Hadn’t they said the blood shed by the Daegam faction to establish itself as Daegam Construction was enough to cover Yangjaecheon and then some? During the peak of the Daegam faction’s expansion, news reports of gang fights between organized crime groups were a daily occurrence.

Scenes of bloodbaths that couldn’t even be hidden by mosaics. Both Lee Haegyun’s mother, and the principal and vice-principal, were generations who had grown up watching such news. So, it was natural for them to recall the Daegam faction upon receiving business cards bearing the DG logo. Only Seobohyeong, who was still in his twenties, and the three high school students could treat the words of a person holding a position in DG O&M, a subsidiary of such a Daegam, as merely a chilling joke.

“If you drop this now, we’ll ensure the medical expenses are well covered. If you don’t want that, you can go to court.”

In the chilling silence, Cheon Sejoo soon spoke in a languid, relaxed voice. With a light laugh, adding to the almost-threat that left no room for negotiation, Lee Haegyun’s mother bit her lip, her face troubled.

“Well, an unfortunate accident might befall the assailant, preventing them from going to trial, so think carefully and make a good decision.”

Cheon Sejoo’s final words, casually thrown at her, were almost a bomb. Lee Haegyun’s mother turned to her son, her face pale, then cleared her throat and turned her eyes to Cheon Sejoo.

“Just a moment, I need to talk to my child…” 

“By all means.”

As Cheon Sejoo nodded with a smile, she abruptly stood up, grabbed Lee Haegyun’s hand, and left the principal’s office. Clack, the door closed, and the sound of her shouting at her son echoed from the hallway. Calling him an orphan, her voice berating Lee Haegyun made Sejin clench his teeth. Like mother, like son.

After that, the two continued to argue for a long time. Through the words exchanged, such as ‘thug,’ ‘your dad,’ and ‘business,’ those inside could guess what decision they would make. After about ten minutes, Lee Haegyun and his mother returned to the principal’s office. She sat down, her face stiff with anger, and asked Cheon Sejoo,

“So, how much can you offer for the medical expenses?” 

“Mom!”

Lee Haegyun cried out, as if utterly bewildered. Sejin saw his mother gripping Lee Haegyun’s hand, squeezing it. Cheon Sejoo gazed at the scene for a moment, then smiled faintly and stood up. He gestured with his chin towards Lee Younghoon, who was also standing up, and said,

“Discuss that with the lawyer. I’m busy with work, so I’ll be leaving first.”

Even with such arrogant words, no one stopped Cheon Sejoo. He picked up Sejin, who was looking up at him with a blank expression. He sat him back down in the wheeled chair he had left nearby, bent over, and pushed the chair out of the principal’s office.

Thump, the sound of the door closing, and a short sigh echoed in the hallway. Sejin looked up at Cheon Sejoo with an anxious gaze. Cheon Sejoo stared silently into space for a moment, then, feeling Sejin’s gaze, lowered his head. He let out a small laugh and gently stroked Sejin’s head, saying,

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Sejin still couldn’t understand the situation. From Cheon Sejoo’s appearance here to him defending Sejin, everything was full of things he couldn’t comprehend. But there was something that worried him even more.

“Is this really the end?”

Sejin, who had imagined the worst-case scenario of being dragged to a juvenile detention center or the police station because of his homeroom teacher’s words, couldn’t believe that this whole situation was resolved with just a few words from Cheon Sejoo. As Cheon Sejoo headed to the counseling room to put the chair back in its place, Sejin, listening to the creaking of the wheels, murmured,

“…I hit them with a meal tray. I hit them really hard…”

‘All this was resolved with just a conversation like this?’ As if understanding Sejin’s unspoken question, Cheon Sejoo nodded slightly. His cool gaze fell upon Sejin’s reddened cheek. He gently traced the marks of violence on his face with his eyes.

“It’s nothing. It’s something that could be solved so easily…”

Cheon Sejoo whispered to himself. Sejin quietly met his gaze, looking down at him. Somehow… Cheon Sejoo seemed deeply angry.

He opened the counseling room door and brought Sejin back to his original seat. Sejin’s cheek, directly hit by Lee Haegyun, was growing darker with time. Cheon Sejoo stood askew, staring intently at it, then let out a short sigh. Then he asked,

“Is your bag in the classroom? Where should I go?” 

“Up the stairs on the right, then the first classroom on the left… Class 2-3.” 

“Where’s your seat?” 

“Right in front of the back door.”

As Sejin answered, bewildered, Cheon Sejoo simply opened the counseling room door and left. It didn’t take long for him to return with Sejin’s bag. Cheon Sejoo, holding Sejin’s old bag in one hand, knelt in front of the chair where Sejin was sitting. His wide back in the suit spread out before Sejin’s eyes. Sejin, not understanding his intention, only stared blankly at his back. As he did so, Cheon Sejoo waved his hand slightly, urging him.

“Get on my back.” 

“…I can walk.”

It was a bit difficult, but he could walk. When an embarrassed Sejin quietly refused, Cheon Sejoo, still in that position, turned his head and met his eyes. Then, in a low voice, he offered a choice.

“Do you want to be carried like a princess, or do you want a piggyback ride?”

“……”

Sejin already knew that he couldn’t win against Cheon Sejoo’s stubbornness. Sejin finally awkwardly flushed his neck and leaned his body onto Cheon Sejoo’s back. Sejin’s chest touched his broad, firm back, and the sweet-smelling nape of his neck was right in front of his nose. Cheon Sejoo held Sejin’s thighs and stood up, saying,

“Wrap your arms properly around my neck. Unless you want to fall.”

Sejin hesitantly, yet surely, put his arms around his neck and hugged him. A faint scent of cigarette smoke wafted from his neckline, now even closer. Soon, his view suddenly lifted. Cheon Sejoo walked steadily with Sejin on his back. Leaving the counseling room and slowly descending the stairs, Sejin quickly grew accustomed to being carried by Cheon Sejoo. Leaning his uninjured right cheek against the taut fabric of Cheon Sejoo’s suit jacket, Sejin quietly closed his eyes.

It felt really strange. Sejin had never thought that a day would come when he would be protected by an adult man in his life.

All the men who had passed through his life had been nothing but trash. His father had beaten and tormented Sejin and Kim Hyunkyung since he was young, and Sejin had always felt he had to protect his mother against such a father since childhood.

His uncle, who started visiting after his father left home, seemed to treat Sejin like the father he had dreamed of for a while, but then quickly shattered Sejin’s illusion by stealing Kim Hyunkyung’s seal and running away. From his father and uncle, close by, to the police officers far away who had ignored Sejin when he desperately sought help…

The men in Sejin’s life were all like that. There were countless people who would attack Sejin rather than ever think of protecting him.

But Cheon Sejoo, of all people, Cheon Sejoo, protected Kwon Sejin. From Lee Haegyun’s malice and the teachers’ indifference, and furthermore, from the hardship that threatened to overwhelm a powerless Sejin, he protected him.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. Not having to step forward to defend himself, not having to be the first to speak to argue his case, being able to quietly hold his breath while looking at the back of the man who stood in front of him—these things felt truly strange.

“But why on earth?”

Sejin couldn’t understand Cheon Sejoo. With something so unbelievable happening, he couldn’t readily accept the situation. Sejin still felt hazy, as if he was walking in a dream. ‘Perhaps I just hit my head wrong in the cafeteria. What if all of this is just my imagination?’ He even thought that.

But the man’s scent, tickling his insides, and the man’s body heat, warming his chest, were clearly real. Sejin slowly blinked, gazing at the nape of the neck right in front of him. Thump-thump, with his footsteps, he heard the creak of an old glass door opening, and a cold wind rushed towards the two of them.

It was a cold winter wind, cold enough to instantly cool his flushed cheeks. However, at this moment, he felt neither the smell of dry, crumbling leaves nor the dry, sharp form of the wind. Sejin tightened his grip on Cheon Sejoo’s neck and opened his mouth.

“……Why did you come?”

Three words were enough of a question. Cheon Sejoo, who had paused for a moment, soon continued towards the parking lot next to the school gate, adjusting to Sejin who was slipping down. Jolt, his body swayed, and the receding nape of his neck drew close again. Sejin carefully stored the black hair of Cheon Sejoo in front of him and his broad back supporting his whole body in his memory, and asked again.

“Why did you come here?” 

“…And you? Why did you give them my number?”

Cheon Sejoo threw back a difficult question instead of answering. Sejin forgot that he had asked first and closed his mouth.

There was no particular reason for giving Cheon Sejoo’s number to the homeroom teacher. He was afraid his mother would worry excessively if he gave her number and she couldn’t come to school immediately. And he was also afraid of going to the police station if he didn’t give any number at all.

“……”

‘Was that really all?’

Sejin closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Cheon Sejoo tightened his grip on him, showing no signs of effort. A sense of stability he had never felt before enveloped his entire body. Feeling the large hand firmly supporting his thighs, Sejin breathed out raggedly, his face flushed.

Cheon Sejoo’s voice echoed in his mind.

‘If you can’t stand that bastard bullying you, tell me. I’ll take care of it.’

He laughed off Cheon Sejoo’s words. He had scoffed at him, asking how he was any different from Lee Haegyun. Yet, those words must have settled in a corner of his heart like an insurance policy.

It would be a lie to say he hadn’t hoped for Cheon Sejoo’s words, ‘I’ll take care of it.’ When he gave Cheon Sejoo’s number to the homeroom teacher, Sejin had unconsciously hoped a little. A hope that this person might help him, just as he had said then.

Of course, that hope had no form. ‘There’s no way. There’s no way that thug, of all people, would help me. He must have just said it. I should trust someone trustworthy. He’s not even interested in me anymore, would he come here? That won’t happen.’

Sejin created countless safety measures and hid the handful of hope remaining inside them, like ashes, so that he wouldn’t be hurt if he didn’t come. That’s why he couldn’t easily believe it even when he knew Cheon Sejoo had really come. He just thought it was a dream. He thought it was a product of his imagination, created by a hope that was clearly impossible to fulfill.

But Cheon Sejoo really came. He understood Sejin’s cry for help and came all the way here to protect him in his distress.

“You’re different from everyone else.”

Sejin tightened his grip on Cheon Sejoo’s arms. Clinging to him, he sent his voice, barely audible between the winter winds.

“I really didn’t think you’d come… I thought you’d ignore it and say it’s none of your business…” “You must be surprised that I came, huh?”

He chuckled and replied indifferently. Of course, he was surprised. In fact, he still couldn’t believe it. But Sejin, leaning his weight on Cheon Sejoo’s broad back, couldn’t help but believe that he had saved him. He had to accept that this man, who he had thought was perhaps even worse than his uncle and father, was the only one who had responded to his cry for help.

His eyes burned. Sejin bit his lips, unable to control his surging emotions. Complex feelings towards the man swirled within him. He resented him, hated him, but also felt grateful.

In fact, gratitude was the strongest feeling. Sejin had received much from Cheon Sejoo, but until now, he had thought that everything Cheon Sejoo possessed came from the pockets of people like him, so he had said nothing to him to protect his pride. All the thank-yous he had given him until now had been empty words.

So now.

Now he had an opportunity to genuinely thank him, but his lips wouldn’t part. It was awkward, sorrowful, and unfair. What made Sejin open his mouth was a single remark Cheon Sejoo made as they stood before the parking lot.

“Good job.” 

“…For what?”

To a blankly retorting Sejin, Cheon Sejoo replied with sincerity.

“Don’t just take it. Hit them next time too. Don’t let those bastards bully you. Anything you do is fine, just don’t hurt alone.”

“……”

Cheon Sejoo’s voice as he said that seemed a little relieved, and a little sad. His chest fluttered. Sejin couldn’t reply and closed his mouth. Burying his face in his slowly swaying shoulder, he painstakingly prepared his heart.

Arriving at the car, Cheon Sejoo opened the passenger door and set Sejin down. Sejin gripped the seat and limped into the seat, and before Cheon Sejoo could close the door, Sejin reached out and grabbed his clothes. The stiff suit jacket crumpled in Sejin’s sweat-damp hand. Holding it as if it were a lifeline, Sejin whispered,

“Thank you…”

It wasn’t the first time Cheon Sejoo had heard “thank you” from Sejin, but he smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up as if Sejin’s gratitude was endearing. He quietly looked down at Sejin, whose cheeks were flushed awkwardly, then chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle his hair.

Feeling his fingers gently comb through his hair, Sejin cautiously raised his head. He froze, seeing Cheon Sejoo looking down at him with a smile on his lips. His cool eyes with a hint of a low laugh, his straight nose, and the gently curved corners of his mouth, without a hint of sarcasm, were unfamiliar. Cheon Sejoo, laughing so casually, looked even more handsome than usual.

At that moment, his heart tightened as a dizzying sensation of falling rushed through him. Heat surged from his toes to his head in an instant, and Sejin felt dizzy, opening his mouth. His lips, crusted with dried blood, parted, and a white puff of breath obscured his vision.

Within it, Cheon Sejoo alone was clear. It was a memory that would never fade.

“You must have a fever.”

Seeing Sejin’s bright red face, Cheon Sejoo frowned and said that. Even as his cool hand brushed against his forehead, Sejin could only gape, unable to control his wildly beating heart. Before he could identify that unfamiliar feeling, Cheon Sejoo vanished from his sight.

Sejin only regained his senses after Cheon Sejoo started driving, but he was still hazy. What had been a slight fever that morning was now full-blown high fever, a result of the violence and excitement. In the sudden wave of heat and the accompanying chills that made his body tremble, Sejin felt dizzy.

Leaning back against the seat and simply breathing for about thirty minutes, Cheon Sejoo arrived home without traffic and once again carried Sejin on his back, just like before. Having lost all his energy during the short trip from school to home, he was weakly carried by Cheon Sejoo up to the house. By the time he was laid on his bed, he was half-unconscious.

“Kwon Sejin.”

Realizing that his condition was not normal, Cheon Sejoo shook Sejin to wake him. Sejin, with blurry eyes, looked up at the frowning man. Somehow, the man’s eyes were full of concern. He looked as if he was wondering if Sejin had been hit in the wrong place.

Normally, he would have just thought that face was fake. But now, he couldn’t think that way. Sejin realized that Cheon Sejoo was worried about him and quietly opened his mouth.

“It’s just… growing pains…”

It certainly seemed that way. The persistent low-grade fever followed by a sudden spike was exactly like the growing pains Sejin remembered. However, at Sejin’s words, Cheon Sejoo increased his brow, chuckled as if dumbfounded, then began taking off Sejin’s clothes.

“Are you a doctor? Are growing pains your wishful thinking?”

“…”

Sejin’s heart clenched at Cheon Sejoo’s attitude, which had already returned to normal. But he had no strength left to retort. He raised a hand, trying to stop Cheon Sejoo from changing his clothes, and shook his head. He mumbled briefly, “I’ll wash,” and Cheon Sejoo looked down at him with a displeased expression.

“Can you wash by yourself?”

“Maybe…”

At Sejin’s weak reply, Cheon Sejoo showed a fleeting look of dismay before nodding. He helped Sejin sit up and lean against the bed, unbuttoned his school uniform, and then quickly went to the kitchen, returning with a high chair. He placed the chair under the showerhead so Sejin could sit and wash, then lifted Sejin, who had shed his uniform, and sat him on it.

“If you feel dizzy or nauseous, call me.”

“Okay…”

Sejin, his face flushed red from the fever, nodded and turned on the water. After confirming that lukewarm water was pouring from the shower, Cheon Sejoo left the bathroom. Thud, the door closed, and he let out the breath he’d been holding.

While Sejin was washing, he checked the temperature of Sejin’s room and found the fever reducer that was rolling around the house. Just as he had placed the pills by the bedside with some lukewarm water, the sound of the door opening announced Sejin had finished his shower. Cheon Sejoo let out a short sigh and entered the dressing room connected to the bathroom.

There, Sejin stood, his entire body flushed red. His unkempt hair was soaked and limp, and he was leaning against the wall, trying to put on his underwear. Cheon Sejoo strode forward.

“Hold onto me.”

He knelt in front of the stumbling Sejin. He hesitated for a moment, but Sejin was indeed too young to be sexually appealing to him. Cheon Sejoo felt relieved that he felt no stirring as he looked at Sejin’s slender, beautiful body, and helped him put on his underwear. After putting on his T-shirt, he led him to sit on the bed.

Even after blowing hot air and drying his hair, Sejin wasn’t fluffy and dry; he was damp. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Cheon Sejoo helped him take the fever reducer, then laid him down on the bed and covered him with a blanket. Sejin blinked blankly for a moment, then soon fell asleep, letting out soft breaths.

Cheon Sejoo didn’t immediately leave his spot but gazed down at Sejin. He was always seeing Sejin frowning, scowling, or pouting, but seeing him asleep like this, he truly looked like an angel descended from heaven.

“Sleep well.”

Cheon Sejoo quietly bid Sejin goodnight and rose from his seat. But a hand grabbed him, trying to stop him from leaving the room. Looking down, he saw Sejin’s small hand gripping his clothes. It seemed Sejin had grabbed him when he was moved from the dressing room to the bed, and he was holding on so tightly that even in his deep sleep, his fingers hadn’t relaxed. Cheon Sejoo took Sejin’s hand to gently detach him.

Sejin’s skin, touching his fingertips, was hot. It was such an obvious fact, yet why did it penetrate his heart so deeply…? The warmth that clearly proved he was alive seemed to fill his empty heart. In the end, Cheon Sejoo gave up on leaving Sejin’s side and sat with his back against the bed.

Today had been excessively long. The belated fatigue swept over him. Cheon Sejoo roughly ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up, and closed his eyes.

Sometimes, Cheon Sejoo had to follow someone for days or clean up their messes. This time, he had returned after several nights, having to monitor someone’s every move, but he hadn’t expected Sejin to be upset about it.

Sejin seemed angry that he hadn’t kept his promise to teach him, so he thought it would be better for Sejin to just study at an academy on time. When he brought that up, Sejin showed his displeasure even more clearly, mumbled curses at Cheon Sejoo, and left.

For a moment, he was dumbfounded by the situation. He returned to his office to organize and submit reports when a call came in from an unknown number. He found it strange and didn’t answer, but then a text message arrived.

“Hello, this is Seo Bohyung, homeroom teacher of Class 3, Second Year, Dongseoul Male High School. Are you Kwon Sejin’s guardian? I urgently need to speak with you about Sejin, please call me back after checking this message.”

Cheon Sejoo’s heart sank when he saw Seo Bohyung’s message. He knew the school wouldn’t have his number, and surely Kwon Sejin wouldn’t have introduced him as his guardian. He wondered if something had happened to Sejin and the school had arbitrarily checked his phone to find his number. Cheon Sejoo left his office and immediately called him, soon receiving shocking news.

“- Well, Sejin hit a classmate with a lunch tray… quite a lot.”

“…What?”

A flustered Cheon Sejoo asked for details and soon learned that Kwon Sejin had used a lunch tray to strike the guys in tight pants who had been bullying him. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t dumbfounded upon hearing that story. It was absurd that a kid who couldn’t even take care of himself had created a situation that would require compensation. However, the shock and, more so, the thought that Sejin was admirable, were much greater.

Kwon Sejin is different from Hyein, he thought, and Cheon Sejoo gave a bitter smile. Unlike Hyein, who withered away from the children’s violence, Sejin would never be broken… In that moment, he felt a deep sense of relief.

As soon as he finished the call with the homeroom teacher, Cheon Sejoo called the lawyer who had defended him in a trial five years ago and summoned him. After that, he had Yoon Cheoljoo secure the CCTV footage from the day Sejin was bullied by Lee Haegyun. Since Sejin remembered the place and date, and the public office’s database server had terrible security, it didn’t take long to secure the evidence. Next, he immediately changed his clothes and headed to the school. There was no reason to hesitate. Kwon Sejin was under Cheon Sejoo’s protection. It was natural for him to go pick up Sejin.

And the moment he arrived at school and faced the disheveled Kwon Sejin there, Cheon Sejoo felt genuine anger. Sejin, who only seemed like a chirping chick even when he spoke informally or shouted at him, looked terrible. His hair was disheveled, his bruised cheek was greenish-blue and swollen, and his ankles and calves were covered in bruises.

That strong-willed kid couldn’t say anything, just looked up at him with a pathetic face, and his chest ached. The impact of violence was so severe; how did Hyein endure this for over two years? Just enduring that time alone meant Hyein had done more than enough. With that realization, he was once again proud of Sejin.

And in the subsequent conversation, Cheon Sejoo also felt a deep sense of futility.

Everything was easy. It was a problem that could be solved so simply, yet he couldn’t do it, couldn’t solve this small thing, and that’s how he lost Hyein. Of course, the situation was different back then. At that time, Cheon Sejoo was just a resident, he didn’t have the qualifications to hire a lawyer from the top law firm in the country, nor was he in a position to pressure the perpetrators with power.

But back then, he had many people by his side. Among his friends, there were those with lawyers in their family, those with police executives as fathers, and those with prosecutor brothers. These were people who would have gladly given their all and more if Cheon Sejoo had reached out for help.

But now, no one was left by his side. So, for the first time in a long time, Cheon Sejoo thought he wanted to die. He thought he wanted to die alone and fall into hell. It felt like he was suffocating, even though it wasn’t raining.

What pulled Cheon Sejoo back to the surface was the warmth of Sejin, who was on his back. The eighteen-year-old boy, with a high fever, heavily asserting his presence clinging to his neck, easily called Cheon Sejoo, who was contemplating death, back into this world.

‘Don’t just stand there and take it. Hit them next time. Don’t let those guys bully you. Whatever you do is fine, just don’t hurt alone.’

Those were actually the words he wanted to say to Hyein. But Hyein was no longer in this world, and Cheon Sejoo said them to Sejin instead.

After losing Hyein, Cheon Sejoo had lived with the thought that the world wouldn’t let him be a good person. Every time he tried to walk the path Hyein had wished for, the whole world vehemently opposed him. With Hyein’s death, with his encounter with Shinyoyeon, the future self Cheon Sejoo had envisioned disappeared, leaving him only with a dark shadow. Only a harsh life remained, where he had to throw away his own life to kill someone.

To him, Sejin felt like an opportunity. An opportunity to erase the guilt that remained in his heart like a debt after letting Hyein go, an opportunity to be the person she wanted him to be for a little while, an opportunity to be a good person for at least one person in the world…

Cheon Sejoo ignored the stinging in his chest and lifted his face from his palms. With eyes heavy with fatigue, he turned his head and looked at Sejin lying on the bed.

Although Sejin resembled Cheon Hyein in no way, Cheon Sejoo now felt Sejin’s presence was no different from a younger sister. He was projecting Hyein onto Sejin. Therefore, Cheon Sejoo decided that from now on, he would do everything in his power for Sejin’s happiness. So that Sejin wouldn’t leave his side, full of loneliness like Hyein had…