Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 64

And at that hour, Cheon Sejoo was holed up in the Shinsa Capital building for several hours. This was because the embezzlement he found by cross-referencing ledgers was not just one or two instances.

The matter was serious. Their manipulation of loan records to inflate the principal was nothing. The problem was that all those loans had been repaid.

Looking at the ledgers, Cheon Sejoo thought that those bastards who had taken money, disguised as stocks and coins but truly gambling, wouldn’t have spit it all back out. So, he immediately called in those who had committed the wrongdoing and, after interrogating them, faced a shocking reality.

The inflated principals had indeed all been repaid, and that money had come from none other than the debtors. These trashy bastards had extorted thousands more from people struggling with debt. From that moment on, Cheon Sejoo could not control the rage that had risen to his head.

“Are you even human?”

On the third floor of the Shinsa Capital building were offices for general employees, and on the fourth floor were the collection room, data storage, and lounge. Inside the collection room on the fourth floor, Cheon Sejoo’s cold voice echoed.

The file in his hand was thrown onto the floor in front of several kneeling men. His palms were swollen red, but Cheon Sejoo couldn’t stay still. He let out a short sigh, stepped forward, and slapped the kneeling man across the cheek. Thwack, with a sound like a fist hitting flesh, the man’s head snapped to the side. The man, his nose bleeding, simply bowed his head without a word.

“I was wrong…” 

“Answer me. If you have a head on your shoulders, you should know whether you’re human or not.” 

“……”

At Cheon Sejoo’s chilling question, the men swallowed their breath and fell silent. They knew they would be beaten no matter how they answered, so they chose silence.

“What you should do, what you shouldn’t do. Fuck, can’t you tell the difference?”

His stomach was churning, driving him mad. He was disgusted by these bastards who exploited the weak to line their own pockets, and at the same time, his nerves were on edge, unable to calm down, at the fact that he was essentially one of them. Cheon Sejoo spoke in a sharp voice, then sighed and ran a hand over his face. Being confined in a small space for several hours made his head feel like it was splitting.

Pressing his throbbing forehead, he took a cigarette from his discarded jacket and lit it. He glared at Kim Donggil, who cautiously approached to light it for him, and inhaled deeply.

“Hyung-nim, let’s stop here…”

Kim Donggil’s face, trying to force a smile, was bruised and bluish. He had a cast on his pinky finger, a trace of the rough treatment he received from Shin Gyoyeon for failing to properly manage Shinsa Capital. He had brought it upon himself.

Cheon Sejoo, not wanting to speak to him, impatiently pushed Kim Donggil away and left the collection room. Cold wind seeped in from the many windows lining the hallway. Click, he opened an aluminum window, inhaled the fresh air, and continuously puffed on his cigarette.

“You, get your head straight.”

Finally, he tossed the cigarette into the ashtray on the window sill, then looked directly at Kim Donggil and warned him. It had been over a year since he took over Shinsa Capital, and during that period, two cases of embezzlement had occurred. One of them involved the deliveryman under Shin Gyoyeon, which was why the matter had escalated so much.

Shin Gyoyeon seemed to care quite a bit for this deliveryman, Yoon Heesoo, and while he didn’t know how long that would last, Shinsa Capital was effectively under audit during that time. The men he had called in today would undoubtedly suffer greatly at Shin Gyoyeon’s hands, and if such incidents occurred again in the future, Kim Donggil might have to pay with his neck.

“Yes… I truly was wrong…”

Kim Donggil mumbled with a sullen face. Cheon Sejoo sighed in annoyance, not wanting to see that, and turned around. His phone vibrated inside the jacket draped over his arm. He took it out and saw a call from Chae Beomjun. He was probably calling to check on the progress.

Kim Donggil quietly asked, “What should we do with the guys inside?” Cheon Sejoo held out his palm, signaling him to leave them be, and answered the phone.

“Yes.”

• What happened? “I caught three people.”
• What, three people? “And there are seven cases of embezzlement.”
• Ah, this is driving me crazy…

Chae Beomjun trailed off. The more embezzlement there was, the harder it was for him too. Thinking of Shin Gyoyeon causing a fuss next to him when he was in a bad mood, he could only sigh.

Chae Beomjun clicked his tongue in distress, then quickly composed himself and said,

• Anyway, I understand. Once the documents are organized, report to me, and I’ll send Baek Director’s guys, so please hand them over to them. “…Director Chae.”

Cheon Sejoo, who had been listening to him, suddenly called Chae Beomjun in a serious voice. At the polite address, Chae Beomjun was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly and replied.

• Why? What are you trying to say, calling me so formally?

It wasn’t even that formal a title, yet he said that. Cheon Sejoo frowned in displeasure and said to him,

“Can’t Director Baek handle this work? Director Baek was already in charge of dispatching personnel anyway, so he would probably know the situation here better than me.”

He had heard that Baek Seong-hwan had been dissatisfied when this place was entrusted to him two years ago. So, he probably still felt resentful now. Since he had secretly taken Kim Hyunkyung away, Cheon Sejoo didn’t want to create any conflict with him. He wanted to avoid anything that could be criticized by Baek Seong-hwan. At his suggestion, Chae Beomjun snorted and replied.

• He’s busy organizing Director Kang’s company. He’s still having a headache because the system isn’t established yet, so I can’t make him take this on too. Director Cheon, who has nothing to do, is perfect for this, so work hard. I’m hanging up.

Having said that, Chae Beomjun abruptly hung up before Cheon Sejoo could add anything else. Cheon Sejoo stared irritably at his phone screen, then instructed Kim Donggil, who was standing quietly beside him.

“Tell those bastards to write a report based on the five W’s and one H about what they did, and when Director Baek’s guys come later, send them over.” 

“Understood…”

Cheon Sejoo glared contemptuously at Kim Donggil, who replied weakly, and walked into the office. The documents he had used to interrogate the men were copies; the originals remained on the third floor. Back at his desk, he organized the documents and prepared the report to be sent to Shin Gyoyeon. After inserting all the receipts into the file in order, and finally checking again for any sequence errors, he finished all his work.

Anyway, once this was done, the busy work would be over. There was nothing more to check, and he just needed to come and supervise occasionally to prevent useless incidents like last time. Cheon Sejoo noticed his headache gradually subsiding and took a deep breath. He sat blankly in the dark office after all the employees had left, then saw the clock pointing to 10 o’clock and got up. He had to deliver the report to DG O&M headquarters tomorrow. Thinking he could finally get a good night’s sleep, he got into his car, which had been parked for several days.

As he started the engine and it warmed up, Cheon Sejoo belatedly checked the messages that had arrived on his phone. Only contacts from Shin Gyoyeon and Chae Beomjun were set to trigger alarms, so unimportant messages had accumulated in his messenger without being checked.

But Sejin’s last message at the very top was unusual. Cheon Sejoo, his face stiff, entered their chat window.

“Mutt” “When are you coming…?”

14:29 I’m sick… 

I think I’m having a growth spurt… 

I don’t want to be alone… 

14:30 Stupid dog This time I’m really sick… I even have a fever… 

16:11 Sejin had left a message saying he was sick since early afternoon. 

It was a conversation from a whopping eight hours ago. 

And after checking the message he’d sent again at four, Cheon Sejoo sighed and pressed his forehead. Really sick, he said… He had been tricked once by Sejin’s lies, but reading the messages from the top just now, he didn’t think Sejin’s “I’m sick” message, which arrived at two, was a lie. However, when he didn’t reply, Sejin must have thought he didn’t believe him, because he left another message below, saying he was really sick. How upset he must have been without contact. How sorrowful. The thought of Sejin being sick and alone in that empty house made his chest ache for no reason. Cheon Sejoo let out a deep sigh and put down his phone. Was he sleeping now? He desperately hoped Sejin wasn’t still waiting for him as he pressed down on the accelerator.

He stopped by a 24-hour pharmacy just in case, and by the time he arrived home, it was already past 11 PM. The apartment building was quiet from the parking lot, and the elevator felt unusually slow today. Stepping out into the 41st-floor lobby, Cheon Sejoo urgently opened the door and entered.

Not a single light was on in the entire house. The heavy darkness seemed to represent Sejin, who must have been confined lonely in the house for days. He turned on all the lights as he walked through the hallway and headed straight for his room.

He carefully opened the door to reveal the dark bedroom. A faint human form was visible on the bed. No sound came from inside, and Sejin seemed to be asleep. Only after confirming that did his agitated heart finally calm down a little. He had worried that Sejin might be crying, unable to sleep, so it was a relief.

With a sigh of relief, Cheon Sejoo quietly closed the door. He went to the kitchen, placed the medicine on the island bar, and poured lukewarm water from the water purifier. Then he checked the first-aid box in the cupboard and saw an empty fever reducer box inside.

‘He must have taken the medicine,’ he thought, feeling relieved. At that moment, something from a while ago suddenly came to mind. There was a time when he had a terrible headache, gulped down painkillers, and thoughtlessly put the empty bottle back in the box. He realized his mistake belatedly and intended to throw it away later but forgot. This, somehow, seemed to be that same empty box. Sejin usually kept a good stock of household medicines, but this time, with the box still there, he wouldn’t have thought the inside was empty.

Whether he was too sick to even take the medicine, or if he was too out of it to notice the empty box and put it back, the thought that Sejin might have been suffering without medicine all this time filled him with pity. He blamed himself for his carelessness and, with the water, took the newly bought fever reducer to the room.

He opened the door silently and stepped inside, seeing Sejin on the bed. The lights were off, but his form was discernible by the moonlight seeping in from outside the window. Sejin was curled up, completely covered by the blanket.

Cheon Sejoo placed the cup and fever reducer on the nightstand and went into the dressing room. He took off his suit, hung it up, and changed into his usual loungewear before coming back out. Finally, he went into the bathroom to wash his hands thoroughly before he could sit down on the edge of the bed where Sejin lay.

“Sejin.”

He called softly, but there was no movement. Cheon Sejoo clenched and unclenched his slightly cold hands, getting rid of the chill remaining on his fingertips, then placed his palm on Sejin’s forehead. The soft skin was hot. His fever was higher than he expected.

If this wasn’t a cold but growing pains, he would have had a low fever for several days again, like last time. The thought of Sejin enduring that time alone made him uneasy. More than uneasy, his heart actually felt like it was tearing apart.

It didn’t matter if he was sick, but he absolutely couldn’t just stand by and watch Kwon Sejin suffer. Sejin’s clenched teeth and scrunched face, his drenched forehead—all of it tormented Cheon Sejoo. He swallowed a sigh and pulled back the blanket wrapped around Sejin’s body.

“Kwon Sejin. Wake up…”

His whole body was drenched in cold sweat. It hadn’t been this bad last time. Cheon Sejoo looked down at Sejin with a troubled expression and caressed his cheek. As he gently touched him, Sejin seemed unaware of who had come. Transparent tears welled up between his tightly closed eyelids. Tears flowed from the corners of Sejin’s eyes, wetting Cheon Sejoo’s fingertips.

“Mommy…”

And the small, murmured voice pierced his heart. For a moment, a surge of regret welled up, and Cheon Sejoo couldn’t say anything, only caressed Sejin’s face.

He had left the child who had just lost his mother alone for too long. It wasn’t long ago that Sejin would come to his bed every night, saying he was scared to be alone at home, but he had disregarded that and left Sejin by himself just because he felt uncomfortable. He felt so terribly sorry for that.

‘I should have taken care of Kwon Sejin before myself…’

The thought that had inadvertently crossed his mind suddenly struck Cheon Sejoo. It was similar to the moment he realized Sejin’s feelings for him. Cheon Sejoo’s mouth fell open blankly at the realization that his thoughts about Sejin weren’t merely those of a guardian.

He had thought he was equating Sejin with Hyein, but in fact, he had never had such thoughts about Hyein. Even if he felt sorry and regretted neglecting her, Cheon Sejoo had never blamed himself for not being able to take care of her before himself.

It was extraordinary for someone living in daily torment to prioritize the suffering of a complete stranger. In an instant, Cheon Sejoo realized the difference in his feelings towards Hyein and Sejin, and finally understood that he harbored special feelings for Sejin.

It was as if he had swallowed in one gulp the fruit he had been pretending not to see, holding it only in his mouth. What went down his esophagus pressed heavily on his stomach. What had taken up such a large space in his heart was an affection tainted with guilt and anguish.

His mind went blank with the sudden realization. All杂念 disappeared, and the emptiness was filled entirely with Sejin. Only then could Cheon Sejoo understand his actions until now.

He wanted to understand Sejin but never gave Sejin a chance to understand him. He pushed Sejin away first, fearing rejection, yet he couldn’t bear to see Sejin go to someone else—all these contradictions were because Cheon Sejoo held Sejin deep in his heart. Cheon Sejoo’s eyes trembled as he belatedly grasped the true nature of his fear. He looked down at Sejin with a gaze full of self-reproach.

‘Me, you…?’

His stomach twisted. He felt it was an absurd emotion. He had no shame. But as always, all his resistance lost meaning the moment he saw Sejin groaning and suffering before him.

“It’s okay…”

Cheon Sejoo, his expression distorted, immediately got onto the bed and embraced Sejin without hesitation. He held Sejin’s back as Sejin cried silently in his arms, burying his lips in Sejin’s hair. I’m sorry I’m late, you were hurting, it’s okay now. He kept whispering words that Kim Hyunkyung might have said to comfort Sejin once.

Sejin was like a ball of fire, and that heat spread to Cheon Sejoo. The coldness in his heart, which had chilled while he was venting his anger at the office, was now warmed. As he held Sejin, he gradually felt his emotions loosen, and Cheon Sejoo swallowed a bitter smile, then kissed Sejin’s forehead. That short kiss slowly warmed his chest.

At some point, he couldn’t think of anything when Kwon Sejin was in front of him. Only Sejin was visible in Cheon Sejoo’s eyes, and he became capable of doing anything for him. The emotions he hadn’t acknowledged were expressed in reckless ways. Even though Cheon Sejoo was not someone who acted without thinking ahead, he went out of his way to pay off Kim Hyunkyung’s debt to move her somewhere else and contacted Ha Yeoreum. He did all these things knowing that they would come back to him like arrows.

At that time, Cheon Sejoo was only looking at Sejin. He committed all those acts hoping Sejin wouldn’t cry, wouldn’t be upset. He even killed Han Jonghyun… His hand moved first at the thought that if something went wrong with him, Sejin wouldn’t be safe either.

‘…I like you.’

‘Why didn’t I know this sooner…?’ Cheon Sejoo swallowed a sigh at the realization that came too late. It might be good news for Sejin, but not for him. Cheon Sejoo only felt his feelings at this moment to be shameless.

‘How dare I like you, Kwon Sejin. Shamelessly, you who know nothing…’

Suppressing his boiling heart, Cheon Sejoo barely managed to kiss Sejin’s eyes. He hoped Sejin’s tears would stop, carefully kissing the red tear mole.

“……”

And when his damp lips touched the burning skin, Sejin opened his eyes with a hazy face. Each time he blinked, his moist eyelashes fluttered heavily. He struggled to lift his head and confirmed the presence of the one holding him. He didn’t need to see his face. He knew by the scent alone.

“Cheon Sejoo…”

He called out weakly, and Cheon Sejoo’s shoulders trembled as he softly replied, “Mm?” Hearing that gentle voice, his eyes welled up. This was a dream. Cheon Sejoo thought he had lied about being sick again, so he wouldn’t embrace him so sweetly. Overwhelmed by injustice, Sejin couldn’t stop the gushing tears and excused himself to Cheon Sejoo with a drenched voice.

“I didn’t lie this time…” 

“…I know.” 

“It’s true…”

At his murmurs, as if feeling wronged, Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly and nodded. Sejin squirmed, moving his aching limbs to pull away from him slightly.

Even in the dream, Cheon Sejoo’s handsome face was clearly visible. His dark hair lightly covered his forehead, and his calm expression looked more peaceful than ever. So Sejin felt a deep sense of relief, thinking this was truly a dream. He missed him, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see him angry again. The Cheon Sejoo in his dream wasn’t angry. For now, that was enough. Sejin looked at him, as if indulging in a childish whim, and said,

“It hurts…”

At his quiet murmur, Cheon Sejoo slightly frowned and reached out a hand. He felt him caressing his curled-up knee. Perhaps due to the fever, or perhaps because he had conjured the last image of Cheon Sejoo he remembered, Cheon Sejoo’s hand felt cooler than usual. Sejin bit his lip, feeling Cheon Sejoo caress his leg with downcast eyes.

Though it was a fantasy he had created, Cheon Sejoo’s face was so close. Close enough to see every strand of his eyebrow, every deep crease in his iris, yet perhaps because the light wasn’t bright, he couldn’t examine him in such detail. But Cheon Sejoo’s shallow breaths, even without light, reached Sejin.

Just like that day, his heart pounded as if it would burst with the breath falling upon his lips. Each time the hand caressed his hot body, his mind grew hazy and his breathing quickened. Sejin parted his reddened lips, panting, and gazed into his eyes.

“Cheon Sejoo…”

At the damp, husky voice, Cheon Sejoo, who had been avoiding looking at Sejin despite him being right there, finally lifted his gaze. As his eyes met Sejin’s, Sejin’s heart swelled, and he didn’t know what to do. Clasping his hands tightly in front of his chest, Sejin’s lips trembled as he spoke to him.

“I like you…”

It was a confession tinged with faint resentment. Words he could only utter because he believed it was all a dream.

“……”

In reality, he had never even properly confessed, and Cheon Sejoo only kept rejecting Sejin. Just as he didn’t know Cheon Sejoo well, Cheon Sejoo also didn’t know what feelings Sejin harbored. Yet, the way he abruptly pushed him away made Sejin feel so wronged and resentful. At the same time, his heart ached. Ever since he was certain that Cheon Sejoo cared for him, lately, just thinking of him made his heart sad…

“I told you.”

The sharply defined jawline was gently cupped in his hand. Sejin caressed Cheon Sejoo’s frozen cheek with both hands and whispered,

“You were always first…”

Cheon Sejoo’s usually sharp gaze was unusually dull today. His gaze was soft, sweet, and lingering. Sejin had always wished Cheon Sejoo would look at him that way. It was a little disappointing that he could only achieve it in a dream, but still, he couldn’t help the fluttering in his heart at this moment.

Sejin looked deep into Cheon Sejoo’s eyes and rested his head on his forehead. As their lukewarm skin touched, the scattered pains throughout his body seemed to dissipate. Although it was a fantasy, Cheon Sejoo, merely by his presence, was the one who saved Sejin. He couldn’t help but love him…

“So take responsibility.”

It was all Cheon Sejoo first. He was the first to extend his hand to him, to give him his gaze. Sejin merely took his hand because he offered it, and looked at him because he gave his gaze. And in doing so, he simply fell in love with that gentle man.

But that man was more timid than he looked, and he kept backing away, afraid of losing Sejin. Until now, Sejin had waited for him to overcome that fear, but he no longer wanted to see Cheon Sejoo distance himself.

‘If you can’t come, I’ll go.’

“All I have left now is you…”

Their trembling eyes met at close proximity. Sejin, in his dream-like state, mustered the courage to approach Cheon Sejoo. Their noses brushed, and their hurried breaths mingled. Even thinking it was a dream, the connection felt so vivid that Sejin had a thought.

‘If this were reality, you would have been waiting for this moment. Because you’re a coward. Maybe… you’re even hoping I’ll approach you first…’

Sejin swallowed his surging emotions and softly parted his lips. A heat-laden sigh softly escaped, and the moment his skin touched Cheon Sejoo’s lips, he felt like he had reached his limit. With a blaze rising to his head, Sejin’s world burned, trembled, and collapsed. His last bit of patience, waiting for Cheon Sejoo to come to him, turned to ashes, and like a thirsty person seeking a well, Sejin craved Cheon Sejoo.

“I like you…”

‘I like you so much.’ With drenched eyes, Sejin confessed. The sincerity of the grown child was so heavy that Cheon Sejoo couldn’t bear to turn away from that moment.

The clumsy way his lips met, the way he didn’t know what to do and only twitched his clenched fists, the way he gasped for breath as if even that was overwhelming—all of it was so pitiable and lovely. Sejin’s clumsy kiss was so utterly tempting that Cheon Sejoo couldn’t bring himself to push away the child who didn’t even know what he was doing.

Sejin pecked at his lips like a child kissing a parent, then fell asleep, exhausted by the fever. He hadn’t been given a fever reducer, so the heat in his body remained, but now it didn’t feel so hot. Because Cheon Sejoo’s body was just as hot as Sejin’s.

“…Good night.”

Looking at Sejin, who was breathing softly in his sleep, Cheon Sejoo slowly moved his fingers. His rough fingertips brushed Sejin’s flushed cheek and grazed his moist eyelids. The red mole near his eye was ripe and tempting. His insides churned. The guilt stemming from the desire to kiss that spot and hold Sejin in his arms was crushing his heart into a mess.

Kwon Sejin was lovely. He had felt him to be lovely for quite some time. In fact, just as Cheon Sejoo had believed Sejin’s gaze towards him was merely the affection for a guardian, he had also thought his own feelings were just pity and sympathy for a vulnerable child, and a projection of his feelings for his younger sibling.

When was it that he vaguely sensed that might not be the case? It was probably Hyein’s memorial day.