Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 7

The day he learned Sejin was a boy, Cheon Sejoo also found out through the entry records that he wasn’t properly attending school. For Cheon Sejoo, who would always take the bus to school even with a 40-degree fever, this was incomprehensible.

However, Cheon Sejoo did not interfere with Kwon Sejin’s truancy. He had decided it was no longer his concern. So, even though they had eaten together twice more after their argument, not a single conversation passed between them.

And so, Wednesday arrived.

Ehwa-gak, where Kwon Sejin’s mother was working, was located in the mountains near Seoul. Waking early in the morning, Cheon Sejoo went to the gym, finished his spar with Shin Gyoyeon, took a quick shower, and changed into a suit. After that, he dragged Kwon Sejin out.

“Buckle up.”

His right arm, bruised from sparring, felt stiff. Cheon Sejoo rotated his arm to loosen his muscles and started the car. Sejin was wearing the same clothes as the day they first met. Since Cheon Sejoo had promised to lend him clothes on Sunday but didn’t give them, Sejin had to wear the musty-smelling hoodie that had been washed in the bathroom.

Click, as soon as Sejin silently buckled up, the car started. Neither Cheon Sejoo nor Kwon Sejin spoke a word on their way to Ehwa-gak. The two left Seoul in chilling silence.

They drove on a short highway and then for a long time on a national road. After another ten minutes or so on a winding road leading into the mountains, a magnificent old hanok appeared.

Since today was the only day off in the week, there were no cars in the Ehwa-gak parking lot. Only staff members busily coming and going, wiping dust off the wall and moving ingredients from a truck. Cheon Sejoo drove past the main gate of Ehwa-gak and took the car to the back gate. It was exactly 10 AM, their appointed time, when he parked in the staff parking lot. Sejin followed Cheon Sejoo as he got out of the driver’s seat.

“Team Leader Cheon, hello.”

In front of a low stone wall leading to the staff dormitory, a woman dressed in a neat hanbok despite it being her day off, greeted them warmly. It was Han Jiwon, the manager of Ehwa-gak. Cheon Sejoo, unusually, showed a gentle smile and returned her greeting.

“Hello, it’s been a while. Thank you for granting my request.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Team Leader Chae mentioned it, and it was your request, Team Leader, so of course, I couldn’t refuse.”

The woman smiled with her eyes and nodded. Then she made eye contact with Sejin and smiled.

“You must be Sejin. Hello.”

“…Hello.”

At the polite honorifics uttered with an angelic face, Cheon Sejoo glanced at Sejin. It seemed Kwon Sejin’s pride was reserved only for people who harmed him. It was not surprising that Cheon Sejoo himself was included in that category. Cheon Sejoo impassively turned his gaze and followed Han Jiwon.

The two were led to the staff dormitory. All the staff members who hadn’t gone out on their day off were in the main building, preparing ingredients or helping with work, and only one young woman with a gaunt face was in the warm living room.

“Sejin…!”

The woman rushed to Kwon Sejin as soon as he entered and hugged him. She then burst into tears, sobbing as if she would suffocate. Leaving the tearful mother and son reunion behind, Cheon Sejoo went with Han Jiwon to the kitchen next to the living room. The only place to sit was the dining table. As soon as he sat down where she offered, Han Jiwon added ice to the coffee she had prepared beforehand and handed it to him.

“Team Leader, have some coffee. I’ll be back from the main building shortly.”

“Thank you, Manager.”

Cheon Sejoo drank the coffee the manager had given him and watched the two. Because the dormitory was small, their conversation in the living room was unheard of.

“Do you know how worried Mom was?”

Sejin’s mother, Kim Hyunkyung, seemed to have suffered greatly for the past week. It was only natural. How could any mother remain sane when her son suddenly disappears? Her cheeks were sunken, and she showed the fatigue typical of someone who hadn’t slept well.

“Your phone? Why didn’t you answer your phone!”

Still, seeing her son seemed to give her strength, as her voice was sharp. As soon as Sejin stopped crying, Kim Hyunkyung hit Sejin’s back. At her chiding, Kwon Sejin rubbed his red eyes and replied in a small voice,

“At the time… I couldn’t pay the bill, so only incoming calls worked, and then even that got cut off…”

“…Then you should have told Mom…!”

“I’m sorry…”

The conversation was not pleasant. He wanted to cover his ears if he could. She told him to speak up, but it seemed clear she also had no way to pay the phone bill. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a distraught expression.

He couldn’t even begin to guess how miserable Sejin’s mother, Kim Hyunkyung, must be feeling right now. I should have just waited outside… He regretted settling in the kitchen and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through messenger chats to avoid listening to their conversation, but the voices still reached his ears.

“Sejin, the house… Did you go back?”

“At that time, the people who came to the house took the security deposit, so I couldn’t go inside. The landlord kicked me out, so I couldn’t even get any of Mom’s things. I’m sorry…”

“What are you sorry for? Mom’s things are all cheap anyway. But it’s a relief you’re safe. Do you know how surprised I was when I pleaded with the manager to call you, and you didn’t answer?”

“I was wrong…”

He had been acting like a grumpy, rebellious teenager full of complaints about the world, but in front of his mother, he was nothing but an obedient puppy. Sejin apologized like that, then crumpled his body and burrowed into his mother’s embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder as if asking for forgiveness. Was eighteen really such a young age? Cheon Sejoo fleetingly thought this as he glanced at them.

They were a striking mother and son. Despite her simple appearance with her hair tied back, Kim Hyunkyung was beautiful enough to be in a painting. No one who didn’t know her circumstances would ever think she was someone working in a restaurant kitchen because of debt. Her appearance seemed more suited for a VVIP lounge in a department store.

Moreover, perhaps she married young, as she didn’t look very old either. At most, thirty-five. She could even be considered Cheon Sejoo’s peer.

“Did you sleep? Where have you been sleeping all this time? Did you have any pocket money left? Did you sleep at a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna)? You went to school properly, didn’t you?”

Her thin hand repeatedly stroked Sejin’s cheek and head. She checked if there was any injury on her son’s body, then her eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged Sejin again.

“I went to school properly… Someone let me sleep… I owe that house a bit.”

Kwon Sejin lied without even blinking. Moreover, he even referred to Cheon Sejoo as “someone” when the person was in the same space. Cheon Sejoo let out a silent chuckle and shook his head. As he was doing so, she pushed Sejin away with a worried look and said,

“Who? Who let you sleep there? A friend? You don’t have any friends. You didn’t get help from some strange person, did you? Did they ask for anything in return for letting you stay? No, right?”

It seemed Kwon Sejin’s suspicion and wariness came from his mother. Indeed, a life gifted with only a beautiful face but no possessions must have been quite arduous. She might have deliberately instilled wariness in Sejin so that her child, who resembled her, would not repeat the life she had experienced.

“No. He just… helped me for no compensation. That person…”

Cheon Sejoo had expected Kwon Sejin to continue pretending, but Sejin hesitated, then turned his head and pointed at Cheon Sejoo. Cheon Sejoo, who had been propping his chin and looking only at his phone with the screen off, felt the gaze on him and looked up. Then, making eye contact with Kim Hyunkyung, he nodded slightly in greeting.

Kim Hyunkyung looked at Cheon Sejoo with a searching gaze. Half grateful that he had looked after her son, half wary that he wouldn’t have helped without reason, she continuously scrutinized him. Not only their faces but also their personalities seemed similar to Sejin, yet she still had manners. Kim Hyunkyung soon stood up and bowed deeply to him, greeting him.

“Sir, thank you for letting Sejin stay. He must have been sensitive and prickly, being an adolescent… Even if he’s rude, he’s not a bad child. Thank you for your help.”

“Ah… Yes.”

He had just said he had no friends earlier… Was the saying about the “hedgehog mother” an old tale, or did Cheon Sejoo simply have nothing to say at her frank assessment of Kwon Sejin? As he awkwardly nodded, she pulled up the corners of her lips in a smile, then hit her son’s thigh and said,

“Kwon Sejin. What do you mean ‘that person’ to the one who let you stay? ‘That person.’ He clearly doesn’t look much older than you, so why aren’t you calling him ‘hyung’…?”

“Hyung my foot.”

At her words, Sejin brought out the sulky voice Cheon Sejoo was well acquainted with. Cheon Sejoo chuckled, met Sejin’s eyes, and then stood up. It was the perfect timing to leave. Staying there would only disturb the mother-son reunion, so it seemed better to go outside and smoke. He also had an errand to run while he was there.

“Please talk comfortably.”

Smiling slightly as he greeted them, Cheon Sejoo put on his shoes and walked out of the staff dormitory. Before setting out to find the manager for his errand, he sat on the stone wall where an ashtray was placed, leisurely smoked a cigarette, and then called Moon Seonhyuk, who had left him a message.

• Yes, Team Leader.

“Yeah. Did you find him?”

• Yes, we caught him in Incheon. We’re bringing him in now.

“Good work. Take him to the workshop.”

Although corporate growth had almost eliminated the need for dirty work, the DG he belonged to was still a company founded on organized crime. The history of Daegam Construction, which had brought DG this far, was nothing short of a bloody struggle, and it was no exaggeration to say that DG’s headquarters, worth hundreds of billions of won, was built on a mountain of their members’ corpses.

Over time, subsidiaries like DG Construction, DG O&M, and DG Entertainment had shed much of their gangster image, but DG still had many illicit businesses operating covertly. These included loan sharks like Shin SaCapital and clubs distributing drugs.

Cheon Sejoo and his enforcement team primarily handled matters arising from these places, under Shin Gyoyeon’s orders. Recently, they had been investigating a crystal (methamphetamine) disappearance case at a club. The case of the deliveryman who fled with the drugs yielded results in two days. Now that the culprit was caught, it was time to find out why he had done such a thing. It seemed today would involve bloodshed.

Cheon Sejoo hung up the phone, then promptly stubbed out his cigarette and set out to find the manager of Ehwa-gak. This was because Chae Beomjun had asked him to get side dishes from her as payment for granting his favor.

“Ah, Team Leader Cheon.”

He soon found the manager near the Ehwa-gak kitchen. She was leaving the kitchen with a bundle of side dishes in both hands. It seemed she had conveniently prepared what Chae Beomjun had requested.

“I’ll take those.”

Cheon Sejoo reached out and took the items from her hands. Han Jiwon, as she handed over the side dishes, gave him a deep, eye-crinkling smile. Cheon Sejoo easily understood the meaning of her gaze, but unfortunately, being a man who wasn’t interested in women, he had to turn his head slightly and avoid her. Seeing his reaction, Han Jiwon chuckled softly, as if she had expected it, and then brought up Kim Hyunkyung.

“Hyunkyung-ssi is quite good at her work. I wouldn’t have thought it, but it seems she’s worked a lot in kitchens.”

Han Jiwon spoke of Kwon Sejin’s mother with a pained expression. Cheon Sejoo also understood Han Jiwon’s feelings. Even if her face was pale, Kim Hyunkyung’s beauty was charming even when she was haggard. From her appearance alone, she didn’t seem like someone who had lived a hard life. Han Jiwon sighed softly and continued with a regretful face.

“And serving pays much better than kitchen work, so Hyunkyung-ssi wants to work in the hall. But you know, Team Leader Cheon. All sorts of scoundrels frequent this place.”

“Indeed.”

It seemed that working as a manager in a place like Ehwa-gak required an uncommon personality. At the word “scoundrel” coming from the manager Han Jiwon, whose conduct was impeccably refined, Cheon Sejoo suppressed a smile and nodded.

“Hyunkyung-ssi will cause a stir the moment she starts serving. It’s better for her to work in the kitchen than to get involved with those kinds of men.”

Ehwa-gak was a backroom for various political and business figures. All sorts of people came and went, making shady deals, and few of them had proper character. While Ehwa-gak claimed to protect its employees, there were limits, so for those with no one to rely on, staying out of sight was the best option. Cheon Sejoo empathized with her words and looked back at Han Jiwon.

“Then you, Manager, should also go to the kitchen, shouldn’t you?”

At his joke, Han Jiwon’s eyes widened, and she burst into laughter. Cheon Sejoo laughed with her and continued their conversation for a bit longer. His intention was to pass the time until the promised hour had elapsed.

After about 30 minutes had passed, and Cheon Sejoo had put the side dishes in his car, he returned to the dormitory. By then, Kwon Sejin and Kim Hyunkyung were both outside, as if their time was up. Cheon Sejoo walked towards them at a slower pace than usual. The two mother and son, with their strikingly similar faces, came into view at once. Kim Hyunkyung was stroking Sejin’s cheek and admonishing him, but Sejin merely shook his head with a sulky expression.

He had wanted to see her so much, so why couldn’t he just say “Okay” even if he disliked it a bit…? Cheon Sejoo approached them, thinking like an old man. But just as he was about to signal Kwon Sejin that it was time to go, Kim Hyunkyung approached him first and took his hand.

“Teacher.”

“…Yes?”

The two hands clasping his felt warm. The unfamiliar yet familiar address brought back memories of the past. Teacher. At the forgotten title, Cheon Sejoo, for a moment, couldn’t pull his hand away from Kim Hyunkyung, who was a head shorter than him, and his face flushed with confusion. Holding his hand tightly, Kim Hyunkyung said with a gentle smile,

“Because I made him do it since he was little, our Sejin is good at cooking and cleaning. He’s a bit rude, but even though he talks like that, he has a lot of affection and takes good care of people.”

“Ah, yes…”

He couldn’t understand what she was suddenly saying. He wanted to pull his hand away, but his arm felt powerless. Cheon Sejoo swallowed his bewilderment and slowly nodded. Watching him, Kim Hyunkyung continued,

“Even if he looks frail, he’s healthy and rarely gets sick, and he runs errands well. You don’t need to give him money for doing housework, and you don’t need to turn on the heating or cooling. Even if he says he hates it, he listens well, so you won’t have to worry.”

“……”

At her words, which sounded like a plea, he vaguely, very vaguely, understood what she was trying to convey. Cheon Sejoo frowned and closed his mouth. As his expression hardened, Kim Hyunkyung’s grip tightened. With such a desperate and earnest demeanor, she finally made her request with a smile.

“So, until I can leave this place… would you be able to keep Sejin with you?”

Cheon Sejoo felt the faint trembling at the end of her voice. His lips hardened, and he looked down at Kim Hyunkyung, who was bowing her head before him.

A woman several years older than him was pleading with Cheon Sejoo, her neck flushed red with shame, enduring her embarrassment. Please, take pity on her son who had nowhere to go…

Earlier, when Cheon Sejoo asked about his future plans, Sejin had said that everything would be resolved once he found his mother. But now, it seemed like there was no idea more optimistic than that.

What could she do? She couldn’t leave Ehwa-gak, nor could she contact the outside world, so strictly speaking, Kim Hyunkyung’s situation was worse than Kwon Sejin’s. Therefore, she had no choice but to humble herself and beg, using a man she had just met as a lifeline. Please, take pity on her son who had nowhere to go…

“……”

But how could I?

Cheon Sejoo remained silent, overwhelmed by an uncomfortable sensation. Sejin, watching them from a distance, frowned deeply at his expression and approached. Sejin grabbed his mother’s arm, who was bowing her head, and pulled her up.

“Stop, Mom.”

“Stay still, Kwon Sejin!”

But Kim Hyunkyung pushed Sejin away and tightened her grip on Cheon Sejoo’s hand. If she left like this, she wouldn’t be able to see him again, she muttered as if making a vow.

Through her conversation with her son, she realized that this meeting wouldn’t have been possible without Cheon Sejoo. Kim Hyunkyung knew that for her to continue seeing her son, Kwon Sejin couldn’t go anywhere other than Cheon Sejoo’s house. That was why. For her son, she had no choice but to shamelessly bow her head to a man who seemed much younger than herself.

“Please… Just for two years, no, until he becomes an adult, if you could keep Sejin, I will definitely repay your kindness when I get out.”

The image of the woman discarding her pride and bowing deeply was powerfully etched in his mind. The desperation of a mother struggling not to lose her child struck Cheon Sejoo’s heart like lightning. He almost thought he heard something breaking.

“Please…”

But he had intended to send Kwon Sejin away after today’s meeting. Having already given up on the idea of handing him over to an orphanage, he had never even considered taking in such a grown boy. Troubled, he frowned and looked at Kwon Sejin. Sejin, meeting his gaze, bit his lip. Then, with a stronger hand, he pulled Kim Hyunkyung away from him.

“Stop it!”

Taking advantage of the moment she was pulled away by Sejin’s fierce shout, Cheon Sejoo escaped. His head ached. Rubbing his forehead at the persistent headache, he tried hard to pretend he hadn’t heard her pleading voice asking him to wait just a moment.

Returning to the parking lot, Cheon Sejoo sat on the hood of his car and lit a cigarette. He inhaled the acrid smoke and calmly organized his thoughts.