Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 88

It was a completely peaceful and stable life. There was truly not a single worry, no need to fret about the future.

Not long ago, Cheon Sejoo had put the house they lived in under his name, so now there was no need to worry about becoming “house poor” either. For Sejin, the only concern was what to cook for Cheon Sejoo, who had just returned home after four days of absence—a small but happy concern, allowing him to fully enjoy the joy and excitement of the present.

(*House poor: a term for people who own a house but have to spend most of their income on mortgage payments, leading to a shortage of daily living expenses.)

They both played with water like children at the sink, then couldn’t help but kiss continuously. By the time they stepped outside, it was almost 4 AM. Perhaps no more movies were showing, as the ticket and concession stands were dark. The main door was also closed, so they had to find a side exit of the cinema.

“It’s so quiet.”

“Yes, it is.”

Spring in Seoul city was illuminated only by the silent moonlight, truly serene. Occasionally, a few cars drove by, gliding lightly on the road, while the daytime crowds had now vanished without a trace.

Cheon Sejoo glanced around, then reached out and took Sejin’s hand. Although his gaze was lowered in embarrassment, he still intertwined his fingers with the other’s. Seeing that adorable sight, Cheon Sejoo softly smiled, and then they walked side by side towards home.

“Cheon Sejoo, are you really not busy anymore?”

“Yeah, I’m free for a while, but I’m not sure about June…”

Sejin didn’t actually know what Cheon Sejoo’s job was. He had heard an explanation before, but he didn’t understand anything, and out of pride, he only pretended to.

Since then, Sejin was afraid Cheon Sejoo would realize, so he deliberately didn’t ask further. Anyway, if he truly needed to understand, he could just ask again, and Cheon Sejoo would explain thoroughly, so he thought he didn’t need to know right now. Even if he might be looked at with a bit of disdain.

Anyway, after confirming that the other person was temporarily free, Sejin mentioned something that had been on his mind lately.

“So, shall we go camping this weekend?”

“Do you want to eat grilled meat that much, little pig?”

“…I meant I was worried you were stressed, so I wanted to take you for a break!”

Of course, he had already thought about bringing beef, pork, lamb, sausages, and shrimp, but it wasn’t just because he wanted to eat that he suggested camping. It was because he was worried about Cheon Sejoo, who had been working in the basement and was now confined to a hotel room, so Sejin wanted to take him somewhere open and relaxing.

“Do you think I only think about eating? I think about you a hundred times more than that!”

“Really? I thought it was the other way around.”

At Sejin’s sulky reply, Cheon Sejoo chuckled teasingly. Seeing Sejin start to get angry, he tightened his grip on Sejin’s hand, pulled him closer, and secretly placed a kiss on the back of his hand, but suddenly felt someone approaching and subtly turned his head.

“Hey, that person’s eating gelato…”

A few girls with flushed cheeks, probably from drinking, were walking from the Seongsu-dong direction towards them. It was a bit dangerous at this hour. Cheon Sejoo glanced in that direction, then unconsciously smiled. It might be ridiculous, but the girls, who seemed to be around Sejin’s age, reminded him of newly hatched chicks. So cute.

Just then, the leading girl’s eyes met his. Fearing he might scare them in the dark, Cheon Sejoo smiled gently as if nothing was wrong and turned his head away.

However, from the moment he stood waiting for the traffic light to change, the gaze from beside him remained fixed on his cheek. Did he smile at the wrong time? Cheon Sejoo thought of Sejin and turned his head back in that direction.

“Oh…”

It turned out to be a misunderstanding. The girl wasn’t looking at him but was tilting her head, intently looking directly at Sejin, who was standing right next to Cheon Sejoo. Indeed, his little pig was beautiful. Cheon Sejoo chuckled softly and turned to look at Sejin.

“Kwon Sejin?”

Sejin, standing close to Cheon Sejoo because he was embarrassed for others to see them holding hands, gently fiddled with his fingers. Hearing the call, he tilted his head in surprise. His hair fell to one side, revealing a beautiful forehead, and the moonlight shone on his fair face, making the girl clap loudly and shout again.

“Kwon Sejin?! Hey, you’re really Kwon Sejin, right?!”

…Does he know a girl?

Cheon Sejoo’s mood suddenly turned strangely bad. He took a step back to let Sejin stand still and observed both of them. The girl looked happy and stepped forward to stand in front of Sejin, but Sejin had a wary expression, as if he had just met a fraudulent preacher, which temporarily eased Cheon Sejoo’s mood.

 

“Kim…”

 

“That’s right, it’s Kim Joohyung! Hey, ahhh! Do you remember me? Oh my god, I can’t believe it! Hey, you’ve gotten so tall!”

 

Sejin recognized the girl, even remembering her full name, and ironically, that memory was completely accurate. Cheon Sejoo’s mood plummeted. He subtly curled his lips and stood with his arms crossed. Sejin secretly glanced at him, then closed his mouth in embarrassment, but the girl named Joohyung wouldn’t let up.

 

“Wow, this is crazy! How did you get so handsome? You remember me, right? From third grade! We used to sit next to each other! After you transferred schools, I cried so much, you don’t know, do you? What is this, what is this. Do you live nearby? Why are you here at this hour? Where do you work? Come on, come on, let me see your phone. Give me your number.”

 

She looked like a rapper. The questions poured out like rap, leaving Sejin stunned and speechless.

 

“Who is it?”

 

Sejin wasn’t the only one surprised by this encounter. Joohyung’s friend also looked at Cheon Sejoo and Sejin with curiosity, her face full of surprise.

 

“Oh, an old classmate of mine! But we lost touch, no one had his number, oh my god, how did we meet at this time in this place? Isn’t it miraculous, Sejin, don’t you think it’s miraculous? Huh?”

 

“Uh… maybe.”

 

“Ahaha! What do you mean ‘maybe’! You’re still just like you were back then. It’s so funny!”

 

Joohyung talked a lot, an extreme amount. Cheon Sejoo watched the girl chirping like a hungry bird with Sejin, who was becoming flustered, which was unlike his usual personality.

 

She was clearly very happy to see Sejin again. Her face was already red from alcohol, and now it was as red as a radish. Sejin’s high school was an all-boys school, so this girl must have been a primary or middle school friend.

 

After returning from military service, Sejin had grown taller and more muscular, his complete maturity occasionally making Cheon Sejoo see him as having a stable and handsome masculine beauty. So, if it was someone who had known Sejin with a head much smaller than others, it was understandable to be moved by this change.

 

Yes, completely understandable…

 

“Here’s my number? Hey, let’s go eat sometime. A lot of old friends are wondering how you’re doing. Remember, Sejin? If I call, you have to pick up!”

 

Annoying. Cheon Sejoo frowned and smiled, his eyes lingering on Joohyung, who was holding Sejin’s phone. When she asked for his number, Sejin awkwardly took out his phone, and her number was saved.

 

Kwon Sejin was always soft towards women, towards those weaker than him. Cheon Sejoo knew very well that Sejin always acted obedient and gentle towards the female staff, who made up most of the hospital’s personnel. From the first time they met, he knew that. Kwon Sejin was strong with the strong, weak with the weak.

 

But if Sejin’s gentleness at work was endearing and likable, his weakness in an unnecessary relationship infuriated Cheon Sejoo. Old classmate? Why reconnect with such a useless relationship?

 

If it were Hae Yeoreum, he would have punched her hand immediately. Cheon Sejoo thought to himself and pouted.

 

“I’m leaving! I’ll contact you!”

 

“…Uh…”

 

Joohyung appeared like a storm, spouting all sorts of things, then left, waving frantically as if she were very drunk. She and her friends gradually disappeared from sight but kept glancing back, forcing Cheon Sejoo to force a polite smile and a slight bow.

 

Only when the “little birds” disappeared from sight did Cheon Sejoo return to his cold expression. Now he could freely show his bad mood.

 

But when he turned back, Sejin’s posture was very dignified. He thought Sejin would be cautious because he had just been laughing and talking intimately with a strange girl in front of his lover, but no, Sejin shrugged, then glanced at him with a somewhat triumphant look. How arrogant. Noticing that, the corner of Cheon Sejoo’s lips slightly curled up, and then a slightly teasing remark escaped.

 

“You must have been popular when you were little, huh?”

 

“…Yeah, a little.”

Sejin’s lips twitched as he replied, “A little.” It seemed he was trying to make him jealous, but it wasn’t working. Cheon Sejoo chuckled inwardly and asked Sejin:

 

“Is that a friend from elementary school?”

 

“Yes, a friend from elementary school. We were close with another kid too. I used to give her snacks and let her copy my homework.”

 

Kwon Sejin must have been tiny and adorable back then. Who wouldn’t want to be close to him? Even without any photos, Cheon Sejoo could easily imagine how cute little Sejin must have been.

 

…Wait. Since they were old friends, did Kim Joohyung have any picnic photos?

 

Cheon Sejoo started thinking about asking his team to help him steal those photos, smiling at Sejin as he did.

 

“Friend? You don’t have any friends.”

 

The sudden attack made Sejin frown. He knew he wasn’t good at social relationships, but hearing Cheon Sejoo bring it up always annoyed him.

 

Was he trying to tease him? Sejin’s mind was sharper now, so he didn’t intend to admit it directly. He simply snorted and replied:

 

“Well, to be precise, not exactly a friend. It’s just… she liked me.”

 

“……”

 

As they were crossing the street, Cheon Sejoo stopped and turned to look at Sejin. Seeing him slowly roll his tongue in his mouth, Sejin paused for a moment, then immediately savored the rising feeling of satisfaction within him and took the lead. Although it was a bit childish, thanks to coincidentally meeting an old school friend, he had seized a rare opportunity. Sejin didn’t want to miss a single moment of Cheon Sejoo showing jealousy.

 

“Really?”

 

But Cheon Sejoo wasn’t that easy to play with. As if even a hint of trivial jealousy couldn’t be forgiven, he walked behind Sejin, asking again with a hint of laughter in his voice.

 

“How tall were you back then?”

 

Just hearing that question was enough to understand what he was getting at. Sejin frowned, answering irritably.

 

“…I don’t know.”

 

“How can you not know? Were you really short?”

 

“Who remembers their height from third grade elementary school! Do you remember yours?”

 

“Of course. I was over 140 [cm] back then.”

 

In fact, Sejin still remembered his height at the time. Because the boys saw him as much smaller than them, they kept calling him “112, 112” and teasing him like a police car, to the point where he couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to. It was a painful number, so low that even a seven-year-old would be considered small. Yet Cheon Sejoo was 140 [cm] back then, meaning he was 30cm taller than him.

 

Sejin spread his hand, estimating the height difference between 10-year-old Cheon Sejoo and himself, then pouted, puffing out his cheeks in dissatisfaction, and snorted lightly. But what was important was the present. After all, now Sejin was almost 10cm taller than him.

 

“You must have been really short when you were little. Well, it’s okay to be a little short if you’re cute.”

 

The teasing voice made Sejin purse his lips. Cute? What was cute? He entered the apartment lobby, glancing at Cheon Sejoo as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense.

 

“Don’t laugh, Cheon Sejoo. And besides, I’m taller than you now!”

 

“Oh, were you only this tall back then?”

 

Cheon Sejoo pretended not to hear the criticism, spread his arms out, and waved them downwards. The height he indicated, near his thigh, immediately infuriated Sejin.

 

“That’s…”

 

But then he swallowed his words. There was no need to fall into the trap of those malicious jokes. Cheon Sejoo kept bringing up the past because Sejin was taller than him now.

 

He’s just jealous, isn’t he? Sejin immediately gave specific numbers to emphasize the reality.

 

“I’m 189cm now. And you’re 180cm, don’t be so arrogant.”

 

“They don’t measure accurately in the military, do they? Why don’t you go to the hospital this summer and get measured? At most, you’ll only be 187cm.”

 

“If I measure exactly that, then you’ll only be about 178cm!”

 

“No, I’m definitely 181cm. That’s the standard measurement.”

 

“No way.”

 

They kept arguing back and forth as they went up to the 41st floor where they lived. Because they kept trying to diminish each other’s height, by the time they stepped out of the elevator, Cheon Sejoo’s height, according to Sejin, was only 171cm, and Sejin’s height, gradually lowered by Cheon Sejoo’s words, was only about 173cm. If anyone had heard this conversation, they would have stared at them with a look of “how ridiculous,” because this was clearly the kind of silly dialogue only couples in love would have.

 

“Tsk. Then when you have time, go to the hospital and get measured. If I measure exactly 189cm, what will you do? You choose.”

 

“What do you mean, what will I do? Oh, you’re so tall, worth the food, raising you this big is truly not wasted effort, I’ll probably be very proud.”

 

“If it’s exactly 189cm, you have to call me hyung!”

 

Sejin made a condition that made Cheon Sejoo’s eyes widen in surprise. The kid, 12 years younger than him, had never called him hyung, and now he was saying something so outrageous.

 

“Oh, so you know the word ‘hyung’ exists in this world, Sejin… That’s surprising, isn’t it?”

 

“Hurry up! You have to set a condition too!”

 

“Alright, alright, I know. So conversely, if you’re not 189cm, you have to call me hyung, got it?”

 

This conversation, which no outsider could have heard, finally turned into an indescribably silly bet. Before Cheon Sejoo’s demand to be called “hyung,” Sejin, as if he had anticipated it, snorted a faint laugh and nodded.

 

Only then did the conversation end, and the electronic lock clicked open. Sejin entered the house first, followed by Cheon Sejoo, who was looking up to estimate his height.

 

Certainly not 189cm. As far as he knew, Shin Gyo Yeon was about that tall, and Sejin looked a little shorter. If measured at the hospital, he would definitely be below that.

 

“My beautiful, what if you call me hyung while riding me?”

 

Just thinking about Sejin calling him “hyung, hyung” while on top of him made him excited. Cheon Sejoo chuckled and pulled Sejin’s wrist, who was pretending not to hear anything.

 

“I’m hard now.”

 

“…You really are a pervert.”

 

Cheon Sejoo’s penis had become erect without him realizing it. In fact, it wasn’t exactly because of the “hyung” call earlier, but because Sejin had been giggling and adorably boasting about his height the entire way up the elevator, which had stimulated him more. Anyway, the reason didn’t matter. Cheon Sejoo pulled Sejin’s hand onto his penis and reached out to touch him. He pulled down Sejin’s flushed cheeks and smiled. “Let’s finish what we started, shall we?”

“…Mm.” Sejin’s eyes became hazy as if they hadn’t argued at all. To such an obedient and adorable Sejin, Cheon Sejoo gave him a passionate kiss.

 

“Hyung, is this enough beef?”

“What about you? Do you want more?”

“I’d like a bit more, hyung.”

“Then just take that. We’re going to a restaurant anyway, can’t eat too much.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“…”

Hyung, anh – the mixed honorifics made passersby glance at the two tall men. Feeling their gaze, Sejin frowned and stared at Cheon Sejoo, then finally sighed and called him.

“Cheon Sejoo.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Stop that.”

“What, hyung?”

“That ‘hyung’ sound, stop it. Right now.”

“No way, hyung, it hasn’t even been a day yet?”

“People are looking at us strangely!”

“Hyung, do you know what narcissism is? People don’t care about us.”

Sejin gritted his teeth as Cheon Sejoo laughed as if teasing him. He had made him call him hyung just to see Cheon Sejoo flustered, but the other person seemed to enjoy it, and the one who ended up feeling awkward was Sejin.

Before going camping on Friday evening, Sejin, fresh from work, went to Ha Yeoreum’s orthopedic clinic with Cheon Sejoo. When he heard Cheon Sejoo say they were there to measure height due to a bet, Yeoreum looked at them with a somewhat disdainful gaze, then sighed and let them use the measuring machine.

And the result was as seen. Sejin’s height was measured at 189cm. It seemed not entirely accurate because Cheon Sejoo’s height was also a bit taller than the number he knew, 182cm.

Although Cheon Sejoo initially thought the machine had a problem, he soon accepted the result and began calling Sejin hyung.

Sejin hyung.

Less than 5 minutes after hearing that call, Sejin was happy, while Cheon Sejoo frowned slightly.

But ever since leaving the hospital, Cheon Sejoo kept using “hyung” to tease Sejin relentlessly. It was as if he was releasing his pent-up frustration from never having been called hyung before.

“Hyung, should we stop for beer?”

“…”

“Hyung, can I buy this?”

“…”

“Hyung, aren’t you listening to me?”

Every word was full of teasing. He thought calling him hyung would be cute, but it wasn’t pleasant at all. How annoying… Sejin pouted at him, then picked up the mushroom in front of him and rudely warned him.

“Seriously, stop it. If you call me hyung one more time, I’ll call you ‘hey’.”

“That sounds like a song lyric.”

“I’m serious!”

Seeing Sejin grit his teeth in warning, Cheon Sejoo chuckled and took off his hat. He smoothed down his flattened hair, then put his own hat on Sejin’s head, pressing it down firmly and smiling.

“My dear, if you wanted to embarrass me, you should have made me call you oppa.”

“Don’t say such disgusting things!”

“Why, do you hate it?”

“Of course I hate it!”

Seeing Sejin’s fierce reaction, Cheon Sejoo laughed like a child and stroked his neck. “Alright, I won’t call you that anymore.” His gentle voice echoed in Sejin’s ear.

Finally, Cheon Sejoo returned to normal, speaking seriously. Sejin felt like he had heard the word “hyung” three thousand times in just one hour. Sejin secretly swore to himself that he would never bet on things like this again, then continued shopping.

“Should this go in the cooler too?”

“Hmm… what is that?”

“I remember you said you wanted chocolate.”

“…Cheon Sejoo. This isn’t chocolate. It doesn’t even have 1% cocoa butter! How many times do I have to tell you to read the ingredients list? Eating fake chocolate is bad for your health!”

While listening to Sejin nag, he packed meat, vegetables, and other perishable ingredients into the cooler. Besides that, camping gear and snacks were also fully prepared. They soon set off for Gangwon.

From camping around downtown Seoul, they had now expanded their range to other regions. There was almost nowhere in Gangwon they hadn’t been, and this summer they planned to go down to Southern Korea. Although summer was a bit tough, if it got hot, they could connect the tent to the car and turn on the air conditioning to sleep, so they weren’t too worried. If they went to a stream, they wouldn’t even need air conditioning, it would be cool enough.

Anyway, Cheon Sejoo fell asleep in the car on the way to Gangneung. Although he had slept in that morning while Sejin went to work, it wasn’t enough to fully recover from the accumulated fatigue.

“What are we… going to eat?”

When they passed the Seorak Mountain area, he woke up, played with Sejin’s hand, and suddenly asked.

“Are we going to eat jjambbong?”

“Soft tofu jjambbong.”

“Is that jjambbong with added soft tofu?”

“It’s tofu that tastes like jjambbong. No noodles.”

“Is it good?”

“Mm. It’s spicy and rich, but the tofu is creamy, they say it’s really good. Some people even eat up to five bowls of rice there.”

It must be rare to find someone like Kwon Sejin. Cheon Sejoo, still a bit sleepy, watched him talk with a radiant face. Sejin chattered about what he found when researching restaurants, looking extremely cute.

“There’s also a tofu village nearby, let’s stop by on the way back. There’s even a Hanok village, they say it’s very atmospheric on rainy days. It’s going to rain on Sunday, so that’ll be perfect. There’s also a super famous black sesame coffee, with a long queue, you have to register in the morning to drink it in the afternoon. But they say it’s incredibly good, each person has to order two cups to be enough.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and at Gangneung Market…”

Listening to Sejin’s sweet voice, Cheon Sejoo closed his eyes once more. In a pleasant, almost dazed state, he chimed in with Sejin’s food travel plans, then drifted off to sleep.

“Cheon Sejoo… are you asleep?”

Sejin glanced at his sleeping face and smiled. He liked that Cheon Sejoo could relax when he was with him.

The car slowly decelerated. Cheon Sejoo sank into a deep sleep under Sejin’s tender care.

Sejin had taken half a day off to visit Ha Yeoreum’s hospital after work, then quickly went to the market before setting off. By the time they arrived at the campsite, it was already dusk. Among the people busy preparing dinner, Sejin and Cheon Sejoo began unloading their luggage.

The spot they had reserved was a beachfront area where they could camp with a car. While Sejin set up the tent next to the car and put up a tarp for shade the next day, Cheon Sejoo leisurely strolled around the area. Leaving the major tasks to Sejin, Cheon Sejoo ended his stroll by visiting the convenience store. When he returned, he handed an ice cream to Sejin, who was wiping sweat from his forehead.

“I’ll do the rest.”

“Okay.”

“The sea is beautiful. Go look at it.”

“I’ll go with you later.”