Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 95

And Sejin, who was finding peace in Cheon Sejoo’s body scent, felt his tears immediately recede when he heard that overly gentle voice directed at another man.

He was truly too depraved.

Sejin pouted, biting his lip. Although he was very happy and delighted to see Cheon Sejoo again, he couldn’t help but feel a little angry at his lack of decency.

Anyway, Cheon Sejoo, unaware that Sejin had stopped crying, still carried him to the sofa in the lounge. After placing him down, he sat next to him, patting his back for a while longer. When the hiccups stopped, Cheon Sejoo tilted his head, leaning down to look at Sejin, who was nestled in his arms.

“Done crying now, aren’t you?”

At that moment, the exquisite face came into view, captivating Sejin’s gaze. The corners of his lips curved gently, his cheeks were fair and clean. A vitality Sejin had never seen before shone on that face. His dark eyes sparkled like a night sky, without a hint of sadness.

Sejin, as if hypnotized, reached out and touched his cheek. Although he knew he shouldn’t, he felt as if he would fall in love with this 22-year-old Cheon Sejoo again, a person who was now erased from reality.

He wished he could forget everything when he woke up from this dream. Otherwise, he was afraid he would feel heartache again when looking at the current Cheon Sejoo. The pain he thought he had overcome long ago, he feared, would revive and drown him again.

“What’s your name?”

Cheon Sejoo stroked Sejin’s still tear-wet hair and asked.

“…Kwon Sejin.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

22-year-old Cheon Sejoo said exactly the same thing as 30-year-old Cheon Sejoo whom Sejin had first met. He seemed to have praised his name back then too. The only difference was that now he was a brilliant medical student, and Sejin was just a ten-year-old child wearing a cartoon character T-shirt.

“Sejin, where’s your guardian? Did you come here alone?”

Cheon Sejoo looked at him for a moment and asked. His eyes were full of warmth.

Not being recognized disappointed Sejin, but the way he looked at him, as if looking at the smallest and weakest creature in the world, strangely softened his heart. It was just a dream anyway, Sejin rubbed his cheek against his shoulder, answering coyly.

“Mom’s in the cafeteria.”

“Student cafeteria?”

“…Hmm.”

“Ah.”

Cheon Sejoo nodded slightly. His neatly cut short hair swayed gently. Sejin reached out his small hand and touched his hair. Perhaps finding the gesture adorable, he smiled faintly and tilted his head towards him as if to say, “Do it again.” His face, when close, smelled faintly sweet. It was a completely different scent from the one the current Cheon Sejoo carried.

As Sejin played with his hair and carefully stroked his beautiful face, Cheon Sejoo, who was smiling, suddenly said in a gentle voice:

“Then let’s go drink chocolate milk with oppa and then go find your mom, okay?”

“…You’re not oppa!”

The word “oppa” made Sejin immediately frown. Humph. Did he always like to be called “oppa” like that? His pride hurt, Sejin pushed Cheon Sejoo away and slid out of his arms, plopping down on the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest.

Seeing Sejin puff out his cheeks, turning his face away in a sulk, Cheon Sejoo burst out laughing, “Ahaha!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Of course, the sulk didn’t last long. Before that charming voice that could mesmerize anyone, Sejin slightly turned his head to look at him. That breathtakingly beautiful face was slightly flushed. He didn’t know why he was laughing so much, but after a fit of laughter, he also turned to face Sejin’s gaze. His eyes curved in a smile as if to say, “So cute, I could die.” It was a familiar face. Whenever Sejin pouted in anger, Cheon Sejoo often had this expression.

“Sorry, I said it wrong. I didn’t think you were a girl. It just slipped out.”

Funny, he clearly thought he was a girl. Sejin glared at Cheon Sejoo, who was lying without batting an eye, then let out a soft hmph and turned his face away. Anyway, Cheon Sejoo was still Cheon Sejoo. Just seeing him made his heart flutter, and he didn’t know what to do.

“Hyung.”

“Yes, Doyoon.”

The young man who had been sitting with Cheon Sejoo earlier appeared at that moment. Sejin immediately turned his head and stared at the young man approaching. He looked like he had just entered university. Anyone could tell he was a very young boy.

What annoyed Sejin was that the boy’s face and even his name were identical to Cheon Sejoo’s former lover, Kang Doyoon. Sejin was inherently not the “ideal type” that the other person liked, and that fact made him even more upset. He secretly worried that Cheon Sejoo might still be secretly thinking of people like that. Even though he knew it wasn’t true…

A philanderer and pervert, Sejin felt unreasonably annoyed and blamed Cheon Sejoo for knowing nothing about chastity, then stared at the boy named Doyoon.

“Hyung, aren’t you going to class? I’ll help you find your mom. Or should we call the police?”

“It seems his mom works in the school cafeteria, and he followed her because no one was watching him, and then got lost.”

“Is that so? But shouldn’t you be at school now? Ah, is he a kindergartner?”

“Not a kindergartner!”

Doyoon tilted his head and asked, and Sejin suddenly shouted. Cheon Sejoo’s eyes widened, then met Doyoon’s gaze, and the two exchanged silent glances, after which Cheon Sejoo put his arm around Sejin’s shoulder.

Perhaps thinking Sejin was too sensitive, Doyoon just wrinkled his nose and smiled, then left the lounge. Sejin stared at the floor with a sullen expression, then suddenly said to Cheon Sejoo:

“I’m ten years old.”

“Third grade?”

Perhaps not thinking Sejin was that old, a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in Cheon Sejoo’s eyes. Ignoring that look, Sejin continued:

“You’re twenty-two.”

“……”

“You grew up at Cheonsa Orphanage.”

“…Hmm.”

Cheon Sejoo, who had been looking puzzled, suddenly parted his lips slightly when he heard “orphanage.” Then, not long after, he frowned and asked:

“Sister Maria… told you to come?”

It seemed he just remembered receiving such a call from Ha Yeoreum. But there was no reason for Sister Maria to send a child to do errands, and a completely unfamiliar face at that, so even though he had heard the name earlier, he didn’t connect it to that call.

“But this is the first time I’ve met you.”

“…Not for me.”

“Where did we meet?”

Seeing Cheon Sejoo smile awkwardly as if he really didn’t remember anything, Sejin pursed his lips. The reason he decided to meet Cheon Sejoo after meeting his mother was very clear. Sejin wanted to know what the 22-year-old man looked like.

But when he saw a stunningly beautiful Cheon Sejoo with his own eyes, more perfectly radiant than he had imagined, greed surged within Sejin. Even if it was just a dream, the desire that such a sparkling man should never lose his light gradually formed in his mind.

And Sejin knew very well what was needed to fulfill that wish: as long as Cheon Sejoo didn’t lose Cheon Hyein, he could be happy forever in this form. Even if 18-year-old Sejin might never see him again, at least it wouldn’t be at the cost of loss, he could still be happy.

Even if it was just a dream, his heart still ached. Sejin suppressed the sharp pain in his chest and opened his mouth, no longer having time to hesitate. Because he didn’t know when he would wake up.

“Every weekend, you go back to the house where your sister is living alone, right?”

“What?”

“But you shouldn’t do that. Hyein is still young, not old enough to live alone.”

“…You…”

“Hyein doesn’t need a separate house. What she needs is family, people like you or Sister Maria, people who can share their hearts with her.”

Although he knew it was just an illusion that would disappear when he woke up, Sejin couldn’t leave Cheon Sejoo alone. He believed that even Cheon Sejoo in this dream had the right to be happy. Who knew, after waking up, this dream might still linger in his subconscious. If he could give Cheon Sejoo a chance not to experience loss, Sejin was willing to do anything.

“Is this… some kind of prank?”

Of course, Cheon Sejoo didn’t believe Sejin’s words. That was obvious; even if Sejin were in his shoes, he wouldn’t believe anything a little boy who had just been sobbing said.

“Who told you that? Kim Jinsung? Or…”

His face when he asked the question was quite cold. He seemed to think this was someone’s malicious prank. Sejin was not unfamiliar with that annoyed expression. He knew Cheon Sejoo’s angry face well.

“I didn’t hear it, I… I know. You… you know, Cheon Sejoo, I… I’m from the future.”

When he saw it in movies, that line sounded cool, but when he himself had to say that he was from the future, Sejin felt like there was something wrong with his head, and his voice became stammering.

Sejin glanced at Cheon Sejoo, feeling his cheeks burning. As expected, his face wrinkled as if he had heard something absurd, but Sejin continued:

“I know everything about you. I know you have a mole on the back of your neck, I know your birthday is listed as January 1st but no one actually knows your exact birth date, I know Hyein appeared in front of you on a rainy day, and I know you like pretty boys like me…”

Now Cheon Sejoo looked like he was doubting his own sanity. He silently watched Sejin mumble, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own cheek.

Slap. The loud slap startled Sejin. Cheon Sejoo rubbed his aching cheek and raised an eyebrow. Seeing that, Sejin couldn’t help but remember what happened that morning. The memory of pinching his own cheek was still clear, a vague feeling of not knowing if it hurt or not. That’s why he concluded it was a dream.

But perhaps even if it was a dream for him, it wasn’t for this person. Because Cheon Sejoo was rubbing his cheek, looking like he was really in pain.

“…Are you some kind of wizard?”

Knowing for sure this wasn’t a dream but also unable to believe that Sejin was from the future, Cheon Sejoo looked at him with interest. A wizard, he wasn’t sure if a Catholic like Cheon Sejoo believed in such things, but it was not a bad analogy. Sejin just nodded, “Probably something like that,” and evaded the answer.

Immediately after, Cheon Sejoo looked at him, his lips slightly pressed together. His eyes now looked much more serious than before, and Sejin knew why these ridiculous words were being taken seriously by him.

Before Hyein passed away, the axis of Cheon Sejoo’s life was his younger sister. He lived only for his sister. No matter what the outcome, it couldn’t be denied that all his actions were for Hyein.

Cheon Sejoo had never easily spoken about the important person who supported his life. Especially the story of Hyein being abandoned by her biological mother on a rainy day, he had never told anyone. It took Sejin a very long time to hear that story. If he couldn’t replace Hyein as Cheon Sejoo’s support, he might never have heard it in his life.

“I still don’t understand…”

That’s why Cheon Sejoo was so surprised now. Because the story of the day he met Hyein was only known by Sister Maria and Cheon Sejoo. This couldn’t be a fabricated prank.

“Does your mom really work in this school cafeteria?”

Cheon Sejoo was the type of person who couldn’t stand suspicion lingering in his mind. Instead of wasting time doubting, he would choose to ask directly to find out the truth.

“No. Actually, I live in Seoul. My mom works at a restaurant near my house. I came here to see you. By train, by bus, and then walked.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I told you I’m from the future. I know everything about you.”

“…So according to you, in the future, I told you about Hyein?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

It was natural that he couldn’t understand because Cheon Sejoo at this point didn’t think there would be anyone more important than Cheon Hyein later. Even if that person only appeared after she had disappeared…

“Because I love you.”

“…”

Just Sejin’s calm sentence was enough to stun Cheon Sejoo as if he had been struck by a pressure point. It had to be. A ten-year-old boy, much smaller than other children his age, suddenly appeared, burst into tears, revealed all the things he tried to hide, and then suddenly talked about love. It would be strange if he could keep his sanity in that situation.

“Nonsense.”

Although he still couldn’t be sure if the boy was really from the future, Cheon Sejoo began to accept that Sejin was a mysterious existence. However, when he heard the boy’s last sentence, Cheon Sejoo shook his head without hesitation.

No way. He firmly shook his head and leaned back against the sofa, looking down at the tiny Sejin. A moment later, Cheon Sejoo’s fingertips gently touched the boy’s forehead. The child’s skin was as soft as silk, and he gently stroked it, then asked again as if to confirm:

“How old did you say you were?”

“Ten.”

“…I’m twenty-two.”

“I know.”

“I can’t possibly love someone twelve years younger than me.”

“I know what you like. Someone about five years younger than you, pretty, and without a strong sense of self, the obedient younger type.”

“…Yes, but you’re too young.”

Cheon Sejoo paused there. Even though he was talking to a ten-year-old child, he wondered if he should continue. After a moment of hesitation, he frowned, sighed, and continued:

“You’re too pretty, and your ego is too big.”

“Intelligent would be more accurate.”

Saying he had a big ego was no different from saying he was intelligent. Sejin chuckled smugly, then leaned back into the sofa just like Cheon Sejoo. Of course, with his cartoon T-shirt and tiny legs peeking out from under his shorts, he didn’t look as relaxed as the person opposite him.

“Anyway, I love you.”

At that declaration, Cheon Sejoo could only stare around as if he had just heard something he shouldn’t have. He shook his head once more, as if only that statement was unbelievable, and everything else was acceptable.

He wasn’t that shameless. Even if the boy came to him when he was an adult, he would be thirty-two by then, how could he accept seducing a twenty-year-old?

“Wait a minute…”

His head began to ache. What on earth was this? Had he fallen asleep in class and dreamed these absurd dreams? Thinking so, Cheon Sejoo slapped his cheek again. The pain was still there, and the small, pretty child was still clearly present before him.

“Why do you keep slapping your cheek?”

Sejin pouted and pulled his hand down. Cheon Sejoo didn’t resist, letting him hold it, then sighed again and pulled his hand back.

He still didn’t understand what was happening. The fact that Sejin said things that no one knew except his older sister showed that this wasn’t simply a lie. But things like coming from the future or being a wizard, if thought about rationally, were clearly absurd.

What Sejin said could make people suspicious but were absolutely not lies. So he couldn’t completely believe them, nor could he dismiss them as a child’s nonsense. Cheon Sejoo’s mind was a tangled mess. He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at his watch.

“Anyway… I have to go to school now.”

“…Mm.”

“And you…”

“I can take care of myself.”

“…”

Was he really going to leave after saying that? Was it going to end like this? Cheon Sejoo stood up with a bewildered expression, his lips moving as if there was something left unsaid. As if reading his thoughts, Sejin grabbed the hem of his shirt before he could turn away.

“Give me your phone number.”

“Ah…”

Though still skeptical, giving his phone number probably wasn’t a difficult matter, so Cheon Sejoo recited his number to Sejin. The boy immediately memorized it carefully in his head. He couldn’t forget it because it was the only way to contact Cheon Sejoo.

“I’m leaving now.”

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

Sejin affirmed confidently to Cheon Sejoo, who was awkwardly waving goodbye. Cheon Sejoo merely nodded slightly as if saying, “As you wish,” then suddenly felt strange and blurted out:

“But if everything you said is true…”

“It’s all true.”

“Then why did you mention Hyein first?”

“…”

“If you really know that much, then why Hyein?”

The gaze from above bore down heavily. Sejin understood that Cheon Sejoo’s perception would change depending on his answer.

If he told him what would happen, Cheon Sejoo would initially be suspicious and angry, but in the end, he would surely believe. No matter how unfair the world was, that story would not be wrong by a single iota. Cheon Sejoo would have to believe that truth.

But Sejin couldn’t tell the truth.

He didn’t want to bring Cheon Sejoo the pain of knowing about Hyein’s death. At least, for this world’s version of Cheon Sejoo, he didn’t want him to experience loss. That was why he chose to start this story. So Sejin replied:

“Because she is the most important person in your life.”

Now, in Cheon Sejoo’s life, the most important person was Hyein. But he felt no heartache that it wasn’t him. As long as he could see a perfect, unbroken Cheon Sejoo with an intact heart, that alone was all Sejin needed.