Cozy Obsession

Faced with those clear, lake-like eyes—devoid of rage, hatred, or any dark emotions—Cha Iheon’s expression momentarily wavered.

The faint crack in his exterior, like the thin vertical line on the wallpaper, flickered for a brief instant before vanishing, leaving only a bitter look in its place.

Unlike the Seo Heemin of thirty years old, the twenty-one-year-old Seo Heemin in front of him had no intention of taking revenge on him.

Iheon had clearly been expecting a sharp, violent reaction. But when none came, his gaze, as deep and heavy as the scent of his whiskey, lingered on Heemin for an unusually long time.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, his carefully fortified wall seemed thinner tonight—his eyes looked hollow, yet somehow tinged with an odd sense of loneliness. After a long silence, his lips moved once more.

"You’re coming with me. As the child of former Chairman Seo Jae-han."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

Even as he deliberately invoked the name of the deceased Seo Jae-han, his expression lacked any real satisfaction. If anything, it almost looked like he was in pain.

Trapped in the endless cycle of a vicious fate, unable to break free—Heemin felt a strange pity for him. He could understand why he couldn’t let go of the past, especially since his entire life had been changed because of Seo Heemin.

Early on in the story, Cha Iheon had been consumed by vengeance. He took every opportunity to lash out at Seo Heemin—physically, verbally, and at times, even sexually. His entire existence revolved around punishing Seo Heemin for what his father had done.

Since that was the foundation of his character, it wasn’t surprising that he used Seo Jae-han’s name to dig into Seo Heemin’s wounds. That was just the kind of person he was.

But taking Heemin to the inauguration? That was not like Cha Iheon at all.

The original Cha Iheon had been so possessive that he hid Seo Heemin away, refusing to let anyone even catch a glimpse of him. He was the type to lock him up and keep him out of sight.

So why was he suddenly deviating from the original path? Heemin couldn’t read him at all, and that frustrated him.

As Iheon poured himself another drink and downed it in one go, Heemin, instead, picked up a glass of water.

Even though he had barely taken more than a few sips earlier, his stomach was already churning, and his head felt light. Guess I have cheap taste. I don’t mix well with high-end liquor.

Drunk and mildly irritated, he completely forgot Iheon’s order not to talk back.

"Why do I have to go? You weren’t planning on taking me before."

Iheon, as if surprised by how quickly Heemin had caught on, looked at him in silence. He tilted his chin, lowering his gaze slightly, before placing his glass back down.

"I changed my mind."

"Why?"

"So they know exactly who you belong to."

"Who’s ‘they’?"

"Stop talking back."

His voice was sharp, as if to end the conversation, but Heemin wasn’t about to let it end just like that. Not after all the trouble he’d gone through to get this time with him.

"I'm not Seo Jae-han’s son. I never had a father like that."

Seo Jae-han had been a devoted parent to his children, but that didn’t change the fact that he was a ruthless criminal who amassed wealth through exploitation and corruption.

As terrifying as Cha Iheon was, the thought of a man willing to sell his own soul for money disgusted Heemin even more.

Honestly, he was glad Seo Jae-han was dead. Of all the characters in the novel, he despised him the most.

He had no intention of reclaiming his father’s company like Seo Heemin had originally wanted. He didn’t care about being recognized as his child.

"Then whose son are you?" Iheon’s voice was low.

"You wouldn’t know even if I told you. So there’s no point in asking."

"Seo Heemin."

His name rolled off Iheon’s tongue in a way that was both cold and warning. His sharp gaze crumpled like a sheet of paper, but Heemin didn’t back down.

"I don’t care. I’m not going. I’ll stay home."

In his original life, Heemin had been busy—working two part-time jobs, studying for certification exams, and practically living at the library.

His current lifestyle, confined at home, should’ve driven him crazy by now. He should’ve wanted to go outside.

But the inauguration? Absolutely not.

Because he knew for a fact that he would be encountering two crucial characters.

One of them was Do Junyoung, the marketing team leader of Shinwon Cement—Seo Jae-han’s chosen successor.

Born into a privileged Alpha family, he had fallen for Seo Heemin at first sight on their university campus and had thrown away his entire future to work at Shinwon Cement, just to be closer to him.

If Seo Jae-han hadn’t ruined everything with his reckless expansion plans, Seo Heemin might have ended up marrying Do Junyoung and living a peaceful, happy life.

He was, in every sense, a good man. A foolishly devoted one.

But it was that very devotion that would eventually lead him to make the wrong choices.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Later in the novel, Do Junyoung would join forces with Kwak Yoonseong, Seo Jae-han’s remarried Omega husband.

Kwak Yoonseong, a current director at Shinwon Cement, was a man driven entirely by ambition and greed. It was he who would ultimately involve Shin Seungbeom of Bukseong Construction in a scheme that would lead to Cha Iheon’s demise.

If Heemin wanted to avoid the novel’s ending, he had to stay as far away from those two as possible.

He needed to cut them off from the start.

"Can a person turn into something other than human?" Iheon asked suddenly.

"What?"

Did he mean something like a supernatural being? Heemin tilted his head in confusion.

Seeing that he didn’t get it, Iheon smirked, lifting one corner of his lips in mock amusement.

"I told you, you have no authority here. The second you turn around, you forget and start spouting nonsense. You’re like a goldfish."

He had a talent for delivering insults under the guise of casual conversation.

It wasn’t as bad as being physically threatened, but verbal abuse was still abuse.

You don’t even understand my real intentions.

He had made it into Korea University without ever attending private tutoring—was that something a goldfish could do? The insult stung his pride.

Fuming, Heemin grabbed the plate of food off the table.

"Fine. Don’t eat it. I won’t give you any."

"Go ahead. Eat it all yourself."

"......You ass."

Iheon, completely unfazed, simply continued drinking.

His attempts to rebel didn’t work. His strategy of using food to win favor had completely backfired.

Grinding his teeth, Heemin fumed silently for a while before reluctantly picking up a piece of bacon-wrapped enoki mushroom and placing it on Iheon’s plate.

Iheon raised an eyebrow. @@novelbin@@

"Didn’t you say you weren’t giving me any?"

"You should at least taste it."

At Heemin’s sharp tone, Iheon let out a soft, amused breath.

Maybe the alcohol had mellowed him out. For someone who had just lost a fifty-billion-won deal, he looked surprisingly at ease.

No matter what Heemin did, it never fazed him.

And that just pissed him off even more.

Because no matter what, Cha Iheon was going to drag him to that damn inauguration.

With an effortless motion, Iheon picked up his chopsticks.

Up until now, he had only been drinking, so Heemin had assumed he wasn’t interested in the food. But apparently, that wasn’t the case.

As he slowly chewed, Heemin found himself holding his breath.

Even when introducing new recipes to his sisters, he hadn’t been this nervous. It was a strange feeling.

"Well? How is it?"

It had tasted perfectly fine to him, but that didn’t mean it would to him. Swallowing anxiously, Heemin watched Iheon’s expression.

He caught the slight twitch of his eyebrow. His eyes widened—just a fraction.

He’s surprised.

"Good ingredients," Iheon muttered.

Bullshit.

It was all cheap supermarket food.

"Just say it’s delicious, already."

"It’s good."

"......"

"Happy now?"

The last question was unnecessary. It felt like he had forced a compliment out of him.

Still, the sting of being called a goldfish lessened.

"...Want another one?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Here."

Heemin placed the plate back in the center.

At this point, it wasn’t about pride anymore—there was too much food for him to eat alone. And if Iheon liked it, then whatever.

Iheon took another bite. His composed, refined way of eating reminded Heemin of his old friend.

The chaotic night slowly quieted.

But unlike before, the silence no longer felt suffocating.

***

"Seo Heemin, wake up."

A deep, pleasant voice echoed in his ears.

Still half-asleep, Heemin instinctively pulled the blanket over his head—only for his entire body to jolt as if struck by an earthquake.

"It’s time. Get up."

Groggy and reluctant, Heemin cracked open his eyes. The moment his vision adjusted, the first thing he saw was a tall man standing before him—dressed in a meticulously tailored suit, looking more put-together than ever.