Cozy Obsession

"Hyung, you should eat too."

Heemin picked up a piece of abalone and placed it on Iheon's plate. Iheon, who had been staring at him with his usual unreadable expression, unexpectedly accepted it and put it in his mouth. That was surprising.

"It tastes better because I gave it to you, doesn’t it?"

Was this what it felt like to feed a child? Watching Iheon eat gave him a strange sense of satisfaction. Seeing that Iheon was silently chewing without responding, Heemin added another remark.

"I thought so. It tasted better when you gave it to me."

"Just eat."

Iheon swallowed the food in his mouth and offered a brief reprimand. But there was no irritation in his sharp gaze fixed on Heemin.

Clink, clink.

The only sound in the kitchen was the quiet clatter of utensils against the plates. However, the silence wasn’t awkward—it was comfortable.

Their second dinner together was peaceful. No phone calls interrupted them, and they weren’t locked in an exhausting standoff over their clashing opinions.

If he said he wanted to go to the hospital again, Iheon would undoubtedly refuse. But judging by the softer atmosphere between them now, it didn’t seem like the same kind of fight as before would happen. Testing the waters, Heemin cautiously spoke up.

"You know—"

"No."

He hadn’t even gotten to the main point before Iheon shut him down completely. Ever since he was forcibly taken to the psychiatrist, Heemin had noticed how incredibly perceptive this man was. It was almost like an animal’s survival instinct—his ability to detect the slightest shift in the air was uncanny.

"Isn’t it too much to say no before even hearing me out?"

"There's nothing to hear. You want to go outside tomorrow."

"You could assign Secretary Jung or someone else to keep an eye on me. I won’t do anything suspicious. I just want to see Dr. Eun-kyung."

Iheon glanced at Heemin, who was pouting in dissatisfaction, then replied in an even tone.

"I don’t want you leaving this house."

"Then why not have her come here?"

"That’s not happening either."

"Why not?"

"She’s not someone I trust."

"And Dr. Hwang is?"

"Just eat and stop talking back."

As if to silence him, Iheon pushed the plate of octopus sashimi toward Heemin. The way he abruptly ended the conversation made it clear he had no intention of discussing Dr. Hwang further.

And it made sense. Iheon loathed Seo Heemin just as much as he despised his own past. A man as proud as him, who detested bowing his head to anyone, had been forced to grovel at the bottom of the underworld, mocked as the chairman’s dog. It was no wonder he was filled with resentment.

Dr. Hwang had saved his life countless times when he had been left to die in the filth of that world. For Iheon, merely acknowledging someone who reminded him of those humiliating days was an unbearable discomfort.

As Heemin chewed the octopus and watched Iheon quietly sip his water, a thought lingered in his mind.

Trust. Trust, huh...

Yoon Dae-ho, the chairman of Wooshin Group, was a ruthless man. He had turned Wooshinhoe, once a mere gang, into a massive corporate empire through sheer force of will and raw power. He ruled with absolute authority, prioritizing competence over family ties or personal loyalty. Not even his own blood relatives, including Iheon, were exceptions to that rule.

Though Wooshin Group presented itself as a legitimate company, at its core, it was still an organized crime syndicate. Internal politics within the group were brutal. Threats and coercion were routine, and killings were not uncommon. It was, quite literally, a world of survival of the fittest.

Iheon had likely seen plenty of colleagues stabbing each other in the back to gain favor, stealing achievements, or betraying the organization for money, drugs, or weapons.

It was no surprise, then, that he had taken in Ms. Ahn and her son—not out of kindness, but because he needed people who wouldn’t betray him. In a world full of deception and violence, surrounding himself with trustworthy individuals was simply another survival strategy.

So, of course, it was only natural that he didn’t trust Dr. Eun-kyung, someone who had been close to Seo Heemin.

Heemin quietly set down his chopsticks, blaming the author for the irreconcilable rift between Seo Heemin and Cha Iheon.

"I’m done eating. I’ll clean up."

"Leave it. Go to your room."

"But still—"

"Just go sleep."

Iheon stood up, gathering the empty dishes. Heemin wanted to complain that he had napped too much during the day to be tired now, but Iheon had already told him not to argue back. So, without protest, Heemin simply nodded and headed to the bathroom.

Under the shower’s warm stream, he let the water wash over him as he pondered.

How do you teach someone who trusts nothing and no one to believe in something?

Cha Iheon’s heart had been shattered long ago when Seo Heemin abandoned him. Now, it was nothing more than a tattered remnant of what it once was.

And Heemin—who had never been good at stitching things together—wondered if he could really mend that torn, ruined heart.

He didn’t feel particularly confident.

But one thing was certain: you couldn’t know the outcome until you tried. Sitting around and waiting for things to change wasn’t his style.

So even if his fingers were pricked by needles, even if he made a mess and had to undo everything and start again—he had no choice but to keep going.

The water enveloping his body was as warm as Iheon’s hands.

Someday, he hoped that Iheon’s heart could be this warm too.

With that thought, Heemin quietly finished washing up.

***

Ms. Ahn’s clothes were getting lighter, and the cherry blossoms in the park below the house were in full bloom.

Spring had arrived in full force.

But his relationship with Iheon remained stagnant. Whether it was a weekday or weekend, day or night, Iheon was constantly busy, and perhaps still troubled by the fact that he had collapsed because of him, he refrained from touching Heemin. Their interactions had been reduced to nothing more than sharing breakfast.

Each morning, Heemin would wake up, eat breakfast, and see Iheon off to work. After that, he would exercise for thirty minutes to an hour, take a shower, then read the books Secretary Jung had brought for him. Lunch and dinner were spent with Ms. Ahn, and by the time he greeted Iheon upon his late-night return, another day had passed.

It was the kind of life he had once dreamed of—a life free from financial worries, doing nothing all day. But it wasn’t enjoyable at all. He had thought himself more than capable of indulging in a comfortable captivity, yet now that he was living it, he found it dull and suffocating.

How bored did he have to be to start considering studying for a certification exam?

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t concentrate. The more time passed, the more restless he became.

Simply making side dishes for drinks now and then wouldn’t be enough to change Iheon’s heart. He needed something more—something drastic, an event that would shake things up, just like the inauguration incident.

After all, relationships were strengthened by overcoming crises.

Yeah. Let’s save that poor man who only knows how to solve things with brute force.

If he could turn Iheon’s fear of betrayal against him, it might yield dramatic results—a kind of shock therapy.

When faced with a tangled mess that couldn’t be unraveled, the best way was to cut it all off and start anew.

And so, Heemin made a decision.

He was going to escape.

Or rather, take a walk outside.

3. Ripples

There was only one purpose to his escape.

“The only place I’ll ever return to is by your side. I will never betray you.”

That was the message he wanted to implant in Cha Iheon’s mind.

It was a stark contrast to Seo Heemin, who had fled out of sheer desperation, unable to endure the torment of captivity. Unlike Seo Heemin, who had wanted to escape from the grasp of a tyrant he both loved and knew he should never love, who had resorted to self-harm whenever he was given a moment’s reprieve, Heemin had an entirely different goal.

Still, he intended to take inspiration from Seo Heemin’s method—stealing money from Ms. Ahn.

He could have refined the plan, covered all loopholes, and made it a perfect escape.

But he was escaping to be caught.

The more obvious his movements, the better.

If he completely disappeared without a trace and suddenly reappeared, someone as suspicious as Cha Iheon might think it was all part of a greater scheme. It needed to look reckless and impulsive—something thoughtless, something childish.

If he hesitated or tried too hard to be careful, he would end up like Seo Heemin—dragged back and shackled.

Literally, in chains. @@novelbin@@

"When are you coming back today?"

Standing by the entrance, Heemin watched as Iheon put on his shoes before heading out.

"Around three."

That was definitely not three in the afternoon.

If he was saying he’d return at three in the morning, that meant today’s work was related to his real job—the syndicate.

"Can’t you come back earlier? I’m bored. I’m sick of reading books and watching TV."

Heemin whined in a way that wasn’t typical for him. Iheon glanced at him briefly before responding coldly.

"If you’re bored, draw something."

"I’m not good at drawing..."

"If you’re not good at it, then who is?"

"Another Seo Heemin besides me."

The only time he had ever drawn was during art class in school. A teacher had once suggested he pursue it more seriously since he had talent, but with his family’s financial situation, going to an art school had never been an option.

He didn’t even know how to properly hold a drawing pencil. There was no way he could express emotions through lines, shapes, and colors the way Seo Heemin had. At best, he could probably trace a cartoon character.

Deliberately bringing up Seo Heemin made Iheon’s eyes narrow.

He looked at Heemin like he was sick of hearing this split-personality nonsense again.