Cozy Obsession

Given Chairman Yoon’s personality and tastes, it seemed better to choose a painting with dynamic brushstrokes rather than a soft, delicate one that might stir the emotions. The thought of selecting a gift reignited Heemin’s excitement. As he confidently ascended the stairs to the loft, Yiheon followed behind with a sigh.“By the way, when did you come here?” Heemin suddenly remembered a question he had meant to ask and stopped to look back at him.“A little while ago.”“When exactly?”“Why are you interrogating me like this?”Yiheon’s reaction was unusually curt. Instead of simply answering, his face immediately stiffened, and he changed the subject, which struck Heemin as odd. Maybe it was because he was looking at him from an angle he didn’t usually see, but the unrefined emotions hidden within Yiheon’s normally expressionless face were more apparent than ever.He was clearly feeling uncomfortable. The eyes beneath his lowered lashes were nervously shifting, as if he was hiding something.Could it be that he had come here intending to deal with Do Junyoung?Now that Heemin thought about it, on the day of the inauguration, Junyoung had barged into the president’s office without permission. While Junyoung had avoided coming to this place out of pride, he had a personality that couldn’t rest without giving back more than he received. It was possible that Yiheon had acted similarly.“If you don’t want to tell me, then forget it. I was just curious.”Now that things were more or less settled with Junyoung, questioning the purpose of Yiheon’s visit might only lead to an argument. Junyoung had even asked Yiheon if he came to mess with him rather than to fight. Even if Yiheon had come with ulterior motives, it didn’t seem like he had used his fists.Heemin resumed climbing the stairs, reaching the top of the loft. Despite being a loft, the ceiling was high enough to stand comfortably and look around.The workspace on the lower floor was somewhat cluttered with various materials and art supplies, but the loft was different. Several paintings hung on freshly painted white walls, and a shelf in the corner neatly displayed canvases of various sizes.It was a space designed solely for appreciating art, free from any distractions. Heemin walked to the end of the wall and turned on a switch. As the white track lights clicked on, the space felt like a gallery.His heart pounded in his chest. Although he had never visited an art exhibition, having spent most of his time reading at home, the scene before him felt strangely familiar, as if he had returned to a moment in a past life.Lost in this odd sense of déjà vu, Heemin stared blankly at a painting on the wall when Yiheon came closer and stood beside him.“It was sometime last week. I came here because I had questions about the accounting fraud allegations.”Heemin turned to look at him. The trembling in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a calm gaze.It didn’t seem like he was lying. But for some reason, it felt as if Yiheon was only revealing part of the truth, as if he was deliberately hiding the rest. When Heemin showed a noncommittal expression, Yiheon added another reason for his visit.“There are too many eyes and ears at the office.”“…Oh.”“I was just worried. I hoped it wasn’t something that involved you.”“It couldn’t be. Everything was Kwak Yoonseong’s doing.”“I know. You’re the victim here.”It seemed that Yiheon had gone to some lengths to understand the situation. Although Heemin wasn’t sure how much he had uncovered.“I’m still not sure if involving you in the company’s affairs is the right thing to do.”After pausing to carefully choose his words, Yiheon continued.“But this time will be different.”For some reason, the phrase “this time” carried a significant weight. His black eyes sparkled with a mysterious light.“What do you mean by that?”“I mean, you have the right to seek revenge too.”Revenge.While Yiheon’s idea of revenge might be more brutal and destructive, Heemin agreed that “Seo Heemin” deserved the right to wield the sword.By killing Seo Jaehan, Kwak Yoonseong had further tangled an already knotted thread. Heemin couldn’t forgive Kwak Yoonseong for trying to use his adopted son as a tool again, even when he should have been reflecting on his crimes.So Heemin wanted to punish Kwak Yoonseong on behalf of “Seo Heemin.” The most dreadful punishment for someone like Kwak Yoonseong, who desired to live a life of adulation from others, would be to see his empire crumble.“What about that one?”Heemin pointed to an abstract painting that reminded him of a calm sea after a storm. It was the one that had caught his eye as soon as he ascended to the loft.After banishing Kwak Yoonseong overseas and destroying Shin Seungbum’s organization, Heemin knew Yiheon would ask—no, demand—to leave the organization.On that day, the day when Yiheon would finally break free from the past, which had been filled with anger and resentment, Heemin hoped that the painting would provide some peace.Hopefully, Chairman Yoon would keep his promise, for Heemin’s sake.“Alright, let’s go with that one.”Even though he had initially suggested picking something random, Yiheon quietly nodded. It seemed that Heemin had chosen well to match Chairman Yoon’s taste. Smiling brightly, Heemin took down the painting from the center of the wall.“Are you ready?”“Almost. I’ll be right out.”He wiped his mouth with a towel and checked himself in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. Instead of the casually dressed man with a natural hairstyle who had been with him earlier, there stood a man in a sharp suit and slicked-back hair in front of the entrance.Seeing him so perfectly armored in his suit made Heemin’s hands tremble with nervousness. The determination that welled up inside him now felt even more intense than when he had brought homemade kimbap to the office.“Hello, Secretary Jung.”Yiheon greeted Secretary Jung, who stood like a shadow behind him. Although he didn’t show it, Jung must have been quite exhausted from taking care of Kwak Yoonseong for the past week. He probably spent every day chain-smoking, anxiously waiting for Yiheon to return.“Hello, Mr. Heemin,” Secretary Jung greeted Heemin politely, bowing his head as he retrieved something from his jacket’s inner pocket. He handed it to Yiheon and then quietly stepped back, erasing his presence between the two.Curious, Heemin glanced sideways at what was in his palm. Yiheon handed him a small round piece of plastic, about the size of a thumbnail.“It’s a bug. Keep it in your pocket.”“This is a bug? Wow. That’s amazing.”It looked like an ordinary button, but on closer inspection, there was a power button on the side, and a charging connector and receiver on the back.“Spending time with gangsters, I’m getting my hands on things like this too.”Heemin had acquired a secret weapon, something he’d never encounter or touch in real life. He wondered if he’d end up with gadgets like a wristwatch tranquilizer gun, tracking glasses, or a voice modulator bow tie, like in a detective movie. The thought made him smile.Examining the bug closely, Heemin pressed the button to test it. A red light blinked on, indicating power, then quickly went out.“Testing, testing, bug device test. This is secret agent Seo Heemin from the NIS. Mission: Locate the ledger hidden by Kwak Yoonseong, director of Shinwon Cement.”Heimin was having fun pretending to be a secret agent from a movie when he noticed Yiheon giving him a narrowed-eyed look, as if to say, “What are you doing?”“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to try. Haha,” Heimin laughed awkwardly and turned off the device. Judging by Yiheon’s still stern expression, maybe he should’ve pretended to be a spy for a criminal organization instead of a government agent.After all, he had just playfully imitated an investigation agent in front of a high-ranking executive of a crime organization, which was probably not the best idea. Especially with Secretary Jung and Ms. Ahn watching.“It’s not a toy for you to mess around with. Be careful not to get caught.”“Got it. I will,” Heemin said, his voice unusually serious as he shoved the bug into his pants pocket. Ever since he started interfering with the original plot, unpredictable situations had been arising. He needed to stay sharp and respond accordingly.“Here, take this.”“What’s this now?”“The key to Kwak Yoonseong’s desk drawer.”Heimin’s heart pounded as he saw the copied key. If he timed it right, he could open the drawer and retrieve the ledger while Kwak Yoonseong was away, and finally put an end to “Seo Heemin’s” revenge.The day he’d return home and part ways with Yiheon wasn’t far off. He felt both a strong sense of responsibility to succeed for Yiheon’s sake and a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving.The exhaustion from the journey hadn’t even worn off, and already he had to prepare for their farewell. His nose tingled with emotion as he gripped the key tightly. The sharp, serrated edges dug painfully into his palm.“According to Secretary Jung, Kwak Yoonseong is extremely cautious. He checks the hallway CCTV every day to see who’s been in the office. It seems he doesn’t even trust his direct secretary enough to leave his bag with him,” Yiheon said, furrowing his brow. Heimin had thought Yiheon might have already found the ledger if he had gone to the trouble of copying the key, but it seemed all he had managed to get was the desk drawer key.The fact that Kwak Yoonseong still insisted on using a handwritten ledger was due to his distrustful nature. He didn’t trust anyone or anything except himself. Even Shin Seungbeom, with whom he was once close, was ultimately just someone to be used. Of course, Shin Seungbeom was no different.“So, you need me to help get the ledger without arousing suspicion?”Kwak Yoonseong himself had asked for Heemin’s help. He might be wary of others, but he would let his guard down around “Seo Heemin.” Even on a scorching day, he had let Heemin into his office without much suspicion.Kwak Yoonseong would never imagine that “Seo Heemin,” who had no skills beyond drawing, knew about the ledger’s existence and everything that was going on. Heimin planned to exploit that gap to succeed.“You don’t have to take the ledger yourself. Just confirm its existence.”“For you?”“No. For a prosecutor I know. I’ll hand over photos of the ledger, along with evidence of the accounting fraud, to the prosecution.”In other words, it wouldn’t be Heemin or Yiheon who would seize the crucial evidence of embezzlement—the ledger—but the prosecutor who would come in with a search and seizure warrant.Heimin remembered that Yiheon had told Chairman Yoon they just had to sit and wait for the investigation to proceed. It seemed this was his plan to avoid getting Heemin, who had no real ties to the organization, caught up in the mess.He had intended to steal the ledger and hand it over to Yiheon, even if it meant incurring Kwak Yoonseong’s wrath. But this method was definitely a cleaner solution. The sudden appearance of the hitman had actually turned into an opportunity.Still, there didn’t seem to be much for Heemin to do upfront, which left him feeling a bit disappointed. Seeing this, Yiheon softened his tone and said,“On the day the prosecution comes for the raid, pretend to help and make sure Kwak Yoonseong doesn’t escape. Only you can do that, Seo Heemin.”Only you can do it.The words, deeply rooted in trust, fortified his resolve. The dark clouds that had been hanging over his heart cleared, and sunlight poured in. He was overjoyed to know he wasn’t useless to Yiheon.“When will they come?”“They need to get the warrant first, so… maybe in about a week?”“Then we can go on a date at the office for a week?”Heimin asked with a flushed face. Taking photos wouldn’t be too difficult, so while the prosecution carried out the investigation, he thought he could enjoy the time he’d gain in the meantime.When else would he get to spend a full twenty-four hours by Yiheon’s side?He had greeted the morning, determined to embrace every breathless moment, no matter how overwhelming. It felt like the journey he thought had ended was being extended by a few more days.“…Office romance, huh.”“Huh? We’re dating?”He asked, smiling blandly, as Yiheon muttered to himself. Immediately, Secretary Jung and Ms. Ahn’s eyes were on Yiheon. Noticing their reactions, Yiheon furrowed his brow, looking uncomfortable.“Oh. You meant fake dating in front of the employees. Yeah, I guess you haven’t even told me you like me, so I almost misunderstood. We’re not anything, after all.”Heimin deliberately pouted, showing his disappointment. But instead of feeling sorry, Yiheon suddenly turned his back with a look of deep dissatisfaction.“Secretary Jeong.”“Yes, President.”“Time to go to work.”At Yiheon’s words, Secretary Jeong went to the front door and opened it. Seeing his clearly sulking expression, Heemin felt flustered and quickly slipped his feet into his shoes.‘What’s going on? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’It seemed that he got upset because I firmly stated in front of Secretary Jeong and Ms. Ahn that we weren’t in any sort of relationship. Even though I should be the one angry for being tested despite my sincere confession.Anyway, he really is a person with a heart as small as a soy sauce dish.When I get home, I must add this to the list of ‘Characteristics of the Obsessed Maniac Cha Yiheon’ as number 15: ‘Petty like a small dish of soy sauce’ next to ‘heart the size of a naengmyeon bowl X, soy sauce dish O.’“I’m off, Auntie.”[Take care. Make sure to eat lunch properly.]“Yes, I will.”Heemin quickly walked out into the hallway and stood beside Yiheon, who was waiting for the elevator. Leaning slightly against him and teasing him, Yiheon, who had been staring at the floor number display, quietly opened his mouth.“You.”“What?”“How were you planning to find the ledger without a key?”“Oh, well, it’s an office, so I thought there might be a paper clip or something. I figured I could straighten it out and fiddle with it until the lock opened.”In truth, I had rushed to Kwak Yoonseong without thinking, driven by a sense of urgency as if something were chasing me. I even thought about forcibly taking the bag with the ledger if it came to that.Yiheon clicked his tongue, seemingly exasperated by the thoughtless and playful answer.“Ha, really. They say only someone who’s stolen before knows how to steal. What do you think you could do, having never stolen anything?”“I have stolen before. Last time when I went to the hospital alone, I took 100,000 won from Auntie’s wallet for taxi fare….”“And you’re proud of that?”“…No.”I was just telling the truth, but he shot me a disapproving look. Realizing it wasn’t something to boast about, I pressed my lips together and lowered my head. I ended up getting scolded without even recovering my losses for babbling on.Ding―While we waited quietly, the elevator arrived. Heemin, who had been hesitating, quickly linked his arm with Yiheon’s as he waited for the doors to fully open. It was a trick my older sisters often used on me whenever they wanted to smooth things over.“We’re going on a date, right? I just wanted to get into the mood.”“….”“Do you not want to go on a date with me at the office?”I looked up at him, hugging his arm tightly. After a moment of silence, he started walking while still linking arms with me, as if telling me to do as I pleased.Despite pretending not to, it seemed like he liked going to the office together. His lips were subtly curving upwards, after all.* * *“Have you arrived?”I was sitting on the sofa in Yiheon’s office, eating a snack given to me by an employee. It was almost 9 o’clock when Kwak Yoonseong finally appeared in the president’s office.“You’ve arrived, Father?”“You came to help your dad with work too, Heemin?”“We made a promise, didn’t we? It must have been tough for you all this time. I’ll help out from now on.”“Are you feeling okay?”“Yes. After getting some good rest, I’m much better.”The bag with the ledger came clearly into view. As I scanned the glossy leather texture with my eyes, I placed the wrapper of the L___ brownie I was holding on the table. Kwak Yoonseong tilted his head slightly, noticing the unusual appetite that was unlike ‘Seo Heemin.’ Sensing this, Yiheon quickly spoke up.“Thank you for all your hard work in my absence. Everything has been handled perfectly. As expected of Director Kwak.”“It’s my company—no, our company’s business, so of course I had to be attentive. President Cha, you also did well taking care of Heemin.”My company.It seemed he quite enjoyed playing king for the past week. He unconsciously revealed his true feelings, hidden behind a mask all this time.With a slightly twisted feeling inside, I smiled innocently and extended my hand. Pretending to be someone eager to help out.“Father, give me the bag. I’ll carry it for you.”“Hey, the director’s office is right through that door. No need to carry it. Let’s just go in.”He was smiling, but I could see the tension in his hand gripping the handle. Heemin gave Yiheon a signal to watch, then turned on the listening device and followed Kwak Yoonseong into the director’s office.“Heemin.”“Yes, Father?”As I watched Kwak Yoonseong put the bag into the drawer, I approached him closely. Glancing towards the president’s office, he asked me in a nauseatingly smooth voice.“How interested are you in the company’s business?”“What do you mean, how far…?”“After working alone for a week, I realized that maybe you should start taking management lessons and keep art as a hobby.”“Management lessons?”“President Cha has other places that require his attention besides here, doesn’t he?”It was a significant statement. Pretending to worry about Yiheon, who is busy with both organization work and running two companies, he was clearly trying to use ‘Seo Heemin’ to take over the company.“If you take charge here, President Cha can focus on other companies. Wouldn’t that be better for him?”“….”“There’s an executive meeting at 10 o’clock. Now that HIT is over and you seem to be in good condition, why don’t you join me? I’ll introduce you to everyone one by one since you couldn’t last time.”He heard that a meeting with the executives from the headquarters, the research lab director, and the factory manager was scheduled for this morning. He had planned to take photos of the ledger and send them to Yiheon while Kwak Yoonseong was away, but the plan had fallen apart.‘Oh no, what should he do?’Today wasn’t the only chance, but he didn’t know when another opportunity like this might come again. Kwak Yoonseong rarely left his seat unless it was for something important, and that’s why even Secretary Jeong had a hard time copying the drawer key.If he insisted on staying behind, it would raise suspicion.His mission wasn’t just to confirm the existence of the ledger; he also needed to keep Kwak Yoonseong occupied until the prosecution raided the company.To do that, he had to somehow earn his trust. He couldn’t risk getting on his bad side right from the start. If Kwak Yoonseong told him there was no need to help anymore and sent him away, it would be a disaster.He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. The wiretap in his pocket brushed against his fingertips. Thinking of Yiheon, who would be listening to this conversation, Heemin slowly opened his mouth.“I’ll do as you said, Father. I’ll attend the meeting too.”Kwak Yoonseong, perhaps surprised at how easily he had agreed, asked again with a pleased expression.“Really? You’re really going to take management lessons under me?”“Because of me, Junyoung Sunbae had to leave the company, so I don’t want to cause any more trouble. And I want to make things easier for Yiheon too.”“Wait. Chief Do is quitting the company?”Kwak Yoonseong’s eyes widened at the sudden news.“Yes. It seems he’s resigning to take responsibility for all the mistakes.”“Really? Well, in work, things like this and that can happen, but quitting because of a sense of responsibility… I used to think Chief Do would make a great partner for you, but that’s unfortunate.”“I have Yiheon.”Even though he deeply resented Do Junyoung for almost getting him demoted, Heemin lied effortlessly.Kwak Yoonseong’s pretense of concern, while he was clearly hiding his true intentions, felt utterly repulsive to Heemin, but he showed no sign of it and continued the conversation as if nothing was wrong.