Light Mr. XX

A delicious smell drifted in from somewhere. The rich aroma of butter and the scent of bread toasting to a golden brown tickled his nose. Kim Min-seok stirred in his sleep and swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. His lips smacked involuntarily.

Smells so good… Smells so good…

Even in his half-asleep state, Kim Min-seok kept murmuring to himself, gulping down his saliva. As he twisted and turned in bed, his mind gradually cleared.

Slowly, he lifted his heavy eyelids and saw an unfamiliar ceiling. As he groggily pushed himself upright and looked around, he finally realized—this wasn’t his tiny one-room apartment.

Right. My body switched.

The realization hit him again, and he took in the modern and stylish bedroom. Then, something else caught his attention. Through the wide-open bedroom door, warm light was spilling in from outside. The sound of dishes clinking together could be heard, and an incredibly delicious aroma wafted into the room.

With a puzzled expression, Kim Min-seok threw off the blanket and stepped off the bed. He carefully softened his footsteps and crept toward the bedroom door, peeking his head out. In the kitchen, a man stood with his back turned, busy with something. Tall, broad shoulders, brown hair… There was no doubt about it—it was Ha Jun-seo.

“Ha Jun-seo-ssi?”

At his quiet call, Ha Jun-seo turned his head and flashed a smile.

“You’re awake? Come have breakfast.”

Ha Jun-seo placed a plate on the dining table as he spoke. On the plate, neatly arranged, were buttered toast, a fluffy omelet, and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Before Kim Min-seok could say a word, Ha Jun-seo pulled out a chair for him, guided him to sit, and poured him a glass of milk.

His mind was still sluggish from just waking up. Staring down at the food on the table, Kim Min-seok slowly began to feel more alert.

“Ha Jun-seo-ssi.”

“Hm?”

“How did you get in?”

Kim Min-seok’s voice carried a hint of wariness. Ha Jun-seo chuckled and gestured toward the living room with his chin.

“The passcode must’ve changed or something because I couldn’t get in. I was wondering what to do when, luckily, Choi Sang-hyuk showed up and opened the door for me.”

Only then did Kim Min-seok turn his gaze toward the living room—and nearly jumped in shock.

Choi Sang-hyuk was lounging in a single-seater sofa, one leg crossed over the other, absorbed in his tablet.

“Choi Sang-hyuk-ssi?”

Kim Min-seok called out in disbelief. Choi Sang-hyuk briefly lifted his gaze from the tablet, locked eyes with him for a moment, then lowered them again. His fingers busily scrolled and tapped on the screen, as if he had no time to spare.

“How did you get in?”

When Kim Min-seok asked, Choi Sang-hyuk replied without even looking up.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to enter a house I bought for you?”

Kim Min-seok frowned at those words. Now that he thought about it, electronic keypads had master keys. No matter how many times the passcode was changed, all it took was that key to unlock the door. Who would’ve thought that Choi Sang-hyuk had actually kept it all this time?

“How petty…”

Kim Min-seok muttered under his breath. Whether his voice was louder than he intended or Choi Sang-hyuk simply had sharp ears, the man in the living room let out a scoff.

“You think this is petty? Do you know how many times Seo Ha-yoon changed the front door code just because he got pissed off?”

Apparently, Seo Ha-yoon also had a habit of frequently changing the passcode. Maybe it was a small relief that only Choi Sang-hyuk had the master key—if Ha Jun-seo had one too, Kim Min-seok would never sleep soundly at night.

“Instead of pulling these pointless stunts, just ring the damn doorbell. That’s what it’s there for.”

Kim Min-seok grumbled loudly enough to make sure they heard.

Just then, his stomach let out a loud growl. It was so loud that even thick-skinned Kim Min-seok felt a little embarrassed. Still, food was food—there was no reason to let it go to waste. He picked up a fork and quickly dug into the breakfast Ha Jun-seo had prepared.

The buttered toast melted in his mouth with a rich, nutty flavor. The omelet was soft and fluffy, and each time he popped a cherry tomato into his mouth, a refreshing tang spread across his tongue. Washing it all down with a cold glass of milk, he felt like he was indulging in a luxurious hotel breakfast.

Once he finished everything on his plate, he tilted his glass back to drain the last drop of milk before finally letting out a satisfied sigh. Sleeping in as much as he wanted and waking up to a warm meal—this was the life. That is, if he could exclude those two men from the equation.

“Thanks for the meal.”

Kim Min-seok got up, intending to take his plate to the sink, but Ha Jun-seo beat him to it. With nothing else to do, he headed to the bathroom to wash up. Splashing cold water on his face and aggressively brushing his teeth, he felt completely refreshed.

Standing in front of the mirror, he stared at the unfamiliar face reflected back at him and took a deep breath, filling his gut with courage. He would definitely need it to deal with those two.

After stepping out of the bathroom, Kim Min-seok entered the walk-in closet and threw on some comfortable clothes. When he came back out, Ha Jun-seo was nowhere to be seen. Only Choi Sang-hyuk remained.

“Where’s Ha Jun-seo?”

He glanced around the living room and kitchen as he asked, and Choi Sang-hyuk replied in an indifferent tone.

“He left.”

“He… left?”

“Yeah.”

“What the hell? Then why did he even come…?”

Kim Min-seok should’ve been relieved that Ha Jun-seo left on his own, but something about him disappearing right after making breakfast felt oddly unsettling. He glanced at the perfectly cleaned dining table and sink before standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

This was the first time he had ever been alone with Choi Sang-hyuk.

Unlike Ha Jun-seo, who, despite being a perverted psycho, was at least easygoing, Choi Sang-hyuk was a man with an inherently intimidating presence. Should he just retreat to the bedroom now? 

Kim Min-seok hesitated, debating whether he should retreat to the bedroom or at least sit in the living room like a proper host since a guest was here.

“Come sit.”

Choi Sang-hyuk called out to him, still focused on his tablet. His tone was commanding, which naturally made Kim Min-seok want to resist, but in the end, he moved over to the sofa and sat down.

Even with Kim Min-seok beside him, Choi Sang-hyuk remained busy tapping away at his tablet. It was only after a while that he finally set it down and lifted his head.

“Seems like you’re busy.”

“Gotta work hard if I want to keep feeding a gold digger.”

“Wait… You’re not seriously calling me a gold digger, are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Kim Min-seok was dumbfounded.

Well… based on what he had heard, Seo Ha-yoon did have some gold digger tendencies. Living off a rich man while recklessly spending money, casually receiving expensive watches and cars as gifts—hell, even the house he lived in was one he didn’t pay for. If that wasn’t a textbook case of a sugar baby, then what was?

“Then why the hell do you keep him around when you know he’s a gold digger? Buying him this ridiculously expensive house, covering his extravagant expenses… Are you some kind of pushover?”

The last part slipped out before he could stop himself. Realizing his mistake too late, Kim Min-seok cautiously checked Choi Sang-hyuk’s reaction.

The man’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly, making it impossible to read his thoughts.

“I mean, that ‘pushover’ thing was just a slip of the tongue—”

“Yeah. I am a pushover. At least when it comes to Seo Ha-yoon, no one’s a bigger fool than me.”

Choi Sang-hyuk admitted it so easily that Kim Min-seok was at a loss for words. Coming from a man who didn’t look like a pushover in the slightest, it was utterly baffling.

“I worked my ass off making money just to spoil him, and what does he do? Runs off with some other bastard. Even after getting caught, he doesn’t even bat an eye, just keeps going on about how I’m the fool. And yet, I don’t lay a hand on him—I still take care of him. So yeah, if that makes me a pushover, then I guess I am one.”

His words should have been full of anger or resentment, but Choi Sang-hyuk spoke in that same low, steady voice of his. Somehow, that made it even more unsettling. Even though Kim Min-seok wasn’t Seo Ha-yoon, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt just from listening to him.

To pour a fortune into providing for someone, only to have them cheat and then feign ignorance when caught… If he were in Choi Sang-hyuk’s shoes, he’d be beyond furious.

“Uh… If I were really Seo Ha-yoon, I think I’d be so ashamed that I’d slam my head against the wall and die. Or at the very least, I’d be on my knees, clutching your pant leg and begging for forgiveness… Though, honestly, I wouldn’t have done that shit in the first place.”

Hmph.

Choi Sang-hyuk let out a soft chuckle, as if amused. It was strange—Kim Min-seok had only ever seen him either scowling or exuding a heavy, serious aura. Hearing even the faintest laugh made him seem a little more… human.

“You actually look like a person when you smile.”

Kim Min-seok muttered without thinking.

The next moment, Choi Sang-hyuk reached out and took Kim Min-seok’s hand. Before he could react, their fingers intertwined, and Choi Sang-hyuk’s fingertips began gently tracing over the soft skin inside his wrist.

The ticklish sensation made Kim Min-seok instinctively shrink his shoulders. He reflexively tried to pull his hand away, but instead, Choi Sang-hyuk only tightened his grip, interlocking their fingers even more firmly.

“It tickles.”

“Stop whining.”

Muttering under his breath, Choi Sang-hyuk suddenly yanked Kim Min-seok’s wrist toward him.

“Ah?!”