âIâm going out. So, donât try anything ridiculous.â
Lee Wooyeon said as he walked out the front door. Lee Wooyeon declared that he would not let him go outside until Inseop gave an answer. And he was true to his words.
Inseop still did not get his clothes back from him and was living covered in a sheet. In the dressing room where Lee Wooyeonâs clothes were kept, he called a worker to take the hinge down and replaced it with an iron door. It was a door that wouldnât budge even if he tried to knock it down for hundreds of days with a hammer.
It was the third day. Inseop was persevering.
When a tiger gets tired of playing with its prey, it would bite and kill it, and if it was hungry, it would eat it, but it was clear that it would never let it go. Thatâs why one should never participate in their game.
Except for the lack of clothes and the lack of freedom, there was no inconvenience in living in Lee Wooyeonâs house. Due to his busy schedule, Lee Wooyeon was almost always away from home, and Inseop just stayed back alone at the house.
The biggest problem was that he hadnât called his parents for four days. He had promised to call them once every three days no matter what so that they would not worry. Even if it was through the Internet, he would have written an email, but Lee Wooyeon cut off his communication with the outside world altogether. He even left his computer in the dressing room.
Inseop put the sheet on and laid down on the sofa. He was hungry, but he didnât even want to eat anything, and he was just dazed. Lee Wooyeon did not curse or hit him like he did that day. Sometimes his tone was wild, but it was almost the same as before. There were times when he was kind enough that he would forget that Lee Wooyeon was a scary person.
ââŚJennieâŚÂ â
Inseop closed his eyes and called out Jennieâs name.
After that fight that day, he didnât talk to Jennie. Every night Jennie would come to his window, throw stones and call Peterâs name, but he pretended not to hear. The words she said to him were unforgivable. There were some sharp truths that he did not want to admit in those words, so he could not accept her apology even more. They were the facts that he had been neglecting, and he had to acknowledge them if he accepted Jennieâs apologies.
As Peter continued to turn away, she began to write letters. At first, it was a plain message asking for forgiveness, but it became more and more harsh. She claimed that all of this was a gimmick of Philip and that he was a poor man who fell for it. He ignored the letter. Jennie, who was rejected, dismissed it as a lie. Her last letter to him was also full of cursing and swearing at Philip.
And after receiving the last letter, two days later, Jennie committed suicide. Her mother found her dead, hanging by the doorknob of her room, and reported it to the police. She chose this method in the end because no one believed her words, thatâs what she said in her suicide note.
He heard the news when he woke up in the hospital room after successfully undergoing a major surgery that lasted 13 hours. Sadness preceded the joy of living. For him, it was like the sky was falling. When his mother broke the sad news to him, he cried out that he would rather have died with Jennie. In fact, his heart had stopped due to shock during the operation. But miraculously, his heartbeat returned and he was able to be where he is now. And he heard Jennieâs last words to him.
As a side note at the end of the will, she wrote that she should give her heart to Peter. He guessed that was why his heart stopped beating and it started beating again because Jennie gave him her heart, it was because of Jennie that he was brought back to life. So his mother requested him not to ever say that again. His mother took his hand and wept profusely. He cried too. He kept crying until the doctor gave him a sedative and he fell asleep.
When he returned home from the hospital, someone came to see him. A woman in a shabby outfit introduced herself as Jennieâs aunt. Aunt Spencer. She was the one who Jennie always spoke of. Saying she couldnât attend Jennieâs funeral because she had been on a trip to Africa, she handed Jennieâs diary to him with tears in her eyes. After saying she wanted him to keep it and she wouldâve liked it that way, Aunt Spencer left in an old navy blue wagon. He returned to his room and opened the diary. There, Jennieâs daily life was written with a hard-to-recognize handwriting. Things about a prince, a fight with her mother, a story about being bullied at school, etc. It was a series of contents that contained words like her wanting to die, wanting to kill, and again, wanting to die.
The only happy reality in it was her time spent with Peter. It was written at the end of the diary.
âIf Peter would trust me again, I could do anything.â
He realized that she had fallen into despair because he had let go of her hand. So he lost Jennie.
Choi Inseop pressed the corners of his eyes with his palm. Tears welled up just thinking about the past.
Jennie wrote a diary which was full of curses towards Philip. Even on the days she talked about the princeâs kindness towards her, she wrote in her diary about Philip ignoring her and tormenting her. At first he didnât believe Jennieâs diary. However, as time passed, it became difficult to ignore her loneliness. Every time Jennie wrote something about Philip, she poured love and curses on him. She said that Phillip was tormenting her, and that the only way out of this suffering was to kill him. In the diary, she wrote on the last day that she was apologetic towards Peter, that if he would believe her, and that Philip had tormented her, so she asked him to take her revenge. Whether it was true or not was a fact only Jennie knew.
Since she passed away with the truth, there was nothing he could do but believe in it.
But he could do nothing.
Inseop covered his face with his palms. His lack of power was the same then and now. He was the same as before, naked and sprawled out with no strength at all.
What the hell did he do? What did he do? He believed Jennieâs words, and after coming here, he only harmed other people.
âHaâŚÂ reallyâŚâ
He thought it was amazing and he laughed out loud. If he told anyone about this, it was obvious that they would only laugh at how stupid his revenge is.
âJennieâŚÂ I came here to get revenge⌠But I got caught.â
As he spoke, he became even more miserable. He worked hard to sharpen the blade of revenge and ran to kill the monster, but he couldnât even use it properly and the knife was taken away and he turned into the monsterâs hostage. Even worse, he was so moved by the terrifying monster that after he tried to find his weakness, he just tried to return home.
If someone made this into a childrenâs book and sold it, even if they sold it for 100 won a book, they wonât be able to sell even five. How in the world can there be a story like this?
Inseop covered himself with the sheets all the way to the top of his head and constantly blamed himself. Then, as soon as he closed his eyes for a moment, it was as if he had fallen asleep. When he woke up to the sound of the door opening in his sleep, he heard a gentle sigh of a man from the bedside.
âIâm amazed.â
That was understandable. Obviously, the two of them were having a fight right now, but when he got home, he found that the other person was sleeping on the sofa with only a sheet on.
Inseop pretended to be asleep and waited for Lee Wooyeon to leave. He heard the sound of the heavy door of the dressing room being opened to change clothes. Inseop thought about getting up and running into the dress room and stealing any clothes and leaving, but he was afraid of the consequences.
No, obviously he wouldnât even be able to run a few steps, as he would be grabbed by his hair and dragged around, and this time he would be locked up in the dressing room.
Taking a deep breath, Inseop erased his brief dream of escaping. After changing all the clothes, Lee Wooyeon came out to the living room. Contrary to Inseopâs expectation that he would take water from the refrigerator and go inside, Lee Wooyeon walked back to the sofa. Then he lifted Inseop while holding the sheet.
Choi Inseop screamed inwardly. Still, whenever Lee Wooyeonâs fingertips touched his body, he got chills and goosebumps. He wanted to avoid being held in his arms like this. But from the beginning, he pretended to be sleeping, so he struggled and couldnât get out.
Lee Wooyeon threw Inseop on the bed. Feeling the presence of him lying next to him, Inseop tensed up inside the bed.
âGood night.â
The light in the room went out. Inseop breathlessly waited for the man lying next to him to fall asleep. Soon, the sound of Lee Wooyeonâs breathing evened out.
He lowered the sheet slightly with his fingertips, and Inseop looked to the side. Lee Wooyeonâe eyes were closed and he was asleep. Inseop slowly got down from the bed.
Lee Wooyeon put down his cell phoneâŚ
ââŚÂ âŚÂ !â
Inseop found Lee Wooyeonâs cell phone near the table, and ran quickly to grab it. Once he calls his parents, tell them all is well⌠He wasnât, but he had to tell them not to worry.
He quickly dialed the number and Inseop crouched, covering the phone with his hand. After ringing five or six times, he heard his motherâs voice saying âHelloâ.
<Itâs me, Peter.>
<Peter? Where are you? I couldnât even call you. You said youâll come yesterday but there was no contact. What the hell happened?>
As expected, his mother asked questions in a worried voice. Inseop silenced his voice as much as possible and whispered.
<Something happened, but Iâll be back soon.>
<What? I canât hear clearly. Peter, speak out loud.>
<Some workâŚÂ !>
The phone swung over his head.
<I donât think I will be able to come back for a while because I have some work at the company. Please understand. Iâll hang up now.>
After finishing the call in fluent English, Lee Wooyeon pressed the power button of the cell phone and threw it on the sofa. Inseop looked at Lee Wooyeon with a look as if he had seen a ghost.
âŚÂ No, he was more afraid of Lee Wooyeon than a ghost right now.
When did he come out? He couldnât even hear his footstepsâŚ
âI think I said no calls.â
âUh, I have to call my mother once every three days. I promised.â
âWhat does that have to do with me?â
ââŚÂ Lee Wooyeon also has a mother, so can you try to understand?â
As a last resort, he tried to explain using âmothersâ that everyone has.
âI havenât talked to my mom on the phone for, letâs see, more than four or five years?â
ââŚâ
He was someone whose emotions did not work. Inseop quelled his despair and fixed the sheet.
âDonât be such a virgin. I wonât be excited by your naked body.â
ââŚÂ !â
Inseop bowed his head as his ears grew bright red. A strange smile spread across Lee Wooyeonâs lips when he saw it.
âWhat? Are you really a virgin? Havenât you done anything?â
ââŚÂ â
âIt looks like youâve been living as a virgin until now because you want to try it with me.â
âOh, noâŚÂ â
He didnât live as a virgin because he wanted to try with Lee Wooyeon. He had been living with his virginity because he had never been on a date with anyone because he was not popular.
âMr. Inseop, which part of me do you like so much?â
ââŚâ
Inseop pursed his lips and turned his head to the side. Lee Wooyeon reached out and forced his head towards him.
âWhich part of me do you like?â
A fierce chill flashed in Lee Wooyeonâs smiling eyes.
Desperate to answer just anything, Inseop replied that he liked his shoulders.
âWhy?â
ââŚItâs broad.â
âAh, so the last timeâŚâ
Lee Wooyeon smiled brightly as he recalled pleasant memories and continued.
âWould you like me to put it in?â
âââ!â
âItâs a shame. If you were a woman, I would have put it in at least once.â
âNo, no, no way.â
He wanted to avoid this kind of atmosphere. Inseop grabbed the sheet and walked to the sofa. However, Lee Wooyeon persistently followed.
âHave you ever thought of me?â
âââ!â
âWhat did you imagine?â
âAh, I donât. Itâs not like that.â
He shook his head resolutely, but Lee Wooyeon did not listen.
âDid you imagine me putting it in your back? Thinking like that, you will satisfy your desires alone, right?â
Inseop, who sat in the corner of the sofa, covered the sheets all the way to the top of his head and expressed that he did not want to talk any more. Lee Wooyeon grabbed the sheet. Choi Inseop tried his best to hold on, but because he was someone he could not overpower, the sheet was quickly taken away by Lee Wooyeon.
Inseop, who had become naked, floundered like a drowning person and tried to cover himself with the hem of the sheet. Lee Wooyeon gently pushed him away and said,
âAnswer me. Then I will give it to you.â
âAh, I donât. I donât think like that, I donât.â
âWhy not? You said you like me so much.â
It was peaceful for three days, so Inseop thought that Lee Wooyeon was protecting his last pride. He was just now realizing that it was a huge mistake.
âYou donât mean to say that you have a platonic love at this age, do you? Well, is that it? Even then, you sucked my dick very nicely.â
Lee Wooyeon said vulgar words casually. His voice was so sweet and supple that it felt unrealistic because of the large gap between the content and the voice.
âSorry. This is because I woke up in a very bad mood because of Inseop.â
It was a voice that was not at all sorry.
âIâm sorryâŚâ
âItâs annoying because I canât even bring a woman home.â
âThen just let me goâŚâ
âDamn it, shut your mouth when I say something nice.â
Lee Wooyeon threw the sheet he was holding on the floor. Inseop shrugged and moved his body to the corner of the sofa.
âHow can I trust you and just let you go?â
ââŚWell, then, how will you trust me and use me as a manager again?â
He was afraid to die, but he had to say it.
âSo Iâm asking you to believe me.â
ââŚâ
âConvince me that what you say is true. By any means.â
âWhyâŚWhy are you saying that? I am⌠Lee Wooyeon âŚÂ I like youâŚÂ if you believe thatâŚÂ what will⌠change?â
In a crying voice, Inseop asked a question that had been in his mind for days. Lee Wooyeon said, âWell,â and sat down next to Inseop. Inseop was so nervous that whenever Lee Wooyeon moved, his heart sank.
âWhat will change?â
Lee Wooyeon mumbled, talking to himself with a terrifying expression on his face.
ââŚÂ â
Thatâs what he just asked.
An unhappy cry echoed in Inseopâs chest.
Lee Wooyeon, sitting next to him, stared at Inseop and repeated âwhat would be differentâ. Because he was really curious about it, Inseop was more frustrated because he didnât know what Lee Wooyeon was thinking.
Sitting with his back on the sofa, Lee Wooyeon was immersed in thought for a long time. Eventually, he looked at Inseop with his soft smile restored and said,
âIâm curious to see what will change, so letâs find out.â
***
When Lee Wooyeon took Choi Inseop to the office, the expressions on the faces of CEO Kim and Manager Cha were that of astonishment. Manager Cha grabbed Inseopâs arm and asked if he was okay, if there were any injuries, and what happened. As Inseop was hesitating because he could not answer, this time CEO Kim ran in and grabbed Inseopâs hand and questioned him like a rapid-fire cannon. What happened to you and Kim Haeshin, why did you suddenly quit your job and contact Kim Haeshin, tell me what happened in the meantime, etc.
In the end, the question baptism ended only after Lee Wooyeon led CEO Kim into the representative room. When it was just the two of them standing outside the office, Manager Cha cautiously opened his mouth.
âWhatâs the matter?â
ââŚÂ Iâm sorry.â
âStill, looking at your faceâŚÂ I donât think itâs the worst.â
Manager Cha was muttering to himself, and he lowered his head, unable to say what he wanted to say: Itâs not inseop, this is the worst.
âInseop, do you know whatâs going on?â
â âŚRoughly.â
âI kept calling, but your phone was turned off. I was worried.â
âI knowâŚÂ Iâm sorry.â
Inseop had not seen his cell phone since that day, so he had nothing to say.
After a momentâs hesitation, the manager lowered his voice and whispered.
âIâm from the same agency, so itâs a bit awkward to say things like this, but Mr. InseopâŚÂ I prefer not to have anything to do with Lee Wooyeon.â
ââŚÂ Yes.â
âIâm sorry. It looks like Iâm already involved.â.
âLee Wooyeon, somehow, has a good image and is good at acting, and thatâs⌠SoâŚÂ Inseop. Run away.â
Before Cha could finish his last meaningful words, the door to the representative office opened and Lee Wooyeon exclaimed in a bright voice.
âMr. Choi Inseop. Come and sign the contract. Hurry up.â
ââŚ.â
ââŚâ
Manager Cha and Inseop stared at each otherâs faces without saying a word. There was a lot of comfort and sorrow in those silent gazes.
After signing the contract in the representative office, the people in the office congratulated Inseop. âCongrats on coming back, why did you quit, youâre back, so letâs do our best in the future.â
Receiving the congratulatory words, Inseop answered their greetings with a smile, not wanting to cause them worry. The female employee in charge of the schedule handed Inseop Lee Wooyeonâs schedule and a rough plan for one month.
âThe details will come down once a week. Even if I donât explain it, youâll know.â
ââŚÂ Yes. Thank you.â
Inseop took the paper with a depressed face and put it in his pocket.
âArenât you going to write it down in your notebook?â
âExcuse me?â
âYou always wrote down everything I said in your notebook. When I saw that, I thought Inseop was very cute. Itâs like seeing my son, who is an elementary school student, going to school and writing down every word.â
âAh, yesâŚÂ âŚÂ A, a good son.â
Inseop smiled awkwardly and shook his head. The notebook, along with his passport, was buried deep in Lee Wooyeonâs safe. Maybe he didnât see the picture in the notebook, so Lee Wooyeon didnât say a word about it. It was a fortune out of misfortune. No, the misfortune was too great for it to be called a fortune.
As he stood in front of the elevator door and waited for the elevator to arrive, Lee Wooyeon quietly whispered to him
âLaugh a little.â
ââŚâ
âLike a dog brought to the slaughterhouse, what is it? Am I forcibly dragging you, Mr. Inseop? Thatâs not it.â
As if he was saying âI feel a little bad, but do you want to go get some fresh air?â Lee Wooyeon told Inseop to persuade him because he was curious about the results.
It was absurd, Choi Inseop protested, asking what the heck that meant. He said he was wrong, but âŚÂ he wanted take revenge for what he did to his friendâŚÂ he even said he did this because he like Lee Wooyeon, but if he says he wonât believe him anyway, at this point, he was just trying to harass him.
Of course, all these words were barely said, his voice trembling, sounding like an ant was crawling out of his mouth. Lee Wooyeon, who nodded his head seriously, saying yes, that is it, said as soon as Inseop finished speaking in a weeping voice.
âSo, when will you start working?â
It was an infinite loophole. No matter how much he tried to hold on, Lee Wooyeon only interpreted it as he liked. In the end, he made Choi Inseop reply that he would return to the managerâs job.
The first thing Inseop did when he came out with the underwear and clothes that Lee Wooyeon had bought him was to come to the office and sign the contract.
Looking at CEO Kimâs pale face in a few days, Inseop could only guess how much heartache he had suffered. CEO Kim watched Inseop signing the contract with a complicated expression. He didnât like having someone who left once, who seemed to be having a difficult time, as Lee Wooyeonâs manager again, but above all, the fact that Lee Wooyeon came back with Inseop made him very uncomfortable.
Of course, the most uncomfortable and worst among them was Choi Inseop. While he promised Jennie to get revenge, he was in a situation where he would be eaten by Lee Wooyeon if he made a mistake.
The only comforting thing was the picture in the notebook in Lee Wooyeonâs safe. He didnât do any harm to Lee Wooyeon with the picture, but he thought he could at least make an excuse when he went to see Jennie if he took the picture back.
The biggest problem right now was to release the innocent Choi Inseop by letting the words âI believeââ come out of Lee Wooyeonâs mouth.
Inseop, who sat in the driverâs seat of the van after a long time, took the steering wheel in his hands with a complicated heart. Lee Wooyeon, who came in after him, closed the door and asks.
âWhat about music?â
ââŚÂ Shall I turn it on?â
âYes. Because I like the songs that Inseop has selected for me.â
ââŚÂ âŚÂ .â
Inseop searched the glovebox and took out the CD he had burned. He left it in case he needed it, but manager Cha didnât seem to have touched it. Inseop properly took one out and pushed it into the audio.
After checking the schedule, Inseop asked Lee Wooyeon.
âYou have time, would you like to go home?â
In fact, after taking Lee Wooyeon home, he wanted to go back to his house and clean up the mess. If the owner of the house saw it, he would have kicked him out immediately. Inseop thought it was a good thing that he left the money in his bank account as an emergency fund. Once he handed all the money to the landlord, and entrusted it to repair it, he decided to renew the contract again.
âWhat are you going to do, Mr. Inseop?â
âWhat?â
âWhat are you going to do when I get home?â
ââŚÂ I will go to my house.â
âAmerica?â
Lee Wooyeonâs voice was particularly ferocious.
âNoâŚÂ there. The rooftop room.â
âAh, you donât have to worry about that anymore. Because I took care of everything.â
Lee Wooyeon said as if he had read Inseopâs mind.
âYou dealt with it?â
âI threw away all your luggage and paid for the repairs. Of course, the house will go out to someone else as planned.â
ââŚThen where am I going to live?â
It was like a rant. It was more difficult than picking a star in the sky to find a clean room with such a cheap house price among those close to the company.
âIâll give you a room.â
âItâs fine. I will find a room for myself.â
âHow can I believe Choi Inseop and leave you alone? What are you going to do by yourself?â
ââŚÂ Iâm not going to do anything.â
âI have to trust you to believe you.â
He didnât even have the energy to pursue it anymore. Inseop held the steering wheel with a depressed face and sighed.
ââŚÂ Where would you like to go?â
âALright. I just thought of a place to go.â
Saying that, Lee Wooyeonâs eyes narrowed like a crescent moon. At the same time, anxiety crept into Inseopâs heart.