“The password…”
Six-digit number input. If it was a number used for something important, it must surely contain meaningful digits…
“His own birthday? Or a family member’s birthday?”
Most people don’t blatantly use numbers related to themselves for financial passwords. But if it was ‘Park Shinui’ with his exceptional self-love, he wouldn’t have thought of numbers unrelated to himself.
“Or… Kang Taejun’s birthday?”
At the thought that suddenly came to mind, he immediately accessed the internet and searched for Kang Taejun’s birthday. With a ‘surely not’ feeling, he pressed the numbers. The result was an instant screen transition.
“It really was.”
To set the bank password as Kang Taejun’s birthday. Park Shinui let out an exasperated breath and looked down at the phone screen.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t incomprehensible. If he was someone with Kang Taejun embedded deep in his daily life, then demanding sex as a guiding condition and holding a party on the night of the Pair Bonding Ceremony might not have been mere calculations. If all of that was sincerity bearing the name of obsession. That made it even more bitter.
“In any sense, he was definitely crazy about Kang Taejun. Amazing. Really.”
However, that wasn’t the only surprising thing. The account balance displayed on the screen caught his gaze. It was an amount he could never get his hands on even if he worked part-time jobs for his entire life.
“…How much is all this?”
Park Shinui lost his words while scrolling the screen with wide-open eyes. At this point, the luxury bags, high-end vehicles, and luxurious travel destination photos overflowing on SNS began to be explained one by one.
“The saying that celebrities earn a lot… was true.”
With this level of income, the sense of spending money would inevitably be different. Park Shinui thought he already knew, but after directly confirming the financial situation, that difference became much clearer. His life of tightening his belt in a cramped studio apartment on the outskirts of Seoul and ‘Park Shinui’s’ life of spending a fortune on a single pair of shoes were heaven and earth apart.
“This is, not even the prince and the pauper.”
Moreover, ‘Park Shinui’ always had people around him. In photos, he was always laughing while mingling with someone, enjoying his life without hesitation. Of course, all those relationships didn’t look normal. Nevertheless, he was strangely envious at least in that he didn’t live enduring time alone like himself. The very fact of being with someone, regardless of the quality of that relationship, was something he’d never obtained in his lifetime.
Park Shinui returned to SNS and began examining one by one the traces of ‘Park Shinui’ remaining in the phone. Though they only shared the same name and were too different from one to ten, he still had no idea why he’d become Park Shinui, but he might have to live under this name for the time being. If so, the more information, the better.
However, the more he got to know him, there was only one conclusion. It was right to abandon the thought of imitating Park Shinui from the start. Their way of living, attitude toward people, and eyes looking at the world were so different that even if he imitated him, it was obvious he’d be caught immediately.
***
After spending the entire day learning about ‘Park Shinui’ as much as possible, Park Shinui was completely exhausted. All he’d done at Kang Taejun’s house was eat, lounge around, and scour the internet, but whether it was because he’d stayed up all night or because of disappointment in the person called ‘Park Shinui,’ he felt both body and mind simultaneously worn out.
“Kang Taejun will be returning soon…”
Park Shinui checked the time on his phone and muttered lowly. The servants still treated him like an invisible person, but according to the butler who was the only one to show his face, Kang Taejun hadn’t been coming home since the day after the Pair Bonding Ceremony.
When he heard those words, Park Shinui thought to himself that was quite fortunate. In the current situation, encountering Kang Taejun wouldn’t wake him from the dream, nor would it solve the problem before his eyes. Moreover, the moment he saw his face, he’d obviously only go on about guiding. Until things were sorted out, it was better not to encounter him. Above all, Park Shinui couldn’t make rational judgments when he was close to Kang Taejun. So instead, he hoped Kang Taejun would be so busy that he’d even forget the promise he’d made about two days.
“…The time has already come to this.”
According to the butler, he was returning today. Not forgetting the second day, even leaving words to wait.
Park Shinui closed his eyes while leaning his back against the wall. Of course, he couldn’t avoid him. He had no intention of avoiding him either. After agonizing all day, there was one conclusion. A novel is the protagonist’s story. For the story to end, the core event of this side story revolving around Kang Taejun must be concluded, and to do that, Park Shinui had no choice but to directly enter that flow. Kang Taejun would be at the center of that event, and ultimately, getting close to him was the most urgent matter for now.
“Haah…”
Nevertheless, as the time for Kang Taejun’s return approached, his heart beat anxiously for no reason and cold sweat formed on his palms. After all, everything happening in this place is just a story, not reality. In a world entirely made of fiction, is there a need to be this disturbed over just meeting a novel’s protagonist?
“It’s time for him to come.”
Resolving the guiding problem within two days was impossible. He didn’t know the method, and even if he knew, two days was too short. Ultimately, the only thing to rely on was Kang Taejun’s humane mercy. If anything was consoling, it was the fact that it had worked once on the night of the Pair Bonding Ceremony. Park Shinui paced around the room while clinging to that slim possibility.
The Espers in the novel were fundamentally beings who accurately recognized their own superiority. However, even among them, Kang Taejun was a figure befitting a protagonist who pitied the weak and knew how to sacrifice. If persuaded well, there was definitely a possibility he’d postpone guiding until a method was found.
“Haah…”
Though his head thought that way, as the time to meet Kang Taejun drew closer, it was inevitable that his tension wouldn’t subside.
Though two days had passed, Park Shinui still vividly remembered what happened on the night of the Pair Bonding Ceremony. How could I forget the moment when my body reacted to Kang Taejun’s hands and nearly reached climax? The sensation of the fingers that pushed deep inside while I was completely stripped naked alone is still this vivid.
So things that he’d considered nothing before now approached him excessively realistically. Starting with the fact that he’d meet Kang Taejun again right away.
Park Shinui let out what must have been his umpteenth sigh and paced around the room anxiously. It would have been nice if he’d woken from the dream while Kang Taejun was away, but for now, he couldn’t even guess when he’d wake up. It wasn’t as if there was a clear answer on how to do guiding either. No matter how much he mulled it over, there was one conclusion.
Unconditionally appealing while relying on Kang Taejun’s humane mercy. Like two days ago, I can only hope that works once more. And after that, he needed to find out what problem Kang Taejun was most worried about or valued most importantly. As things stood, solving together the matter he cared about would be the method most likely to escape from this dream.
“To do that… I need to make Kang Taejun think of my existence as someone worth working with.”
Park Shinui plopped down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. The problem was that the other party loathed him. Recalling Kang Taejun’s attitude on the night of the Pair Bonding Ceremony and Park Shinui’s traces confirmed on the internet, it was obvious there wasn’t even a hair’s breadth of favor. If I only get dragged around passively, this episode won’t end. Ultimately, there was one thing to do. Somehow rebuild the relationship and enter beside Kang Taejun.
Then what was the most urgently needed problem to solve right now?
Guiding.
Ultimately, it was back to square one. No matter how much he racked his brain, there was no hole to escape through.
“How… exactly can that be possible…”
Park Shinui slumped on the bed and clutched his head. If I can’t find a method, the last resort is as Kang Taejun wants… No. Precisely, there’s only the method ‘Park Shinui’ wanted.
Knock, knock, knock.
“The master has returned.”
Along with the sound of knocking on the door, the butler’s voice was heard. Park Shinui, who hadn’t finished organizing his thoughts, stopped his movements right there and swallowed dry saliva.
“I’m coming in.”
…What, so immediately? Wasn’t he just going to let me know he returned?
As soon as the butler’s words ended, the door opened and Kang Taejun entered the room. Park Shinui’s brow furrowed reflexively.
