‘Shit…. What is this?’
In the end, I arrived at the restaurant after washing up cleanly, just as Lee Dojun had planned.
I fell into my own trap. I went there wearing rag-like clothes that would be difficult to recycle in order to terrorize Lee Dojun’s eyeballs, but while I was washing, he shoved the clothes straight into the trash can.
There were no outdoor clothes in my size at Lee Dojun’s house. Because of this, an unnecessary schedule was added—going to buy clothes together before going to the restaurant, wearing a loose T-shirt and training pants I borrowed.
I looked down on Lee Dojun too much. Even though it was a one-dimensional plan, I thought it would work right away since he really hates dirty things. In the end, I spent an entire Saturday with that psycho-like bastard.
“Please eat first.”
When the meal came out, the bastard raised his hand with manners and offered me the food. A crazy dog bastard who’s only shiny on the outside.
“Thank you, then I’ll eat first.”
As a last desperate attempt, I started eating the food voraciously, making smacking sounds.
“You should know that such half-baked plans don’t work on me.”
Lee Dojun spoke to me with an arrogant posture, slightly raising his head.
‘Half-baked? Then I should say what I need to say too.’
“CEO-nim, no matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem right. Let’s not waste precious time and just get to it cleanly. What exactly do you want?”
“Whether it is or isn’t, I decide. You just answer my questions. Why did you suddenly become a manager?”
As expected, Seo Hanryul is the biggest interest. It seems certain that he likes Seo Hanryul, so I have to persuade him not to release the photos. That if he releases them, he can never be happy with Seo Hanryul.
“Fine. I’ll speak honestly. As you can see, I did something wrong to Seo Hanryul in the past. As an apology, I said I’d be his manager for a certain period, and Seo Hanryul agreed.”
“….”
I hastily made up a lie, but there’s nothing logically wrong with it. That Seo Hanryul and I aren’t the kind of relationship you think we are.
“You know well that Seo Hanryul will soon be able to enter the ranks of top stars, right? When he becomes a top star, it’ll be good for Youth too. Those photos won’t do anything good for Seo Hanryul-ssi’s future. If it’s just simple interest….”
“Stop talking about Seo Hanryul-ssi.”
When Lee Dojun cut off my words and became serious, the air turned cold. He asked me first why I’m working as a manager, but when he hears about Seo Hanryul, he pours out curses with his eyes—it’s an absurd situation for me.
* * *
“Let’s finish the meal now.”
Because Lee Dojun threw a fit whenever he heard Seo Hanryul’s name, in the end, I couldn’t say what I wanted to say throughout the meal time and only ended up talking about trivial, meaningless things.
Lee Dojun asked about my daily life. Though he’s despicably blackmailing me using Cha Jaehyun’s past, I thought he had many curiosities, so I answered half-heartedly, mixing half truth and half lies.
“CEO-nim, thank you for today. I’ll see you again next time.”
“By whose decision?”
“I said let’s meet again next time. What’s the problem? Or do you have remaining plans for today?”
“You shouldn’t be able to act so confidently.”
“Ha, alright. Do as you please, CEO-nim.”
I tried to go home, but I had no choice but to return to his house again, just as Lee Dojun wanted.
Seeing the house shining without a speck of dust, I once again thought that his mental world wasn’t normal.
‘Ah!’
Now I understand why Lee Dojun keeps holding onto me without meaning. Because I kept talking about Seo Hanryul, he still seems to misunderstand that I have interest in him. Since Lee Dojun is obsessive, naturally my existence would bother him.
“CEO-nim, I think there’s a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“I don’t have any feelings whatsoever for Seo Hanryul-ssi. I’m just doing what I need to do as a manager.”
“…Then why do you keep grinning in front of that person?”
Lee Dojun threw a question knowingly or unknowingly loaded with personal feelings. It seems he didn’t like that I grin in front of Seo Hanryul either. He’d want Seo Hanryul to look only at him.
‘Let’s not beat around the bush.’
For a crazy bastard, pointing out facts is the answer.
“CEO-nim, you’re interested in Seo Hanryul, right? I’ll help you. Let’s stop this stupid behavior.”
As soon as Lee Dojun heard my words, he pushed me against the wall.
“What are you saying?”
Was he quite flustered and upset from the fact violence? Still, it can’t be helped. I don’t intend to endure him tormenting me while continuing to deny his own feelings.
“If I overstepped, I’m sorry. But I have to say what needs to be said. I’ll help you. For sure.”
“I told you earlier. Don’t even bring up that bastard’s story in front of me.”
“Avoiding it won’t make it not happen. I’ll help you.”
“…This is the last time. Don’t talk about Seo Hanryul in front of me. Because I want to kill him.”
‘Want to kill him?’
No way. Lee Dojun is saying without hesitation that he wants to kill Seo Hanryul. Murderous intent was overflowing from his eyes. Those eyes contained no affection at all. Even someone with no sense could read this atmosphere.
I got it completely wrong. Lee Dojun doesn’t have even a bit of interest in Seo Hanryul. If he has no interest in him, then what is this situation happening to me?
‘Seo Hanryul doesn’t matter. He became interested. In me.’
But this interest is absolutely not a ticklish feeling of love. It’s nothing more than simple amusement, like treating a toy. I just unluckily became that target. This is nothing more than nasty interest.
‘Once his interest fades, he’ll definitely do whatever he wants.’
My head is spinning because the situation I’m in seems to be becoming more of a mess than the original novel.
* * *
The stormy Saturday spent with Lee Dojun passed, and Sunday came when I had to help with Seo Hanryul’s schedule.
I felt sorry remembering how I unilaterally vented at Seo Hanryul last week. The bastard who gently told me his inner thoughts instead of retaliating was also admirable.
I shouldn’t give him affection, but being human myself, seeing the bastard becoming human, my feelings are mixed.
“I was sorry about last week.”
“Sorry? If you were that sorry, you should have at least texted me.”
“….”
“When you’re sorry, you don’t just brush it off with words like that. Jaehyun-ah, if you’re really sorry, you shouldn’t do it with just an empty mouth.”
Seo Hanryul’s attitude of dropping the honorifics and calling my name affectionately is unusual. I had a flash of thought that the bastard might not have become nice but is plotting another plan.
“…You’re really quick. Honestly, I don’t want to look at the face of someone I hate for a long time.”
“Are we suddenly playing a truth game?”
My suspicion grew even more at his attitude of laughing smoothly as if something was funny. Whether it’s a truth game or whatever, even if I ask more, it’ll be impossible to know his inner thoughts. For today, I should just leave it at this.
“Now I get it. You couldn’t get a manager because your temper is so well-known, right? That’s why you’re doing this to me.”
“I wonder? I’ve already gotten one though?”
“That’s great.”
“Hey, whatever you’re thinking shows all over your face. You’re suspecting me right now, aren’t you?”
Smart bastard. Seo Hanryul made an arrogant expression as if he was sitting on top of my head.
“Yeah, good for you for being so great.”
“Don’t suspect innocent people unfairly. I’m not thinking anything. I’m just curious about your story.”
So why are you curious about my story? Even if I ask, it’s obvious Seo Hanryul will just play meaningless word games.
“What are you doing? Get away.”
I ignored his words and started the ignition when the bastard suddenly thrust his face toward me. He even did the strange action of grabbing my face with one hand and turning it toward his face without any hesitation now.
Have I ever seen Seo Hanryul’s face this close? He certainly has an unforgettable appearance once you see it. Though he’s an annoying bastard, his face is innocent. My heartbeat started to increase slightly at the bastard’s prank.
“Should I just cause an accident to be comfortable? Move your face away.”
“I don’t want to? You’re weak to my face.”
“…What?”
“Look, look, you’re about to turn red again. From now on, I’m going to use my face.”
Now my heart is openly beating. My flustered feelings and the emotions of the previous body’s owner who liked Seo Hanryul are mixing, and abnormal symptoms seem to be appearing in my body.
Seo Hanryul shouldn’t hear this sound. If he hears it, from now on he’ll keep doing that face attack and giggle watching my reaction.
‘Incomprehensible bastard.’
* * *
“Hah….”
Far from spending money freely as I wished in this possessed body, it seems my fate is to go back after doing emotional labor for other bastards like this.
Lee Dojun called me to his house again on Saturday morning. This is the third time.
‘I guess he’s decided to use me as his Saturday-exclusive toy.’
“CEO-nim, hello. You must not have plans on Saturdays.”
When I entered the house, Lee Dojun was wearing a thin robe. As if he wasn’t wearing anything under the robe, the outline of his body was fully revealed. The firmly revealed body lines were unusual.
“Think whatever you want. No matter how much you bark, it won’t be effective.”
“So what’s today’s plan?”
“Plan? There’s no such thing.”
So he called me because he was bored with no plans. I wanted to throw a fit and leave, but if I did, he’d bring up Seo Hanryul’s photos again.
“If there’s no plan, may I go into any empty room and rest?”
“Do as you please.”
I could see him rolling his eyes and carefully scanning everything about me from head to toe. It felt like a beast looking at prey so I didn’t feel good about it, but since he gave permission, now I just need to find an empty room and hide away.
