Cozy Obsession

Fortunately, he was too preoccupied with the view outside the window to fully register what Heemin had just said. Kwak Yoonseong, who had been scanning the surroundings with an appraising gaze as if assessing their value, soon called out to Ms. Ahn.
“Ms. Ahn, I’d like a cup of warm Earl Grey tea. Would you bring some?”
[Sorry, but we don’t have Earl Grey. Would you like coffee instead?]
Ms. Ahn displayed the message on her phone with a slight delay, and Yoonseong’s expression briefly twisted with displeasure. Before he could say anything disrespectful, Heemin quickly intervened.
“She can’t speak, but she can hear just fine.”
“How do you even live in a place like this? Don’t you find it uncomfortable?”
“What’s there to be uncomfortable about? Compared to being kidnapped and locked in a cage, this place is heaven.”
It was a metaphor, but in many ways, it was also the truth. When Heemin responded with a smile, Yoonseong’s shoulders twitched slightly, as if the comment had hit a nerve. He probably felt guilty, given that he had orchestrated the kidnapping and profited from it.
“Still, though. You like Earl Grey tea, don’t you? You can tell a lot about a person from small details like that. If he doesn’t even know what my son enjoys drinking, how can I not be worried? I should have a word with Cha Iheon about this.”
From the beginning, something had felt off—there was an odd persistence in how he kept bringing up Iheon. It was as if he was looking for any excuse to assert dominance over him.
It was true that ‘Seo Heemin’ had developed a taste for black tea after receiving it as a gift from Do Junyoung. But that had been Seo Heemin’s preference, not Heemin’s.
Heemin was tempted to snap back with something like, Go drink tap water instead, but he swallowed the words before they could escape.
If he wanted to give Yoonseong an all-expenses-paid fishing trip in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he had to exercise patience. Smiling innocently, he replied,
“I’ve recently started enjoying barley tea. It’s hot out—how about a cold glass of barley tea instead?”
“...Barley tea?”
“Auntie, could you bring us two glasses of barley tea? With ice, please.”
While waiting for the drinks, Yoonseong watched Heemin with uneasy eyes, clearly trying to gauge the right moment to bring up his real reason for visiting.
Despite claiming he had dropped by out of concern, he had yet to ask a single question about how Heemin was doing. Instead, he just sat there, biding his time.
Well, at least ‘Seo Heemin’s’ quiet and reserved nature was proving useful for once. There was no need to force a conversation with someone he didn’t care for.
“Thank you for the tea.”
Ms. Ahn returned with two glasses of barley tea, each filled with ice, along with a plate of Bus*x Waffles, Heemin’s favorite snack, neatly arranged in six pieces.
While Heemin took a sip of tea, appreciating its refreshing coolness and subtly roasted flavor—far superior to Ex*ang—Yoonseong didn’t even reach for his glass. He just sat there, hands still, making no move to drink.
Halfway through his glass, Heemin set it down and rubbed his damp palm against # Nоvеlight # his pants instead of reaching for the plate. As he debated whether to stall until Secretary Jung arrived to throw Yoonseong out or to handle it himself, he decided to take the direct approach.
“Is something wrong at the company?”
The moment the question left his lips, Yoonseong immediately responded, as if he had been waiting for it.
“Do Junyoung hasn’t been doing well lately.”
“...Do Junyoung? My senior?”
Of all the topics he had expected, Do Junyoung was not one of them. While Heemin had already anticipated Yoonseong’s ulterior motives, the mention of Do Junyoung caught him off guard.
Noticing his surprise, Yoonseong must have thought Heemin had taken the bait, because he quickly continued.
“The heartbreak has really taken a toll on him. He’s losing weight, and frankly, he looks like a wreck.”
If not for the incident at the department store, Heemin might have dismissed it as nothing. But hearing that Junyoung was in bad shape did make him hesitate.
After all, they had shared brief interactions. The idea that he might have unintentionally hurt someone else left a lingering discomfort in his chest.
“There are plenty of people dying to date him. I’m sure he’ll find someone new soon. Don’t worry too much.”
“How can I not worry? He’s been so out of it that he’s making a mess at work, and now it’s causing trouble for me. If this keeps up, I’ll have to take full responsibility and get shipped off to some factory in the provinces. There are rumors of a major restructuring coming up—could you talk to Cha Iheon about it?”
So that was his real agenda.
Yoonseong hadn’t brought up Do Junyoung out of concern—he had done it to manipulate Heemin. He wanted to exploit Heemin’s sympathy and shift the guilt onto him.
To someone like Kwak Yoonseong, people were nothing more than tools to fulfill his own desires. He would sell out his own family without hesitation if it meant securing his own comfort. There was no way he truly pitied Do Junyoung.
He was a man who could push others into ruin without a shred of remorse. And yet, Heemin had still let himself get momentarily distracted by his words. That was a mistake.
He needed to be careful about who he trusted.
“Iheon and I... don’t really talk about business matters.”
Heemin deliberately avoided making eye contact, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he answered timidly, dodging the question. His hesitant response only made Kwak Yoonseong more anxious. Unable to hide his urgency, he reached out and grabbed Heemin’s hand.
“Heemin, please. Save me.”
“I know Cha Iheon doesn’t like Do Junyoung because of you, but I had nothing to do with that. How can he blame an innocent person just because he’s the one in charge? After everything I’ve done to keep this company afloat after your father passed away, how is it fair that I get demoted? Blood may not bind us, but I’m still your family.”
Family.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
To Heemin, family was a bond that remained strong no matter how much they argued or fought—a connection built on mutual care and affection. Yet this man, who had committed acts more despicable than a wild beast just to save his own skin, dared to use that word without a hint of shame.
Suppressing the wave of disgust rising in his throat, Heemin bit his lower lip and gently placed his hand over Yoonseong’s. Speaking in a calm, almost soothing voice, he replied,
“It’s just a rumor, not a confirmed decision. There’s no need to get worked up over speculation. I’m sure Junyoung sunbae will do his best to fix his mistakes before it affects you.”
“But still, there’s always a what if. If you step in as a mediator, maybe Cha Iheon will understand how serious this is.”
The sheer shamelessness of his request made Heemin want to laugh out loud. Asking him to take sides in this? He held back his scoff and maintained a pleasant smile as he answered.
“Father, you know I only care about painting. I don’t know anything about the company’s affairs, so it wouldn’t be right for me to voice an opinion.”
As Heemin took a defensive step back, Yoonseong’s frustration became evident. Licking his dry lips, he quickly tried a different approach.
“Then how about this? Just for a week—work at the company as my assistant. Get familiar with the business, see how things run firsthand. That way, when you talk to Cha Iheon, you’ll have more confidence in what you’re saying.”
“...Are you asking me to take a part-time job?”
On the surface, it seemed like a simple request to help out. But in reality, it felt more like an attempt to use ‘Seo Heemin’ as leverage to prevent his demotion.
If things had followed the original novel’s script, Yoonseong would have been busy rallying employees to force Cha Iheon out of the company. But now, since things weren’t going his way and he was the one on the chopping block instead, he was growing desperate. He was throwing out every excuse possible to drag ‘Seo Heemin’ into this.
The man’s brain worked fast—he had to give him that. Even cockroaches had less of a survival instinct than Kwak Yoonseong.
“There’s a ton of paperwork that needs handling these days. You’d be the perfect assistant for me.”
Heemin had been about to decline under the pretense of focusing on his art, but suddenly, a new thought crossed his mind—this might be the perfect opportunity to get rid of Yoonseong for good.
Kwak Yoonseong had been supplying cement to Bukseong Construction, the company run by Shin Seungbeom, at lower-than-market rates in exchange for kickbacks.
If I can find evidence of the embezzlement and hand it over to Iheon...
Heemin’s gaze flickered briefly toward Yoonseong’s bag as he considered the possibility. He had a good idea of where the records would be kept. If he played the role of an innocent assistant, he could sneak into the office and steal the ledgers without arousing suspicion.
With solid proof in hand, he could easily ensure that Yoonseong was exiled to the Pacific Ocean—before he had the chance to develop any deep-seated grudge against Cha Iheon.
Even though Heemin’s presence had already shifted the course of events, some parts of the original novel’s flow remained intact.
Do Junyoung still hadn’t let go of ‘Seo Heemin.’
Kwak Yoonseong was still growing resentful of Cha Iheon.
No matter how much he tried to change things, certain character motivations persisted.
He had promised himself that he would gradually open Iheon’s heart. Even if the keyword-switching project wasn’t yielding immediate results, he hadn’t planned to rush it.
But at this rate, if he didn’t take action, both Yoonseong and Shin Seungbeom would end up ruining everything.
I know the future.
I should show them that there’s always someone smarter waiting to outplay them.
Not just for the sake of taking satisfying revenge—but to ensure the real happy ending with Cha Iheon.
Having made up his mind, Heemin put on an expression of pure, innocent sincerity and smiled brightly.
“I’ll do it. The part-time job.”
“Good, good! That’s my Heemin. I knew you’d understand. Let’s start tomorrow.”