Cozy Obsession-Chapter 36

“What floor is the Nike store on?”

Iheon had apparently overheard Heemin’s muttering and casually asked the cashier.

The nightmare had begun again.

This wasn’t some infinite regression plotline—what the hell was this?

With a grimace, Heemin hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and tried to stop him.

“A-Ah, forget it! Let’s just go eat our pastries!”

He needed compensation for his hard labor.

And that compensation was a cream puff—one stuffed to the brim with soft, sweet custard.

They arranged for the clothing purchases to be delivered to the house and then headed to the basement-level food court.

The sheer crowd of people buying groceries and prepared foods made the space feel suffocating.

Iheon’s brow furrowed sharply, his expression clearly questioning why they absolutely had to buy pastries here.

“I want to eat it here. I want to eat it right away.”

The mix of pheromones in the air was oppressive, but since people weren’t staying still in one place, it was surprisingly tolerable.

If it had been as overwhelming as the inauguration venue, he would have asked to get it to-go without hesitation.

Inside the bakery, there were tables and chairs, so they found a place to sit.

Thankfully, everyone around them was a Beta.

That meant no unwanted pheromone-related disturbances—Heemin could finally enjoy his pastry in peace.

“Thanks for the food!”

Minseok had piled their table with cakes, tarts, and puddings, turning it into a dessert spread that Iheon would never even consider eating.

“Do you want some too?”

Maybe it was the overwhelming sweetness of the scent.

Iheon’s brows furrowed, and instead of responding, he kept staring off at something.

With the brim of his cap blocking part of his vision, Heemin had to tilt his head up to check where Iheon was looking.

He was curious, but not curious enough to bother checking.

Pastry first.

Heemin focused back on his cream puff.

Splitting the pastry in half, he quickly realized it hadn’t been pre-frozen like last time.

Custard cream spilled out, dripping down the sides.

His fingers were soon covered in it.

“Ah... napkin.”

Just as he placed his cream puff on the plate and reached for a napkin—

Iheon grabbed his wrist.

Then, with a slight flick of his tongue, he licked the cream off Heemin’s fingers.

“...It’s sweet.”

Iheon’s brows knitted together in displeasure at the taste.

But he did it again.

He licked off the rest of the cream, slowly.

“W-What the hell?! In public? Are you crazy?”

Heemin’s face heated up.

The rough texture of Iheon’s tongue left behind a strange heat, making his skin tingle.

Why?

Why was he suddenly acting like a lover, pulling intimate stunts like this?

And even eating something sweet, which he hated?

The embarrassment and confusion made his head feel light.

He yanked his cap off, trying to cool down.

And froze.

Across from him—staring at him in shock—was Do Junyoung.

Someone Heemin had met before.

The realization clicked.

This was intentional.

Iheon had staged this on purpose.

“...Heemin.”

Junyoung’s table was empty.

No drinks. No food.

He must have just arrived.

Sitting across from him was a female Alpha.

They seemed close.

Their pheromones were similar, and the air between them carried the kind of natural ease that only came with long familiarity.

Junyoung was just as obsessive over ‘Seo Heemin’ as Cha Iheon was.

That was why Heemin had fought so hard to shake him off.

But he hadn’t expected him to move on so fast.

Had he given up after being tormented by Cha Iheon?

Still... switching to someone new this quickly—

Was he even a proper supporting character?

This was extra-level behavior.

“...Hello, Senior.”

“A-Ah, hey. ...Hello, sir.”

Junyoung stiffly greeted Iheon.

The air was awkward.

As Heemin fidgeted with his napkin, Junyoung’s companion suddenly spoke to him in a bright, cheerful voice.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my brother, Heemin. It’s nice to meet you.”

“...Ah. Yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

His sister?

Had Junyoung vented about Heemin to her?

He was still a little dumbfounded, but honestly, this was for the best.

With Junyoung pushed out of the story’s central events, only Kwak Yoonseong and Shin Seungbeom were left to deal with.

“I didn’t know Assistant Manager Do had a girlfriend.”

Iheon’s mocking tone made Junyoung flinch.

“You two really suit each other. Congratulations.”

There was a saying—people who looked alike would have a happy marriage.

Smiling genuinely, Heemin offered his congratulations.

But Junyoung...

Junyoung’s face turned deathly pale.

“What are you talking about? That’s my twin sister, Heeyoung. I showed you so many pictures before. You really don’t remember?”

His voice shook.

He continued, more strained.

“...You’re acting weird. You’re not the Seo Heemin I know.”

Shit.

That was a huge mistake.

One you should never make to twins.

Junyoung was staring at Heemin like he didn’t recognize him.

Meanwhile, Heeyoung’s smile was still in place—but her eyes weren’t amused.

The slight squint in her eyes made her look gentle, but her sharp gaze was filled with annoyance.

She wasn’t saying it aloud, but she was pissed.

No matter how handsome or kind Junyoung was, at the end of the day—

He was still her damn brother.

Family was family.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

No one wanted to be mistaken for their sibling’s lover.

As someone with three older sisters, Heemin understood exactly how she felt.

Honestly, the fact that she hadn’t grabbed him by the collar and cursed him out meant she had excellent self-control.

This is bad.

He hadn’t cared much about Junyoung’s backstory.

Compared to the intensity of the story’s main pairing, Junyoung felt insignificant.

And in the original novel, his family ties were barely mentioned.

He had no idea Junyoung had a twin sister.

But unlike Heemin, who had only read about them in a book—

Iheon definitely knew.

For ten years, Cha Iheon had watched everything unfold.

As a loan shark, background checks were basic protocol.

He would’ve known about Junyoung’s sister from the start.

Yet he had deliberately thrown out that comment to provoke him.

And Heemin had fallen right into it.

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He had matched Iheon’s energy without realizing it.

Shit. She’s really mad.

Junyoung had always known Seo Heemin.

Now both he and his sister had just witnessed him act out of character.

Heemin could already hear a children's song playing in his head.

The kind his second sister used to hum before unleashing hell.

His blood ran cold.

"T-That's because... You look so much prettier in person than in the photos... I got confused..."

Heemin sneaked glances at Heeyoung's expression as he clumsily spat out his excuse.

Even he found his own words pathetically lame.

His ears burned in humiliation.

But he had been raised right.

If you screw up, you don’t weasel out of it—you own it.

So, regardless of the outcome, he bowed his head and sincerely apologized.

"I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding. I must have offended you a lot."

"It's fine. It happens."

Heeyoung waved her hand dismissively, acting like it was no big deal.

But Heemin had spent over twenty years dealing with his older sisters.

And he knew exactly what "It happens" actually meant.

It meant—

"Happens, my ass, you blind little shit."

He could practically hear it.

Iheon was still sitting there with his legs crossed, exuding arrogance.

Heemin grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled him to his feet.

Then, as if shoving him forward, he patted Iheon’s broad back.

"What are you doing, Iheon? Hurry up and apologize."

Iheon's expression crumpled like a stepped-on soda can.

Even from afar, Secretary Jung and Minseok’s eyes widened in shock.

Junyoung, too, flinched.

“Hurry up, okay?”

It never even occurred to Heemin that he was ordering a gangster to apologize.

All he cared about was damage control.

“...I was rude.”

A low, dry voice seeped out between Iheon’s lips, his words pressed down by sheer force of will.

His jaw clenched hard, the muscle tightening before releasing in a way that was visibly sharp.