I’m Not That Obsessive

Chapter 19

I squeezed my eyes shut. Yes, I’m an underwear thief!

Shame welled up, but I gritted my teeth and said nothing. Just as I thought it was all over now that he had confirmed it…

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, he grabbed my precious lower region.

“Mitchell!”

Pushing him away was useless. His grip was so strong that the more I struggled, the tighter he squeezed. Tears pricked my eyes from the pain shooting through my sensitive area.

“You’ll get hurt. Stay still.”

“Would you stay still if you were me?!”

“If I were you, I would.”

“Ugh!”

You’re always destined to lose against someone who doesn’t listen to reason.

“I’m thinking about whether to take this off now or not. Unlike the others, this is something I cherish.”

“You’re lying. You’re the type who wouldn’t care even if you threw money on the ground.”

“Oh, you know me well? I’m flattered.”

“Hurry up and decide. Take them off or not. You’ll let go when you’ve decided, right?”

“…You really have a unique way of thinking. Sometimes you surpass even me.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Mitchell laughed, his whole body shaking as if amused. Then his hand started moving slightly. Mitchell’s eyes narrowed. He was clearly feeling it as he touched. My thing, no less!

I felt as if cold sweat was trickling down my spine. But who am I? I’m not the type to give up on my goal because of something like this. Gay men might be dangerous, but Mitchell isn’t dangerous. I turned crisis into opportunity.

“Mitchell, I’ll let you keep holding this if you answer my questions. No, I’ll let you grab it whenever you want if you answer my questions honestly each time. How about it? Easy, right? But absolutely no lying.”

“Huh?”

Mitchell seemed intrigued by my proposal and moved his body closer to me.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m serious.”

“I have nothing to lose here.”

“Being honest for a lifetime is harder than you think.”

“How would you know if what I say is a lie or not? If I decide to lie, you’d have no choice but to believe me.”

“That’s unavoidable, but I’ll leave it to your conscience. Or bet on Mitchell Cronenwirth’s honor.”

“You’re talking about honor?”

“…This is a bit much, isn’t it? Ah, anyway! I’ll trust you. I don’t want to think that someone of your caliber would speak carelessly.”

“So what’s your first question?”

“Are you accepting my proposal?”

“Let me hear the first question. If I like it, I’ll accept. If not, I’ll refuse.”

Mitchell was now staring at me with a serious face. Of course, his hand was still gripping my thing.

I hadn’t thought of the first question in advance. If this question would determine whether the proposal would be accepted or not, I wasn’t really confident.

But I wanted to ask this so badly. It was the question that made my mouth itch unbearably.

“My first question is…”

Mitchell’s hand tightened. My lower part, which had somehow become slightly erect, throbbed. My heart raced along with it.

“You…”

“……”

“…Do you like Lydia?”

“What?”

“Do you think about dating her? Do you have feelings for her?”

Mitchell let out a hollow laugh. For some reason, it seemed like the first question was a failure…

***

Junman thoroughly examined his brother’s house. This palace-like house had many empty rooms and few possessions compared to its size.

Signs of living were only evident in the first-floor kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. Even the remaining empty rooms on the first floor and the entire second floor showed no signs of use. It was clear they hadn’t been entered since moving in.

“I should ask for the second floor.”

He planned to use the entire second floor. Despite his harsh behavior, Geon-woo was still his brother after all.

Moreover, he believed that the close relationship between him and Geon-woo wouldn’t break so easily. It might be lingering attachment, but he wanted to believe that.

In the past, Geon-woo would choose the shampoo Junman should use, specify the clothes he should wear, and personally filter out friends he didn’t want Junman to meet. The younger brother had controlled his older brother’s private life in his own hands.

It wasn’t that it was forced. Junman could have refused if he wanted to. The reason he followed Geon-woo’s orders was simply for money. It was solely to easily obtain money from his brother’s pocket. For this, he always bowed his head and stubbornly followed his brother’s suggestions.

If Geon-woo said, “Could you do this like this?” he would do it without question. He treated his younger brother like a king with absolute power.

If Junman had occasionally refused and shown his dislike, Geon-woo probably wouldn’t have treated his older brother like a puppet.

While Geon-woo may have started it, it was ultimately Junman who inflated the size of that obsession.

After living on the streets like a beggar for a few days, his whole body ached. Of course, nothing was seriously hurt. His act in front of the iron gate had worked, and as a result, he was able to easily enter a mansion in LA’s most expensive neighborhood.

“This is my home now.”

Chuckling, he picked up his phone. He was about to boast about his achievements to his friend.

“Hey, man. What’s up? I’m at Geon-woo’s house right now.”

– What? Did you really meet Geon-woo?

Sangju asked in a voice as if he had just woken up. Until he bought the plane ticket, he thought it was a crazy thing to do. After all, all Junman knew was the address of the cafe where Geon-woo had appeared.

– At that cafe?

“Yeah. I met him there. But never mind that. I knew Geon-woo’s American home address.”

– How?

“Before I left the country, I searched through all of mom’s things. I looked just in case. Damn, they had been in contact without me.”

Junman referred to his mom and brother as “they.” Their mother, who had remarried and started a new life, divorced again a few months ago and moved into the house where Junman lived.

Although Geon-woo didn’t keep in constant contact with her, he couldn’t just throw away the relationship with his mother overnight, so he occasionally gave her updates.

Meanwhile, when she fell ill and wanted to visit America before being hospitalized, she asked Geon-woo, who reluctantly gave her his address.

At that time, Geon-woo thought her condition wasn’t that serious. About a month after that last contact, she passed away. He didn’t even know at the time. Geon-woo only learned of her death about a month after that. It was a hollow and bitter ending.

Thanks to her writing down Geon-woo’s home address in a notebook, Junman was able to find his brother.

“…So that’s how I got in here. Aren’t I amazing?”

Junman laughed loudly as he recounted his exploits. Lying spread-eagled on Geon-woo’s bed, he continued speaking between chuckles.

“That bastard Geon-woo is living in such a magnificent house. There’s even a swimming pool, and the front yard is like a soccer field. Tsk. For someone who made tens of billions from one commercial a day, this must be pocket change.”

– Is the building in Jamsil still there? There was also a small one in Mapo, right? He wouldn’t have sold that, would he?

“I don’t know. Seeing how he moved here, it seems like he spent quite a bit… I didn’t ask for details.”

– Even just one building would bring in enormous rent.

“That’s true. That guy is not only good at making money, but he also knows how to invest it. I bet it’s still growing with interest on interest. How could I let go of such a golden goose?”

– Look at you. You didn’t go because you were worried about your brother, but for the money, right?

“Yeah, that’s right! Of course it is! Do I have to say it with my own mouth? Of course it’s for the money! Thanks to having a good brother, this Bae Junman has arrived in LA. Damn! Are you satisfied? Jealous?”

– Yeah. I’m fucking jealous, you crazy bastard.

Junman laughed happily even at Sangju’s curse.

– But is Geon-woo the same? Is he still obsessed with you? Can he still not live his daily life without you?

“Huh? Uh… yeah.”

For a moment, Junman’s voice diminished slightly.

– Hey, if that’s the case, can we come over there to hang out? Bring all the girls too.

“Ah, about that… I think I’ll have to discuss it with Geon-woo…”

– Discuss? You… No way? Geon-woo abandoned you, didn’t he? It seems like you’re lying right now. You bastard, where are you now? Sleeping on the streets? Stop this nonsense and come back to Korea. Let’s drink heavily with the guys.

“Ah! What lie! I’m really at Geon-woo’s house! Geon-woo can’t live without me!”

– Are you sure?

“Of course! Bring everyone! There are tons of spare rooms here! Come and see for yourself.”

– Really?

“Of course it’s real! You punk. I’m Bae Junman. Bae Junman! I’m not dead yet.”

Junman, who had been the envy of his friends, couldn’t let go of the past. It was a tower built with Geon-woo’s money from the start. Unable to demolish it himself, he made an excessive promise.