It is Easiest to be Obsessed by Everyone

The newly built luxury apartment complex in Samseong-dong had strict security right from the entrance.  

As I entered the outer gate, a young, sturdy security guard watched me closely.  

The lobby inside the main entrance resembled a hotel lobby—spacious and luxurious.  

There was a pretty, young female receptionist and a well-built male receptionist at the information desk.  

They smiled brightly and bowed courteously when they saw me.  

It seemed like they had to remember the faces of all the residents here.  

Following the instructions Hyena had given me, I pressed my thumb on the elevator pad.  

The door opened, and as soon as I entered, it automatically directed itself to the 19th floor.  

There was only one unit per floor, and aside from the lobby and parking area, the elevator couldn’t stop on any other floors.  

“Wow. The security here is really tight.”  

Could it be that Lee Chang-woo wanted to die elsewhere because he didn’t want the property value to drop?  

As soon as I used fingerprint recognition to open the door, all the lights in the house turned on.  

“Wow.”  

I was left speechless with admiration.  

There were two things that surprised me.  

One was the interior, which was more spacious and luxurious than I had imagined.  

The other was the pristine cleanliness. There was no signs of anyone actually living there.  

“So this is what minimalism looks like.”  

The basic furniture was there, like a TV, a coffee table, and a sofa.  

The kitchen had high-end dishes, a rice cooker, and other basic appliances.  

But there was no personal furniture or appliances.  

“It feels like a model home.”  

Exactly. That was the feeling.  

It didn’t feel like a place where someone lived but more like a show apartment meant to impress potential buyers.  

The shoe cabinet was completely empty, and the built-in storage compartments were all the same.  

“Maybe there’s something to drink…”  

I opened the fridge and laughed.  

It was packed with nothing but 355ml bottles of water.  

I opened every kitchen cupboard and found just a single packet of instant noodles.  

“Did he really live here?”  

It didn’t seem like he had lived here and then cleared out the furniture.  

It seemed like it had been this way ever since he moved in.  

There wasn’t even a personal computer or a laptop.  

I turned on the TV, but there were no movie purchases or anything like that.  

How did this guy find any joy in life?  

This was such a fancy place, but did he just sleep here?  

As I lay on the sofa staring blankly at the ceiling, a thought suddenly struck me.  

“The cloud!”  

Even though the phone was factory reset, there might still be something in the cloud.  

I could retrieve the account and password through registered phone numbers and biometric recognition.  

If Lee Chang-woo died, no one would have been able to access it.  

“There’s a lot.”  

I didn’t even know where to begin.  

Instead of the photo album, I focused on the notes.  

Surprisingly, Lee Chang-woo had written a lot in the cloud notes right up until his death.  

<10 hours ago>  

-What’s the point of living like this?  

-I’m just going to die; hopefully, the next life is better than this one.  

-Goodbye, world. I’m leaving.  

<1 day ago>  

-Finally, tomorrow is the day.  

<2 days ago>  

-Should I sleep with Hyena once before I die? She’s kind of pitiful too.  

-No, if I do it even once, she’ll probably get obsessed like the other girls and act like she’s my wife.  

<3 days ago>  

-This is so boring. Way too boring.  

-I wish people would stop talking to me.  

-Screw you, bitches. Do you think I was born just to sleep with you? Get lost.  

-Leave me alone when I’m eating, damn it. You annoying women.  

“Uh…”  

This was something else.  

He appeared like a wounded hedgehog with all his spines up… or maybe it was more like he was regressing to a childish state?  

I lay back on the sofa and read through his diary-like notes, starting from the most recent.  

Most of the entries were brief, capturing his emotions in the moment.  

I learned a lot.  

Lee Chang-woo wasn’t particularly good at studying.  

His typos weren’t from laziness; he just didn’t know the basics.  

He enjoyed sex, but he had a deep hatred for women.  

It wasn’t the typical kind of resentment that socially marginalized losers often have.  

He had been surrounded all his life by women who wouldn’t leave him alone, constantly bothering him, which turned his annoyance into contempt.  

But he hadn’t turned to homosexuality.  

Phew! That was a relief.  

Anyway, this guy barely had any male friends.  

To Lee Chang-woo, women were like gluttonous beings constantly in heat, just looking for a way to sleep with him.  

Having lived as a virgin until 28, lost my penis to cancer surgery, and fought the disease for another five years before dying at 33…  

I really couldn’t understand this feeling.  

Would there ever be a day when I understand Lee Chang-woo’s mindset?  

“Hyena, a face you could pass by every minute in Apgujeong? I don’t get it. What kind of nonsense is this?”  

{TN:- Apgujeong is a neighborhood in the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea. It’s known for its affluent residents, upscale shopping, trendy boutiques, luxury brand stores, and vibrant nightlife.}

I spent hours reading and checking through Lee Chang-woo’s past records.  

There were no mentions of family. No related photos or records, either.  

So I downloaded a government app to check his family register.  

Father [Deceased]  

Mother [Deceased]  

My breath caught in my throat.  

Maybe it was because of my memories. I faced death after five years of battling illness, so I really hated the word deceased.” 

He didn’t have any siblings either.  

Lee Chang-woo was completely alone in this world.  

Could it be that he inherited this house?  

Next, I downloaded the property registry app and looked up the apartment deed.  

The world had become so convenient.  

Even in the middle of the night, you can do everything with just a phone.  

[Reason for registration – Gift]  

[Donor: Yoon Jae-kyung]  

[Recipient: Lee Chang-woo]  

[Gift Value: 8,500,000,000 KRW]  

“What the hell?”  

I almost dropped my phone in shock.  

A gift? 8.5 billion won? Who was Yoon Jae-kyung?  

According to the resident registration number, she was 26 years old.  

A 26-year-old woman gifted an 8.5 billion won apartment to Chang-woo?  

I quickly scrolled through the thousands of messages.  

I tried to find someone who could be Yoon Jae-kyung, but I came up empty.  

The only saved contact was Jung Hyena, so how was I supposed to find Yoon Jae-kyung just by looking at messages?  

I could check each phone number and add them on KakaoTalk to confirm real names, but who had the time for that?  

“So, this 8.5 billion won apartment was a gift from an older woman, four years his senior?”  

Maybe that was why there was no personal furniture or belongings, like in a model house.  

I suddenly stood up.  

I felt like I shouldn’t stay here any longer.  

I’d already picked out names for my future grandchildren with Hyena, after all.  

I quickly left the apartment and headed back to the studio apartment.  

***  

I learned everything I needed to know about who Lee Chang-woo was.  

A 22-year-old incredibly handsome guy whose life trajectory was completely different from mine.  

Even the end of his life was different from mine.  

Just as I had never imagined a life like that of someone like Chang-woo could exist.

Chang-woo probably had no idea that someone like me, an untouchable in the dating world, could exist.  

It was funny.  

This was the only common ground where we could understand each other.  

From now on, I will live as Lee Chang-woo.  

Using his name, his identity, wearing his face.  

But I’ll probably never truly understand him.  

Still, I will live my life being grateful to him.  

He left me with a precious legacy.  

I would remember him, respecting even the parts I couldn’t understand.  

***  

For some reason, I felt down and wanted to drink.  

Not like those times before I got cancer when I would sip a little while watching OTT or YouTube alone.  

I wanted to drink in a place with incredibly loud music and indulge the night away.  

So, I decided to go to a club.  

A place I had never been to. It was a forbidden sanctuary for me.  

From what I saw online, there was usually a long line, but there wasn’t one this time.  

Two big bouncers stood on either side of the entrance.  

They were looking around with sharp eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous.  

Stay calm.  

New Chang-woo, you’ve already been approached for numbers more than ten times today.  

Would they really cut you off? Oh, right. Should I say, would they deny you entry?  

“Good evening.”  

I tried to enter casually, but one of the bouncers suddenly grabbed my shoulder.  

I got scared for a moment.  

“Why? What’s wrong?”  

Were they denying me entry with this face? Or was there something wrong with my dress code?  

“Let me see your ID.”  

“Oh, okay.”  

I thought it was something else.  

I opened my wallet to take out my ID, but what?  

It’s not there?  

Where did my ID go?  

Oh, I left it at Chang-woo’s apartment!  

I took it out to register on the government app and completely forgot about it.  

“Sorry, I forgot my ID.”  

“Hey, make a believable excuse. Do you really think that’s going to work?”  

“No, I’m not asking you to let me in. I just mean I’ll go back and get it.”  

The bouncer’s expression didn’t change.  

He appeared to think I was a minor trying to sneak in without an ID and was now trying to run off.  

I guess I’d have to drink somewhere else or just head back to the studio apartment.  

“Oh, come on, guys! Does this face look underage to you? And if he really was underage, he’d show a fake ID, not say he forgot it. Adults say they forgot their ID. You know that.”  

Just then, a man in his 30s with a friendly demeanor came rushing over when he saw me.  

One of the bouncers frowned.  

“Jang MD, are you going to take responsibility?”  

“Of course, I’ll take responsibility. Sir, you really did forget your ID, right?”  

“Oh yes. That’s right.”  

“There’s no way, but if by any chance you’re really underage, then you showed us a fake ID and lost it. If you get caught later, that’s what you have to say, got it?”  

“I’m not underage. I’ve already completed my military service.”  

“Oh, which unit did you serve in?”  

I don’t mind if I just leave, so why are they doing this? Maybe business is really low today.  

“Mirae Rotem.”  

“Huh? Is there such a unit?”  

“It’s not a unit; it’s a designated workplace for military service. Do you know the K2 tank?”  

“Oh yeah, I know. I’m a tank enthusiast.”  

“I served my military duty at the company that makes those. It’s like public service. Instead of going to the army, you work at a designated company.”  

I didn’t have my ID anyway, so it shouldn’t matter if I pretended to be my real self for a moment instead of Lee Chang-woo.  

“Oh, is that a thing? I think I’ve heard of it. But then, how old are you?”  

“I’m 33 years old.”  

“…”

“…”

“…”

Jang MD and both guards were momentarily speechless.  

The guard on the left spoke up, looking bewildered.  

“Come on, seriously. Even a lie should be somewhat believable…”  

“It’s fine. If he’s 33, it’s reasonable he might forget his ID. Have you ever seen an underage kid claim to be 33? But sir, you really do look young for your age.”