L*st and Death

After Baekgyeong became the owner of a penthouse, a post titled “The Truth Behind the 19-Year-Old Owner of a Cheongdam-dong Penthouse” appeared online. The post claimed that the youngest son of the CEO of Vile Pharmaceuticals had obtained ownership of the penthouse.

Vile Pharmaceuticals had recently seen massive success in the global market, and Choi Baekhee’s reputation in Korea had soared as a result. Public curiosity about her family had grown in tandem. After news broke that the CEO’s underage son owned a penthouse in Cheongdam-dong, a photo of Baekgyeong’s kindergarten graduation somehow surfaced online.

He had thick, sharply arched brows and tightly pressed lips. His long, slanted eyes gave him a piercing look. Though he’d only just graduated kindergarten, he already looked like the kind of kid who’d explode in rage the moment you said something wrong. A child who looked like he’d been born with everything, who would jerk adults around with his spoiled attitude—he became a sort of meme, circulating across internet forums as a reaction image.

People were curious about what had become of the third-generation chaebol heir who looked so fed up with the world, but no information about him could be found anywhere.

[“Rumors are swirling about Vile Pharmaceuticals preparing for a Nasdaq IPO. Professor, why do you think they’re aiming for the U.S. stock exchange instead of listing domestically?”]

The taxi radio was broadcasting news about Korean companies expanding into the global market. Siron kept his gaze fixed outside the window as he listened to the broadcast.

[“With the recent string of successful new drugs, Vile Pharmaceuticals has reached a stage where targeting the global market makes more sense than focusing on the domestic one. Drug development requires massive capital, and to secure a broader investment base and raise international brand awareness, this step is necessary.”]

[“But listing on Nasdaq would position them as an international corporation, Professor. Wouldn’t that mean we can’t really consider Vile a Korean company anymore?”]

The taxi had already merged onto Olympic Boulevard. As the car sped along far above the speed limit, the driver glanced at Siron through the rearview mirror and spoke as if fishing for agreement.

“Choi Baekhee’s a hell of a businesswoman. But maybe it’s ’cause she’s always out working—the rumor is her kid turned out rotten, you hear?”

The driver let out a hearty laugh, as if he'd just told the punchline to a joke. Siron suppressed the urge to retort, instead plugging in his earbuds in deliberate dismissal.

After getting out of the taxi, Siron passed through the entrance guard post and approached the barricade. When he tapped his key card, the barrier rose to reveal a private road and sidewalk surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens. At the end of the path stood a villa with an elegant exterior finished in monochrome brick and marble. All four units faced the Han River, but the one shared by Baekgyeong and Siron was the innermost.

As he stepped past the L-shaped foyer and into view of the living room’s panoramic windows, Siron found his eyes drawn to the scenery beyond. The moonlit city traced streaks of light across the river's surface like a mirror—like a painting by Van Gogh, unnamed yet famous.

It was just past 9 p.m., but the house was as still as if time itself had stopped. After calling out Baekgyeong’s name and wandering through the large home, Siron stopped in the center of the living room and quietly stared at one door he hadn't opened yet. A sliver wide enough to fit a palm revealed only deep darkness within.

Baekgyeong was curled up in a fetal position at the center of Siron’s bed. He had the blanket wrapped tightly around himself, clinging to it as he slept, and his face was scrunched into a grumpy scowl even in his dreams. Kneeling beside the bed, Siron reached out and gently tickled the frown between his brows with his index finger.

“Hey, Dolbaekgyeong. I told you not to sleep in my room. You really never listen.”

Even though his voice wasn’t exactly soft, Baekgyeong didn’t stir. Siron pressed down firmly on the frown, but the only response was the peaceful sound of steady breathing. A mysterious medicine bottle lay rolling around on the bed. He must’ve taken something for a headache and finally fallen into deep sleep.

Siron held back the sigh rising in his throat and ducked into the attached bathroom for a quick wash. When he came out, still carrying the chill of the water, he climbed onto the bed and lay down next to Baekgyeong, face-to-face.

“Go sleep in your own room.”

Siron listened to the quiet rhythm of Baekgyeong’s breath, then raised his voice a little.

“You’re hogging the whole blanket. At least share it.”

Baekgyeong’s breathing brushed across his face like a pulse. Siron gazed at him in silence, then let out a small, involuntary laugh. For someone who always complained so much, lying next to Baekgyeong like this didn’t bother him at all.

“You’ve got really long eyelashes too.”

As if brushing with a soft makeup wand, Siron ran his fingertips along Baekgyeong’s long, thick lashes, visibly impressed.

Lingering in the ticklish sensation at his fingertips, Siron slowly leaned in and pressed his lips against Baekgyeong’s. He traced over the boy’s dry, chapped lips with the tip of his tongue, gently sticking to them and tilting his head side to side with a light touch.

“...Haa.”

It felt like chasing something he could never quite grasp. Siron slowly sucked Baekgyeong’s lower lip into his mouth and nibbled softly—until he noticed Baekgyeong’s breathing suddenly shift. Startled, he pulled away and quickly pretended to be asleep.

As Baekgyeong’s breath returned to its calm rhythm, Siron covered his face with his palm and grinned. Another lucky night without getting caught. Like someone hiding from the eyes of the world, he kept his face shielded as he laughed silently, trying to cool the residual heat lingering in his chest.

Feeling the need for more practice, he quietly slipped out of the room. Climbing the stairs to the empty room upstairs, he placed the camcorder Baekgyeong had bought him on the table and adjusted the angle. Once he was ready, Siron stood before the lens, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. As the silence settled in, emotion slowly rose from within, and he finally began to speak.

“Honestly... I didn’t want to hear your confession. What the hell did I ever do wrong to deserve being confessed to by you?”

Siron repeated the line, adding a tone of irritation to the “honestly” this time. Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head back with a sneer.

“Don’t blush like it’s obvious. Don’t hover around like an idiot. Ugh, just—don’t stare at my face for more than five seconds. Got it?”

Taking a deep breath, he continued practicing the same line in various tones.

The script he was rehearsing was the assigned audition line for Jungle Campus, a romance drama set on a college campus. The audition script had been sent to applicants two days prior, and it was the new work of a director Siron admired. Like his previous films, the main setting was a campus, and as soon as Siron read the lines, he could vividly picture the director’s signature aesthetic. It already felt familiar—like the role was meant to be his.

It was Siron’s first actor audition, but he didn’t feel nervous at all. If anything, he was so relaxed that he worried it might seem like he lacked drive. Even if someone told him to portray camel dung drying in the desert, he felt confident he could pull it off convincingly.

There’s no way I’m not getting this part.

Siron firmly believed he would stand out more than anyone else in the audition. The conviction was so complete that the result already felt like a foregone conclusion.

“...Who’s that?”

CEO Kim Seungchan of Grim Company couldn’t hide his brief confusion when an unfamiliar young man climbed into the back seat of the car behind Siron.

“Temporary manager.”

“Cousin.”

Baekgyeong and Siron answered at the same time. This time, it was Siron who turned, startled, to look at Baekgyeong.

“You’re saying you’re my manager?”

“Well, you don’t have one, do you? Company can’t afford it.”

“Y-You seriously—what is wrong with you?”

At Baekgyeong’s blunt jab at reality, the CEO’s face crumpled. He turned around in the driver’s seat to address them, then swallowed a sigh as he tried to explain.

“We’re still looking for a manager for Siron. Haven’t found one yet, that’s all.”

Having barely been introduced and already managing to drive a nail into the CEO’s chest while racking up a negative impression, Baekgyeong leaned back in his seat and said casually,

“Then that’s good to hear. Let’s go, Mr. CEO.”

The CEO’s gaze shifted from the wild brat to Siron. His eyes were sharp, demanding an explanation—Who the hell is this guy?

Flushing bright red, Siron hurried to explain.

“H-He’s, uh, a cousin I see a lot. He begged me to let him come to the audition site with me.”

The CEO’s expression shifted. He widened his eyes and examined Baekgyeong again, now with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

“Is he an aspiring actor too? ...Doesn’t seem like he’s got the right personality for it.”

Baekgyeong stared out the window, completely {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} uninterested, pretending not to hear. The CEO gave Siron another expectant look.

“Aha, yeah... He’s a bit, uh... prickly. But yeah, he wants to be an actor. He begged me to come just to see what it’s like.”

“It’s your first audition. You’ve got your hands full as it is, and now you’ve got that—”

But as Baekgyeong’s sharp gaze locked onto him, the CEO’s words gradually died out.

“That what?”

Noticing Baekgyeong’s direct stare a moment too late, Siron quickly covered the boy’s eyes with his hand.

“Sir, I’m ready for the audition. Let’s go!”

The CEO had no choice but to start the car. As they headed toward the audition venue, a strange silence fell over the car, none of them speaking a word. The vehicle drove quietly through the stillness toward its destination.

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