CBR 1

It was late afternoon. A off-white curtain fluttered now and then in the gentle breeze drifting through the gap in the window. The bookshelves filling the entire wall were lined with books, and the various genres—humanities, economics, philosophy, and more—displayed the homeowner’s refinement. Inside the room, a man and a woman sat facing each other, surrounded by the high, fortress-like bookshelves. Sitting across a single desk, the setup was strangely reminiscent of an interrogation room. The man, sitting as upright as a textbook on spinal anatomy, was reading a book aloud to the woman opposite him. Wearing a school uniform, she looked young, but the tension on her face was no less intense than that of a bettor buying a race ticket. A combative atmosphere hovered between the two.

“‘…The moment I made eye contact with the guy, I couldn’t move a single step.’”

His voice, neither high nor low, was soft and calm. The tone was comfortable yet crisp, his pronunciation was fluent, and his solid vocal projection left nothing to be desired.

“‘A dangerous glint in his eyes, a jawline so sharp it could cut like a blade, skin as pure white as first snow, and lips so bright red they seemed ready to burst. From head to toe, the guy’s perfect appearance brought to mind that mythical creature, the Transparent Dragon.’”

Maintaining a constant speed, his breathing was steady, and the rhythm that gave appropriate emphasis to each syllable was dramatic while keeping its composure. Fully immersed, the listener leaned forward bit by bit.

“‘The guy said to be the absolute best at Emperor High… The guy ranked #0 blew a single trail of cigarette smoke into the air and raised his head. Then, he crooked his finger toward me.’”

She watched the reader with an enthralled expression, as if watching a action-packed blockbuster. With a thoroughly serious face, the speaker explained that although the main character in the book was a cold-blooded villain without a shred of empathy or manners, he possessed ample potential to be warm to his own woman. Reciting without a hitch as if drawing thread from a spinning wheel, he eventually paused at a certain passage.

“Heh…. You’ve piqued my interest.”

The lips spitting out the sentence twitched briefly. Clenching his fist, he spoke with grim determination.

“You’re gonna be mine.”

“Ah, jackpot.”

The female student collapsed onto the desk, making a snorting sound. As her tight fists repeatedly pounded the desk, the books and writing utensils vibrated as if an earthquake had struck. With her back heaving, there was no sign of her getting up even after a long while, and Jaewon, gazing at the sight with cold eyes, closed the book with a sharp snap.

“That’s it for today.”

“Huh? Crazy! How can you stop here?!”

Along with the fierce protest, a shower of amylase rained down. Jaewon held the book upright to perfectly block the bombardment and added emotionlessly,

“How long has it even been since we opened the book! You’ve barely read a few pages!”

“Write a book report on {The Carnivore} by next class.”

He began packing his belongings swiftly. Watching her teacher, who never forgot his original duty at any moment, the student’s pupils shook piteously. The moment Jaewon put {My Heart Tells Me It’s You} into his bag, she urgently grabbed the edge of the book.

“Mister, aren’t you even curious about what happens next?”

“I haven’t felt that way in 1,185 days.”

“Can’t you read just one more line for me?”

“No.”

Rejecting her flatly, Jaewon recalled the balance on his transit card a moment late and offered a compromise as if showing generosity.

“An extra five thousand won.”

“They say a healthy amount of curiosity is good for you.”

‘I thought she’d fall for it today.’

At her Udyr-level shift in attitude, Jaewon clicked his tongue and snatched the book away. Then, he tied his sneaker laces tighter than usual. This month had 31 days, meaning he had to walk for two more days to get home.

“Dad told me to drop by the hospital because he has something to tell you, Mister.”

“I’m busy today. Your dad needs to make more active use of modern technology.”

“He said he has something to give you.”

“I’ll drop by on my way then.”

Jaewon stepped out the door with light steps. He offered a warm smile to the female student saying goodbye with a face full of lingering regret, then boarded the elevator. The doors smoothly closed, and in the mirror was a reflection of the book he hadn’t had time to put in his bag while squabbling with the student. Jaewon’s eyes narrowed into a straight line.

An internet novel plastered with emoticons in every sentence. There were complex reasons why he recited a book from a genre that could now be considered dead three times a week.

Bae Jaewon was a young man who had lost his parents at an early age and grew up in hardship under his grandmother. Due to his family’s poor financial state, there was no part-time job he hadn’t tried since childhood. He had started reading aloud in high school to build up community service points, but because of his nice voice, he was scouted by a wealthy lady to do it in earnest. Jaewon, who possessed the full trifecta of vocalization, breathing, and pronunciation, drew high satisfaction from parents, and his pleasant voice along with his attractive appearance made him popular among children. The fact that such a person ended up reciting a ‘love story between a #0 ranked delinquent and an ordinary citizen who is definitely pretty if you look closely’ every week was purely due to his client’s taste.

Jung Soojung, the female student with this eccentric hobby, was a dyslexic patient. Being Jaewon’s younger cousin, she was a homeschooled student and an internet novel fanatic. Jung Soojung, who had claimed to like classic novels, brought a cornucopia-like endless supply of emoticon-filled books that had disappeared into the shadows of the market. Exactly one week after starting the job, Jaewon declared a strike. To him, who complained of hypothermia and numbness in his hands and feet, his uncle offered a wage increase, and his symptoms were completely cured as if washed away. After some system tweaks, it reached the current state of alternating between reading educational books and desired books.

‘What’s so fun about reading this kind of thing?’

Jaewon looked discontentedly at the book in his hand. It was the fourth year since he took charge of Jung Soojung. Although he had conquered countless internet novels during that time, his doubts about his cousin’s reading taste only grew. If not for his uncle’s request, he would have escaped such a poor working environment long ago.

To Jaewon, who lost his parents early, his uncle was his only family. He had given much help until Jaewon stood on his own feet, and Jaewon, knowing gratitude, planned to pay it back faithfully.

Checking his watch, it was approaching five in the afternoon. Since the exchange’s closing time had long passed, it was time to go analyze investments. Even though the exchange wasn’t open on weekends, Jaewon kept to his daily routine as much as possible. Having an unusual interest in financial technology, he was preparing for the Zaram Securities College Student Stock Mock Investment Competition. As a result of devoting himself day and night, things were smooth so far, but variables always existed. Last year’s winner performed the astonishing feat of making a 600% return rate. As long as hidden masters existed, he couldn’t let his guard down.

Time was tight to get to the hospital where his uncle was admitted. With an added schedule, Jaewon hurried his steps.

His self-proclaimed ‘extreme lifestyle’-pursuing uncle had traveled the world earning money in all sorts of bizarre ways, but returning admitted after being beaten up while hunting kangaroos in Australia like this time was mild. Most of the work he did had high risk, yielding excellent return rates relative to time. Two years ago, he fished for Ophelia snow crabs in the Bering Sea for half a year and returned home in triumph with $150,000. In Jaewon’s eyes, however, he was merely a human being dying to die.

“Uh… Jaewon-y, you here?”

When he entered the hospital room, a man shaped like a blowfish waved his hand. Having his jaw fractured from a kangaroo’s uppercut, his uncle couldn’t even speak properly.

“Where did aunt go?”

Instead of an answer, he mimed smoking a cigarette. Jaewon placed the soy milk he had bought into the refrigerator and sat next to the bed.

“How’s your body feeling?”

“Yeah. Now if only the hospidal lets me be discharged.”

“Then all that’s left is growing up.”

“Hey kid, men die the moment they grow up.”

The words sounded a bit strange, but he ignored them. Come to think of it, because he was so immature, he must have adopted the child his friend abandoned and taken care of Jaewon after his sibling and spouse departed.

“How’s Soojung-y?”

“Always doing well, healthy. She eats well and sleeps well. Especially last time when I read {Gone with the Wind} to her, she slept so well that I wanted to vanish into thin air myself.”

“Heh-heh-heh.”

Though he honestly poured out his suffering, his uncle only let out a hearty laugh. Jaewon looked gloomily at his face laughing happily, then let out a short sigh.

“What are you reading these days?”

“{My Heart}… hold on a moment.”