Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Life He Left Behind
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The security at the new luxury apartment building in Samsung-dong was intense, starting right from the complex entrance.
As I walked through the outer gate, a young, well-built security guard watched me intently.
The lobby inside the main entrance was as spacious and ornate as a hotel lobby.
At the reception desk stood a pretty, young female employee and a sturdy male employee.
They smiled brightly upon seeing me and bowed politely.
I guess they have to memorize the faces of all the residents here.
Just as Jung Hye-na had told me, I pressed my thumb on the elevator pad.
The doors opened, and as soon as I stepped inside, it automatically started ascending to the 19th floor.
Each floor had only one residence, and the elevator was designed not to stop on any other floor except the lobby and the parking garage.
“The security really is top-notch.”
Could it be that Lee Chang-woo planned to die somewhere else, worried that his suicide would lower the property value?
The moment I opened the door with fingerprint recognition, all the lights in the house turned on brightly.
“Whoa.”
I couldn't help but let out a gasp of awe.
Two things surprised me.
One was the interior, which was far more spacious and luxurious than I had ever imagined.
The other was how impeccably clean it was, completely devoid of any sign of human habitation.
“So this is what they call minimalism.”
It had the basic furniture: a TV, a living room table, a sofa.
The kitchen also had basic appliances like high-end tableware and an electric rice cooker.
But beyond that, there was no personal furniture or electronics to be seen.
“It feels like a model home.”
Yes, that was exactly it.
Not a place where someone lived, but a display apartment meant to be shown to potential buyers.
The shoe closet was empty, as were all the built-in storage compartments.
“Maybe something to drink...”
I opened the refrigerator and chuckled.
It was packed to the brim with nothing but 355ml bottles of mineral water.
After opening every kitchen cabinet, I found just one single packet of instant ramen.
“He lived here?”
It didn't look like he had cleared out his furniture before leaving.
It seemed it had been like this since he moved in.
There wasn't even a personal computer or a laptop.
I turned on the TV, but there was no movie purchase history or anything of the sort.
What on earth did this guy do for fun?
In a magnificent home like this, did he just sleep?
As I lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling, a thought suddenly struck me.
“The cloud!”
He might have factory-reset the phone, but there might be something in the cloud.
I was able to find the account and password using biometric authentication linked to the registered phone number.
If Lee Chang-woo had died, no one would have ever been able to access this.
“There’s a lot.”
I was at a loss as to where to even begin.
I decided to focus on the memos rather than the photo albums.
Surprisingly, Lee Chang-woo had written a lot in his cloud memos right up until his death.
<10 hours ago>
- whats the point of livin like this - just gonna off myself. next life’s gotta be better than this - so long, world. im out <1 day ago>
- finally, tomorrow’s the day <2 days ago>
- should i let hye-na have a piece before i go? shes kinda pathetic too - nah, forget it. if i give it to her once, she'll get clingy as hell, start acting like my wife just like all the other bitches <3 days ago>
- boring. so fucking boring - wish theyd stop talking to me - fuckin' bitches, you think i was born to fuck you all? piss off. - just let me eat my damn food in peace, you fucking dogs “Uh...”
Incredible.
It was like a wounded hedgehog with all its quills raised... but maybe a bit more infantile?
I lay comfortably on the sofa and read through his diary-like memos, going backward from the most recent entries.
Most of them were short records of his feelings at that moment.
I learned a lot.
Lee Chang-woo wasn't very good at studying.
His spelling mistakes weren't because he was too lazy to type properly, but because he simply lacked the basic knowledge.
He liked sex. But he had a severe hatred for women.
It was different from the kind of resentment typically held by incel losers.
Having been surrounded his whole life by women who wouldn't leave him alone for a second, his annoyance had exploded into contempt.
Not that he'd turned to homosexuality.
Phew, thank goodness.
Anyway, this bastard had almost no male friends either.
To Lee Chang-woo, women were like ghouls, constantly in heat, thinking of nothing but how to get him into bed.
As someone who lived as a virgin until 28, had his dick removed due to cancer surgery, and fought the disease for five more years before dying at 33...
It was a sentiment I simply could not comprehend.
Will a day ever come when I can understand how Lee Chang-woo felt?
“Hye-na has a face you’d see every minute in Apgujeong? I’ll never understand that. What kind of nonsense is that?”
For several hours, I sat still, reading and confirming Lee Chang-woo's history.
There was no mention of his family. No related photos or records either.
So, I installed a government app and looked up his family relations certificate.
Father [Deceased] Mother [Deceased] My breath caught in my throat.
Perhaps because of the memory of facing death after a five-year battle with illness, I hated the word ‘deceased’.
He had no siblings either.
Lee Chang-woo was completely alone in this world.
Could it be that he inherited this apartment?
This time, I installed the registry office app and viewed the apartment's registration records.
The world has become so convenient.
You can do everything with just a phone, even in the middle of the night.
[Reason for Registration - Gift] [Giver: Yoon Jae-kyung] [Recipient: Lee Chang-woo] [Gift Value: ₩8,500,000,000] “What the fuck.”
I was so shocked I almost dropped my phone.
A gift? 8.5 billion won? Who is Yoon Jae-kyung?
Looking at her national ID number, she's 26 years old?
A 26-year-old woman gifted Chang-woo an 8.5 billion won apartment?
I searched through the text messages, which had already surpassed several thousand.
I tried to find a woman who might be Yoon Jae-kyung, but it was a fool's errand.
The only contact saved was Jung Hye-na, whom I had added. How was I supposed to find Yoon Jae-kyung just from text messages?
I could check the real names by adding every number that sent a text as a friend on a messaging app, but that would take forever.
“So, this 8.5 billion won apartment was a gift from a woman four years his senior?”
Maybe that was why it was as empty of personal furniture and belongings as a model home.
I shot up from my seat.
I had a feeling I shouldn't stay here any longer.
I've already picked out names for my grandchildren with Hye-na!
I hurriedly left the apartment and headed back to my studio.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I had learned everything I needed to know about who Lee Chang-woo was.
An extremely handsome 22-year-old man whose life trajectory was completely different from mine in every single way.
Even the end of his life was different from mine.
Just as I had never imagined that a life like Lee Chang-woo's could exist...
Lee Chang-woo probably never knew that a bottom-feeder like me, an untouchable, dickless virgin in the dating market, even existed.
It's funny.
That this is 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, and wearing his face.
But I will probably never understand him.
Still, I will live with gratitude toward him.
For he has left me a precious inheritance.
I will respect even the parts I cannot understand and remember him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Feeling somewhat melancholic, I wanted a drink.
Not the kind of solo drinking I used to do while watching OTT services or YouTube before I got cancer.
I wanted to drink with the intensity to blow everything away, surrounded by deafeningly loud music.
So, I headed to a club.
A place I'd never been to, a sanctuary forbidden to me.
From what I'd seen on the internet, there was usually a long line, but there was none.
Two large bouncers stood on either side of the entrance.
My heart pounded as they scanned the area with wide eyes.
Stay as calm as possible.
New Lee Chang-woo, you've already gotten a double-digit number of phone numbers today.
There's no way I'll get turned away, right? Ah, wait. Should I call it 'entry denial'?
“Have a good evening.”
I tried to walk in as nonchalantly as possible, but one of the bouncers suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
For a moment, I was terrified.
“What, what is it?”
Turned away with this face? Or is my dress code wrong?
“Let's see some ID.”
“Ah, yes.”
Is that all?
I opened my wallet to take out my ID card, but what?
It's not there?
Where did my ID go?
Ah, I must have left it at Lee Chang-woo's apartment!
I took it out to sign up for the government app and completely forgot about it.
“Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot my ID.”
“Hey, you think that excuse is gonna work? Does it look like it will?”
“No, I'm not asking you to let me in. I'm saying I left it behind, so I'll go back and get it.”
The bouncer's expression remained stern.
He probably thought I was a minor who got caught trying to sneak in without an ID and was now trying to flee.
I guess I'll just have to drink somewhere else or go back to my studio.
“Hey, fellas! How can you look at this face and think he’s a minor? And if he really was underage, he would’ve used a fake ID, not said he forgot it. It’s the real adults who forget their IDs. You know how it is.”
Just then, a friendly-looking man in his thirties saw me and hurried over.
One of the bouncers frowned.
“MD Jang, are you going to take responsibility for this?”
“Of course, I’ll take full responsibility. Sir, you just forgot your ID, right? Right?”
“Ah, yes. That's right.”
“It won’t happen, but if by some chance you are a real minor, you just showed us a fake ID. And then you lost it. If we get caught later, you have to say that, okay?”
“I told you I'm not a minor. I've even completed my military service.”
“Oh, which unit were you in?”
I don't mind just leaving, so why is he being like this?
Is business that slow today?
“Mirae Rotem.”
“Huh? Is that a military unit?”
“It's not a unit, but a designated military service company. Do you know the K2 tank?”
“Of course, I do. I’m a tank enthusiast.”
“I did my service at the company that makes them. It’s like being a public service worker. You work at a designated company instead of in the army.”
Since I didn't have an ID anyway, it probably wouldn't matter if I acted as my original self for a moment instead of Lee Chang-woo.
“Ah, they have that? I think I’ve heard of it. But then, how old are you?”
“I’m 33.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
MD Jang and the two bouncers were at a loss for words.
The bouncer on the left opened his mouth, looking dumbfounded.
“Hey, fuck. There’s a limit to how much you can lie...”
“It’s fine. If he’s 33, it’s believable he'd forget his ID. Have you ever seen a minor lie and say they’re 33? But man, you really do look young for your age, sir.”