The Glass Bead Game
2025 · novel
A life that once dreamed of becoming a model, only to hit rock bottom after choosing a job out of financial desperation. Kang Juhyeon has always longed to return to an ordinary life, to regain something that sparkles like glass beads. “Welcome, sir. I am Whitey, who will be serving you today.” “How boring…” A man who doesn’t belong in this place, filled with filthy lust and twisted desire, Director Lee Jaehee. His act of scrutinizing him down to his very core was suspicious, but he ended up ignoring it. 「One million won per cut. Ten cuts…」 「It’s not a dangerous job like you’re worried about. Contact me.」 And there, he comes face to face with Lee Jaehee again, a client who feels unfamiliar yet strangely familiar. Contrary to his imagination that something terrible would happen, it was a simple modeling job. And Lee Jaehee makes an unexpected proposal. “Can you look after Hanna here for the next four weeks?” The pay was high for just asking him to look after a cat that would be left alone during a business trip. With the trust built from the photoshoot, Kang Juhyeon signs the contract. Despite Lee Jaehee’s claim that he’d often be away, their ambiguous cohabitation continues for a long time. “…You said my scent was mixed. I’m curious what kind of scent it is.” “Mixed scent, mixed flowers… I only eat wildflower honey anyway.” He was just Kang Juhyeon, a man Lee Jaehee kept by his side to watch for his own amusement, using the cat as an excuse. But before long, Lee Jaehee begins