I’m Not That Obsessive

Chapter 3

There was no reasoning with him. Mitchell is a public figure, but so am I. Even if I’m not active now, most Koreans know me.

How could I possibly record a video confessing my wrongdoing in just my underwear?

Mitchell was transferring the discomfort he experienced onto me. As if to say, “Now you know how it feels.”

“Please, don’t do this. I said I won’t tell anyone!”

“Take them off. Do you want me to do it for you?”

As he took a step forward threatening to undress me, it was so intimidating that I almost collapsed on the spot. I had always considered myself to have a pretty sturdy build. Standing over 180cm tall with well-defined muscles, I often appeared in action movies with shirtless scenes.

I was often complimented on my physique, but in front of Mitchell, I felt utterly insignificant.

He was in a completely different league. While not excessively built like a bodybuilder, he was a good hand span taller than me with shoulders as broad as the Pacific. His entire skeletal structure was different from the start. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

“You’re going to strip either way. You can choose to do it yourself, or I can do it for you.”

He wasn’t exaggerating; he was dead serious. Pointing at his watch to indicate time was running out, he took another step towards me.

“Okay! Okay!”

Stripping myself would be a hundred times better than being forcibly undressed, but both options were terrible. I frowned visibly and snorted in displeasure. While expressing my discontent, I undid my pants buckle. Not wanting to meet Mitchell’s eyes, I bowed my head and spoke with difficulty.

“I’m going to record you too. I need the same promise that you won’t upload my video anywhere.”

“Do as you please.”

I thought I’d delivered a masterstroke, but Mitchell didn’t seem to care much. Reluctantly, I lowered my pants, instinctively looking around.

The living room’s large windows were well covered with curtains. The front door was properly closed. I squeezed my eyes shut as I let my pants drop to the floor.

Thinking of my briefs as swimming trunks made it somewhat bearable. After all, I had worked with dozens of crew members wearing even smaller swim shorts. Recalling that old memory oddly calmed me down.

“Take those off too. We’re shooting nude.”

That is, until I heard those words.

“…What?”

“Are you naive? Or just stupid? Hurry up and strip. Time’s ticking.”

“Are you crazy?”

I shouted, taking a step back. I couldn’t understand how things had escalated to this point or where it had all gone wrong.

“You can record me naked too. Then we’re even, right? What’s the problem?”

Mitchell untied his robe and threw it open. Brazenly exposing himself, he told me to record him naked too.

“T-That.”

I couldn’t bring myself to look down at his lower half. Yet, it was all within my field of vision, so I couldn’t claim I hadn’t seen it either.

What was surprising was that Mitchell was completely shaved. I hadn’t noticed until now because I wasn’t staring directly, but once he was fully naked, I belatedly realized the area that should have had hair was smooth.

I’d heard that hair removal was common overseas…

Seeing it in person for the first time felt strange. I felt oddly embarrassed, even though it wasn’t my body. For a moment, I had the urge to touch that smooth skin, and I secretly ran my hand down my arm.

Crazy bastard.

I cursed inwardly as I forced my gaze upward.

I couldn’t think of what to say to Mitchell, who had exposed himself first. Well, that thick thing had poked my stomach earlier, so that said it all.

As the standoff dragged on, I became the more anxious one. Just a moment ago, Mitchell had seemed urgent, but now the tables had turned.

I felt cold sweat forming. All the various incidents I’d experienced in Korea now seemed like nothing.

This might be the biggest crisis of my life. And this time, I brought it upon myself.

“Damn it…”

I couldn’t even bring myself to harbor ill intentions. I couldn’t forcefully say I’d expose him as gay or that I didn’t care about the video and demand he leave immediately. Using someone’s weakness as a weapon against them was something my conscience simply wouldn’t allow. Even if that conscience was about to get me in trouble.

Moreover, Mitchell acted as if he absolutely wouldn’t leave unless I recorded the video. If I tried to threaten him half-heartedly, I didn’t know what this seemingly unhinged Mitchell might do to me. With those large hands, he could strangle my neck… Ah, my heart was racing like it might explode.

“Hurry up.”

Having lost confidence in persuading Mitchell any further, I gripped the waistband of my briefs.

“I admit I was wrong, but… how can I trust you? Are you someone trustworthy?”

“If you don’t do anything unnecessary, neither will I. You can trust that for sure. After all, we’re just cleaning up the mess you made.”

As I glared at Mitchell speaking so calmly, I thought to myself.

Right. This is… a sauna. A sauna. This place is a sauna.

What’s wrong with being naked in a sauna?

That’s normal, isn’t it?

Yeah. Let’s strip. Fuck, just do it!

Just think of it as being at a sauna. What’s the big deal about men seeing each other naked? I’m just at a sauna for the first time since my debut.

So taking off clothes is natural. Right. It’s definitely natural, but…

“What if I refuse?”

I attempted one last desperate move.

Even though I’d done something that deserved endless apologies, wouldn’t any person with common sense think this punishment was too harsh?

Of course, that’s just my perspective…

“Refuse?”

That half-smile couldn’t be called a smile. It was the devil himself, risen from hell – a curse, a malevolent spirit. He was showing me that psychopathic expression, the one that had won him a Best Actor award, right before my eyes. My whole body trembled involuntarily.

“Go ahead and refuse if you can. I’ll make your life so miserable you’ll wish you were dead.”

I was so scared I almost asked, “What kind of miserable life, specifically?” As if I could hear it and decide if I could endure it… No! This isn’t right!

Look at those flashing eyes.

I might not know Mitchell’s true nature, but that was surely the gatekeeper of endless hell. That damned place of constant, unending suffering! Chills ran down my spine.

At this point, the survival instinct kicked in, saying:

‘Strip, you idiot!’

Coming back to my senses,

This is a sauna.

If I don’t want to be dragged to hell by the devil’s trident, I need to boldly discard these rags on my body.

Right. Non-possession. Didn’t we all come into this world naked? So this is nothing. I just met a handsome American actor at a sauna. It would be rude to keep clothes on when everyone else is naked.

Having made up my mind, I felt rather relieved. Having successfully rationalized it, I decided to cast off the world’s shame.

…Fuck.

“Hurry up and record!”

The tiny piece of cloth fell around my ankles. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for this moment to pass quickly.

Is this really the right thing to do? It did happen because of my mistake, but did it have to escalate this far? Tiny tears like bird seeds formed in the corners of my eyes.

Could this be…

A hidden camera prank?

The thought suddenly struck me, sending chills down my spine. Just in case, I scanned the entire ceiling of my house. There’s no way there could be cameras in my house.

“Speak. I’m recording.”

As Mitchell raised his phone, my body trembled. Not from cold, but from anger. I had struggled, but this was the result. I understood how futile it felt to look at spilled water.

“…I won’t tell anyone about what I saw today. If I break this promise, you can upload this video to the internet or not. But if this video gets out to others even though I didn’t say anything, I’ll upload your video too. Including what you did with that man! I’ll tell everything.”

It might be a bit weak for a naked oath, but I included all the essentials. I finished speaking and quickly put my briefs back on. I was relieved that it could be finished faster than I thought.

Of course, it was a bit disconcerting when Mitchell touched his phone screen during this. It seemed like he was zooming in on me.

Trying to push away negative thoughts, I quickly put on my pants too. Then I picked up my phone from the table and pointed it at Mitchell the same way.

“Your turn.”

Mitchell, who had been fiddling with his phone, tossed aside his already unnecessary robe. Unlike me who had hesitated for a long time, he undressed without hesitation.

His expressionless face paradoxically looked like that of a clergy member devoted to religion. The person who had just engaged in depraved acts with a man was nowhere to be seen. Only a sacred light shone on his cold, icy face.

He stood proudly, not at all ashamed of his nakedness, and I thought if I had a body like that, I could do the same. Who wouldn’t be mesmerized by a nude form like a masterpiece created by an Italian genius sculptor over a lifetime?

“I will not disclose Bae Geon-woo’s video. If he doesn’t reveal my secret, the video will never be made public. But if you break the promise, I’ll upload your dick pics all over the internet. Be prepared.”

The perfectly proportioned statue smiled crookedly. That smile was filled with murderous intent. Despite the killing intent, my heart raced wildly. As if to let me know I was still alive here.

I lowered my phone while receiving Mitchell’s uncomfortable gaze. Even without his threat, our videos should remain buried in our phones forever. For each other’s sake, to avoid hurting each other, that was how it should be.