VDN Ch 38

Nam-woon and Se-han’s faces turned deathly pale. Grandfather Nam-nam noticed their expressions and turned to look at Kwon Seo-oh, feigning innocence.

“Oh, you’re here? No, it’s just that he keeps looking for a cookie that’s not there. I’ve told him several times it’s not there, but…”

“You shook the machine?”

“……..”

“……..”

He must have heard everything already. Se-han gripped the plushie in his hand so tightly that its face contorted grotesquely. Nam-woon aimlessly kicked a stone rolling on the ground, pretending to be distracted. Seo-oh spoke sternly.

“Kwon Se-han.”

“No, no… I didn’t shake it.”

Se-han denied it first. Seeing Se-han step forward to defend himself, Nam-woon’s heart ached, and he finally spoke up.

“Hey, it’s all my fault.”

“W-Wooni…”

“It’s okay, Se-han.”

“Both of you, follow me.”

Seo-oh spoke in a calm tone and led the way. Se-han’s eyes were already brimming with tears, his lips trembling, and Nam-woon trudged along slowly behind him, his hands lightly patting Se-han’s shoulder. From behind came Grandpa Nam’s clicking tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, those kids. They’re hopeless…”

***

Seo-oh, who had thrown his bag roughly into a corner of the room, turned around. His appearance was so menacing that of a demon, that Nam-woon and Se-han instinctively placed their hands over their stomachs and bowed their heads.

“Are you a child?”

“……..”

“Are you in elementary school, Hyung?”

“No, it’s just…”

“Do you know how expensive that machine is? Why did you shake it? What if it breaks!”

“But the plushie was stuck at the entrance, and if I didn’t shake it, I couldn’t get it out.”

Ah, what is this guy saying that’s so infuriating? Kwon Seo-oh frowned with such an expression.

“How old are you? What are you going to do, acting like a primary school student? If the machine breaks because of the toy, are you going to pay for it? Huh? When you are the type of person who would strip down to your underwear if someone offered you money!”

“How old are you, Hyung? Acting like an elementary school kid. If the machine breaks because of the toy, will you pay for it? Huh? You’d strip naked for money, but will you pay for this?”

“Well, not naked, no…”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you just break the glass and take it out?”

“……..”

Kwon Seo-oh was terrifying when he was angry. Nam-woon couldn’t muster any strength and just hung his head, while Se-han, who had been holding back tears while watching the pitiful scene, stepped in front of Nam-woon.

“It’s my fault!”

“Se, Se-han.”

“Don’t scold Wooni! It’s all my fault. I begged Wooni to get the toy… Waaaah… Huuung…”

Se-han’s thick tears dripped onto the toy he was holding. Seeing this, Nam-woon squatted down, hugged Se-han tightly, and said,

“Seo-oh, it’s not Se-han’s fault. I just wanted to get it because I wanted to.”

“No! It’s because I kept standing there and watching, so Wooni Hyung tried to get it for me, Huuung…”

“Se-han!”

“Wooni!”

The two hugged each other, shielding one another. Seo-oh was so baffled he couldn’t say anything more. Strangely, watching the two of them act like this, his anger seemed to dissipate. As he quietly observed their antics, Nam-woon suddenly pulled something out of his pocket. It was a white envelope.

“What’s this?”

“I put a little towards the rent.”

Nam-woon stammered. When Seo-oh opened the envelope, there was about 50,000 won inside. It was indeed a little. Watching Seo-oh look at it expressionlessly, Nam-woon added in an anxious tone,

“I’ll give you more later.”

“Forget it. Take it back.”

As Seo-oh handed back the envelope, Se-han suddenly murmured through tears,

“Wooni Hyung spent a lot of money on the machine for me… Wahhh.”

At those words, Nam-woon looked shocked and Seo-oh frowned.

“How much did you spend?”

“Not that much.”

“Spit it out.” 

Seo-oh glared at Nam-woon. Nam-woon tried to brush it off, insisting it really wasn’t much, but after being pressed a few times, he finally confessed.

“Maybe… forty thousand won?”

“Forty thousand won?”

Seo-oh grabbed the envelope and threw it.

“You spent forty thousand won on a toy?”

As Seo-oh was about to scold him, Nam-woon took the toy that Se-han was holding and pushed it towards Seo-oh.

“But at least we got this…”

The puppy plushie, stained here and there with Se-han’s tears, stared up at Seo-oh. In a cold voice, Seo-oh said,

“This weekend, pull out every single weed in the yard.”

“…Got it.”

When Nam-woon answered in a resigned, pitiful tone, Se-han, sniffling beside him, suddenly shouted:

“Waaah! It’s not Nam-woon-Hyung’s fault, it’s mine—!”

“Se-han, you’re pulling weeds too.”

“……..”

Se-han’s tears instantly stopped at the word “weeds,” his face frozen in a confused “Huh?” Seo-oh ignored the two, their spirits thoroughly crushed, and pulled the dining table closer.

After one last warning that if they shook the machine again, he’d bury Nam-woon inside it, he took out his laptop. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Se-han and Nam-woon whispering as they unzipped the front pocket of his backpack and slipped the puppy plushie inside. Seo-oh pretended not to notice.

***

The next day, when Seo-oh arrived at the classroom and sat down, he opened the zipper of his bag. As he tried to take out a pen, a yellow puppy doll popped out with it.

After being scolded by Seo-oh the day before, Nam-woon and Se-han had been visibly downcast and unusually quiet. While Seo-oh worked on assignments, the two whispered to each other and cleaned the house without being asked. Se-han picked up scattered items and put them back in place, while Nam-woon mopped the floors. Despite one being an adult and the other an elementary schooler, they got along well.

A faint smile tugged at Seo-oh’s lips.

“Huh? It’s Bulk-kong!”

At the voice beside him, Seo-oh turned to see Sol placing her bag next to his. He didn’t have many close friends at school, but ever since they worked on a group project together, Sol had started talking to him more often.

“Where’d you get it? I heard Bulk-kong plushies are super rare.”

“You know this?”

“Of course. It’s famous. It’s cute.”

“Isn’t it a kids’ cartoon?”

“…Yeah. But a lot of adults watch it too.”

It’s something my sister likes, so I know about it, Sol added. “You can only get it secondhand in Damgum right now. Where’d you buy it?”

“A claw machine.”

“That must’ve been tough.”

Seo-oh nodded. Tough was an understatement. It was so tough Hyung almost broke the machine.

“That would cost about 30,000 won at Damgum.”

Sometimes 30,000 won might not even stop there. Sol began listing information without being asked. She showed him a picture of a light pink dog plushie on her phone, saying there were no Al-kong plushies available at all.

If I get that one, Hyung would probably like it. Seo-oh was startled by his own thought and clenched his fist tightly. Sol gave him a strange look. Just then—

“Do you know how fucking surprised I was?!”

It was Na Dae-yeol. He was constantly talking with a face full of complaints.

“Shouldn’t they ban outside vendors or food deliveries on campus? There are so many sketchy people around.”

“Well… maybe not delivery entirely. We do need to eat while doing assignments. Besides, the guy who delivered recently was actually kind of hot.”

“Was it Omega?”

“An omega?”

“I dunno. He wore a plain shirt while delivering…”

Na Dae-yeol grabbed the other person’s shoulder and asked,

 “Was that the bastard I saw? Hey, Lee Jun-hee, where’d you see him?”

“Near the Liberal Arts building. Ah, he seemed to know Kwon Seo-oh. Should I ask him?”

“Kwon Seo-oh?”

Na Dae-yeol turned his head towards Kwon Seo-oh. When Seo-oh’s name came up, Sol looked visibly uneasy and glanced sideways at the seat next to her, but as always, Seo-oh remained completely calm, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Just as Na Dae-yeol was about to take a step towards Kwon Seo-oh. Suddenly, Na Dae-yeol’s body collided with a man walking from the opposite direction.

“Ah! Watch where you’re fucking go–” 

Na Dae-yeol stopped mid-sentence with irritation as he looked up. Standing there was Jin Hae-geon. A faint smile played on Hae-geon’s lips, but his unblinking eyes were fixed solely on Na Dae-yeol. Shit, why did it have to be this bastard? Na Dae-yeol made a disgusted face. Jin Hae-geon had started taking classes with them this semester.

He attracted attention with his appearance alone. Though there was no official source, rumors circulated among the students about his family background, ranging from being from a political family to having celebrity parents, and even whispers that he was a dominant Alpha.

Everything from the car he arrived in to the watch on his wrist to the clothes and shoes he wore was all expensive. While many students adorned themselves with luxury brands, Jin Hae-geon was on a different level. Perhaps that’s why people constantly hovered around him. Na Dae-yeol was one of them. With a forced smile, Na Dae-yeol approached Jin Hae-geon and struck up a conversation.

Once again, wanting to feign closeness, Dae-yeol started the conversation first.

“Hey, we’re going to drink later with some guys. Want to come along?”

Jin Hae-geon had glanced sideways at Na Dae-yeol, who’d suddenly sat down beside him. This bastard looks as stuck-up as Kwon Seo-oh. Na Dae-yeol was displeased but hid it, leaning in to whisper:

“Seong-ho says alot of omegas from his department are coming tonight.

Kwon Seo-oh is handsome but he’s poor and this guy seems rich. It would be nice if he could subtly have him pay for the drinks.

“Alphas?”

Na Dae-yeol looked at Hae-geon strangely at Jin Hae-geon’s unexpected question. Hae-geon asked again.

Are many Alphas coming’?

Well… if Omegas come, quite a few probably will’. 

Dae-yeol replied awkwardly. Hae-geon stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked:

“Are you an Alpha?”

“……..”

Asking someone about their biological traits wasn’t unheard of, but most people avoided such questions. It was considered rude. Dae-yeol was both offended and baffled, left speechless. But Hae-geon suddenly closed the distance between them.

He leaned in until his breath nearly touched Dae-yeol’s face. Taking a deep inhale, Hae-geon spoke with a fresh, clear expression.

“You stink of vomit.”

“What?”

 “I wouldn’t fuck you even if you paid me.”

Puhaha! Hae-geon burst out laughing as if something was hilarious. Everyone nearby watched the scene with bewildered expressions.