VDN Ch 53

Seo-oh kicked open the gate and crossed the yard. Opening the door, he put Se-han, who was held in his arms, down and said, “Stay there for a moment.” and closed the door. Even for the brief moment the door was closed, Se-han’s sobs could be heard.

Inside the taxi, Seo-oh remained silent, but the veins on his forehead showed how angry he was. As they stepped into the yard, Seo-oh walked out, and Nam-woon hurriedly followed. After stopping in front of the gate, Seo-oh stopped and spoke.

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“What did you do in front of Se-han!”

“I really didn’t do anything! I just happened to meet someone I know, and all of a sudden…”

Nam-woon didn’t know what to say. It was true that Jin-sang came to Nam-woon and spoke to him, but he didn’t understand Se-han’s sudden behavior. However, judging by Se-han’s actions, it was clear that Jin-sang had done something he didn’t know about and it was also true that he had a threatening demeanor towards Se-han.

“Sorry. I didn’t expect him to react like that.”

“You didn’t expect it?”

“Seriously, I don’t even know what’s going on. Se-han seemed so surprised.”

“Of course he would be. He saw what you and that guy were doing.”

Nam-woon frowned at Seo-oh’s cold tone.

“What the hell did I do earlier, anyway?”

“Why are you asking me that? You should know.”

“I said I didn’t do anything? Why are you making me repeat the same thing over and over?”

“Nothing? Then what’s that smell coming from you?”

Nam-woon stopped. Smell? Come to think of it, Se-han mentioned something about a smell earlier too. Looking down at Nam-woon, who was silent for a moment, Seo-oh raised his voice.

“You’re reeking of it, and you’re telling me you didn’t do anything and you’re not with him? Do you think I’ll believe that?”

“Do I have pheromones on me?”

Hearing that question, Seo-oh lowered his head and let out a laugh that sounded like a sigh. He then raised his head and stared at Nam-woon with cold eyes.

“Hey.”

It sounded like he had completely abandoned the title of “Hyung.”

“I’ve always held back.”

“…….”

“Your body smells like shit and I’ve always put up with it.”

Nam-woon didn’t realize that Jin-sang had smeared his pheromones on him.

He felt so sorry for Se-han, who had gotten angry on his behalf without knowing anything. However, Nam-woon also started to get angry at Seo-oh’s very emotional reaction.

As a beta, it was natural for him not to recognize the smell of pheromones.

Moreover, being suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar world, he wasn’t familiar with concepts or settings like pheromones. The novel Nam-woon had read were strangely short in description and focused mainly on dialogue. Therefore, detailed explanations about alphas, omegas, or pheromones were rarely provided.

“I really didn’t know. I’m a beta, you know that.”

“Yeah, you might not have known. But you…”

Seo-oh continued.

“Can you really say nothing happened with him? I’m not just talking about today.”

At that moment, an incident in the university bathroom flashed through Nam-woon’s mind. They had been stuck together in a narrow bathroom stall, leading to unavoidable contact. Because of that, he even bought a rut suppressant for the Jin-sang. When Nam-woon finally answered that nothing had happened, Seo-oh spoke in a cold voice.

“Every time you open your mouth, it’s “I don’t know” “I didn’t do anything” Is lying that easy for you?”

“Oh, this is driving me crazy.”

Nam-woon frowned and ran a hand through his hair.

“I really didn’t know, so I said I didn’t know, and I really didn’t do it, so I said I didn’t do it. What the hell do you want from me?”

Then, Kwon Seo-oh took something out of the shopping bag that had fallen on the floor and threw it at Nam-woon.

Thud.

It was a rut suppressant.

As Nam-woon slowly picked it up, Kwon Seo-oh said,

“Then what is that?”

“This…”

Nam-woon closed his mouth. He had indeed bought it for Kwon Seo-oh, but he hadn’t intended to give it to him like this. If he suddenly handed the rut suppressant to him, it would definitely seem strange, so he had planned to secretly put it in the medicine box or the desk drawer for emergencies.

But now, explaining all this would just sound like an excuse. Still, Nam-woon decided to be honest. He lowered his head and said,

“I bought it for you.”

The Seo-oh burst into a low laugh as if it were ridiculous. Nam-woon’s mood worsened.

“You bought it for me? Are you crazy?”

“I really bought it for you. I thought we didn’t have any emergency medication at home.”

“Why? Did he tell you to take care of it?! Because you smell like me?”

“Your smell?”

Nam-woon, who had been about to say something, fell silent. Seo-oh’s scent? Suddenly, a memory passed through his mind. Jin-sang had mentioned the smell of weeds. And sometimes, when Nam-woon was close to Seo-oh, he caught hints of grass and floral scents. Now it all makes sense. Nam-woon looked directly into Seo-oh’s eyes.

“Did you get it on me, too?”

Seo-oh remained expressionless, refusing to answer. Nam-woon’s frustration grew.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Am I some kind of object?”

“…….”

“Put that aside. Why are you getting mad? Isn’t that the way you alphas are? Why would you do something like that without my permission?

“It’s because you keep coming home smelling like you’ve been sleeping with someone.”

“What did you just say?”

Nam-woon couldn’t believe his ears. Seo-oh spoke in a low voice.

“You bought that for that asshole, right? To use during his rut?”

“You’re crazy. Aren’t you too delusional?”

He was so dumbfounded that he could hardly speak. Then Seo-oh said, ‘Really?’ and continued speaking.

“Tell me the truth, did you buy it for that asshole or not?”

“I didn’t buy it!”

He lied. However, Nam-woon was a step late, and Seo-oh looked as if he knew everything.

“Do you even know how you smell right now?”

“…….”

“You reek of alpha.

“…….”

“Just like a dog in heat.”

“Hey, Kwon Seo-oh!”

“It’s disgusting. Get out.”

Nam-woon clenched his fists.

“Damn it, don’t you trust me at all? Why won’t you believe what I say?”

“If you were in my shoes, would you believe it?”

“Uwaaah! Don’t fight, it’s my fault.”

Se-han, who was barefoot, rushed out of the room and grabbed Seo-oh’s pant leg.

“Don’t fight. I’m sorry for crying. Please don’t be angry, ughh.”

The commotion caused Mrs. Soon-i from next door to open her gate and come outside.

“Oh my, what’s all this fuss? Why are you fighting like that?”

Mrs. Soon-i hurried over, hugging Se-han tightly.

“Don’t shout and fight in front of them! Kids remember everything when they grow up.”

Seo-oh and Nam-woon continued glaring at each other, ignoring Mrs. Soon-i. Se-han’s tearful cries were heard all around them. Nam-woon’s grip on the box of pheromone suppressants crumpled.

“I don’t want to see you anymore either.”

Nam-woon turned his back on him with those words.

He heard Se-han scream loudly, but he didn’t look back and kept walking away. With a frighteningly hardened expression, he walked down the alley when suddenly he heard footsteps running after him from behind.

“Woon…Woon..! Don’t go…Aaaah!”

It was the sound of Se-han running. A moment later, there was a loud thud. Nam-woon quickly turned his head at the sound. Se-han was lying face down on the asphalt. The small slippers he had been wearing were all off and rolling on the ground, and the child was crying loudly while lying down. Nam-woon immediately ran to Se-han.

“Are you okay?”

After lifting Se-han from the ground, he checked his knees. They were scraped from the fall. Nam-woon felt heartbroken but didn’t show it. Se-han then burst into tears and hugged Nam-woon’s neck tightly.

“Hyung… Hyung… Don’t go. I won’t do it again.”

Nam-woon bit his lip and picked up the slippers that had fallen far away, putting them on Se-han’s small, dirt-covered feet.

“Woon-hyung, I’m sorry. Don’t go. I’m sorry for crying.”

Se-han kept saying, but Nam-woon couldn’t give the answer the child wanted. Avoiding looking at Se-han’s crying face, he managed to say one word.

“It’s not your fault, Se-han.”

If he faced Se-han’s crying face, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to take a single step from this place.

“Hurry up and go. Hyung will be worried.”

After brushing off the dirt from Se-han’s clothes, Nam-woon turned his back, and Se-han started crying loudly, holding onto Nam-woon’s pants. The commotion even brought Grandpa Namnam running out in a hurry.

“What’s going on!”

“Hyung!”

Nam-woon handed Se-han to Grandpa Namnam and walked down the alley.

“Young man! Where are you going when Se-han is crying?”

Grandpa Namnam shouted from behind, and Se-han collapsed on the ground, wailing. Nam-woon couldn’t bear to look at Se-han’s tear-streaked face.

“Are you okay?”

Grandpa Namnam shouted from behind and Se-han collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly. It seemed that Kwon Seo-oh had come down because of Se-han, and Grandpa’s voice could be heard asking what was going on.

Nam-woon finally left the alley without looking back. He walked aimlessly for a long time and stopped in front of a traffic light. The voices saying “It’s disgusting” and the calm voice saying “He’s kind.” mingled and echoed in his ears.

Nam-woon kept repeating to himself, “This is normal, this is right.” With an expressionless face, he started walking again. ”

***

Nam-woon took on more work. During the day, he handled office tasks and deliveries, and late at night, he unloaded packages. It kept his mind from wandering off.

[Hey, Nam-woon]

[Why aren’t you answering your phone?]

[Please reply]

Nam-woon completely ignored Jin-sang’s messages.