VDN Ch 58

Clunk. Yong-deuk’s steps halted as he stepped into the office. He took a step back to verify if it was indeed his office.

On the office sofa, small children in the order of smallest to tallest were sitting in a row. They sat cross-legged, staring at the blank TV screen. When they heard the door, they turned their heads at the same time. Seeing Yong-deuk’s face, they gasped in surprise and looked back at the front.

“…What’s going on?”

Yong-deuk’s question caught Jang-mi off guard. He scratched his forehead awkwardly and replied,

“Kwon Seo-oh’s younger brother and his friends.”

“Huh?”

Yong-deuk frowned, studying the children’s faces. Among them, the disheveled child sitting in the smallest position looked oddly familiar. Was his name Kwon Se-han? The child seemed to recognize Yong-deuk too, as their eyes met. After a moment, Se-han clenched his small fist and hesitantly looked straight again.

“Um…”

His round lips opened.

“When will Wooni Hyung arrive?”

“Wooni Hyung? Who’s that?”

Yong-deuk raised an eyebrow, and Se-han stammered, looking down at the floor.

“He’s the representative here… Nam-woon Hyung, the representative…”

Yong-deuk hesitated, and Jang-mi leaned in, whispering to him.

“Hasn’t he been getting close to Kwon Seo-oh lately? Maybe he even moved into his house to live with him?

“Nonsense.”

Yong-deuk questioned Se-han.

“Does Kwon Seo-oh know you’re here?”

“Yes.”

Se-han answered confidently. Yong-deuk immediately tried calling Nam-woon, but it went to voicemail.

“Master isn’t due to arrive for a while yet. Are you going to keep waiting here?”

“Yes!”

“Yes…”

“Yes…”

Min-chan and Dong-soo followed Se-han’s lead and answered in small voices. Their voices were weak, but their faces showed they were determined to meet him. Yong-deuk observed the children for a moment, then opened the refrigerator. From inside, he retrieved three cartoon character drinks that Nam-woon had asked him to buy. The children’s faces lit up when they saw the drinks. Watching the three kids sip their drinks, Jang-mi commented,

“The office has turned into a kindergarten.”

Se-han, who had heard the comment, set down his drink and corrected him.

“We’re not kindergarteners, we’re second graders.”

Dong-soo, who sat at the end, looked surprised and grabbed Se-han’s sleeve.

“Hey, aren’t you scared?”

“Uh, I think it’s a little less scary than before.”

“Wow.”

Se-han turned his head back to look at Jang-mi. The face looking back at him was so identical to Kwon Seo-oh’s that it made Jang-mi wonder if Kwon Seo-oh had been this cute as a child. Jang-mi, who had been idly fiddling with his drink and watching the children, pulled out his phone. He tapped on it and held the screen out to the children.

“Hey, kids, want to go watch a movie?”

At that, the children subtly turned their heads and looked at the phone screen Jang-mi had held out. “Oh, this is really famous” Min-chan muttered softly. Then they started exchanging glances with each other. Should we go? Do you want to go? What should we do? Jang-mi watched them have a silent conversation for a while, and then, to solve their dilemma in one fell swoop, he reached into his pocket and shouted loudly.

“Let’s go, guys!”

***

Upon hearing that Se-han had gone to see Seok Nam-woon, Seo-oh hurriedly stepped outside. As he headed toward the bus stop, Seo-oh called someone. A moment later, Deok-chil answered.

– What’s up?

“Are you at the office?”

– What? I can’t hear you.

“Is Se-han at the office!”

– Why are you calling me out of the blue and yelling at me!

The surroundings around Deok-chil were noisy. Deok-chil responded in a loud voice.

“If it’s this time now… it’s probably Haengwon Restaurant, right? Let’s go to Haengwon Restaurant!”

He was anxious. He thought Se-han was sleeping at Min-chan’s house, but I didn’t expect him to go directly to Seo-oh Nam-woon’s office. Seo-oh hung up the phone immediately and hurriedly boarded the bus at the last stop.

[Haengwon Restaurant]

Seo-oh arrived at the restaurant with red stickers scattered on its front. He pushed open the half-closed door. An elderly person who had been sitting at a corner table peeling garlic stood up and greeted Seo-oh.

“Welcome.”

“Excuse me, but is there a young boy from elementary school here?”

“I’m sorry, boss I accidentally broke a dish.”

Suddenly, the face of a man emerged from inside the kitchen, and Seo-oh’s eyes widened. The man holding the broken dish on the other side looked equally surprised.

“……”

“……”

Why was Seok Nam-woon here? What was he doing in this restaurant? Many questions raced through Seo-oh’s mind, but he managed to tear his gaze away and look back at the old man.

“Did a young boy come here? Someone who looks like a second grader, maybe from kindergarten?”

“No. No such kid came here…….”

Grandpa replied, glancing at Nam-woon and Seo-oh’s faces alternately. Seeing Seo-oh’s urgent face
Nam-woon leaned closer and asked.

“Is something wrong with Se-han?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Seo-oh, who had replied coldly, looked around the restaurant once more just in case and then went outside and closed the door. Then, Nam-woon, who had been following right behind him, grabbed Seo-oh’s arm as he was leaving the restaurant. A chill ran down his arm that he grabbed.

“Did the guys say Se-han was here? He’s not here.”

“……”

“Wait a minute. I’ll call him back.”

Nam-woon didn’t let go of his arm and dialed somewhere. Seo-oh stood there, waiting impatiently. “Uh, Yong-deuk,” Nam-woon, who had been talking for a short while, sighed apologetically,

“Se-han came to the office with his friends today. Jang-mi took the kids to the movie theater, so if you wait in the office for a while.”

Seo-oh turned his back without a word and walked forward.

With a hardened expression, he slipped out of the alleyway and his phone rang. It was Yong-deuk.

“Jang-mi must have turned off his phone. Just wait at the office until the movie ends. The kids went out excited to watch the movie, so don’t worry.”

If that’s the case, he had to go to the office right now and wait, and then pick up Se-han and his friends. Seo-oh was heading towards the traffic light when he suddenly stopped walking. Haah. Then he bowed his head and covered his face.

When he looked closer, Seok Nam-woon’s shirt looked loose, as if he’d lost weight. Was he eating properly? Why did he always seem so frail? Nam-woon naturally had a lower body temperature, but earlier, his hands felt unusually cold. Could he have caught a cold?

The hem of his shirt was all wet, probably from doing the dishes. Just like at Seo-o’s house, he must have made a mess of the floor while doing the dishes. How many dishes did he break this time? And what about the broken dish? Was he wearing rubber gloves? Seo-oh hoped he hadn’t cut his fingers.

Why had he come all the way to the school when he was so busy? Standing in the middle of the road, Seo-oh eventually turned his steps back. Heading towards the market alley again, Seo-oh couldn’t understand himself. When Seok Nam-woon was involved, everything felt like an unavoidable force.

“It seemed like Se-han gave a lot of affection.”

“It wasn’t just Se-han who gave affection.” 

***

“Do I just need to rinse it?” 

“Yes.” 

“I’ll take care of the rest…” 

“There’s not much left. I’ve almost finished.” 

“Give it to me. And today, eat something.”

Nam-woon and his grandfather, who were talking in the kitchen, turned towards the door. There stood Kwon Seo-oh, standing there with no expression on his face. The old man reacted before Nam-woon.

“Are you here again for a meal? Oh dear, the business is already closed today.”

“Dishes.”

His sudden words made the grandfather widen his eyes.

“I came to do the dishes.”

As Seo-oh walked into the store, he tightly grasped Nam-woon’s hand wearing rubber gloves.

“I’m afraid you might break more dishes.”

Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh with his mouth agape. Seo-oh naturally took the place beside Nam-woon at the sink and turned on the water.

“I’ll do it.”

Even with Nam-woon’s words, Seo-oh quietly rinsed the dishes. Nam-woon stood awkwardly beside him, watching his actions. The owner of the restaurant, from behind them, shouted.

“Eat before you leave! There’s leftover soup!”