VDN Ch 69

When Nam-woon suddenly asked him, Seo-oh paused and replied softly, “That’s right.”

“Then I’ll grow up quickly to be big just like Hyung in no time!”

“You don’t need to be as big as your brother.” Nam-woon muttered. Se-han, who didn’t hear Nam-woon’s comment, looked at Seo-oh and exclaimed, “Hyung, buy chocolate milk and make stir-fried anchovies for me tomorrow!” Haeng-won perked up his ears. Since the moment he entered the house, Seo-oh’s expression had been blank, but now the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Then, after taking Se-han’s textbook and checking the problem, he added that there was an error in the question itself, so Nam-woon’s answer was actually correct.

Haeng-won, seeing this, quietly opened his mouth.

“But can’t you reschedule the tutoring for just one day on the weekend?”

Seo-oh turned his head again, his expression indifferent, as if wondering when he had last laughed.

“No.”

“Why not? When I asked Se-han earlier, he said, you don’t usually go out on weekend evenings.”

“Because I have work.”

“Why? Even Seok Nam-woon doesn’t work on weekend evenings?”

“……”

Seo-oh remained silent. Wow, look at this guy. He wants to spend the weekend with Seok Nam-woon. And they’re not even dating?

Haeng-won didn’t press further and looked down at his English vocabulary quiz, only to find he got everything wrong. Meanwhile, in the small room where the four of them were busy, the front door opened.

“Are you home?”

It was a child’s voice, but the tone was unusual. Hearing the voice, Se-han suddenly threw down his pencil and jumped up.

“Se-han, you need to put the pencil back properly.”

At Seo-oh’s scolding, Se-han looked at Nam-woon and said, “Wooni Hyung, put it back for me!” He hurriedly put on his hole-ridden slippers. Following Se-han, who ran outside, Nam-woon also put on his crumpled shoes and went out to the yard.

Min-chan was waiting there.

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

Se-han greeted Min-chan cheerfully. When Min-chan noticed Nam-woon behind Se-han, he nodded politely and said, “Hello.” Min-chan looked at Se-han and spoke.

“Se-han, we agreed to meet in front of Samjeong Laundromat today. You didn’t show up, so I came to your house.”

“Oh, sorry! I forgot!”

Se-han quickly turned and went to the front door. Then, he stuck his head back into the room and called out cheerfully,

“Hyung, I’m going to the playground with Min-chan!”

“You need to clean up first.”

At Seo-oh’s words, Se-han, who had rushed out, looked for Nam-woon again. The child looked up at Nam-woon with an innocent face, grabbed his hand, and said, “Please take care of my things, okay?”

“Min-chan, let’s go!” 

“Just wait a moment.”

Nam-woon stopped them and, like Se-han earlier, stuck his head back into the room through the door.

“Hey, Kim Haeng-won.”

Kim Haeng-won, who was gathering textbooks and a pencil case, looked up at Nam-woon.

“Are the tutoring sessions over? Take the kids somewhere.”

“The kids? How far?”

“To the playground where they’re going.”

“Ah, what a bother.”

Haeng-won, scratching his head, eventually nodded in understanding and went outside. When Nam-woon told Haeng-won to go with them, the kids responded cheerfully and walked out of the gate. The sound of two pairs of small footsteps pattered away, along with the scuffing sound of sneakers being dragged.

Min-chan turned to Se-han.

“But Se-han, Nam-woon Hyung lives with you guys, right?”

“Uh-huh. But I don’t really know when he’ll run away again.”

Se-han sighed deeply. Hearing this, Haeng-won muttered from the side, “He ran away and scolded me?” Min-chan comforted Se-han, whose face had darkened.

“That won’t happen anymore, because Wooni Hyung promised last time that he wouldn’t run away.”

“But what if… what if the Hyungs fight because of me?”

Haeng-won, who had been listening from the side, said

“Do you think they’d fight because of you? That’s not it. It’s just that Seok Nam-woon has a bad temper.”

“Don’t say bad things about Hyung!

Se-han glared at Haeng-won with sharp eyes.

“What’s this, defending him? What are you going to do by staring at me like that?”

“Your grades are 9s-”

“What?”

When Se-han glared fiercely, Min-chan, standing next to him, sternly intervened

“Se-han, don’t look at him like that. Don’t bring up grades.”

Then, with a sincere gaze, Min-chan addressed Haeng-won.

“Nam-woon Hyung is a good person. You shouldn’t talk like that either.”

“Fine.”

Haeng-won was speechless by the unchildlike rebuke. Then, as if he remembered something, he suddenly asked Se-han.

“Hey, kid. But are your Hyung and Seok Nam-woon really not dating?”

“Uh, they’re not dating…”

“What? Aren’t they dating each other?”

Min-chan widened his eyes in surprise. Se-han hesitated before answering.

“It’s not like that. Nam-woon Hyung didn’t say they were dating, and Hyung didn’t say anything either.”

Thinking about something, Min-chan then asked Se-han.

“Have you ever seen them hug?”

“No…?”

“Or maybe kissing?”

“Kiss?!”

Se-han asked back in surprise while Haeng-won pretended to vomit next to him. Se-han’s eyes widened as he shook his head.

“No, I’ve never seen that!”

“Is that so? Then maybe they will someday.”

Se-han’s eyes grew wide as if they were about to pop out. He seemed so shocked that he was at a loss for words. Regardless of Haeng-won’s disgusted expression, Min-chan continued speaking.

“Maybe they’re doing it secretly somewhere you don’t know. Given your Hyung’s personality… maybe Wooni Hyung will be the one to initiate it?”

Se-han gasped and took a deep breath.

“If you ever see something like that later, don’t be too shocked.”

“It’s natural,” Min-chan reassured Se-han, patting his shoulder. Se-han couldn’t say anything and just stared blankly at Min-chan.

***

As Se-han and Haeng-won left the house, silence came into the room.

Seo-oh flipped through the middle school English workbook, checking where Haeng-won would study next. While Nam-woon stole glances at Seo-oh, he stuffed the writing utensils and math books Se-han had left behind into the backpack. Seo-oh’s neat profile caught his eye. The white neckline under his rosy lips formed a clean line. Nam-woon unconsciously swallowed.

Why does he look so pretty?

Ever since doing that unspeakable act with Seo-oh, Nam-woon felt inexplicably anxious and his heart raced whenever he saw Seo-oh. Was Seo-oh unfazed? On the outside, Seo-oh seemed just as usual.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, Nam-woon got up from his seat and headed for the door. Suddenly, the sound of flipping through pages stopped. Curious, he turned his head, and Seo-oh was looking at him.

“Oh, I’ll be back from work.”

“At the office?”

Seo-oh, who had asked if he was going to the office, suddenly got up from his seat and took something out of the sink drawer. Nam-woon looked down at what he handed him.

[Genetic Trait Diagnostic Kit]

“Do it here before you leave.”

“Why should I do this?”

“It’s a saliva test, so just wet the paper inside for a moment.”

As Nam-woon stood there, Seo-oh took the medicine box and pulled out the instruction manual.

“If the yellow turns green, it means you’re an omega. Hospital tests are more accurate, but let’s start with this.”

“But I’m a beta.”

“There are also people who manifest late. Just hurry up and do it.”

Nam-woon reluctantly took a small piece of paper and put it in his mouth.

“Ugh, do I just leave it in my mouth like this?”

As soon as the test was done, Seo-oh snatched the paper. He looked at it, nervously biting his lips, and stared. Even after some time passed, the paper remained yellow, and Seo-oh muttered to himself.

“That’s strange.”

“What’s strange? I told you I’m beta.”

Nam-woon snatched the paper out of his hand and tossed it into the trash can.

“I’m not going to the hospital. It’s a waste of money. I’m leaving.”

Seo-oh followed Nam-woon, who was heading towards the door, asked,

“When will you come today, brother?”

“I don’t know. In the evening? I’ll be back.”

Thud. Seo-oh, who was looking at the closed door, rummaged through the trash can. It had already been 10 minutes, but it was still yellow. It was the same even after waiting for 30 minutes.

I thought he was omega, but he’s not? How? He picked up his phone.

[Diagnostic Kit Error]

[Adult Omega Manifestation]

[Male Omega Diagnostic Kit]

[Adult Omega Manifestation Diagnostic Kit]

After searching with various words, he found a post. When he clicked on it, a forum page appeared.

[Had sex with my girlfriend yesterday, but my butt leaked. Is this a disease? I’m beta, but why is this happening suddenly? My girlfriend is an alpha]

ㄴShould I go to the hospital or use a kit?

ㄴIt’s 99 percent likely that you’re an omega.

ㄴI got excited by my girlfriend’s pheromones.

ㄴI’m a practicing doctor. Even betas can manifest in adulthood, and there are often such cases. For some individuals, this won’t be detected in kits and hospital tests during the pre-manifestation incubation period. Omega pheromones won’t come out during that time either. It could be a few weeks or even months of incubation period.

ㄴSo, manage stress well, eat well, and maintain your condition.

ㄴThat’s wrong, I’m also a practicing doctor, and that’s all lies. The kit doesn’t always show it.

ㄴThere are times when it doesn’t show up in the kit. Do you have a license?

ㄴI have a driver’s license.

ㄴHave you resolved your issue? Then, what do you do when you’re with your girlfriend? I’m in the same situation, and I’m going crazy right now. ㅜㅜ

Snap. Seo-oh captured the comment of the person claiming to be a practicing doctor. The back is wet, but no pheromones come out. It doesn’t show up in the diagnostic kit either. It was similar to Hyung’s situation. It must be the incubation period.

Seo-oh searched for something again.

[Foods good for omega incubation period]

He clicked on a post he stumbled upon.

[The best foods recommended for male omega vitality enhancement]