VDN Ch 84

Nam-woon was also surprised but maintained his composure and continued walking forward.

“Hey, you two kids.”

A rough voice called out from behind. Nam-woon pretended not to hear it and said, “Hey, put this on too.” He placed the gym jacket on top of the school bag, covering Kwon Sang-moon’s face. Pressing down on Kwon Sang-moon’s head, he quickened his pace. A loud shout came from behind, “Hey, you in the uniform!” At this point, he couldn’t ignore it.

Nam-woon squeezed Kwon Sang-moon’s shoulder tightly, gesturing for him to stay calm. He put on a stern expression and confronted the man. He also glanced at the faces of the other gangsters behind him. Fortunately, the men they had encountered at the club weren’t among them. The man with a chubby face asked Nam-woon,

“How old are you? High school student?”

“…….”

“Cat got your tongue?”

“I’m a senior in high school.”

Nam-woon hoped his face didn’t look older. He stared back at the man with tense eyes. The man pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Nam-woon.

[Hero Corporation] 

[Swift and efficient service! Customer satisfaction guaranteed! Contact us anytime! We’ll be there immediately!]

Another gangster approached the man and asked, 

“Hyung, why the business card?”

“Look at this kid’s face. These days, kids who look like this are good at sales and can bring in big deals, right? We should have one of these guys too. Let’s cast him early.”

Then he turned to Nam-woon and said, 

“If you need a part-time job next year, give me a call. I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

He playfully tapped Nam-woon’s left cheek with his thick hand.

“What the hell?”

Nam-woon glared at the man, pushing his hand away. The man chuckled, seemingly amused by Nam-woon’s defiance. Ignoring the man’s shouts to contact him, Nam-woon and Kwon Sang-moon headed toward the main road.

Once out of sight of the gangsters, they made their way to the nearest bus stop and boarded a bus just in time. “Two adults,” Nam-woon said. The driver gave them a strange look as they boarded. Nam-woon seated Kwon Sang-moon and made a phone call.

– Master?

“It’s me. Jang-mi Where are Yong-deuk and Deok-chil?”

– Yong-deuk hyung? I don’t know where he went, but Deok-chil is out filming a video.

These days, Deokchil has been into side jobs, shooting and uploading short videos. Last time I checked, he had a total of six subscribers, including the office staff, Nam-woon, and some of Deokchil’s younger acquaintances.

“Tell Yong-deuk and Deok-chil to come to the Umpyeong errand center right away.”

Before ending the call, Nam-woon added, 

“Oh and make sure to bring the axe.”

You never know what might happen. If those gangsters from earlier followed them, it would be a war, so they needed to be prepared with at least a minimal crew. Our guys seemed to handle tools well, so they should be able to buy some time.

Nam-woon looked at Kwon Sang-moon, who was trembling with a mix of emotions. Despite his timid appearance, Kwon Sang-moon had a good character and behaved well. Seo-oh and Se-han needed someone like him—a responsible guardian.

He bit his lip nervously and looked out the window. The sun was already setting.

When they arrived at the Errand center, Seo-oh was waiting for them. As soon as he saw them, he rushed over.

“Dad!”

“Seo-oh…”

Kwon Sang-moon collapsed weakly into Seo-oh’s arms. After calming down, Seo-oh checked them again to make sure they were safe.

“…Hyung, what’s with the outfit?”

“I had to throw something on quickly.”

Whether he heard the answer or not, Seo-oh stared intently at Nam-woon’s outfit as if trying to memorize it. Nam-woon, unaware of this, said, 

“I’ll go to the parking lot and see if Yong-deuk and the others are here. Stay inside the office.”

He headed straight for the parking lot behind the errand center. As he stood there, staring blankly, a car identical to his office vehicle pulled in. Nam-woon approached the car and tapped on the driver’s window. The window rolled down.

“You’re here so soon…”

Nam-woon’s words trailed off as he recognized the face. It was the man he had spoken to earlier, chewing gum and staring at Nam-woon. As if waiting for this moment, footsteps approached from somewhere behind him.

Nam-woon turned his head and froze. His mouth fell open. There were several young gangsters walking toward him. One, two…eight of them looked like they could handle weapons. They were approaching him slowly.

After a long moment of eye contact, the man finally spoke up.

“I was going to get you a job at my company, but I guess you work here?”

The man spat out the gum he was chewing at Nam-woon.

“Fuck you, you asshole. Hurry up and give me Kwon Sang-moon.”

“…Are you talking to me?” 

He was about to spit out half a dozen insults, but he quickly changed his tone to be respectful. In this situation, he had to be polite unless he wanted to risk everything.

“Then who else is here besides you?”

Nam-woon widened his eyes as if he didn’t understand what he was talking about and turned his head. He needed to call Seo-oh. He would pretend to talk to a friend and suggest meeting somewhere else. Just as he was about to hurriedly Seo-oh’s contact number.

“Let’s just go inside and wait together.”

Seo-oh suddenly appeared behind Nam-woon. He must not have wanted to leave Kwon Sang-moon alone, so Kwon Sang-moon had come along as well. All the gangsters’ gazes turned towards Kwon Sang-moon.

“…….”

“…….”

A second of silence passed, and Nam-woon shouted.

“Run!” 

Nam-woon took off like a bullet, and Seo-oh grabbed his father’s hand and ran too. The gangsters chased closely behind them. As he ran, Nam-woon shouted,

“Kwon Sang-moon! Do you recognize any of those guys?” 

“Huff, huff.” 

Kwon Sang-moon could only gasp for breath and couldn’t respond. Seo-oh, nearly carrying his father, ran. Nam-woon urgently grabbed his phone and shouted,

“Siri! Call Yong-deuk!” 

After a few rings, Yong-deuk’s confident voice came through.

 – Yes, young master. 

“Yong-deuk! Where are you?” 

– I’m on my way to the place you mentioned. Is something wrong? 

“Hurry up!” 

At that moment, a loud crashing sound came from behind. Nam-woon quickly turned his head to see Kwon Sang-moon on the ground. Seo-oh immediately helped his father up.

“Dad! Are you okay?”

“Seo-oh…”

As Seo-oh grabbed his father’s arm to lift him, someone reached towards Kwon Sang-moon’s back. Nam-woon quickly ran and slammed into the large thug with his whole body. The two men rolled on the asphalt.

“Hyung!”

Seo-oh hugged Nam-woon and punched the man who had rolled on the ground in the face. The man screamed and cursed. Meanwhile, Nam-woon quickly got up, and Seo-oh, holding Kwon Sang-moon’s arm, started running.

Screech- 

However, they didn’t get far. A small van stopped in front of them, blocking their path. The door slid open, revealing a shiny bald head. For a moment, Nam-woon’s face lit up. 

Yong-deuk already? 

Unfortunately, Nam-woon’s hope was not fulfilled. The men who emerged from the van were strangers, three of whom were bald. 

Shit. They were bald, but definitely not Yong-deuk. 

The thugs, who looked like local gangsters, began to surround Nam-woon, Seo-oh, and Kwon Sang-moon. They seemed intent on separating Seo-oh first, struggling to grab his large frame. Seo-oh’s arms were already being held.

What should I do? Should I save Kwon Sang-moon first? Hesitating, Nam-woon ran towards Kwon Sang-moon and shouted,

“Use the lottery ticket!”

Nam-un’s loud voice made several big guys look at him as if he were crazy.

[Would you like to use the random item Selection Card?] 

[▶Yes] 

Ten overturned cards appeared before his eyes. Five cards on the top row and five on the bottom row. If there are this many, he thought the back row might be more advantageous. Nam-un hastily selected number 8. 

[360-degree all-around camera]

Suddenly, a grid of square screens filled his vision, resembling CCTV footage. Among them, he saw the man who had been sitting in the driver’s seat earlier, now walking toward Kwon Seo-oh with an iron pipe in hand. Nam-woon swiftly changed direction, lunging at the large man and slamming him against the nearby wall. 

The man cursed and retaliated, striking Nam-woon’s back and shoulders with the pipe. “

The man immediately changed his target. With all his might, he slammed the iron pipe into Nam-woon’s back and shoulders.

“..…!” 

“You bastard!”

“Hyung!”

Pain shot through Nam-woon’s shoulders and back as he collapsed onto the asphalt, curling up like a shrimp. Shaking off the hands that held him down, Seo-oh, now at Nam-woon’s side, grabbed the big man by the throat and started beating him like crazy. The others hesitated to approach and took a few steps back.

Then Kwon Sang-moon’s scream rang out from behind them.

“Ahh! Seo-oh!”

Seo-oh and Nam-woon at the same time whipped their heads around. Kwon Sang-moon was being helplessly loaded into the van by several thugs. While Seo-oh was distracted by his father, one of the thugs kicked him.

Nam-woon quickly ran and reached into the van, grabbing someone’s clothes. Bald Guy No. 1 kicked Nam-woon in the chest repeatedly, but he didn’t let go.

Meanwhile, the van started moving. Nam-woon’s body, with his lower half on the road, began to be dragged along the pavement. 

“Hyung!” 

Seo-oh’s urgent shout was heard as he chased the van. Nam-woon’s grip started to weaken. At that moment, Bald Guy No. 1 kicked him in the chest again. Dirt-colored footprints appeared on Nam-woon’s school uniform as his body rolled on the asphalt.