VDN Ch 91

[The target of violence is incorrect! Please change the target of violence to the correct one!]

It seems like the system also thinks the same way as Nam-woon. Maybe that’s why it’s trying so hard to change the target from ‘???’ to the insignificant Nam-woon.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy!”

The taxi stopped at the traffic light in front of the main gate of Korea University. Nam-woon shouted.

“Driver, I’m getting off right here!”

“Are you crazy? How can you get off right now?”

Nam-woon peered out the window, finally realizing they were in the middle of the road. He scratched his head under the driver’s stern gaze.

Eventually, the car stopped right in front of Korea University’s main entrance. Nam-woon hurriedly got out of the taxi, entered the school, and dialed his cell phone. After a long ring, he finally heard the voice he’d been waiting for.

– Yeah. Hyung.

“Where are you now?”

– I’m still at school.

Seo-oh’s voice sounded nonchalant at first, but when he listened closely, he could hear a slight slur in his pronunciation. Nam-woon’s heart sank.

“Are you okay?”

– Yeah, I’m fine.

“I’m at your school now. Where should I go?”

– No. It’s okay. No, you don’t need to come all the way here to pick me up.

“I’m already here. The liberal arts building? Is that where you are?”

The only place Nam-woon knew of on this vast campus was the liberal arts building, and he hurriedly turned around and said.

“I’ll come to where you are.”

– Wait for me at home. Hyung, you enjoyed the kimchi stew last night. I’ll go and make it again today.

“What are you talking about? We had curry last night.”

Nam-woon furrowed his brow as Seo-oh continued saying something that didn’t make sense.

– After we eat, I’ll help you wash up.

“…Are you avoiding my question? It’s been a while since my arm healed!”

– Let’s go to bed early tonight.

“You bastard, just tell me where you are!”

With Nam-woon’s shout, the call abruptly ended. Nam-woon stared blankly at the turned-off phone screen.

What kind of nonsensical conversation was this? Kwon Seo-oh was acting completely different than usual. The way he kept changing the subject made him worried whether he had hurt his head. Who the hell beat him up? I don’t care about anything else, but he needs to protect his head, face, and body!

Nam-woon hurried to find the liberal arts building, but a group of students suddenly approached his side, their faces filled with urgency.

“Hey, there was a fight in the business building!”

“Business building?”

When Nam-woon asked right next to him, the male student, thinking he was his friend, naturally replied.

“Yeah! I heard it’s two Alphas. Let’s go quickly!”

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Who are you?”

The male student, realizing the person next to him was a stranger, asked in surprise. Regardless of the other person’s reaction, Nam-woon frowned and urged him to hurry up. The male student moved forward hesitantly, glancing back at Nam-woon.

***

As Seo-oh turned to leave the building, he stopped in his tracks and wiped a hand across his messed-up face.

“Hyung is going to be worried.”

Nam-woon came to Seo-oh’s school after a long time. He’d probably come to pick him up to celebrate the end of his exams, but he’d be surprised to see him in such a mess.

If Hyung had brought his bicycle today, maybe he would have offered Seo-oh a ride. But now, leaning Hyung’s on his back seemed unlikely in this state.

Seo-oh looked around and found a restroom tucked away in a corner. He caught a glimpse of himself in the sink mirror and was horrified. He only wanted to have a neat appearance for Hyung, who liked pretty things, so he hurriedly put his hand on the faucet.

Then his phone rang. Thinking it was Nam-woon, he quickly checked it, and the caller was Sol.

– Did you fight with Jin Hae-geon?

As soon as he picked up the phone, he heard a high-pitched voice

Jin Hae-geon.

Seo-oh recalled seeing a name in Nam-woon’s message window at some point. Jin-sang. Was that an affectionate nickname Nam-woon used for him? The thought crossed his mind, and he gripped the phone tightly.

– Why did you suddenly fight with him? You guys never talked before. Did you know each other before? Isn’t he a dominant alpha? He’s incredibly strong. Oh no… Are you hurt a lot? Are you okay?”

Before Seo-oh could respond, Sol’s voice continued, sounding surprised.

– Well, since it’s already happened, get a huge compensation for your injuries. He’s got a lot of money.

Seo-oh hesitated at those words.

“…He’s rich?”

– Yeah, he’s super rich. I heard he’s the son of some big group. Anyway, there’s a rumor that he’s a third-generation chaebol. You can tell just by looking at the clothes he wears. They’re all ridiculously expensive. So you have to get compensation, okay? Seriously, what’s going on…

Seo-oh felt Nam-woon’s words from a few days ago replaying in his head,

“People need to have money. There aren’t many people like that in the world right? If they have money and good looks, try to think positively.”

So that’s why Nam-woon was close to that guy?

Seo-oh’s lips twisted. He realized that what he lacked and the other guy already had everything he wanted to possess.

He hung up the phone and walked back to the sink. His reflection in the mirror was pathetic. His hair was disheveled, his face haggard, his clothes old and tattered, and his cell phone outdated. There wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t shabby.

Seo-oh remembered Jin Hae-geon’s appearance from earlier. Was he pretty? Seo-oh couldn’t say for sure. He simply thought of him as an asshole. Other details, like what kind of clothes he was wearing, he honestly couldn’t remember and wasn’t interested in at all.

He turned on the sink, splashing water onto his face and letting the clear stream run down for a moment before turning off the tap. He looked at his reflection in the mirror once more, then left the bathroom.

Hyung is going to be worried.

***

Nam-woon and the group of students entered the lobby, where people were already gathering on the stairs leading to the second floor. It seemed the fight had broken out upstairs.

Damn it, how could Kwon Seo-oh start a fight in such a crowded place?

Where was that bragging about how the professor promised to recommend him for a good position? And it was even more problematic because he fought with a fellow student, not the asshole Seok Nam-woon. Of course, that ‘???’ classmate wasn’t easy to beat. Kwon Seo-oh seemed to have taken quite a beating, making it a bit of a mess.

Nam-woon climbed the stairs, standing on tiptoes and scanning the crowd’s heads. Surely that guy was watching Kwon Seo-oh fight from somewhere here. But he couldn’t find even a trace of that familiar light-colored back of the head he was looking for.

“Where the hell is Jin Hae-geon?”

Just as Nam-woon was squeezing through the crowd,

“Hyung.”

A familiar voice called out from behind. Nam-woon turned around in surprise.

“Hey! What happened to your face!”

Seo-oh’s usually handsome face was a mess. His dark eyes were swollen, and his cheekbones were flushed red. It was clear he’d have plenty of bruises later. Even his simple, neat outfit from this morning was now disheveled.

His lips were swollen and crusted with blood, and his hair was matted with ash-colored dust.

“Who did this to you?”

Nam-woon, forgetting his own situation, was furious at Seo-oh’s condition. There was a reason why the system was going crazy saying the target of the violence was wrong. One of the novel’s protagonists was being beaten up by some madman, so of course the system was panicking.

But Seo-oh, with the same expression as always, opened his mouth to speak to Nam-woon,

“I’m fine. Let’s go home quickly.”

“What are you talking about? You’re fine? You’re bleeding!”

When Nam-woon raised his voice, some of the people looking up the stairs turned their attention to them. Ignoring the whispers directed at Seo-oh, Nam-woon grabbed his wrist tightly and shook him,

“Who did this to you? Hold still is the guy still up here?…”

His action was a bit rough, and Seo-oh groaned and grabbed his own hand.

“Why, why? Is your hand hurt too?”

“…A little.”

“Let me see.”

Nam-woon pressed his face into Seo-oh’s hand with a serious expression. The back of Seo-oh’s hand between his fingers was exposed, revealing raw flesh. Seeing this, Nam-woon was momentarily speechless.

“…How badly did someone beat you up?”

Nam-woon suddenly became concerned about the other person rather than Seo-oh. Looking at Seo-oh’s condition and considering the HP bar the system displayed, it was clear that the ‘???’ guy, or whoever he was, had taken as many hits as Seo-oh.

I heard that dominant alphas are stronger. Nam-woon swept his eyes over Seo-oh’s body. If ‘???’ was a normal alpha, his condition would be worse than Seo-oh.

When Nam-woon didn’t say anything as he looked at the bloodied backbone of his hand, Seo-oh urged him once more.

“Let’s go home quickly.”

“…Hey, so who did you hit, and who hit you?”

As soon as Nam-woon said that, a system notification interrupted him.

[Analyzing main quest…]

[The encounter between Jin Hae-geon and Kwon Seo-oh has been fulfilled.]

[Reward: Increased pheromone release function]

Increasing the pheromones? Of the taiyaki scent…? How is that a reward?!

[You failed to correct the target of the violence. The mutual recognition level of the main characters has changed. A penalty will be given.]

[Selecting penalty…]

Choosing a penalty? Nam-woon’s eyes flickered. If Jin Hae-geon had witnessed Seo-oh fighting someone else and Nam-woon hadn’t been there, wasn’t it over?

Wait, could it be that Jin Hae-geon is genuinely interested in this ‘???’ guy?

Nam-woon glanced around. As the crowd dispersed after the fight, some students were leaving the building. However, Jin Hae-geon was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was still here.

Nam-woon stared at the system window.

[Penalty selection may take some time.]

Is there any way to avoid the penalty? Nam-woon pondered. The system had brought him here to correct the target of the violence. However, he arrived after everything was over, so he failed.

It was a bit late, but maybe he could ask Kwon Seo-oh to slap him once or twice to achieve his goal. He thought it would be better to create a situation where he could argue with the system before the penalty was decided.

But how could he get hit?

Seo-oh was already injured, so provoking him suddenly wasn’t an option. While he was thinking, Seo-oh grabbed Nam-woon’s arm and walked ahead.

“Let’s go, Hyung.”

“Uh… not yet.” Desperate, Nam-woon shouted, thinking that Jin Hae-geon might be watching Seo-oh from somewhere,

“Can you please hit me?”