VDN Ch 5

Cornea? Na Dae-yeol’s pupils wavered. In the meantime, the man made a phone call.

“Hey, Jang-mi.”

“Yes, young master. What can I do for you?”

The phone’s volume was at max, so the other person’s voice was clearly audible.

“Do we deal with corneas too?”

“Ah, we don’t handle that. The butcher does. Why?”

“Well, there’s a fresh cornea here…”

Having heard this much, Na Dae-yeol turned pale and struck the man’s hand with all his might. The man with an expressionless face took a step forward.

“Ugh!”

Thud, thud!

Na Dae-yeol, who had been backing away from the man, tripped and tumbled backward. Items spilled from his bag and rolled across the hallway floor.

“Ugh…”

The man, who had crouched down in front of the groaning Na Dae-yeol, grinned.

“My shoulder hurts.”

“Sorry, I’m really sorry. My eyesight isn’t good…”

Na Dae-yeol apologized frantically. Just a moment ago, the man’s face had looked clean, but now he looked like a devil smiling before his prey.

“People should have a kind heart.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Is it okay to talk trash just because you have a mouth?”

“Ah, no, it’s not okay.”

“You seem to be not very smart, so always be careful with your words, alright?”

Na Dae-yeol, who had always been proud of his intelligence, just nodded his head at this moment.

“Yes, yes. I’m truly sorry.”

“Go.”

When the man gestured with his chin, Na Dae-yeol hastily gathered his bag and fled.

“Damn, I messed up big time.” Na Dae-yeol ran away faster than ever, without looking back.

Nam-woon clicked his tongue as he watched the man running away desperately. It’s always the ones who have nothing who talk the loudest. Jang-mi’s voice was heard from the other end of the phone.

“Young master?”

“Ah, Jang-mi, it’s nothing. I’m hanging up.”

[I’m moved by Seok Nam-woon’s wicked blackmail!]

[As a reward, you will receive one viewing ticket!]

Wicked blackmail? Isn’t that a subtle dig? Anyway, it was seems to be a good thing I got it.

Nam-woon walked down the hallway with quiet steps.

Lecture Room 303.

Kwon Seo-oh was sitting in the same spot as before. His broad back was visible as he typed on his laptop keyboard. He was alone. Of course he could do his homework alone. But for some reason, Nam-woon found it hard to take his eyes off his back.

***

Before long, the sky darkened. Nam-woon parked his bicycle in front of the main gate and waited for Kwon Seo-oh to come out. He sat hugging his helmet, and in the distance, he saw the man he was waiting for about to pass through the main gate. Nam-woon immediately shouted,

“Kwon Seo-oh!”

Kwon Seo-oh turned his head at the sound. Nam-woon, who made eye contact with him, waved his hand awkwardly. Hello. However, Kwon Seo-oh continued on his way as if he hadn’t seen anything. Nam-woon called his name a few more times from behind, but Kwon Seo-oh quickly moved away.

Thump.

Nam-woon quickly chased after him and grabbed Kwon Seo-oh’s arm. Kwon Seo-oh roughly pulled his arm away. Nam-woon withdrew his hand and said,

“I kept calling your name, didn’t you hear me?”

“Why are you here?”

“Why? I have to take you home. We always go together.”

You punk, so prickly.

Does he think I wanted to come? I couldn’t help it, either.

Nam-woon grumbled to himself and glanced up at Kwon Seo-oh.

[Role Fulfillment Clause No. 1: Kwon Seo-oh’s commute from school will be done together with Seok Nam-woon in his personal vehicle.]

[Warning if the mandatory clause is not followed!]

[Support application intensity weakens during the performance of mandatory clauses.]

Seo-oh furrowed his brows.

“You could have sent someone else.”

“It’s my job, so of course, I have to come myself.”

Ha. Kwon Seo-oh laughed sarcastically and asked back, “My job?” then continued.

“Do as usual. Go drink the alcohol you like and chase after omegas.”

“Chase after omegas… Hey, I don’t do that anymore.”

Nam-woon mumbled his reply hesitantly, but Kwon Seo-oh ignored him and walked past him.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Nam-woon, in a hurry, got on the pink bicycle behind him and pedaled. Nam-woon slowed down beside Kwon Seo-oh and said,

“Get on the back here!”

Kwon Seo-oh glanced at Nam-woon and then stopped dead in his tracks. With an indescribable expression, he looked at Nam-woon, or more precisely, at Nam-woon’s bicycle, for a long time. Nam-woon took out the helmet from the basket.

“There’s only one helmet. You wear this.”

“This is…”

“Here, take this.”

Nam-woon offered the pink helmet, but Kwon Seo-oh’s hand didn’t move. After a moment of silence, Kwon Seo-oh pointed somewhere near the main gate with his finger.

“Don’t steal the bicycle, hurry up and put it back where it belongs.”

“What are you talking about? This is mine. Hurry up and get on, we don’t have time.”

After evening, there are many delivery calls. Kwon Seo-oh continued to delay, oblivious to Nam-woon’s anxiousness.

“Don’t lie. Where did you park the car?”

“I don’t drive anymore. I get carsick. Oh right, the car key from last time, I’ll give it back to you. I don’t have it now, so…”

“I don’t need it.”

Kwon Seo-oh passed by Nam-woon without even looking at the helmet in front of him. Oh, this can’t be happening. In desperation, Nam-woon shouted at his back.

“Kwon Seo-oh, can’t you just get on?”

Kwon Seo-oh, who seemed like he would walk straight to the end of the earth, suddenly stopped and turned around. He looked at Nam-woon with a suspicious gaze and then spoke.

“Seok Nam-woon.”

“…Yes?”

“Were you at the liberal arts building today?”

Oops. Did he find out?’

The sudden question startled Nam-woon internally, but he composed his expression and played dumb.

“No, I didn’t go. Why?”

“I thought I heard a voice similar to yours.”

His ears are incredibly sharp. Nam-woon awkwardly averted his gaze.

“Why would I go there? You must have misheard…”

“Oh!”

Just then, a passerby next to them stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at Nam-woon with wide eyes, and Nam-woon did the same. This was because the man was the very person Nam-woon had asked for directions to the liberal arts building earlier.

The man smiled brightly and said,

“You’re the one from before, right?! The liberal arts…”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“I said no.”

When Nam-woon abruptly denied it, the man shouted in bewilderment.

“What? No, you’re the one I was just talking to here!”

“That’s not me.”

Nam-woon replied in a rapid-fire manner and told Seo-oh to hurry up, pulling his bicycle. But when the man saw Seo-oh’s face, he recognized him.

“Oh? Kwon Seo-oh? Do you two know each other?”

“No.”

The man continued talking as if he hadn’t heard Seo-oh’s denial.

“Wow, that’s amazing. No, this person spoke to me first earlier…”

“Let’s, let’s just go!”

Nam-woon raised his voice anxiously, fearing the man might say something. Cold sweat ran down his back as he pulled on Seo-oh’s forearm. He was certain that if Seo-oh found out what he had done in the liberal arts building, he would be furious.

“Wait, excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, could I get your number…!”

He heard the man shouting something from behind, but he ignored it and walked briskly. Fortunately, this time Seo-oh also followed along without resistance. When they stepped outside the main gate, Seo-oh asked,

“How do you know that guy? He’s a classmate from our department.”

“I don’t know him.”

Nam-woon denied it, but Seo-oh, asked again,

“What were you two talking about?”

“Did we talk? Well, my memory is a bit fuzzy.”

As Nam-woon feigned ignorance with a tilt of his head, Seo-oh spoke in a firm voice.

“Don’t approach the students at school.”

…Gulp. He had already confronted the male student with a foul mouth in the liberal arts building. If this gets out, it’s over. Kwon Seo-oh spoke again.

“Don’t do anything strange here.”

“Strange things like…”

Nam-woon, about to say “I won’t do it,” momentarily closed his mouth and stared off into space with a blurred focus.

[Kwon Seo-oh’s commute home is to be done with Seok Nam-woon’s “personal vehicle”.]

The term “personal vehicle” caught his attention, but since Nam-woon disliked driving, this bicycle was essentially his personal vehicle. The system was a thing that could communicate, so it would probably have some flexibility. Nam-woon looked at Kwon Seo-oh and politely suggested,

“I won’t do anything strange so could you please get on the back?”

The support had weakened, so saying this much should be fine. However, Kwon Seo-oh still showed no signs of getting on the bicycle, and the system was flashing in the air. Caught in a dilemma, Nam-woon, with tears in his eyes, blurted out his last plea.

“Please.”

Kwon Seo-oh looked at him as if he were something strange.

***

“Mom, look at that. The bicycle looks so pitiful.”

“Shouldn’t that be reported for bicycle abuse?”

People threw in their comments every time the slow-moving bicycle passed by.

“Huff, huff.”

Nam-woon took one hand off the handlebar, trying to fan himself with his shirt, but as soon as he let go, the bicycle wobbled crazily. Nam-woon couldn’t even fan himself once with his clothes and had to grab the handlebar again.

“Huff, huff. Where is it, this way?”

“…….”

“Or not? This way? Right?”

“…….”

“Tell me!”

Exhausted, Nam-woon shouted without realizing it. Then Kwon Seo-oh, perhaps annoyed, shouted back just as loudly.

“Why are you pretending not to know the way today?”

“How would I know where your house is!”

“Don’t you remember!? You stopped by our house last time and left after cursing!?”

Yeah. I don’t remember.