VDN Ch 101

He heard the cool sound of a can of cola being opened. At the same time, a pleasant notification sound rang out.

Ding-!

[The update will restart.]

[…Updating…]

Nam-woon brows furrowed. Facing the flashy letters made him feel even more irritated. Next to him, Haeng-won, who was quickly gulping down the soda, took the can away from his mouth and said in an admiring tone.

“Did you see it?”

“See what?”

“That part-timer over there. He’s so fucking pretty.”

“Ah. He is pretty but…..”

Nam-woon thought for a moment before blurting out. It was an unconscious thought.

“Isn’t Kwon Seo-oh better?”

“…What? What did you say?”

Nam-woon was surprised at what he had said but quickly decided to be bold about it. After all, it was true that Kwon Seo-oh was prettier. Haeng-won, initially taken aback, asked again and then got angry at the clear answer that Kwon Seo-oh was better. Wrinkles even formed on his forehead.

“No, the comparison group is different, the comparison group! That person is clearly an Omega and Seo-oh is an Alpha. A dominant Alpha.”

“What’s different about the comparison group? They’re both people.”

“No, what I’m saying is, their traits are different. Why are you acting like this, boss? You seem like someone from a different place.”

Nam-woon was startled and shut his mouth. Kim Haeng-won, this bastard is surprisingly sharp? This was the first time he had heard such a direct attack since coming here.

“What are you talking about, someone from a different place? You’re such an old man. I didn’t think you were like this, but your mindset is so old-fashioned.”

Feeling defensive, Nam-woon accused him of being old-fashioned. Haeng-won glared at him with an incredulous expression and pointed at his own chest with his index finger.

“Old-fashioned? Me? The boss who drinks Ssanghwa tea in the middle of summer is more outdated and like an old man.”

Suddenly, everyone who drinks Ssanghwa tea in the summer is considered an old man. Regardless, after taking a big sip of cola, Haeng-won began to analyze the cashier as if he were an analyst.

“He’s in his early 20s, definitely an omega. A college student working part-time, and…”

He stopped talking and shot Nam-woon a sharp gaze. When Nam-woon asked why, Haeng-won looked at him with a displeased expression.

“He only looked at you, boss. From the moment you entered the convenience store until you left, he didn’t take his eyes off you. Even with the cigarette…It seemed like he was hitting on you.”

“Hitting on me? What are you talking about.”

“Oh, this old man really doesn’t know.”

Haeng-won lightly pointed at Nam-woon. Nam-woon chuckled and tilted his head to the side.

“You’re the one who doesn’t know. He must have confused me with a regular customer. I once even made a mistake and put custard cream instead of red bean paste for a customer…”

As Nam-woon unintentionally started to share a past story, he quickly changed the subject when he saw Haeng-won staring at him blankly.

“Never mind… But if that person is an omega, wouldn’t he be interested in an alpha like me and not a beta like you?”

Nam-woon had been here for quite some time now. In other words, his understanding of the traits was much better compared to when he first arrived. After saying this, Haeng-won had a puzzled expression on his face and slowly opened his mouth, but then suddenly turned his head.

“Well, that’s true….But boss, you’re a beta, right?”

“Yes!”

Despite Nam-woon’s quick response, Haeng-won said, “Hmm.” It seemed strange to him that someone suspected to be an Omega would be interested in Nam-woon. Although he hadn’t lied, Nam-woon couldn’t help but feel uneasy and kept his mouth shut.

An eerie silence hung in the air, and for a while, they both just stared at the banner on the side of the store. It was Nam-woon who finally broke the silence.

“What do you think would happen if I were an omega?”

“Isn’t that a genetic mutation?”

…Shit. That was the expected reaction.

But could it really be a genetic mutation?’

He nodded at the somewhat plausible statement, and then Haeng-won continued in a tone of pity.

“If you’re an omega, you’re in for a rough time this life. Alphas like that part-timer, they like delicate people, they don’t want a guy like you.”

Haeng-won added,

“Unless it’s a dominant Alpha who likes Omegas that look like Alphas.”

An Alpha who likes Alphas? A certain dominant Alpha with a foul mouth flashed through Nam-woon’s mind. But he quickly shook off the thought, erasing that face from his memory, as it also brought back memories of a past embarrassing incident.

Nam-woon took a third of the flyers from Haeng-won’s hand and pointed to the downhill path ahead.

“We’re going to distribute all of these there today.”

He heard grumbling from beside him but ignored it as he snatched the cola can from here.

Ding-!

[The update has been successfully completed!]

None of this was welcoming news. Nam-woon felt frustrated, as if he had eaten only sweet potatoes without water. He gently shook the cola can, finding there was still some liquid inside. Tilting his head back, he poured the cola down his throat without letting it touch his lips. Once again, the words appeared in front of him.

[Would you like to experience the new features added through the update?]

[▶Yes]

Of course, he didn’t want to press it. Nam-woon stared at the words with blank eyes. Then, the original notification window slid up and a new notification window suddenly took its place.

[Due to the system update, the scope of penalties will be expanded if necessary.]

What? What does that mean? That sounds ominous.

[Penalty selection in progress…]

[Penalty selection completed!]

Suddenly, a major notification popped up, and Nam-woon put down the cola can he was holding. Haeng-won quickly grabbed the can, looked at it upside down, and complained that it was empty. With his mouth full of unswallowed drink, Nam-woon looked straight ahead with a serious expression.

[Penalty: Pheromone Dysregulation]

“…..!”

It was an unusual name. If interpreted literally, it meant there was a problem regulating pheromones. He had just gotten used to the strange taiyaki pheromone, and now he had another peculiar condition to deal with?

Then, more words appeared.

[Penalty target: Kwon Seo-oh]

“Phoo! Cough, cough!”

Coke spewed out of Nam-woon’s mouth. “Ugh, that’s disgusting!” Haeng-won’s shout echoed faintly. Nam-woon bowed his head, wiping the cola that had spilled onto his chin with the back of his hand, and thought.

It must be a mistake. There’s no reason for the system to apply a penalty to the protagonist. No matter how much the protagonist acts out of line in the story…

Nam-woon denied reality as he lifted his head. He looked up at the empty sky again, but unfortunately, the name “Kwon Seo-oh” still remained, clear as day. Realizing this was indeed reality, his strength drained from his hands, and the flyers he was holding scattered to the ground.

He shoved the few remaining flyers into Haeng-won’s arms and quickly hurried off, heading in the opposite direction of the alley where he was supposed to distribute them.

“Hey, hey! Where are you going?”

Nam-woon was running.

“Haeng-won, make sure you pass out the rest today! I’m leaving!”

“Shit. How can you run away now? You told me not to run! Hey, Seok Nam-woon…!”

Haeng-won’s voice of calling out to him echoed down the street.

Nam-woon ran like a madman. Just this morning, when he left for work, Seo-oh seemed perfectly fine. Surely, nothing could have happened. Repeating this to himself, he ran frantically, his heart pounding, unsure if it was from the running or the anxiety.

On his way home, he tried calling Seo-oh, but there was no answer. He never picks up at critical moments, he thought.

Suppressing his anxious heart, Nam-woon left a message.

[Seo-oh answer your phone.]

As he went out to the main road to catch a taxi, he saw a white pharmacy sign. He immediately changed directions and hurried into the pharmacy.

“Do you have any medicine for pheromone regulation disorder?”

“Ah, for pheromone regulation, aside from the suppressants and basic medicines here, you’ll need a prescription from a hospital.”

The pharmacist looked troubled as she spoke. Before she could finish, Nam-woon grabbed all the displayed medicines and placed them on the counter.

“Give me all of these. And the suppressants too.”

“What’s your trait?”

“Dominant Alpha.”

After grabbing a handful of medicine packets, he immediately hailed a taxi. In the taxi, he called Mrs. Sooni. The dial tone passed briefly, and a middle-aged woman’s voice, sounding a bit more refined than usual, came through the receiver.

– Yes, hello?

“Auntie! Can you check on Seo-oh at home and see what he’s doing?”

– Huh? Seo-oh?

Mrs. Sooni asked again at Nam-woon’s sudden request.

“It’s urgent, and he’s not answering his phone. Please, quickly!”

– What should I do? I’m out right now… I’ll probably head home in about 10 minutes.

Mrs. Sooni estimated that she would arrive home in twenty to thirty minutes, almost the same time as Nam-woon. According to her, Grandpa Nam-nam was also out today for a gateball^[1] game, leaving the store unattended. Nam-woon sighed deeply and anxiously looked at the phone conversation with Seo-oh, who was not responding. He considered calling 119, but since he hadn’t confirmed Seo-oh’s condition yet and the system was involved, it seemed better to accompany him to the hospital if needed.

Nam-woon clenched his fist and summoned the source of the problem.

“Status window.”

[Yes, you called?]

“Haa…”

He was so angry that he couldn’t speak properly. Nam-woon took a deep breath and asked.

“How do I remove Kwon Seo-oh’s penalty? How long does it apply?”

The system calmly replied to his urgent question.

[The method to remove the penalty is simple. Seok Nam-woon needs to meet certain conditions in the future to receive the reward.]

“Explain in detail. About the conditions and the reward.”

[The related information has not been updated yet. Please wait for the next update.]

“When is the next update, you bastard!”

[It is currently undetermined.]