VDN Ch 113

As they walked out the door, Chairman Seok watched their backs with fierce eyes. A moment later, Director Yoon came in and stood next to Chairman Seok. His face was a mess, as if he had experienced something outside the door.

“Chairman Seok, are you okay?”

“Can’t you stop just one guy?”

“I’m sorry. All the men are out at Yongcheon-dong.”

Chairman Seok looked at Director Yoon, who had been beat up here and there, and let out an angry voice.

“What happened to the dominant alpha you found before?”

“After retaking the trait test results, he turned out to be a recessive alpha. He lied because he was desperate for money.”

Boom! Director Yoon’s face turned. Soon, a thunderous roar burst out.

“How the hell are you handling the situation!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“And Detective Kim?”

“Fortunately, we were able to persuade him. However, the amount he’s demanding is quite high.”

“Even as a lowly cop, he doesn’t know his place.”

Gnashing his teeth, Chairman Seok looked around as if searching for something. His gaze landed on the golf club in the corner. Director Yoon, who was next to him, picked it up and handed it to him. Grabbing the golf club, Chairman Seok slowly approached the fallen man.

Today’s event was something he had not expected. Kwon Seo-oh protecting his son.

The contract with Mooyoung Group was not going well, and the business that he had been expanding for so long was gradually crumbling. Because of this, Chairman Seok had not paid much attention to Seo-oh. But in the meantime, it seemed that their relationship had changed.

Chairman Seok, clutching the golf club tightly, commanded in a cold tone.

“Get someone. Report whether Seo-oh’s pheromone insensitivity has been treated and what that bastard Seok Nam-woon is up to.”

After finishing his sentence, Chairman Seok raised his arm high and lowered it again. The sound of a thud echoed through the Chairman’s office.

***

Nam-woon, whose wrist was grabbed by Seo-oh, followed him as if being dragged away.

“Hey, Seo-oh.”

No matter how many times he called out, Seo-oh did not stop walking. He didn’t seem to have any particular destination in mind, he was just moving forward as if he wanted to get away from Chairman Seok.

Nam-woon, who was being dragged along, suddenly stumbled, tripping over a curb he hadn’t noticed. Only then did Seo-oh stop and support Nam-woon’s body.

“Seo-oh, where are we going?”

Seo-oh looked down at Nam-woon, who was staring at him anxiously. The face he saw under the sunlight was even more miserable. It was just yesterday that he had a face without a single wound and was smiling affectionately with Se-han. Seo-oh bit his lips, trying to suppress the anger that was rising again. Then he gently placed his palm on Nam-woon’s swollen cheek.

“Are you okay, Hyung?”

Nam-woon let out an “Ah” and tilted his head back to avoid the touch on his cheek. He wiped his nose and throat with the back of his hand. After confirming there was no blood, he casually said,

“It’s okay, it didn’t hit me that hard.”

Seo-oh’s heart seemed to break at the sight of Nam-woon smiling as if to reassure him. He wanted to yell, asking if he was okay, if he knew what he looked like right now, and how he could say something like that when his face was covered in blood. But instead of getting angry, he just hugged Nam-woon tightly.

“Why are you like this? There are people around.”

Nam-woon twisted his body awkwardly at the sudden hug.

The body in his arms was not weak at all. Although slightly thin, his upper body was thick, and his bones were strong. Anyone could tell it was the body of an average adult male. However, Seo-oh felt that Nam-woon was small, like a child who should not be left alone. How could he beat Hyung so mercilessly? His teeth grinded at the thought about what had happened earlier.

At that moment, Nam-woon looked urgently at Seo-oh’s face, as if he had just remembered something.

“Are you feeling unwell right now?”

Perhaps because of the numerous times Seo-oh hugged Nam-woon under the pretext of needing pheromones, Nam-woon looked worried. Even in this situation, Hyung asked how he was feeling, even though he was the one who should be worried about himself right now. It was sad and adorable at the same time. Seo-oh bit his lip while hugging Nam-woon.

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

Nam-woon frowned and denied his words. Seo-oh hugged his body tightly again as he tried to pull away, apologizing for his past mistakes.

“I’m sorry, Hyung. I should have stayed by your side….”

“…It doesn’t hurt much.”

“I knew he was hitting you, but I ignored it.”

At that, Nam-woon’s hand, which was pushing against his chest, hesitated for a moment. Seo-oh murmured regretfully.

“I wasn’t by your side. I…”

“It’s okay. And in the past…we weren’t on good terms.”

Seo-oh remained silent for a while, as if trying to calm down. Only after some time did he pull his face away from Nam-woon’s shoulder and look at the traces of violence on his body, his eyes so serious that Nam-woon couldn’t push him away.

Seo-oh muttered to himself, as if making a vow.

“I won’t let it be taken away, no matter what.”

“……”

“I’ll stay by your side so this doesn’t happen again.”

He carefully ran his thumb over Nam-woon’s face. Little by little, the dried blood stains were erased. No matter how urgent the situation was, they still didn’t know the whereabouts of Kwon Sang-moon. Nam-woon, who was about to say about the risky behavior of running towards Chairman Seok without considering the consequences, couldn’t help but close his mouth at Seo-oh’s desperate face.

Afterwards, the two returned home in silence. As soon as they entered the house, Seo-oh sat Nam-woon on the floor and brought out the first aid kit.

“Take off your clothes.”

“I’m not hurt.”

“Do you want to take your clothes off yourself, or should I do it for you?”

Seo-oh’s attitude is so stern that Nam-woon takes off his clothes with a face that says he couldn’t do anything. He’d already rejected his suggestion to go to the hospital and he was too exhausted to argue again. Seeing the dark blue and red bruises already scattered all over Nam-woon’s body, Seo-oh silently continued working with his hands. Nam-woon, feeling awkward, accepted the treatment without saying anything.

After finishing the simple treatment, Seo-oh carefully gathered Nam-woon’s clothes, which had been discarded on the floor and set them aside.

“I’ll take your clothes to the laundry later. For now, get some rest.”

“No, Yong-deuk will be worried. I need to go back to the office.”

“Why go to the office looking like that? They’ll be even more worried when they see your face.”

Seo-oh forcibly laid Nam-woon down on the futon. His tone was firm, but his touch was extremely gentle.

“You didn’t sleep well last night, so you must be tired. At least get some rest before Se-han arrives.”

You knew I couldn’t sleep last night. Nam-woon thought back to the previous night when he had been too anxious about meeting Chairman Seok to get any rest. After the encounter with Chairman Seok and finally arriving home, the tension in his body had released, leaving him exhausted. Seo-o-oh placed his hand over Nam-woon’s eyes.

“I’ll keep watch until you fall asleep, so close your eyes.”

He speaks to me like he’s talking to Se-han. Nam-woon smirked and obediently closed his eyes like a well-behaved child.

Is it because today was the day he met Chairman Seok, or is it because it was the first time someone had protected him from his father’s violence? As soon as he lost consciousness, a memory from his childhood that he had buried deep in his heart came to mind.

***

“Hey! Are you trying to run away? Where do you think you’re going, you little brat?”

A boy with a youthful face dressed in a school uniform ran madly down an unpaved road. The sound of heavy footsteps chasing after him could be heard right behind him. If he got caught, it would be death. As he ran, the boy quickly scanned his surroundings for a way out. He spotted a narrow path through the rice fields.

There!

He sharply turned and stepped onto the narrow path, nearly slipping on the unexpectedly slick surface, but he managed to regain his balance and continued running.  The large man following the boy screamed, “Ah!” and then the sound of falling was heard. Realizing they could no longer chase him, the men let out a string of curses.

So far, so good. Everything was going according to plan. The narrow path was too challenging for someone with such a large frame to navigate.

The boy barely managed to outmaneuver the thugs and climb up the mountain on the path. He bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. He wondered how much longer he would have to live like this and lamented his situation.

How nice would it be if children could choose their parents?

Nam-woon’s father, who passed away when he was seven, was a big shot in the loan shark business. Whenever he walked by, men with bodies like boulders would bow at a 90-degree angle and greet him. Even as a child, it was clear to Nam-woon that his father was involved in something scary. He didn’t fully understand it at the time, but a few years later, thanks to the gossiping men around him, he learned that his father had been involved in illegal loan sharking.

However, that money game didn’t last long. After refusing a request for funds, his father fell out of favor with the higher-ups. Just as he was preparing to expand his power, he was betrayed. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, his father’s followers began to distance themselves.

His father, who realized his superior’s plans before the business went downhill, gathered all the money he had been saving, along with the organization’s funds, and prepared to flee in the night. The problem was that seven-year-old Nam-woon was staring blankly at his father packing.

“Dad, where are you going?”

Nam-woon reached out and grabbed his trouser leg, but his father coldly shook his hand off and went out the door.

“Take me with you, please! Sob…”

Nam-woon clung desperately to his father’s leg. The man raised his hand expressionlessly as always. Thud. Nam-woon’s small head made a sound like a watermelon being smashed. “Ah!” A voice that was barely a scream came out of Nam-woon’s mouth. This was because his father had warned him multiple times not to make a loud noise. The final punch was so hard that he couldn’t even groan.

“I’ll stay still… I’ll stay as if I’m dead.”

But Nam-woon didn’t let go of the man’s leg. Because even as a child he knew, if he didn’t follow his father now, he might really die.