VDN Ch 121

After speaking, Seo-oh bit his lip slightly. Nam-woon’s gaze was fixed on Seo-oh’s lips.

Silence fell between them. They were standing a little away from the convenience store, where the streetlight was out. Perhaps because it was already late, not even a single ant was passing by. It seemed like whatever happened here would go unnoticed by anyone.

Nam-woon hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching Seo-oh. Then he gently grabbed the collar of Seo-oh’s shirt. Seo-oh looked down at Nam-woon with a slightly surprised expression. Nam-woon tightened his grip and pulled Seo-oh towards him. At the same time, he lifted his heels slightly. It was the moment when narrowing his eyes to focus only on the lips in front of him and he tilted his head.

Seo-oh pushed Nam-woon’s shoulder and turned his head to the side. His lips brushed against Seo-oh’s smooth jawline. It was a clear rejection.

Nam-woon’s eyes shook. He felt flustered and his pride hurt. He had mustered the courage to make the first move.

Shit. How embarrassing.

Nam-woon slowly lowered his hand. With his head hung low, he quickly walked past Seo-oh in the direction of the house. He heard footsteps chasing after him from behind.

“I’m sorry, Hyung! It’s really not like that. Just wait a few days. I’ll explain everything then.”

“……”

“Answer me.”

Nam-woon continued to walk in silence. Seo-oh’s fingers lightly brushed against his pinky and ring finger. But that was the end of their physical contact. Nam-woon secretly hoped that Seo-oh would cling to him once more, but unlike before, there was no further skinship.

He had heard his excuses for avoiding him but Seo-oh’s actions still seemed suspicious. His mood sank.

After that, Nam-woon ignored Seo-oh as well. Fortunately, since Seo-oh was always late, Se-han, who would go to bed early, didn’t notice the cold atmosphere flowing between them. Perhaps feeling guilty about his actions, Seo-oh began to talk to Nam-woon more often, sending him a flurry of messages.

[I made cucumber kimchi in the morning.]

[Make sure to eat before you go.]

When did you make this while leaving early? It’s really annoying, seriously.

Nam-woon didn’t reply.

***

The morning of his client’s wedding. Nam-woon carefully checked his attire in the office.

The office staff gathered around him, giving him a thumbs up and giving compliments that felt more like flattery than genuine compliments.

“Young master, you really look like a rapper. If anyone asks, just say you released an album.”

“I’m tone-deaf.”

Nam-woon smirked at them and then left with Yong-deuk to the location the client had given him. Yong-deok, behind the wheel said,

“It must be quite a big event, right? If the boss of a company is attending.”

“Yeah. I wonder if they’re not doing a small wedding?”

Moreover, it was a bit embarrassing to go to a wedding with so many people dressed like this. Well, he didn’t know how many people would actually come. He hadn’t heard anything about the wedding hall, so he couldn’t estimate the scale. As he continued to talk to Yong-deuk, he saw the building the client had mentioned.

“Well, then go and take care of yourself.”

“Go head and play with the kids in the office.”

Nam-woon got out of the car and waved at Yong-deuk. After a brief greeting, Yong-deuk left immediately.

As he stood at the front of the building, waiting for the client to arrive. A flashy car approached in the distance. Is that it? Nam-woon unconsciously reached out and waved his hand, as if hailing a taxi. The car smoothly came to a stop right in front of him.

Nam-woon quickly approached the driver’s side and knocked on the window. The spotless window slowly rolled down.

“…Huh?”

“Hello, Nam-woon.”

A look of horror crossed Nam-woon’s face as he recognized the man behind the wheel.

“You…!”

Nam-woon turned on his heel and ran like crazy. His body moved before he had a chance to think. The six hundred thousand won had long disappeared from his thoughts, leaving only the client’s words echoing in his mind.

“That’s right. We need someone to pretend to be a lover at a wedding.”

The role was to be Jin Hae-geon’s lover? Crazy. I should’ve asked for the boss’s name first!

Since the middle-aged man was using very respectful language and calling him ‘boss,’ he naturally thought the boss was in his 40s. His thinking was narrow-minded.

“Haah, haah.”

With each step, he heard a strange sound as he ran. He was so disoriented that he didn’t realize it was coming from his thick necklace. His pants were unusually heavy, he couldn’t even run properly without them sagging down. His hair, which the hairdresser had carefully arranged this morning, was soaked with sweat.

Just then, a familiar voice called out to him. He thought he had put some distance between them, but when he turned his head, he saw Jin Haegun standing very close, looking down at him with a phone pressed to his right ear.

“Is this the police station?”

Nam-woon whipped his head around. Hae-geon continued speaking calmly.

“I’d like to report a scam. Yes. It’s a place that operates as a detective agency and that also operates a private loan company and the amount is…”

He couldn’t become a criminal like this. Nam-woon snatched the phone from Hae-geon’s hand and frantically pressed the end call button. Half of him assumed it was a lie, but there it was on the phone screen: ‘112.’ That crazy bastard.

“Nam-woon-ah, today….”

Hae-geon looked closely at Nam-woon as if he were a piece of art, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“That’s an interesting look. What’s with the outfit? Are you going for a beggar concept?”

“You told me to dress like this, asshole!”

Nam-woon opened his eyes fiercely clutching Hae-geon’s phone tightly in his hand.

“What kind of trick are you trying to pull again?”

“Trick? I just handed the task over to Manager Jung and told him to handle it.”

“You think I’ll fall for it again? Do you think I don’t know that you’re plotting something?”

“So, are you not going to do it?”

“……”

“If you’re not, then give me the money I gave you and leave.”

Hae-geon leisurely folded his arms and looked down at Nam-woon. Damn, he had already spent all the money he received. Nam-woon rummaged through his pockets. The money from Manager Jung or whoever had already gone straight into Chairman Seok’s pocket. He had even bragged to the office kids about giving them a big bonus if he got his success bonus. He remembered the smiling faces of the employees enjoying themselves.

While he hesitated, Hae-geon came closer, raised his hand, and touched between Nam-woon’s nostrils.

“Ah! Don’t do that.”

Nam-woon frowned at the rising pain and pulled his head back. Hae-geon ignored him, grabbed the ring dangling from his nose, and shook it from side to side. What the hell? What’s wrong with this bastard? Nam-woon opened his eyes wide at Hae-geon’s strange behavior as he nearly put his finger in his nose. Then, Hae-geon suddenly pulled the piercing down.

“Argh!”

Nam-woon screamed like he was going to die. He blocked his nose with his palm and put his index finger inside to check for any bleeding. Hae-geon, rolling the small ring he held, said,

“What? It’s fake. Why are you wearing this on your nose? You could have put it on your d*ck.”

Nam-woon cursed at him.

“You asshole, you almost ripped my hole!”

“Those words are a bit…dirty.”

Hae-geon pressed his index finger against the tip of Nam-woon’s sharp nose and pushed it upward. He gazed into the space between Nam-woon’s upturned nostrils and spoke nonchalantly.

“People’s holes don’t tear that easily.”

After saying that, Hae-geon suddenly scanned every inch of his face in front of him. Then he leaned in closer, pressing his face against Nam-woon’s neck and inhaling slowly. The unsettling action made Nam-woon shiver as he quickly pushed away his firm shoulder and hastily covered the area of his neck. Pale eyes stared directly at Nam-woon, as if piercing through him.

Nam-woon avoided his gaze, quickly opened the car door, and climbed into the passenger seat. He then shouted at Hae-geon.

“If you try to cheat me out of my success fee, you’re dead.”

A moment later, Hae-geon slowly climbed into the driver’s seat. Soon the car drove away.

*** 

In the quiet car without any music playing, Jin Hae-geon had been lost in thought for a while, not saying a word. Nam-woon sneaked a glance at Hae-geon. His hair was tidier than usual, and his well-fitting dress pants hugged his long legs. The loosened tie over his white shirt made him look very relaxed. He must have put in some effort to go to the wedding. Maybe it was because of his clothes, but Nam-woon felt like Hae-geon was setting the mood for no reason.

Then suddenly, he looked down at his own clothes. It was a stark contrast to Hae-geon. The chainlike necklace clinked noisily and made noise every time he moved. Maybe because he did something he doesn’t usually do, but his neck has been feeling really itchy since earlier. I should just take this off. Nam-woon took off the necklace and put it in his pants pocket, and then a thought popped into his head. 

“Why do you need to bring a lover to the wedding?” 

“To mess with the old folks.”

Hae-geon responded, smoothly maneuvering the car around a corner. 

“As soon as they smell my pheromones, those old men would drop everything and rush towards their children.” 

It seemed that people who were envious of Hae-geon’s power and wealth were eagerly pushing their children forward. 

“Then why not just skip the wedding?”

“My grandfather is unwell, so I have to go to his place.”

At those words, Nam-woon glanced up at Hae-geon. His expression was as fresh as ever. Nam-woon scratched his forehead.

“…Still, if you keep meeting people, don’t you think you might find someone you like?”

He already knew that Jin Hae-geon disliked matchmaking dates. He had read about it in the original story. However, he had been forced to go on a few dates because of his grandfather’s insistence. If he couldn’t avoid it entirely, wouldn’t it be better to have an open mind and take the opportunity to meet new people? After all, it might reduce Hae-geon’s stress too.

At Nam-woon’s words, Hae-geon chuckled lightly. 

“I don’t like omegas.”

That made sense. Anyone who showed up for a date would likely be an omega. Hae-geon certainly had unique tastes… 

Just then, Hae-geon added, 

“Except for you.” 

Nam-woon whipped his head to stare at him. There was a faint smile at the corners of Hae-geon’s mouth. 

“Don’t say stuff like that, you crazy bastard.” 

Seeing the hardened expression on Nam-woon’s face, Hae-geon let out a low laugh.

Before long, the car entered the parking lot of the wedding venue. The area in front of the venue was already bustling with people. There were also bodyguards scattered around and a few people who appeared to be journalists. The scale of the wedding was larger than expected. Nam-woon’s expression tensed slightly. After all, Jin Hae-geon was a big figure. This meant that the wedding he was attending was likely a marriage between companies.

As Nam-woon got out of the car, he asked, 

“By the way, whose wedding is it?” 

“The son of the Jonghwang Pharmaceutical Company. He’s a drug addict.”

Hae-geon responded while tightening his tie. Even if he heard it, he wouldn’t know who it was. Nam-woon looking around here and there followed Hae-geon diligently. Inside the wedding hall, the place was packed with people, resembling a concert more than a wedding. Jin Hae-geon and others smiled, shook hands and chatted as if they were out campaigning for an election.

Oh, I think I just saw a celebrity?

Nam-woon stood behind Hae-geon, busily moving his eyes as he took in the scene. It was his first time at a wedding, so everything was new to him. He didn’t forget to check Hae-geon’s location every now and then, afraid that he might lose him in the large and splendid hall.

While Nam-woon observed with curiosity, Hae-geon appeared to be quite busy. He greeted several elderly gentlemen, who looked quite distinguished. Nam-woon had often wondered how someone with Hae-geon’s personality managed to navigate social interactions, but it seemed he was quite adept at it. Even his mere presence evoked admiration from everyone around him. 

Listening in from behind, Nam-woon noticed that their conversations followed a similar pattern. 

“Hae-geon, it’s been a while. How have you been?” 

“Thanks to you, Congressman, I’ve been well.” 

“Your face is glowing today as well. Someone might mistake you for the groom! Haha.”

After exchanging the usual pleasantries, the other person followed up with praise about Hae-geon’s appearance and character. Hae-geon smiled shamelessly.