VDN Ch 122

They also exchanged a few words of concern about Chairman Jin’s health. As the conversation began to dwindle, the man gestured for someone to come over. 

“Hae-geon, wait a moment. Hyun-ah, over here.” 

A woman dressed in a neat suit walked over with a confident stride. The man looked at Hae-geon with a gentle smile. 

“I suppose you’ve already heard about my granddaughter from Chairman Jin. She is twenty-six this year, and she’s busy working as a new prosecutor after being appointed recently.” 

The woman standing next to him smiled brightly at his proud words. Hae-geon raised the corners of his mouth slightly but didn’t offer a further response. 

“Make some time for the both of you this week. I’ve reserved a dining spot in the garden so that the young people…”

“Nam-woon, why are you standing there? Come over to my side.”

The man, whose words had suddenly stopped, opened his eyes wide. Hae-geon turned his head to look at Nam-woon and gestured to his side.

“……”

All eyes turned to Nam-woon. Shit. He cursed a torrent of insults with a fierce glare, but Hageon’s insistent gaze remained fixed on him. Under the unspoken pressure to play his part, Nam-woon approached with a sulky expression. The wide-eyed man alternated his gaze between Nam-woon and Hae-geon.

“Who is this…?” 

Hae-geon casually grabbed Nam-woon’s hand. 

“This is the first time I’ve brought him to a place like this, but he keeps hiding because he’s embarrassed.”

Then he looked down at Nam-woon as if he found him cute. Nam-woon clenched his fists to avoid Hae-geon’s touch and glanced at the two people standing in front of him. Congressman Han checked Nam-woon’s clothes and made a strange expression that was neither smiling nor frowning.

The woman next to him was about the same height as Nam-woon’s shoulder and was staring intently at him with clear, bright eyes. Her eyes seemed to be a bit pretty, so Nam-woon avoided her gaze by unnecessarily scratching the bridge of his nose or the top of his eyebrows. But he couldn’t stop his eyes from moving, and every time he did, he made eye contact with her.

While they were exchanging glances, he suddenly smelled a strong musk scent.

“Nam-woon, you’d better keep your eyes in check.”

Hae-geon whispered, his lips pressed to Nam-woon’s ear. Everyone is watching, are you crazy? When he covered his ears in surprise and raised his eyes, Hae-geon straightened his body as if nothing had happened and grabbed Nam-woon’s waist tightly and pulled him towards him.

“I know that Prosecutor Hyun-ah is a beautiful woman, but if you keep looking at her like that, it’s going to make me jealous.”

With a faint smile playing on his lips, he spoke in a gentle tone. Though he wanted to tell him to stop being ridiculous, Nam-woon couldn’t bring himself to say it. He awkwardly closed his lips, choosing to remain silent. Congressman Han, looking at the uninvited Nam-woon, opened his mouth as if embarrassed.

“Uh… What’s going on here? Is there really a situation like this?” 

“I didn’t want to show him in front of everyone, so I kept him hidden away. I’m sorry, Congressman.” 

Jin Hae-geon spoke with a face that didn’t seem apologetic at all. The man hardened his expression before soon speaking firmly. 

“Haven’t we already set up the meeting? I’ve finished talking with Chairman Jin. Sorry to the young man next to you, but we can’t back out now. I hope you’ll sort things out quickly because it’s a family promise.”

With those words, he turned around. Anyone could see that he was very upset as he headed into the wedding hall with the woman. Nam-woon, pondering Congressman Han’s words, opened his eyes wide.

“Did he say a meeting now? Then, is that prosecutor Jin Hae-geon’s arranged date?”

[Role Fulfillment Clause No. 6, Seok Nam-woon interferes with Jin Hae-geon’s matchmaking date.]

The clause for role fulfillment given by the system came to mind. Then what he needed to interfere with was the relationship between Jin Hae-geon and that prosecutor. How could it be this shitty? It was a truly villainous role, interfering with the meeting of youths.

But perhaps things would be resolved easily. Nam-woon looked at Hae-geon and asked.

“You’re not going to… go on that date, right?”

“Well, if they are coming on that strong, it seems like they’ve already exchanged something.” 

Hae-geon said with a thoughtful expression on his face. There was no clear answer that he wouldn’t go. His uncharacteristic attitude made Nam-woon uneasy. 

Should I approach the woman first?’

Thinking it over, he realized he already had Jin Hae-geon’s contact information, so he would have another chance to meet him later. But for the woman, if he didn’t act now, he might not get another chance. Nam-woon’s gaze naturally followed the direction where the woman had disappeared.

At that moment, his head was suddenly forcibly turned by a strong force. When he opened his eyes, Jin Hae-geon was looking at him with his head tilted crookedly. His face looked uncomfortable.

“Nam-woon, are you interested in that woman?” 

Hae-geon tightened his grip and shook his chin a couple of times. My brow furrowed at that absurd remark.

“Your eyes are about to pop out.” 

“S-Stop it, y-you crazy b-bastard!” 

“Every time you see a somewhat decent-looking face, you start wiggling your ass. I’m already pissed off as it is. Do you want to get fucked here?”

Hae-geon’s glassy pupils glinted strangely. 

“Say it with your own mouth. Why are you here?”

“Heung… heuk-heo…ugh… Y-You’re going to b-break my jaw, let go.”

“What role did you come here for?” 

His grip tightened painfully around Nam-woon’s chin. Though he didn’t want to utter the ridiculous word “lover” Hae-geon showed no sign of backing down until he got the right answer. As the two tall men were caught in a struggle in the middle of the dining area, people started to focus their attention on them. Reluctantly, Nam-woon muttered through his gritted teeth. 

“Lover.” 

“Whose lover?” 

“……”

“Nam-woon, don’t you want to get paid? Do you want to throw up everything you received for not being able to pay for your meal?”

Nam-woon’s eyes flashed fiercely. He lifted his foot and kicked Jin Hae-geon’s shin hard. Even though he was hit, Hae-geon didn’t even flinch. The sudden act of violence caused a slight increase in the murmurs around them. 

Nam-woon stared at the man with a fierce glare and enunciated each word clearly. 

“Your fucking lover.” 

It was a satisfactory answer. Hae-geon relaxed his grip. Nam-woon stroked his jaw, which seemed out of place, and then grabbed the collar in front of him with one hand.

“Hey, you dirty bastard, are you trying to threaten me with that little bit of money? Are you really a chaebol?” 

“Did you just realize that I’m a dirty bastard?” 

Hae-geon playfully patted Nam-woon’s cheek a couple of times with his large palm before gently caressing it. He moved his hand to Nam-woon’s earlobe and began to tickle him, whispering softly. 

“Nam-woon, let’s do well, okay?” 

“Move, asshole.”

Nam-woon roughly swatted away Hae-geon’s hand, which was touching his face and hair. 

After that, Nam-woon stuck close to Hae-geon like an accessory. Each time the topic of Hae-geon’s partner was brought up or something similar, Nam-woon would awkwardly shuffle over, acting stiff like a toy with dead batteries. It was a disastrous performance, but fortunately, no one suspected him of being a stand-in lover. 

Seemingly pleased with his robotic performance, Hae-geon would often gaze at Nam-woon with a satisfied smile. Pretending to be lovers, he would hold Nam-woon’s hand and stroke his hair, the nape of his neck, and even his cheek. Living off someone else’s money was tough, really…Even before the meal began, he felt drained. The wedding venue no longer seemed interesting. All he wanted was to go home. 

“We received a request for an abrupt halt to the transaction from overseas. There’s been a lot of talk from the Daegang Group about this…”  

“You don’t need to worry about it. It’ll resume in a month or two anyway.” 

The conversation about business was dragging on. Yawning with a lazy posture, Nam-woon’s eyes suddenly widened. The woman he had seen earlier was exiting the venue while holding her phone to her ear. 

Nam-woon subtly shifted his gaze. Hae-geon was still engrossed in the conversation. This was his chance. He quietly distanced himself from Hae-geon and swiftly turned to head down the corridor where the woman had gone. 

Where is she?

Perhaps because it was just before the meal, the hallway was quiet. After walking a bit, he spotted the woman by the window, engaged in a phone call. Nam-woon calmly waited for her to finish her conversation. Thankfully, it didn’t seem urgent, and the call ended quickly. Nam-woon strode over confidently. The woman’s eyes widened slightly as she noticed him approaching. 

“Can I help you?” 

She looked up at Nam-woon with a sharp gaze. The thought that Hae-geon might come looking for him made Nam-woon anxious, so he blurted out without fully organizing his thoughts. 

“Noona.” 

The sudden address made the woman’s lips part in surprise. 

“Don’t meet that bastard Jin Hae-geon.”

The woman’s eyes widened to the point of popping out. Nam-woon continued to speak with a serious face.

“Noona, you’re smart and pretty. I hope you don’t go on the date.” 

“What are you talking about right now…?”

Seeing the woman in front of him made Nam-woon even more certain that this arranged date was not right. Nam-woon spoke with genuine sincerity.

“That guy, Jin Hae-geon, is a complete nutcase.” 

The woman was silent for a moment. Then, as if assessing Nam-woon, she quietly looked at him and asked in a clear voice.

“Then why are you meeting Jin Hae-geon?” 

“…What?” 

The woman’s face had suddenly become cold.

“According to you, Jin Hae-geon is a nutcase, and you want to stop someone from dating him to the point of directly intervening for a stranger…. But didn’t you say earlier that you were Jin Hae-geon’s lover? I’m curious why you’re with such a man.”

It was a sharp question. Nam-woon wore a perplexed expression, pondering deeply before eventually mumbling an evasive answer. 

“Well, the situation was unavoidable….” 

“Could you explain exactly what the ‘unavoidable situation’ is?” 

“Uh, it’s kind of hard to say.”

“Are you having trouble telling me?” 

“Yes.” 

“I’m asking just in case, but is the ‘unavoidable situation’ something that was caused by threats or coercion?”

Before he knew it, the woman’s line of questioning gradually took on the form of an interrogation. Now that he thought about it, they did say her job was a prosecutor. Nam-woon gulped under the woman’s sharp gaze.

“Please answer honestly. I assure you your secrets will be kept safe.”

The woman continued coldly, 

“If you are being dragged around against your will, I can help you.”