VDN Ch 133

On the way home in a taxi, Nam-woon looked out the window at the dark scenery flowing by.

“I’ll completely back off from that family.”

Chairman Seok’s words to let go of Kwon Seo-oh, Jin Hae-geon’s suggestion to use him, and the system that urged him to interfere with the matchmaking date. Nam-woon began to sort through the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind one by one.

First, let’s give the recorder to Detective Jang. Then I’ll go meet Jin Hae-geon.

He had no intention of using Jin Hae-geon at all, but somehow, he found himself in a situation where he had to give him a heads-up. Because he hadn’t realized he was being followed, Chairman Seok’s attention was drawn to Jin Hae-geon as well. He didn’t want to involve him in this mess.

Beep. Beep. For a while, only meaningless sounds flowed. Are you going to sleep early? Nam-woon had no choice but to leave a message and wait for his call.

About ten minutes later, he received a reply from Hae-geon.

[Gayber Map – Jeongwon]

[Tomorrow, 1 PM]

[Let’s meet and talk]

When he clicked on the address Hae-geon sent him, the words “high-class Korean restaurant” popped up. As soon as he saw it, one thought suddenly came to mind.

Is this the restaurant where Kwon Seo-oh works? Nam-woon immediately opened the message app with Seo-oh and began typing a message, but then stopped abruptly. What was I going to ask? To confirm whether it’s really true that I’m meeting Jin Hae-geon there?

Nam-woon shook his head. It was a meaningless action. Since he couldn’t stop the two from meeting, it was better to just pretend not to know and let the story flow.

In the original, the main character’s story really started to take off at Hae-geon’s matchmaking date, where they confronted each other. After finishing his background check on Seo-oh, Hae-geon suggested that they have a meal together once a week, saying that he would help him find his missing father. Seo-oh is furious at Hae-geon for bringing up Kwon Sang-moon, but he reluctantly accepts the offer because he has no other choice. And after that, their relationship develops rapidly.

Nam-woon’s chest puffed up and down as he remembered the original story. Maybe it’s for the best. Seo-oh seemed to have lost interest in him and with Chairman Seok’s orders, this might be the perfect opportunity to distance himself from him.

He couldn’t live in that house forever. He had to suppress the feelings he realized too late. 

I have to stop this before it gets any deeper.

He had nothing to offer Seo-oh. He was just an empty shell with a ruthless father like Chairman Seok. It would be a relief if he didn’t cause him any harm. Keeping his feelings buried and maintaining distance was the best path for both of them.

I think I need to leave Seo-oh’s house first. What should I say to Se-han?

As he thought of Se-han’s big eyes and bright face, Nam-woon’s gaze deepened with contemplation. He roughly pulled down his tie, feeling suffocated, his eyes focusing on the rapidly passing lights outside the car window.

After arriving home, Nam-woon headed straight to Auntie Soon-i’s house.

“Auntie, I’m here.”

“Oh, is that you, Nam-woon? Se-han just fell asleep.”

When he followed Mrs. Sooni into the house, he found Se-han sleeping soundly, breathing heavily. The woman next to him continued to speak.

“All this time, Se-han kept singing a song about “Wooni Hyung” and I barely stopped him from calling you a million times. I told him you were working.”

“…Haha, did Se-han do that? Thank you for watching him so late.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I enjoy being with Se-han. It’s been so quiet around here.”

Auntie Soon-i had a daughter and a son, both of whom were married, and her husband worked on a fishing boat far out at sea.

“You and Seo-oh are both so generous. I can’t even tell you how much better things have been since you moved into our neighborhood. It finally feels like a place where people actually live. It’s so bustling now that we’re even greeting the neighbors. Se-han and Seo-oh have brightened up so much. If we’re talking about gratitude, I’m the one who’s truly grateful!”

Auntie Soon-i responded playfully, then burst into laughter. Nam-woon watched her and bit his lips awkwardly before giving a small nod. Then he gently carried Se-han, who was sleeping and went home. He carefully laid Se-han on the futon spread on the floor and adjusted the fan to blow cool air toward the child. Then he picked up an apartment advertisement fan that had fallen nearby and began to fan him gently.

“Hmm, naum-nyaum-nya…”

Nam-woon quietly looked at Se-han, who was talking nonsense, and affectionately brushed away the hair that had stuck to his forehead. As if he felt his touch, Se-han turned towards Nam-woon. The two small hands were squirming as if they were about to touch Nam-woon’s legs.

Nam-woon silently looked down at the peaceful scene and fanned him diligently for a while. Then, the unexpected final night passed.

***

“Aaah, don’t do that!”

“I told you to get up quickly, Kwon Se-han?”

Nam-woon ended up staying awake throughout the night. He got up from the futon at dawn and rummaged through the refrigerator to make homemade kimbap^[1] with the ingredients left at the house. And when it was time for Se-han to wake up, he put his face towards his small feet and gently tickled the soles of his feet. Se-han kicked at him and frowned.

“Ahh.”

“Se-han, you have to go to Taekwondo.”

“…Oh!”

Se-han, who had been squirming on the futon, opened his eyes wide at Nam-woon’s words. It seemed he had just remembered that today was the day for his survival training. As if he hadn’t been sleepy at all, Se-han immediately got up and headed for the bathroom. After washing his face, he pushed the bag he had packed with Nam-woon yesterday to the front door. He found the lotion and sunscreen in the dresser, squeezed a generous amount of sunscreen onto his small hand, and rubbed it on his face as if he were washing it.

Nam-woon, who was watching this, grabbed Se-han’s hand and pulled it down. Then he gently rubbed the cream that had gathered on Se-han’s soft cheeks.

“Cut the kimbap and eat it before you go. I put some snacks in your bag. Just don’t eat them all at once.”

As soon as Nam-woon finished speaking, Se-han dashed to the sink and peered at the gimbap Nam-woon had made, exclaiming.

“Wow! Wooni Hyung, can you cut this for me?”

At Se-han’s request, Nam-woon picked up a knife and began to cut the gimbap seriously. He was careful with the knife, but the gimbap burst open as soon as he sliced it.

“Hyung, why is the gimbap exploding?”

“I think the knife isn’t cutting well. But it still tastes good. I tried some earlier.”

This was already the third failed piece of gimbap. To destroy the evidence, Nam-woon had ate them all, but he failed again in front of Se-han. He made an awkward expression, then gathered one of the broken pieces and fed it to Se-han.

Chew. Se-han, who was chewing the food in his mouth without any hesitation, opened his eyes wide and nodded his head in satisfaction. Feeling relieved, Nam-woon squeezed some sunscreen again and gently applied it to Se-han’s forehead. Before he knew it, Se-han was holding his own chopsticks and eating the kimbap.

Nam-woon watched the child closely and finally spoke up.

“Se-han-ah, you know….I think I will be able to come home for a while.”

“What? Why?”

Se-han asked in surprise at Nam-woon’s sudden words.

“I have to go on a business trip. But this time, it’s going to be a long one, so I won’t be able to come home for a while.”

“Really?”

Se-han, with his eyebrows drooping, quickly chewed the gimbap in his mouth and swallowed it. Then he bombarded Nam-woon with questions.

“Where are you going? Is it far? How many nights will you be gone? What month, day, minute, and second will you come back?”

Under Se-han’s barrage of questions, Nam-woon broke into a cold sweat, admitting he didn’t really know since nothing had been decided yet. He gently stroked Se-han’s cheek and head as he spoke.

“Eat well, study hard, don’t run around too much or you’ll get hurt, and don’t eat too many jellies or your teeth will rot. And…listen to Seo-oh, okay?”

Se-han’s mouth turned downward as he spoke in a dejected tone.

“Come back quickly, Wooni Hyung… I told you so, I really get anxious without you…”

Nam-woon smiled softly and ruffled Se-han’s hair.

“What are you so anxious about? Seo-oh is here too.”

“But still… Wooni, you’re different from my Hyung. You have to be here.”

“Don’t you like me too much?” 

Nam-woon teased with a mischievous smile, and Se-han replied,

“Yes, I love being with Wooni Hyung so much.”

After saying this, Se-han suddenly hugged Nam-woon tightly. Nam-woon paused for a moment at the small warmth clinging to him, then patted Se-han’s back with a faint smile. Se-han hugged him even tighter. Taking a deep breath, Nam-woon suddenly exclaimed, “Argh!” and pretended to bite Se-han’s hand. Se-han squealed, “Ah!” and pulled back in surprise. Nam-woon laughed brightly, holding onto Se-han’s hand.

“Okay, let’s get going to Taekwondo now. I’ll take you there. Should we ride the bike since it’s been a while?”

“Yay! That sounds great!”

At the mention of bikes, Se-han quickly regained his energy and answered cheerfully.

***

“Important guests are arriving at Moran Hall at one o’clock, so make sure everything is cleaned and set up properly.”

With this announcement early in the morning, all the staff at the Korean restaurant became busy. Amid whispers about who the guests might be, whether they were from a certain group or the second generation of a chaebol. Seo-oh quietly swept and cleaned the room.

“Seo-oh, what are you having for lunch?”

A coworker asked him. They usually chose their lunch based on the restaurant menu for their meals, but it seemed like they were asking to place the order in advance. However, Seo-oh had something to do today, so he shook his head.

“I won’t eat today. I have to go somewhere for a bit during lunchtime.”

“Oh, really? Okay. Then I’ll just ask for our share to be prepared.”

When he watched his colleague head out into the hallway, Seo-oh checked his phone. It was already 12 o’clock at lunchtime. He quickly tidied up the cleaning supplies, changed his clothes, and stepped outside. He planned to stop by the bike shop to pay for Nam-woon’s gift and pick it up on his way home. He had already gotten permission in advance.

Will I be able to tell him properly tomorrow? Seo-oh nervously rubbed his cheek. Maybe it was because his face was heating up. 

He checked the time on his phone again and quickened his pace.