VDN Ch 150

“Oh my, Seo-oh, it looks so good on you! As expected, my judgment is spot on.” 

Mr. Park clapped his hands as he looked at Seo-oh, who was in his new uniform. The all-black combination of a black shirt and black slacks made his appearance stand out even more. In addition, there was a somehow decadent vibe about him that he had been giving off lately, adding a dangerous charm. It was worth spending money on the uniform. A satisfied smile spread across Mr. Park’s lips. 

Seo-oh, who heard Mr. Park’s compliment, lowered his head and ran his hand over the back of his neck. He simply did it because he didn’t know how to react, but in Mr. Park’s eyes, he looked as if he was shy about the compliment.

“Why are you being shy about something like this, Seo-oh? You’re still so innocent.” 

“……”

“Oh, by the way. You can take that outfit home with you. It’s a hassle to change clothes every time. Just wear it when you come to work.” 

“I’ll just leave it here. I think it might get dirty.” 

“Oh, come on, why worry about that? I can just buy another one. I’m grateful for you.” 

“…Thank you.” 

“Why don’t you head home for today? There aren’t many customers anyway.” 

Mr. Park waved and smiled. Seo-oh bowed his head and left the store.

When he checked the time, it was still late in the afternoon. In the evening, Se-han would go to the Taekwondo and come back, so he would stop by the Good People Center in the meantime. Seo-oh quickly took out his phone as he walked. The phone rang a few times, and soon a blunt man’s voice came out of the other end of the phone.

– What?

“Did you figure it out?”

– Sigh… Hey, this isn’t easy. How could I figure it out in just two days?

“Just hurry up. Is that why you can’t make any money?” 

– What? What did you say? Hey, you really…!

Mr. Umpyeong, who had been yelling in a disbelieving tone, sighed deeply in shock.

– Ugh. Why did I take on this job?

Seo-oh continued in a dry tone. 

“Just figure it out quickly. Otherwise, I’ll come to the office myself.” 

– You little punk, just try coming here again! I’ll kick you out right away….

Beep, beep. 

Seo-oh hung up the phone without even listening to the man’s words.

He had been searching for Nam-woon for over a week, wandering aimlessly. Perhaps out of sympathy, Mr. Umpyeong eventually offered to help, and Seo-oh entrusted him with Nam-woon’s cell phone while he continued investigating his whereabouts. Since the phone was locked with a password, he could only view the contacts displayed on the main screen. A private company had previously attempted to unlock it but failed. In the end, Seo-oh handed the phone over to Mr. Umpyeong, who had offered assistance.

From that day forward, Seo-oh made over twenty follow-up calls each day.

Now that he had finished calling Mr. Umpyeong, it was time to check if Nam-woon was at the office. Seo-oh headed straight to the Good People Center and opened the door with a trembling heart. Jang-mi, who had been guarding the office for several days, frowned at the sight of the man who had come back yet again. 

“Hey, get lost. The young master isn’t here.” 

However, Seo-oh pretended not to hear Jang-mi’s words and trudged into the office and plopped down on the sofa. Jang-mi shouted.

“Oh, how long are you going to keep this up? The young master doesn’t come here every day! He just drops by occasionally!” 

“He came to my house every day. I always saw him.” 

“So what? I don’t care!” 

Today, as usual, Jang-mi exploded in frustration at Kwon Seo-oh, whom he could not communicate with at all. Seo-oh looked at the clock hanging on the office wall. He could stay here for another 50 minutes. Wouldn’t Hyung stop by during that time? 

Seo-oh’s heart was pounding with anticipation without getting tired. It had been like that for over a week. Every time he set foot in a place where Nam-woon might go, he had a hopeful thought that Hyung might be here.

“I still need to check out that club Hyung went to last time, but I don’t have the time.”

Seo-oh’s days had become incredibly busy. As soon as he woke up, he prepared breakfast for Se-han, then headed to Nam-woon’s office to question them about his whereabouts. He made countless confirmation calls to Mr. Umpyeong and searched every place Nam-woon might have visited before finally returning home. After lunch with Se-han, he helped him with his vacation homework and got him ready for taekwondo. Then, it was time to leave for his job at the perfume shop.

Now working at the perfume shop daily, Seo-oh needed the money. He had been holding onto the two million won that Nam-woon had given him through Mr. Umpyeong, intending to return it untouched. His living expenses had been covered by his previous earnings, but since he’d spent all his time searching for Nam-woon instead of working, his funds had quickly run out.

It wasn’t until the fourth day after Nam-woon’s disappearance that Seo-oh truly realized his situation. While preparing a meal for Se-han, he scooped for rice, only to hear the sound of the bowl scraping against the bottom of the container. Looking over at the plastic bottle where the rice was stored, he saw that it was empty.

Suddenly, he stood up and surveyed the house. The room was a complete mess. The sink overflowed with dishes still covered in soap bubbles, and next to it sat a broken cup with its handle missing. Through the bathroom door, he could see a tub filled with clothes, both his and Se-han’s, waiting to be washed.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

In the middle of the chaotic house, Se-han was crouching on his knees, sniffling, as he wiped the floor with a rag. A streak of red ketchup was smeared around his mouth, and the yellow T-shirt he wore was inside out. With that appearance, Se-han was completely absorbed in cleaning, using his small hands to wipe the floor.

Seo-oh stared at him with a blank expression. Noticing his brother’s gaze, Se-han looked up with clear, innocent eyes.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

Then, noticing the rice bowl in Seo-oh’s hand, he quickly ran over to check the rice container.

“Oh, there’s no rice left. Should I run to Namnam Supermarket?”

“……”

“I’ll go borrow some rice from Grandpa and bring it back, okay? Just wait a moment.”

“…Se-han-ah.”

He had been out of it for days, barely paying attention to housework or Se-han. Se-han, who noticed his brother’s condition, didn’t cry and just did the housework on his own. He broke a cup and didn’t know how much of the detergent to use so he threw the whole laundry detergent into the tub.

Seo-oh’s eyes trembled as he bit his lip, seeing his little brother’s considerate actions. He couldn’t go on like this any longer.

I can’t just act like everything is over because Hyung disappeared. I have Se-han.

When their father disappeared, Seo-oh was even younger and knew less about the world than he does now. But he hadn’t fallen apart like this back then. Taking the smelly rag from Se-han’s hands, Seo-oh wiped the sauce from his mouth and cleaned his messy face before speaking.

“Se-han-ah, I’ll grill some meat for you today.”

“Wow, really?”

Se-han’s eyes sparkled as he opened his mouth in excitement. Seo-oh held his little brother’s hand and headed to the market. That’s when he realized. That their living expenses had already run out.

Then, with perfect timing, Mr. Park, who had taken a liking to Seo-oh after his previous night shifts, called with an offer.

“Hey, Seo-oh! What are you up to these days? If you don’t have any work, would you want to work at our shop? I’ll pay you a higher hourly wage than last time.”

Seo-oh immediately agreed. He had accepted the job because he needed living expenses urgently, but on his first day at work, he realized one more reason why he had to work at the perfume shop.

The safe that Nam-woon had wanted to open, belonging to Chairman Seok, was here. What on earth was in the safe that Nam-woon had been after, even to the point of getting beaten up by him? Seo-oh had a feeling that if he found out, it might help him in finding Nam-woon.

From that day on, Seo-oh diligently showed up to work daily, always looking for an opportunity to check what was in the safe. But working at the perfume shop was harder than expected, especially because of Mr. Park’s advances.

“Honey, it’s been over two weeks since we all hung out together! What? You want it to just be the two of us now? I can’t stand it anymore. Let’s break up.”

His loud phone conversations made it clear to everyone that he’d broken up with his boyfriend. Since he was now single, Mr. Park started hovering around Seo-oh even more.

“Seo-oh, your shoulders are so broad! Do you work out?”

“No.”

“Then you must be naturally built. Tall, too. You’re like the ideal alpha. How did I not notice you before?”

He wanted to quit right away because it was uncomfortable, but he held back. He had a clever idea that maybe Mr. Park might be of some help to figure out what the safe’s password was. However, even though he thought that, he responded to Mr. Park’s words bluntly, so there wasn’t much to gain.

Under Mr. Park’s instruction, who said it was essential to know the scents while selling perfume, Seo-oh tried to familiarize himself with them while working, but the strong scents gave him headaches. There was only one reason he endured the Omega scents. He wanted to find a scent that resembled Nam-woon’s as a way to endure this hellish time without Hyung and keep his sanity

But he never found a scent like Nam-woon’s and quickly gave up. He thought searching for a taiyaki stall on a hot day would be easier.

“…I miss you.”

Please come back soon, Hyung. It’s so hard without you.

Seo-oh hid his broken heart behind an expressionless face and prayed every day for Nam-woon’s return.