VDN Ch 153

Of all times, the opportunity came when that guy was there. If I had been there, the business would have been guaranteed to be booming! It was a confidence that knew no bounds.

Ju-ham, who cleanly ignored Nam-woon’s cries of regret, spoke in a serious voice.

– I’m thinking we should go with the concept that Nam-woon can’t speak, just in case he might curse.

“… Then how about he only stays silent when the cameras are broadcasting? He has already interacted with the customers. It would be strange to suddenly pretend he can’t talk. Instead, you could say he’s too nervous to speak on camera, which is why he stays quiet.”

– That’s a good idea. Let’s go with the concept that he can’t speak because he’s shy.

Nam-woon, who was diligently brainstorming with Ju-ham with the single-minded thought that ‘Seok’s Taiyaki’ must not fail, suddenly realized the situation he was in and shouted. 

“Hey, why are we having a store meeting right now? This isn’t important right now!” 

– Oh. Sorry. I’m just in a hurry because I don’t want the store to go under… 

Ju-ham, awkwardly scratching his head, glanced at Nam-woon and quickly redirected the conversation to the original topic. 

– About that trait drug we talked about last time, I still can’t figure it out no matter how much I think about it. Should I ask Nam-woon Hyung here?

Nam-woon, who had been silently lost in thought for a moment, shook his head. 

“No. Don’t ask. He wouldn’t know anyway.” 

According to Ju-ham, the villain Seok Nam-woon was so angry about his father giving that bastard a car that he went to see Chairman Seok. The incident of Chairman Seok gifting a car to Kwon Seo-oh happened in the early part of the story, right before Se-han’s kidnapping incident. This timeline matched perfectly with when Nam-woon arrived in this world. 

Putting it all together, it meant that the villain Seok Nam-woon had switched souls with Nam-woon without experiencing the future events. Nam-woon told Ju-ham about this fact and earnestly cautioned him. 

“He is someone who wanted to leave his original world for another one. How shocked do you think he’ll be if you suddenly ask him that? Don’t say a word about this place. Got it?”

– I understand, Hyung… 

After firmly telling Ju-ham to keep his mouth shut, Nam-woon swept his bangs back with his palm. Then he lowered his head and let out a desperate voice.

“Ju-ham-ah, think carefully. You’re my last hope. You are truly the only hope I have left…”

The two continued their discussion about the trait drugs for quite some time, but they weren’t able to come up with any meaningful answers.

Is it impossible to find drugs like this? While Nam-woon was feeling frustrated, an unpleasant sound rang out. 

Ding-!

[4:00]

Nam-woon and Ju-ham’s eyes widened as they saw the numbers on the screen. 

“Ah, damn it. It’s showing up again!” 

– What do I do, Hyung? 

In a panic, Ju-ham was flustered and ended up abandoning the topic of the trait drugs to bring up something that had been weighing on his mind. 

– Hyung, are you going to visit the perfume shop I mentioned last time? 

“Does that matter right now?” 

– Yes, but we don’t have much time to talk! When you get the chance, go check it out. I’m really sorry for making you smell like taiyaki. 

“But Kwon Seo-oh seems to like my scent.” 

Nam-woon muttered absentmindedly. Then Ju-ham raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked back. 

– What did you just say? 

“Ah, it’s nothing.” 

– Nothing? Didn’t you just say Kwon Seo-oh? Does he smell you? 

Nam-woon, caught off guard, quickly changed the subject. 

“Kwon Seo-oh really loves taiyaki.” 

“……”

Ju-ham looked at Nam-woon’s face with a suspicious look. Then he muttered softly, in a voice that Nam-woon couldn’t hear, “It seems to be going as planned….” Nodding to himself alone, he looked at Nam-woon and added

– In the original story, didn’t Nam-woon buy the Alpha perfume in the later part? Hyung, you should try it too. 

Ju-ham, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly seemed to have something on his mind. He continued slowly, “Huh? But…”

– Speaking of the perfume shop, I just remembered I tried to revise that part of the story. But there was something strange in that scene.

“What is it?” 

– It was the scene where Nam-woon received a VIP-exclusive perfume from Mr. Park at the perfume shop and sprayed it on. But the description part was a bit off. 

When Nam-woon gave him a puzzled look, Ju-ham made a strange expression as he seemed to realize something slowly and said, 

– It was written as drink perfume instead of sprayed perfume.

“……”

“……”

The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. A short while later, Ju-ham burst out excitedly. 

– I remember it exactly because I tried to edit it several times, but it didn’t get fixed! And shortly after that, Nam-woon Hyung visited the perfume shop and then came up with a plan to change Kwon Seo-oh’s trait.

Nam-woon furiously scribbled on a sticky note, contemplating what he had heard from Ju-ham. The words about drinking perfume and the perfume shop that works under Chairman Seok.

He raised his head to meet Ju-ham’s gaze. Ju-ham, giving him a meaningful look, whispered softly. 

– Could it be there? 

“The Threep Perfume Shop…?” 

The name of the store that he had buried in his memory came out of Nam-woon’s mouth.

***

“Haah….”  

His steps were slow. The child’s desperate face kept running through his mind. Bong-nam sighed repeatedly with a worried expression and raised his head. As he walked, lost in thought, he soon found himself in front of his house. 

If I told Mr. Seok that his lover’s younger sibling came to the convenience store today, he’d be very surprised.

Just as Bong-nam grasped the doorknob, he heard Nam-woon’s voice come through the front door because the soundproofing was not good.

“You’re my last hope.” 

A low voice could be heard faintly. It was Mr. Seok’s desperate voice that he had never heard before.

“You are truly the only hope I have left…”

Bong-nam’s face darkened in an instant. Hearing him continuously mutter the word “hope” it felt as though he were speaking to the child in his belly. 

“It seems he’s given the baby a name….”  

Bong-nam weakly released the doorknob. Then he turned his steps towards the alley stairs. He couldn’t be in front of Nam-woon because his heart ached as he secretly eavesdropped on his desperate conversation with the baby.

“So, you named him Hope.” 

The name “Hope” must have been given by Nam-woon, who was left alone without the baby’s father, as a way to overcome his difficult reality. Hope…. Bong-nam, who had been mulling over the name, made up his mind with a firm expression.

I’ll have to meet that person myself first.

Being an omega himself, Bong-nam understood well the circumstances surrounding what had happened to Mr. Seok. Since he had taken a pregnancy test, it was highly likely that the two had gone through their heat cycles together. They might have even gone as far as knotting.

Typically, trait users would reach an agreement before knotting. This was because knotting significantly increases the chances of pregnancy as it comes with a responsibility. Except in cases where the alpha intentionally hides the intention to knotting or loses self-control due to extreme excitement. 

That’s why the excitement of an alpha who couldn’t control their knotting was no different from violence to an omega.

Bong-nam recalled Mr. Seok’s pale face right after checking the pregnancy test results. He remembered how he had sobbed and lowered his head. Judging from his reaction, it seemed like he had never agreed to knotting with the alpha in question.

In a situation where he couldn’t even trust the baby’s father, Mr. Seok had nowhere else to rely on. 

“I just need to find out if he’s trash or not.” 

It was intrusive, but for Nam-woon and Hope’s future, this was the best course of action. 

With a deeply troubled expression, Bong-nam turned his steps back toward the house. As he opened the door and entered, he saw Nam-woon sitting in front of the desk, writing something. Nam-woon ran out barefoot after seeing Bong-nam entering the shoe cabinet.

“You’re here?” 

Bong-nam stared blankly at Nam-woon’s face in front of him. Nam-woon, feeling a bit awkward, rubbed his cheek and asked, 

“What’s wrong?”  

“…Nothing.”  

Bong-nam answered shortly and stepped into the room. Meanwhile, Nam-woon went to the kitchen, opened the pantry, and pulled out some spam. 

“Should I grill some spam? There aren’t any side dishes.” 

“……”

When he didn’t receive a response, Nam-woon turned his head. He saw Bong-nam holding a sticky note. It was the note where he had written the contents of his meeting with Ju-ham. Nam-woon quickly approached and snatched the sticky note from Bong-nam’s hand. 

“Ah, this is….”  

It was understandable for Bong-nam to be flustered when something he was holding was suddenly taken away, but instead, he silently looked at Nam-woon with a strange expression. Then he quietly turned around and headed toward the bathroom. Watching Bong-nam’s drooping figure, Nam-woon tilted his head. 

He doesn’t look well…. Did something happen at work?

He had something to talk about today, but he wondered if the timing would be right. With a worried expression, Nam-woon glanced at the bathroom door before returning to the kitchen. For now, his priority was preparing dinner.

“Let’s eat”

Nam-woon lifted a spoonful of rice and observed Bong-nam’s expression. He still looked lethargic. However, he couldn’t delay the conversation any longer. After looking around, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Bong-nam.”

“Yes?”

“You see…”

As he hesitated, Bong-nam looked up. His sparkling eyes were fixed on Nam-woon. Nam-woon spoke in a calm tone.

“Thank you for letting me stay here all this time. I think I’m ready to leave now.”

“…Ah.”

For some reason, Bong-nam had a blank expression. Nam-woon smiled at him.

“Thanks to you, I’ve had delicious meals and a comfortable time. Thank you so much.”

“…Where are you going?”

“First, I’ll contact the office and then find out where to go. Oh, Bong-nam, give me your bank account details. I’ll send you the rent money once I get to the office.”

Nam-woon’s plan was very simple. He would drop by the office to borrow living expenses from the staff, get Mr. Park’s contact information, and then leave Bong-nam’s house.

If he received the trait drug from Mr. Park and handed it over to Detective Jang, the investigation would begin immediately. However, if Chairman Seok discovered his involvement in this matter, there was a risk of retaliation. Staying here any longer could also put Bong-nam in danger.