VDN Ch 172

Nam-woon desperately struggled to get away from Yong-deuk, clawing at his arm that was holding him back and kicking him fiercely. However, he could not overcome the strength of the man who had been doing the dirty work of catching people all his life. The soles of Nam-woon’s shoes scraped violently on the dirt floor covered with fallen leaves. Yong-deuk’s breathing also gradually became faster as the adult men continued to struggle without stopping.

“Hah, hah.”

“Mmph…”

The two fought back and forth. Nam-woon’s forehead became red with blood vessels because he had exerted so much force. He thought of the tree behind him and pounded Yong-deuk’s back against it. However, no matter how hard he tried, his rock-like body wouldn’t budge.

To make matters worse, the veins in his eyes turned red because he had held his breath for so long, and tears fell down. He felt the moist liquid touching his mouth and Yong-deuk’s low voice came to his ear.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

It was impossible to hold his breath any longer. Nam-woon gasped for air like a fish speared on a harpoon. As soon as he inhaled, a sharp chemical smell flooded his nostrils. The intense scent filled his nose, and his tense body began to relax almost immediately.

This can’t be happening… Seo-oh and Se-han are waiting for me.

Nam-woon muttered to himself, slowly blinking his heavy eyelids. His physiological tears blurred his vision, making it hard to see Yong-deuk’s face clearly. He forced his lips open, which felt like they were glued shut.

“Fuck…”

“……”

“You’ll be bald for the rest of your life… you asshole….”

Yong-deuk paused at those words. Nam-woon lost consciousness after hearing a faint voice coming from above his head.

***

Blink. Blink.

The bright light on the ceiling stung at his eyes painfully. A soft blanket brushed against his skin. Furrowing his brows, Nam-woon raised his upper body. The sight of a room without windows or furniture came into view.

Where am I? He pressed his forehead against his hand, feeling a throbbing headache and took a deep breath.

Fuck, that bastard Yong-deuk… to think he worked with Chairman Seok to deceive me.

He never imagined he would be caught off guard like this. Grinding his teeth at the overwhelming feeling of betrayal, he raised his gaze. He didn’t know where he was, but it was clear that Chairman Seok had imprisoned him here. He couldn’t let himself play along in his plans.

He had to escape before something worse happened. Feeling a sharp pain in his ankle, Nam-woon slowly got up and grasped the doorknob in the room.

Click.

“……”

The door opened surprisingly easily. Nam-woon quietly pulled it open, peeking through the crack to observe his surroundings. As he was cautiously scanning for any signs of movement, his eyes met those of a man crossing the living room. 

“Ah, young man, you’re awake!” 

“……”

The man appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man, someone you might see on the street. Not noticing Nam-woon’s wariness, he stepped inside and casually offered a glass of water. When Nam-woon took a step back with a stiff expression, the man looked concerned and lowered his hand.

“I was worried because you’ve been sleeping since you got here. I’m glad you’re awake.”

“…Where is this place?”

“If we knew that, would we be trapped here like this?” 

The man smiled weakly. “We,” and “trapped”—if that was true, then it seemed there were others imprisoned here besides just him and the man. Nam-woon observed him closely. The man had a gaunt frame and a sunken face, similar to Kwon Sang-moon’s appearance from before.

“How many people are trapped here? Have you found a way out?” 

He asked, his tone stiff as he headed toward the door. Just as Nam-woon seemed ready to dash for the entrance, the man grabbed Nam-woon’s clothing with a troubled expression.

“There are three more people besides me… We are all betas. We’ve been trapped here for about half a year. You must have angered that man, Seok Jin-cheol, too, right? Everyone here was brought because of him.”

The name Seok Jin-cheol made Nam-woon’s teeth clench involuntarily. How many people did he have to torment to feel satisfied?

The man continued speaking. 

“There’s no way out. As you can see, the keyhole for the door connecting to the outside is facing inward. I have no idea where the key is. Even if we find it, escaping would be impossible. There are people guarding the door, and we’re injected with pheromones once a week, so we don’t have the strength to escape… it’s not easy to get out.”

When he spoke about the pheromone injections, the man trembled as if just imagining it was terrifying. Rubbing the area near his ears, his pale complexion revealed his anxiety. Lowering his hands, aware of Nam-woon’s gaze, he then parted his lips again.”

“Oh, and please don’t think about jumping out. The floor is quite high, and if you try to go out through the living room window, you’ll be in serious trouble. It won’t even open… Ah, I’ve said too much to someone who just woke up. I’m sorry. You must be confused, so just forget what I said.”

Putting together the man’s words, it seemed that those trapped here had either worked for Chairman Seok or owed him debts. Most of them had no family or relatives to search for them.

It seemed they were specifically targeting such people—those who could disappear suddenly without raising suspicion and whose families wouldn’t come looking for them.

Nam-woon looked around. The windows in the living room were covered, perhaps to hide their location. Because of that, he couldn’t gauge the time. Without his phone or watch, he couldn’t check the time, but it felt like the dead of night.

Lost in thought, Nam-woon’s gaze grew dim. The man beside him, who had been watching cautiously, peeked out the door and shouted.

“Everyone, come here! Mr. Sang-moon! That young man is awake!”

Sang-moon? With that familiar name, Nam-woon’s eyes widened as he saw three people enter the room, particularly a small-statured man among them, which startled him. The man who looked sheepish at Nam-woon’s reaction opened his mouth.

“Did, did you wake up, young sir?”

“…Uncle?” 

Kwon Sang-moon, Seo-oh’s father! Just as he was surprised by Kwon Sang-moon’s sudden appearance, he heard noises that sounded like someone was running towards him. 

Thud, thud, thud.

The sound of the small, quick footsteps got closer and closer. Soon, something round rushed into Nam-woon’s arms. Nam-woon looked down at the back of the pitch-black head in his arms and opened his mouth wide.

“Wooni Hyung!”

Short, chubby arms wrapped tightly around Nam-woon’s neck. Nam-woon was shocked as he hugged Se-han’s back, a familiar habit.

“Se-han, why are you here?!”

Kwon Sang-moon quietly held onto his son’s body and spoke softly.

“Se-Se-han arrived about thirty minutes before you did, sir.”

“Who brought him?”

As Nam-woon asked with a stern expression, the child in his arms chirped back.

“Baek Jang-mi Hyung brought me here! He said he’d take me to see you, Wooni Hyung!”

Baek Jang-mi, that bastard, even got to Se-han?

Nam-woon cursed inwardly. Jang-mi was definitely on Chairman Seok’s side. Could it be that Deok-chil was in on it too? Were these bastards out of their minds? As he clenched his fist in frustration, Se-han lifted his tear-streaked face from Nam-woon’s neck.

“Wooni Hyung… I really, really missed you. Huh…”

The child had swollen up like a puffy pastry, as if he had already cried once before. His eyes, nose, and mouth were all puffy, and as soon as he faced Nam-woon, tears began to well up again. Nam-woon comforted Se-han.

“Why are you crying? I’m here now, are you going to show me your crying face? You should be smiling.”

“I really, really missed you, Wooni Hyung. Huh… my heart hurt a lot, hick… it hurt so much. Huh, huh…”

“……”

At Se-han’s words, the playful smile that had lingered on Nam-woon’s lips slowly faded away. Where had he learned to say that his heart hurt so much? He felt guilty for letting such words come out of a child’s mouth.

Nam-woon hugged the small, warm body tightly and murmured,

“I always make Se-han cry… I’m sorry. I won’t leave the house anymore.”

“Really? You won’t really leave, again?”

Glancing sideways at Kwon Sang-moon, Nam-woon nodded. Sang-moon was busy trying to pry Se-han off of Nam-woon, who was clinging to him like a koala.

“Se-han, why are you acting like this too, just like Seo-oh…?”

Se-han placed both his palms on Nam-woon’s cheeks, whether he knew or not that Sang-moon was exchanging uncomfortable glances over them.

“From now on, if you’re going anywhere, you must tell me, okay? It’s dangerous outside. And don’t lie about going on a business trip.”

“Uh… okay. I’ll really tell you.”

“Promise.”

A very short pinky finger was extended forward. Nam-woon hooked his pinky finger around the small hand. Successfully securing the promise, Se-han patted Nam-woon’s neck with his small, chubby hand and spoke affectionately.

“Was it hard for you when you ran away from home? Now you can sleep well and eat well. I’ll help you.”

“Okay. Se-han, help me.”

“Yes, I’ll take good care of you.”

Nam-woon responded seriously to the child who was faithfully carrying out the words written in the letter. Se-han sniffled but smiled and stepped back, relieved. The child plopped down on his father’s lap and spoke before the adults could open their mouths.

“Dad, haah… is your treatment finished now? Can you move and walk properly?”

“Yes. Dad is all better now. I’m discharged from the hospital and can even talk to Se-han like this.”

“Then let’s go home.”

“……”

“Let’s go home and eat with Hyung and Wooni.”

Everyone in the room fell silent at the child’s words. When no one answered, the child looked up at his father’s face. Cold sweat formed on Kwon Sang-moon’s temples. When his father remained silent, the child turned to Nam-woon.

Feeling Se-han’s questioning gaze, Nam-woon swallowed hard. From the conversation between Kwon Sang-moon and Se-han, he vaguely understood the situation. It seemed that Kwon Sang-moon had lied to Se-han about being hospitalized…

As the silence grew longer, Se-han’s eyebrows began to rise in confusion. After a moment of hesitation, Nam-woon quickly spoke.

“Se-han, we’re not going home for a while.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re on a vacation.”