VDN Ch 179

Nam-woon covered his perfectly shaped lips with his palm. He had to be careful at all times because his mouth was like a time bomb that would spew out foul language anytime and anywhere. Especially where Se-han was.

Suddenly, something soft touched his knuckles. When he opened his eyes wide in surprise, Hae-geon’s eyes folded strangely. The tip of his sharp tongue was gently rubbing the knuckles on his hand as if tracing them.

“Crazy…!”

Nam-woon barely managed to hold back his swear words. Before he knew it, Se-han’s round eyes were staring at him. Fearing that the boy would notice this situation, Nam-woon hurriedly took his hands off Hae-geon and wiped his saliva-stained knuckles on his pants. Then he repeatedly pressed the close button as if nothing had happened. He was anxious because he didn’t know what kind of impulsive behavior Jin Hae-geon would do next.

A long finger pressed the downstairs button. The door opened again with a rattling noise. Hae-geon took a step out of the elevator and looked back with a calm expression.

“I have a place to stop by for a moment. Go ahead and go down first.”

“Hey, what are you doing! Hurry up and get in.”

“I’ll be there soon, so wait for me on the first floor.”

Before Nam-woon could say anything else, the elevator door closed, and Hae-geon vanished from his sight. When Nam-woon lowered his head, he saw Se-han, with his eyebrows raised like an angry bird, pressing the close button with all his might.

After getting off on the first floor with the others, he stood in the corner and quietly checked outside. However, there wasn’t a single person in the hallway.

“There’s no one here?”

At Kwon Sang-moon’s words, Nam-woon tilted his head. He had expected at least a few guards to be around to keep watch… In any case, it was a stroke of luck for them.

But he couldn’t fully relax, so he cautiously peeked outside just as Hae-geon appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“Oh, you made it?”

Nam-woon, who had been approaching him with a light greeting, stopped. The dark red marks on Hae-geon’s shirt had grown even more than before. How could he come back like this with a child around? Nam-woon frowned, untied the bag he was carrying, and threw it at Hae-geon’s chest. Glancing back, he was relieved to see that Se-han was too busy explaining to Kwon Sang-moon who the source of the foul smell was to pay attention to this side.

“What’s this?”

“You should wear this.”

He couldn’t show Se-han such a cruel sight. It was obvious what he had been doing up there. He probably killed the remaining gangsters. Did Jin Hae-geon find out about that gangster he tied up? He gave them a bell for no reason… Nam-woon, feeling sympathy without realizing it, shook his head and walked towards the place where the men were gathered but stopped. It wasn’t intentional.

“Stay by my side.”

“What are you saying? The adults are tired, so I need to take Se-han with me.”

“I’m not saying it twice.”

Hae-geon, holding onto Nam-woon, gave an abrupt command to the group.

“Go out and head straight. The car will come.”

Nam-woon looked down at the pale hand wrapped around his wrist. It was firmly holding on to him, showing no signs of letting go. This bastard is acting up again. After grumbling internally, he reluctantly shouted,

“I’ll follow from behind. You go first.”

At those words, Se-han turned around with his lips poked out in a pout. Nam-woon smiled at him reassuringly to indicate everything was fine.

***

They left the building and walked along the dark road for a while. It was a road without a single light.

Upon closer inspection, the only buildings around were where Nam-woon had been locked up and an old villa a little ways away. They must have intentionally chosen this desolate area to imprison people. They had painfully extracted pheromones from people for a very long time…. As he was gritting his teeth, recalling Chairman Seok’s evil deeds, Hae-geon suddenly spoke up.

“Nam-woon, were you going to give him your hole to escape?”

“What?”

“Were you trying to fuck that bastard to get out?”

“Ugh…”

It was a question not worth answering. Nam-woon closed his eyes with a tired expression. Then, looking straight ahead as if to disregard the conversation, he roughly hit his ears. As the silence stretched on, Hae-geon, who was stroking Nam-woon’s head from behind, spoke in a soothing tone.

“If you just waited quietly, it would have sorted itself out, but it’s disgusting to see you covered in another guy’s scent.”

“What does that have to do with you? But how did you know to come here?”

“How could I not come? It’s where you are.”

His voice was far too nonchalant. However, Nam-woon’s expression grew serious.

“Don’t tell me… you were kidnapped by Chairman Seok too?”

“Nam-woon, I almost died. Your dad’s underling was swinging a knife at me, saying he would gut me.”

“……!”

Startled, Nam-woon examined the blood on Hae-geon’s shirt more closely. Naturally, he assumed it was from someone else, but what if it was Hae-geon’s blood?

“Where did you get stabbed?”

In a panic, Nam-woon began to feel around Hae-geon’s body. For a moment, Hae-geon stood still, seemingly enjoying Nam-woon’s reaction, before suddenly grabbing Nam-woon’s wrist and placing it over his chest. It was right where his heart was. Then their overlapping hands moved up and down as if to mimic caressing. Startled, Nam-woon retracted his hand. He felt a small bump rising beneath his fingertips.

Hae-geon lowered his head and whispered softly,

“It hurts here. Touch it.”

“Ugh, gross!”

Nam-woon shouted, shaking his hand off. Hae-geon chuckled as if finding his intense reaction amusing.

I’m such an idiot for worrying. Playing such tricks on people to make their hearts jump! Nam-woon, glared at him and quickened his pace again. But Hae-geon grabbed Nam-woon’s clothes and pulled him back. With Hae-geon’s leisurely pace, Nam-woon’s steps slowed down.

“Let me go.”

“We should go together.”

Nam-woon shot a fierce look at the group of men who were getting further away. But just like every time, they didn’t blink an eye. Why does it feel like I’m aging every time I’m with him? In the end, he resigned himself and walked in step with Hae-geon.

How long had they been walking? Suddenly, Nam-woon recalled what had happened earlier. He had thought he would be stuck there, helplessly caught by the gangsters. Thanks to Hae-geon, they all managed to escape safely. He should thank him…

Nam-woon hesitated and glanced sideways. He noticed Hae-geon’s expensive shoes were a mess, stained with some unknown marks and dust. After staring at them for a while, he cleared his throat and spoke.

“Hey… thanks. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have gotten out of there. Sehan and even the old men wouldn’t have been saved either.”

Saying something he usually wouldn’t made his ears itch. Just as he was biting his lip in awkwardness, a cold chill brushed against the area below his ear.

“……!”

Startled, he jerked his head back, but he couldn’t escape Hae-geon’s persistence. A long hand stealthily swept past his delicate ear.

“It’s fucking hot. Are you embarrassed?”

“Ah, stop it.”

Nam-woon shook his head vigorously and pulled away from the hand that was clinging to him. A low chuckle pierced his eardrums.

“Well, it makes sense for there to be an obstacle or two between us.”

Nam-woon frowned slightly at the odd remark

“’Between us,’ my ass. There’s nothing between us.”

“Didn’t we have a mutual understanding? About the marriage.”

Nam-woon wrinkled his face and looked up at Hae-geon.

“What are you talking about? That discussion ended a long time ago. I refused from the start. Marriage should be between people who truly love each other.”

“……”

Hae-geon didn’t say anything in response. The faint liveliness that had been on his face had vanished without a trace. However, Nam-woon, not thinking much of it, blurted out thoughtlessly.

“I’d rather live alone forever than marry you.”

Hae-geon’s deeply sunken eyes gazed steadily at Nam-woon. The eyes, which usually sparkled too much, now held a gloomy aura for the first time.

“What’s the difference?”

“What?”

“What’s the difference between that bastard and me?”

Nam-woon blinked, not understanding the intent behind the words. Meanwhile, Hae-geon continued with his sharp cutting remarks.

“I’m better in every way than that bastard who lives in a doghouse without a penny in his pocket. Nam-woon, have you really lost your mind?”

“How can you say something like that?”

Doghouse?! Nam-woon’s expression hardened at the insulting words directed at Seo-oh. Hae-geon, seemingly even more offended by Nam-woon’s response, suddenly closed the distance and grabbed Nam-woon’s cheek. A chilling sensation spread through the inside of his cheek.

“Nam-woon, you like money. I can provide that for you.”

“Ha…”

Hae-geon still didn’t understand him. He was no longer the previous Seok Nam-woon. Even if he offered money, it would only feel like receiving charity from a rich person, and he felt no gratitude at all. In reality, Hae-geon probably thought of it as nothing more than charity as well.

Nam-woon firmly grabbed the hand touching his cheek and swatted it away. “Do you think I’m a real beggar?” he muttered under his breath as he walked past. But then Hae-geon grabbed his wrist again.

“If you want, I’ll consider inheriting the company.”

Nam-woon, who had been walking forward, suddenly halted.

“If that’s what you want, I’m even willing to hand the company down to you.”

Is he serious? Nam-woon wiped his face with a complicated expression.

In the original story, Hae-geon never inherited the Mooyoung Group. He had no desire for power or honor, so he lived a boring life as a third-generation chaebol. But now, he suddenly wanted to inherit the group.

Nam-woon was taken aback and flustered by Hae-geon’s unexpected words, but he didn’t show it as he turned to look at him. The face he saw was more serious than ever before. After a long moment of contemplation, Nam-woon finally managed to speak.

“…No. I don’t need any of that.”

His voice was more resolute and firm than ever.

“I don’t need a house, money, or whatever you’re offering.”

He could feel a strong grip on his wrist, but Nam-woon, without so much as a frown, fixed his brown eyes on Hae-geon and stated clearly.

“All I need is him.”

Hae-geon’s expressionless face crumbled, and an empty laugh escaped from his tightly clenched teeth. But he didn’t look happy at all. Nam-woon waited for Hae-geon’s laughter to fade. Nam-woon added, 

“…I do feel sorry for you, Jin Hae-geon.”

He meant it. Although he hadn’t fulfilled his role as a villain in the slightest, to Jin Hae-geon, he was certainly an unwelcome presence. In the original story, and even now, he had always been a thorn in his side. He hadn’t just stolen Kwon Seo-oh, who was meant to be with Hae-geon; he had also diverted Hae-geon’s own interest and curiosity in the wrong direction.

The only thing that had caught his interest in a life filled with boredom had been taken away.

Nam-woon lowered his head deeply, overwhelmed with countless thoughts. He couldn’t bear to look Hae-geon in the eye. The words he hadn’t been able to fully express swirled in his throat.

“I’m sorry, I…”

At that moment, Hae-geon interrupted him with a curse.

 “Fuck, Nam-woon. Did I confess my love to you or something?”

“……”

“Why do you keep apologizing? It just makes the listener feel like absolute shit.”

I slowly lifted my head. Jin Hae-geon stood with his hands jammed in his pockets, tilting his head askew.