VDN Ch 18

Chairman Seok greeted the man with a bright smile, as if he had never been angry.

“Hae-gun, you’ve arrived early.”

“Thanks to you.”

The man called Hae-gun returned the smile to Chairman Seok. Then, before the Chairman, he plopped down on the sofa. Crossing his long legs, he looked up at Chairman Seok and said,

“Did you beat someone inside?”

“I showed an unsightly scene.”

Chairman Seok replied with a barely visible smile.

“It’s my fault for raising my only son poorly.”

Hae-gun’s gaze shifted to the bloody stain next to his shoe on the floor. He casually rubbed it with his shoe, a different attitude to his earlier demand to have it cleaned.

“Aren’t you upset to see your only son bleeding like this?”

“If a dog you’re raising doesn’t listen, you have to make sure it learns. If it leaks inside, it’ll leak outside too, won’t it?”

“Hmm.”

Hae-gun made a sound and flicked his foot, prompting Chairman Seok to add with a kind expression,

“Someday you’ll understand, Hae-gun. When you officially take over the company.”

Hae-gun chuckled and said,

“You’re not going to ruin that company before I take over, are you?”

Chairman Seok just looked at Hae-gun without responding. Hae-gun placed the shopping bag he was holding on the table with a thud. The bag bore the logo of a famous dried persimmon brand.

“Why give me something unnecessary and make me come here?”

“You must have been busy coming back to the country. It’s a welcoming gift.”

Chairman Seok smiled as he looked at the bag. Hae-gun widened his eyes innocently and said,

“Isn’t this too old-fashioned? My grandfather doesn’t like this kind of thing.”

“It was a small gesture of courtesy. I didn’t expect you to return it right away.”

Hae-gun laughed heartily and then leaned slightly towards Chairman Seok.

“Chairman, these days, eating such things can cause trouble. You know that, don’t you? Would my grandfather not know?”

Chairman Seok silently picked up the teacup in front of him. His piercing gaze revealed no emotion. After a moment, Chairman Seok put down the teacup and said,

“I didn’t expect him to send you for this job.”

“It’s because he is a very cautious person. There was also that article last time.”

Hae-gun continued,

“The employees can’t be trusted, and he can’t come himself, so someone like me, whose face isn’t known, has to come.”

Hae-gun glanced at the teacup in front of him and remarked,

“The color is pretty.”

“It’s a tea that was hard to come by. If you’re interested, let me know.”

“No.”

Hae-gun smiled smoothly. The corners of his eyes curved mischievously. He stood up from the sofa and looked down at Chairman Seok.

“I told you, eating just anything can cause trouble.”

Then he headed for the door without saying farewell. The door slammed shut, and Chairman Seok stared at the wall expressionlessly. After sitting quietly for a while, Chairman Seok threw the teacup against the wall without changing his expression.

Crash!

The teacup shattered into pieces. A thick vein throbbed on his forehead.

“Impudent brat.”

He glared at the door through which Hae-gun had left with cold eyes.

***

“Gosh, young master, Are you okay?”

“Our young master’s forehead is torn, what should we do!”

Upon arriving at the office, Nam-woon’s subordinates were more agitated than he was. Seeing the usually fierce-looking men with sad faces, Nam-woon felt his troubled heart lighten. When Jang-mi took out a floral handkerchief, he smiled a little, and then the youngest, Deok-chil, made a fuss.

“Are you laughing now! Our young master’s only asset is his looks!”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

“… Of course, it’s a compliment!”

Deok-chil, who answered a beat late, clung to Nam-woon’s shoulder and whined, “Young master.” At first, he didn’t seem to do that, but as days passed, the office’s youngest, Deok-chil, increasingly fawned over Nam-woon. As the chatter dragged on, Yong-deuk, who was next to them, scolded.

“Deok-chil, don’t bother the young master, he’s tired.”

Then he looked at Nam-woon with a worried gaze.

“Will you be okay for tomorrow’s schedule?”

“Tomorrow’s schedule?”

“Isn’t tomorrow the day you go to the perfume shop? You were invited to Mr. Park’s store opening.”

“They said they’ve prepared something nice since the young master is visiting.”

Deok-chil added from beside Yong-deuk. Upon hearing the word ‘perfume,’ Nam-woon suddenly remembered something.

A pheromone perfume shop exclusively for traits. It was a unique shop where trait holders like Alphas and Omegas could purchase specific scents. This was also a store under Chairman Seok, and during the opening visit, Seok Nam-woon caused a minor incident. He accidentally discovered Kwon Seo-oh working there and sprayed alcohol on his face. Seok Nam-woon, along with his companion, ridiculed Kwon Seo-oh and shamed him in front of others. However, Kwon Seo-oh tended to tolerate actions against him as long as his family wasn’t involved, so Seok Nam-woon left the store without any repercussions, a minor chapter.

Should I not go…?

[…Loading…]

Ah, damn.

[Welcome, Seok Nam-woon!]

[You must have been very lonely, right?]

The system that had been spouting nonsense immediately showed its true colors.

[Don’t whine just because you’re lonely!]

[It’s time to get back to your main job! The enemy of modern people is laziness! Be diligent in your main job!]

[I’ll give you a raffle ticket as a reward!]

Although reluctant, there was no avoiding the thing floating in the air.

“I’ve had it booked for a while. Let’s just go.”

“It must be hard…”

Yong-deuk looked at Nam-woon’s forehead in concern. Nam-woon abruptly stood up and roughly tousled his hair. With his hair all disheveled, Nam-woon grinned.

“This way, it won’t be seen, right?”

***

[Threep]

The flashy sign of the shop came into view. Arriving in front of the store and parking the car, Yong-deuk said,

“Young master, today Mr. Moon, the executive director of Dae-moon Group is coming. He’s scheduled to come at the same time as you. As you know, we can’t ignore Dae-moon Group in business, so please bear with it even if it’s hard.”

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

It seems Mr. Moon, the executive director of Dae-moon Group, is today’s companion.

Nam-woon responded as firmly as he could.

“Oh my, Manager Seok. Have you arrived!”

As Nam-woon entered the store, a slender man with slightly long hair greeted him warmly. The interior of the store was as dark as a bar. Slow jazz music played inside, and the black interior combined with low lighting gave off a luxurious feel. Servers in neat suits were distributing drinks to customers.

“Manager Seok, you look even more stylish than usual today! From head to toe, you’re so perfect that you fit our shop so well!”

Mr. Park blushed with admiration. He had encountered Manager Seok Nam-woon before, but at that time, he had experienced such a terrible personality that he hardly noticed his appearance. But today, instead of the usual temperamental face, he seemed indifferent. Even his hair looked calm and natural, as if he had just had it done.

“That’s too kind of you. Congratulations on the opening.”

Manager Seok, slightly embarrassed by Mr. Park’s praise, returned the congratulatory greeting with a smile. Surprisingly, he looked quite handsome. Mr. Park’s heart thumped foolishly. Mr. Park dropped his business smile and led Nam-woon inside with a genuine smile filled with sincerity. He explained in a cutesy voice,

“Our Threep shop is exclusively for trait bearers, but in fact, it was created with the intention that anyone can choose the scent they want, regardless of their trait. Alphas, omegas, anyone can spray or own their preferred scent.”

Mr. Park paused briefly and quickly added, glancing at Nam-woon,

“Betas are no exception.”

Nam-woon had been tuning out the talk of Alpha-Omega traits until the mention of Betas brought back his wandering soul. Mr. Park continued,

“Of course, it’s mostly used to slightly modify the scent to match one’s trait. And as you know, Manager, trait transformation is strictly prohibited, so even if you spray a lot, it obviously won’t change your trait, but it’s enough to enjoy for a while.”

Mr. Park whispered in Nam-woon’s ear,

“In fact, some more effective ones can even deceive others into thinking you have a different trait. I’ve prepared something for Manager Seok, would you like to try it later?”

As Mr. Park approached, the sweet scent he had sprayed on himself gave Nam-woon a headache. Then, Mr. Park’s phone rang. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said as he answered the call, then apologized to Nam-woon with a sorry expression.

“I’m sorry, but I might have to step away for a moment. I was going to guide Manager Seok around myself.

“It’s okay.”

“If you have any questions, you can find the manager inside, or you can ask any of the staff around.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Nam-woon actually felt relieved that Mr. Park had to leave. Having someone follow him around was burdensome. However, Mr. Park, who seemed to have urgent business, hesitated for a while before reluctantly moving away from Nam-woon’s side.

“How interesting…”

It was his first time in a perfume shop. Distracted by the colorful perfumes, he was looking around when he suddenly felt a burning sensation on the back of his head. Nam-woon turned around.

It was Kwon Seo-oh