VDN Ch 19

He was dressed sharply in a shirt and slacks, a change from his usual attire, with his bangs swept halfway back. He looked so effortlessly stylish that, if not for the tray he was holding, one could easily mistake him for a young CEO from a prestigious company.

It was as if his good looks had been given wings.

“…….”

“…….”

The two of them looked at each other’s faces for a moment without saying a word. Even though Nam-woon knew Seo-oh was there, he found it hard to look away, perhaps because Seo-oh looked different from his usual self. Soon, Nam-woon gathered his wits and spoke first.

“Hello.”

Seo-oh just stared at Nam-woon’s face without responding. Feeling awkward under that intense gaze, Nam-woon fiddled with his bangs. Seo’s eyes followed Nam-woon’s fingers to his hair.

Why is he looking at me like that? Is it really that strange?

Today, Nam-woon had dressed in a suit prepared by Yongdeuk and even had his hair done at a salon recommended by Deokchil’s friend. Even in the mirror, he felt a bit awkward and out of place, and it seemed Seo-oh thought so too. With Seo’s gaze fixed on him, Nam-woon found it difficult to start a conversation. Then, remembering he had something to give to Seo, Nam-woon approached him and started speaking awkwardly.

“Do you work here?”

“…….”

“How much was the bill at the pork belly restaurant last time?”

As Nam-woon searched his jacket, Seo-oh suddenly asked,

“Never mind that, do you like baseball?”

Taken aback by the unexpected question, Nam-woon looked up.

“Yeah, I like it.”

“Have you had jajangmyeon(black bean noodles) recently?”

By now, Nam-woon had a hunch why Seo-oh was asking these questions.

I’ve played baseball and had jajangmyeon with Sehan recently.

It was a sudden interrogation. Nam-woon brazenly replied,

“I haven’t had jajangmyeon in a year. And I don’t really like it. When I go to a Chinese restaurant, I always order jjamppong(spicy seaweed soup). I’ve never been drawn to jajangmyeon, and the reason for that is…”

Nam-woon stopped mid-sentence, worried his long-winded explanation might give him away.

“I told you not to mess with Sehan…”

Just as Seo-oh was about to speak, Nam-woon quickly tried to change the subject.

“Ah, I’m thirsty! Give me a drink of that.”

Nam-woon pointed to the tray Seo-oh was holding, but Seo-oh flatly refused after a moment’s thought.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I said I won’t give it to you.”

Then Seo-oh turned and walked away from Nam-woon.

‘Why won’t he give it to me?’

Feeling awkward, Nam-woon scratched his head and was about to look at the perfumes again when someone approached from behind and casually draped an arm over his shoulder.

“Mr. Nam-woon.”

“Uh, you startled me!”

Startled by the sudden approach, Nam-woon turned his head to see the man, revealing a bright smile.

“Mr. Nam-woon, it’s been so long! Wow, you look even more handsome today!”

The man tried to touch Nam-woon’s hair, but Nam-woon frowned and stepped back quickly. The man’s hand, failing to touch the hair, naturally went into his pocket.

“You haven’t forgotten my face already, have you?”

“I have.”

Nam-woon’s blunt response made the man laugh heartily and wrap his arm around Nam-woon’s shoulder again.

“Our Mr. Nam-woon’s jokes are so cute. Are you whining because you missed me?”

Nam-woon’s face turned to stone. Now he understood why Yong-deuk had mentioned Mr. Moon and told him to ‘just bear with it.’ The man was using a provocative tone.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you remember who I am, really?”

“Mr. Moon…”

Nam-woon barely managed to reply, his voice devoid of energy.

“Oh wow, you finally remembered me. Very good.”

Mr. Moon gave a thumbs up. Nam-woon felt an urge to break that finger. But just then, a large shadow fell over him, and a glass was suddenly thrust forward.

“…?”

Turning his head, Nam-woon saw Kwon Seo-oh with an expressionless face, offering a red glass.

It’s a different color from the others.

Nam-woon asked,

“Is this also alcohol?”

“You can’t have alcohol. Drink this.”

Seo-oh firmly handed the glass to Nam-woon and added,

“Just drink this and go home quietly today.”

Then he walked away with his long strides. Taking a sip from the glass, Nam-woon tasted cherry. Oh, it wasn’t alcohol but cherry juice. As Nam-woon watched where Seo-oh had gone, Mr. Moon suddenly asked from the side,

“Who is that guy? You know him, right?”

Nam-woon paused before replying,

“He’s a friend I know.”

“A friend you know? Aha!”

Mr. Moon snapped his fingers.

“Is that the Kwon Seo-oh you mentioned?”

Nam-woon’s eyes widened as he looked at Mr. Moon. How did he guess it was Kwon Seo-oh just from saying ‘a friend I know’?

“Ha-ha, why so surprised? That’s Kwon Seo, right?”

“How do you know?”

“How do I know? You’ve mentioned it hundreds of times. I thought my ears would bleed. Of course,”

Mr. Moon took a step closer, and Nam-woon stepped back.

“My heart was bleeding too. Out of jealousy.”

“…….”

At this point, Nam-woon just didn’t want to talk anymore. He couldn’t stay here any longer. He turned his head as if he had found something very interesting and raised his voice.

“Oh! There! Mr. Moon, just a moment, please. I’ll be right back.”

“Mr. Nam-woon? Where are you going?”

Ignoring Mr. Moon’s shouts from behind, Nam-woon hurried through the spacious store. After a while, he sighed with relief, feeling he had put some distance between himself and Mr. Moon.

Should I go get more drinks? Where is Kwon Seo-oh? While Nam-woon was looking around, someone crashed into him.

“Ouch!”

At the same time, something splashed onto Nam-woon’s body. The liquid, not much in quantity but smelling faintly of fruit, drenched him. The man who had collided with Nam-woon and fallen got up with a distressed face.

“Sir! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Nam-woon looked down at his wet shirt and replied dazedly. The employee bowed several times, shouting loudly,

“I’m so sorry. Really sorry!”

“It’s really okay.”

Nam-woon quickly got up. Anticipating that the employee might kneel and cling to his trouser legs, Nam-woon decided it was better to leave before that happened. He turned and headed for the exit.

However, there was a problem. Near the exit was the perfume corner Nam-woon had been browsing earlier, and Mr. Moon was still guarding it. Nam-woon sighed. No choice then. As Mr. Moon spotted Nam-woon and waved cheerfully, he suddenly stopped moving. Nam-woon approached him and said,

“Mr. Moon, I think I need to leave now.”

But Mr. Moon just stared at Nam-woon with a strange look in his eyes, as if he were out of his mind. Then, suddenly wiping the smile off his face, he said,

“Right? We should probably leave early.”

“Yes. I’ll go ahead then.”

As Nam-woon tried to pass by Mr. Moon, suddenly Mr. Moon grabbed his arm and pulled him into his embrace.

“Why, what are you doing!”

Startled by Mr. Moon’s sudden behavior, Nam-woon tried to pull away, but Mr. Moon pressed his face against Nam-woon’s neck without care. He breathed deeply and murmured,

“Ah… Mr. Nam-woon. Did you finally spray it for me?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden!”

“Stop whining. Mr. Nam-woon, you… wanted to be my Omega.”

“You’re crazy…! Get away from me!”

Mr. Moon began to push against Nam-woon as if he would never let go. Due to Mr. Moon’s considerable size, Nam-woon, with an injured shoulder, found it difficult to shake him off. In the midst of their scuffle, Mr. Moon’s palm struck Nam-woon’s forehead.

“Ugh.”

The pain in his forehead surged, and Nam-woon momentarily stopped moving. In that instant, Mr. Moon wrapped his arms around Nam-woon and rubbed his face against his neck, groaning.

According to Yong-deuk, Mr. Moon was an important business figure, and even the fictional Seok Nam-woon maintained a good relationship with him, so it was best not to cause trouble. But how could he not cause trouble in such a situation? Just as Nam-woon was about to raise his clenched fist, a shadow suddenly fell between them.

“Get lost.”

A low voice came from above, and Mr. Moon’s body, which had not budged despite Nam-woon’s pushing, suddenly fell away. Nam-woon looked up in surprise at the man standing before him.

Kwon Seo-oh was holding a bottle with a blank expression and sweet alcohol poured over Mr. Moon’s head.

Drip, drip, drip.

Kwon Seo-oh emptied a large bottle of alcohol over Mr. Moon’s head and then shook the empty bottle. Then he calmly said,

“You shouldn’t do this here. Sir.”