VDN Ch 3

He wanted to bolt out of this place as soon as possible, fearing what might happen to him, but he couldn’t move a muscle. In a state of panic, Nam-woon barely managed to mutter,

“Kwon… right now…”

“Young Master, are you okay?”

Struggling to catch his breath, Nam-woon shouted.

“Get Kwon Seo-oh out of here right now!”

In response to Nam-woon’s shout, his subordinates hurriedly dragged Kwon Seo-oh to the door. But Kwon Seo-oh remained unfazed.

“Finish what you were saying earlier.”

“Ugh….”

“Why are you so scared to tell the Chairman?”

You’re scarier.

“Tell me everything you know about my father’s disappearance.”

“I, I don’t know anything.”

“You said you’d help. Don’t act like you’re innocent.”

“It’s not like that. Just don’t, don’t come closer!”

Seo-oh strode towards Nam-woon. From behind, a young voice could be vaguely heard muttering, “H-Hyung, please stop…”

He has to get out of this situation as soon as possible. That was all Nam-woon could think about.

[Be true to the role.]

The words were clearly written in front of him. However, his behavior was suspicious enough for Kwon Seo-oh not to trust him and prevent him from leaving. There was no other choice. Nam-woon lowered his head and took back what he had said.

“Oh, what I said just then… It was just a joke.”

He could feel the cold gaze falling on his head without even looking.

“After everything I’ve done to you, you don’t believe that?”

Nam-woon whispered quietly, but his voice was loud enough for Kwon Seo-oh to hear. It also seemed like Seo-oh’s angry breath could be heard.

And then it happened.

[Clear! Passed the appropriate line!]

[Well done!]

[Support has been released.]

With a loud sound effect, the blue window flashed. Immediately, Nam-woon’s abnormal state was relieved. Breathing a sigh of relief, he lifted his head only to find Kwon Seo-oh staring down at him with a chilling gaze.

“Someday, I’ll take everything you have. There will be nothing for you—no successor position, no center, no family… there will be nothing left for you.”

Kwon Seo-oh turned around and said, “Se-han, let’s go,” and walked ahead. However, Se-han didn’t move. Nam-woon noticed the presence of a small bag dangling from his shoulder. The bag was covered in gray dust. After quickly dusting it off, Nam-woon placed it on the sofa and stepped back. Se-han ran over, hugged the bag tightly, and chased after his brother like a little duckling.

When he reached the door, Se-han suddenly turned his head. The round, black pupils in his angelic face stared at Nam-woon.

“……?”

Why is he looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong again? Nam-woon looked at Se-han with anxious eyes. Se-han, clutching the white puppy doll Nam-woon had fixed earlier, seemed like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Then a firm voice broke the silence.

“Se-han, what are you doing? Come here quickly.”

“…Yes.”

However, despite the response, Se-han’s round eyes continued to gaze at Nam-woon. Seo-oh grabbed the child’s hand and slammed the iron door shut as they left. The old door rattled weakly from the force.

“Haah….”

As soon as Seo-oh left, Nam-woon let out a sigh. Since receiving support, he felt as weak as a newborn calf and couldn’t stand properly. It was clearly a penalty disguised as support. His strained eyes looked around the room, but the system remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

“Young Master! Are you okay?”

“Kwon Seo-oh, that crazy bastard! Should I just cut him since he’s getting too cocky with all the help he gets from us?”

“Cut… no. Forget it.”

“He’s clearly disrespecting our center! Don’t you know how much our young master suffered to raise our center with his outstanding leadership?”

They must have been raised accordingly. Jang-mi raised his voice and swung his axe in a threatening manner, while Yong-deuk supported Nam-woon. But Yong-deuk’s forehead was covered in sweat. Nam-woon asked.

“Yong-deuk, Are you okay? Your expression doesn’t look good.”

“Brother Yong-deuk! Are you okay? Did that bastard spray Alpha pheromones?”

Nam-woon’s eyes widened at Jang-mi’s words, and he asked.

“… Were you an Omega, Yong-deuk?”

“Young master-nim, Brother Yong-deuk is an Alpha. How could someone with his appearance be an Omega? It would be like a nightmare. How terrifying…”

As another subordinate spoke in horror, Yong-deuk gave him a look that seemed to tell him to be quiet.

“I’m fine. It seems like you’re not feeling well, young master. Please sit down and rest here for a moment.”

Nam-woon sprawled out on the sofa as if collapsing. Somehow, he felt like he was being pushed around by his subordinates and superiors.

Then, a flash of light appeared before his eyes.

[The “Prison Without Shackles” that you have entered is the same place and setting where you, Seok Nam-woon, originally lived.]

The damned system reappeared.

[Seok Nam-woon’s appearance and abilities as a villain Seok Nam-woon are the same. Therefore, rest assured there should be no problem adapting.]

“No problem adapting? My ass. As soon as I realized it was a novel, I started having problems with the protagonist.”

But if the setting is the same as where I live, then my precious…

“The store?”

Yong-deuk, who had been listening to Nam-woon’s words from the side, replied.

“The store? What store… Ah, are you talking about “Korean Hotteok”? I’m sorry. You can’t go there anymore.”

[Seok Nam-woon’s Taiyaki store, named “Seok’s Taiyaki” has been changed to a store called “Korean Hotteok.” The owner has also been changed.]

“What does that mean?”

As Nam-woon exclaimed in surprise, Yong-deuk hesitated and said,

“Um, actually… Last time, the manager felt a bit uncomfortable with how flirtatious and friendly you were with the store staff, so he contacted me separately and asked to restrict your access to the store.”

[Your workplace is now ‘Good People Center.’]

[The house you used to live in is also unavailable for residence as there is a new owner named Lee Bongnam.]

“This is ridiculous…”

Nam-woon mumbled like he was dazed. He worked so hard to get that tiny house and tiny store.

Nam-woon got up from his seat and started frantically searching his pockets and the desk. He found a black wallet on the desk and took out his ID card from it.

“Yong-deuk, is this the address to my father’s house?”

“Yes? Yes.”

As the antagonist, Seok Nam-woon was kicked out of his house a year after taking over the detective agency. It was because of Chairman Seok’s order, telling him to take care of his own affairs since he was now an employed adult. With not enough money to buy a house, Seok Nam-woon took full advantage of his promiscuous nature and moved from one lover’s house to another, living off of other people.

Nam-woon looked at Yong-deuk.

“Do I have a lover now?”

“I heard you were kicked out and dumped recently. Isn’t that why you actively approached that employee?”

Yong-deuk replied with a puzzled expression to Nam-woon’s question. Oh my gosh, as soon as he was possessed, he won in life as a homeless person.

Whether the system knew Nam-woon’s thoughts or not, it continued speaking.

[There is support available for you, Seok Nam-woon. Please work hard!]

[Some things about the support feels good!]

“Feels good? …How do I get that?”

[Hmm…depends on the judgment of the system?]

The system gave an unbelievably vague answer about the system itself.

Then, Yong-deuk, who heard Nam-woon’s words beside him, interrupted in surprise.

“Uh, young master. You shouldn’t hope for and act on such things. Living only for pleasure will lead to regret eventually.”

Only then did Nam-woon, who finally listened to Yong-deuk’s words and waved his hand.

“What? I’ve never lived my life wanting that kind of thing.”

“You don’t have to deny it. I heard from the Korean Hotteok employee about what you said last time… Uh, never mind.”

What the hell was Seok Nam-woon doing walking around? His image is crashing down.

While Yong-deuk and Jang-mi were briefly away, Nam-woon quickly blurted out.

“What are the criteria for getting support?”

[It depends on the case.]

[In other words, it means it depends on the situation.]

There was no answer. Nam-woon felt despair.

Whether it’s a penalty or a reward,.

“I never wished for this kind of world.”

Then, the light from the system blinked ominously.

[… There might have been a time when you wished for this.]

After a while, Yong-deuk returned and noticed Nam-woon with his head down. He asked cautiously,

“Young master, the Chairman asked about the monthly payment for this month. He called this morning.”

“Payment?”

Yong-deuk added with an uneasy expression,

“So, I told him I would inform you when you arrived… Should we raise the interest rate as you mentioned last time?”

“What are you talking about?”

The words from Yong-deuk were absurd. Even for a simple antagonist in a novel, it showed that even a simple villain in a novel had his own circumstances.

When Chairman Seok handed over a crime investigation office that was almost abandoned to the now-adult Seok Nam-woon, he later found out that Seok Nam-woon was running his own loan sharking business. He didn’t prohibit it but instead demanded a portion of the profits. The pretext was that it was compensation for giving him the center and a promise to let him continue his loan shark business. Nam-woon, who would tremble at the mention of Chairman Seok, paid the money without a word, and as a result, the interest he charged his debtors gradually increased.

What a mess, both father and son!

Nam-woon clutched his head in frustration. It hadn’t been long since he had paid off all his debts in the real world. And now he was extorting money out of innocent people. This was the worst.

“Where is Chairman Seok now?”

What Nam-woon wanted was simple. To clear all his debts, set up a shop, and live a modest, happy life.

“Are you going to see him? He’s on a business trip right now. I heard he’s very busy with launching a new business.”

It was at that moment that Nam-woon took a deep breath and was about to press the contact number labeled Chairman Seok (Father).

[Oh, wait!]

[Here are the instructions regarding the fulfillment of your role.]

[Role Fulfillment Clause No. 1: Kwon Seo-oh’s commute from school will be done together with Seok Nam-woon in his personal vehicle.]

Nam-woon opened his mouth wide. What do you mean “together”?”