VDN Ch 38

Nam-woon and Se-han’s faces turned pale. Observing their reactions, Grandpa Namnam glanced at Kwon Seo-oh, pretending not to notice.

“Ah, you’re here? You keep asking for snacks that we don’t have, how many times have I told you they’re not available?”

“Who shook the machine?”

“……..”

“……..”

It seems he had heard everything. Se-han had gripped the toy so tightly in his hand that its face was strangely distorted. Nam-woon kicked a stone on the ground for no reason. Seo-oh spoke sternly.

“Kwon Se-han.”

“No, no… I didn’t shake it.”

Se-han denied it first. Seeing Se-han try to defend himself made Nam-woon’s heart ache, and he finally spoke up.

“Hey, it’s all my fault.”

“Wo, Wooni Hyung…”

“It’s okay, Se-han.”

“Both of you, come with me.”

Seo-oh spoke in a calm tone and led the way. Se-han’s eyes were already brimming with tears and his lips were turned down, while Nam-woon slowly comforted Se-han’s shoulder as he followed. From behind, they could hear Grandpa Namnam clicking his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, those kids. They’re hopeless…”

***

Seo-oh, who had thrown his bag roughly into a corner of the room, turned around. His appearance was almost like that of a demon, causing Nam-woon and Se-han to instinctively clasp their hands over their stomachs and bow their heads.

“Are you a child?”

“……..”

“Are you a primary school student?”

“No, it’s just that…”

“Do you know how much that machine costs? What were you going to do if you broke it by shaking it!”

“No, the toy was stuck at the entrance and if I didn’t shake it, we couldn’t get the toy.”

Ah, what is this guy saying that’s so infuriating? Kwon Seo-oh frowned with such an expression.

“How old are you? What are you going to do, acting like a primary school student? If the machine breaks because of the toy, are you going to pay for it? Huh? When you are the type of person who would strip down to your underwear if someone offered you money!”

“No, not down to my underwear.”

“Then why didn’t you just break the glass and take it out?”

“……..”

Kwon Seo-oh was really fucking scary when he was angry. Nam-woon couldn’t muster any strength and just hung his head, while Se-han, who had been holding back tears while watching this from the side, stepped in front of Nam-woon.

“It’s my fault!”

“Se, Se-han.”

“Don’t scold Wooni Hyung! It’s all my fault. I kept nagging Wooni Hyung to get the toy for me. Wahhh… Uhuhuhu…”

Thick teardrops fell from Se-han’s hand onto the toy he was holding. Seeing this, Nam-woon crouched down and hugged Se-han tightly, saying,

“Seo-oh, it’s not Se-han’s fault. I just wanted to get it because I wanted to.”

“No! It’s because I kept standing there and watching, so Wooni Hyung tried to get it for me, Uhuhuhu…”

“Se-han!”

“Wooni Hyung!”

The two hugged each other and wrapped themselves tightly around each other. Seo-oh was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t say anything anymore. Watching the two make such a scene, his anger seemed to dissipate. As he watched them put on such a show, Nam-woon suddenly pulled something out of his pocket. It was a white envelope.

“What’s this?”

“I put a little towards the rent.”

Nam-woon stammered. When Seo-oh opened the envelope, there was about 50,000 won inside. It was indeed a little. Watching Seo-oh look at it expressionlessly, Nam-woon added in an anxious tone,

“I’ll give you more later.”

“Forget it. Take it back.”

As Seo-oh handed back the envelope, Se-han suddenly murmured through tears,

“Wooni Hyung spent a lot of money on the machine for me… Wahhh.”

At those words, Nam-woon looked shocked and Seo-oh frowned.

“How much did you spend?”

“Not much.”

“Tell me quickly.”

Seo-oh glared at Nam-woon. After some hesitation and prodding by Seo-oh, Nam-woon finally confessed.

“Maybe… forty thousand won?”

“Forty thousand won?”

Seo-oh threw the envelope away.

“You spent forty thousand won on a toy?”

As Seo-oh was about to scold him, Nam-woon took the toy that Se-han was holding and pushed it towards Seo-oh.

“But I still got this, didn’t I?”

The puppy toy, now stained with Se-han’s teardrops, looked at Seo-oh. Seo-oh said in a cold voice,

“Pull out all the weeds in the yard this weekend.”

“…Okay.”

Nam-woon replied in a resigned, sad tone, and Se-han cried out with a tearful face.

“It’s not Wooni Hyung’s fault, it’s mine.”

“You’ll pull them out too, Se-han.”

“……..”

Se-han stopped crying and looked surprised at the mention of him pulling weeds. It seemed as if his tears had retreated at the thought. Seo-oh, having had enough of their antics, pulled over the dining table.

After warning them that if they shook the machine again, he would bury Nam-woon inside the claw machine, Seo-oh took out his laptop from his bag. Se-han and Nam-woon were whispering and opened the zipper of Seo-oh’s bag to put the puppy toy inside. Seo-oh pretended not to notice.

***

The next day, when Seo-oh arrived at the classroom and sat down, he opened the zipper of his bag. As he tried to take out a pen, a yellow puppy doll came out with it.

Nam-woon and Se-han, who had noticeably fallen silent, remained quiet for a while after Kwon Seo-oh’s scolding. While Seo-oh was doing his assignment, the two of them whispered to each other as they cleaned the house. Se-han picked up scattered items and put them back in their place, while Nam-woon wiped the floor with a rag. Despite being an adult and an elementary school student, they got along well.

A faint smile appeared on Seo-oh’s lips.

“Oh? That’s Bulk-kong, isn’t it?”

When he turned his head at the voice from beside him, Sol was standing next to Seo-oh, placing her bag down. Although he didn’t have many close classmates in school, since the group project last time, Sol has been talking to Seo-oh a lot more.

“Where did you get it? I heard Bulk-kong dolls are hard to find.”

“Do you know about this?”

“Of course. It’s famous. It’s cute.”

“Isn’t it a cartoon for kids to watch?”

“…Yeah. But many adults watch it too.”

“It’s something my sister likes, so I know about it,” Sol added.

“You can only get it second hand in Damgum right now. Where did you get it?”

“From the doll machine.”

“That must have been difficult.”

Seo-oh nodded. Indeed, it was difficult. Hyung almost broke the doll machine because of how difficult it was.

“That would cost about 30,000 won at Damgum.”

If it’s 30,000 won, it might not even stop there. Sol began listing information without being asked. She showed him a picture of a light pink dog plushie on her phone, saying there were no Alkong plushies available at all.

If I get that, Hyung would like it. Seo-oh, surprised by his own thought, clenched his fist. Sol looked at Seo-oh with a puzzled expression. And then, it happened.

“Do you know how fucking surprised I was?!”

It was Na Dae-yeol. He was constantly talking with a face full of complaints.

“Shouldn’t the school stop people like sellers or delivery guys from entering? There are so many bad fucking human beings.”

“Delivery is fine… I need to eat while doing assignments. But the delivery guy who came the other day was really handsome.”

“Was it Omega?”

“I don’t know. He was delivering while wearing a shirt with…”

Na Dae-yeol grabbed the other person’s shoulder and asked,

“Isn’t that the asshole I saw? Hey, Lee Jun-hee, where did you see him?”

“Near the Liberal Arts building. Oh, it seemed like he knew Kwon Seo-oh, maybe you should ask him?”

“Kwon Seo-oh?”

Na Dae-yeol turned his head towards Kwon Seo-oh. When Seo-oh’s name was mentioned. Sol, who looked noticeably uneasy and glanced at the seat next to him, but as always, Kwon Seo-oh remained calm and unaffected.

It was the moment when Na Dae-yeol took a step towards Kwon Seo-oh. Suddenly, the man walking from the opposite direction collided with Na Dae-yeol.

“Oh! If you don’t watch where you’re going…!”

With a frustrated expression, Na Dae-yeol lifted his head, only to find Jin Hae-geon standing in front of him. A gentle smile was on Jin Hae-geon’s lips, but his eyes remained fixed on Na Dae-yeol without blinking. Why him, of all people? Na Dae-yeol grimaced uncomfortably. Jin Hae-geon had started attending classes with them this semester.

He attracted attention with his appearance alone. Although there was no exact source, rumors circulated among the students about his family background, ranging from being from a political family to having celebrity parents and even rumors about his trait of being a dominant Alpha.

Everything from the car he arrived in to the watch on his wrist to the clothes and shoes he wore were all expensive. While many students adorned themselves with luxury brands, Jin Hae-geon was on a different level. Perhaps that’s why people constantly hovered around him. Na Dae-yeol was one of them. With a forced smile, Na Dae-yeol approached Jin Hae-geon and struck up a conversation.

He tried to appear friendly for no reason, so he initiated the conversation first.

“Hey, we’re going for drinks later with the guys, do you want to come?”

Jin Hae-geon glanced at Na Dae-yeol, who had suddenly sat next to him. This guy looks as good as Kwon Seo-oh. But Na Dae-yeol wasn’t pleased, he didn’t show it on his face and whispered to him.

“Sung-ho said, they say they’re bringing a lot of omegas today…”

Seo-oh is handsome but he’s poor, while this guy seems rich. It would be nice if he could subtly make him pay for the drinks.

“What about the Alphas?”

At Jin Hae-geon’s sudden question, Na Dae-yeol looked at him strangely. When Jin Hae-geon asked again,

“Are many Alphas coming?”

“Well… if the Omegas come, quite a few might come.”

Na Dae-yeol replied with a sullen voice. As Jin Hae-geon stared at him, he suddenly asked,

“Are you an Alpha?”

“……..”

While it was not uncommon to ask about traits, most people avoided asking such questions as it was considered rude. Feeling a bit annoyed and bewildered, Na Dae-yeol remained silent, but Jin Hae-geon closed the distance between them.

Jin Hae-geon leaned in close enough for his breath to touch Na Dae-yeol’s face. After taking a deep breath, Jin Hae-geon opened his mouth with a refreshing expression.

“It smells like vomit.”

“What?”

“Even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t eat it. You.”

Haha, Hae-geon burst into laughter at what was funny. Everyone around him looked at him with strange expressions.