VDN Ch 39

Na Dae-yeol shouted with a distorted face.

“What did you just say, now?!”

“I said even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t eat it.”

“You crazy bastard!”

“Why are you getting angry, Do you want me to eat it?”

Jin Hae-geon asked with wide eyes.

Just then, the professor entered the room, and a classmate seated nearby calmed Na Dae-yeol down and made him sit. Fuming and red-faced, Na Dae-yeol moved to a spot far away from Hae-geon as soon as the break started. Some people who had witnessed the argument with Na Dae-yeol also discreetly moved their seats.

From that day on, everyone avoided Hae-geon. Another rumor was added to the many that followed him. An alpha who likes other alphas, a crazy guy. As soon as it was determined that he was a bit off his rocker, Hae-geon was left alone, but he seemed not to care.

Na Dae-yeol, realizing that the person in front of him was Jin Hae-geon, involuntarily stepped back. Hae-geon extended his palm and said one word.

“Phone”

Na Dae-yeol quickly picked up the phone that had fallen to the floor, placed it in Hae-geon’s hand, and headed outside. Do you avoid poop because you’re scared of it? No, you avoid it because it’s dirty. Lee Jun-hee, who was behind Na Dae-yeol, also quickly sidestepped Hae-geon and headed for the door.

Hae-geon’s gaze returned to his phone screen. A chat window was open.

[Hey]

[Pay me back]

[Why aren’t you calling me?]

[I only deal with normal people.]

[I’m pissed off.]

[Give me my money.]

[If you don’t pay, I’ll call the police and you’ll eat prison food.]

Hae-geon’s eyes crinkled with amusement at the final message.

“Haha, that’s hilarious.”

[I don’t know]

[If you don’t call, maybe I won’t give you the money.]

Hae-geon sent a message that sounded childish.

Sol, who had been watching the argument between Jin Hae-geon and Na Dae-yeol, turned her head back to Seo-oh. He had an expressionless face as usual. His melancholic and neat profile, with long straight eyelashes fluttering, caught people’s attention. Seo-oh, looking at his phone, seemed very focused, and he appeared to be searching for an “Alk-kongi toy claw machine.”

Sol exchanged a few messages with her sister, then took a picture of the snacks on the desk with her camera. When the click sound was heard, Seo-oh looked at Sol.

“Oh, I’m sending it to my sister. These snacks are delicious.”

“……”

Suddenly, Seo-oh opened a chat window saved as “Trash Mop.” The previous conversations were briefly displayed. Seo-oh scrolled up, slowly reading through the past conversations. After quickly reading the short exchanges, he sent a message.

[What are you doing?]

[Eating.]

He must have been looking at his phone too because the reply came right away. It’s 1:52 p.m. now. Seo-oh frowned at the late lunch. Then another message from Nam-woon arrived.

[Have you eaten anything?]

Seo-oh gazed at the coffee on his desk and then sneakily turned on his phone camera. But he quickly returned to the main screen. Sending a picture seemed a bit much. But he wanted to hear his voice. He had listened to Nam-woon’s voice all day yesterday at home and now he wanted to hear it again today.

Maybe he should make a call. Seo-oh checked the time and got up from his seat.

Beep-beep—

Seok Nam-woon didn’t answer the phone. It seemed like he was already on a call.

Who is he talking to?

Lately, Seo-oh has been curious about everyone around his Hyung. He wanted to know everything without missing a thing—whom his brother met and whom he contacted. Seo-oh stared at his phone screen for a moment and then headed towards the back door of the classroom.

At that moment, he bumped shoulders with someone coming out of the classroom. There weren’t many people at school who were eye-level with Seo-oh. But he met eyes with the other person at the same level. Bright pupils were looking at Seo-oh. He looked at the man with an expressionless face. The person who had been standing there passed by Seo-oh, continuing the conversation with a bright voice.

“Why did you call so late?”

Then he laughed as if he were pleased.

“Haha, are you going to make prison food for me?”

Seo-oh turned his head and quietly watched the man’s back. He felt a strange chill.

***

[Gayber Map]

[Peachy Peachy]

After checking the message, Nam-woon stood in front of the store and looked up at the sign.

“Peachy Peachy?”

It sounded familiar. Nam-woon glanced inside the store through the clear glass window. Despite its cute name, it looked like a rather upscale restaurant, and since it wasn’t mealtime yet, it didn’t seem very crowded. Then his phone vibrated.

[Come early today.]

It was Kwon Seo-oh. Nam-woon headed for the store’s door without replying. He was just going to get the money and leave quickly anyway.

As he entered, a neatly dressed employee asked Nam-woon,

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“No.”

The employee, who looked up and recognized Nam-woon’s face, was startled and then stiffened his expression. However, he quickly put on a capitalist smile and said, “Please wait here for a moment,” before turning and hurrying off somewhere.

“What should I do?”

“What are you talking about!? You know that Lee Bong-nam quit because of that guy. If we say Bong-nam quit, who knows what kind of fuss he’ll make on his way out! Now that Bong-nam’s not here, he might start bothering other people! The boss said not to let such a people in.”

The employee seemed to be talking to someone, but the voice was too soft to hear clearly. After whispering for a while, the employee came back around the corner with a look of embarrassment.

“Um… Sir, I’m sorry, but we’re not ready to serve meals yet. It seems you won’t be able to eat at the restaurant right now. I’m really sorry.”

“Oh, you haven’t opened yet?”

“Yes. The alcohol you usually order is also out of stock, and the ingredients are not prepared yet.”

I didn’t even mention my usual drink. The employee apologized again with a furrowed brow.

Jin-sang clearly told me to come to this store.

Nam-woon looked around. Although there weren’t many customers, there were people eating. After thinking for a moment, Nam-woon came to a conclusion. I’ve been cut off from the entrance.

He had never heard of such a thing as being denied entry in a regular restaurant, but in such a high-end restaurant, it was entirely possible to be selective about who they let in. Nam-woon looked down at his clothes. He was dressed casually, as usual. Nam-woon nodded to himself.

As he turned around, his phone in his pocket rang.

[Jin-sang]

When he answered the call, the man immediately asked,

– Where are you?”

“I’m here, but I can’t go in right now.”

– What are you talking about?

Nam-woon lowered his voice, conscious of the employee behind him.

“It seems I’ve been denied entry.”

“……”

There was silence from the other end, then suddenly a low laugh erupted. Nam-woon frowned at the sound of his laughter. Is he happy that someone was denied entry? The man, who had been laughing joyfully by himself for a while, spoke to Nam-woon with a voice still carrying traces of laughter.

– Wait there.

“What? Hey.”

Nam-woon called out to him, but the call had already been disconnected. Nam-woon stood by the door with a slightly awkward expression. Then the same employee approached him with a serious face.

“Sir, as I mentioned before, the restaurant is not available right now. If you could please leave now…”

“Nam-woon-ah”

At that moment, a taller man came up behind the employee with a bright smile and approached Nam-woon. The employee turned around in surprise.

“Oh? Boss…”

The man ignored the surprised employee and only looked at Nam-woon. As the man came closer to Nam-woon, the employee was naturally pushed aside. The man was dressed casually but exuded elegance, perhaps due to his good build. He asked with a smile on his lips,

“You could have come straight in. Were you waiting for me here?”

“I wasn’t waiting.”

The employee’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out upon hearing their conversation.

“I had everything prepared inside because you said you were coming.”

“You did prepare the ten thousand won bills this time, right?

The man who approached Nam-woon grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Nam-woon hesitated and looked at the employee standing beside him. He had been told earlier that he couldn’t enter the restaurant, but was it okay to go in now? Nam-woon removed the man’s hand from his arm and whispered,

“Hey, can’t I just take it outside?”

“This way.”

The man pulled on Nam-woon’s arm again, and reluctantly, Nam-woon followed him. Hae-geon, who was leading the way, suddenly turned his head sharply. The employee, who met Hae-geon’s cold brown eyes head-on, flinched and bowed his head deeply.

“What’s this?”

Nam-woon was surprised as he entered the room Hae-geon had led him to. Hae-geon pulled out a chair for Nam-woon. From the entrance, he hadn’t noticed, but inside the store, there was a fairly large private room. The room was lit with soft lighting, and jazz music played quietly. Bread and soup were neatly placed on the white table.

Nam-woon sat down in the chair, led by Hae-geon’s hand, still in disbelief. Hae-geon, sitting opposite, looked at the bewildered Nam-woon and said,

“Let’s have dinner together.”

“Huh? What dinner? Just give me the money.”

Nam-woon extended his hand to Hae-geon with an incredulous expression. Hae-geon picked up the cutlery with a gentle smile.

“I’ll give it to you after we eat.”

“I’m busy. I need to take the money and go right away.”

“I had all this prepared in advance because you said you were coming.”

Hae-geon looked at the table with a slightly gloomy expression. Last time he acted like a nutcase missing twenty screws, but today he seemed oddly normal, which somehow felt creepy. Nam-woon also scanned the table. All that was prepared was soup and bread.

Is this supposed to be dinner? It seemed like the meal would be over in less than five minutes if eaten quickly.

Annoyed by the small portion, Nam-woon picked up a spoon.

“You have to give it to me right after I eat.”

Hae-geon grinned.