VDN Ch 4

A man in a white shirt with a few buttons undone and black suit pants stood still in front of the crosswalk.

Squeak.

People waiting at the crosswalk glanced at the man. He had a pretty handsome face, but the pink helmet pressed on his head was a bit unbalanced. Nam-woon kept his gaze on the ground to avoid making eye contact with anyone who might be looking at him. The bicycle that Jang-mi had prepared for him had a cute basket in front, and the body was hot pink. Because of its color, it attracted attention wherever it went.

“It’s around here…”

Nam-woon checked the cell phone map while waiting for the signal. As the signal changed and he pedaled as hard as he could, Nam-woon recalled his call with Chairman Seok.

“As an adult, you should know to take responsibility for the tasks you’ve taken on.”

Chairman Seok had coldly replied to his wish to stop operating the loan shark business. Although it seemed like a father caring for his son, there was not a trace of affection in his voice.

“No matter what happens, maintain the current amount coming in”

The call ended with Chairman Seok’s firm command. Leaving the squeaking noise of the bicycle behind, Nam-woon parked it in front of the restaurant and shouted as he entered.

“Two orders of Tteokguk (Korean rice cake soup).

“It’s on the table. Please take it.”

From experience, Nam-woon knew that to pay off debts, one must earn money day and night. He had to restore the interest rates to their original state and maintain the amount for the chairman for several months, so it was up to Nam-woon to bridge the gap.

Nam-woon carefully placed the prepared food in the insulated bag and checked the delivery address. The pungent smell rushed into his nostrils, making him suddenly hungry, so he bought some snacks along the way.

“Is this Korea University?”

Nam-woon stopped his bicycle near the main gate. 

Tall and beautiful buildings soared, and several students were gathered on the green, spacious campus. Nam-woon, holding the insulated bag, timidly entered through the main gate.

 Wow, Universities are really nice. 

Nam-woon gaped and looked around. For Nam-woon, who had never even stepped near a university gate, the university was a place of fantasy, and now that he was inside, it felt like a completely different world. After asking around, Nam-woon arrived at a place called the Liberal Arts Building and handed over the food to the students in room 302.

“Enjoy your meal.”

After completing the delivery and swinging the empty bag, Nam-woon recognized a familiar face through the back door of classroom 303.

“Huh? Kwon Seo-oh?”

[A voucher is being distributed for free to celebrate the opening!]

[The settings book open feature has been added.]

[Would you like to use the settings book?]

[▶Yes]

The system suggested viewing it, but there was only the word “Yes.” 

But is it touch-activated?

The system moved to the next screen before Nam-woon could even lift his hand.

[Kwon Seo-oh – Korea University]

“…….”

I already know that. What kind of information is this? It was a function whose purpose was unclear. Nam-woon was about to dismiss it nonchalantly, but then hesitated.

Oh, so I’ll meet Kwon Seo-oh and the other main character here later, right?

Indeed. Although the novel looked like a story about fresh college students, the genre was filled with obsession and exhaustion.

In the novel, the main character studied abroad and then came to Korea University after returning to the country. Since it’s still the beginning of the novel, he’s probably overseas. 

Looking inside the classroom, there was Kwon Seo-oh, a male student, and a female student. Kwon Seo-oh was expressionlessly staring at his laptop screen. Then, the male student asked Kwon Seo-oh loudly.

“Hey, Kwon Seo-oh. Are you paying off gangsters?”

Nam-woon’s face hardened. 

Kwon Seo-oh, the subject of the question, looked rather nonchalant. He glanced at the man once with an indifferent expression and then looked down at the monitor. The girl sitting next to him glanced at Kwon Seo-oh with an anxious expression, while the man continued talking excitedly.

“If it’s not that, then why do gangsters keep coming to pick you up?”

“…….”

“We all know what’s going on, man. There’s no use trying to hide it…”

“Senior.”

Kwon Seo-oh pushed forward a sheet of A4 paper.

The senior, called as such, looked down at the paper with a puzzled

‘Huh?’

“You can’t use Naver Knowledge iN (popular korean website). Please do it again.”

“This isn’t from Naver Knowledge iN!”

Kwon Seo-oh silently pointed to the bottom of the paper.

「From Naver Knowledge iN」

“…You’re such a pain.”

The senior snatched the paper. Then he quickly turned his head and spoke again.

“Sol, you said you don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

“Me? Oh…”

Sol, the student called by that name, looked embarrassed and avoided eye contact. However, the senior persisted and asked again,

“You don’t have one, right? That’s right, isn’t it?”

The question seemed to imply that she should not have one. Eventually, Sol reluctantly nodded.

“…Yes.”

“Then should “Oppa” buy you dinner tonight?”

The man, referring to himself as “Oppa” smiled slyly. Watching his smug smile, Sol seemed to feel sick and trailed off.

“Ah, that’s…”.

Then Kwon Seo-oh, who had been focused on the monitor, suddenly spoke up.

“Didn’t you say you have a part-time job today?”

“Huh?”

Sol looked puzzled and asked back.

“You’ve almost finished your part, so you can go first.”

“Uh, okay.”

She glanced at the senior sitting across from her and quietly got up from her chair.

“Hey, I’m leaving too.”

The man, watching her, quickly started to gather his things from the desk. But Kwon Seo-oh stopped him.

“Senior, you have to redo that thing from earlier.”

“What?”

In the meantime, Sol had quickly left the classroom. The man burst out in frustration.

“Ah, damn it. You can’t do that crap!”

Kwon Seo-oh remained silent, focused only on the monitor. The man, increasingly angry at Kwon Seo-oh’s behavior, said to him,

“Are you ignoring me now? Am I a joke to you? Who do you think you are, telling me this and that?”

Kwon Seo-oh still didn’t look at him.

“I was supposed to have dinner with Sol, and suddenly you butted in. What a bastard!”

Suddenly, Kwon Seo-oh stood up. His tall stature made the man’s gaze shoot upward. The man, looking up at Kwon Seo-oh, flinched and stepped back. Kwon Seo-oh, looking down at him, said softly,

“Senior.”

“…Yeah, what.”

“With the weather being hot these days, it’s annoying when someone irritates you, isn’t it?”

“So, what about it?”

“I particularly can’t stand the heat.”

The man found himself strangely shrinking back.

Why is this happening? That guy doesn’t even give off pheromones, he’s just a recessive jerk. I’m the one who’s supposed to have the upper hand!

The man who had been stepping back suddenly realized he was distancing himself and cursed out loud, “Shit!” Just as he was about to charge at Kwon Seo-oh, a loud voice was heard from outside.

“Uh, teacher, no, professor! I’ve prepared the materials over here!”

An unfamiliar voice was heard in the classroom. The man quickly moved away from Kwon Seo-oh, scowling as much as he could. He grabbed his bag and stormed out of the classroom.

Thud!

As Na Dae-yeol was leaving the classroom, he bumped shoulders with someone standing in front of him. To be precise, Na Dae-yeol had smashed his face into the man’s shoulder. Na Dae-yeol was so heated that he didn’t even realize his face hurt.

Isn’t that bastard the one who called the professor?

He glared at the man and stomped down the hallway. All the while, his mouth was moving non-stop.

“Kwon Seo-oh, you son of a bitch. Acting all high and mighty when all you’ve got is your face, despite being an Alpha.”

“Hey there.”

“Always acting like he’s something special, so damn annoying…”

“Hey.”

“…?”

Suddenly, someone blocked his way. It was the man he had bumped into in front of the classroom earlier.

“If you bump into someone, you should apologize.”

As if being annoyed by Kwon Seo-oh wasn’t enough. Na Dae-yeol frowned and looked at the man.

The man was dressed in black suit pants and a shirt, with the sleeves rolled up several times, revealing his forearms, which looked smooth yet firm. He was also quite tall. The slim pants wrapped around his long legs suited him well. Although his expression was a bit fierce, he had an above-average handsome appearance.

He must be quite famous at school. Who is he?

Deep eyes set beneath elegant brows stared at him quietly. As they silently met each other’s gaze, feeling a strange pressure, the man in front demanded again.

“My shoulder hurts like hell. Aren’t you going to apologize?”

But then something odd caught his eye. It was the insulated bag in the man’s hand and the pink helmet at his side. Na Dae-yeol snickered. This guy’s a delivery man.

“Ha, everything’s getting messed up today.”

Na Dae-yeol mocked the man as he put his hands in his pockets.

“What are you going to do about it? Go to the hospital? Want some money?”

“Money would be nice. But…”

As he was chuckling, the man suddenly thrust his face close. Startled, Na Dae-yeol’s face turned red. Was it because he was so surprised? Avoiding the man’s gaze, he turned his head, but the man grabbed Na Dae-yeol’s chin.

“Who the hell are you!”

“Let’s see.”

The position was odd. Na Dae-yeol tensed up without realizing it. The man who had been quietly examining Na Dae-yeol’s face asked,

“Do you have a good body?”

“Why are you asking that…?”

Without listening to Na Dae-yeol’s response, the man muttered to himself,

“Your corneas are clear, huh? There are no blood vessels, either. What level is your eyesight?”