VDN Ch 50

Nam-woon didn’t say anything. But he looked at Grandpa Namnam, seemingly a bit surprised. After a moment, Nam-woon, scratching the back of his neck and lowering his head, said in a small voice,

“Me too.”

“…….”

“…….”

After a few seconds, Seo-oh stepped in to save them from the awkward silence, clearing his throat loudly.

“Hyung.”

Nam-woon’s eyes widen at Seo-oh’s sudden appearance.

“Oh? When did you come?”

“Just now.”

“You came at the perfect time.”

Nam-woon grabbed Seo-oh’s forearm and pulled him forward. From behind, Nam-woon’s neck was slightly sweaty. Nam-woon, who dragged Seo-oh, turned his body around. Seo-oh immediately averted his gaze from the back of Nam-woon’s neck. Nam-woon with a smile on his lips tapped the bench and said,

“Hey, I finished making this. It looks good, right?”

“Um… better than expected?” 

Seo-oh lowered his gaze and responded hesitantly.

“It’s sturdy enough for all three of us to sit on. Try lying down.” 

“What if it collapses?” 

“That’s why you should try it.”

Nam-woon let go of Seo-oh’s arm. Nam-woon’s body temperature is normally low, but today, his hands were warm as he had been working hard on the wooden table. How long did it take to make this? Judging from Nam-woon’s appearance, he seemed to have worked hard. So he was curious.

Seo-oh placed his bag down and laid down on the table. It was a bit small for him, so his feet were hanging off the edge. Nam-woon, noticing this, said,

“I couldn’t make it bigger. The yard isn’t that big. But it’s sturdy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hyung, come lie down too.”

In the empty space Seo-oh had made by moving a bit to the side, Nam-woon crawled on top with his knees. He then turned his head towards Seo-oh and lay down on his side. The table wasn’t very big, so their faces were a bit close.

Nam-woon made eye contact with Seo-oh and said,

“It’s okay, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Seo-oh didn’t say anything in response to the sudden eye contact. After a moment, he managed to say, “You did a good job” to which Nam-woon grinned. His bright teeth and lips flushed red from the heat were right in front of Seo-oh’s nose. He had never seen Nam-woon smile like this up close before, as he had always seen him from a distance. Seo-oh clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to wipe the sweat off Nam-woon’s face.

Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh and asked in a playful tone,

“How is it? Do you like it?”

He seemed very pleased with his work. Seo-oh stared at Nam-woon’s face without blinking. After a moment of silence, Seo-oh spoke softly.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

Facing Nam-woon like this, Seo-oh couldn’t censor himself as usual. Unable to hold back any longer, he blurted out again.

“Hyung, I really like it.”

After blurting out his words, Seo-oh bit his lip and looked down, startled by his own words. But it was only for a moment. Seo-oh’s eyes were drawn back to Nam-woon’s face. The moment their eyes met, Nam-woon quickly averted his gaze and pursed his lips.

“…….”

“…….”

The two lay on the table in silence, their eyes averted. Seo-oh’s ears turned red as he watched Nam-woon’s behavior. Grandpa Namnam watched them and muttered, 

“What are you two doing in broad daylight?”

***

“Wow!”

Se-han’s eyes widened as he saw the table lying on the ground in the yard.

“Amazing! When did you make this?”

“I made it quickly while you were at school.”

Nam-woon felt a sense of pride for the first time in a while at Se-han’s reaction. Se-han sat at the table and said he would spend the entire day here. As if to prove his point, he brought all his books and homework to the table and even spread out his snacks.

“Let’s go inside now.”

“Nooo.”

Seo-oh spoke, but Se-han just shook his head. Seo-oh’s expression darkened. Oh, this wasn’t good. Nam-woon started to feel a little uneasy.

“Let’s go play in the room.”

“No.”

Nam-woon tried too, but to no avail.

“I’m going to sleep here tonight.”

Finally, Se-han declared. After coaxing and persuading Se-han, they eventually agreed to stay at the table only until dinner.

That evening, Nam-woon and Se-han, who were eating egg fried rice with soy sauce on the table, abruptly stopped their spoons at Seo-oh’s sudden words.

“I heard Alk-kong is at the Central Shopping Center.”

“Alk-kong?!”

Se-han, whose cheeks were puffed out with a mouth full of food, asked with wide eyes. Se-han, who was excited, moved his mouth to swallow the food quickly.

Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh with a new look in his eyes. He thought Seo-oh wouldn’t be interested because Nam-woon and Se-han had caused a big fuss when they shook the toy machine at Namnam Supermarket to get a doll last time. But Seo-oh was the first one to bring it up. Kwon Seo-oh was the one who knew everything Se-han liked, even if he pretended not to.

Se-han, who had gulped down his food, jumped up from his seat.

“Can we go to the shopping center?!”

“yes.”

Seo-oh nodded.

“Oh yeah! The three of us can go!”

“Oh, Kwon Seo-oh and me?”

“yes!”

Se-han replied as if it were obvious. Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh awkwardly. The three of them had never gone out as a group of three before. Especially not to such a far distance.

Of course, Nam-woon also wanted to go to the shopping center with Se-han. But he wasn’t sure if Seo-oh would be happy for him to tag along. Seo-oh glanced at Nam-woon, who was hesitating.

After a moment, Nam-woon opened his mouth.

“Se-han, I’ll just…”

“You two go.”

“What?”

Kwon Seo-oh suddenly pulled his foot out.

“I have something to do. Hyung, take Se-han with you.”

Se-han’s face fell at these words.

“Oh, Hyung isn’t going? Hyung has to come too.”

“Well, what are you going to do if I go alone? Kwon Seo-oh, you have to come too.”

Nam-woon agreed with Se-han’s words. It was clear that Se-han would be very upset if Seo-oh didn’t go. Se-han grabbed his brother’s arm and shook it as he began singing.

“Let’s go as a group of three, as a group of three! We’re going as a group of three. Oh, please, please~”

Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh hesitantly. Seo-oh, looking at Se-han with a troubled look, also opened his mouth as if he couldn’t help it.

“Okay, then let’s go as a group of three.”

Oh, he agreed surprisingly quickly. When Se-han said, “Hyung Woon is going too!” from the side, Nam-woon nodded in agreement. Se-han ate with his spoon with a satisfied expression.

Before I knew it, it was getting darker.

Seo-oh quietly approached Nam-woon, who was sitting on the floor peeling garlic. Laughter erupted from Nam-woon’s phone, which was placed on the table. Seo-oh picked up a clove of garlic from the tray in front of him and silently peeled it. Then, pretending to be casual, he slowly released his pheromones. This act of doing it secretly every night before bed had become a habit. Soon, the small room was filled with a fresh scent.

Suddenly, Seo-oh’s fingers stopped. 

“…….”

He felt a sense of discomfort. His pheromones were very faint. They would surely all be gone by the end of this week. But an unknown, faint scent lingered in Seo-oh’s nose. It had an artificial smell, but not perfume. Normally, he couldn’t detect such weak scents, but recently, due to regularly releasing his pheromones because of Nam-woon, he seemed to have become a bit more sensitive to scents.

Seo-oh watched Nam-woon carefully and asked casually, 

“Where did you go today?”

“Huh? Just the office. Only the office.”

Why? His eyes darted around nervously. He had the same expression as when Seo-oh asked how much he spent on the claw machine. Seo-oh recognized it immediately. He hadn’t just been to the office. 

“I was wondering if something happened. You left in a hurry without breakfast this morning.” 

“I got a sudden call.” 

“From whom?” 

“… For work. From the office.” 

It’s a lie. Seo-oh clenched his fist.

In his heart, he wanted to grab Nam-woon and question him. Where did he go, who did he meet, how did he know the person he met today, and what did they talk about? 

But he had to hold back. Nothing was certain. The scent was too faint to be sure if it was the pheromone he had smelled before, and it could have been from someone who couldn’t control their pheromones as they passed by. Asking unnecessary questions might make Nam-woon suspicious. Most importantly, Nam-woon still didn’t know that he regularly took pheromone showers.

Seo-oh hesitated. There was a question he had wanted to ask for a long time but couldn’t because he felt anxious. He wondered if he could bring it up now. He glanced at Nam-woon and finally, he mustered the courage to ask.

“Hyung, are you dating anyone?”

Nam-woon turned, surprised. 

“Why do you ask?” 

“…….”

Seo-oh remained silent, prompting Nam-woon to smile playfully. 

“Why, if I say no, will you introduce someone to me?”

“What are you talking about? Who would I introduce to someone like you? Do I want to do that to someone?”

Nam-woon chuckled. “That’s harsh.” Seeing Nam-woon laugh made Seo-oh more anxious, so he pressed for an answer.

“So, do you have someone or not?” 

“If I did, would I ask for an introduction?” 

“…You don’t?” 

When Seo-oh asked with wide eyes, Nam-woon smirked and said, 

“Ah, it’s sad. Won’t anyone introduce someone to me?” 

Seo-oh breathed a sign of relief into his heart. Hearing directly from Nam-woon that he wasn’t dating anyone made his previous anxiety disappear. It must have been someone who couldn’t control their pheromones that he encountered. Unlike before, his heart lifted immediately, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose upwards. Seo-oh picked up a clove of garlic that Nam-woon had dropped and put it in the bowl, saying firmly.

“I will never introduce anyone to you.”