VDN Ch 83

After their tearful reunion the day before, they decided to refrain from seeing each other until Chairman Seok’s surveillance had stopped. Naturally, Kwon Sang-moon couldn’t return home, and Seo-oh couldn’t freely visit the apartment where Kwon Sang-moon was.

The meeting with Se-han also didn’t happen. Instead, they promised to have a video call tomorrow evening when Se-han returned home from taekwondo practice. Kwon Sang-moon could clearly imagine Se-han crying and begging to see his dad right away. So he had reconsidered waiting until he could meet Se-han in person, but he missed Se-han so much.

On the day Kwon Seo-oh left the club, he stayed by his dad’s side until he returned home. Then a detective came and took care of Kwon Sang-moon. In the afternoon, whenever the detective briefly stepped away, it was ironically Nam-woon who took care of Kwon Sang-moon. Kwon Sang-moon needed someone to take care of him, but there was no one else he could trust. So, he asked Seo-oh to take on the responsibility himself.

Kwon Sang-moon strongly objected to Nam-woon, Chairman Seok’s son, taking on the role. However, Seo-oh was adamant and wouldn’t back down. Given that Nam-woon had saved him during a real crisis, Kwon Sang-moon had no reason to refuse. In the end, he looked at Seo-oh and nodded.

After talking to Kwon Sang-moon for a while, Seo-oh asked, “I need to talk to Hyung.” Kwon Sang-moon looked uncomfortable and handed Nam-woon his cell phone.

– Hyung, Se-han is having a snack party at school tomorrow.

“Oh, really? I should have given him some allowance.”

– You already did that before. Later tonight, call Se-han and tell him not to bring the frog-shaped coin wallet full of money tomorrow.

“Why?”

When Nam-woon asked for the reason, Seo-oh replied,

– If he takes that, he’ll spend all the money there. He did the same last time.

“Ah, come on. Just let him buy something.”

– No. Then he’ll only eat snacks at home and not eat his meals. He won’t listen to me anymore, so you tell him.

“He doesn’t listen to me either. Anyway, it’s not like he’s buying a lot of snacks. Just buy him his favorite Choco mushrooms or something.”

– He can’t have Choco mushrooms. You buy him everything he asks for, that’s why he doesn’t listen to you.

“When do I buy him everything he asks for?!”

Kwon Sang-moon stared at Nam-woon, who was casually chatting with Seo-oh. It was strange. 

If they were discussing Se-han, shouldn’t he be part of the conversation? Why was his eldest son sharing such a conversation with the young master?

While Nam-woon was engrossed in conversation with Seo-oh, Kwon Sang-moon discreetly observed them. Suddenly, Nam-woon stood up and went into a small room. The door didn’t close properly, and the sound of a phone call could be heard from inside.

“By the way, what does your dad like? What should I get for him?”

– He needs something like soup to eat.

“I’ll have to look around for something when I go there later.”

After Seo-oh warned him to avoid chili powder, he cautiously asked,

– Hyung, did you go to the hospital?

Seo-oh and Nam-woon had also not seen each other for a while. worried that Chairman Seok was monitoring Seo-oh. Nam-woon hesitated briefly before responding,

“Yes, they said everything’s fine.”

– How did the test go? Did it still say beta?

”…Yeah, it’s still beta.”

Still? What does that mean?

Kwon Sang-moon unintentionally eavesdropped on their conversation. Meanwhile, Seo-oh asked again,

– You didn’t go to the club yesterday, right?

“No, what do you see me as? I didn’t go.”

– Did you meet anyone during this time?

“Meet anyone? Um… just the guys from the errand center and the guys from the office.”

– Is that all? Are you sure?

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

In response to Nam-woon’s answer, Seo-oh’s tone hinted that he didn’t like something.

– Hyung, I told you not to wander around. Why are you going everywhere?

“Seo-oh, seriously, why are you like this? People need to work to make a living.”

Nam-woon replied in a tired voice. There was a hint of annoyance mixed in.

Kwon Sang-moon’s expression became stranger and stranger.

His son monitored Seok Nam-woon’s daily routine and every move as if he were a person under surveillance. From waking up to meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—he observed every detail. What Nam-woon ate, whether he took his medication after meals, and more. In particular, he focused on the people Nam-woon contacted and met, and the intensity of his watchfulness was enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

Seok Nam-woon’s attitude was equally bizarre. Even when Seo-oh delved into his personal life, Nam-woon seemed unfazed, as if it were an everyday occurrence. Nam-woon was rummaging through the closet in the room aimlessly, answering the questions half-heartedly but diligently.

What kind of relationship could lead to such questions and answers?

The atmosphere between them was different from before, leaving Kwon Sang-moon utterly bewildered. The voices that had been engaged in a back-and-forth suddenly fell silent. Kwon Sang-moon wondered if Nam-woon had hung up the phone. Seeing Nam-woon still holding the phone, he realized the call hadn’t ended yet.

“…Raise the phone a little more.”

“Like this?”

Nam-woon lifted his cell phone from under his chin and held it up to his face.

– Closer

Nam-woon pulled the phone closer to his face. After saying nothing for a while, Seo-oh hung up, saying that he had to leave soon. Kwon Sang-moon was surprised to find himself so close to the door and quickly turned to leave, but a voice from inside the room stopped him in his tracks.

“Even with this crappy angle, he’s still so handsome.”

Seok Nam-woon muttered in disbelief as he stared at the black screen of his turned-off cell phone. Kwon Sang-moon was silently stunned.

***

After watching Kwon Sang-moon finish his meal, Nam-woon did some light cleaning. Nam-woon washed the dishes and cleaned up a bit. The apartment was full of life, as if someone actually lived there. Fortunately, it wasn’t as sterile as an office space, otherwise Kwon Sang-moon would have felt even more uneasy.

“I’ll go now.”

Nam-woon said, finishing his tasks and heading toward the shoe cabinet. Seeing him, Kwon Sang-moon rose from the sofa and gave a slight bow. As Nam-woon reached for the doorknob, he turned back.

“I’ll buy the soup tomorrow.”

He scratched his head, looking puzzled.

“I want to make it myself, but I haven’t done it often, so it might not taste good. I’ll do it for you next time.”

“No. It’s alright.”

Kwon Sang-moon waved his hand and refused. Nam-woon said he’d come back tomorrow and left the front door.

What the hell did Seok Nam-woon do in the novel? Kwon Sang-moon felt extremely uncomfortable around Seok Nam-woon. Wouldn’t it have been better for anyone else to come instead of him? Even as he thought this, his hands quickly started searching for nearby restaurants. 

What would the old man like to eat? While pondering the menu, Nam-woon got off the elevator and was about to leave the building when he suddenly stopped and stepped back. He had spotted something strange.

“Which room?”

“They said room 504.”

“Let’s finish this quickly. I’m starving.’

Just a moment. Hyung Seung left his tools in the car, so he went to get them. He’ll be back soon. But wouldn’t a locksmith be better? It’s a lot of trouble to bust the door down.

“A locksmith? What locksmith, we can just kick it down in two hits.”

Damn, I’m screwed. The elevator had already gone up, and he couldn’t afford to wait for it to come back down. Panic surged through him as Nam-woon bolted up the stairs to the 5th floor.

Bang! As he hurriedly opened the door, Kwon Sang-moon, who was watching TV alone, looked up in surprise. 

“Young master?”

“Get ready to leave.”

What?”

“There are gangsters outside right now.”

Kwon Sang-moon’s face turned pale, and his hand holding the remote control trembled. 

“You said you know a detective, right? Call them quickly.”

Kwon Sang-moon picked up his phone and dialed the number with shaking hands, then asked for an explanation for the situation. After he hung up, he looked at Nam-woon.

“H-He said he was coming now…”

“How long will it take?”

“About ten to fifteen minutes.”

“No. They’ll be here before that.”

Kwon Sang-moon, his legs giving out, collapsed onto the sofa. Meanwhile, Nam-woon tried calling Seo-oh but couldn’t get through. He had no choice but to quickly summarize the situation and leave a message.

Nam-woon then entered a small room inside and opened the closet door. He was sure it had been here… Digging through the closet, he pulled out two sets of clothes. They were school uniforms. Both the summer uniform top and the autumn sweater had the same name tag.

After a moment’s hesitation, Nam-woon discarded the autumn sweater and chose the summer uniform without the tie. He also picked up a pair of black-framed glasses from the nearby vanity.

When he handed over the tie and glasses, Kwon Sang-moon looked puzzled.

“What’s this…?”

“Put it on quickly.”

Nam-woon said as he took off his shirt first.

Nam-woon, holding his gym jacket in one hand, draped an arm over Kwon Sang-moon’s shoulder and stepped outside. Several large men stood in front of the building. He could feel Kwon Sang-moon’s shoulder trembling beneath his hand. Feeling sorry for him Nam-woon tightened his grip and tried to nonchalantly lead Kwon Sang-moon past them. Suddenly, a stranger’s voice came from the side.

“Hey!”

Kwon Sang-moon flinched at the sound. Nam-woon glanced sideways quickly to see an unfamiliar old man staring at them with a frown.

“Hey, why are you bullying? Are you doing something like school violence?”

The old man’s loud voice drew the attention of the nearby gangsters.

Nam-woon’s neck broke out in sweat under the watchful eyes of the rough men who were carefully examining him. Alright, let’s just pretend to be delinquents here. Nam-woon shouted irritably.

“Ah, just mind your own business!”

“It’s not right to bully someone like that!”

“It’s alright, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Right?” Nam-woon said, hugging Kwon Sang-moon’s shoulder tightly. With his black school bag clutched to his chest, Kwon Sang-moon nodded. The old man clicked his tongue, seemingly convinced, and shouted, “Kids like you grow up to be gangsters!” as he passed by slowly. He kept glancing back, making Kwon Sang-moon nervous, but since he agree they were friends, he couldn’t intervene further.

Just as Nam-woon was quickening his pace, he heard,

“Hey.”

A large man with a fierce expression called out to Nam-woon, chewing gum loudly. Kwon Sang-moon’s breathing grew heavier in fear.