VDN Ch 87

“Ah, really!”

Unable to endure it any longer, Nam-woon suddenly stood up, grabbed Seo-oh’s arm, and pushed him out of the bathroom.

“You’re done, right? Thanks. Now get out, quickly.” 

At Nam-woon’s intense reaction, Seo-oh quietly left this time, without saying a word.

Sigh… Nam-woon sighed and looked at the bathroom mirror. His cheeks were slightly flushed, but his face wasn’t much different from usual. It was a good thing that the arousal he was feeling right now didn’t show on his face.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, a familiar notification sound rang in his ears.

Ding! 

[You have successfully recognized the two main characters.] 

[A main quest has been activated.] 

[Main quest: Establish a meeting between Kwon Seo-oh and Jin Hae-geon!]

The main quest that he had been ignoring for a few days had popped up again. The blue bar under the quest seemed to indicate that the time had reduced much more than before. 

“……”

Nam-woon, forgetting his dripping wet hair, just stared blankly at the system window.

***

The boss of Umpyeong Errand Center, Mr. Umpyeong, had been having a rough couple of days. Running the office was always tough, but he managed to get by with the fun of swindling Seok Nam-woon. However, a painful situation arose recently when he had to move his office to a officetel.^[1]

To make matters worse, a pair of cockroaches had nested in his new place. Because of this, Mr. Umpyeong even considered giving up his perfectly good business.

“Did you finish eating?”

Seok Nam-woon nodded as Kwon Seo-oh swiftly scooped another spoonful of rice and brought it to his mouth. Seok Nam-woon naturally opened his mouth to accept the food. This scene hinted at the kind of dynamic they likely had at home.

Their affectionate behavior wasn’t the only thing the Umpyeong staff saw. Unlike Seok Nam-woon, who was glued to his phone playing a game, Kwon Seo-oh couldn’t take his eyes off Seok Nam-woon’s face and mouth for even a second. 

At one point, Seok Nam-woon made an “ah” sound, and Kwon Seo-oh, who was next to him, immediately reacted.

“What’s wrong?” 

“It feels like I chewed something hard.” 

Kwon Seo-oh looked at the fried egg on top of the kimchi fried rice with a serious expression. 

“Is it an eggshell?” 

“Could be?”

Seok Nam-woon answered nonchalantly and resumed chewing, but Kwon Seo-oh suddenly placed his large palm under his chin. Seok Nam-woon looked at Kwon Seo-oh with a puzzled expression.

“Spit it out.” 

“What?” 

With food in his mouth puffing up one cheek, Seok Nam-woon looked surprised. The boss and employees of Umpyeong, who were listening to their conversation, frowned deeply. Those horrible bastards… 

Not caring in the slightest about the surrounding reactions, Kwon Seo-oh once again urged Nam-woon.

“Spit it out quickly.” 

“Do you have any tissues?” 

Nam-woon pretended not to hear and looked around for a tissue, but Kwon Seo-oh stubbornly grabbed his cheeks and squeezed, urging him to spit into his hand. Nam-woon finally swallowed the rice he had been holding in his mouth.

“Why did you swallow that!”

“It’s okay, I won’t die, I won’t die.”

“Haah…sorry, Hyung. I didn’t know an eggshell got in there. I’ll be careful next time.” 

Kwon Seo-oh sighed deeply and apologized sincerely, to which Seok Nam-woon scratched his head and replied. 

“It’s nothing. Let’s just finish our meal.”

“…Hyung, you shouldn’t eat eggshells.”

“It’s because you kept telling me to spit it out into your hand.”

Only after seeing Seok Nam-woon’s calm demeanor did. Kwon Seo-o’s face relaxed. However, he didn’t forget to warn him one last time.

“From now on, spit it out directly into my hand. Okay?”

Seok Nam-woon made a sour face and reluctantly nodded. After that, the two resumed their sweet lunch sharing. In the eyes of the boss and employees of Umpyeong, it was quite the sight. 

While Seo-oh was feeding Nam-woon a few spoonfuls of rice, he suddenly asked,

“By the way, Hyung, I have a question.”

“What is it?” 

With an indifferent voice, Seo-oh hesitated a bit before speaking. 

“What’s your ideal type? You said before that you like pretty and big, right?”

“Hey, that’s… Well! There’s nothing wrong with being pretty and big.”

Seok Nam-woon made a slightly embarrassed face and cleared his throat, roughly agreeing. 

“So, your ideal type is pretty and big, right? Is that enough?”

At Kwon Seo-oh’s full-fledged question, the Umpyeong employee was shocked. The quick-witted Umpyeong boss started rummaging through his desk for the earplugs he bought on the way from the gay bar. Seeing this, the Umpyeong employees began frantically tearing open the box of expensive headphones they had ordered.

“Well… If they have a good personality too, that would be even better.” 

As Seok Nam-woon gave a nonchalant, obvious answer, Kwon Seo-oh asked another question, narrowing their distance even more.

“Tell me specifically. What kind of personality in a man do you like?” 

“What? Man?” 

As if he had just realized the word “man” Seok Nam-woon was silent for a while. Seo-oh, seeing Nam-woon’s still puffed cheeks, hurriedly stuck a straw into the bottle in front of him and brought it to his mouth. Nam-woon, who absentmindedly sucked on the offered straw, scratched his neck with an awkward expression. 

“A man… I’m not sure. Just someone who matches well with me would be good. Someone understanding, considerate…”

“……”

After finally getting an answer from Seok Nam-woon, Kwon Seo-oh was silent for a while. He seemed to be deep in thought, reflecting on his behavior so far. The Umpyeong boss stopped searching for the earplugs and let out a disbelieving laugh.

You guys are terrible.

A little later, Kwon Seo-oh spoke again.

“What if he’s good-looking but has a bad personality?”

“Then it won’t work. Personality is more important.”

But Seok Nam-woon, who seemed to be thinking about something, immediately changed his mind.

“No, the face is more important.” 

Kwon Seo-oh’s eyes widen at that remark. Seok Nam-woon suddenly turned towards Seo-oh and said seriously, 

“Hey, Seo-oh, listen carefully to my advice. When it comes to men… no matter what, the face is the most important. They might have a really bad personality. But just look at the face and get over it. Got it?”

Kwon Seo-oh nodded obediently, For some reason his face was full of confidence.

“He knows he is handsome, doesn’t he?” The Umpyeong employee watching from the sidelines commented to the boss. Seok Nam-woon’s advice continued,

“And another thing as important as the face is money.” 

“Money…

A look of gloom settled on Seo-oh’s face. If he had dog ears, they would probably be drooping.

…Well, that makes sense. For Seok Nam-woon, who plays with money, financial power is an essential matter. 

But wait, Kwon Seo-oh is poor isn’t he? Seok Nam-woon was really funny. Without even thinking, he brought up the topic of money to that poor guy.

“People need to have money. There aren’t many people like that in the world, right? So, if there is someone with money and good looks, no matter what kind of person they are…Haah… No, you should be a little picky, but still, if they have money and good looks, try to think positively.”

Listening quietly to Seok Nam-woon, Kwon Seo-oh suddenly spoke with determination. 

“I’ll do my best.”

“Huh?” 

“I’ve been studying for certifications in between part-time jobs. There are many professors who say they will recommend me if there’s a good position. I’ll apply to every job opening that comes up. I’m sure I’ll get it, but I’ll work even harder than I am now.”

“Huh? Okay, do your best.”

Seok Nam-woon smiled like an adult and cheered for Kwon Seo-oh. Does he really not know what he’s doing? Mr. Umpyeong looked at Nam-woon suspiciously.

Kwon Seo-oh looked at Seok Nam-woon, smiling at him with pride and scooped up another big bite of rice.

“Here.” 

Nam-woon naturally opened his mouth, replaying the scene they had seen before. “Ah, it’s so unpleasant to look at,” Mr. Umpyeong muttered irritably.

“Damn it. Why do they leave their own office and come here to date? They must be embarrassed too. I heard they used to fight like cats and dogs, trying to kill each other. Now, suddenly, they’ve become a disgusting couple like cockroaches, sharing a lunchbox and taking turns feeding each other. Do you think Seok Nam-woon wants his subordinates to see him like that? That’s why he can’t go to his own office and is stuck sitting here.”

“Did you hear them talking earlier? At this rate, they’ll confess to each other.”

“Just watch, they’ll confess! It’s not like they own the office. Kwon Seo-oh has a few screws loose too. What the hell is he doing, being an alpha and acting like that with a beta?”

As the Umpyeong boss clicked his tongue, Seo-oh’s questions started again. 

“Hyung, just answer one more thing. Do you prefer someone younger or older?” 

Nam-woon showed signs of embarrassment at Seo-oh’s continued questions, but he answered.

“You’re acting strange today. I think it doesn’t matter if they’re younger or older, as long as they get along well.” 

With a nervous look, Kwon Seo-oh press on. 

“Isn’t younger better? They’re stronger and…cuter.” 

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

Kwon Seo-oh covered his mouth as if embarrassed and answered softly. Damn it. Those terrible bastards. The Umpyeong boss muttered and put on earplugs. Next to him, the Umpyeong employee put on headphones and spoke sadly.

“I didn’t buy these expensive headphones for this shit.”