VDN Ch 89

Nam-woon snapped out of his thoughts and checked the time. Ever since losing Kwon Sang-moon, he had been returning home first before Seo-oh’s class ended, not wanting to leave Seo-oh alone at home.

It was already time for Seo-oh’s school to end. He said today was the day for exams so he’d finish a bit earlier.

“Huh?”

But as Nam-woon headed towards the shoe cabinet, his eyes caught sight of something shaped like a beer bottle. It was a fake beer bottle he had received at a club instead of the drink he ordered. He had intended to return it to the bartender but hadn’t been able to meet him again so he had taken it with him.

Wondering if there might be a clue to find the owner, he took out the envelope. Now that he looked at it, the envelope was a mess. It was covered in dirt, and it seemed to have been sealed in a hurry, not properly closed. Because of that, a piece of paper was slightly sticking out.

Nam-woon’s eyes widened as he checked the paper. It was because a familiar face was printed on it. He quickly pulled out the paper.

“…What?”

It was a photo of Kwon Sang-moon. The paper, which at first glance looked like a resume with basic personal information, had unusual writing at the bottom. After staring at the incomprehensible English for a while, Nam-woon flipped to the back page. His eyes then began to shake.

First extraction. Strong rejection reaction.

Second extraction, sedative administered.

.

.

.

35th extraction, pheromone gland function lost.

The document was an experimental log, documenting the horrific things that had happened to Kwon Sang-moon.

***

“Are you out of your mind!”

“I’m sorry…”

Detective Jang Myung slammed the stack of papers in his hands down roughly on the desk.

“You couldn’t even get that one thing? How?”

“Well, they said they gave it to another detective…”

“The other detective who was supposed to get it was you, you! Are there any other detectives who know about this besides you and me?”

The man bowed his head deeply and apologized again. Jang Myung pounded his chest as if he were about to burst with anger.

It wasn’t just any document. It was precious data that Kwon Sang-moon had risked his life to get. And now that precious data had been intercepted by some thug.

And that wasn’t all. Kwon Sang-moon, the man he was supposed to be responsible for and protect, was kidnapped again. According to the investigation, when Kwon Sang-moon was kidnapped, Kwon Seo-oh and some high school student were with him. The student was presumed to be someone Kwon Seo-oh had previously tutored.

To think that civilians were doing the job they were supposed to do. This was why he called his team incompetent. Jang Myung took a deep breath to calm his anger and then spoke.

“And Kwon Seo-oh?”

“He’s doing well in school. Quite tenacious, actually. Oh, and there was something strange. Seok Nam-woon went into Kwon Seo-oh’s house.”

“What? Tell me more about it.”

Upon hearing the unexpected news, Detective Jang Myung frowned.

“There’s not much to say. Seok Nam-woon just went into Kwon Seo-oh’s house. Carrying mustard sauce.”

“Mustard?”

“Yeah, he probably went to pick a fight again. Maybe he even vandalized the place with mustard.”

“What the hell?” Jang-myeong mumbled, racking his brain. But he couldn’t come up with any other explanation than a mustard-related attack.

Then the phone on the desk rang.

“Yes, this is Detective Jang Myung from Team 3.”

Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, Jang Myung soon spoke in a mocking tone. As the saying goes, speak of the devil and he will come. An unwelcome guest has called.

“What brings such a busy person to call me?”

He listened to the voice on the phone with a sneer on his lips, then suddenly his face suddenly hardened.

“Was it you who took that?”

***

“Here.”

Seok Nam-woon placed a fake beer bottle on the desk. It was the item he had been searching for. Jang Myung eyed Nam-woon suspiciously and then picked it up.

After taking out an envelope from inside the container and checking its contents, he grabbed up the documents and asked,

“Did you open this?”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, Nam-woon answered, and Jang Myung stared at his face as if observing him. Was he handing this over knowing what his father was up to, or was it because he didn’t understand the contents of the documents?

Seok Nam-woon, whom he had met at a restaurant last time, did not seem like a simple thug, despite what others said about him being empty-headed. Jang Myung couldn’t guess what his intentions might be.

It was then. Seok Nam-woon, as if he remembered something, handed Jang Myung a shopping bag he had put down on the floor.

“Take this too. I wore it when I needed to escape from the apartment with Mr. Kwon Sang-moon. Please return it to the apartment owner.”

「Myung」

The name written on the uniform was familiar. It looked like his younger brother’s high school uniform. The apartment where Kwon Sang-moon had been was actually where Jang Myung’s family lived, but since his parents had moved to the countryside, it had been almost empty as he lived in the west and his brother was stuck in the military. That’s why he had evacuated Kwon Sang-moon there. 

Jang Myung picked up the uniform and said,

“That was you in the school uniform?”

“What are you talking about?”

Looking at the bewildered Nam-woon, Jang Myung crossed his arms. Relationships between people can develop in unexpected ways. People who meet online for the first time can commit bizarre crimes together within hours, and the kind of outrageous incidents you see in dramas can actually happen in real life.

In a world where unbelievable things happen all the time, it’s almost normal for people who were once trying to kill each other to suddenly develop feelings for one another.

After staring at Nam-woon for a moment, Jang Myung asked abruptly,

“What’s going on between you and Kwon Seo-oh?”

His intuition was telling him that Seok Nam-woon’s feelings towards Kwon Seo-oh had changed. Responding to his question, Seok Nam-woon scratched his neck and answered softly, “No. There’s nothing.”

That awkward attitude… It was clear that he had developed some feelings for him. Detective Jang Myung was certain of it.

After hesitating for a moment, Seok Nam-woon added,

“I told you, I’ll support you in catching my dad.”

Jang Myung frowned. Was he really going against Chairman Seok because of Kwon Seo-oh? If his guess was right, there was no greater love story in this century.

Shaking the envelope of documents, Jang Myung said,

“So, after seeing this, didn’t you feel anything? Huh?”

Since he shouldn’t provide any information, he decided to probe a little. Seok Nam-woon remained silent for a while, seeming lost in thought. When he finally looked up, his eyes appeared more determined than ever.

“Detective, what else do we need to catch my dad?”

Jang Myung’s mouth dropped open at the unexpected question.

***

“The drugs? The ones traded at the club? They’re all fake. Not a single pheromone component was detected. Look at the logs. With this much extracted, there must be a drug with pheromone components somewhere. But every time we think we’ve caught them, they slip through our fingers… What? Where else could it be? If it comes out of Chairman Seok’s office or home, that seems to be the only place.”

Office or home… Seok Nam-woon thought over Detective Jang’s words as he walked.

The reason Seok Nam-woon decided to catch Chairman Seok was simple. to find Kwon Sang-moon, even if just a little sooner.

In the end, he had failed to return Kwon Sang-moon to Seo-oh. This might be his first and last chance.

There were no more appearances of Kwon Sang-moon in the novel. It was up to Jin Hae-geon to find Kwon Sang-moon.

How Jin Hae-geon rescued Kwon Sang-moon was not described in the novel. He just suddenly brought Kwon Sang-moon to Kwon Seo-oh one day. And that event only happened at the end of the novel.

That meant Seo-oh had to live without finding his father until then. And there was a high probability that he wouldn’t be able to be by his side at that time.

He really didn’t want to imagine Seo-oh being sad somewhere without him. So, Seok Nam-woon thought about what he could do for Seo-oh and for Se-han.

After much deliberation, he concluded that catching Chairman Seok was the answer. Then he would know Kwon Sang-moon’s whereabouts.

But…

Can I search Chairman Seok’s office?

Suddenly, the image of Chairman Seok pulling out a golf club came to mind. Even though it was just his imagination, a deep-seated fear welled up inside him.

The shadow of the past, buried deep in his memory, overlapped with the figure of Chairman Seok. The fear, etched into his bones since childhood, still haunted him.

Seok Nam-woon shook his head strongly.

My father is no longer in this world.

His real father had passed away a long time ago. Chairman Seok was not his dad. So, there was no need to be afraid.

Ding.

Suddenly, a small alarm sounded, and red letters popped up.

[Emergency!]

[The meeting of the main characters has occurred on the wrong route!]

[Please carry out the main quest immediately!]

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

“….!”

The wrong route? More importantly, they’ve met now? Nam-woon quickly hailed a taxi.

“Driver, to Korea University, please! Hurry!”

There was no more time for games. He could no longer delay the quest. Nam-woon chewed on his lip anxiously.