VDN Ch 92

“…….”

Seo-oh turned around without a word. His furrowed eyebrows and puzzled expression clearly showed he was questioning what he had just heard.

“Hit me once, no, twice.”

Right here, right now.

At Nam-woon’s desperate words, Kwon Seo-oh brushed his hand over his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then, the bloodied knuckles on his fingers stood out even more. It looked chilling upon a second glance. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked him to hit me? Nam-woon swallowed nervously.

“Hyung, really… You can make a joke like that even after looking at my face?”

“…No, I’m not joking. I really want you to hit me.”

Kwon Seo-oh hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

“At home… when Se-han’s not around.”

“Huh? Why?”

Confused by Kwon Seo-oh’s answer, Nam-woon looked startled before lowering his eyebrows and pleading again. He was in a hurry because he didn’t know when the system would finish selecting his penalty.

“Just hit me now, okay? Before everyone leaves.”

Seeing Nam-woon’s pleading face, Kwon Seo-oh gently placed his bloodied hand on Nam-woon’s cheek. Nam-woon’s eyes widened at the light touch.

“I know you have unique hobbies, Hyung. But not here.”

Seo-oh added softly.

“Let’s do it at home later, with the condom we didn’t use last time.”

“…….”

Nam-woon was speechless. What was he talking about? Why is he suddenly talking about condoms? Nam-woon, who was lost in thought, quickly grabbed Seo-oh’s large, firm hand and tapped his own cheek with it.

“Ah, just hit me quickly. Here, hit me here. Hard.”

At that, Seo-oh’s expression hardened.

“I won’t hit your face.”

“…Why? You hit me before.”

Nam-woon asked curiously. Seo-oh bit his lip slightly, then spoke slowly and clearly in his characteristic low voice.

“I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

Nam-woon stared at Seo-oh. Seo-oh gently stroked Nam-woon’s cheek and said,

“And I don’t want you to have a scar on your face.”

Let’s go. Seo-oh said and grabbed Nam-woon’s wrist.

What’s wrong with you? Why are you going to hit me at home? He was full of questions. Nam-woon stared dumbfoundedly at Seo-oh’s back as he walked ahead. That’s when he heard a crowd of people behind him.

Without thinking, Nam-woon turned his head and gaped at the face of the man coming down the stairs. A tiny face and broad shoulders. The one descending the stairs with model-like long legs was none other than Jin Hae-geon.

His appearance was not much different from Seo-oh’s. For some reason, his face was paler than usual, which made the red bruises on his face stand out more. His elegant appearance and clothing were completely ruined by blood and dirt. It was a strangely familiar sight.

Jin Hae-geon, who had been walking leisurely with his hands in his pockets, stopped when he spotted Nam-woon. He stared at Nam-woon with an expressionless face and then, as usual, slightly lifted one corner of his mouth. Some people watching from the side let out admiring exclamations at the inappropriate time.

“Jin Hae-geon?”

Nam-woon muttered in disbelief. Seo-oh’s hand tightened as if he heard the softly murmuring voice.

At the same time, red letters appeared in the system.

[Warning! Seok Nam-woon does not call Jin Hae-geon “Jin Hae-geon”!]

How did Seok Nam-woon call Jin Hae-geon? As he was trying to remember, Seo-oh suddenly gripped Nam-woon’s wrist tightly and started walking forward.

“Ah, Kwon Seo-oh. Wait!”

But Seo-oh did not stop walking, as if he couldn’t hear him. Nam-woon resisted being dragged away, tensing his body and turning his head back. Jin Hae-geon was still looking at him. Locking eyes with Nam-woon, Jin Hae-geon opened his lips, which were redder from the wounds after the fight.

What is he saying?

Nam-woon stared intently at Jin Hae-geon’s moving lips.

At that moment, as Nam-woon resisted and flailed, Seo-oh, who had stopped walking, called out, “Hyung.” Nam-woon, who had been watching Jin Hae-geon’s lip movements without responding, suddenly hardened his face as he realized what he was saying.

A smile bloomed on Jin Hae-geon’s lips when he realized that Nam-woon had read the shape of his mouth. Then he picked up his phone and put it in his ear. Nam-woon stiffened and turned his gaze to Seo-oh.

“Hey, Kwon Seo-oh.”

Despite the low call, Seo-oh was looking behind Nam-woon with a murderous look in his eyes. There was no doubt that he was looking at Jin Hae-geon.

“That guy…”

Then, once again, a notification sound rang out.

Ding—! 

[Seok Nam-woon does not call Jin Hae-geon “that guy”.] 

[When in the same space as Jin Hae-geon, only one form of address for Jin Hae-geon is allowed.]

“Did you fight with Hae-geon?” 

“Hae-geon?” 

At the affectionate name, Kwon Seo-oh glared fiercely at Nam-woon.

Nam-woon, filled with a mix of confusion and bewilderment, let out a few breathless sighs before placing a hand on Seo-oh’s shoulder.

“Ha… Seo-oh. Why did you suddenly hit Hae-geon?” 

“…….”

“Talk to me. What happened? Did Hae-geon insult you?” 

Seo-oh kept his mouth shut, but the atmosphere noticeably changed. Earlier, when he had wanted to go home, he had looked calm. However, as soon as the name “Hae-geon” was mentioned, it was as if something had snapped, and the atmosphere suddenly turned sharp.

“Kwon Seo-oh.” 

Nam-woon urged again out of frustration, and Seo-oh’s mouth slowly opened. However, the words that came out were not about the fight.

“You said he’s a client, right?”

“Huh?” 

“I heard that bastard has a lot of money. But isn’t he your client? That doesn’t make sense. Are you doing some other work behind my back?” 

“Ah…” 

Nam-woon remembered. He had told Seo-oh that Hae-geon was a client. How should he explain this now? Nam-woon frowned in embarrassment and mumbled vaguely.

“Well, it’s complicated… Let’s talk about that later. Right now, this is more important. What were you fighting about?”

“We’ll talk about that later. Tell me now.”

“How is that more important? Isn’t it important that you beat up someone at school…?”

“Yeah. This is more important to me.”

Seo-oh tilted his head and looked straight at Nam-woon, clearly not willing to back down until he got a clear reason. Nam-woon, concerned about Hae-geon who might be on a call behind him, reluctantly parted his lips.

“The truth is… Hae-geon scammed me a bit, so I was trying to get revenge by writing a contract with him in the office.” 

Seo-oh’s face showed no sign of believing. Nam-woon continued,

“I really lent him money… We have a debt relationship.” 

As he spoke, he remembered that Hae-geon had written the name “Jin-sang” on the contract.

Ah shit, isn’t the contract void now?

Nam-woon was shocked by the realization he had come too late, while Kwon Seo-oh turned his head and let out a sigh. There was no smile on his face.

“Revenge? Are you filming a drama by yourself? You expect me to believe that?” 

“He is my client. Believe it or not, it’s up to you. What, should I beg you to believe me and grab onto your pants and cry?”

“You never tell me anything important. You’re always so quick to avoid the issue and just keep spouting out unconvincing stories…”

“I’m sorry that it’s unconvincing?”

Before long, an argument had spread between both of them.

Nam-woon, who had been glaring at Seo-oh with fierce eyes, soon came to his senses. There were still many people watching them, and it wasn’t the time to be doing this with an injured Seo-oh. To get out of the conversation that was straying from the point, Nam-woon sighed and tried to speak softly.

“Seo-oh, why you hit someone from the same school, especially Jin Ha…Hae-geon.” 

“So what if I hit him.” 

“What?” 

“What’s wrong with me, beating up some asshole?”

Nam-woon was lost for words. What’s wrong with beating up? Did Kwon Seo-oh just say that? He sometimes acted impulsively, but only when Nam-woon and his family were involved, otherwise, Seo-oh was relatively well-behaved.

Nam-woon’s tone changed as if scolding a rebellious child. 

“Is it something to be proud of, going around beating people up? Are you a gangster?” 

Then Kwon Seo-oh rolled his eyes to the side in disbelief and laughed. 

“It’s really funny to hear a gangster call me a gangster. Why? Are you so upset that I hit that guy?”

“Are you even listening to yourself?”

Jin Hae-geon was the heir to the Mooyuong Group. On the other hand Kwon Seo-oh was just a broke college student. A poor college student who punched the heir of a major conglomerate.

“I’m going to sue.”

Even with Jin Hae-geon having mouthed those words, it was a very unfavorable situation for Seo-oh in many ways. However, unaware of these circumstances, Seo-oh stared at Nam-woon with cold eyes.

“You’re actually not even curious why I hit that guy, are you? Why do you keep defending him?”

“When did I ever defend him?”

“You called me a gangster. You asked why I hit him. You don’t even see that I’m hurt, do you?”

“Ha, that’s not what I meant…”

At that moment, a calm voice came from behind.

“Nam-woon-ah, hello.” 

Before Nam-woon could turn around, Seo-oh reacted first. 

“Get lost. Do you want to get beaten up again?”

“Haha, Nam-woon, you look like a college student every time I see you at school. How fucking cute is that?”

Seo-oh charged at Jin Hae-geon again, who completely ignored him.

Nam-woon panicked and tried to pull Seo-oh who was trying to grab Jin Hae-geon by the collar. 

“Hey, stop it!” 

Nam-woon squeezed between Seo-oh and Jin Hae-geon, trying to pull Seo-oh away while shouting. Then, as if he didn’t even want Jin Hae-geon and Nam-woon to touch, Seo-oh pulled Nam-woon to himself and stepped back. Jin Hae-geon looked leisurely at the action that seemed to shield Nam-woon.

Nam-woon lifted his face from Seo-oh’s chest and looked back at Jin Hae-geon with an anxious gaze. Jin Hae-geon maintained his calm demeanor.

After a moment’s hesitation, Nam-woon opened his mouth.

“Kwon Seo-oh.” 

He called his name in a low voice and stepped out of Seo-oh’s embrace. Seo-oh’s dark eyes, still fixed on Hae-geon, were filled with uncontrollable anger.

Nam-woon spoke to Seo-oh in a quiet but firm voice.

“Apologize.” 

“…What?” 

“Apologize. To Hae-geon.” 

Taken aback by Nam-woon’s sudden words, Seo-oh’s eyes widened, then his face contorted. 

“Apologize?” 

The look in Seo-oh’s gaze was intense. Instead of apologizing, the air around him seemed filled with the intent to charge at Jin Hae-geon again. But it couldn’t be helped. It was better than Seo-oh ending up behind bars.

Seo-oh clenched his teeth and spat out in a low voice,

“Why should I? Why do you prefer him over me…” 

Seo-oh trailed off before saying it in a firm voice.

“I can’t, no, I won’t.”