VDN Ch 132

“You need to come quickly, okay? I get anxious without you, Hyung….”

“Yes, I’ll come back quickly. Watch the drama about Kang-i with Auntie, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. Be careful on your way.”

Nam-woon left Se-han with Mrs. Soon-i for a moment and changed into neat clothes. Then he headed to the office to pick up the car. 

When he opened the door, Jang-mi was sitting alone on the sofa watching a drama. As expected, it was a drama featuring Kang-i. Jang-mi turned around when he sensed his presence and asked, seeing Nam-woon grabbing the car keys at night. 

“Uh, young master? Where are you going at this hour?”

“…Going to a club.”

Nam-woon replied with a smirk. However, Jang-mi looked worried, as if that seemed suspicious.

“Huh? Why is your face like that when you’re going out to play?”

Was my expression a little strange? Nam-woon smiled awkwardly again and headed to the parking lot.

***

I never wanted to come back here on my own two feet. Nam-woon looked up at the tall building. The windows were brightly lit. Phew… He took a deep breath to calm his heart that was beating like crazy and stepped into the building.

“He’s waiting for you inside.”

A subordinate who was standing in front of the Chairman’s office stepped aside and said. Nam-woon walked past him into the Chairman’s office, where memory of the violence was still fresh in his mind. He walked with his head down, glancing sideways. The safe he had seen last time was already gone. As if it had never been there in the first place.

“You called for me?”

He must have heard Nam-woon’s voice but Chairman Seok didn’t respond and just kept wiping the orchid leaves. His delicate touch was quite different from the merciless hand that had struck him. Nam-woon stood still and watched with a dark expression.

After a moment, Chairman Seok tossed a white cloth onto the desk and sat on the sofa. He cast a wordless glance at Nam-woon. Only then did Nam-woon sit on the sofa.

Today, he needed to get through without any incidents. If he could just properly record what Chairman Seok said and leave safely. Nam-woon shifted his legs slightly, conscious of the recorder in his right pocket. He had a horrifying thought that if things went wrong and he was caught recording the conversation, he wouldn’t be able to leave this place alive.

Chairman Seok remained silent for a long time. He couldn’t read what thoughts were behind those long, narrow eyes. Nam-woon lowered his eyes and cast his gaze to the edge of the table. It was Chairman Seok who spoke first.

“Have you been having fun with Kwon Seo-oh?” 

“…….”

“The two of you seemed to get along very well. As your father, I didn’t even know about it.”

Even though he had anticipated those words, hearing them directly from Chairman Seok left him breathless.

“So, since when? I vaguely noticed when Seo-oh visited here last time… but you two seem even closer than I thought.”

Chairman Seok leaned back against the backrest without taking his eyes off Nam-woon.

“When you were young, you were always dying to devour Seo-oh, but now that he’s grown, why? Does an alpha like him look different to you? No, that can’t be it. You’ve been grinding your teeth over Kwon Seo-oh for the past decade or so; you wouldn’t change your attitude for such a simple reason. Has there been some change in your feelings?”

Nam-woon gulped. It was because he suddenly remembered his own trait.

The recessive alpha, Chairman Seok, didn’t know he had become an omega. He didn’t seem to notice the change in his own trait because he didn’t always give off pheromones. It was a stroke of luck. Nam-woon opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Uh, it was just a brief fling.”

He intended to downplay his relationship with Kwon Seo-oh, saying that it was a light interaction born out of boredom. Now that the fact that they had spent time together couldn’t be hidden, this was the only way to handle it.

Chairman Seok tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa and murmured,

“It was just a brief fling…”

Tension showed on Nam-woon’s face. Would Chairman Seok truly believe his words?”

“In that case, was it also just a brief fling with Jin Hae-geon?”

Nam-woon paused at the name that suddenly came out. As expected… Chairman Seok seemed to have already been informed of everything about him. Nam-woon opened his mouth and then answered in a calm tone.

“I have no relationship with Jin Hae-geon. We just happened to meet and had a meal together.”

“Are you going to say that going to the wedding together was also a coincidence?

“…….”

For a moment, Nam-woon considered whether he should say that he had gone to the wedding at Jin Hae-geon’s request, but he quickly kept his mouth shut. Many people at the wedding had witnessed him and Jin Hae-geon together. If Chairman Seok noticed that Jin Hae-geon was putting on an act in front of them, he might use that as leverage to blackmail him.

When Nam-woon couldn’t answer, Chairman Seok asked the next question in a cold tone.

“You also met Vice Chairman Jin Myung-ho. So what did you talk about?”

“We didn’t say much. There were so many people that we parted quickly….”

Hmm. Chairman Seok looked at him with eyes that seemed to be assessing something and then firmly gave an order.

“Break it off with Kwon Seo-oh and continue seeing Jin Hae-geon.”

Nam-woon raised his head in surprise. Chairman Seok had a cold expression on his face as usual. The gaze looking down at him was also cold.

“I’ve told you before. I want to climb up by any means necessary. This is your chance. For someone as useless as you, Jin Hae-geon is the only way up.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Wherever Jin Hae-geon goes, stick to him and create another connection with Vice Chairman Jin Myung-ho. Appease that guy, laugh at everything he says. Make sure you impress them so that soon enough, marriage talks between our families come up. That’s your job.”

Hearing Chairman Seok’s words, Nam-woon’s mouth slowly opened in shock. He knew that Chairman Seok was a person with grand ambitions, but he never expected him to seriously pursue a connection with Jin Hae-geon’s family like this. This was ridiculous.

“Isn’t that why you approached Jin Hae-geon in the first place? I thought it was because you were greedy for his background.”

At Chairman Seok’s words, Nam-woon suddenly recalled a conversation he had had with Hae-geon not long ago.

“Nam-woon, use me if you need to.”

“What?”

“The acting was shitty, but it seemed to win over Uncle and Aunt, so consider it a reward.”

“Use you? What do you mean?”

“Nam-woon, do you know what pisses your father off the most?”

“…….”

“It’s a bit old-school to say this, but your dad has no roots. And he knows it too well, so he’s desperate to clean up his family tree. I don’t want his gutter water splashing on me, but… what can I do?”

Did Jin Hae-geon expect Chairman Seok to bring this up? However, Nam-woon had no intention of using Jin Hae-geon in the slightest. One person being manipulated by Chairman Seok was enough.

“As I said, I just happened to meet Jin Hae-geon and accompanied him by chance. We’re really nothing to each other. Besides, I’m a beta and Jin Hae-geon is an alpha, so how could…”

“You don’t need to worry about traits. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll find a way.”

Nam-woon swallowed hard at those words and cautiously asked,

“…What do you mean by find a way?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Chairman Seok coldly dismissed Nam-woon’s words, clicking his tongue in displeasure as he muttered,

“Kwon Seo-oh, that useless bastard. I wasted time on him, polishing rotten fruit. I should have dealt with him long ago.”

Dealt with him? Nam-woon’s heart sank. Struggling to conceal his trembling eyes, he bowed his head deeply and clasped his hands together. Chairman Seok’s gaze fell on Nam-woon’s pale fingers and his stiff profile. Chairman Seok, who had been staring at Nam-woon with piercing eyes for a while, slowly opened his mouth.

“So, for you, it was real with Kwon Seo-oh.”

His heart plummeted again at the sudden words.

“Ah, so that’s what you meant when you asked me to let go of Kwon Seo-oh. Well, I’ve been properly backstabbed by my own son.”

Chairman Seok burst into laughter as if he found it amusing. Wrinkles formed around his venomous eyes. As Chairman Seok chuckled, Nam-woon’s face turned pale.

“As I already told you, with Kwon Seo-oh, it was just a casual fling once in a while for fun.”

“That’s enough excuses. Since I know the truth… I’ll make it a condition for what you want most.” 

Chairman Seok interrupted Nam-woon and spoke, the smile fading from his lips.

“You asked to let Kwon Seo-oh go, right? Fine. If you continue your meetings with Jin Hae-geon, I’ll completely back off from that family.

Nam-woon took a deep breath. Chairman Seok, watching his trembling lips added with the face of a seemingly caring father.

“I’ll also use my influence to help with the disappearance of Kwon Sang-mun, which I’ve been putting off because I’ve been busy.”

Nam-woon turned his head. His eyes, burning with anger, met Chairman Seok’s eyes. His clenched fists were trembling. Chairman Seok looked at his son who was revealing everything in his anger, and with a relaxed smile, waited for just one answer.