VDN Ch 193

Nam-woon watched with a displeased expression as Seo-oh carefully gathered the items and tossed them onto the back seat. Inside, he felt like he was going to die from worry. Why had this kid turned into such a pervert? He’d always had a bit of that tendency, but it wasn’t this bad before. Somehow, he was starting to feel increasingly overwhelmed.

Oblivious to his fiancé’s inner turmoil, Seo-oh mumbled seriously, his earlobes reddening.

“But looking at it today, the car seems a bit small. Should we get an SUV later? Or would a sedan be better?”

“You crazy bastard.”

This was getting out of hand. Nam-woon couldn’t just let things go on like this. He felt he needed to make the first move later on. Nam-woon sank deeply into his seat, thinking about using the gag, blindfold, and handcuffs on Seo-oh first.

“Cut it out. Even being cute only works so many times.”

“…It’s already way past just a few times.”

Nam-woon shot a glare at Seo-oh, who was cheekily talking back. But he pretended not to notice the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

As they bickered and flirted as usual, Morning Beep-Beep soon arrived in front of the restaurant.

“What’s this place?”

Nam-woon’s eyes widened as he stepped inside the restaurant. Seo-oh wore a proud expression as Nam-woon looked out the window with a surprised face.

“Hey, look over here. You can see the Han River.”

“I deliberately booked a table with a view of the Han River.”

Nam-woon sat down without taking his eyes off the window. Seo-oh, who had also been looking at the window, soon lost interest and turned his gaze back to Nam-woon. A soft smile appeared on his lips at the sight of Nam-woon’s constantly changing expressions. After admiring the view for a while, Nam-woon looked back at Seo-oh, feeling a little self-conscious.

“But it feels a bit weird just the two of us coming to a place like this. Should we have brought Se-han and Uncle along?”

Seo-oh shook his head firmly.

“Dad and Se-han already went out for Korean beef when your store was closed last time. And we need to go on dates just the two of us too.”

“……”

Date. Nam-woon propped his chin on his hand and turned his head back to the window.

Tap. Seo-oh’s shoe gently pressed against the tip of Nam-woon’s shoe, under the table. The shoe lingered there for a while, unmoving, causing Nam-woon’s eyes to twitch slightly. His exposed neck visibly flushed red.

The meal was very delicious. He had similar dishes at Jin Hae-geon’s restaurant and at the wedding he attended, but they hadn’t tasted this good. It was probably because the person he was with was different.

Nam-woon couldn’t hide his excitement and kept his mouth moving as he ate. Pleased by Nam-woon’s hearty eating, Seo-oh unusually readily allowed him wine. As they sipped wine and chatted about the day’s events, suddenly a voice called out to Seo-oh from somewhere.

“Oh? Seo-oh?”

Turning his head towards the voice, Nam-woon saw a man in a neat suit approaching with a welcoming expression.

“Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Seo-oh. I heard you had a dinner appointment, so this is where it was?”

“Yes. You too, assistant Manager?”

Nam-woon’s head snapped up at the title that came from Seo-oh’s lips. The man who was greeting Seo-oh also met Nam-woon’s eyes and wore a playful smile.

“And this person is… by any chance?”

The man looked at Seo-oh with a meaningful gaze, and Seo-oh, his cheeks slightly flushed, nodded slightly. The man laughed heartily as if he had expected it and immediately offered a greeting.

“Hello, I’m Kim Young-won, Seo-oh’s coworker.”

“Ah, hello… I’m Seok Nam-woon.”

Hesitating after hearing the man’s introduction, Nam-woon awkwardly introduced himself. The man continued with a smile.

“I haven’t heard much from Mr. Seo-oh… Ah, now I see why he didn’t say anything. You were hiding such a handsome boyfriend to keep him all to yourself, weren’t you?”

“When did I ever do that?”

Despite the grumpy reply, the man chuckled leisurely.

“Do you know how secretive Mr. Seo-oh is? He was wearing a ring, so I casually asked if he had someone, but he wouldn’t even answer. He never says a word about his lover. I think he even mentioned the store by mistake.”

“Haha. Was that so?”

Nam-woon laughed awkwardly, but inwardly he was quite surprised. He had been a little worried that Seo-oh, being somewhat socially awkward, wouldn’t fit in well at work, but unexpectedly, he seemed to have adapted well. It was a little strange that he hadn’t said a word about him… but anyway, the people at his work seemed nice. It was a relief.

Come to think of it, he was Seo-oh’s coworker.

Nam-woon touched his cheeks, which were flushed from the wine, cleared his throat, and blurted out,

“Um, please take good care of our Seo-oh.”

The man, his eyes wide at the sudden polite bow, burst into hearty laughter. He glanced at Seo-oh, whose face was bright red, and replied kindly, “Yes, of course.” Then, with a lingering smile, he asked,

“Where is your store? I think It would be nice to drop by during one of our company dinners.”

“The store? Ah, well…”

Nam-woon hesitated to answer. The man seemed to naturally assume Nam-woon’s store was a restaurant and not a small store. Feeling a bit awkward, Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh, who, unlike before, was staring blankly at his superior with an unreadable expression. The fact that he didn’t even blink made him seem somehow displeased.

Is something bothering him?

Nam-woon quickly decided to end the conversation and opened his mouth.

It’s near Hoenam-dong Station, and it’s not a restaurant. It’s a…”

“Assistant Manager, I think you should go.”

Huh? Nam-woon stopped talking and turned his head at Seo-oh’s sudden interruption. Seo-oh was pointing behind them.

“It looks like your group has been waiting for you for a while now.”

“Ah, my mind’s a mess.”

The assistant manager checked the woman waving at him and hurriedly wrapped up the conversation.

“I should get going. It was nice meeting you. Let’s see each other again if we have the chance. See you next week, Mr. Seo-oh.

“Yes. Please go safely.”

Nam-woon watched the assistant manager’s retreating figure before turning his head towards Seo-oh. Nam-woon spoke to him as he gulped down his water.

“Your manager seems like a nice person.

“……”

“He leaves a good impression. Are you close with him?”

“Not really.”

The answer was short. Even if he said that, they must be close. It was quite rare for someone to treat Seo-oh like that. Nam-woon felt relieved and pursed his lips slightly. There was something he wanted to ask. After hesitating for a while, he cautiously brought it up.

“But earlier, about the store…”

“Hyung, eat quickly. So we can have the next dish.”

Seo-oh unnaturally cut off the following conversation. Nam-woon looked down and saw a single piece of meat left alone on his plate. Nam-woon paused for a moment before stabbing it with his fork and pushing it into his mouth. A word he couldn’t bring himself to say lingered in his throat, overshadowed by the large piece of food.

Are you embarrassed that I sell taiyaki?

“You want more wine?”

However, at the sound of the voice from across the table, Nam-woon erased the question from his mind. He was being overly self-conscious. Seo-oh had always tried to visit Nam-woon’s store as much as possible to help out. So this kind of thought was absurd. But…

“He never says a word about his lover.”

Nam-woon nodded once at Seo-oh, who was waiting for his reply. Clink. The sound of him putting down his fork was somehow weak. The meat that had melted in his mouth just a moment ago now didn’t taste as good.

***

“Haa…”

A red tongue lightly brushed against the swollen nipple. A large palm gently cupped the areola, making the flushed tip stand out even more. Seo-oh s*cked on it, rolling the hardened bud with his tongue.

“Ah! Uhh…”

Nam-woon groaned and twisted his waist. Then his erect p*nis met Seo-oh’s. Seo-oh’s breathing became even rougher. They had planned to take it slow and spend a long time preparing today, but it seemed that was an impossible promise. Seo-oh grabbed Nam-woon’s hips and reached for the button of his pants

“Hyung, lift your waist.”

Even as he spoke, he kissed various parts of Nam-woon’s toned body. The soft scent of his flesh penetrated deep into his nasal cavity and tightened his lower abdomen. Seo-oh grabbed Nam-woon’s pants and underwear at once and urged him on.

“Hm?”

However, Nam-woon stopped Seo-oh’s hand.

“Huh… Why?”

As he bent down and said anxiously, Nam-woon’s firm voice was heard.

“I don’t want to do it.”

“…What?”

Seo-oh opened his eyes wide as if he had misheard. Why? Wasn’t today the kind of day where they were supposed to do that, based on the atmosphere?”

Since Nam-woon started doing business, Seo-oh had held back a lot of his desires. Nam-woon would go to work every day and come home late, so there were many days when he would get tired. Because of this, there were more days when they lightly caressed each other before falling asleep in each other’s arms without going all the way. Those were very painful days. Not being able to have sex with someone he loved felt like he was a religious person who was celibate.

At least one fortunate thing was that Nam-woon was a healthy man. There were times when he didn’t need to set the mood and would pounce first, so our relationship wasn’t that distant. Seo-oh had endured the entire week imagining a cozy atmosphere with Nam-woon today. But why…?

Seo-oh, who had been looking shocked, suddenly made a serious expression and asked.

“Are you sick? Not feeling well?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

“Then…”

“Just…tired.”

Having finished speaking, Nam-woon turned his back to Seo-oh and lay down. Seo-oh pressed close to Nam-woon’s back and tightly hugged his waist with both arms. He rubbed his smooth cheek against Nam-woon’s exposed shoulder.

“Ah, Hyung… it’s the weekend tomorrow. I was just looking forward to today.”

Seo-oh met Nam-woon’s eyes and poured out sweet affection. However, Nam-woon seemed displeased and just avoided his gaze. Usually, if he acted this cute, Nam-woon would reluctantly give in. This too was a shock.