VDN Ch 199

The classroom he returned to was bustling again as though nothing had happened. Among the lively chatter of the students, Nam-woon sat alone. Except for the class president in the morning and a few students pretending to be friendly during break, no one approached him.

Seo-oh spent the entire day taking classes with Nam-woon. He helped Nam-woon solve problems in his notebook, where he scribbled aimlessly, and for the first time, he wrote down random thoughts like doodles for the first time.

[Nam-woon-ah.]

[Do you want to go to the library with me after school?]

[You don’t even notice I’m next to you]

[idiot haha」

Nam-woon didn’t see Seo-oh’s writing. 

[Seok Nam-woon.]

[I like you.]

Even to the confession he blurted out playfully, there was still no reply. So Seo-oh became Nam-woon’s seatmate and followed him around everywhere. He advised him to eat a balanced meal next to him while he ate alone and even opened his mouth to ask to be fed when Nam-woon picked up a delicious side dish.

“If we had a bike, Hyung would give me a ride home, right?”

“……”

Nam-woon never smiled even once. Hyung’s smile is really cute. Why doesn’t he show it? I want to see Hyung smile. I felt a sharp pain shot through my chest, again.

Nam-woon, who had worked hard, had already opened his own taiyaki shop. He looked much brighter than before.

After dealing with a rush of elementary school students, Nam-woon was reading something with a serious face, his back to the setting sun. Flap, flap. Nam-woon flipped through the paper and put it down on the desk, muttering to himself.

“Tsk. They say even old straw sandals have a pair.”

Then he suddenly snapped his head up. Seo-oh’s eyes widened. It really looked like Nam-woon was looking at him, who was right across from him.

“Does my soulmate even exist in this world?”

“…I’m right here.” 

Seo-oh replied softly. At that moment, Nam-woon suddenly looked startled and began glancing around frantically. As if searching for something. Seo-oh looked at Nam-woon as if he was engraving it in his eyes and spoke softly once more.

“The person Hyung likes is right in front of you.”

Nam-woon suddenly looked directly at Seo-oh. Yes, this time it wasn’t an illusion. Their eyes really met. Seo-oh, who had been quietly staring at the surprised Nam-woon, gave him a faint smile.

Blink. Blink

His eyelids moved slowly. What is this? Is this our house? The dream was still so vivid that he couldn’t quite distinguish whether where he was now was a dream or reality. Then, he heard a voice beside him.

“Are you awake?”

He turned his head sharply and saw Nam-woon picking up a grape from a bowl. Nam-woon looked at Seo-oh with an indifferent face and said,

“Second period is English. If you’re awake, hurry up and read your English book.”

“……”

Seo-oh stared at Nam-woon with his mouth slightly open, saying nothing. Nam-woon gave him a puzzled look at his lack of response.

“What are you doing? I told you to read the book.”

Seo-oh jumped up from his seat, taking in everything about Nam-woon. He naturally recalled how similar and yet how different Nam-woon was from the past. The long eyes, the sharp nose, the rosy lips… He looked just like before, but a little more mature than back then.  

“Do you want a grape?”

Thinking that Seo-oh’s intense gaze was because of the grapes, Nam-woon reached out his hand. Soon, a large grape was popped into his mouth. He bit it reflexively and the refreshing juice burst out. Nam-woon smiled and said,  

“The ones you bought are really sweet. They’re delicious.”

Hyung’s smiling face. Suddenly, his heart tightened. Seo-oh couldn’t hold it in and hugged Nam-woon tightly. Surprised by the sudden gesture, Nam-woon called his name, “Kwon Seo-oh?”

His chest prickled. It was the same pain he felt in his dream. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but Seo-oh was certain that what he had seen in the dream was Nam-woon’s real past. All of those scenes were traces of Nam-woon’s life.

Seo-oh hugged Nam-woon tightly and deeply inhaled the scent he had so longed to smell in the dream.

“It’s sweet. It tastes even better because Hyung gave it to me.”

“What is it?”

Nam-woon chuckled lightly as if he were being silly and pushed Seo-oh away. Then he picked something up from the floor and tossed it into Seo-oh’s arms.  

「EBS College Scholastic Ability Test English Textbook.」

Only then did Seo-oh recall the situation right before he fell asleep. Seo-oh had been reading a high school book to Hope. Of course, it wasn’t his own will but rather because of Nam-woon’s nagging.  

Seo-oh stared down at the workbook and asked the question he had been wanting to ask.

“Hyung, do you really have to go this far?”

“Of course. Hope absolutely needs early education.”

Nam-woon, under the guise of prenatal education, had instructed Seo-oh to read all the subjects. Along with an incomprehensible statement that it might be less effective if he read them himself. Seo-oh pushed the workbook aside and spoke again.

“Why are you so obsessed with education? You’re not usually like this, Hyung”  

“I have no choice. What if Hope takes after me?”

“What?”  

Seo-oh’s eyes widened at Nam-woon’s words. Nam-woon stuffed grapes into his cheeks and chewed while narrowing his brows. His serious expression seemed to be sincere. After swallowing the many grapes, Nam-woon said in a grave voice.

“It would be great if he took after you, Seo-oh… but just in case, I’m preparing in advance.”

“What are you talking about? Why shouldn’t he be like you, Hyung?”

“That’s…”

As Nam-woon spoke, he suddenly looked away.  

“I’m actually not very smart.”

“……”

His tone was as if he was making a once-in-a-lifetime confession. Actually, I already knew that to some extent… While Seo-oh struggled to swallow his response, Nam-woon continued speaking.

“And I didn’t have any friends.”

Seo-oh paused at the following confession. He had asked about Nam-woon’s school days before. What had Nam-woon said back then? He had answered that there wasn’t much to say and that he had grown up normally. At that time, Seo-oh hadn’t understood why Nam-woon kept emphasizing how “normal” his life was.

But now he understood. He knew what kind of childhood Nam-woon had experienced and why he never shared it with Seo-oh.

A person who was painfully good and kind. 

How did such a person come into my life? 

And why couldn’t I have noticed and embraced Nam-woon faster?

Seo-oh was filled with indescribable emotions as he looked at Nam-woon. Affection and regret mixed together, and something welled up from deep within him. Seo-oh composed himself and spoke.

“Hyung probably pushed them away. The other kids probably wanted to be friends with you.”

“With me? Nah, no way.”

No, I saw it. Seo-oh swallowed those words. He remembered the class president who had spoken to Nam-woon. There were probably many others like that.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have left you alone at school.”  

“You?”  

Nam-woon asked, laughing suddenly as if he found Seo-oh’s words amusing. But he was serious. Seo-oh recalled the scene from his dream where he sat next to Nam-woon during class. It was painful watching Nam-woon’s past, but ironically, it was nice attending class beside him. Seo-oh kept a serious expression, despite Nam-woon’s playful attitude.

“Yeah. If it were me, I would have done everything with you. Whether it was being on duty, cleaning, studying, or anything”.

“Sure you would have.”

Nam-woon didn’t seem to believe Seo-oh’s words. Why didn’t he believe it? Was it because he had disliked Nam-woon when they first met, thinking he was that other Seok Nam-woon? Feeling somewhat wronged, Seo-oh pouted and blurted out,

“It’s because I didn’t know it was you back then. But if I had gone to school with you, I would’ve started dating you right away.”

“Puhahaha.”

Nam-woon burst out laughing as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Seo-oh leaned in close, right in front of Nam-woon’s face, and continued speaking.

“I’m serious. I would have confessed to you first.”

“Are you a fool? Over there, it’s weird if a guy confesses to another guy.”

“What… why?”

That was an unexpected remark. Nam-woon pondered Seo-oh’s question for a moment with a somewhat serious expression, then ruffled his hair as if it were complicated to explain.

“It’s not that it’s weird… it’s just different. The other kids might make fun of you.”

“I don’t care if I get made fun of. Hyung is the most important person to me.”

“……”

The smile slightly faded from Nam-woon’s lips. Seo-oh still gazed at Nam-woon with a firm look in his eyes.

“No matter what anyone says, it doesn’t matter. My feelings for you won’t change.”

Nam-woon didn’t smile anymore. He stared blankly at Seo-o, pressing his lips together tightly. His slightly plump cheeks flushed with a pretty color, and his eyes seemed to turn a little red. Nam-woon met Seo-oh’s gaze and quietly said,  

“I really wish you had been there. Then I would have had fun too.”  

“Yeah. I wish I had come to you sooner.”  

Seo-oh gently stroked Nam-woon’s face, which held a hint of loneliness, and said in a firm tone,

“We’d have been together from a very young age. If you’re cold, I’ll hug you, and if you’re hungry, I’ll cook for you. If Hyung cries, I’ll cry with you, and if there are people who bully Hyung, I’ll beat them all up.”

“…Beat them up?”

There was laughter mixed in his questioning tone. Seo-oh hugged Nam-woon even tighter and continued speaking.

“I’ll do all the hard work. Hyung wouldn’t have to do anything, just leave it all to me and just play.”

“Haha, really?”

“Yes, because I love you very much.”

“……”

Nam-woon’s laughter faded. When Seo-oh pulled back slightly to look at him, Nam-woon’s eyes were even redder than before. His throat bobbed as if he were swallowing something down. Nam-woon lowered his gaze, his eyes not wanting to show his face to Seo-oh. His soft, fluttering hair tickled Seo-oh’s cheek. After a moment, Nam-woon’s sweet voice reached his ear.

“I think it’s lucky that I met you.”  

Their hearts touched and overlapped. The warmth in their embrace was full of love.

“Thank you for coming to me, Hyung.”  

Seo-oh confessed to Nam-woon with all his heart. Nam-woon, with reddened eyes, softly smiled and ruffled Seo-oh’s hair. I love you. A small whisper tickled in his ear.

<The Villain Doesn’t Want to Be Noticed Side Story, End>