VDN Ch 53

Bang!

Seo-oh kicked the front gate open and strode across the yard. He opened the door, set Se-han down, and said, “Stay here for a moment,” before closing the door. Even in that brief moment, Se-han’s sobs could be heard.

Seo-oh hadn’t said a word in the taxi, but the vein bulging on his forehead showed just how angry he was. He walked out into the yard, and Nam-woon hurried after him. Seo-oh stopped just outside the gate and spoke.

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything…”

“What did you do in front of Se-han?!”

“I told you, I didn’t do anything! I just… ran into someone I know, and then, suddenly…”

Nam-woon couldn’t quite put it into words. Jin-sang had come up and talked to him, but he didn’t understand Se-han’s sudden reaction. Still, from Se-han’s behavior, it was clear Jin-sang had done something Nam-woon  didn’t know about, and it was true he’d acted threatening toward Se-han.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he’d do that.”

“You didn’t know?”

“I really don’t know what happened either. Se-han seemed really scared…”

“Of course he was. After seeing what you and that guy were doing.”

Nam-woon  frowned and looked at Seo-oh.

“What exactly do you think I did?”

“Why are you asking me? You should know.”

“I told you, I didn’t do anything! Why do you keep making me repeat myself?”

“Nothing? Then what’s that smell on you?”

Nam-woon stopped. Smell? Come to think of it, Se-han mentioned something about a smell earlier too. Looking down at Nam-woon, who was silent for a moment, Seo-oh raised his voice.

“You expect me to believe you did nothing and you’re not involved when you’re covered in that scent?”

“…Did I get pheromones on me?”

At that, Seo-oh lowered his head and let out a bitter, hollow laugh. Then he looked up, his eyes cold.

“Hey.”

It was as if he’d thrown away the word “Hyung.”

“I’ve always held back.”

“…….”

“That disgusting smell on your body, I’ve always held it in.”

Nam-woon didn’t realize that Jin-sang had smeared his pheromones on him.

He felt so sorry for Se-han, who had gotten angry on his behalf when he didn’t even know what was going on. But Seo-oh’s extremely emotional reaction was starting to make Nam-woon  angry too.

As a beta, it was only natural that Nam-woon  couldn’t detect pheromones.

And being suddenly thrown into this unfamiliar world, he wasn’t used to concepts or settings like pheromones. The novels he’d read were oddly short on descriptions and focused mostly on dialogue, so there weren’t many details about alphas, omegas, or pheromones.

“I really didn’t know. I’m a beta, you know that.”

“Yeah, maybe you didn’t know. But you—”

Seo-oh continued,

“Can you really say nothing happened with him? I’m not just talking about today.”

At that moment, the memory of what happened in the university bathroom flashed through Nam-woon ’s mind. They’d been stuck together in a cramped stall, so there had been unavoidable contact. He’d even bought Jin-sang a rut suppressant because of it. When Nam-woon  finally answered that nothing had happened, Seo-oh spoke coldly.

“Every time you open your mouth, it’s ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I didn’t do it.’ Is lying that easy for you?”

“God, this is driving me crazy.”

Nam-woon frowned and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m telling you I didn’t know because I really didn’t, and I didn’t do anything because I really didn’t. What do you want from me?”

At that, Kwon Seo-oh pulled something out of the shopping bag on the ground and threw it at Nam-woon .

Thud.

It was a rut suppressant.

As Nam-woon slowly picked it up, Kwon Seo-oh said,

“Then what is that?”

“This…”

Nam-woon fell silent. He had bought it for Seo-oh, but he hadn’t planned to give it to him like this. If he suddenly handed Seo-oh a rut suppressant, it would definitely seem strange, so he’d planned to secretly put it in the medicine box or a drawer for emergencies.

But now, explaining all this would just sound like an excuse. Still, Nam-woon decided to be honest. He lowered his head and said,

 “I bought it to give to you.”

Then Seo-oh burst into a low laugh as if he couldn’t believe it. Nam-Woon’s mood grew increasingly sour.

“You’re trying to give this to me? Are you crazy?”

“I really bought it for you. It seemed like you didn’t have any emergency medication at home.”

 “Why, did he tell you to take care of me? Because you smell like me?”

“Your smell?”

Nam-woon, who had been about to say something, fell silent. Seo-oh’s smell? Suddenly, a memory passed through his mind. Jin-sang had mentioned the smell of weeds. And sometimes, when Nam-woon was close to Seo-oh, he caught hints of grass and floral scents. Now it all makes sense. Nam-woon looked directly into Seo-oh’s eyes.

“You’re also marked on me, too?”

Seo-oh remained expressionless and didn’t answer. Ha. Nam-Woon let out a hollow laugh and then his face turned fierce.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Hey, am I some kind of object to you?”

“…….”

“And what gives you the right to be angry? You Alphas are all the same. Why would you do something like that without my permission?

 “It’s because you keep sleeping with other guys and coming back smelling like them.

“What did you just say?”

Nam-woon doubted his own ears. Seo-oh spat out the words in a low voice. 

“Why did you bring something meant for that guy’s rut here?”

“…You’re insane. Are your delusions that severe?”

He was so dumbfounded that he could hardly speak. Then Seo-oh said, ‘Really?’ and continued speaking.

“Be honest. Did you buy it for him or not?”

“I didn’t!”

He lied. However, Nam-woon was a step late, and Seo-oh looked as if he knew everything.

“Do you know what you smell like right now?”

“…….”

“An Alpha’s scent is radiating off you.”

“…….”

“Like a dog in heat.”

“Hey, Kwon Seo-oh!”

“You’re disgusting. Get out.”

Nam-woon clenched his fists.

“Fuck, do you really have that little faith in me? Why won’t you believe what I’m saying?!”

“Would you believe it if you were me?”

“Uwaaah! Don’t fight, it’s my fault.”

Se-han, who was barefoot, rushed out of the room and grabbed Seo-oh’s pant leg.

“Don’t fight. I’m sorry for crying. Please don’t be angry, Ughh.”

The commotion caused Auntie Soon-i from next door to open her gate and come outside.

“Goodness, what’s all this racket? Why are you two fighting like this?”

Auntie Soon-i came running over, scooping Se-han up into her arms as she scolded them.

“Not in front of the child! Kids remember these things when they grow up! Why shout and fight right in front of them!”

Seo-oh and Nam-woon kept glaring at each other, not even sparing a glance at Auntie Soon-i. The sound of Se-han’s heartbroken crying filled the air. The box of Riot Suppressants in Nam-woon ’s hand was crumpled beyond recognition.

“I don’t want to see you either, not anymore.”

With those final words, Nam-woon turned his back and walked away.

He heard Se-han scream loudly, but he didn’t look back and kept walking away. With a frighteningly hardened expression, he walked down the alley when suddenly he heard footsteps running after him from behind.

“Wooni…Wooni..! Don’t go…Aaaah!”

It was the sound of Se-han running. A moment later, there was a loud thud. Nam-woon quickly turned his head at the sound. Se-han was lying face down on the asphalt. The small slippers he had been wearing were all off and rolling on the ground, and the child was crying loudly while lying down. Nam-woon immediately ran to Se-han.

“Are you okay?”

After lifting Se-han from the ground, he checked his knees. They were scraped from the fall. Nam-woon felt heartbroken but didn’t show it. Se-han then burst into tears and hugged Nam-woon’s neck tightly.

“Hyung… Hyung… Don’t go. I won’t do it again.”

Nam-woon bit his lip and picked up the slippers that had fallen far away, putting them on Se-han’s small, dirt-covered feet.

“Wooni Hyung, I’m sorry. Don’t go. I’m sorry for crying.”

Se-han kept saying, but Nam-woon couldn’t give the answer the child wanted. Avoiding looking at Se-han’s crying face, he managed to say one word.

“It’s not your fault, Se-han.”

If he faced Se-han’s crying face, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to take a single step from this place.

“Hurry up and go. Hyung will be worried.”

After brushing off the dirt from Se-han’s clothes, Nam-woon turned his back, and Se-han started crying loudly, holding onto Nam-woon’s pants. The commotion even brought Grandpa Nam-nam running out in a hurry.

“What’s going on!”

Nam-woon handed Se-han to Grandpa Nam-nam and walked down the alley.

“Young man! Where are you going when Se-han is crying?”

Grandpa Nam-nam shouted from behind, and Se-han collapsed on the ground, wailing. Nam-woon couldn’t bear to look at Se-han’s tear-streaked face.

“Are you okay?”

Grandpa Nam-nam shouted from behind and Se-han collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly. He could Grandpa’s voice could be heard asking what was going on.

Nam-woon finally left the alley without looking back. He walked aimlessly for a long time and stopped in front of a traffic light. The scornful voice saying “Disgusting” and the calm voice saying “He’s a good person.” mingled and echoed in his ears, refusing to fade.

Nam-woon kept repeating to himself, “This is normal, this is how it should be.” With an expressionless face as he started walking again.

***

Nam-woon took on more work. During the day, he handled office tasks and deliveries, and late at night, he unloaded packages. It kept his mind from wandering off.

[Nam-woon-ah]

[Why didn’t you pick up the call?]

[Text me back]

Nam-woon completely ignored Jin-sang’s messages.