VDN Ch 54

Just seeing the name Jin-sang made him so angry when he thought about what happened because of him.

When he checked his phone messages, his anger toward Jin-sang reached its peak. Seo-oh must have seen the messages since the rut suppressant and the phone were in the same shopping bag. All of this chaos started with Jin-sang’s actions. If Nam-woon hadn’t run into Jin-sang at the shopping center, if Jin-sang hadn’t sent those misleading messages, if Nam-woon hadn’t bought the rut suppressant.

No, it all boiled down to the fact that Nam-woon hadn’t knocked over Jin-sang’s plant in the first place.

Nam-woon thought about the past, when he thought of something strange.

“Oh no, what should we do? It’s broken.”

When the flowerpot had broken, he distinctly remembered freeing his shirt from the plant without knocking anything over. But when he turned back, the flowerpot was broken.

Did I really knock it over?

Perhaps his comfortable life with Seo-oh had made him too complacent. Nam-woon jumped up from the sofa. There were two things he needed to check right away.

First, whether that flowerpot price was real. These days, imitations are so well-made that they look like the real thing. You could find all sorts of fake luxury goods at Dongdaemun Market. The broken flowerpot pieces would have already been cleaned up and removed, but just in case, he thought he would check the trash bin behind the store.

Second, was the broken plant truly an accident? Nam-woon considered going into the store, finding witnesses, or requesting CCTV footage. Hopefully, there would be a record. And if the culprit behind the broken plant was revealed to be Jin-sang, Nam-woon would need to confront him. Why would he lie like that?

But wait, the server who had been holding wine at the time…

“When does that guy leave for work?”

***

Nam-woon waited all day in the narrow alley near Peachy Peachy. When the server finally left work, he was on the phone discussing his struggles with living expenses. Nam-woon walked up and casually bumped his arm. The server’s eyes widened as he recognized Nam-woon. With a friendly smile, Nam-woon struck up a conversation.

“I saw you at the shop, right? It looks like you’re getting off work now.”

Then he walked alongside him as if they were going in the same direction.

At first, the man who had been wary of Nam-woon with a cautious attitude soon began to pour out his difficulties in paying off his loan interest. Nam-woon sympathized and nodded in agreement, sharing some stories from his past life. When he slightly exaggerated the story of the previous world, the man comforted Nam-woon with a very serious expression.

“To be honest, on the day the plant broke, I felt a bit uncomfortable.”

His eyes welled up with tears as he spoke. Then, the server grabbed Nam-woon’s hand and recounted the events in detail.

“Ugh, I couldn’t say anything at the time. My, my apologies… That thing, the, the plant…Yes. It was the boss… Yes, the boss broke it… Ugh, I saw it all. He kicked it so fucking hard with his foot…”

As the story unfolded, Nam-woon’s expression became more fierce.

Jin-sang…You bastard.

Bang!

As he opened the door and stepped inside, someone was already seated in the office. The man lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed and leaning back looked at Nam-woon and smiled.

“Nam-woon.”

Nam-woon lowered his gaze to his cellphone. It was 1:36 AM. Nam-woon had contacted him two hours ago. Even though he was the one he least wanted to see right now, he absolutely had to meet him to wrap things up.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

Nam-woon walked right past him and roughly opened the office window. Then, picking up a can of deodorizer from the corner of the desk, he sprayed it wildly. Unable to take his eyes off the chaotic scene, Hae-geon picked up his cell phone and made a call to someone. Suddenly, a noisy, resounding vibration rang from Nam-woon’s pants pocket.

“You didn’t even block my number.”

The man’s confident demeanor irritated Nam-woon. Nam-woon stepped closer and asked directly.

“Did you scam me?”

“What scam?”

“The vase.”

“Who said so?”

Hae-geon looked up at Nam-woon with a nonchalant expression.

“You’re the one who broke the flowerpot, right? Just tell me the truth.”

“Well.”

“Are you scared because you can’t pay back the seven hundred?”

With a low laugh, Nam-woon grabbed Hae-geon by the collar aggressively.

“You bastard.”

Nam-woon’s voice was so heated he could barely hold it in.

“Are you fucking crazy? Because of the scam, because of the pheromones that got on me…fuck.”

Hae-geon, who had grabbed Nam-woon’s hand that was gripping his collar, spoke with a faint smile on his lips.

“I just wanted to see your face, but why are you so angry as soon as I get here? I feel like shit.”

He gripped the back of Nam-woon’s hand tightly.

“So what if the pheromones got on you? You don’t have anyone else you’re seeing anyway.”

“Just because I don’t have someone doesn’t mean you can get that crap all over me!”

“That crap?”

Hae-geon chuckled, lowering his eyes as if lost in thought, and murmured,

“There are plenty of people begging to get ‘that crap’ on them.”

Nam-woon couldn’t hold back any longer and swung his hand. Thwack. The man’s head jerked to the side. Perhaps not expecting to be hit, he froze for a moment before a sly smile spread across his face. Nam-woon, gritting his teeth, said,

“You scammed me, and now you’ve got this dog-like smell all over me.”

Nam-woon raised his hand again, aiming for the bridge of the man’s nose. It was a painful spot to hit, and even a slight miss could strike his nose or mouth, easily causing bleeding. But Hae-geon grabbed Nam-woon’s hand suddenly. An incredible force pressed down on his wrist.

“For texting me that shit.”

As Nam-woon tried kicking at his shins, the man used his other hand to seize the back of Nam-woon’s head with force. Then he dragged Nam-woon over to a cabinet standing by the wall and, without any mercy, jammed Nam-woon’s head into it.

Gasp. For a moment, Nam-woon was rendered speechless. The pain was bearable, but the loud thud of his head against the cabinet made him suddenly wonder if his brain might be messed up. Then, a languid voice fell from above his head.

“Even if you’re a thug, that’s too much. Unlike you, I was raised properly.”

While still gripping the back of Nam-woon’s head, Hae-geon jerked it sharply back. With his open, calloused palm, he patted Nam-woon’s head and clicked his tongue.

“Ah, this is going to swell up. Are you okay?”

The act of giving medicine after causing injury felt strangely ominous. Nam-woon struggled.

“You crazy bastard. Stop bullshitting and give me my money.”

“I can’t give it to you right now.”

“Give me back my fifty hundred thousand won!”

Hae-geon dragged Nam-woon again and threw him onto the sofa

“I’d like to give you your money too, but my cash flow’s been cut off.”

Nam-woon, getting himself to sit up on the sofa with his hair in disarray, muttered,

“So, fucker are you out of money?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” 

Nam-woon repeated the line Hae-geon had said once before. He was still boiling inside. He walked over to the desk by the window and rummaged through the drawers and bookshelves. After making a mess and searching for a while, Nam-woon pulled out a sheet of white paper and a black permanent marker from the bottom drawer. Then he plopped down on the sofa and looked up at Hae-geon.

Tap. Tap.

Nam-woon tapped the table a couple of times with the pen he was holding and gestured to the opposite side. Hae-geon slowly sat down where Nam-woon signaled. Nam-woon pushed the blank paper towards Hae-geon and said, 

“So, that means I lent you 500,000 won?” 

Nam-woon arrogantly crossed his legs and tossed the marker to Hae-geon. 

“Write it down. A Loan.”

Hae-geon, who had been expressionless for a while, suddenly burst into a clear laugh like blooming petals. “Ah, this is driving me crazy” he said, shaking his shoulders as if he were enjoying himself. Nam-woon frowned and stared at him. Hae-geon, still smiling, spoke.

“Are you trying to play loan shark with me now?”

“Loan shark? Be careful with your words. We’re operating legally.”

“Haha, alright, whatever you want.”

Hae-geon picked up the marker and scribbled. Loan. He looked like a popular actor responding to an autograph request. Nam-woon slowly ordered him like a teacher giving an order to an elementary student.

“Write it neatly. I, Jin-sang…”

At that point, Hae-geon covered his eyes with his palm and laughed cheerfully. What on hell has been making him laugh so much since earlier? Nam-woon resisted the urge to punch him again and continued dictating. Scribble, scribble. Hae-geon handed the completed loan to Nam-woon, who scrutinized it with sharp eyes. Then he got up from the sofa.

Where’s the ink pad?

In a previous world, Nam-woon had unwillingly run errands for a loan shark office. The office seniors always demanded a seal at the end. But he couldn’t find the ink pad anywhere. He didn’t really want to sign. Nam-woon reluctantly asked Hae-geon to write his name in neat handwriting, and Hae-geon complied.

“I lent you fifty thousand three weeks ago, so it’s been a month already. The original interest rate was 40%, totaling 700,000 won.”

Instead of calculating the interest with magic on a blank sheet, Nam-woon wrote down the details. Was this calculation correct? He glanced at Jin-sang and asked,

“Oh, I didn’t specify a deadline. When will you pay it back?”

“When I find Chun-gil.”

“What?”

“Chun-gil ran off with my money.”

That unique name sounded familiar.

“Hey, Chun-gil! Come quickly!” 

When Nam-woon first visited Jin-sang’s house to deliver pizza, he was greeted with a man who cursed as the door opened. It was the man. At the same time, he remembered the conversation that had been on his phone.

[It’s a bit hard to change this.]

[Between one and three o’clock on Teheran-ro, Gangnam District] 

[The second Saturday of next month]

[Two small ones] 

Nam-woon stared at the man blankly. There was no point in prolonging the contract with a guy like him anyway. It was better to finish it quickly and move on. Nam-woon got up from his seat and peeled off the flyer stuck to the wall, then placed it on the table. Hae-geon looked down at it.

[※ If you’ve lost your family, your pet, or your loved ones, we’ll find them all for you!!!!! Trust the Good People Center Agency, and we’ll do our best!!!!! ※」

“To start searching, there’s a basic fee of 1 million won. The transportation and meal expenses incurred while working, as well as overtime pay, are all paid by the client. And write it down, Chun-gil’s description.”

“Is Nam-woon trying to hustle me?”

“Do you think I just want to hustle you?”

He wanted to punch him hard, but it seemed he couldn’t do it with just his strength, so he endured the loss of dignity. Hae-geon scanned Nam-woon from head to toe, then fixed his gaze on him and said,

“There’s something I want to hustle from you too.”

“As soon as you try to hustle me for anything, you’ll be in for a long run.”

Nam-woon laughed like a demon.