VLA | Chapter 1.1

Cha Sooha looked down at the man with a nervous expression. The man was staring blankly at the envelope and at him for quite some time. Cha Sooha started to sweat, worried that the man might open the envelope and check the amount. If the amount he gave was revealed here, it would be hard to show his face around.

If he got caught, rumors would spread in the department that he was the guy who paid a thousand won at a funeral and went for the beef soup. Honestly, that was true. Cha Sooha didn’t want to spend even a ten-thousand-won bill for a senior he wasn’t close to.

He hadn’t even planned to come to the funeral. He was just going to pass by the news in the group chat, but then his classmate Kim Taekwoon sent him a personal message.

[This place is super expensive. Went there once, haha. The beef soup was insanely good.]

How delicious could it be for someone as picky as him to say it was ‘insanely’ good? Cha Sooha couldn’t resist his curiosity about the taste. Lately, he’d been surviving on cup noodles for weeks due to tight finances.

Every penny he earned went to paying off debts, and he had to maintain appearances, which wasn’t cheap either.

All his friends were rich kids, and he didn’t want to feel inferior. Plus, he was the kind of guy who looked good in luxury brands. While some might look ridiculous in logo-heavy fashion, on Cha Sooha, it became a luxury itself.

These days, Cha Sooha was a walking Balmain.

Anyway, craving some melt-in-your-mouth beef soup and a shot of soju, Cha Sooha shamelessly headed to the funeral of his senior, Kwon Ram. With a solemn expression, he signed the guestbook and handed over the envelope containing the condolence money.

When others handed over their envelopes, the man didn’t even check their faces, but as soon as he saw the envelope with Cha Sooha’s name, he scrutinized him closely.

His face was a bit puffier than usual. The day before, he had lost all his emergency funds on sports betting. Overcome with anger, he cried, drank soju, and ate two cup noodles, which left him still swollen.

“Cha Sooha? Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me. Is there a problem?”

Just a moment ago, a classmate with a different student number went in without a word, but now he was being asked for confirmation. Cha Sooha wondered if the envelope was so thin that the color of the cash showed through.

As the man’s eyes narrowed, Cha Sooha was sure. He must have noticed it was a thousand won.

Damn it! If he knew this would happen, he would have used a more expensive envelope! Cheap things always had a reason.

“It’s nothing.”

Cha Sooha flinched at those words. The man, without further comment, smiled and put the envelope in the drawer. His voice was calm, unlike his serious face when asking for the name. Feeling uneasy, Cha Sooha went inside.

Inside, Cha Sooha stared blankly at the photo of Kwon Ram in the frame. They weren’t close, and they had only exchanged greetings once. Even if they weren’t close, he was a familiar face. He was so famous in the department that it was hard not to know him.

He was handsome, top of the class, tall, and well-built, with a strangely relaxed demeanor. He was an impressive guy by anyone’s standards. His looks were so striking that it was surprising he wasn’t a celebrity.

And suddenly, he committed suicide.

It seemed unlikely that he killed himself over financial difficulties, judging by the funeral. Kwon Ram seemed more like a wealthy son than just comfortable. If he had that life, he wouldn’t have wasted it like that. Cha Sooha thought to himself.

He wasn’t unhappy with his own looks. It was a bit much to say he was better than Kwon Ram, but he was quite popular and thought highly of himself. It was just that he had no money at home and a penchant for luxury, so he was always struggling financially.

After greeting the person who seemed to be the chief mourner, Cha Sooha bowed to Kwon Ram’s portrait. As he bowed his head to the floor, he thought for a moment.

He wished all that guy’s money could become his.

Honestly, wasn’t it true? You can’t take it with you to the afterlife. It drove him crazy thinking about the money left for Kwon Ram.

But he was just a stranger, so there was nothing he could do but feel regret. After finishing his bow, Cha Sooha got up and went to sit with his classmates who were already eating.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Kim Taekwoon, who was already there enjoying the beef soup, said. Cha Sooha poured himself a shot of soju and replied with a gloomy face.

“Well, I had to come. As a junior in the same department.”

“Oh, really?”

Kim Taekwoon, who said it was unexpected, pushed the plate of beef soup towards Cha Sooha. It wasn’t for nothing that Kim Taekwoon left that message. The quality was on a different level from the delivery beef soup he usually had. Feeling his appetite surge, Cha Sooha picked up his chopsticks. For a thousand won, it was unbelievably delicious beef soup.

Cha Sooha thought to himself that he was really glad he came.

❀ ❀ ❀

Sure, it was like that…

Cha Sooha clutched his cheek, unable to even scream. Damn, it hurt like hell.

“You don’t know Kwon Ram?”

The man who had taken his envelope with a smile just hours ago now asked in a chilling voice. Every time he answered no, a fierce punch landed. The blows were so strong that Cha Sooha felt like his brain was shaking. When his collar was grabbed again, fear made his body tremble. This guy’s punches hurt the most.

“I-I don’t know him, damn it…!”

“Then why did you come here?”

To eat beef soup, you bastard!

The truth was so pathetic it sounded like a lie. The man didn’t believe Cha Sooha’s words. What kind of grand plan did he think he had for coming to the funeral? Cha Sooha couldn’t figure it out.

“Damn it, I really came for the beef soup! Ugh!”

With a thud, a strong impact hit his stomach. It felt like his insides were being smashed with a wooden plank. Cha Sooha curled up, clutching his stomach and trembling. He was vulnerable to violence, having never used his fists in his life.

“You came to eat beef soup for a thousand won? You expect me to believe that?”

He didn’t know where they came from, but men in black suits surrounded him. At this point, it seemed like the deceased Kwon Ram had come to take revenge on him. Seeing someone eat beef soup for a thousand won at his funeral must have been too much for him to rest in peace.

The man crouched in front of the curled-up Cha Sooha and spoke in a sneering voice.

“You’re Kwon Ram’s lover, aren’t you?”

“What…?”

Cha Sooha, panting from the pain, looked up at the man. What nonsense is this?

“He hid you so well, we just found you.”

Cha Sooha asked with a bewildered face.

“I’m his lover?”

“Look at this guy, denying it again?”

It was so well-hidden that even Cha Sooha himself didn’t know. Why would he be Kwon Ram’s lover? He hadn’t even brushed fingers with him.

“Deny it, ugh!”

Before he could speak, the beating started again. Cha Sooha curled up as much as possible, protecting his head with his hands. Just when he thought they might kill him, the kicking stopped. Cha Sooha coughed and spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.

Despite the beating, he wasn’t dead yet.

“Damn, it was so real I almost believed it this time.”

“B-Because it’s true…! You’ve got the wrong person.”

As Cha Sooha replied, panting, the man gave a sly smile.

“The more you deny it, the more certain I become.”

“What?”

“You had Kwon Ram’s kid, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Huh? I-I did?”

Cha Sooha was indeed an omega, though nearly infertile.

He didn’t know where this misunderstanding started or how to correct it.

“Well, you see, I…!”

“Our boss hates that the most. Can’t stand even a grain of sand in his eye.”

That’s…

Isn’t that true for everyone?

Cha Sooha thought to himself. Whoever this boss was, of course, they’d hate having sand in their eye because it hurts. What nonsense. But he didn’t say it out loud. He’d already said enough and gotten beaten to a pulp.

“So I don’t really have any grudge against you.”

“Uh?”

Suddenly grabbed by the hair, Cha Sooha was forced to stand.

“If you’re going to blame someone, blame the dead husband.”

He couldn’t even ask who his husband was supposed to be. Cha Sooha’s mouth was gagged by the thugs.

“Mm!”

“Who told you to get involved in the adults’ money matters? Huh? Your husband. He put your name in the will. It’s not just a few million won, it’s billions. Huh?”

“Mm.”

“Because of that damn will, it’s going to Kwon Ram’s kid! Damn, you should’ve seen our boss’s face when he saw Kwon Ram’s father’s will. You should’ve seen it.”

I never got involved in the first place!

Cha Sooha screamed desperately inside, his mouth gagged.

As the man chuckled, Cha Sooha’s arms and legs were bound. No matter how much he struggled, it was useless. He was helplessly shoved into a drum.

Bent nearly in half, Cha Sooha was stuffed into the drum. With trembling eyes, he barely looked up at the man. The man clicked his tongue, lighting a cigarette.

“What a waste of a face, huh?”

“Mm, mm!”

“Even if you’re not really Kwon Ram’s lover, there’s nothing we can do. Huh? It’s just, Kwon Ram liked you so much it’s unsettling to let you live.”

“Mm! Mm! Mm!”

“If he was that desperate, he must have done it at least once. Who knows? Maybe you’ve got his kid in your belly. You’re an omega, right? So let’s just consider it a burial together.”

With a flick, the man lit the cigarette and started smoking. Cha Sooha instinctively felt his death approaching.

“Hey, pour it. This guy might pop out.”

At those words, a thick gray liquid poured into the drum. That was the last scene Cha Sooha remembered.

Damn, damn, damn.

No matter how much he shook his head, cement filled his nose. As he slowly lost consciousness, Cha Sooha thought.

If he could see that bastard Kwon Ram’s face just one more time, he wouldn’t wish for anything else.

Wondering how things ended up like this, Cha Sooha closed his eyes.

❀ ❀ ❀

If there’s a heaven, what would it be like?

Cha Sooha always wondered. But in none of his imagined heavens did it smell this bad. Was he actually in hell instead?

Cha Sooha opened his eyes with difficulty, and blinding sunlight filled his vision.

“Ugh.”

Soon, a familiar scene came into view. It was his apartment. Cha Sooha slowly looked around. Someone was lying on the floor. With a trembling body, he cautiously got up and peeked at the man’s face.

It was his best friend, Ha Kangji.