This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 69

The school, surprisingly, is quite closed off.

You might think, “How closed can it be? It’s not like a military base…” But what can you do?

That’s just how it is.

And the speed at which rumors spread in such a closed group is second to none.

There’s even a saying about it, isn’t there? “A word without legs travels a thousand miles.”

The origin of the rumor was something someone blurted out to grab others’ attention, purely for fun.

“Hey, by the way, did you know? It seems like the Student Council President has someone they’re dating!”

“I know this, too.”

Said in a half-hearted manner, it caught attention but failed to earn trust.

And why wouldn’t it? The subject of the rumor was none other than the ‘President’ themselves.

Later on, after a new Student Council President is elected, it might make sense, but currently, in Yeonggang High, there’s exactly one person with that title.

That would be the current Student Council President, Baeksulhwa.

As soon as those around heard the name “President,” she was the only face they could picture.

And who is Baeksulhwa, anyway? She’s not only the current President but also the sole hero candidate of Yeonggang High, someone everyone supports and admires.

Given that, most who heard the initial comment doubted that she would suddenly have a significant other.

It wasn’t that they thought, “Our Baeksulhwa could never!” in a fanboy-girl way.

Rather… it’s because this wasn’t the first time such rumors had circulated.

This was not the first occurrence of whispers claiming the President was dating or had received a confession.

And every single time, the result ended up being folly.

Thus, after having gone through the wringer so many times, it’s no wonder their reactions were nonchalant when they heard another juicy rumor.

People generally reacted like this for that reason… but this time there was a crucial difference.

Unlike previous rumors that speculated the identity of an eyewitness, this time one eyewitness was definitely clear.

“No, I saw it this morning!”

It wasn’t someone throwing out speculation; it was someone claiming they directly witnessed it.

“…Really?”

Everyone, unsure, could only ask that.

“Would I lie about it? I really saw it!”

“Then who… was the other person?”

“The other person?”

“On the guy’s side.”

There was a hint of jealousy in that voice, albeit subtle.

Because who would dare think the President, of all people, would date just anyone?

Naturally, you’d feel a twinge of jealousy thinking someone has taken that coveted spot next to her.

And luckily for Dogun, the unfortunate soul who became the source of the rumor didn’t know a bit about him.

In fact, that was understandable.

The third-year classroom is located right across from the Special Physical Education Room, and by chance, the one who witnessed their interaction was also a third-year.

But how could a third-year possibly know the face of a new freshman who had just joined a month ago?

They couldn’t even recognize the faces of their own classmates, whom they shared the building with for two years, let alone a new student who would graduate with them.

“Um, I, uh…”

Given that reality, he hesitated to respond, enough to shake the trust he had garnered.

“What’s that? You said you saw it, right?”

“No, I… I really did see it, but… it was a completely unfamiliar face…”

“So, in the end, it means you don’t know who they are?”

“I guess… it seems that way?”

The moment those words slipped from the guy’s mouth, a look of disappointment washed over those who had inadvertently perked up at the details he had shared.

As if they had made a pact, the air turned tense with unspoken feelings.

With a slight frown, the guy couldn’t help but add, “Oh!” as if realizing something.

“Thinking about it…”

“Thinking about what?”

“I think it was a new student. No, for sure, it was a new student.”

“Why do you say that?”

“…Huh?”

“No, you must have some sort of reasoning behind that.”

“Well… it’s just that… they were wearing a tie…”

A tie was infamous among the students of Yeonggang High.

Although bothersome, restrictive, and even more stifling in the summer, a tie was something students had to wear.

Now imagine wearing it every single day as a freshman.

Wouldn’t that get tiresome?

So, it made sense that even student council members, who should set an example, shy away from wearing them.

After all, among all council members, only the President wore it regularly.

But wearing a tie?

Unless that guy was a weirdo who enjoyed discomfort, he couldn’t be anything but a freshman required to wear it.

And that deduction resonated with those who were eavesdropping.

Those gathered, too, realized that besides the President, the only people who would willingly wear such discomfort could only be freshmen.

What does that imply?

If you just consider the conversation that’s happened so far, it’s almost certain the President might have a significant other, and that the boyfriend is most likely a freshman.

And honestly, that alone was enough to get the ears of everyone listening to perk up.

After all, if the guy’s words were accurate, barring some outrageous incident, this would be the biggest event for some time.

And sometimes, knowing such minor details before others can feel like a power play.

Perhaps that’s why.

Just a moment ago, those who had kept their distance, only listening, began to subtly gather around him.

“And is there anything else?”

“…Huh? More?”

And the interest pouring in from those who had gathered was overwhelming enough to leave the guy feeling flustered.

“Like, what about his height or something?”

“I think the height was similar to the President’s…”

“Really? What about the face?”

“No, I only caught a glimpse from afar!”

“Still, there must be something else.”

Perhaps it was due to his panic.

When told to share more, his brain momentarily went blank.

And it affected what he was about to say next.

“Yes! I remember… they were sweating!”

“The President was? Well…”

“No, both the President and that guy were sweating!”

The moment those words burst from him, the area fell completely silent.

If the only one sweating was the President,

It would have made sense.

Everyone at Yeonggang High knew she often pushes herself during training to prepare for the hero qualification exam.

But… if it wasn’t just the President, but that new male student was also sweating?

Why?

What on earth were they doing together in the Special Physical Education Room to end up sweating?

As many fell lost in thought, the guy realized far too late that his comment might lead to absurd misunderstandings.

With an awkward expression, he stammered, adding, “Um! I mean, it’s obvious they were just working out together, right? The President trains really… hard!”

“True… our President can be intense.”

“I happened to see her training once and it was seriously no joke.”

“Really? What was it like?”

“Her workout was spine-tingling! Just watching it gave me chills… If she asked me to do that, I’d be out in a day.”

“What? Were you shaking? You think…”

“What do you mean? Do you want to die?”

“No, nothing at all…”

Watching his classmates suddenly shift to chatting about different topics, the guy felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Seeing their reactions, he felt he had somehow managed to fix the situation.

Unbeknownst to him, though, was the aftermath that would unfold from his remarks.

What started as a mere rumor in one of the senior classrooms quickly became a sensational topic, sweeping through the entire senior year and beyond, engulfing the whole school in no time.