This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 104

I flinched at his words that pinpointed the current situation accurately, then subtly rolled my eyes, worried that Dad might disapprove of Dogun.

So I was watching Dad’s reaction… his response was surprisingly calm, far from what I expected.

That puzzled me, leaving me in silence.

“Hmm…? It seems like it’s true, huh?”

Another startling comment suddenly cut through the air.

“So who is it?”

I flinched again, but Dad continued without caring.

“…He’s the Student Council President at their school.”

“Let’s see, Dogun went to… Yonggang High, right?”

“Yeah…”

“If he’s the president there… Ah.”

What’s with that reaction suggesting he knows something?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn’t resist asking.

“…Do you know him?”

“Of course I do.”

How?

Could it be that he knows someone’s daughter or something?

“If he’s the Student Council President, wasn’t he the one you faced during the regular sparring last November?”

“Ah…”

“Didn’t you lose right away as soon as it started?”

Just recalling that embarrassing memory made my face flush with heat.

“Ah! Dad!”

Finding it hard to endure, I raised my voice, causing Dad to chuckle as his shoulders shook with laughter.

“Why? Are you embarrassed thinking about it now? If so, that’s great news. You won’t do that again.”

“…”

“By the way, if Dogun is hanging around that guy now… Hmm, it won’t be easy.”

I was left wondering why he’d say that.

I soon found out, as Dad spelled it out himself.

“She was definitely quite a beauty, right? She had a pretty good style, too.”

Could it be that’s why he thought it wouldn’t be easy?

“Isn’t she just the type that boys your age would like? Typically, at that age, they prefer someone older over someone their own age or younger.”

Surprisingly, that seemed to be true.

My lips pouted out of their own accord for that reason.

He can’t even side with his daughter, instead complimenting a potential rival!

“I bet you’ll tell Mom that you praised another girl.”

“Yoonseo? You know that for Dad, the only woman is your mom, right?”

“Hmph.”

There was a brief interlude, but the conversation quickly returned to its original track.

“Anyway… what I want to say is, even if she seems like a tough competitor, you’re actually in a much better position than her.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

I was curious about why he thought that.

More than anything else, I wanted to hear about that.

“Yoonseo, how long have you known Dogun? Since Kindergarten, so roughly about ten years now, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“And what about that Student Council President? Were they friends beforehand?”

“…No.”

“So they’ve only known each other for about a month now.”

Ten years, and then one month.

When I compared the two, the difference was so vast that to even put them on the same level felt absurd.

“Since they’ve only known each other for a month, that Student Council President probably is just beginning to learn about Dogun, right? What about you, Yoonseo?”

“Me…?”

“Do you know what kind of food Dogun likes?”

“Well… he likes the braised beef that you make, the rice noodles, and pancakes…”

Dogun isn’t picky at all, but if we were to pinpoint what he particularly likes, those would be it.

And he really enjoys eating kimchi stew loaded with meat alongside perfectly grilled salted mackerel for that home-cooked feel.

“Right. But does that President also know such things?”

“Hmm? Well…”

Of course not.

Those were things I naturally came to know after sharing many meals with Dogun.

“That girl definitely wouldn’t know. That’s because what you just said is part of the data accumulated naturally over ten years shared with Dogun.”

“…Ah.”

Hearing that made it clearer to me.

So that’s why Dad confidently said I had the upper hand.

“She doesn’t know what he likes, and surely she wouldn’t know about his little habits or what he dislikes, either.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

It felt like we had only been chatting non-stop, but had we actually finished preparing breakfast?

At some point, Dad was looking at me with a satisfied smile.

“You know, in this world, most things usually end up this way… especially when competing for someone’s heart, it ultimately boils down to who has more information.”

Nodding slowly, intending to remember that, Dad’s smile deepened as he continued.

“But if the game has already started, and you have far superior information compared to your opponent? Then… unless you’re really messing it up, you’re bound to win.”

“Do you think so…?”

If only that were true, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

“Of course… but having a bit of technique would also come in handy, so I’ll teach you that.”

And just as he finished that thought…

“Hmm…”

With a big yawn, Mom appeared from the hallway connecting to the master bedroom.

“What are you two talking about so early in the morning?”

“Um? Oh, it’s a secret.”

“What? Are you both leaving me out?”

“It’s not like that. There’s just… something.”

*

Dogun received a message from Yoonseo after finishing class while he was training alone with Baeksulhwa.

Since they still didn’t have proper training equipment set up, they were once again throwing everything they could call “makeshift” together to train.

And, of course, Dogun’s mobile phone was among those makeshift items.

“I really need to get some proper equipment…”

At the very least, that part felt quite urgent.

There’s no way we could rely on makeshift setups forever.

‘If it comes to it…’

Even if I have to personally request it from the school, I think it’d be better to go that route.

Of course, the seniors who felt hesitant about relying too much on the school might find it burdensome… but we couldn’t keep going with this trial-and-error training forever, could we?

Especially with little time left.

Moreover… wouldn’t it be better to approach the school directly rather than both of us students trying to do it ourselves?

I couldn’t help but think that even if I were someone from a company, a personal inquiry put in by two students wouldn’t be taken as seriously as one that came with the school’s name behind it.

Plus, since the school has a broadcasting room, if we utilized the company they hired for that to set up the equipment, we could avoid the hassle of searching for a vendor ourselves.

‘First, the senior must feel anxious as well, so I should casually bring it up during our break later…’

If she still seems burdened, I’d have to find a way to convince her before deciding to step up myself as a last resort.

Just then, my phone, which had been lazily bubbling like a stream, suddenly quieted and then started vibrating with intensity while I was lost in thought.

“Whoa, hold on. What’s this call…?”

The moment I realized the buzzing was coming from my mobile phone, I tried to end the call immediately.

But I couldn’t do that because the name on my phone screen was none other than Yoonseo.

I had already checked in on her while going to school that morning, but she was still sleeping, so I couldn’t see her face before having to leave. Therefore, when a call came from her first, I couldn’t just hang up.

More importantly… what if something unknown is happening?

Considering how much her dad cherishes her, the possibility is low, but maybe by chance, he had to leave unexpectedly, and at that moment, her health had suddenly declined, and she had to reach out to me urgently.

Thinking about that made it impossible for me to ignore the call, even knowing it might be rude to my senior.

“I’m sorry, senior. I’ll just take this call for a moment.”

“…Okay.”

Having been deeply focused and training hard, her mood dropped slightly as my call interrupted her concentration.

She nodded as if to say go ahead, though her expression gave off an air of discontent.

But I couldn’t take back my words now, so I headed to a corner of the training ground while holding my phone.

As soon as I reached that corner, I took the call and brought the phone to my ear.

“Uh, hey?”