This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 109

‘What is this?’

Are you seriously trying to provoke me right now?

If you have this much time, should you be out training to prepare for the Regular Tournament instead?

When I first heard that, I literally thought, “No way.”

It couldn’t be helped since he didn’t seem that type at all.

Thanks to that, what was once a vague uncertainty transformed into clear conviction—

“Oh, I’m sorry if I misunderstood; that’s not what I meant…”

It was right after hearing that statement.

‘So it is.’

You are trying to provoke me.

So… to put it simply, you mean to say I should just quietly train if I lost to you, right? Right now?

“I don’t know if you realize this, but even though our school and Huiseo High are close to each other, we’ve had almost no exchanges in that regard.”

“Oh…”

I couldn’t believe I was so relaxedly agreeing without knowing the hidden meaning packed in that.

Watching Dogun display that kind of demeanor was slightly ridiculous, but surprisingly, I wasn’t as angry as I thought I would be.

Rather than fury, I found myself feeling a sense of relief.

And that is because I realized through our conversation just now—

‘That person is…’

Simply someone just like me.

A regular person who sometimes feels jealousy and sometimes teases.

If that’s the case… isn’t it worth a shot compared to before?

Of course, I couldn’t claim overwhelming odds in my favor, but still, there were probably few who understood Dogun as well as I did.

Thanks to that thought, I could listen more confidently to the conversation flowing between Dogun and Baeksulhwa than I could a moment ago.

“So, I’ve been curious. Does your school do any special training or something before the Regular Tournament?”

“Hmm, that could be the case.”

“But there’s never been anyone I could really ask about it, so it’s always just been a curiosity until now. Now that it’s come to this, I thought I might as well just ask.”

As Baeksulhwa spoke, her gaze turned towards me, and Dogun, who had been looking at her, quickly followed suit.

At first, he seemed disinterested, but as the conversation flowed, I wondered if he had become curious about that too.

Unfortunately for him—

“Well… just because the Regular Tournament is right around the corner doesn’t mean we necessarily do anything special in training. Instead…”

“Instead?”

“A lot of people tend to reduce their training loads.”

Not that there was any of that happening.

“Oh really? Hmm, I suppose that makes sense…”

“To be honest, it doesn’t matter much to me whether the training load is reduced or not…”

“Hey, that’s just you, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

Cough “Never mind.”

After a brief flash of surprise that shut Dogun up, I redirected my attention back to Baeksulhwa.

“Anyway, well… thanks to that, things have been comfortable in several ways. It’s nice to find time like this.”

As I said that, I glanced at the five-tier lunch box laid out before me, and Baeksulhwa’s eyes seemed to twitch for a moment as she noticed.

Regardless of that, I shifted my gaze back to Dogun.

The timing was just right.

He seemed to be feeling a little awkward, and his previously tightly sealed lips had started to part again.

“Even so, why go this far…”

“Even so, it’s not like I didn’t want to do this. You struggled a lot because of me yesterday.”

“Still, just take it easy… you’re not fully recovered yet…”

“Come on, when was the last time I was sick?”

If my assumptions were correct, I couldn’t help but show interest.

However… I didn’t expect him to react this strongly.

“…Hmm, did something hurt after all?”

Amidst that, what truly struck me was how he kept his voice completely devoid of that emotion while appearing so serious about his brows.

Regardless of everything else, I thought that kind of endurance was genuinely impressive.

If it were me… I wouldn’t have been able to hold back here.

“Yeah, well… I suddenly felt really unwell yesterday.”

“…Is that so? But I’m glad to hear you seem fine now.”

“Well, I’m better now, but yesterday was really chaotic. I even ended up in the emergency room.”

“Exactly what I’m saying. If you’re not feeling well, just rest at home. Why go out? Do you know what I was thinking when I saw you collapse at the arcade yesterday?”

“What were you thinking?”

What would Dogun have thought when he saw me suffering yesterday?

Even amidst being busy keeping an eye on Baeksulhwa, I couldn’t let that part slip by.

So I asked—

“…Huh?”

He seemed completely caught off guard by my question, as confusion washed over his face.

“What were you thinking?”

“Uh… um… I had this thought. Anyway, I almost fainted after running to the emergency room with you on my back…”

He hurriedly tried to change the subject.

In that moment, I realized.

It wouldn’t be easy getting Dogun to confess anything.

I shifted my focus back towards Baeksulhwa for that very reason.

“So I came here to repay the favor by making a bento for you.”

“What? Was that the reason? No wonder… I was wondering why you were doing something you never do…”

“Well, that, and also because I appreciated that you stayed next to me yesterday.”

After saying that, a face of realization suddenly crossed his expression.

Then he turned towards Baeksulhwa and said:

“Oh! Just to clarify, I’d hate for you to misinterpret what I said, but Dogun was taking care of me yesterday.”

“Misinterpret? That’s something friends do all the time.”

“Right? It was a real crisis yesterday since nobody was home, and thanks to him, I made it through.”

Would that even have no impact on him?

Would he truly think it could be just a friend helping another?

‘There’s no way.’

As expected, I could see the tension subtly building around his eyes.

Riding that momentum, he opened his mouth.

“By the way, you just asked me a question, so can I ask you one too?”

“…? Sure.”

“Did you propose the temporary manager position to Dogun to cover up the recent rumors circulating around this school?”

.

.

.

“Did you propose the temporary manager position to Dogun to cover up the recent rumors circulating around this school?”

Hearing Yoonseo’s words, Baeksulhwa abruptly froze because she was in a situation where she had to answer ‘yes.’

Something felt off.

It should have just been a simple ‘yes,’ but even though I wasn’t fabricating anything, strangely, my lips wouldn’t move.

Why did I feel this way even though it was just stating facts?

What would happen if I affirmed that statement right here?

It felt like something would go wrong.

What that might be, I had no idea, but it was there.

A sense of foreboding had crawled up my spine and weighed down on my lips.

So, my mouth just wouldn’t budge—

“…Yes.”

I forced it open and replied to Yoonseo’s question.

Once I answered the question… I became curious.

Why on earth did she ask that?

“Hm, so that’s what it was…”

Just curiosity?

That wasn’t it.

If so, then the real issue must be what comes next.

“So then, what if those rumors are cleared up faster than the chairman expected?”

“Well, naturally…”

Just as I was about to answer, I felt a sudden blockage in my throat, instantly realizing I had stepped into a trap.

If things had gone according to plan…

I should have answered something like, ‘If that were the case, this relationship would have to end,’ right there.

But… that wasn’t possible.

That statement felt stuck in my throat like a fishbone, unable to escape.

When you think about it, that was such a strange thing.

It’s not like I hadn’t secured what I wanted from Dogun, at least to some extent.

So though I may hesitate, I shouldn’t feel this kind of impression… why?

There was no time to leisurely contemplate that aspect.

“Of course?”

I wasn’t given the luxury to let it slide by.

“…But what does that have to do with Yoonseo?”

“It has everything to do with her. I don’t want to see her struggling for no reason.”

“Hey, hey…”

“No, seriously. What did she do wrong that she needs to sacrifice her own free time? It’s not like anyone’s even offering her food or anything…”

In response to that statement, Dogun seemed at a loss for words.

His lips, which were slightly parted as if he were going to say something, snapped shut.

Instead, Yoonseo had become rather exuberant.

Watching that unfold, I felt my heart racing a little quicker.

Was I getting angry?

No, it wasn’t that.

It was more like…

In the midst of internally muttering like that, a revelation hit me, sudden like a downpour.

‘…Ah.’

Thus, it dawned upon me.

‘I see now.’

Somewhere along the way, I had become greedy not for Dogun as a manager, but simply for the person known as I Do-gun.