This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 197

Now that I think about it, the window in our living room is quite large.

I’d say it’s almost like a floor-to-ceiling window.

Thanks to that, the amount of sunlight pouring in was considerable, so when I was a little elementary school kid, the living room sofa was the main napping spot for Yoonseo and me.

“It’s almost like an irresistible force.”

The sunlight was just the right warmth… and the sofa I sat on was so plush… it was practically impossible not to fall asleep.

Anyway, because of how big the window was, I could easily see everything happening outside.

Like the sight of a massive truck coming to a stop right in front of our house.

And the moment I saw it, the thought that sprang to my mind was surprisingly just one.

“Ah…”

So, the moment has finally come.

This moment has indeed arrived.

And trailing behind that thought, which was almost a sigh, came a sense of ’embarrassment’.

Honestly, it couldn’t be helped.

It couldn’t be helped because I still hadn’t decided how to deal with Bora.

“What if I just…”

Ignore it altogether?

Ideally, that’s what I wanted to do.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to act on that because I wasn’t sure I could pull it off and I was worried about Bora’s reaction.

After all, she was the type of girl who would kiss a friend she hadn’t seen in ten years without a second thought.

What if she got so upset from being ignored that she flew off the handle?

At that moment, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she might do.

So it would be safer to be cautious.

Or so I thought.

Ding—dong—

For some reason, the doorbell sounded ominously today as it echoed in my ears.

When I opened the door to see outside—

“Hello?”

A greeting flew my way in a voice that was surprisingly calm.

Of course, the one greeting me was none other than Bora.

That fact left me in a daze.

And rightfully so… I mean, it was just yesterday that something happened here, and I was part of it.

“I came as promised.”

Yet there she was, acting so nonchalantly.

Was I the only one still thinking about what happened yesterday?

Judging by how Bora was acting towards me, it certainly seemed that way.

So… I started feeling a bit strange.

It was as if our roles had completely reversed.

Thanks to that, as I dazedly stood there, a group of people who clearly looked like Association Employees started to form behind Bora.

And the one standing at the forefront of that group came over to speak to me.

“Good day.”

It started with a light and polite greeting.

Then came the question of whether they could come inside to carry the luggage.

In that moment, I couldn’t immediately respond, still a bit dazed, and I could see it.

Bora’s eyebrows, which had been constantly smiling, twitched and jerked as if dissatisfied.

The instant I saw that, I instinctively sensed it.

Bora didn’t particularly like the Association employees following her around.

“Well…”

Looking at Bora’s attitude about what had happened just yesterday, it was clear her character was completely ‘my pace’.

Since that was her personality, those Association employees trailing behind her wherever she went must have felt like nothing more than monitors to her.

So it wasn’t surprising that she was reluctant about them…

“That’s enough. You can leave now.”

Caught between Bora and the Association employees, I was left feeling completely flustered.

“Bora, we still need to move the luggage.”

“I said enough.”

What was intriguing, though, was the employees’ attitude towards Bora.

You would think that employees from the Association would have some air of intimidation about them, but that wasn’t the case here at all.

Far from intimidating, they all looked busy trying to figure out how to handle Bora.

It felt oddly refreshing to see them so flustered, and it suddenly hit me where Bora’s nickname, ‘Princess,’ might have come from.

“So, what are we going to do with the stuff here?”

Wait, but even if we leave that aside—

“That… we’ll manage it ourselves, so just leave it in the front.”

Why was the arrow suddenly pointing in my direction?

And what does she mean by ‘we’?

Could it be that I was included in that ‘we’?

“No, um… Bora? No matter how you look at it, there’s too much luggage for just the two of us…”

I had just been thinking that when suddenly something slipped between my arm and side.

As I instinctively flinched at the sensation, I found my arm being pulled toward Bora as she quickly completed a hook with her arm.

“It might take some time, but we can do it slowly, right, Dogun?”

So I really was included in the ‘two’ Bora mentioned.

There was no way she would act like this otherwise.

And the moment I realized that, an overwhelming sense of awkwardness washed over me—far more intense than before.

It couldn’t be helped.

The Association employee who had been dealing with Bora and Bora, who was now occupying my side, had both been staring at me for some time.

As if saying, “You have to make a decision to end this matter,” and it was probably then that the sweat began to bead on my back.

Honestly, if I were to be completely honest, I wanted to side with the Association employees.

And who could blame me? Just yesterday, I had been through a lot during the cleaning ordeal, and I really didn’t want to go through another one today.

“Uh… well…”

That was my true intention, but in the end, I sided with Bora because supporting the employees would lead to so many complications.

For one thing… I wasn’t sure whether they had deliberately waited for this moment, but right now, only my Senior was home.

Meaning, if the Association employee tried to push their way in, it’d be hard for me to resist that.

Of course, even though Chae-rim had said she’d come back as soon as possible, she had also warned that I should call immediately if anything came up… It would still take time for her to return after I called.

Plus, there were way too many people.

Sure, that could mean there was a lot to move, but it also made me suspicious, if only a little.

What if those employees split up, with one side pretending to move luggage while the other set up something around the house?

Like surveillance devices or hidden cameras?

Not to mention that the first check Chae-rim had made when we entered yesterday was just about those very things, so in my position, I couldn’t entirely dismiss that possibility.

Thus, even as I was acutely aware it would be tough on my body, I couldn’t shake off my reluctance to let them into the house.

And then there was Bora.

It was clearly written all over her face that she wasn’t at all happy with the presence of the Association employees, so if I were to side with the employees just to make things easy for myself…

What would Bora do after they left, knowing I chose to side with someone she dislikes?

Since I was siding with Bora based purely on that, there’s no way Bora could know my reasons, so to her, my support must have been purely a joyous thing.

“You heard that, right?”

Suddenly, she took on a triumphant expression, as if she hadn’t been frowning just moments ago, and spoke to the Association employees in that manner… Admittedly, it wasn’t something I should be saying with the kind of trouble that lay ahead, but I found it somewhat amusing.

Watching that smug look on her face reminded me of when I was seven and I had gifted her a bracelet, and she’d been flaunting it to Yoonseo.

In the end, since I, too, as the house owner, had stepped in after the one being cared for, it seemed there was no longer room for the employees’ stubbornness.

The Association employee dealing with Bora took a hesitant step back with a slight sound of tension.

Having succeeded in pushing them back, Bora then declared—

“Well then, I’ll just go check out the rooms inside, so you all go ahead and leave everything here.”

And she pulled me inside the house.

As I stepped into the house being led by Bora, I suddenly heard—

“Dogun! Are you outside?”

From a distance, I heard my Senior’s voice.

“Yes! Is something wrong, Senior?”

Before I even realized I had responded, she replied—

“Um… I’m really sorry, but could you bring me two towels? There aren’t any towels in the bathroom…”

“Oh…”

Now that I think about it, I only cleaned up yesterday and didn’t bring any towels.

That made sense why I felt a bit uneasy after finishing the cleaning yesterday.

Anyway, staying wet in this winter weather for long would be quite a hassle, so I wanted to run and get those towels to my Senior.

But as I tried to—

“Hmmm…?”

Just as I was trying to pull my arm away from Bora, a near-whispery sound escaped my lips, and at the same time, Bora’s grip on my arm tightened firmly.