This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 258

Dogun’s Perspective

It’s chilly.

The gaze flies in like a dagger and pierces through me.

If it were a look of disdain from someone who truly despises me, then perhaps I wouldn’t be this flushed.

However, the astonished gaze of my older sister, who froze mid-step at the threshold, was anything but that.

And that made it all the more embarrassing.

The emotions she was feeling in this very moment were all too visible in her wildly shaking eyes.

If only I could move my body to cover up what was so blatantly exposed.

But I couldn’t move because my body felt like it had turned to stone.

How much time had passed since that heavy silence began to stretch across the room?

It seemed the scene was so shocking to her that my sister’s eyes, previously fixed on me, finally drifted away and began to gaze upward.

With her eyes now glued to the ceiling, she quietly began to retreat from the room, leaving behind the words…

“Um… S-sorry…”

Those words, which I might have ignored if it were said in a normal volume, rang so clearly in my ears it felt surreal.

As I involuntarily flinched and trembled, I heard the creaking of the door slowly closing behind her.

At last, with a click, the door’s sound echoed in the room.

And finally left alone again, I was suddenly hit by an overwhelming wave of embarrassment I had never felt before.

The feeling of humiliation washed over me like a tsunami.

How could I even begin to express this feeling?

No, was there even a word in existence that could adequately describe this?

I felt so sheepish that such thoughts crossed my mind.

Is that why…

My face felt like it was on fire.

‘Why…’

Why was this happening…

Hadn’t I just started…

But why…

Those were the only thoughts swirling in my mind.

No, I couldn’t think of anything else.

With my face, as well as my head, painfully warm, that was about the limit of my cognitive capabilities.

Even when I got scolded by Mom for something like this in my past life, I don’t think I felt this much embarrassment.

‘Well…’

That was different because the other person was family, my mother.

Now, though?

Strictly speaking, while we lived under the same roof like a family, at the end of the day, we were still essentially strangers.

Plus…

Though I’ve never explicitly shown it, I held a deep respect for Chae-rim in my heart.

She was truly someone worthy of respect.

Comparing her path as a hero to the so-called heroes of the world, it’s only natural I felt that way.

But… I had been caught in the act of self-indulgence, completely exposed in front of such a person.

How could I not feel embarrassed?

Still, if I had to pinpoint one reason to be thankful in this situation… it was that I had managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Of course, even trying to reassure myself like that didn’t really help.

As I quietly stood up and began to pull up my pants that had fallen to my knees, the sound of a knock echoed through the room, followed by a voice I didn’t want to hear at that moment.

“Um… Dogun…?”

The world’s most cautious voice.

It flowed into my ears.

I wanted to turn away even more, but… since I had already heard it, I couldn’t just ignore it, so I swallowed my nervousness and replied to the voice from beyond the door.

“…Yes.”

“Um… I’m sorry, but can I talk to you for a moment…?”

Talk? At a time like this?

I couldn’t even imagine what I’d hear if I accepted that.

As much as I wanted to refuse, I had no justification for doing so.

So in the end, I had no choice but to reply, “Alright,” and face my sister when I stepped out of the room, the first thing I heard was…

“W-what? Me too…?”

“…Yeah, honestly, I don’t think I can just leave you alone.”

It was an invitation to go to Busan together.

.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


Yoonseo’s Perspective

At the very moment Dogun was thrown into confusion by the unexpected proposal from Chae-rim, Yoonseo was pouring herself into her training on the third day of the camp.

Of course, her body was committed to training; however, her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Dogun.

As lunchtime approached, that became inevitable.

Originally?

She never intended to participate in camp.

That was because she didn’t see much benefit in it.

As proof, this was the first time she joined since entering high school.

The reason for her sudden change of heart?

It was simple.

She felt the need to make an impression early on.

Those with the title of hero candidates were the trendsetters of their classes.

So by taking this opportunity to let them know that Dogun’s seat was already taken, news would spread through the entire school in an instant.

If that rumor spread throughout the school, then there’d be no one bothering Dogun just because they saw him.

‘And…’

If she could enjoy a date-like feeling in the process, that would be killing two birds with one stone, right?

To be honest, the latter point weighed more heavily than the former.

The thing was, ever since Dogun started living with those three, the time they could spend alone together had drastically reduced.

Of course, they had plenty of time together within the school…

‘Ah, anyway…!’

I really hope lunchtime comes soon. What’s on the menu…?

Her heart, now filled with anticipation and curiosity, began to thump in an exhilarating way.

Did that excitement ripple through her surroundings?

She sensed the atmosphere within the training ground had become a tad brighter.

‘Well…’

After two days of consuming tasteless camp food focused on nutrition, anyone would feel excited at the thought of eating outside food.

Especially if that outside food was provided by her boyfriend.

The happiness that would ensue hardly needed to be pointed out.

Could this be why?

Among the candidates who had boyfriends, a subtle battle of awareness unfolded.

Seeing the dynamics, it seemed everyone was measuring who among them was more preferable than the others regarding their boyfriends.

To be honest, it was rather absurd.

Because regardless of whom they brought, there wouldn’t be anyone that could match up to Dogun.

So instead of paying too much attention to them, she decided to focus on what to say when she met Dogun later.

And while pretending to be immersed in training, she was busily simulating in her mind…

“Alright, everyone, great job training! Enjoy your lunch and let’s keep up the spirit for the afternoon training!”

“Yes—!”

At last, the morning training had come to an end.

What did that mean?

It meant Dogun would be coming soon.

So she hurried to take a shower first.

Since they had started the camp on Thursday, technically it had been almost three days since she last saw him, and she surely couldn’t show up smelling of sweat when seeing Dogun.

Having finished her shower, she quickly dried her body using her talent.

Of course… to ensure it didn’t show that she had just showered, she intentionally left her hair slightly damp.

With all preparations complete, she was applying lip gloss when suddenly—

Her mobile phone, which she had deliberately left outside, buzzed and vibrated.

Of course, attention from everyone busy with their grooming instantly turned in her direction.

Regardless of others’ gazes, she grabbed her mobile to see the message, and as expected, it was from Dogun.

It read that he was standing at the entrance of the dormitory, urging her to come down to receive the lunch box.

She quickly put her phone in her pocket and hurried toward the entrance to see Dogun standing there with a shopping bag, likely holding the lunch box.

And behind him was a familiar car parked.

How did he get here? Had Chae-rim dropped him off?

That detail was slightly nagging to her, but she brushed it off.

At first, anyway—

“Ah… I’m sorry, I have to go.”

After receiving the lunch box and engaging in small talk with Dogun, there came a moment when a casual comment from him stirred up feelings she had tried to suppress.

“Already? Can’t you stay a little longer…?”

“I’d like to, but… I really am running late…”

Running late?

At first, she didn’t understand what he meant.

Unable to grasp it, she found herself asking, “Huh? Running late?”

“Well… actually, I’ll be following my sister’s schedule.”

His sister’s schedule would certainly be the event taking place in Busan.

But… he was going to follow her?

“When are you… coming back?”

“Um… maybe tomorrow evening?”

Not just a day trip, but he was going to spend the night and return the next evening.

Of course, since it was Chae-rim, nothing too concerning would happen.

If she had to choose one among the three who lived with Dogun that she could trust, it would undoubtedly be Chae-rim.

“Oh, I really have to go. Enjoy your meal!”

“Uh, yeah…”

Even though nothing bad would happen… why was her heart racing like this?

As she watched Dogun jog toward Chae-rim’s car in the distance, she stared blankly, feeling something strange stir within her heart.