This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 293

Yoonseo’s Perspective

Could it be that I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long?

The sensations that spread from our connected lips were not just special; they were extraordinary.

I couldn’t help but lose myself in that moment.

“Huuh, um…♡”

In that chaotic blur, we repeated the act of kissing, sticking our lips together and parting again.

Ding ding ding—

At some point, the ringing of the phone cut through my thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

As a result of that disturbance, I felt a bit dazed… and to my side, Dogun reached for the receiver hanging on the wall and held it to his ear.

“Yes, yes, yes, I understand.”

I wondered what it was about.

It was only when Dogun placed the receiver back that he spoke up.

“Counter?”

“Yeah.”

“So, what did they call about?”

“Um… they mentioned we only have ten minutes left. They wanted to know if we are extending our time.”

Honestly, when he first said that?

I couldn’t believe it.

It seemed impossible.

How could it be that only two hours had passed since we came in?

At first, I believed that… but as I automatically picked up my mobile phone and checked the time, I realized it was true.

Indeed, that absurd situation had actually occurred.

But how did the time slip away like this?

Now that I think about it, the sounds from the movie that had been pouring into my ears had suddenly stopped.

And with that realization of reality… I hesitated to answer Dogun.

It was natural to feel that way since, truth be told, I wanted to spend hours like this.

The sensation of my first kiss was so special that my heart raced.

It was probably possible because it was with Dogun, and because I had been waiting for this moment for so long.

As much as I wanted to remain like this… it probably couldn’t happen.

What was the reason for going out today, even if it was with Chae-rim, who I had to somewhat forcefully drag along?

It was to freely wander about and ease some of the stress that Dogun might have been feeling.

But we couldn’t spend all our time in this cramped little room.

So, suppressing the ‘I wish this could continue’ feeling, I left the shop with Dogun.

And as we stepped out into the cold wind…

It hit me, and I sharply regained my consciousness.

Then, I realized what I had been doing just moments before.

“Ugh…!”

Was it because I suddenly came to that realization?

Or was it due to the biting cold wind that blew even fiercer than before?

My face flushed hot, and I could feel warmth spreading throughout my cheeks.

I thought once again about how I was glad I had worn a scarf.

What if I hadn’t worn it?

Just like before and even now, I wouldn’t have been able to cover my face with my scarf like this.

With my neck slightly hunched, I followed Dogun as we walked.

“Wow, it’s already past nine…”

Those words, impossible to overlook, reached my ears.

If I didn’t respond at all, soon enough Dogun would say something like, “It’s getting late; how about we head back?”

That couldn’t happen.

This was an opportunity I fought for… I couldn’t let it slip away.

Besides, it had only been three hours.

Even if there weren’t any places nearby, it was a Friday night, and nine o’clock was more like prime time than late.

Look around.

The sky is darkening, but the number of people wandering is several times more than when we arrived.

And to just end it all because it was ‘getting late’ would be unfair.

Most importantly… the longer I spent with Dogun, the more chances I would have for that ‘thing’ we did earlier.

That ‘thing’ being the kiss.

“So…! How about we go check that place over there?”

As I quickly scanned the surroundings, I spotted something that could catch Dogun’s interest and pointed at it with my finger, all for that purpose.

“Huh? Where?”

“Over there.”

“What? The arcade? You wanna go there?”

“…Yeah.”

What more can I say?

I was pointing at the big arcade.

Why that place, you ask?

Well, obviously because it was one of Dogun’s favorite spots.

So, putting everything else aside, I pointed straight at it… and, just as expected, an expression of interest began to dance across Dogun’s face.

“I’m fine with it, but… are you sure?”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean, you… always get upset after losing to me…”

“I, I never!”

Even though I said that immediately, I had indeed done that a few times.

Of course, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“When did I? That happened last time and the time before that too…”

“Ah, enough already…! So are we going or not?”

“Um…”

“Why are you hesitating? Could it be… are you nervous?”

“Huh…! I don’t know what confidence you think you have…”

For some reason, Dogun, who was unusually proud in this area, easily took the bait of my provocation.

Thanks to that, our next destination was naturally decided as the big arcade I had pointed out before.

“Whoa… there are so many things! And maybe that’s why, but there are a lot of people too…”

“Y-Yeah…?”

That was a bit unexpected.

Considering how much was around, I thought there wouldn’t be many couples coming here.

But here we are.

The arcade was buzzing with a considerable number of couples.

For someone hoping for a relatively quiet atmosphere, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed… but it couldn’t be helped.

We had already come in.

“So… what do you want to do first?”

“Huh? I get to choose?”

“Isn’t it fair if the challenger gets to choose? Or should I just pick.”

Apart from that, it was impossible not to find his grin, looking like he had already won, a bit infuriating.

So I thought to myself that I would like to crush that smirk.

‘Honestly…’

If only I could win just once, I wouldn’t care for anything else.

With that hope in mind, I looked around the arcade for something interesting.

That was when I noticed a couple in front of a screen, holding short sticks and rhythmically hitting a small drum.

It seemed to be a rhythm-based game, and I thought… it could be worth a shot.

“Then… how about that one!”

“Oh, is that Taiko? That’s fun!”

Of course, that thought didn’t last long because, just as I pointed, Dogun was already speaking.

But I thought I could still try it, not expecting him to have played it before.

“What? You’ve played it…?”

“Uh, well… not much, just once or twice.”

Just like that, the words I had prepared, ‘How about the loser grants the winner a wish?’ vanished into thin air as if they never existed.

‘Geez…’

With a hint of disappointment, I pouted a bit.

“Ah, I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”

That was when Dogun, who had been standing beside me waiting his turn, spoke up.

I nodded, signaling him to go ahead, and he hurried into the arcade.

‘How long will he take…?’

I hoped it wouldn’t take too long…

Thinking that, I kept glancing in the direction Dogun had disappeared when, not long after, he reappeared.

Considering it was his first time here and so many people were around, perhaps it was tough for him to find his way.

As he fumbled around, looking for something, I waved my hand to catch his attention, and soon he noticed and came running over with a slightly relieved expression.

Back at his side, I naturally took hold of Dogun’s hand—

“You know what, Dogun…”

I asked, pretending to look a bit bored while gazing at the couple in front of us.

“Where exactly did you go?”