This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 298

Dogun’s Perspective

Was everyone feeling perplexed by the sudden assembly?

The atmosphere of the press conference room, barely visible through the gap in the door, was buzzing with energy.

“Well, considering the reporters gathered here, I suppose that’s understandable.”

It must be puzzling to them to be called at this hour.

Perhaps that’s why, each group of acquaintances sat together, busy throwing around their speculations.

Listening to the conversations from the table closest to me…

“What on earth are we being called for?”

“Exactly! With such a deliberate summon, something must be brewing…”

“Could it possibly be related to that story circulating online?”

“The one circulating online?”

“Oh, I see you haven’t heard yet. Before I got summoned, I did a bit of digging…”

“Did a bit of digging?”

“Right! They were all buzzing about the appearance of a second Frozen, or something like that.”

“S-second Frozen?!”

It was something along those lines. It was such an unexpected topic that it caught everyone off guard, leading to surprised reactions, and the attention from all around made things a bit embarrassing.

Clearing his throat, the reporter turned slightly to avoid the waves of gazes and asked another reporter he had just been speaking to.

“Is there any credible information about that?”

“Well… I’d need to investigate further for the desk’s sake, but personally, I believe there’s a possibility.”

“Wow… A second Frozen? If that’s true, things will get wild.”

“Indeed. So, by the way… Have you heard anything specific this time?”

“Well, to be honest, I’m not quite sure what you mean…”

“Oh come on, why act coy? It’s common knowledge that Reporter Kim’s sister is affiliated with the Association.”

“Um…”

“As much as I’ve shared, are you disappointed with my response?”

“sigh That person…”

It seems Reporter Kim was feeling a bit awkward about the situation after being cornered like that. Clearing his throat softly, he added in a small voice.

“Before coming here, I did try to reach out to my sister to find out what this was about…”

“Oh really? And?”

“…She said she was busy and didn’t give me an answer.”

“Oh dear… Looks like the Association has put a gag order in place.”

“No, it didn’t feel like that; she seemed genuinely busy. I heard she had to meet someone.”

“Meeting someone, you say?”

“Yes. Although she didn’t say who.”

“Of all times, she’s gone to meet someone now…”

Amidst all these speculations going around, the door at the front of the meeting room, transformed into a press conference hall, finally opened, revealing the person responsible for arranging today’s event.

While I was down here observing the atmosphere, was Chae-rim entrusting herself to the hands of experts?

In that brief moment, Chae-rim’s appearance had transformed almost beyond recognition.

Especially striking was her sleek, form-fitting black suit that hugged her body impeccably.

I had seen her dress up before, during our trip to Busan, but this felt entirely different.

Back then, it carried a clearly deliberate air, but now it exuded a strong sense of professionalism rather than just mere glamour.

The stark contrast with her usual light attire added to the impressive gap.

To put it simply, Chae-rim, appearing in that tight-fitting suit, radiated incredible elegance.

Others who, like me, had caught sight of her around the same time, might have felt similarly.

Before Chae-rim opened the door, the atmosphere in the press conference room, which had been as rowdy as a market, fell into an eerie silence the moment she made her entrance.

Thanks to that, the only sound echoing in the conference room was the soft clicking of her shoes as she walked.

As she elegantly approached the rectangular table set at the podium, Chae-rim signaled to one of the Association’s staff seated in the moderation area…

And thus, the press conference began.

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Yoonseo’s Perspective

At that very moment, as Chae-rim led the press conference, Yoonseo found herself surrounded by numerous people, completely at their mercy.

At first?

Naturally, she intended to refuse.

With the sudden arrival of the press conference, she was too busy trying to alleviate the overwhelming tension to even think about makeup.

But she realized there was no time to spare.

So she tried to say no, but her mind changed at Chae-rim’s casual comment.

“If you’re going to be famous anyway, wouldn’t it be better to be seen as pretty?”

The moment those words struck her, a curiosity that lay buried beneath the overwhelming tension began to stir within.

So… she was honestly curious.

About that… touch of the experts.

And thus, she ultimately nodded, unaware at that time how exhausting it would be, merely sitting still and occasionally nodding her head.

While just sitting, it felt like an invisible energy was being drawn away through unseen channels.

“You mustn’t lower your head.”

“Ah, yes…!”

After enduring the bombardment, the moment she was finally liberated—

“How’s it? Was the struggle worth it?”

She had no choice but to agree.

Honestly, until the ‘finished’ echoed in her ears, she had thought there wouldn’t be much difference from doing it on her own…

But having checked the results now, she could only accept what was true.

Experts were called experts for a reason.

How to express this…

Every time she moved her hand, every time she turned her head, seeing that the reflection in the mirror mimicked her perfectly felt strange—it was definitely her, yet… somehow not herself.

It felt just that unfamiliar.

And that feeling amplified the moment she donned the prepared outfit.

Was that why?

When she finally checked her appearance in front of the mirror, an indescribable strange emotion welled up inside her.

It was hard to define that feeling right now, but… one thing was for sure, she wanted to show this to Dogun right away.

It was that stunning.

With this look, she believed she could make Dogun fall head over heels in love with her just like that.

“Don’t rub too hard or anything.”

“Right, right…”

“And also…”

Maybe because she was pouring her passion into this, she seemed to be more exhausted than before, rendering her mostly passive to the words of the one speaking to her, nodding unconsciously.

After hearing all the precautions…

She went straight to look for Dogun.

And it wasn’t long before she arrived at the venue of the press conference, and she saw Dogun’s figure right by the door.

“Sure enough…”

Even if words weren’t exchanged, was he feeling a sense of responsibility concerning this?

Or was it simply that Chae-rim, who had exited ahead of them, was mysteriously captivating and hard to take one’s eyes off?

Which of the two was the truth, she couldn’t tell for sure… but Dogun was stuck to the door leading to the press conference, unable to tear his gaze away.

And while she felt a twinge of emotion, it didn’t matter.

For this time, she was confident.

No matter who the opponent was, she could make Dogun unable to look away.

With that in mind, she began to walk slowly and carefully.

And the moment she successfully approached Dogun, making no sound at all—

“H-how’s it going?”

She reached out carefully and tapped Dogun’s shoulder, eagerly anticipating his response.