This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 349

It was purely by chance that I found out Dogun liked to take naps for an hour or two around lunchtime.

In other words, I never went out of my way to discover that.

The very first time I learned about it, my schedule had been unexpectedly free for about three hours because a dispatch request that had come in was suddenly canceled.

Of course, such occurrences aren’t common.

After all, there are limits to the personnel available, and the penalties for false reporters or prank callers from the Association are absolutely enormous.

So while it wasn’t something that happened frequently, it wasn’t surprising either since it would happen about once every time I’d almost forgotten.

Thanks to that, I wasn’t extremely shocked, but since my schedule had suddenly opened by three hours, I decided to go home and rest instead of just hanging out at the Association’s Rest Area like I usually do during lunch breaks.

The Rest Area, which was fully equipped for the convenience of heroes, was comfortable enough, but I thought it couldn’t compare to my own space, ‘my room,’ where I could truly be alone.

So I figured I’d go home for a nice hot shower and maybe take a nap for a couple of hours when I arrived… only to find something shocking.

There was Dogun, sound asleep, looking utterly defenseless, as if the world couldn’t harm him.

Had he just fallen asleep while watching TV?

The TV opposite the couch where Dogun lay was turned off, so it didn’t seem like that was the case.

Anyway, he looked peaceful in his slumber, but seeing Dogun’s face properly for the first time in several years made my heart start racing like back in the day.

Perhaps that’s why, like I was mesmerized, I sneaked closer to where Dogun was sleeping.

And as I looked down at Dogun’s face, so defenseless in his sleep, I felt something welling up from deep inside me that I couldn’t suppress.

So, without further thought… despite knowing I shouldn’t, I stealthily stole a kiss from Dogun’s lips.

For a moment, I pressed my lips against his very gently, as if leaving a mark, when I soon realized what I was actually doing.

I jerked back in shock, backing away to create some distance.

And creating that distance brought forth the realization of something I had never felt before—a complicated, hard-to-define emotion.

A mix of guilt for doing something I shouldn’t, the embarrassment that stemmed from it, and the feelings of joy and longing that had slowly resurfaced after being buried for a long time, along with a small but potent sense of thrill that carried an overwhelming sensation of corruption.

All those emotions intertwined, sending shivers down my spine.

It was at that moment that the sleeping Dogun began to stir as if he might wake up any moment.

Did my movement wake him?

What was clear was that I absolutely could not let Dogun discover these feelings and the sneaky action I had just committed.

If I were to be found out, it was obvious what kind of treatment I would get.

Thus, when Dogun woke up, I shot cold remarks at him out of sheer instinct.

And perhaps that cold retort had some effect, because after that day, Dogun would consistently retreat to his room to take naps.

The problem was… that the actions I had taken while Dogun was sleeping and all the feelings that arose from it had not left my mind for weeks.

After some weeks of tormenting my thoughts, I reached the conclusion that I was okay as long as I didn’t get caught.

‘That’s right… as long as I don’t get caught…’

Just like now, I deliberately timed my rest breaks to coincide with Dogun’s naptime, and began popping by the house now and then since then.

That’s right, as long as I don’t get caught, it’s all good.

Getting caught means it would all come to an end, but I thought that if I worked hard, I wouldn’t be found out. Initially, I felt anxious that Dogun might wake up, but now I was somewhat adept at it, and could confidently say I wouldn’t get caught in most situations.

Huu…

As expected, lunchtime at home was eerily quiet, like a mouse was dead.

Of course, that made sense.

At this hour, Chae-rim and Baeksulhwa were both busy working at the Association.

And as long as those two weren’t around, the next concern was Bora’s presence. I wanted to head straight to Dogun’s room, but I had to check that before anything else, so I forced my feet towards Bora’s room.

‘If she’s in her room, what excuse should I make…?’

Ah, since it’s lunchtime, should I say I came to check if she wanted to grab something to eat?

Yeah, that seemed like a good plan.

If I used that as an excuse, I’d significantly reduce the chances of raising any unnecessary suspicions.

Despite preparing a fitting excuse for the situation, Bora’s room was empty.

In hopes that it was just my imagination, I checked other rooms, but they were all vacant as well.

If she wasn’t home, then she must have gone to the studio we prepared last time.

If that was the case, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.

One of Dogun’s traits was that once he fell asleep, he would sleep so deeply he wouldn’t even notice if someone carried him away. Yet, he was apparently very sensitive to alarms, so I needed to enjoy this moment as much as possible before whatever alarm he had set went off.

With time ticking down on the alarm, wasting it on pointless concerns would be foolish!

So, I headed towards Dogun’s room where I had just passed by.

As I arrived, I cautiously placed my ear against the firmly closed door.

I wondered how long I stood there.

Just as I started to feel that the already quiet house had become even quieter than before, I finally began to hear the sound I had been waiting for.

That sound was none other than someone’s breathing.

Reassured by this soft, regular rhythm that indicated Dogun was sound asleep, I carefully pulled my ear away from the door.

Now that I confirmed the owner of the room was asleep, it was time to go in.

Despite having done this several times, I was more nervous now than ever.

Of course, I had no intention of stopping.

I slowly reached for the doorknob and placed my hand on it.

With caution to avoid making any sound, I turned it down slowly.

And just like that… the door opened.

The door leading into Dogun’s room.

And as I slipped through the gap of the door, the first thing that reached me was the familiar yet longed-for scent.

A cool and refreshing smell that seemed like it belonged in a forest.

That aroma filled the room.

However… what was different this time was that between those smells was a mix of something I could only describe as risqué.

Thanks to that, my heart throbbed a bit, but it calmed quickly.

That was understandable, as this unique fragrance emerging from Dogun’s room was also partly my doing.

As I savored that somewhat suggestive scent, I made my way slowly across Dogun’s room towards his bed where he lay sleeping.

Every time I enter Dogun’s room, I think how the only downside of moving to this place is that it’s just too spacious.

In my previous place, I could reach the bed in about three steps, but here, it takes at least seven steps.

After exactly seven steps…

“Ugh…”

I arrived right in front of the peacefully sleeping Dogun.