This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 424

What on earth should I even call this feeling?

It was like walking on a thin layer of ice.

Not just any thin ice, but one that seemed to have slight cracks on top.

Maybe that was why.

At any moment of neglect, it felt like my mind could fly away to some unknown place… from my perspective, I had no time to focus on anything else.

There was a reason I couldn’t just jump between the two who were locked in an intense standoff with their piercing gazes.

And while I was half-dazed, the conflict between Bora and Yoonseo steadily escalated—

“Th-that’s enough!”

It had reached a point where I couldn’t just stand by without intervening.

With a voice that sounded urgent even to my ears, I stepped in, realizing how the two were poised to lunge at each other at any moment.

…Timing for intervention was slightly off.

If I intended to butt in?

I should have done so much earlier.

If I hadn’t stuttered and hesitated, then perhaps the conflict wouldn’t have escalated this far.

Of course… I know.

That it was just a stopgap measure.

Given how things had unfolded, the conflict might have been resolved to some extent, but it wouldn’t have been thoroughly relieved.

And in the end, whatever remained unresolved was left in their hearts—an ingredient for a ticking time bomb.

“Um… I see both of you are a bit too worked up…”

Even though I knew that perfectly well, I chose to keep talking… because I couldn’t just leave them like this.

Honestly, how could I?

If things continued as they were, it wouldn’t be strange at all for them to grab each other’s hair and fight.

So how could I shatter this situation?

“How about both of you take a moment to cool off and get some fresh air…?”

I needed to separate them for a bit.

Given that their emotions had already soured completely, staying close would only amplify their anger towards each other.

So I suggested it, and—was Bora thinking something similar to me?

“…Yeah.”

Bora was the first to agree to my cautious proposal.

“That sounds good.”

With that final word, she exited the hospital room without giving me a chance to stop her.

I was left staring blankly at the hospital door.

“If you’re going to look that longingly, why not just go after her?”

A voice, sharp like it hadn’t been heard in a long time, jabbed at my ears.

I jumped slightly at the sudden sound—

“Why are you so angry…?”

Getting back to my senses, I began to placate Yoonseo, who had briefly flared up.

“Does it not look like I should be? You saw how Bora spoke.”

“Hmm… that’s true…”

Bora had indeed shot back quite sharply.

A number of remarks had crossed lines too.

So, I had to admit that part to some extent, but in the end, wasn’t Yoonseo the one who struck first?

I had a whole retort clinging to my throat but swallowed it down instead.

Because right now, it was pointless to bring that up.

What was needed now?

Not facts, but ’empathy.’

“Indeed… Bora’s words were a bit sharp.”

By subtly siding with Yoonseo, I found the effect to be significant.

Evidence of that was how Yoonseo’s expression brightened a bit compared to before.

“So that’s what I meant.”

And that was precisely the moment I had been waiting for.

“By the way… do you have anything you want to tell me?”

“Something to say? What?”

“Don’t answer right away! Think about it carefully. I’m sure there’s something important you want to say…”

“What do you mean? If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?”

“Oh really?”

I didn’t expect her to say she wouldn’t know even after all that.

“Is that so…?”

Then there’s nothing I can do about it.

If she doesn’t know, I have to enlighten her.

Clunk—

“What about this?”

I picked something up that caught my eye and waved it at Yoonseo.

“Do you not understand this?”

And just as I showed her the handcuffs that had been rolling around, her eyes trembled like there was an earthquake.

Well, from Yoonseo’s perspective, that was only natural.

Honestly, she couldn’t respond any other way… especially after that slap of revelation had struck her.

And when that topic came up?

Yoonseo could never stand tall.

“Th-that’s…”

Just as I expected, the sight of me shaking the handcuffs in front of Yoonseo made her expression shrink, as if she had stumbled upon a report card she thought was hidden away.

In the past, she would have flared up in situations like this…

But maybe she learned some responsibility as she aged, allowing her to finally recognize her own mistakes.

Anyway, seeing Yoonseo who looked so much more deflated compared to earlier, I continued.

“Honestly… I tried to understand the blindfold a bit.”

“…”

“As you said, it might be something to be curious about… and I thought a blindfold was somewhat… reasonable.”

“Oh, haha…”

“But what about the handcuffs?”

While saying this, I shook the very handcuffs I held, and with every movement, they clanked noisily.

And maybe to Yoonseo, the sound resonated like thunder.

Even more than before, Yoonseo began to cower further.

“Since we’re at it, I might as well ask—are you doing anything weird?”

Perhaps she couldn’t bear the thought of being misunderstood like that.

Yoonseo, who had been staring at the ground, suddenly shot her head up with a face full of grievance.

“N-no, I’m not?!”

“Then what on earth is this?”

“Th-that’s… umm…”

Let’s see how she tries to explain this.

It was clear that Yoonseo was flustered by her current situation, stuttering as she struggled to find her words.

“You started first…!”

“I started first?”

“You did something wrong!”

“Me? I did?!”

“I mean, you’re messing with Chae-rim and now even Baeksulhwa…!”

“So you thought using this to fix my behavior was a good idea?”

“…Yeah!”

Was it strange to feel that her flustered look was a bit cute?

Anyway, with Yoonseo coming out with that, I certainly found myself momentarily at a loss for words.

I, who had been influenced by the Senior’s kindness towards me, couldn’t just turn a blind eye, but from Yoonseo and Chae-rim’s perspectives, I was nothing more than a scoundrel unable to keep my lower half in check.

Because of that, I fell silent for a moment, and when Yoonseo noticed my suddenly quiet demeanor, she grew all too proud.

“See? If you put it that way, you have nothing to say either!”

“No… even so, treating me like a criminal…”

“I never treated you like one?!”

“Suddenly putting handcuffs on a perfectly fine person is treating them like a criminal, isn’t it?”

“If you look at it that way, people with that kind of preference are all criminals, then?”

“If that’s Yoonseo’s idea of preference, that’s fine. But I’m not into that.”

“It seems you’re enjoying this situation quite a lot, though?”

“What?! When did I? Do you have proof?”

“Then what was that?”

“That? Just… that thing.”

Is she embarrassed?

Her face turned a deep shade of red as she looked down shyly.