This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 439

Is it like the sight of a moth being drawn to a light?

At that very moment, Dogun, captivated by Chae-rim’s allure, was trying hard to get just a little closer to her.

Despite it being quite late, Yoonseo was outside.

Surrounding Yoonseo was the unmistakable sound of frying something…

How could it be anything else?

Yoonseo was none other than at the Chicken Restaurant.

And not just any Chicken Restaurant.

It was a place bursting with memories that dated back to her childhood and high school days—it was hard to define it as just a regular Chicken Restaurant.

She used to visit it often with friends, especially Dogun… The fact that she was crossing the neighborhood just to come here at such an hour was precisely because of that.

That’s because Dogun, who usually puts on a mature facade, had a mature palate as well, and one of his favorite things was the chicken they served here.

To be precise, it should be called “traditional fried chicken.”

What more can I say?

Dogun was more of a traditional fried chicken fan than a regular chicken one.

Previously, they had a conversation about it, and he mentioned that he didn’t like thick batter, which is why he preferred traditional fried chicken.

And the traditional fried chicken sold here was his all-time favorite.

With each big bite, the crispy batter crumbled apart, bursting with savory juices, perfectly infused with spicy seasoning—it never got boring, even with repeated helpings.

Hence, she had made it all the way here.

It didn’t look much different from traditional fried chicken served at other restaurants, but as soon as Dogun takes a bite, he’d immediately recognize it as coming from this shop.

And what happens then?

Naturally, they could reminisce about their shared memories.

‘Given that… today must’ve been a hassle because of me…’


Considering that this one move could double as an apology for that, it was truly killing two birds with one stone.

But then again, the visiting hours set by the hospital would have ended, making it hard to go inside. So what good would it do?

To her surprise, it turned out that such efforts were worthwhile.

Unlike regular wards where the regulations were quite strict, the VIP Ward where Dogun was hospitalized offered more flexibility due to the identity of its visitors.

To put it simply, although they ostensibly followed the rules, there was enough leeway to get around them if one desired to.

This was almost to be expected.

The VIP Ward was frequented by executives of large corporations, after all.

What happens if the visiting rules were applied as strictly as in a regular ward?

To put it bluntly, if something went wrong at the company late at night and visits were not permitted, it could prevent proper responses.

Naturally, the responsibility would fall back on the hospital side.

Considering these points…?

If they put their minds to it, visiting at night was certainly possible in the VIP Ward.

Everyone was presumably serious about following the rules, but as it stood, that was the case.

‘So there shouldn’t be any blockages…’


She had consistently worked behind the scenes to ensure she could gain access to late-night visiting hours.

Every time she visited to see Dogun, she would buy beverages or light snacks from a nearby cafe to bring along.

With that kind of ongoing goodwill established?

There probably wouldn’t be any cutoff from the doctors or nurses.

So, the only issue would be getting through the hospital entrance, but that was a matter of using the VIP ward’s dedicated entrance.

In that sense—

“How much longer?”

“Hey, I still need to fry for another five minutes!”

“You said five minutes earlier too.”

“Did I? Anyway! Rushing me won’t help. I’m not the one frying the chicken, you know.”

If it wasn’t her frying the chicken, then who was?

“I’m just dunking the chicken in oil; the frying is up to the oil. So if you want to rush me, talk to that side.”

If she got pushed every time, she always had that sort of line ready—it was truly consistent of her.

“By the way, why are you here alone? Didn’t you always stick by that… Dogun or whatever guy?”

Her teasing tone prodded at something that could be sensitive depending on who she was speaking to.

“If it’s Dogun, he’s at the hospital.”

“Why? Is he sick?”

“No, not like that… He just said he had some tests to undergo.”

“I see?”

As the casual catch-up conversation flowed, the chicken, plummeting into the oil, was making subtle sizzling sounds as it was being fried.

In tune with that, the delicious smell, only found in freshly fried food, began to linger in the shop.

Every breath felt like it was inhaling the mouth-watering aroma, causing involuntary swallowing sounds.

Was it finally at the point of being done?

The auntie, who had appeared disinterested in the frying chicken, immediately turned around and fished out the golden, crackling bird from the cauldron.

What greeted her was a sight better than just appetizing, almost exquisitely alluring.

“Just pack it like always, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see, where did I put the sauces…”

“Oh, and pack three more, please.”

“Are you planning to eat five with just two people?”

“Not quite, I’m bringing some for Dogun’s doctor and nurses.”

Thus, carrying a total of five traditional fried chickens, two for herself and three for the staff, she headed to the hospital where Dogun was being treated.

And just as expected, reaching the doorway of Dogun’s hospital room wasn’t difficult.

Using the VIP ward’s private passage, she entered the ward and although the ones on duty looked puzzled, they accepted what she had packaged with reluctance.

‘Well… it is prime late-night snack time…’


And there it was, right in front of her—freshly fried chicken that clearly had just come out of the oil?

How many people could resist such temptation?

‘By the way…’


Could it be that he was already asleep?

The light seemed to be on, but with the lock symbol on the door, it seemed likely that was the case.

‘Oh no…’


If she had known it would come to this, she would have sent a quick message before arriving.

Not notifying him in hopes of surprising him turned out to be a misstep.

‘What to do…’


She had packed two chickens to share with Dogun…

Should she just pass them along to the nurses?

The option of waking Dogun crossed her mind.

To be honest, she hadn’t ruled it out, but she wasn’t too keen on doing so.

After all, if he had gone to bed so early, it meant he must have been genuinely exhausted.

And the reason for that was likely… something that occurred with Bora.

‘Sigh…’


It couldn’t be helped.

It was indeed disappointing to come all this way without bringing back something, but tonight, she had no choice but to step back.

It was at that moment, calming herself and turning back…

—Ugh, hmm, huhhh…♡

Just as she was about to leave, an unfamiliar sound pierced her ears.

Was that… a moan?

Not just any moan, but a sound that a woman might make when genuinely feeling pleasure.

It came from Dogun’s hospital room.

Thanks to that, she was taken aback as her mind momentarily froze.

‘Wait, could it be…’


The lock on the door wasn’t to avoid interruptions while sleeping… but rather to do something else inside?

Sudden focus ignited in her eyes.

She had gone through all this trouble to fetch chicken at this hour from her old neighborhood for him… so that’s what was happening…

As for the partner?

Honestly, it was a no-brainer who it could be.

There was only one person who could be here at this hour for such activities.

Of course, it had to be Chae-rim.

‘Hah…’


So that’s how it is, huh…

In an instant, a wave of emotions surged within her.

As if reacting involuntarily, she gripped the paper bag holding the chicken, producing a loud crinkling noise.