This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 443

“So, what do you want to say?”

What do you mean, “what do I want to say?”

Why suddenly ask that question?

I must have been pretty bewildered when that unexpected question flew in out of nowhere.

“Weren’t you going to say something to us? But now that you want to speak, you’re all timid because of Dogun, right?”

“That’s…”

“Isn’t it?”

Honestly, I couldn’t deny it.

That was true; I had actually thought about it.

But when it came time to act on it, I hesitated, wondering if that was really the right thing to do.

And here I am, being coaxed into speaking!

With this, I couldn’t possibly stay silent any longer, could I?

“…I did block it properly, right?”

I threw that question towards Chae-rim, who was staring at me as if urging me to say something.

Now that the situation had come to this, it didn’t seem too bad to say something, but I still didn’t want this conversation echoing in Dogun’s ears.

No one could predict what kind of conversation might unfold from here, so naturally, those thoughts couldn’t be helped.

So I asked about it, but the response I got was more like, “Why are you asking me that?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking that to Baeksulhwa instead?”

Ah, right.

That was it.

It wasn’t from my side; it was her ability.

When I thought about it, it was quite obvious, but I got so caught up in the situation that I ended up making an assumption.

And because of that assumption, I realized it again; I supposed there might be some kind of connection between them due to that earlier scene.

Honestly, I had only suspected until now… But seeing that scene, it seemed my suspicions were getting a bit more solid.

‘Um…’

What was important right now wasn’t that, but…

I turned my gaze from Yoonseo to Baeksulhwa.

And maybe because she read the meaning in my gaze?

The response I got as soon as I looked at her was a light shrug of her shoulders.

“Well, whether you believe me or not, it’s up to you, Yoonseo.”

That statement made me think it was alright to trust her.

After all, if she was willing to say that much, then she probably wouldn’t be joking around about it.

Honestly, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Baeksulhwa was just that kind of person.

Even after achieving success compared to before, she hadn’t lost her original self and remained straightforward and honest.

‘And her heart is unnecessarily big, too…’

Is that large heart some kind of moral pocket?

In the end, there were a lot of things I didn’t like about her since the very first time I saw her.

Yet, because of that point, she was indeed someone I could trust.

But full trust aside, since it was something uncertain, I didn’t forget to casually use my talent to check the surroundings before diving into conversation.

And by employing my talent like that, I could feel what seemed like Baeksulhwa’s abilities surrounding us in a circular formation.

Is this good enough?

I should be able to relax a bit.

At least in terms of abilities, she was someone sufficiently excellent to satisfy Dogun’s elevated standards.

Yes, I had to acknowledge it.

Baeksulhwa had talents that could stand against mine without falling behind… And I must admit that those I once thought wouldn’t even be competitors have risen to quite a notable level now.

Thus, what I was about to do was not surrender, but a kind of compromise.

Of course… I wasn’t entirely happy about having to compromise with someone else over Dogun.

Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled about it at all… But it had to be done.

That’s what being an adult meant.

After all, what’s the reason for the Association, which could easily capture any villain with a mere thought, leaving them be instead?

There are various reasons if you delve deeper, but simply put, it’s the concern for inevitable damage that might arise from such processes.

Similarly, trying to make compromises with others regarding Dogun now was for a similar reason.

Because if this situation continued like this, it would only end up being a self-destructive cycle.

If that’s how it’s going to be, then rather than letting it go this way, wouldn’t it be much better to compromise early to prevent such damages?

“In many ways.”

“Are you all going to keep doing this?”

I asked that question while making eye contact with those who were watching me with slightly narrowed eyes, as if wanting to hear what I was about to say.

The first reaction to that question came from Bora, who looked rather bewildered.

“Keep doing this, you say?”

To be honest?

It felt a bit awkward.

After that incident earlier, it was indeed a bit uncomfortable, but there was no way I could just keep my mouth shut after throwing a question out there, so I tried to continue speaking as naturally as I could.

“Are we just going to keep competing like this?”

“…Then what?”

Did she want to ask what we would do if we didn’t compete?

Judging by Baeksulhwa’s perplexed expression, it seemed that was exactly the case.

“No, honestly. If we keep this up, it will only lead to mutual destruction…”

At least that part was something even Baeksulhwa couldn’t boldly deny.

I caught a glimpse of a slight easing of the wariness that had been present in her eyes directed at me.

And in the space created by that releasing wariness, curiosity began to take over.

Seeing Baeksulhwa, who had been showing the most wariness, ease up made it clear that others would also begin focusing their attention on me.

And the moment I managed to gather the gaze of everyone sitting crammed around the table…

I opened my mouth.

I opened my mouth and—

“Let’s keep it simple, shall we? How about we take turns for just one day each?”

“One day each, you say?”

“Just as it sounds! No more, no less, just alternating days for each turn.”

To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on it, but in this scenario, it was indeed the best option I could come up with.

That best option was to take turns spending one day with Dogun.

Why is this the best option, you ask?

Because… If we set a clear standard like this, at least it would prevent the blunders of someone suddenly butting in during crucial moments like what happened today.

And without such occurrences, there would naturally be no fights resulting from them.

‘More than anything…’

Rather than forcing our scarce resources to be shared amongst a lot of people like it is now, wouldn’t it be much better to monopolize short bursts like this?

Though it stung a bit that I’d have to wait three days before my turn comes back after having just one, I thought that still made sense.

Thus, I made that suggestion to the other three.

After throwing out the proposal, thankfully, the reactions I received were quite decent.

It seemed everyone had subtly disliked the thought of having to share time with Dogun with someone else, even if they didn’t show it openly.

Well, that makes sense.

Human emotions are generally all the same in that matter.

“…Not bad.”

“True. From what we hear, it doesn’t sound too bad, but the problem is everyone seems to be busy.”

“That’s for sure.”

That was an undeniable fact.

Unlike Bora, who was in a semi-retired state, Baeksulhwa, Chae-rim, and I were all desperately busy dealing with the aftermath of the previous attack.

“But… that’s a personal matter, isn’t it?”

“So, whether someone throws away their given day for work or not, that’s just their own issue?”

“Yes, exactly. More than anything… If such things bother you, isn’t it just a matter of adjusting your own schedule properly?”

“Hmmm… Well, that’s a fair point.”

“Right? So…”

“Sure, let’s try it out for now, just like you said, Yoonseo.”