This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 510

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

It’s no wonder, though. I never imagined I would hear Dogun’s name at this timing.

Could something have happened to him while I was away?

The mere thought that it might actually be true made my heart drop suddenly.

In that instant, my expression nearly slipped away, but I managed to keep it together, vowing that no matter what, I absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

‘After all, I don’t even know if something has really happened to Dogun.’

I figured it wouldn’t be good to carelessly show my feelings.

It was a judgment made out of instinct in the midst of all the confusion.

And once I successfully regained my composure after almost collapsing under that wave of emotion? I squeezed out a voice that sounded as casual as possible.

However… my voice clearly needed more work than my expression.

“…I do know.”

Looking at how I thought I had composed myself turns out like this; I guess it’s just the way it is.

Meanwhile, Dogun, either knowing or not knowing what’s on my mind, casually brought up his name, seemingly unfazed. At least that’s the vibe I was getting from his expression.

“Oh, right. Yoonseo is the sub-chairman’s disciple, huh?”

I guess that might be understandable.

As I nodded along to my own thoughts, it began to feel rather annoying.

For me, it was still too raw; that wave of unease hadn’t faded yet.

If he was going to grasp the situation, then he should have explained it in a way that I could grasp too.

Was he trying to mess with me or something? What was he thinking?

Or could it be… intentionally trying to provoke me?

For a moment, my eyes narrowed at the possibility that flashed through my mind, but instead of narrowing them further, I maintained the same composed demeanor and spoke as naturally as I could.

“So, what’s that person’s deal? Did he do something… strange?”

Of course, I knew very well that Dogun could never do anything like that.

That’s why even as I asked, I expected a definitive “no” in response—

“Something strange? Hmm… I guess, if you think about it, it could seem a bit strange…”

The response I got leaned towards the positive rather than the negative.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but feel flustered.

Did Dogun really do something strange? For real? Why?

Even aside from that, what on earth could he have done? Did he, heaven forbid, walk around naked and get caught by someone?

I was so shocked that even that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, but surely that couldn’t be it.

More likely… it has to be something related to the Association.

If someone who didn’t know him at all knew his name, then that only leaves me with one possibility.

‘What if…’

What if, during the time I was away, the Association tried to pull a fast one on him and he got caught?

Or maybe they exposed one of his secrets…?

To cut to the chase, it was neither.

“Hah…”

Even though I wanted to help Chae-rim, the thought of using myself as a walking billboard was a bit much.

I was relieved that it didn’t seem like a severe situation as I worried about before, yet in another sense, I began to worry if my anxiety was overblown.

‘I wonder if he’ll be okay…’

Back in the days when I idolized famous heroes without a clue, my perspective had changed now that I found myself in a similar situation to those I once adored.

I knew that becoming famous isn’t always a good thing.

Of course, being famous does have its perks.

Some people earn amounts of money that ordinary folks can’t even dream of just because they are famous, and for those who love being in the spotlight, there’s nothing more blissful than their names being recognized.

Simply in that regard, fame seems quite appealing, but… why do we call it a “fame tax”?

Fame is like a tax you inevitably have to pay when you become well-known.

And it’s a brutally harsh tax, at that.

This is because there are just so many insane people in the world. There are those who think it’s fine to tear someone down just for being famous.

What kind of thoughts do such people have when they see Dogun, who is just a manager with no glorious title, revealing the left arm he had been hiding all this time?

Don’t you think they might think, “He’s a fair target to mess with,” right from the get-go?

Even though he appears disinterested in such things, Dogun frequently checks various community sites so he can respond promptly if anything goes wrong.

It wasn’t always like that—it’s more of a job-related habit he developed after becoming a manager.

But with that kind of habit, would Dogun really be able to stay sane while reading the indiscriminate stones thrown by anonymous people?

To be honest, I wasn’t so sure.

Especially since I, who thought I wouldn’t be affected, still felt my heart drop when I came across criticism aimed at me.

Even someone who had mentally prepared himself before debuting as a hero felt that way; who knows how much worse it would be for Dogun, who hadn’t even thought about such things?

I was convinced that he’d be hurting far more than I was.

While that thought worried me more than anything else, on the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel he was truly amazing.

‘The moment he revealed his left arm in front of people…’

He had to have known that would be the case, whether he liked it or not.

How could he not know?

After all, he had seen such things while being by my side, as well as Chae-rim and Baeksulhwa.

Regardless, Dogun chose to stand before people in the end.

Even though he could have just stayed where he was without moving forward, he selected advancement over remaining stagnant.

It was an attitude that starkly contrasted with those who were still trapped by their past guilt even after all these years, and that made him all the more admirable.

I wished I had the courage to look ahead like you.

But you know, Dogun, you’re aware, right?

Unlike you, I’m a coward.

For someone like me, who’s more fearful than suitable for the title of hero, this was about the best I could manage.

After all, the only reason I could even make this choice was that you were right there beside me.

So… I hope that when the truth finally comes out later, you won’t hate me too much.

If I’m hated after all this effort, then truly… it would be really sad.

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‘Speaking of which…’

It’s already been a week, huh.

In that sense, Yoonseo being away on a business trip was a fortunate thing for me.

Not only that, her mind was so busy with work that she didn’t even dare to glance at the news.

Had it been otherwise?

There would have probably been chaos by now.

After all, Yoonseo is the type who worries a lot.

You could say she’s what people commonly refer to as a “worrier.”

As such, the moment I decided to reveal my left arm, she would have probably stuck by my side, trying to talk me out of it.

And if things went wrong, she would have used that logic to argue against it.

Then I would have had to strain myself to convince her.

But since Yoonseo was absent on her work trip, those procedures got skipped naturally.

Now, all that remained was for her to come back, learn about me, and then rush at me, furious, demanding forgiveness.

Of course, that definitely wouldn’t be easy.

I might have even seen Yoonseo turn back into her “blowfish mode” after so long.

That seems highly likely, but I thought this approach might be easier than trying to convince her…

You know what they say.

That it’s much easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to seek permission.

So, if I sincerely try to apologize, surely Yoonseo would eventually forgive me, right…?

I truly hope so…