This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 532

“Could you help me out with some training?” Yoonseo’s request came back quicker than I had anticipated while I was waiting for a reply from Chae-rim regarding my earlier request.

The Association’s response, relayed through Chae-rim, was surprisingly lenient—they would allow training under certain circumstances.

I found that quite unexpected.

After all, I never thought the Association would grant permission so quickly.

“I half-expected them to take their sweet time before saying yes.”

From the Association’s perspective, it made sense; what sort of trust would allow them to hand out permits like that?

So, I had assumed I’d have to prove my ‘usefulness’ first… I never imagined they would just give me the green light at once.

Did Chae-rim perhaps pull some strings behind the scenes?

Intrigued, I approached Chae-rim and casually prodded her about it, only to be surprised when she said she hadn’t done anything at all.

“Really? How did it get approved so fast…?”

“Well… isn’t it better if things are going well?”

“That’s true… but…”

It felt weird that the normally strict Association was suddenly being so flexible—it made me a bit anxious.

So, I candidly expressed my thoughts to Chae-rim, who responded with a smile as if to say I was being overly concerned.

“No, think about it. When it comes to safety and related matters, the Association never compromises…”

This wasn’t just a saying; it was a fact.

There’s even a saying that dealing with safety issues elsewhere is less stressful than getting involved with the Association.

It felt strange to see such a notoriously strict organization being so lenient.

As I focused my furrowed brow, I had to admit, my worrying over something seemingly trivial was a bit ridiculous.

“You’re going to wrinkle your forehead.”

As she said that, Chae-rim’s fingers dug into my tense brow, massaging away the stress.

“Maybe Dogun took your past experience into account?”

“My past experience?”

“Yeah, everyone knows Dogun appreciates the training you gave to Baeksulhwa.”

“That’s…”

I had to admit that was true.

During my time as a Candidate, despite having star potential, my lack of talent had been a major concern. Yet, that same Senior, who had been judged lacking, had somehow passed the challenging qualification test with flying colors and achieved Second-Class status in a short time. Many were curious about the training methods I had used on them.

And among those asking, a few believed that Senior’s transformation was solely due to my abilities, and asked if I could oversee their training as well.

“But that’s not entirely my doing…”

Of course, saying I had no role at all would be an exaggeration.

After all, I had given guidance during a time when Senior was lost and struggling.

But my contribution was only helping to set a direction, along with suggesting a couple of training methods.

Despite that, the results they achieved were just a matter of potential being unleashed.

“After all, Senior had natural talent.”

Her natural gifts were so rare that finding similar cases around was almost impossible.

Plus, the output from her innate abilities was quite impressive.

And with her being such a training enthusiast… it would be stranger if her potential hadn’t been realized.

Given the reality, I didn’t attribute Senior’s achievements to my influence, but… if the Association had indeed taken those factors into account before granting permission, then I had no objections.

“If you’re really curious, should I check it out for you?”

“No, that’s okay.”

I declined Chae-rim’s offer for help because I didn’t want to add to her already overflowing workload, considering she was swamped with documents.

Especially if I ended up training with Yoonseo; I wouldn’t be able to stick by her side all day like I am now.

So I politely turned her down, and Chae-rim seemed to take it lightly, nodding in agreement.

She then refocused on her paperwork.

If official permission hadn’t been granted, I’d understand the need to delay, but with it, I thought there was no need for further delay.

While they say to strike while the iron is hot, since Yoonseo was on leave, wasn’t it a perfect time for some training to develop herself?

Of course, Yoonseo might see it differently after just returning from a business trip and now becoming a couch potato, but frankly, that wasn’t my concern.

Plus, mentioning training during her vacation felt like an implicit agreement that it was okay.

So, I immediately called Yoonseo to meet me at the temporary training ground set up by the Association, and she showed up looking completely defeated.

“Aah… I was enjoying my rest…”

“Taking a whole day off should be enough. What more do you want?”

“I need more than just a day!”

To prove that point, Yoonseo let out a huge yawn, almost crying from tiredness, but to me, it just looked like someone who had lounged in bed all day and ended up more exhausted.

“If you keep being lazy, it’ll become a habit.”

“Honestly, is it so bad for someone like me to be a bit lazy?”

“Your dad would have loved to hear that.”

“Our dad prefers it when I’m stick close to home.”

“Well, that might be true.”

Yoonseo’s dad was just as thrilled when she passed her special exam to qualify as a Hero, if not more so than me, yet his doting nature often had him worrying about her nonstop.

“That said, Yoonseo isn’t the type to spill all her secrets to him either…”

Thanks to that, during the three years when we’d gone our separate ways and hardly spoke, I still received regular updates from her dad asking about her.

“…Make sure to treat your dad well.”

“Only dad? Are you discriminating against me right now?”

“Of course, you should treat your mom well too.”

“Is that so? Then you should come over sometime.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Sudden? It’s been a while since you visited our house. Mom and Dad were saying if the chance came, they’d love to have you over. They’ll make you something delicious.”

Thinking back, that was indeed true.

But I found myself unable to face her parents… especially in this situation, where I was juggling multiple relationships.

“I thought I’d absolutely avoid getting involved with Yoonseo, but…”

What could I do? We had grown too attached to each other to keep pretending we didn’t care.

If I intended to reconcile my relationship with Yoonseo, I’d have to face her parents sooner or later.

“Well…? I should at least make some time to do that.”

So, I answered Yoonseo as she slyly tried to coax me to her house.

Perhaps that answer was what caused my conscience to rear its head after being dormant for so long.

Not that it changed anything now.

“By the way…”

She asked if I could help a bit with her training, and I willingly agreed to accompany her, but what was I supposed to help with?

Curious, I threw a glance over at Yoonseo, who began pulling me towards the entrance, suggesting we talk inside.

Being led by her hand into the training ground, I was met with—

“…?”

An unexpected figure.