This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 579

20 minutes.

It was a time that could be both short and long.

Thinking back to my high school days, where a 10-minute break meant I could rush to the bathroom, hit up the snack bar, and do all sorts of things, it felt significantly long, yet at the same time, I couldn’t shake off the fact that it was just 20 minutes.

Thus, I was quite confused.

After all, I couldn’t figure out where to start with my questions.

Which one should I ask first?

It might be an obvious point, but I had a lot on my mind.

However… the situation itself had arisen so suddenly that I couldn’t organize my thoughts.

Knowing that the time to ask questions was limited, and wanting to extract as much information as possible, I was aware that the order of my questions was critical, yet…

‘They said they had something they wanted to ask too…’

If we took turns asking questions, my allocated time would be closer to 10 minutes rather than 20.

20 minutes already felt like it was cutting it close; now, just 10 minutes?

How could I make the most out of that time?

Maybe it was because my body was in this desperate situation.

Today, I spent a moment with my head against the unusually cold wall, pondering the issue.

I thought that maybe doing that would spark some ideas.

Unfortunately, it only helped cool my heated head a little.

“Huuh…!”

I took a deep, short sigh and placed my hand on the doorknob.

Then I carefully turned it to the side—

Creeeak…

A sound that sent shivers down my spine echoed in my ears.

“Welcome! You have about 18 minutes left.”

And what followed was a remark that jolted my mind awake.

I tried to minimize my hesitation, but it seemed that had little effect.

“Is juice okay?”

Sitting across from Miss Almighty at a table that had two glasses of juice—completely out of tune with the atmosphere and conversation we were about to have.

“Hmm… Should I ask the first question, or would you prefer to, Yoonseo?”

Their nonchalant attitude about which side would go first irked me.

But it was clear they were in a position of power here, so I couldn’t afford to show any of that.

So instead of picking an option that would vex my opponent unnecessarily, I decided to seize the practical advantage at this moment.

“Then I won’t hold back, and I’ll ask the first question.”

Accepting the offer, even though I couldn’t decipher if it was genuine goodwill or something else.

To be frank, it was much better to avoid unnecessary emotional and energy-draining squabbling.

That’s why I chose this approach, but perhaps my actions seemed somewhat refreshing to the other party?

Mixed with bewilderment and a hint of arrogance, I caught a glance that felt like they were looking at something rare they had never seen before.

It was evident they were looking down on me, not just seeing me as lesser but rather scoffing at me.

Thanks to that, my temper flared for a moment, but I managed to pull it together and speak what I had intended to.

“Why did you come to Korea?”

It was a question that could be considered the foundation and starting point of everything.

The response that came was more succinct than I had anticipated.

“You should already know, right?”

Her tone suggested surprise that I would even ask such a question.

Along with that voice came a tight smile that seemed impervious to any needle prick.

Because of that, I felt my temper boil once more.

She had to know I wasn’t genuinely clueless about it, so why such a shameless response?

Trying to toy with me just as I thought I was holding the upper hand?

With that, doubting the authenticity of the conversation was only natural.

Lost in thoughts that had taken over my mind, I was likely to have a frozen expression on my face.

No matter how I tried to hold it back, my face had naturally stiffened, making it impossible for me to conceal my feelings.

Likely, Miss Almighty picked up on that somehow.

“Typically, once a question is asked, that’s it! is the basic rule, but for someone like Yoonseo, it’s your first time engaging in a conversation like this, I presume.”

“…”

“We’ll let it slide this time.”

Miss Almighty smiled as if she’d just made a very witty, formal joke, yet it wasn’t funny at all.

Instead of a sprightly smile that should have graced my lips, it felt like just another layer of annoyance.

Whether she was aware of the feelings behind it or was intentionally feigning ignorance, her voice flowed smoothly.

“In that spirit, let’s return to the start. To answer Yoonseo-chan’s question… I came to Korea to keep a promise.”

“A promise… what do you mean?”

What kind of promise could that be?

More importantly, who did she make this promise with, considering she’s supposedly the strongest in the world?

The most curious part was undoubtedly that.

After all, for a promise to be valid, those making it need to stand in somewhat similar positions.

Someone on par with the entity known as the strongest in the world?

As far as I knew, there were very few.

Could such a person even exist in this world?

Even the President of the so-called superpower, America, would struggle with that.

“Who did you make this promise with…?”

I blurted it out almost reflexively, which was purely because of those thoughts…

“You can’t break the rules. We already promised to only ask one question at a time.”

Right, we did make that promise.

It felt utterly random, like we were playing a game of truth or dare, like that’s even feasible. I half-listened, half-negligently accepted it.

I never imagined it would trip me up like this.

Had I known this would happen, I would have chosen my words more carefully before responding.

Regretting it now wouldn’t change anything; it was pointless at this point.

For now, I just nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, having nodded, it was naturally the other party’s turn.

“Alright, is it my turn now?”

What kind of question was she planning to ask, with that excited look on her face?

It felt almost new to say this but, strangely, I was now scared.

Not knowing what kind of question would be thrown my way made it worse.

I used to scoff at those afraid of the deep sea or whatnot because I thought it was silly, but was this the feeling they experienced?

Was this the essence of fear of the unknown?

Trying to come across as relaxed in front of the person I was conversing with, I felt my hands shaking slightly on the table.

If I left it as it was, trembling was all but guaranteed.

So… because of that… I had no choice but to hide my hands under the table.

If she was going to ask me a question, then hurry it up.

Was she planning to waste time, torturing me like this?

Time was already running out…

Thinking about how precious moments were being wasted meaninglessly made it impossible to compose myself.

Because of that, I found my lips drying up and unconsciously biting the inside of my mouth as I anxiously waited.

It felt like she had finally made up her mind to speak after dragging it out for what felt like an eternity.

Her slightly pinkish lips began to part slowly.

Finally, what came out was—

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

It wasn’t a throwaway question; it was something I truly didn’t see coming.