This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 117

What should I say?

It felt really strange.

Just the situation of Yoonseo waiting to make breakfast for me made me feel that way.

Is this what it means to be a dad?

Watching Yoonseo bustling around the kitchen in her apron made me feel proud yet strangely uneasy.

It felt like just yesterday when she was shyly avoiding me – when did she grow up so much?

Even though she was just doing a test for the main show, seeing her so earnestly trying to make me breakfast made me think, “Wow, this is really something…”

Without my consent, my feelings just turned that way.

Is this why people say you can’t know what’s going to happen in life?

Who would have guessed?

That I would get breakfast from a kid who used to love the rice balls I made for her!

While I was lost in those thoughts, Yoonseo’s bustling around for the breakfast table didn’t stop, and before I knew it, there was a steaming bowl of soup and rice set right in front of me.

But what caught my attention surprisingly was the rice, not the soup.

“What’s this? Did you actually make fresh rice?”

Seeing the slightly glossy appearance that was nothing like the instant rice piled up in one corner of the kitchen, I unintentionally blurted that out, causing Yoonseo, who was plating a beautifully grilled mackerel, to flinch.

Was the rice’s texture bothering her that much?

Based on her reaction, it seemed like it might be, so I quickly added, “But, well… for your first time, you did well.”

Fortunately, it seemed that my words had a positive effect, as Yoonseo, who had been a bit tense, relaxed her shoulders like it had never happened.

Soon enough, the mackerel made its way to the table, followed by various side dishes that had leaped out of the fridge.

And to top it all off—

“Ugh…”

Once a grand dream of making rolled omelets, but reality hit, and it ended up as scrambled eggs instead.

I wanted to roll it nicely and make it look pretty, but why does it never go as planned?

Noticing Yoonseo’s pouted lips, which had a bit of a pout, I stood up.

“What’s wrong? What’s not going well?”

I stepped closer behind Yoonseo and asked, who was holding a pan in one hand and chopsticks in the other, looking distressed, causing her shoulders to jump again.

“Aigoo… I put too much oil, so it keeps tearing.”

Whether she meant to or not, I continued with my tasks.

The temporary manager position suggested by the Senior turned out to have a lot more work than I expected. I hadn’t been able to keep my promise, but still, I had promised to teach her how to cook, so I should keep that, right?

Honestly, just sitting around and eating breakfast without doing anything felt a bit guilty.

So, Yoonseo’s failure caught my eye, providing me with just the excuse I needed.

“And if you’re a beginner, then use beginner-friendly tools. How can you be so audacious as to use chopsticks?! Tsk tsk…”

.

.

.

It felt like I had thoroughly searched every nook and cranny, but where had this been hidden?

I mean, that part was one thing, but if there was a specific pan for rolled omelets, they should have given it to me earlier!

Such thoughts didn’t linger, though.

All my focus and attention were drawn to my ears.

“Wait, can you hand me the chopsticks again?”

Dogun seemed to have approached me without thinking, wanting to teach me how to do it… But the distance reduced, and his voice, which sounded almost like a whisper in my ear, made my heart race.

‘This is weird…’

The front should be where it’s hot because it faces the fire, right? Why did my back, pressed against Dogun’s body, feel even hotter?

It felt that hot… and hard.

No, rather it felt firm.

‘Ugh…’

Dogun had come out wearing his pajamas, enhancing that awareness even more… making it harder for me to think straight.

I couldn’t focus on Dogun’s soft-spoken explanation because that detail kept distracting me.

And after a delay, Dogun seemed to realize this fact.

“Aren’t you focused? Were you even listening to my explanation?”

His voice was different than before, and it sank low as it pierced my ear.

Along with that statement, his breath brushed along my ear and neck, sending a chill down my spine.

The sensation ran down my back and spread, making my back arch on its own.

At the same time, my toes curled inward, with a strong feeling like pressure on the thicker parts of my soles… it all felt so odd.

It was definitely strange… yet it was also a bit addictive.

This feeling of my body whining felt like it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“I-I’ll handle it from here, so move aside, okay?”

I tried to twist my body slightly to shake off Dogun.

That enticing feeling was so addictive that I felt as if I would stay like this until smoke started rising from the pan.

“Hmm? Oh, okay.”

Thankfully, just when it seemed Dogun would hold his ground forever, he surprisingly stepped back.

The problem was… what he said while doing so.

“Hmm? Did you… wear perfume?”

Before I could say anything, Dogun spoke again.

“Right. You did wear some.”

As I heard his sniffle, I realized something.

It would be futile to deny it now.

“That’s the one I gave you last time, right?”

Just a moment ago, he hadn’t even noticed whether I wore perfume or not, and now suddenly he was so observant today?

Was it because of his reaction, which was different from normal?

Or was it simply the embarrassment of him noticing the smell?

The feeling of confusion bubbled up inside me, deep within.

“What’s up? You wearing a lot of perfume today or something?”

“W-what…! Can’t I wear perfume too?”

I reacted a bit too strongly to Dogun’s seemingly curious comment.

“It’s just that it’s surprising. Are you having some kind of event at school?”

“Uh… I just sprayed it once, you know?”

“Is that so? Anyway… I’m glad.”

My heart was racing so fast that I felt like I’d die out of embarrassment, so what in the world was going well?

With my mind already in a mess, I couldn’t figure out what Dogun meant by that comment, so I shot him a resentful glance.

But then… somehow, I wasn’t sure how he interpreted my gaze, but Dogun scratched his cheek, looking sheepish, as he carefully added more.

“No… I thought I picked it out carefully to give you, but you weren’t wearing it, so I was worried it didn’t smell good to you.”

“…”

He had cared about something like that.

I genuinely didn’t know, it was no mere joke.

If I had known, I would have worn it more often…

“But seeing you wear it like this doesn’t seem like a bad thing… well, that’s what I meant.”

Well… I found out now.

From now on, I can wear it more often.

Listening to Dogun’s awkward remarks, which were different from usual, made me think that my heart began to race for another reason.

So… until just a moment ago, I had been completely oblivious.

There was no way Dogun would care about such trivial things.

‘Should I…’

Is it okay to interpret this positively?

Still, is that alright?

I mean… if he really thought of me purely as just a friend, then he wouldn’t have paid attention to whether I wore perfume or not.

Was that thought crossing my mind?

My heart felt as though it had shifted down to my palms as I grasped my apron tightly.

Dogun’s voice rang out again as I felt the heart-thumping sound in my palms, half worrying and half hoping.

“Hey, that aside…”

What is he trying to say now?

As Dogun’s softly resonant voice filled the air, right at that moment when I swallowed my saliva so quietly so he wouldn’t hear—

“Aren’t you going to pour the egg mixture? At this rate, the pan will burn!”

His slightly delayed voice made my mind snap back to reality.

As soon as my senses returned, the smell of the pan burning filled the air.

“W-what…? Ah—!?”

“Yah yah yah! Oil! Oil!”