This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 140

“Hey! Remember what we learned last time about the types of rifts and the signs that precede their appearance?”

The voice of the teacher conducting the class echoed in my ears like a monotonous chant.

‘Wow… this is driving me crazy…’

Even though I was basically listening in ASMR quality, the anxiety I felt was unshakeable—probably because class was supposed to have ended long ago.

Maybe that’s why.

As I casually glanced around, I noticed everyone else looked just as anxious as I felt.

Well, that makes sense.

No matter what world you’re in, students seem to come equipped with a basic instinct to get anxious if a class runs past the scheduled time.

Because of that, as time dragged on, the atmosphere in the classroom started to get restless, but the teacher stubbornly continued with the lesson.

“If we recall what we learned last time, there’s the predatory rift that comes with signs like communication disruptions. Now, when did this predatory rift first appear in history? It was during what is commonly referred to as the Second Great War…”

I wondered if, in lost in his lesson, he was ignoring the bell that rang earlier and the noises from the students growing restless.

When I realized the seventh period was taught by our homeroom teacher, I had hoped we might finish early after class, but what on earth was happening?

At this point, there was only one way out of this situation.

Someone had to take charge.

The question was, who would take on that role? In times like this, it was definitely the class president’s job.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who reached that conclusion.

Everyone’s glances were sneaking toward where the class president was sitting, and maybe it was the weight of those collective gazes that made the class president’s face more pained than usual.

With a look of resignation, the class president cautiously raised a hand.

“Um… Teacher?”

“Hmm? Class president? What’s up?”

With the class president’s sacrifice lending us courage, we dashed out of the classroom towards the subway station.

‘Aaah…’

If I had known this would happen, I would have brought a change of clothes.

But who could have possibly known?

The one who usually stuck to the schedule to a T decided to throw that out the window today.

So, this was just my karma.

If only I hadn’t thought about stopping by home, insisting I didn’t want to carry my bag around all day.

I would have brought a change of clothes instead.

And if I had done that, I would be comfortably heading to Central Park now.

Lost in these thoughts and sprinting ahead, I felt like my breath was about to burst from my throat, and I was left with no choice but to stop at least once.

“Haah…!”

Well, at least my luck didn’t seem too bad.

I didn’t get stuck at a traffic light or miss the subway just as it was in front of me.

Thanks to that, I was only a little further from home now.

So, I moved my legs slowly when suddenly—

‘…Hmm?’

Just as I thought I was almost there, something odd caught my eye.

You know those black suits you usually see at a funeral?

Two women clad in them were standing in front of my house.

Maybe they were lost looking for a friend’s place, only to find all the houses looked the same?

Honestly, I thought that was it at first.

It was just that they looked so unfamiliar to me.

Initially, I was sure that was what it was, but… upon taking a second look, it didn’t have that vibe at all.

If those two had been lost as I guessed, they should have been looking around or checking their mobile phones against the surroundings, but they weren’t doing anything remotely similar.

Instead, they were silently blocking the path to our front door, occasionally glancing at their wristwatches as if they were waiting for someone.

The problem was, who exactly were they waiting for? I quickly stopped and moved behind a telephone pole just in case.

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t seem likely they were waiting for my mom, the real owner of our house.

How could they be? Mom hadn’t been home for years.

So it made much more sense to assume they were waiting for me.

But why?

Just as I was lost in those thoughts, one of the figures I had seen in the distance suddenly became clearer and said—

“I was wondering when you’d arrive, and here you are.”

Out of nowhere, someone appeared right in front of me.

I couldn’t react at all—I was that surprised.

“I’m sorry for dropping in so suddenly. It must’ve startled you, right?”

As if she had guessed my state of shock, the woman blocking my path spoke in an overly polite tone.

“But we couldn’t help it. We felt we had to deliver this news to you…”

“…Huh?”

I managed to regain a bit of my composure thanks to the manner she showed me.

If she had come in with some malicious intent, she wouldn’t have needed to act so politely.

So I decided to ask.

What exactly was this news she insisted on conveying to me?

“Um… Well, regarding your question, I don’t think this is the right place to discuss it…”

She said it wasn’t the right place to talk.

So, was I supposed to invite them inside for tea?

Only then would she be comfortable spilling the beans?

Curiosity over what this news could possibly be made me want to hear it out.

Of course, I didn’t let them in without caution.

I brought them inside with the bare minimum of safety measures firmly in place.

After bringing them into the house and offering them each a cup of tea, I hoped we could finally have a proper conversation.

But I didn’t intend to take my time with idle chit-chat.

“So, what exactly is this news you wanted to share?”

I dove straight into the heart of the matter without any pleasantries.

At this point already, I knew it was too late to stall the situation any longer, but there was no way I could afford to delay it further.

I planned to hear the news they had for me and then boot them out so I could dash to my appointment.

That was the plan—

“First… You’re I Do-Gun, correct?”

“Uh, yes…”

“And your mother is I Se-Rin?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

That couldn’t be right.

Of course, it didn’t seem possible, because the moment I heard a stranger say my mother’s name, instinctively, I felt something was wrong.

Something had gone sideways.

And what sealed that suspicion was—

“I’m sorry to say I have some unfortunate news…”

The sudden darkening of the woman’s face and the ominously ominous opening of her words hit me like a weight.

“I regret to inform you that your mother, I Se-Rin, was caught up in a rift that appeared about two weeks ago…”

That was it.

The very thing I tried so hard not to hear…

Yet those words slipped into my ears so smoothly it felt surreal.

I wanted to block them out.

It was hard to trust or even bear such utterances.

‘No…’

It didn’t make sense.

Why would they drop in like this?

To say my mom was dead?

That couldn’t be true.

That wouldn’t happen.

That person, my mom, can’t be dead.

The mom I knew wouldn’t just pass away so easily.

Especially not before achieving what she had set out to accomplish.

When she visited me on the day I started middle school to ask if I thought I could manage without her, and I nodded, it was because I felt confident.

Had I said no back then?

She would have still been here with me, I was sure of it.

I knew that for certain.

She was someone who had a fanatical obsession with her goals.

So, even at times when the loneliness became unbearable, I held back from contacting her first, thinking that ‘no news is good news.’

So what now?

“Stop joking with me…”

“We retrieved these items from the incident site. We couldn’t collect much since the rift that opened was a predatory one…”

As she said that, she presented a box that contained letters I had exchanged with my mom, photos I had sent because I missed her, and even a heavily worn-out photo that I thought she would have finally discarded.

Seeing those made something swell painfully within me.

At the same time, I felt my breath tightening.

It felt as though someone was slowly tightening their grip around my throat.

And because of that… I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“I… need you to leave.”

I said that, looking at both of them who sat expressionless.

“I understand you’re confused by the sudden news…”

“Get out of my house!”

I yelled, raising my voice at those sitting opposite me.

“Just… please leave. I feel like I’m suffocating here.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

‘What’s going on…?’

It’s six already—why haven’t they shown up?

Did something happen?