This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 141

It had already been 30 minutes, so it was only natural for such thoughts to cross my mind.

In other words, it had passed the time I was supposed to meet Dogun.

Yet, there was no sign of him showing up.

And there was no call or message to say he would be late either.

That made it even more puzzling.

If it were the usual Dogun, he would have instinctively sent me a message at the point he sensed he might be late.

But the fact that I had received no communication at all made me wonder… was something really wrong?

Until now, I had been holding back, worried that I might be a distraction when Dogun finally arrived, but perhaps it was time to just whip out my mobile phone and call him.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, I finally dialed his number, but for some reason, the call wouldn’t connect properly.

The call connected with a ringing tone, but it didn’t last long before it cut off.

“What the…?”

I was already worried, thinking something might have happened, and now this on top? Why was everything going wrong?

I promptly hung up and tried calling again, but the outcome remained the same.

I glanced around, hoping to find something noteworthy, but nothing stood out.

“C’mon…”

Please don’t tell me something really did happen…

If he was going to be late, he could at least send a message.

I wasn’t trying to stress myself out for no reason—what on earth was going on?

Muttering to myself like that, I still kept my eyes peeled for anyone passing by.

Before I knew it, a chill began to creep in.

On top of that, I was wearing ridiculously high heels that made my legs ache a bit from standing around.

“I swear, he better show up…”

With that mumble, I cautiously perched myself on the edge of the nearby fountain.

Sitting there and kicking absentmindedly at the small stones with my toes, I was in a waiting game for Dogun to contact me.

“Hey? Yoonseo!”

I heard a familiar voice.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one I had been waiting for.

“Aren’t you supposed to have plans today? What are you doing here?”

My friend from a neighboring class had spotted me while heading towards downtown after passing through Central Park with some friends.

Beside her, there were a few unfamiliar faces that caught my attention.

Honestly… it wasn’t exactly a proud moment, you know?

But since she asked, I felt I had to respond honestly, so I told her I was waiting for a friend.

“Hmm, really? But to me, it doesn’t seem like just a friend.”

“Uh, what?”

“You’re waiting to meet someone special, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t deny it.

After all, her gaze scanned me from head to toe with unwavering confidence.

“Ah, wait, is it that Dogun guy you mentioned last time?”

Why were Sangah and Chaedam all such keen observers?

“Uh, yeah, that’s true…”

“Oh wow… lucky him. Did you get your hair and makeup done at a salon?”

“Uh, what? Oh, um, yeah.”

The fuss continued beyond that.

Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.

Then there came a question that caught me off guard at just the wrong moment.

“But shouldn’t you at least try contacting that Dogun guy by now?”

With that, I froze, struggling to respond.

“I mean, it seemed like you were waiting forever already, my bad for prying.”

“Uh… it’s just that I can’t get through to him…”

Despite that, the conversation kept rolling.

And it was taking an unwanted turn.

“Wait, really? What time did you agree to meet him here?”

“…Five thirty.”

When I finally blurted those words out, the tension and anxiety I had been cloaked in immediately transformed into embarrassment.

So… I was suddenly feeling shy.

“What? Five thirty? That was an hour ago!”

My friend stared at me, wide-eyed, as if she were making fun of me.

It felt like she was mocking me for being all high and mighty, yet here I was, just waiting around for some guy.

That was something I could endure up to a point.

After all, I had already steeled myself to handle any judgmental stares once I decided to confess to Dogun.

The issue came right after that.

“Still, if he hasn’t shown up and you can’t get through to him, doesn’t that mean he’s not coming?”

That sentence, infused with disbelief, rang in my ears, and suddenly, a sliver of doubt crept in, transforming my embarrassment into sheer humiliation.

“Or maybe he forgot about meeting you?”

I wanted to scream, “No way!” to that, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

The circumstances surrounding me gripped me tight.

Really, really… could that be true?

I didn’t want to think like this, but as much as I knew Dogun wouldn’t do that, my mind kept slipping toward the negative.

It felt like all that I had suppressed and shied away from for so long was suddenly bursting forth.

With every attempt to hide these sappy feelings, it felt as if they were slowly eating away at me.

I had been counting down the days until today…

Just to look good for you… all those thoughts of dressing up, doing my hair, and putting on makeup…

To you, that day must have been just that much significance, huh?

Just that little meaning.

‘…No way.’

That couldn’t be true.

There had to be something unavoidable going on.

Something more important than our meeting today… surely.

It had to be that way.

It surely was, but… would it really mean anything to keep waiting?

Wouldn’t I just end up feeling worse if I stayed here?

I already felt miserable now.

Just moments ago, my heart had raced with anticipation for Dogun’s reaction, but now it all just felt… pathetic.

Everyone around me was so glamorous and beautiful, it only made the comparison worse.

What would happen if these feelings just festered here? Could I handle that?

That’s why I nodded at my friend’s suggestion to join them for some fun instead of languishing here.

Staying here would only add to my misery.

I wanted to at least do something to lift my spirits.

Maybe, when Dogun finally got in touch, I could pretend everything was okay.

If I didn’t, I felt I would only sink deeper into despair than I was already.

And so… I left the place I was supposed to meet Dogun.

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‘I’m suffocating…’

I felt suffocated.

At the same time, it felt like I was standing at the edge of a precipice, and my mind kept going blank.

Reality felt distant.

Am I really awake right now?

What if this was all just a dream, and I was actually asleep in bed?

Alongside those questions, my head continued to spiral into a haze where I felt I might forget how to breathe.

So I took deep breaths on purpose.

I repeated the cycle of inhaling deeply and exhaling, but the feeling of suffocation wouldn’t ease up at all.

I just wished someone would come help me.

I needed someone to remind me how to breathe once more.

In that moment I desperately needed someone, Yoonseo’s face was what popped into my head.

With no strength at all, I forced my legs, which hardly seemed functional, to take me towards where I was supposed to meet Yoonseo.

When I arrived there… nobody was around.

‘…Oh.’

Right, I was supposed to meet at five thirty.

And here I was showing up at seven, so naturally, she wouldn’t be here.

She probably waited for a while and then left.

In the chaos, I remarkably remembered my mobile phone and called Yoonseo.

It wasn’t to apologize.

I just… wanted to see her face.

I wouldn’t mind if she yelled at me for being late… I just wanted her to please…

I held the phone close to my ear as the ringing began.

And the voice that followed that ring was—

– At this time, your call has been rejected.

Now this must be what they mean by karma.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips as the disappointment set in.

Just as I lowered the arm that had been holding the phone to my ear—

Boom—!

With a thunderous sound, the world began to shake.