This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 151

How on earth did it come to this?

This morning, I was all excited about my birthday, planning to meet Dogun just the two of us, and yet…

Well, it seems like there are no major injuries, but I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen when they wake up.

I couldn’t even guess how the kid would process the news about Dogun.

No, they definitely wouldn’t be able to accept it.

It’s not just one or two years, but a whole ten years.

Someone they’ve liked for a decade just vanished from the world in an instant.

And can anyone really accept the fact that they’ll never see that person again?

Yoonseo is one thing, but it hurt just as much to think about Dogun’s situation.

I didn’t like that I was causing the precious daughter of someone else so much heartache, but on the flip side, I had always thought of him like a son.

And yet… by some twist of fate, they got caught up in the Rift incident…

Why must these kids have to go through such terrible experiences?

They’re just children who deserve nothing but happiness—why must they endure something so hard at such a young age?

I can only imagine how I must have looked, lost in despair, wiping the sweat from my forehead where my hair was sticking because of all the tension.

Yoonseo, who hadn’t moved a muscle, suddenly had her eyelids fluttering as if she was about to awaken.

Just as I pulled my hand back from reaching toward her, her already pale face turned even whiter and then, all of a sudden, she started to groan.

“Oh, no…”

She was sweating profusely, and her murmurs were piling on top of each other.

“It’s because of me… I….”

Seeing her repeatedly mumbling that it was her fault, offering apologies that didn’t even touch the situation, was truly heartbreaking.

At the same time, I felt worried.

If she’s muttering such things instead of waking up, it seems like she must be having some sort of dream, but I couldn’t understand what kind of dream that might be, and no matter how much I wiped away the sweat, more kept pouring out—at this rate, I thought I might lose her.

“Yoonseo! Oh Yoonseo!”

That’s why I carefully began shaking my daughter’s shoulders with both hands.

Fortunately, it worked.

Her eyelids fluttered once more before she slowly began to open them.

“…Dad?”

“Are you coming to your senses?”

It wasn’t like she woke from a regular sleep; it seemed like her consciousness had been hazy after waking up.

Her unfocused eyes slowly scanned the hospital room.

Then came the question—

“Where… am I?”

That question was so obvious it almost left me speechless.

“Why am I… here…?”

Does she not remember anything?

Not the fact that she collapsed in the park or what happened before that?

If so, then maybe that’s a stroke of luck.

Sometimes, the truth can be too harsh and can break a person.

So if she isn’t ready to face the truth, maybe it’s better that she doesn’t remember anything for now.

I felt sorry for Dogun, but I absolutely could not afford to lose my daughter too.

“So… just for now… please disappear from Yoonseo’s mind.”

I found myself muttering inwardly.

It was just at that moment that Yoonseo, with a dazed expression staring blankly ahead, murmured,

“I see…”

What is it that she sees?

Could it be that she suddenly recalled Dogun’s situation?

“This is… a dream, isn’t it?”

It felt like a punch to the gut when she said that, her voice revealing an unsettling certainty.

So I wasn’t able to stop her as she lay back down on the hospital bed again after saying just that.

“Y-Yoonseo…!”

“…Yeah?”

“What do you mean by ‘dream’…?”

My heart trembled with anxiety.

“Yeah? This is a dream, right?”

Her response was disturbingly calm.

“It’s a dream, so why…?”

“Ah, I don’t know. I need to sleep, so don’t bother me.”

“Why are you sleeping now…?”

“Hmm? It’s simple… to wake from a dream, you have to fall asleep, right?”

That was the moment I realized something had broken inside her.

And perhaps it might… never return to the way it was.

‘Oh…’

Oh God.

How cruel you are.

What sin did this child commit, what guilt does she bear…?

She’s just such a little kid…

A child so small who shouldn’t have to go through anything so harrowing… why are you treating her this way?

With that realization, overwhelming sadness crushed my shoulders, and I bowed my head low.

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Of course, Dogun had no idea what was happening in the original world.

He wasn’t a fool either—in a world this chaotic, he could at least guess that something must have happened there.

However, he didn’t have the time to worry about it.

How could he?

The reality he was facing right in front of him was simply too harsh to do anything else.

And that was the very reason he was scurrying around the wreckage, which was piled up like a junk shop.

‘How can I find at least two bags?’

That was all he wanted at that moment.

It would be even better if he could secure some food and water, but he had already collected everything that caught his eye.

So if he wanted to grab more, he’d have to dig through the towering piles of items one by one, but honestly, the risk was way too high.

Chae-rim had said before leaving the cave that it was safe for the time being, but that didn’t mean they could freely make noise and rummage about.

So he had given up on securing additional food and water halfway and was poking around the heaps of stuff looking for a bag.

It would be great if they could keep using this cave as their base, but whether reality would allow that was uncertain.

So he had to always assume the worst-case scenario and act accordingly; for that reason, guaranteeing a bag was essential, if not a choice.

There’s only so much one can carry by hand.

And especially in situations where they need to run and hide, it goes without saying.

Of course, a life is far more important than resources, but if they just throw away everything in a panic, they might end up losing that precious life too.

‘So just a little…!’

Come on, just one bag, please!

I mean, there’s so much junk here, how can there not be a single usable bag?

Thanks to that thought, I started contemplating making a makeshift bundle instead of a bag.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for, but if it’s hard to find, do you want some help?”

“Wah?!”

My heart dropped when I suddenly heard a voice from behind me.

If I had at least sensed a presence, I wouldn’t have been so startled, but I hadn’t felt anything at all, and the voice just shot right into my ear, so I jumped.

I hurriedly turned around, clutching my left ear which was still feeling chill from the surprise, only to see Chae-rim, who was stifling a laugh as she took a couple steps back.

“Scaredy-cat. Anyone would think I was going to eat you or something.”

“Oh, when did you get here?”

“Just now? I couldn’t stand being bored just resting.”

“Ah…”

“So what were you looking for?”

“Um… just looking for a bag that seems usable.”

“A bag? Why do you suddenly need a bag?”

Oh no.

To be honest, I hesitated to tell her.

If I said it was to easily grab my stuff and make a run for it if push came to shove, it might hurt her pride.

Of course… she didn’t seem the type to be that sensitive, but you never know what’s inside a person’s heart.

Considering that this companion of mine, which was virtually a miracle, could leave at any moment, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

So I was trying to deflect the conversation when—

“Ah, well, yeah, having a bag would certainly make it easier to run away with things if we need to.”

Unfortunately, Chae-rim caught on much quicker than I could speak.

“Hm, a bag then… should I help you look for it?”