This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 164

When I was with Dogun, who was clearly in a state of anxiety, I tried my best to appear calm, but the truth was I was just as tense.

How could I not be nervous?

Not only had I returned safely from such a place, but I was about to reveal the news to the only family I had in the world.

Could that be the reason?

My heart raced as fast as when I first started my activities as a Hero.

It was beating so rapidly that I felt like it might burst right out if I didn’t press my palm against my chest.

I wondered how they had been doing.

Each time the dial tone echoed in my ear, I bit my lip in frustration, and just as the relentless ringing finally stopped—

“Hello?”

The voice that flowed into my ear was dry and cracked, unlike what I remembered.

Was it because of the gap that existed between us?

I felt choked.

“Who is this?”

When Mom asked who it was, I couldn’t muster a reply.

How much had she suffered?

Her only daughter had suddenly disappeared one day, and how shocking that must have been for her.

I needed to reassure her; she shouldn’t have to be sad any longer…

Yet, even as I opened my mouth to speak, only a strange sound escaped.

“…Uh, Mom.”

Not giving up, I squeezed my throat until just before the call dropped I barely managed to say something.

Of course, it was a pathetic attempt.

But I thought if I could just make my voice heard, then all that was left was the heartfelt reunion—

“I don’t know how you found this number, but this is too much of a prank.”

What I heard was not a voice of disbelief, but a voice as cold and dry as the winter wind.

‘…Huh?’

This wasn’t it?

At this point, she should be crying out, asking if it was really Chae-rim, our daughter—

Beep— beep… beep…

In my panic, as I stood there frozen, the tone signaling that the call had ended echoed in my ear.

When I tried calling the same number again, an automated message played, indicating that the other party had rejected the call before it even connected.

Eventually, I was able to reach Mom again only after I recalled the house phone number, which I almost never used, and called there.

“Is this really Chae-rim?”

“Of course it’s me! Does Mom not recognize her only daughter’s voice?”

Maybe it was the struggling that had made it worthwhile.

The feelings I had experienced when I first called Mom faded long ago.

“Uh, how…”

“It’s a long story.”

“God… Thank you… really, thank you…”

Of course, the longer my conversation with Mom continued, the more the feelings I had pushed away began to rise again.

However, I couldn’t linger in those emotions forever.

Even now, Dogun must be waiting here all alone for me to return.

If you think about it, the fact that I could talk to Mom at all was thanks to Dogun sacrificing himself to save my life.

So, while chatting with Mom was nice, I had to act for Dogun first.

After all, there was someone I truly needed to thank, and that’s why I interrupted Mom’s repeated gratitude.

“B-bandage? Chae-rim, are you hurt? Don’t do this alone; you need to go to the hospital…”

“It’s not like that, so calm down, and just… bring the things I told you to the place I mentioned earlier.”

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine! Oh, and check the drawer in my room; there should be a compartment filled with business cards. Among them…”

After asking for bandages to cover Dogun’s arms and means to beat the Association Chairman to the punch, I ended the call.

As I made my way to the location where Dogun was waiting, my mobile phone began vibrating heavily in my hand.

Was Mom looking for what I asked for?

With a feeling of hope, I checked the incoming message, and lo and behold, there it was, a strange phone number displayed prominently.

Gazing at the unfamiliar number, I hesitated for a moment, but when I lightly tapped it with my finger, the ringing started immediately.

The call connected right after that.

I had joked that you never know when a call would bring an exclusive story, and now it seemed this time was no exaggeration.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Just hearing the voice made me feel like it might belong to someone I remembered, but I still needed to confirm.

“Um, is this Reporter Park Jung-ah?”

“Yes, it is… but who are you? How did you get this number?”

“Reporter Park, do you not remember me?”

“No, I mean, who on earth are you…”

“You know, the time during the documentary filming when you secretly handed me your business card and told me to reach out if I found an exclusive story?”

“Wait a moment, the documentary? Could you be Jeong Chae-rim?”

A voice sounding even less trusting than Mom’s.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but smile.

Of course, the instant I heard that voice, I knew for sure.

‘Gotcha.’

The fish had taken an interest in the bait.

So then?

“Um, how? I was told you were declared missing…”

“Curious, huh?”

It was now time to reel in the fish.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem I’d have to work too hard.

It seemed the air of exclusive evidence was so enticing that I could almost hear them swallowing hard from the other side.

In the past, I’d heard that journalists went wild at the mention of an exclusive story, but perhaps that applied even to themselves.

“Curious, right?”

To be honest, I wasn’t too fond of journalists, but this person was different.

Maybe because they at least had some integrity—

“What can I do for you?”

They were sharp, too.

Just look at them.

Before I even opened my mouth, they jumped right in.

“Do you have many journalist friends?”

“Yes? Well…”

“Could you gather them? The more, the better.”

“Oh? That’s…”

Did they not want to share?

Well, too bad.

Normally, I would have hung up and called someone else, but with limited time, I had no choice.

Instead, I had to throw them another piece of bait.

“But I’ll give you an exclusive interview later. Deal?”

And that was all it took.

With that morsel of bait, I could reel in the journalists and let them handle the location search, allowing me to get things rolling.

‘Alright, with this…’

The preparations for taking the lead were nearly complete, and all that remained was to wait for Mom to arrive.

So I immediately headed back to where Dogun was waiting.

“Ah, you’re here?”

Dogun was patiently waiting for me to return.

“How’s your arm? Is it okay?”

Was he feeling anxious?

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be.

Though, it could simply be that he wasn’t showing it.

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Um… it hurt like hell at first, but for some reason, I’m feeling fine now.”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve returned to this world? By the way, what do you mean by ‘hurt like hell?’”

“I mean, it really felt that painful!”

I must have been caring for Dogun during that time.

Suddenly, my mobile phone, which I had tucked away in my pocket, began ringing loudly, and I excused myself before heading straight to the place I was supposed to meet Mom.

A small parking lot set up at the foot of a mountain.

Was it hard for her to believe that I was alive, even after we had talked on the phone?

When she spotted me, she ran over and clung to me like a crumbling mess, and my heart clenched painfully in my chest…

But as I said earlier, I needed to put off the reunion for now.

After all, this wasn’t the time for that.

If I wanted to catch the exclusive story and the opportunity for a private interview, I needed to stay on my toes to ensure that none of my plans went awry, as it would ultimately put Dogun in a difficult position.

“Alright, calm down a bit. Do you have the things I asked for?”

“Uh, they’re in the car…”

“Behind? Oh, here it is.”

“Uh, where are you going?”

“I’m going to fetch someone, so just wait quietly here. Don’t be too surprised when you see them later.”

“Surprised?”

“Well… the person I’m picking up is the one who saved my life, your daughter’s life, no less. And they did that twice.”

“What…?”

“Oh, maybe it’s someone you already know. Anyway! I’ll be back as soon as I can!”

With that, I left Mom behind, grabbed my bag and the bandages, and headed back to Dogun.