This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 176

What happened?

How did things end up like this?

Why on earth…

Such thoughts didn’t last long.

It was understandable, considering what I had witnessed.

I had seen it, after all.

The look of despair that engulfed Dogun’s face.

It may be too late to say this now, but thinking back, it was quite rare for Dogun to actually be flustered.

Yet, in this very moment, he couldn’t hide the feeling of panic.

That was probably… because of that arm.

Was that why he had tried to make me go outside the hospital room for even a moment, asking if he was hungry or something?

I might have thought so.

And maybe, because he was caught off guard by what he had tried so hard to hide.

The only two fingers peeking out from the tightly wrapped bandages twitched violently.

And perhaps Dogun had realized that all the attention was focused just on that.

He must have known it was already too late, yet he fumbled to hide his arm somehow.

In that moment, where various factors intertwined with the despair that still occupied Dogun’s face, a single thought emerged.

‘It’s my fault.’

Dogun’s arm had become like this in the end because of me.

‘I…’

Of course, he didn’t know how his arm had ended up like this.

‘Because of me…’

He didn’t know, but the undeniable fact was that the root cause was right here.

‘I… didn’t answer the phone back then…’

If I hadn’t stubbornly held onto my pride and answered Dogun’s call that day?

Perhaps he wouldn’t have gotten caught up in the Rift incident at the park where he had planned to meet.

And even if that hadn’t happened, had I answered the call, I would have at least been with Dogun.

If that was the case…

No matter what had happened to Dogun’s arm, I could have been there to protect him.

But what was the reality?

Despite having had the chance, I hadn’t been able to protect anything at all.

Was that why?

A deep sense of doubt began to rise from the very core.

What’s the point of painstakingly honing talents to become strong?

In the end, the one I wanted to protect the most was someone I couldn’t protect.

What was that pride of mine even worth?

What was that blasted pride that made me act that way on that day?

This isn’t how it should be… Dogun told me to stop crying…

The feelings of regret surged in like a tidal wave, making me feel like the tears I had just barely managed to stop would flow again.

Slowly, slowly, my throat began to heat up.

If I let my guard down even a little, I would start ugly crying like before.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I had already cried enough while being held in Dogun’s arms earlier.

So, what I needed now wasn’t tears but a way to restore Dogun’s arm to its original state.

In order to find that… I had to ask.

“Your arm…”

Of course, it wasn’t easy to vocalize that question.

It was no wonder; with every syllable, the weight of what Dogun had lost—and what he would lose because of this—hit me hard.

“What happened… to make it like that?”

I found myself stumbling over my words, but still, I completed the question.

And thanks to completing that question… I was able to hear.

I was able to hear, from Dogun himself, from start to finish, what had happened to him, what experiences he had gone through there.

And the moment I had heard all of it, I asked Dogun once more.

“Then, is there… any way for you to go back to normal…?”

I wondered if there was any way to return to how things used to be.

If such a thing existed…

I was ready to do whatever it took to make it happen—

“Uh… well…”

As I asked that, I witnessed the awkward expression wash over Dogun’s face, and I realized, whether I liked it or not, that such a method didn’t exist at the moment.

And I understood how he felt because of that question.

“Is it… that bad to see…?”

‘Given how it looks, it can’t be helped…’ I thought as I saw Dogun’s bitter smile as he covered his left hand with his right, hiding his fingers.

Did that comment just hurt Dogun?

The moment I reached out to grasp Dogun’s hand hidden beneath his right one, I thought it might have.

As I held his hand, Dogun tried to pull away in panic.

So, I tightened my grip a little, wanting to convey something.

No matter how his arm, or anything else for that matter, had changed, to me, he was just ‘Dogun.’

As I held his hand without letting go, it was Dogun who gave up, raising his hands in surrender.

Seeing Dogun easing the tension in his hands while wearing a slightly different bitter smile gave me a moment of relief.

I hadn’t meant to hurt Dogun with that question.

I merely… wanted to find a way.

Because if things kept going like this, Dogun would have to give up too much.

That was my honest wish, and could I just tell him it was okay to cover his arm?

That wouldn’t solve anything fundamentally.

Hiding it for now wouldn’t change the fact that Dogun would have to live in constant anxiety and tension, wondering when he would be discovered.

In such a situation, how long could Dogun endure?

Could he endure at all?

I couldn’t be sure.

That’s why I wanted to find a solution as quickly as possible and help Dogun regain his ordinary life.

What should I do to make that happen?

Just when I was deep in thought.

“Ahem, by the way…”

“…What?”

“Can we at least eat first?”

“…Ah.”

Grrroooowl—

Oblivious to the mood, my stomach growled.

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When Dogun and Yoonseo finally settled into an early dinner, Seolhwa, who had left the hospital early to take the qualification exam, was just at the final stage among many tests.

And while some were getting more nervous at that point, others relaxed at the very thought that it was finally the last test.

So, it wasn’t surprising that those who had been too tense to even glance at their mobile phones at the beginning of the exam started stealthily taking them out one by one, looking around.

Of course, Seolhwa had nothing to do with such people.

Her entire focus was solely on the exam.

How could she have had the mind to check her phone?

‘The last one…’

This was truly the last one.

If she could just pass the mock battle against a real hero while imagining battling against a villain?

She’d get to know the results soon enough.

Whether she passed or failed.

Thus, how could she help but feel more tense, but there was one thing that eased her mind—everything had been going fairly well so far.

So, if she could just safely get through the last stage…

She could expect to receive a passing result.

It was all thanks to Dogun.

If Dogun hadn’t wholeheartedly helped her as if it were his own task?

If he hadn’t shown her the way forward?

She wouldn’t even have dared to dream of passing.

So, she had to pass, for Dogun’s sake as well.

Just when she was in the middle of rallying her spirits.

It seemed she had tossed away her nervousness entirely or perhaps simply had given up on the exam.

The loud chatter of those around her flowed into her ears.

“Crazy… Hey, did you see this article?”

“What’s the big deal? Did a Rift happen again or something?”

“No, that’s not it… Lightning Lady has returned!”

“What? I thought that person was declared missing after getting caught in that devourer-type Rift?”

“Exactly what I’m saying.”

“But she’s back? Isn’t this a world first?”

And following that comment came a bunch of pointless exclamations like “Guess this is what it takes to be special-class.”

So, she tried to ignore them, but just when she tried to block them out, she heard ‘that comment.’

“But who’s that guy next to her? Her boyfriend?”

“Don’t you know? He’s the one who got caught in it and returned with her.”

“Really? Whoever he is, seems like he used up all his luck for a lifetime.”

“Oh, it’s written here. Let’s see… ‘Meanwhile, the student A, who explained the circumstances of the incident on behalf of Lightning Lady, is reportedly enrolled at Yeongang High School in Seoul.'”