This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 180

While Chae-rim was negotiating Dogun’s fate with the Association Chairman, Baeksulhwa, who somehow managed to escape the exam venue, finally held the mobile phone she had longed for in her hands.

Thanks to this newfound means of contact, she couldn’t help but feel increasingly anxious.

Today, the phone seemed to turn on at a particularly sluggish pace.

Had it always been this slow?

How had she ever used this painfully slow device before?

As she stared at the creeping white bar, those thoughts nagged at her, making her more nervous.

At the same time, she felt a wave of dread wash over her.

If, just if… when the mobile phone turned on, and there were no messages from Dogun, what would she do then?

No matter how much she tried to suppress that thought, it kept surfacing, making her impatiently await the phone’s activation.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the screen flickered to life, and as soon as she checked the notifications that arrived while the phone had been off, the anxiety that had filled her throat suddenly dissipated as if it had never been there.

Of course, that was because, contrary to her worries, a message had indeed come from Dogun.

Perhaps he hesitated to call, worried he might disturb her?

The contact didn’t come in the form of a call, but rather a text.

Starting with the reassurance that he was safe now and that she didn’t have to worry anymore, he also mentioned the location of the hospital where he was admitted.

Among all the lengthy details, it was the hospital-related news that really caught her eye.

A hospital, huh.

Could it be that he had sustained an injury?

Considering the trouble Dogun often found himself in, it would actually be strange if he hadn’t gotten hurt, but the fact that he was hospitalized filled her with concern.

She clutched the mobile phone tightly, hurrying out of the Association building, fearing another update might arrive.

Having sent a text meant that his condition wasn’t too serious; however, that didn’t mean she was free of worry.

So, she hastily grabbed a taxi heading to the hospital where Dogun was staying—

“Hey? Someone’s coming out?”

“What? They’re coming out already?”

“Did they give up thinking there was no hope?”

As soon as she stepped past the perimeter surrounding the Association building, a swarm of bothersome reporters rushed in.

“How was the exam? Was it really tough?”

“What do you think about the qualification exam being conducted earlier than usual? Please, just one comment!”

“You were the quickest participant to exit the exam room. Did you give up on the exam?”

The staff set by the Association clung on stubbornly, making her wish she could just use her talent to shake them off altogether.

But that wouldn’t do.

That would only delay her chance to see Dogun.

If she had known it would be this crowded, she would have chosen a different exit instead of the main one.

Her eagerness to see Dogun’s face first had led her to take the wrong approach.

Well, in truth, it probably wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

“This isn’t right!”

“Step aside!”

In the midst of that chaotic scene, she thought to herself.

She desperately hoped everyone would just go away.

Meanwhile, while Baeksulhwa was facing her unexpected trial, Dogun was in a rather troublesome situation as well.

“Hey, eat this too.”

“Uh… excuse me?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

There was no other choice.

Ever since Yoonseo discovered the state of his arm, her symptoms had worsened.

Of course, it seemed she was being careful not to stick to him like before, but it became a problem because she hovered around wanting to take care of him.

Was it possible Yoonseo saw him as a little seven-year-old now?

If not, this behavior made no sense.

Look at him now.

His left arm was still wrapped up in bandages, but his right arm was perfectly fine, and he wasn’t using it at all.

Yet, it seemed rude to decline Yoonseo’s kindness.

“I’m sorry… was I a burden?”

Whenever he even thought about refusing, she immediately looked downcast and started apologizing, making it hard for him to say no.

“…No, can you just pass me that beverage over there?”

“Oh, this?”

Yeah, it had only been half a day since he returned.

From Yoonseo’s perspective, the fact that he had come back when she thought he was gone might still feel unreal.

So for now, it might not seem so strange, but as time passed, things should gradually improve.

He silently wished for that.

It was hard to adjust to seeing Yoonseo acting like that, the girl he had always bickered with daily.

Without his will, a sense of dread kept creeping up along his neck.

But it was useless to show that on the outside, so all he could do was suffer internally.

In the midst of this confusion, a sound of knocking suddenly broke the tension.

Was it a nurse or a doctor coming to check on him?

As the gentle knocking sound filled the air, Yoonseo, realizing something at the same moment, swiftly got to her feet and began covering up evidence.

Did she think if they left any traces of outside food, he’d get scolded?

She busily darted around the hospital room, like a squirrel hiding acorns in preparation for the impending end of winter, while he called out to the door.

“Yes, who is it?”

Yoonseo froze mid-motion the moment the familiar voice echoed from beyond the door.

It couldn’t be helped.

“Uh… it’s me, Dogun.”

The voice from beyond the door was so familiar to both him and Yoonseo.

Need there be more words?

The voice coming from the door was none other than that of his senior.

He thought it would still take a little while for the exams to conclude, but perhaps that was his mistake.

“Can I come in?”

That part made him feel grateful.

After all, she didn’t have to come all this way when a simple call to check on his well-being would suffice.

And considering she would have been extremely tired after just finishing the exam, it was clear he couldn’t refuse.

“Oh, yes, please come in.”

He readily agreed for that reason.

But then…

As the closed door creaked open, and he faced his senior for the first time in about a month, he realized that maybe, just maybe, that decision had been a mistake.

“Yes, who is it?”

The moment Dogun’s voice reached his ears, a lump formed in his throat.

And then he thought.

Thank goodness.

It seemed he wasn’t hurt too badly, which was a huge relief.

Dogun’s voice sounded much better than he had feared.

Finally, after getting the go-ahead from Dogun to enter the hospital room, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

The bandaged left arm did catch his eye, but aside from that, Dogun appeared to be okay.

Sure, it would have been better if he hadn’t been injured at all… but considering it wasn’t worse, he felt fortunate.

Just as he began to relax, however, as if to keep him on edge, he immediately became aware of something unpleasant as soon as his focus widened.

“…What?”

He had expected as much.

“So you two were together?”

He had anticipated it, but it was far more infuriating than he expected.

What made this person hover around Dogun’s side yet again, having done nothing when Dogun truly needed help?

Though she didn’t dare to meet his eyes, her conscience didn’t seem entirely absent, yet his feelings remained unchanged.

But… he couldn’t let that show.

It wouldn’t benefit him in any way.

Unless Dogun completely turned his heart away from her, that was likely the case.

So he shifted his gaze back to Dogun, feeling that focusing on the annoyance wouldn’t bring any good.

There was no point in continuing to stew in irritation; better to ignore it altogether.

“I saw your text and came over… how’s your body? Are you feeling any better?”

With that, he finally began to exchange words with Dogun, having completely erased the annoyances from his line of sight.