This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 182

Could it be because the number of people suddenly increased from three to four?

As soon as Chae-rim walked in with a clicking sound, a peculiar atmosphere began to flow into the hospital room.

Just a moment ago, it had been a scenario where the Senior was unilaterally ignoring Yoonseo, but now they were both eyeing Chae-rim warily as if to say “when did that happen?”

From the perspective of the two who had been occupying their spots from the beginning, it probably wasn’t very pleasant that Chae-rim had abruptly inserted herself into their midst.

Thanks to that, a subtle gaze of wariness was directed at the Chae-rim, who had taken center stage, and it was hard to believe that Chae-rim was unaware of it.

And Chae-rim’s response to that was simple.

“Hmm…”

With a brief sound, Chae-rim’s nostrils flared slightly.

And while it was understandable given the situation, having been close to Chae-rim for nearly a month, I knew well when she displayed that kind of demeanor.

It was when she was facing Another.

At those times, Chae-rim would tend to exhibit such behavior.

Well, if they come at her, she’d at least engage, but it felt more like a disdainful attitude, if I had to categorize it.

And every time she showed such a demeanor, she would thoroughly suppress her opponents.

Those scenes were vividly etched in my mind, so seeing Chae-rim like that made me flinch inwardly.

But for a moment, realizing the situation was different this time, I managed to feel a little relieved.

After all, back then, her foes were monsters that devoured people.

In comparison, now she was facing Yoonseo and the Senior, so even if she might have a disdainful attitude, I thought she wouldn’t go overboard like she did back then.

It couldn’t be helped, as Chae-rim was an adult compared to them.

So I thought Chae-rim, who seemed merciless yet subtly forgiving, would surely act that way—

“Let’s see… I guess it’s faster and better to get straight to the point?”

I had apparently misjudged her.

While Chae-rim generally had a forgiving side, it seemed she had no intention of being lenient towards those baring their teeth at her.

“By the way… do you happen to have any spare rooms at home?”

Chae-rim flashed an impossibly bright smile and dropped a bomb right there.

The destructive power of the bomb was tremendous, as it shifted the already heavy atmosphere in the room to an even denser weight.

Perhaps because of that.

Or maybe it was simply because Chae-rim’s statement was so abrupt that it left everyone dumbfounded… both the Senior and Yoonseo widened their eyes, busy blinking as if they couldn’t grasp the meaning of Chae-rim’s earlier words.

And naturally, I too found myself equally bewildered by the question.

It couldn’t be helped.

Chae-rim had clearly said she would get to the point, but I couldn’t fathom the context that would lead to such a conclusion.

Hadn’t I just headed over to negotiate with the Association regarding my future?

But suddenly, was she asking if I had a room at home?

At face value, it sounded as though she was suggesting we live together.

“If there’s no spare room at your place, I guess our house would also work, but…”

“No, I do have a spare room…”

Even amidst the confusion, my mouth was obnoxiously cooperative.

And as our ancestors say, the mouth is indeed the source of all evils.

My situation was exactly that.

“Really? That’s great!”

“…Huh? How is that great?”

“Oh, I think Dogun might need to stay over at your house for a while.”

The longer the conversation with Chae-rim went, the sharper the gazes piercing at me became.

And not just one, but two pairs of such eyes.

Just a moment ago, both seemed to be watching Chae-rim, yet now they had turned their attention back to me.

Anyway, one thing was for sure; at this rate, I felt like my facial skin would get pierced through.

Though they were glaring at me like that, they seemed to think it would be tough to extract an answer from someone who appeared just as confused as they were.

Both of their heads turned toward Chae-rim in unison, as if they had made a silent pact.

“Oh, no way!”

“What do you mean by that?”

Those words were just fluff.

And as for Chae-rim’s response…

‘How cute.’

Unlike the two, who had become overly sensitive due to the sudden cohabitation declaration, Chae-rim was only thinking that.

‘Well…’

Dogun was indeed adorable.

But that wasn’t all, was it?

He was remarkably attentive and considerate for a boy his age.

To put it simply, he’d come across as mature.

Thanks to that, whenever I was together with Dogun, I often felt like I was hanging out with a guy of a similar age.

So it wasn’t surprising that the girl named Yoonseo, who had known him since kindergarten, and the girl named Baeksulhwa, who was said to be so sharp that her mother could recite it a hundred times, had both completely fallen for Dogun.

‘What a time to be alive.’

That thought naturally crossed my mind.

Did Dogun even know that these two were head over heels for him?

‘Maybe he does… or maybe he doesn’t…’

Curiosity led me to quickly scan Dogun’s face, but nothing seemed to catch my attention.

Well, aside from those fresh and innocent feelings, there was also something that couldn’t be disclosed.

Initially, the reason I jumped straight to the conclusion was largely due to that.

However, I knew that these two wouldn’t back down until they received a proper explanation.

The determination in their gazes directed at me was unmistakable.

So I asked once.

“Why should I tell you that? To you?”

Why should I have to explain myself?

Who do you think you are?

What right do you have to pry into someone else’s affairs?

That question, along with a multitude of other things, was wrapped up in my inquiry that caused a clear divide in the responses from the two, who had been guarding Dogun on either side.

Perhaps unable to find a retort, the girl named Baeksulhwa bit her lower lip slightly, while Yoonseo regained her composure.

Maybe it was due to that reaction, indicating she knew something.

‘Could it be… about his arm?’

That thought crossed my mind first.

‘Well…’

They had known each other since kindergarten.

At this point, it almost felt like a decade of acquaintance, akin to family.

In fact, wasn’t Yoonseo’s house just next door?

That wasn’t just of a family-like connection, it was family.

So it wouldn’t be strange if they had discussed something related to his arm.

It wouldn’t be strange, but—

‘I distinctly remember being told to keep it a secret…’

I felt a twinge of mischief for some reason.

And perhaps that was exactly why it suddenly struck me, something I had forgotten until now.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Wasn’t Baeksulhwa in third grade this year?

“Hold on, you’re in third grade, right?”

I asked that question to solidify my growing suspicion.

I was only doing this to confirm that, but the girl who had just been left dumbfounded suddenly shot back with a cautious question.

“…Well, yeah. But why are you asking?”

It came back to me like she was testing the waters.

Of course, I had no obligation to answer her.

“If you’re in third grade, did you happen to take the qualification test that was held today?”

What mattered wasn’t whether she answered that question, but rather that specific aspect of it.

I hadn’t heard her answer about whether she took the test yet, but… if she had?

It would likely be easy to imagine the Association Chairman fretting about who to sneak in next to Dogun under the guise of protection and how to reel them in after receiving a big surprise.

“No, but why is that…”

“Did you take it? The exam?”

It was imperative to confirm that part.

“…I did take it.”

Fortunately, she had taken it.

Now the question was how well she had done, so it was only natural to ask her directly.

Thus, I inquired.

“Did you do well?”

“…Huh?”

“How well do you think you ranked?”