This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 186

“Oh no…”

In that moment, I was flustered, and my words came out harsher than I intended, but there was no helping it.

No matter what, I simply couldn’t accept the previous statement.

“You know, don’t you? It’s ridiculous?”

That’s exactly why I said it.

If only Yoonseo had been able to comprehend what I meant by that…

I might have felt a bit sorry for her, or perhaps a wave of frustration struck her because I so abruptly refused her.

“…Why can’t I?”

Her voice was slightly smaller than before, but that made the stubborn emotion behind it resonate even more clearly in my ears.

From my standpoint?

It was utterly absurd.

I could understand her feeling upset about having to give up a place that was practically her hideout to a complete stranger, but was that really a good enough reason to stubbornly insist like this?

“There isn’t a free room anymore.”

“That’s a lie, there’s one more room left.”

“…”

That was true.

It was literally a tiny room, but yes, there was indeed a room that had been continuously used as storage.

If we cleared out all the miscellaneous stuff inside?

There might be enough space for one person to stay.

After all, a person could live in a space no bigger than a palm if they really set their mind to it.

The problem was, if I were to give in to Yoonseo’s unreasonable demands here, she would most definitely end up in that room.

It was inevitable because, whether it was Chae-rim or the two people she mentioned from the Association, the treatment they had received up until now wasn’t something they would easily overlook just to squeeze into a tiny room.

So, if Yoonseo really moved into our house, that would undoubtedly become her territory.

“…That’s just a storage room. No way.”

And my stance was that I simply could not allow that to happen.

I wouldn’t let a kid live in a room without windows.

It’s not like there wasn’t anywhere else to stay.

“Still…!”

“No matter how many times you say it, the answer is still no. Are you really trying to make your uncle collapse from overthinking?”

“…”

Yoonseo kept silent at my mention of her uncle.

Of course, she would have no choice but to do so.

Her uncle wouldn’t agree to such a thing, and the condition I saw on his face earlier was almost as bad as Yoonseo’s.

The reason I was so adamantly opposing this was largely influenced by that too.

I could tell just by looking at her uncle’s face how much suffering Yoonseo had endured while I was gone.

And the uncle, who had to watch his beloved daughter in pain, must have been suffering as well.

The stubble I noticed on his face earlier was evidence of that.

The uncle I knew was someone who took great care of himself, so if he let his facial hair grow like that, it meant he truly had no time to tend to himself.

So, if things went wrong, the scenario I just described could indeed become a reality.

Fortunately, even though I was momentarily overwhelmed with emotions, I still retained enough reason to distinguish right from wrong.

After that, Yoonseo remained silent without saying anything else.

And I didn’t have anything more to add, so I fell into silence as well.

Perhaps it was because both sides had closed their mouths.

A heavy silence settled over the hospital room.

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So, while Dogun and Yoonseo were unexpectedly clashing opinions in the hospital room, Baeksulhwa and Chae-rim, who had stepped out for a moment to talk, had just arrived at a location that suited the nature of the conversation they intended to have after wandering down the hospital corridor.

That being said, the place they stood in wasn’t particularly secretive.

It was just an unavoidable dead end along the long stretch of the hospital corridor.

However, given that this floor was reserved for special rooms rather than general ones, there weren’t many people passing by, and the neighboring patient room was empty, making it a not-so-bad place to have a conversation that shouldn’t be overheard by others.

Thanks to this, as soon as they arrived there, Baeksulhwa instinctively sensed that the discussion was about to begin.

What kind of words did she intend to speak?

What would she say that warranted bringing her all the way out here?

Actually, she had some guesses.

Just recalling the conversation Dogun had with that girl in the hospital room hinted at the answer.

It was probably going to be something like asking her to join in.

And if that was indeed the purpose of this meeting, she was completely willing to agree.

Even though I still harbored some feelings of irritation toward the existence of that woman, who held something I could never offer, I could set aside those feelings for Dogun.

So she was mentally preparing herself that if a discussion came up, she would express her willingness to accept right away.

“Hmm…”

Chae-rim, who had been scanning her from head to toe without saying a word, slowly opened her mouth and said—

“Dogun, likes you, right?”

Baeksulhwa was taken aback by the unexpected words that casually slipped out.

She had no choice but to fall silent.

And that was only natural because it had been so abrupt.

So in the moment of surprise, she stammered, and just as the astonishment started to settle down, she felt another emotion taking its place.

The cause was Chae-rim’s subsequent remark.

“I take it from your silence that it’s true then.”

“…”

“As a senior who has lived about ten years longer than you, let me give you some advice: you should back off while your feelings are still manageable.”

Maybe because she was flustered when she heard that, she didn’t understand what it meant at first.

And only after a brief moment did it click, but by then, a dark wave of anger surged through her, reaching her head.

She was that angry.

Who does she think she is?

What right does she have to say such things?

At this point, she regretted ever following along out of concern for Dogun.

After shooting the girl a glare for her ridiculous words while maintaining a nonchalant expression, she turned away, not wanting to waste any more time listening to nonsense that could lead to an uncertain length and consume her mental strength.

Returning to Dogun’s hospital room to have even just one more conversation seemed far more worthwhile.

“But you’re angry, and you don’t understand why, right? That I’m saying this?”

If it hadn’t been for the voice that came from behind her the moment she was about to step away, she surely would have done so.

“Moreover, you might be thinking, with what right does she say such things when she’s not even involved…”

Is this person aware of what they are blabbing about?

At this point, she was beginning to feel more like it was absurd rather than angry.

It was so ridiculous that a scornful laugh threatened to escape her lips.

Not that she wasn’t angry, but—

“But still, what I said was purely for your sake.”

What a ridiculous statement based on what logic?

She felt like she could just smack the back of that head at this point.

How could a person who blabbers such nonsense be a special-class hero?

Did they lose their mind after gaining all that power?

‘Let’s just ignore it.’

That ultimately was the conclusion she reached.

There was no reason or value in listening any further.

Just wasting time.

And so she tried to leave once again, but…

Before she could even move her foot, the words came again.

“Yet, you still can’t let go of those feelings, can you?”

“…”

“So how about we do one thing together? For Dogun.”

Unlike before, she forced herself to ignore it.

There was no doubt that if she listened any further, it would just be more of the same nonsensical reasoning.

It was as predictable as it sounded; she tried to ignore it and walk along, but her feet felt like they were glued to the ground.

All because of the phrase “for Dogun” that had been tacked onto the end of everything.

That phrase held her in place, rendering her unable to move.

So… she turned around.

As she turned back, the first thing that caught her eye was Chae-rim’s face, which wore a gentle smile.

“Well? Are you interested in joining?”

Seeing that familiar expression as if she already knew what the answer would be made her think inwardly.

“…Let me hear it.”

No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem possible to become friends with this person.