This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 189

I successfully managed to make Chae-rim flinch, if not give her a ‘one hit!’ for all the teasing she had done to me. With a grin, I planned to say, “Just kidding. It’s a joke.”

That was definitely my intention…

But who would have thought?

Of all times, Yoonseo would come back now.

Given the situation, I couldn’t stay close to Chae-rim any longer.

“Sorry, Dad said there aren’t any new ones, so I took a bit longer to get some…”

The sound of the door opening and Yoonseo’s voice suddenly rushing in was the reason I hurriedly stepped back.

Everything happened in a split second, leaving no room to say it was just a joke.

Of course, I couldn’t say it.

Because of that, the atmosphere, which should have already eased, became awkwardly tense.

And perhaps Yoonseo sensed the painfully awkward vibe flowing between Chae-rim and me.

“…Did you two do anything while I was gone?”

Just as I was about to explain why it took so long, Yoonseo suddenly stalled and blurted that out.

“Ah, no! We were just discussing where to put the bed. Right?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right.”

No matter how experienced Chae-rim was, having faced everything from ground battles to aerial skirmishes, I guess being caught off guard by an unexpected situation was enough to throw her off.

Her voice, which was chiming in agreement, trembled slightly, as if seeking validation for my statement.

Is that why?

Even after my flimsy explanation, Yoonseo’s narrowed eyes showed no signs of returning to normal.

“…Really?”

That alone seemed to be enough.

Perhaps it was a little too strange to pry further just because she felt a hint of doubt.

Or maybe there were multiple issues worth suspecting, but she chose to overlook them for now.

“Oh, right. We have guests downstairs.”

“Huh? Guests?”

“Yeah.”

Guests, huh?

Did someone from the Association come out?

But didn’t I pass on everything I needed to say in the morning?

So why were they back…?

As I mulled over those questions, I excused myself to Chae-rim and Yoonseo and headed down to the first floor where the guest was waiting.

As soon as I arrived on the first floor, I instantly recognized the identity of the guest.

“Senior?”

Yep.

The guest Yoonseo mentioned was none other than my senior.

“Ah, hi…?”

And for reasons unknown, my senior suddenly started acting super awkward, making it clear why she was acting that way.

One of the two people who would be living in our house starting tomorrow was my senior.

“…Really?”

“Yeah, uh, it just happened that way…”

Hearing that made me understand why my senior’s attitude toward me became uncomfortably awkward all of a sudden.

There was no way she wouldn’t feel that way.

From her perspective, it would feel odd to suddenly move into the house of a junior she knows.

Especially when that junior was a guy, not a girl…

If we were complete strangers?

She might have felt some reluctance about living together, but she wouldn’t be this awkward.

In this case, the bond of familiarity between us was acting like a poison.

And the contagious awkwardness spread to me in a flash.

“Uh, um…”

Just moments ago, I felt like everything was fine, but now my senior’s demeanor was filled with awkwardness, making it hard for me to figure out how to act around her.

It felt like someone was dripping white paint into my brain drop by drop.

At this rate, we’d both be saying “Uh… uh…” until someone showed up, so I hurriedly forced out some words.

“Um, would you like to choose a room first?”

“A, room?”

“Yes, yes.”

“S, should we do that…?”

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That’s when Dogun and Baeksulhwa started wandering around the house in the world’s most awkward atmosphere, while Chae-rim focused on clearing out the room she would be staying in.

If someone had seen the mountain of stuff filling her room, they would have sighed, wondering when she’d ever move it all.

But to Chae-rim, who trained rigorously every day, it was merely a matter of getting it done once she set her mind to it.

Thus, rather than waiting for Dogun to return, she chose to take action first.

However, despite her seemingly absent-minded focus on moving her stuff, Chae-rim’s mind was consumed by a single thought.

That thought, of course, was about Dogun.

How could it not be?

After all, it had only been a few minutes since she experienced ‘that incident.’

How could she not think about it?

And perhaps because her mind was filled with those thoughts, her heart was racing wildly, pounding fast and hard.

Which made her feel even more compelled to move around frantically.

If she didn’t give herself reasons to keep her heart racing like this, she felt she’d end up admitting that it was because of Dogun.

“Are you crazy, Jeong Chae-rim? He’s just a high school kid…!”

Deep down, I kind of wanted to scream.

After all, what was the age gap between Dogun and me?

Not just one digit, but a two-digit number.

Which meant?

When I was Dogun’s age, he was just a seven-year-old attending kindergarten.

And here I was, nervous and flustered over a little kid.

There was no way this was normal.

It simply couldn’t be…

Could it be that the side effects of being a hero and distancing myself from guys kicked in like this?

As those thoughts spiraled endlessly, I finally returned to a notion I had before.

So I thought once again.

“It’s just… a joke, right…?”

As I pondered, for a moment, a thought struck me that maybe that’s all it was.

No, not maybe—surely, that’s what it was.

I was the one teasing, so Dogun must’ve snapped and reacted.

So I thought that must have been the nature of the prank.

But as I tried to conclude, something unexpected jolted me.

“…A prank?”

Even if it was a prank, isn’t it reckless to act in such a manner?

What if someone misunderstood it?

Thinking that way made me feel like I couldn’t just brush this off.

So I decided I should have a serious talk with Dogun later.

But… what if, really?

What if Dogun didn’t just mean it as a joke?

What if he had a little sincerity hidden beneath that prank?

What should I do then?

As those thoughts settled, my mind felt painfully blank.

While part of me felt embarrassed to even say this, the possibility seemed too real to ignore.

It was true, after spending a whole month living together, something could have sprouted in my heart.

“…No way.”

Was that why he acted so bravely to save me back then?

…Maybe it could be that.

No, it was a strong possibility.

Dogun, more than anyone, knew how dangerous that situation was.

Had things gone a bit differently, he could have really lost his life.

He must’ve known that yet still chose to throw himself in front of me.

Was that something you could do without any feelings?

I thought for a moment about switching roles, and honestly, I felt uncertain.

I couldn’t match Dogun’s resolve to leap into danger without hesitation.

But he did it, and because of that, I couldn’t avoid acknowledging the truth.

Maybe, just maybe, Dogun’s feelings were directed towards me.

“Oh, what should I do…?”

What if that’s true?

Yoonseo’s the same, and so are the kids I saw at the hospital, including Baeksulhwa—they all seemed to really like Dogun.

Yet, Dogun’s heart could be turning toward me…

Was that thought the reason my mind suddenly became tangled and overwhelmed?