This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 192

‘What on earth…’

How did it end up like this?

Feeling the soft and moist texture from both my upper and lower lips, I thought to myself.

I had simply gone to check who was at the door after someone rang the bell.

Then, a girl appeared, clearly an employee from the Association, saying she came to check out the house since she would be living here from tomorrow. She introduced herself, and I just reciprocated with my name.

Was it the fact that her name was the same as the girl I used to share a class with in Kindergarten that made it a problem?

Or was it that the bracelet hanging from her left wrist kept catching my attention, leading me to acknowledge her in hopes of recognition?

One thing was clear: no matter how I racked my brain for reasons, it did not explain why the girl would kiss me.

And so… I felt dizzy.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t comprehend why I was standing like this at my house’s entrance and why she was acting like this towards me.

I genuinely froze, unable to shake off the girl who had unexpectedly come so close, blinking in shock instead.

What made it even more maddening was that while my head was spinning, my vision was bizarrely wide and clear.

Thanks to that, I could see everything.

The girl, or rather Bora, with her flushed cheeks, eyes tightly closed as if sweetly kissing like lovers.

Yoonseo peeking through the doorway, her eyes wide open in shock, her mouth agape as she witnessed the incident.

And then there was the Senior who stood behind, observing the scene at the entrance, turning her chopsticks into something else entirely.

Lastly, Chaerim, twisting her lips in disbelief, looked utterly perplexed… I saw it all.

Since I could see those things right in front of me, I lost the courage to face the spectacle head-on.

The fact that I had unknowingly squeezed my eyes shut was precisely because of that.

In any case, I did that for that reason… But to put it bluntly, I shouldn’t have.

That was one of the worst things I could have done in that situation.

However… I couldn’t help it.

At that moment, I was genuinely unaware of how my action of casually shutting my eyes would be perceived by those witnessing this chaotic scene in real-time.

And Bora, who had pushed me into such a situation, remained calm all along.

No, she was beyond calm; it was almost frightening how innocent she seemed.

Could it be that the way people greet each other had somehow changed into a kiss without me realizing?

Or had she studied abroad in a place where ‘kiss’ meant the same as ‘greeting’ since leaving Kindergarten?

There had to be an explanation for her being so nonchalant.

There was no way she could touch her own lips, which had just been pressed against mine, so casually.

“Haha, it’s totally different from what I read on the internet.”

What on earth is so funny, and what’s different from the internet?

My Kindergarten classmate, unexpectedly reunited after about a decade, was truly a mystery in itself.

“Anyway… I was actually thinking of getting a tour around the house…”

Bora trailed off as she glanced over my shoulder, precisely at the onlookers who were staring at us intently.

“I think that’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”

After a moment, she turned back to me, smiled brightly, and made her way to leave.

Even though it was evident, there was nothing I could do in that situation.

I couldn’t muster the courage to grab Bora and demand an explanation.

What if she did something even worse than what I just experienced?

What was I supposed to do then?

“Oh, right. I should mention, in case you might misunderstand… what just happened was a punishment.”

Huh?

What?

A punishment?

Where on earth do you learn that a kiss is a punishment?

That thought, combined with an overwhelming sense of confusion, seemed to take over my face.

“So, see you tomorrow.”

Bora, chuckling while watching my reaction, turned around and waved her bracelet-clad hand.

Each time she did, the colorful beads of the bracelet clinked against the worn-out rabbit charm, scattering sound everywhere.

And just like that, the unexpected ‘Bora’ storm that had hit my house’s entrance vanished as abruptly as it had arrived.

As that storm receded, what came next was—

“Hmm, what was that just now?”

“Dogun.”

“W-Who was that just now…?”

The aftershock of the storm.

—

Bora’s face, filled with smile despite whatever trouble Dogun was in, was only natural.

She had every reason to be happy.

Hence, I couldn’t suppress the smile creeping up on my face.

‘Perhaps…’

I thought I might not recognize him at all.

But to my surprise, Dogun immediately recognized me.

That realization brought me great joy and led me to hum a little tune.

Who would have thought this day would come, where the act of ‘moving’—which used to be such a nuisance—would be something to look forward to?

To be honest, when I first received the notice for the move, I had a heart full of annoyance.

It wasn’t like someone was after me again, so I couldn’t understand why we had to do this.

My first shift in thought occurred when I heard where we were moving.

The moment I heard the name of the neighborhood I once vividly remembered from childhood pass the staff’s lips, I felt a surge of interest in the new place.

Naturally, that neighborhood was filled with nothing but good memories.

Though it had been over a decade since Kindergarten, the bad memories that followed were things I didn’t even wish to recall, making those fond memories feel even more precious.

‘I really was happy back then…’

At that time, my mom and dad weren’t like this at all.

So occasionally, I’d entertain the thought.

What if, for some reason, we never left that neighborhood?

And every time I indulged in such thoughts, the Kindergarten friends would inevitably come to mind.

Among them, Dogun and Yoonseo were the most vivid in my memory.

Dogun, who despite being the same age, had an unusual maturity, and Yoonseo who would bicker over Dogun whenever their eyes met.

So when I heard that one of those names belonged to someone I’d be living with, I couldn’t help but think perhaps.

It felt too coincidental to be mere chance.

After all, this would be my first time living with someone, just like a doll owned by someone else, and to think it was someone with the same name as the girl I liked in Kindergarten.

Could there be a coincidence like this?

Yet, I decided not to get my hopes up.

I had been betrayed one too many times when I let myself ‘hope.’

Thus, I resolved not to hold onto the expectation that they could be the same person… but still, I couldn’t help but imagine.

What if they were the same person?

‘Could it be…’

Do they still remember me?

Do they still think of me?

With those thoughts, my heart raced.

And finally, when I reunited with Dogun, that feeling surged exponentially.

“Um… Did you ever attend a kindergarten called Sunshine?”

The instant those words echoed in my ears, the emotional surge erupted.

The impulsive kiss I pressed onto Dogun was largely triggered by that moment.

Well, that and the fact that he was surrounded by three girls also felt infuriating.

It wasn’t right that I had never been with a guy, yet here he was with three girls!

That surely deserved reprimand.

‘Well…’

Regardless, the first taste of someone else’s lips, contrary to what people online said they would taste like lemon, was just slightly different.