This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 193

Sometimes the aftershock that follows a storm can be more intense than the storm itself.

Without even needing to look far away, my current situation was just that.

Just a moment ago, I was enjoying a delicious meal, so how on earth did it come to this?

If my memory serves me right, there should still be more than half a bowl of rice left, so why am I here being interrogated instead of finishing my meal?

This question kept swirling in my mind.

Of course, I didn’t commit the foolish act of voicing it out loud.

Am I crazy or something?

I might have been overwhelmed with confusion earlier in the entryway, making my brain go haywire, but now that I was out of there, that wasn’t the case anymore.

Thus, I was fully aware.

Speaking carelessly here wouldn’t benefit me in any way.

‘I know that…’

Still, I couldn’t help but be bothered by the suffocating silence that had settled around us.

If you’re going to call me here, at least say something!

Why was all three of them silent?

They had invited me to sit here, and now that I’m here, it feels like a hot seat with all three of their mouths sealed.

And yet, I couldn’t show how restless I was, so I tried my best to hold it together. Perhaps they found my struggle pitiable.

Breaking the silence for the first time was Chae-rim, who had been lost in thought just like the others.

The problem was—

“So… Was it good?”

That was her unexpected question.

‘Was it good?’

Is this what it feels like to get hit with words?

Thanks to her, my head felt a bit sore.

It stung even more that it was Chae-rim who asked such a question.

I shot her a resentful look because of that.

She raised one corner of her mouth, obviously teasing, but from my perspective, why would she choose to joke at a time like this?

Or was she perhaps planning to get back at me for what happened earlier?

Whatever her reasoning, as I shot daggers at her with my eyes, it seemed like she wasn’t entirely unaffected by my glare.

“No, I just… I’m worried about you. I really am.”

To say she was worried about me was odd.

What on earth was she worried about?

I totally couldn’t understand.

So, I had no choice but to stare at Chae-rim even harder, almost demanding an explanation.

Did my gaze serve as some kind of coin?

Like a vending machine spitting out words, Chae-rim started to talk.

“Honestly, isn’t that the truth?”

So, what exactly is the truth?

“That… If rumors spread about how you’re weak in situations like this, then everyone will start approaching you that way!”

Hearing those words, I finally understood what Chae-rim was getting at.

I now realized why she thought the way she did.

Naturally, she would think that way.

From Chae-rim’s perspective, I was just a typical male high school student in my prime.

Plus, considering what had happened earlier…

I could get that, but even so, feeling wronged was an inevitable thought that arose within me.

After all, I didn’t get myself into this situation by choice, I had been ambushed.

So why did I have to be suspected and interrogated like this?

Just as the thought dashed across my mind, Seolhwa’s comment added fuel to my feeling of injustice.

“I think what the senior said makes sense, Dogun.”

“Y-Yeah…?”

Are we just going to agree with that here?

Well, that part was whatever, but senior?

Weren’t they both extremely standoffish when they met in the hospital the other day? When did they become so chummy?

“You definitely have a soft side, Dogun. Because of that…”

While I mulled over my own thoughts, the senior’s words kept going.

The problem was that her gentle voice somehow made her argument surprisingly convincing.

‘Is that… really so…?’

Since I even thought that, I couldn’t imagine how much it would affect others.

While I was lost in confusion, the senior’s soothing voice continued.

“This might have been unavoidable this time, but we can’t let this happen again next time, right?”

“Um…”

“Isn’t that right?”

And unlike her earlier remarks, she seemed adamant about hearing my answer on this one.

She looked straight at me with an intensity that carried a peculiar pressure.

Especially her eyes, which had been directed at me this whole time, felt daunting.

They seemed darker than usual, emanating an overwhelming aura the more I looked at them.

“Y-Yeah.”

I found myself stuttering more than usual because of that.

And where her train of thought was leading—

“With that in mind, let’s train together starting tomorrow.”

That was the destination.

To be honest, when I first heard that, I wondered why it had to be this way.

It started that way initially, but after hearing her subsequent explanation, it made a lot of sense.

After all, the reason I was helpless was that I lacked training. If I trained hard in the future, I could react even in sudden situations like earlier, and she said this while maintaining that same intense gaze; what could I say against that?

I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

And right when the senior’s turn was up, stepping in was Yoonseo, who had been silent until now.

“S-So, who was it…?”

I’d been wondering why she was fidgeting all this time; it turns out it was because she was curious.

Well, to be honest, I didn’t have anything I couldn’t answer.

But…

‘How do I even explain this…’

I couldn’t help but struggle with that part.

So, after a moment of contemplation, I cautiously decided to speak up.

“Uh, do you remember anything from kindergarten?”

“Kindergarten…?”

“Yeah.”

“I remember… but…”

It was probably over ten years ago, so her memories weren’t exactly crystal clear as they might feel like they just happened yesterday.

Yoonseo trailed off, seemingly unsure.

“Then do you remember a girl named Bora who was in our class?”

“Bora…?”

“The one you used to bicker with all the time.”

That seemed to jog her memory.

“Ah… you’re talking about that girl, right? The one who transferred after the awakening?”

“Yep. Remember how she was upset because she didn’t give you a letter?”

“When did I…?”

The memory that had been buried surfaced with embarrassment as Yoonseo flinched slightly before her face transformed into one of realization, and she continued, seemingly in disbelief.

“Wait… don’t tell me…?”

However, it seemed hard for her to readily accept that fact.

Her confused expression surely indicated so.

‘Taking that into account…’

I realized it made sense.

After all, I was just as bewildered.

It was one thing for the senior to even consider such possibilities, but to coincide with someone I had parted ways with ten years ago as a kindergarten friend? That felt improbably rare.

Is this why people say reality is stranger than fiction?

I’d even found myself contemplating that thought.

But on top of that, Bora had even pulled off such spontaneous antics involving me.

It left Yoonseo and me even more perplexed after personally experiencing it and witnessing it unfold right in front of our eyes.

“But wait… didn’t Bora say she had a talent related to painting?”

Amidst the whirlwind of confusion, my mind managed to stumble onto that thought.

“But how did…?”

The question that had been brewing in my mind all along spilled out through Yoonseo’s lips.

Both Yoonseo and I, as if we had made a silent agreement, turned our gazes towards Chae-rim.

It was because we thought that she might know something—after all, Bora was thought to have some skills related to painting and somehow seemed to be connected to the association.

And perhaps sensing the intent behind our gaze, Chae-rim finally spoke up.

“Umm…”