This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 198

Is this what it feels like to be wrapped up by a snake?

Suddenly, I was caught, and from my arm, a significant force surged through.

That’s why I hesitated to step forward.

And in that halted moment, a whisper floated into my ear—

“…Where are you going?”

It was a voice that was slightly subdued compared to earlier.

The gap created by that voice startled me.

“Uh? The… towel…”

“So why are you doing it?”

Why am I doing it, you ask?

What does that even mean?

As soon as I thought that, Bora chimed in.

“Why are you bringing that person’s towel?”

“’Cause I’m the only one at home right now?”

“And me?”

“Huh?”

“I’m here too, you know.”

“Well…”

That was true.

But still, it felt a bit much to ask Bora, who’s technically still a guest, to fetch a towel.

That’s how I thought, but Bora seemed to have a different opinion.

“Where’s the towel?”

She immediately asked me that, and without waiting for my response, she headed straight for the second floor.

Of course, her arms were still crossed.

So, while I was being dragged along against my will, the one shocking thing was Bora’s keen observation.

All I mentioned was that there was another bathroom on the second floor, but somehow she sensed it and headed straight for the bathroom as soon as we reached the second floor.

Then, without any hesitation, she pulled a towel from the bathroom shelf and started back down.

The whole sequence of actions was so natural that it felt like I was watching someone who had lived here for years.

Anyway, with the towel secured, the moment I reached the first-floor bathroom where the Senior was inside, I finally experienced a sense of freedom after stepping into the house.

Although there was a space functioning as a laundry room and changing area rather than just a bathroom behind the door, it still felt a bit inappropriate for me, a guy, to be dragged inside while the Senior was in there.

“Just wait here.”

Bora said that as she turned to me, slightly opening the door before slipping inside.

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Time rewound a bit to when Bora was enthusiastically dragging Dogun around to hunt for towels, while Baeksulhwa was waiting in the bathroom filled with white steam for Dogun to bring a towel.

Her face was flushed like she’d just finished exercising, but it wasn’t solely because of the hot shower.

It was simply… unavoidable.

Should I say it couldn’t be helped?

It couldn’t be helped that she wasn’t wearing anything at all.

But the thought that Dogun would be coming in here with the towel made her face heat up even more.

Of course, even if Dogun made it this far, she wouldn’t show him her current state.

The bathroom door was made of glass, but given the steam filling the room from the hot shower, it was all foggy inside, and the glass material was opaque.

So even if Dogun reached the door, what he would see was probably only colors or silhouettes.

I knew for sure that would be the case, yet I couldn’t shake the sudden sense of embarrassment.

“Ugh…”

Thanks to that, regardless of my own will, a groan escaped my lips.

Had I known, I would’ve checked to see if there were towels in here as soon as I came in.

But who would have expected it?

That after cleaning everything up, they’d forget to stock the towels.

As I sat there, feeling embarrassed and groaning, unnecessary thoughts began to creep into my mind.

For instance… curiosity about Dogun’s reaction.

I was about to collapse from embarrassment, but what about Dogun?

Would he feel that way too?

Is he also blushing and his heart racing right now?

That thought suddenly piqued my interest.

And at the same time, I secretly hoped.

I wished he would.

Because it felt a bit unfair if I was the only one conscious of this.

‘What if…’

What if the situation was reversed?

Would he feel this kind of embarrassment too?

As I entertained that thought, the image of Dogun’s abs from earlier this morning while we jogged together popped into my head.

The moment I thought of that slightly exposed part of his body that peeked out from underneath his lifted t-shirt because of running, my face, which had just calmed down, started heating up again.

Yet, once started, the imagination didn’t stop.

Various memories of being with Dogun began to drift through my mind, leading me to a newfound realization…

‘Come to think of it…’

Dogun’s body was surprisingly toned.

Now that I think about it.

His arms and legs didn’t seem thick, but there was definitely some solid muscle there.

That’s probably because he’s been consistently exercising.

He had said before that he worked out regularly, even if not every day, so maybe that was the reason.

As I was desperately trying to divert my thoughts elsewhere in an effort to cool down my increasingly hot cheeks, a sudden sound of a creaking door invaded my ears.

As that sudden sound rang out, I flinched and trembled, still in my squatting position on the bathroom floor, while a silhouette began to emerge above the frosted glass door.

‘Ah, he’s here…’

I felt something strange.

Given that I was literally not wearing anything, imagining Dogun standing on the other side of that door made total sense.

It was probably why my face started to heat up again.

To be honest…

I was embarrassed.

I couldn’t know what my appearance looked like to Dogun on the other side of the door.

As my heart raced furiously, Dogun’s silhouette finally began to move.

Was he coming this way?

The silhouette reflecting on the glass door swayed slightly.

‘Huh…?’

I realized something was off at that moment.

‘Something…’

How should I put it?

The silhouette of Dogun on the glass door was smaller than I imagined.

Maybe it was just the silhouette and not his actual form?

It was too stark a difference to just let it slide.

What does that mean?

It means it’s not Dogun on the other side of the door.

Instinctively sensing that fact, my heart, which had been racing, calmed down as if it had never been racing.

And just as if to agree with that, the closed bathroom door slowly opened, and a white hand suddenly pushed through the narrow gap.

The hand holding a towel proudly displayed was undoubtedly a woman’s hand.

The problem was, who was the owner of that hand?

‘First of all…’

At least it didn’t seem like it was Chae-rim.

The hands I’d seen from her passing by didn’t look like they belonged to someone who had never touched any labor.

If it’s not Chae-rim…?

Could it be Yoonseo?

As I entertained that possibility, I felt my previously fluttering mood settle down a bit.

Of course… she didn’t ask Dogun to create this situation just for fun, but… it felt a bit off.

That’s why I intended to snatch the towel that was pushed into the bathroom without even a thank you.

But then…

“Excuse me.”

Before I could react to the hand, that hand suddenly tightened its grip on the towel.

She must have clutched it with such force that veins popped up on her white knuckles.

And at that moment, I realized once again.

The person beyond the door was not Yoonseo.

Then who could it be?

If it’s neither Chae-rim nor Yoonseo, then who on earth…

‘Don’t tell me…’

While I was repeating that thought, a face came to my mind, and my brow instinctively furrowed.

“Ma’am.”

The phrase that brings everything to a halt flowed through the slightly open bathroom door into my ears.

“Can you keep it down a bit?”