This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 207

Is this what it feels like to have your breath taken away?

Every time I inhaled through my nose in place of my sealed mouth, it was as if all the air was being sucked into Baeksulhwa’s mouth.

And instead, the air flooding into my mouth was hot and unlike anything I usually breathed in.

That warmth kept flowing into my body.

Was it that effect?

I began to feel dizzy, as if I were standing on scorching asphalt under the blazing sun on a summer day, little by little, bit by bit.

The heat, which had rapidly invaded not just my body but also my head, made it impossible to think straight.

And even while I was sensing all of this, the Senior’s movements never ceased.

Her actions were relentless, as if she were a person dying of thirst, desperately seeking water, repeatedly rummaging around in my mouth.

Thanks to that, was it true that the Senior also felt as suffocated as I did?

The breath that had been teasing my nostrils had suddenly turned rough and ragged.

Even so, the Senior still couldn’t pull away from me, but perhaps she had no choice but to reach her limit eventually.

After several jerky movements over me, the Senior finally detached her body from mine.

In sync with her slow and sluggish movements, a sticky, transparent thread stretched between us.

It elongated··· and then suddenly snapped.

“Huh···”

The sound of me gasping for breath to replenish the scant air was oddly stimulating.

My slightly parted lips glistened, dampened by something, giving off a sultry vibe.

“Dogun···”

Even the voice calling my name was like that.

Maybe she had just woken up from sleep a moment ago.

Or perhaps the heat emanating from the Senior that still occupied my body had affected her as well; her voice calling my name was huskier than usual.

The way my heart was pounding, ready to burst at any moment, was probably due to that.

“Hehe···”

Whether she knew the state I was in or not, or if she was aware and doing it on purpose, the Senior returned to her position atop me and gazed down at me, smirking slightly.

That gaze down at me lasted only a moment, for before I knew it, her fingertip was pressing gently against my lower lip.

Was she curious about the feeling of something that had been pressed so closely to her just moments ago?

As if enjoying the sensation of my lips, the Senior started to touch them repeatedly—

“What··· was it like?”

She leaned closer to me, whispering softly in my ear in a voice barely audible.

“Did it feel good?”

Her question carried something that could render anyone speechless.

Of course··· if I were to weigh good against bad, I would clearly lean toward the good side, but it felt too awkward to admit that outright.

So I couldn’t say anything, remaining silent··· but now, even in this silence, it was getting unbearably stifling.

Instead, what began to echo in my ears was the sound of breaths exhaling in various tones.

‘···Wait a minute.’

Could it be?

Is she··· sleeping?

After doing something like that to me, and then asking such a question, she just falls back asleep?

I was so taken aback at first that I even wondered if the Senior was just pretending to be asleep.

From her perspective, there was no reason to do so··· but could it be that she suddenly felt shy?

At first, I thought it was that, but after a bit more time passed, I naturally realized the truth.

The Senior wasn’t pretending to be asleep; she had just truly fallen asleep.

If that’s the case, what had just happened was a sleep-talking incident born from a combination of drowsiness and alcohol.

That must be it.

It wouldn’t make sense for her to fall back asleep so quickly otherwise.

And the moment I understood that fact, I was hit with an indescribable wave of intense emptiness.

‘Huh···’

What could I even say?

At first, without a doubt, I was stunned, but given how things had unfolded, I could not help but feel a sense of ‘anticipation.’

Why shouldn’t I?

The Senior was a captivating beauty that anyone would inevitably fall for, whether objectively or subjectively.

Yet, to evoke feelings of ‘anticipation’ and then just fall back asleep like it was nothing felt like a trick.

I was left feeling like I had been swindled, especially since I could not even wake up the Senior, whose face was now completely lost to slumber.

Simultaneously, I realized··· no matter what happens from now on, I must never let the Senior drink again.

She hadn’t had much—just two cans of beer and one soju—but even so, if she got full-on drunk, I couldn’t begin to imagine what might happen.

That was the primary reason I quietly began to rise from her side.

Earlier, I had no choice but to go along with the situation, but staying there now felt too heavy on my mind.

So, I carefully walked over to the closet, grabbed the leftover blanket and pillow, and slowly made my way to the living room.

As soon as I reached the living room, I spread out on the sofa and lay down.

Once I left the bed and settled on the couch, it felt somewhat unfair.

Unlike the warm room where I had been almost too warm, making me drowsy, the living room felt slightly chilly, further emphasizing that sense of unfairness.

Was that the reason?

I couldn’t seem to fall asleep at all.

If I couldn’t sleep, it was only natural for my mind to start wandering.

For instance, I began to think about why the Senior had done such a thing.

And the conclusion I arrived at was···

‘Does the Senior possibly··· like me?’

The idea that the Senior might like me wasn’t completely unfounded.

If someone were to hear this, they might call it self-indulgent, but really, when I thought about it, the possibility was certainly there.

Setting aside all evidence, if she had no feelings toward me, she would never have done such a thing in the first place.

Would a person sneak into another’s room and do something like that in the middle of the night without any affection?

Common sense just didn’t support that notion.

Of course··· it could have simply been an act of drunken impulsivity, but there is a saying, ‘drunk words are sober thoughts.’

So it wasn’t unreasonable for me to entertain that line of thinking.

It wasn’t an overly far-fetched thought···

‘Since when···?’

If, hypothetically, the Senior actually had feelings for me, then when did that start?

When exactly··· had it begun?

Since I wasn’t falling asleep anyway, I might as well take the time to go through my memories, and as I did so, I realized there were quite a few points that stood out.

I couldn’t imagine what it might have been like from the Senior’s perspective, but from my standpoint, that much was clear.

‘So, does that mean···’

The Senior likes me?

Was it the switch from a feeling of ‘maybe···’ to ‘surely not?’

Something felt a bit··· off.

Though juxtaposed with the odd feeling was a degree of happiness.

In my personal opinion, there’s little in life that brings as much joy and grace as knowing someone likes you.

Especially when that someone isn’t a stranger but the Senior herself.

It felt as if I’d suddenly been elevated to a status I had never even dared to imagine—a level of respect and admiration.

And I know it sounds superficial, but moreover, the Senior was a stunning beauty.

In school, everyone liked the Senior, be they male, female, teacher, or student.

She was the kind of person who had the kind of charm that could enchant anyone, young or old.

To think that such a person might like me—

It felt surreal, something I couldn’t even conceive of in a past life.

Therefore, I was happy, yet··· I also felt awkward.

Would the Senior even remember all that from earlier, considering she had been nearly half-asleep and half-drunk?

Plus, as the thought of her possibly liking me took root in my brain, I suddenly found myself at a loss for how to interact with her.

That brought about the awkwardness.

‘What should I do now···?’

I thought about how tomorrow morning would feel, facing the Senior’s eyes would surely be quite awkward.

That was the last thought I had before falling asleep, and what jolted me awake was the sensation of something thin and string-like tickling my face.