This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 22

“It’s such an obvious thing to say, but just taking out what’s hidden in the bag and handing it over wouldn’t be the end of it.”

For someone who clearly doesn’t know what day it is, there’s no way to expect a proper reaction.

Instead, all I’d get back is a response that shows complete confusion.

Of course, there was a possibility that they might realize what today is once I handed them the item from the bag, but… it felt like a gamble throwing that at an idiot who normally has great instincts but acts completely oblivious at times like this.

So, the first thing I needed to do before taking out whatever’s in the bag is to teach that clueless fool what day it is.

It wasn’t that hard of a task.

It could be wrapped up in just one simple sentence, no more, no less.

But… why did it feel so embarrassingly ridiculous for something so trivial?

To speak, I needed to open my mouth, but my lips felt stuck together as if they were clinging to each other.

“Ugh…”

Being unable to say anything and just pacing back and forth only made my frustration toward Dogun sprout anew in my heart.

Why does he suddenly lose his sense of awareness at times like this?

If it were other boys, they’d have probably noticed by now, right?

It’s only natural since today’s a perfect day to confess to a girl I’ve been keeping an eye on.

“Hah…”

A sigh escaped me, filling my chest with a sense of desolation, yet at the same time, I felt a little… happy.

If he’s acting so indifferent today, it probably means he has no girl bothering him in mind.

The reality of that fact both delighted me and annoyed me equally.

When I was lost in delusion, I thought his behavior was just shyness, but once I snapped back to reality, his indifference felt like a firm line drawn between us.

So somehow, I had to smash that damned line!

The problem was… it seemed harder than I had anticipated.

What should I do?

How could I make that clueless fool say, “Ah! Today’s that day!”?

Just imagining it made my chest feel tight, but I couldn’t stay quiet forever, so I decided to speak up first.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Speaking of which, wasn’t there something important today?”

What if he doesn’t know again?

Maybe I might just stumble upon the truth unexpectedly.

“Today?”

“Yeah.”

If that could work out, that would be fantastic.

“We were supposed to go watch a movie together, remember?”

“No, I mean… not that…”

Just dropping hints like that made my heart race.

I might be overly dramatic, but it probably hasn’t raced this fast since I was born!

Thanks to that, the boys who usually hit on me seemed more impressive than ever.

Even though Dogun hasn’t confessed he liked me or asked me to date, is this how it feels for them?

“Hmm… was there something like that…?”

“There must have been?”

“Now that I think about it, it does seem like something we talked about…”

“Just think well about it.”

It was frustrating, but without showing it, I calmly led Dogun on.

Could my effort have actually had some effect?

“Um…”

His brow furrowed slightly, and a sound that seemed like he was thinking came from between his lips.

Then suddenly came the reaction—

“Ah…!”

It was the response of someone who has just realized something.

Did he finally understand how significant and meaningful today is?”

“Right, I get it now. Today was that day.”

“What day?”

“Today’s the day for that.”

“…That?”

Well, no matter how oblivious he is, if it got to this point and he still can’t pick up on it, it’s not just cluelessness; it’s deliberate ignorance—

“It’s the day we find out our high school results!”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t you remember? Our homeroom teacher said we’d find out around today.”

This was truly… an unexpected twist.

Honestly, who could have imagined it would overlap this precisely?

While I was taken aback, Dogun suddenly quickened his pace.

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”

“Uh, well…”

“Aren’t you curious about how it turned out?”

To be honest, I wasn’t curious at all.

It was evident what the results would be.

After all, I was a wannabe hero!

That means I would have a free pass to any high school.

So naturally, I’d end up in my first choice.

Similarly, Dogun wouldn’t have failed either.

Despite how he appears, he’s quite conscientious about grades.

Plus, he had some distance bonuses in play.

Of course, it did worry me a little that the school we both wanted was so popular that kids from far away applied, but… he wouldn’t fail.

Therefore, I wasn’t curious in the slightest… but it seemed Dogun felt differently.

He was so eager to check it, dragging me along in a hurry, and I had no choice but to match his pace.

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The results came out, and since it was also the day for watching a movie as a class, maybe that’s why it felt even more chaotic than usual.

After dropping my bag at my seat out of curiosity and heading to where familiar faces gathered, the lively atmosphere hit me even harder.

“Hey.”

“What? When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

I smoothly joined in the conversation and jumped straight to the topic, but the reply I got back was that they had no idea themselves.

“Maybe they’ll announce it during the closing ceremony? They might not want to ruin the mood by letting us know too early.”

“Yeah, maybe?”

Well, it would be great if everyone got into their first-choice schools, but life’s not always so convenient.

Where there’s a quota, if someone gets into the school they desire, someone has to be cut.

“So what school did you put down for your first choice?”

“Me? I put down Whisago.”

“What about your grades?”

“Are you asking because you want to see my report card?”

“Cough… Anyway, if you put down Whisago, then Yoonseo probably put down Whisago as her first choice too, right?”

“Well… Whisago is the closest school from here, after all.”

Parents want their kids to get into good schools, but for kids, the school closest to home is considered the best.

Especially if that closest school happens to be prestigious?

Naturally, it makes sense to pick that as your first choice, doesn’t it?

Maybe if I’d been considering college, I might have made a different choice… but in this messed-up world where boys are treated like third-class citizens, getting into college isn’t easy.

That’s why guys often jump into the workforce right after graduating high school or marry their high school girlfriends quickly.

Getting into college is like trying to fit a camel through the eye of a needle.

So honestly, attending at least a decently reputable high school seemed statistically better.

“Yoonseo will probably pass since she’s applying as a wannabe hero. And judging by your confidence, you’ll probably get in, so if that happens, it would be… a complete grand slam, wouldn’t it?”

“Out of nowhere, where did that come from?”

“Don’t you think? You’ve been together since kindergarten, right?”

“Well… we lived next door.”

“Then from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and now high school – that’s a grand slam!”

Hearing it like that made me realize… it was actually quite something.

Honestly, when I was seven, I never imagined that my connection with Yoonseo would last this long.

“Thinking back on it, it’s really been ages.”

“Right? So, about that…”

“Mm?”

“When are you two planning to start dating?”

“…Huh?”

Just when we were having a good conversation, why throw that in suddenly?

“Don’t tell me… today? It is rather coincidental that today’s the day when everything happens.”

“No, where’s this coming from out of the blue?”

“What, did you already give her something on the way to school…?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Something thick and long.”

Something thick and long? What kind of weird things come to mind?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think it means? Pepero.”

“Uh…?”

“Today’s Pepero Day, after all.”

“…Oh.”

“What? You seriously didn’t know? Pepero is all over the streets today, and everyone is pairing up too!”

“No, uh…”

Honestly, I’d need to have paid attention to even know that!

And I know this sounds like an excuse, but the route from my house to school doesn’t even have a convenience store, let alone a supermarket.

Plus, I didn’t see anyone handing out Pepero as I passed by.

“Of course, nobody would be wandering around with that. It’s not like I’m advertising I’m confessing my feelings; who would carry that around?”

“Ah, well.”

“From what I can tell, you two are clearly acting like you’ve already done everything and then acting all casual.”

“What nonsense are you saying? It’s not like we’ve done anything.”

“Ah, come on! I won’t fall for it!”

“I’m serious, we really haven’t done… anything.”

I’m not joking?

I already knew that Yoonseo was popular, and I could admit she’s attractive.

But come on, we’re just middle schoolers!

What could those little kids do?

‘What kind of criminal do you want to label me as…?’

Regardless of anything else, I couldn’t let that slide and have to laugh it off.

“Hey, didn’t you say you have a younger sister?”

“Uh? Yeah, I did.”

“Do you get all flustered just seeing her?”

I made that comparison intentionally to explain that Yoonseo is in that position for me—

“Of course!”

What? He’s coming out like that?

I never imagined that kind of declaration would come from my friend’s mouth, so I was taken aback and froze, wondering why he’s asking something so obvious.

Then, just as if to say that ‘isn’t it obvious?’, his face broke into a grin.

“Every time I see her, I get so heated my heart races and I feel like I’m about to explode.”

“Ah, come on…”

Of course, it would turn out like that. You can’t just surprise someone like that!