This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 220

“We decided to go pick up Bora first.”

“But you know.”

“Yeah?”

“If we’re going to move, wouldn’t it be better to let go slowly?”

Still, it would have been better if Chae-rim had pointed that out first.

It seemed like Yoonseo wasn’t very pleased with Chae-rim’s comment either.

From her grip, she seemed to be the type to want to ignore the situation entirely.

Watching her grip my hand tightly and click her tongue showed that wasn’t just a passing thought.

“If we end up falling over, that would be a big deal, right? Don’t you think?”

Even if she didn’t like it, perhaps she couldn’t find any counterargument to what was said.

With one last tight grip, Yoonseo pulled her hand out of my pocket.

“Okay, now we just have to get going… but wait a moment.”

Noticing a more relaxed expression on Chae-rim’s face than earlier, those words escaped her lips right after.

Then, Chae-rim turned her head this way and that, scanning the rooftop.

At first, I wondered what she was doing.

So, out of curiosity, I followed her gaze.

And thanks to that, I realized.

There was a CCTV camera installed wherever Chae-rim looked.

How that was possible, I didn’t know, but incredibly, it was true.

“Hmm, nine of them? That’s quite a lot.”

As soon as she pinpointed the location of the hidden CCTV cameras, her gaze returned to me.

“You said it was only recorded here, right?”

Was she talking about my arm?

I nodded slowly, thinking that might be the case, and Chae-rim nodded as if that was settled.

Nodding a few times, she then stomped her foot hard against the ground with a loud thud.

The scene that unfolded next made me admire Chae-rim’s abilities once again.

From the tips of her foot, blue electric currents radiated out in every direction.

Then, they seeped into the ground and disappeared.

Shortly after that, Chae-rim said—

“Okay, now you don’t have to worry about the CCTV.”

It was a reassuring statement.

So, what exactly did she do?

That would soon be revealed.

Particularly interesting since the culprit admitted it themselves.

“I burned everything cleanly.”

So, she meant the computers connected to the CCTV installed all over the rooftop.

That seemed to be the case…

“Is that… really okay?”

Wouldn’t that get us caught?

I asked that because it was the part that was worrying me the most, and Chae-rim shrugged her shoulders lightly.

“If someone comes asking, I’ll just say I had a fight with Another and messed up the output control.”

“Ah…”

Now that I think about it, she was always this kind of older sister.

I had temporarily forgotten since she had recently been acting oddly carefree.

Remembering her from the training camp, of course.

Chae-rim was never one to care about others’ gazes.

If she had cared a bit about what others thought, she wouldn’t have been driving that monstrous car as if it were normal.

By the way, I wonder where that car was now.

I hadn’t seen it around lately.

Did she leave it at her old home since there wasn’t enough space to park at ours?

That seemed likely.

While I was lost in thought, Chae-rim led Yoonseo and me towards the stairs connecting to the lower floor.

And in that instant, when we finally reached the food court just below the rooftop with the others, I realized.

I could hardly fathom how intensely I had struggled to escape from those guys.

I hadn’t realized it while I was escaping, but returning to the scene, it looked like absolute chaos.

Especially the ground.

It seemed fine until I fled, but now the floor was cracked, and it made crunching sounds whenever I stepped on it.

It was like stepping on grains of sand scattered over a marble floor.

Yet there couldn’t be random grains of sand here, so it was likely…

Shattered glass pieces scattered everywhere.

Perhaps because of that, every step created that sound.

“U-um, is this okay?”

That made that question blurt out of me unexpectedly.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Well… um…”

“What? Are you worried they might file a lawsuit for the damages?”

When I timidly nodded, Chae-rim chuckled as if I was worrying over nothing and roughly ruffled my hair.

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

How could she be so sure?

“Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the Association, right? If they ask for recompense, it’ll be the Association that pays.”

That was true.

In principle, that made sense, but…

Doesn’t the world not always operate on principles?

Especially when compared to the Association, I was just an individual.

When it came to seeking someone to hold accountable, it was clear which party would seem easier to target.

That was the source of my concern.

For me anyway…

“Come on, Dogun, how could you be just an individual?”

It seemed Chae-rim held a different viewpoint.

Seeing her wave her hand dismissively, it felt like she was saying not to worry.

“What… if it really comes to that, I’ll take responsibility and help you. There, problem solved?”

As I conversed with Chae-rim, I realized something.

Yoonseo’s speaking had dramatically decreased at some point.

I wondered why.

Out of curiosity, I glanced back at Yoonseo, who was walking slightly behind.

But when I turned, what caught my eye was the noticeably pale complexion of Yoonseo compared to earlier.

At that moment, I had a gut feeling.

The effort Yoonseo had put in to save me from being surrounded by Another was something she could only manage at great strain.

And now, the backlash from that strain was finally catching up to her.

Was her Talent Organ overloaded by any chance?

If it were any other time?

I would have been anxiously fidgeting, watching Yoonseo’s condition deteriorate in real-time.

But not now.

I had the power to help her situation.

…Though I didn’t quite like it.

I stopped mid-step, following Chae-rim, extending my wrapped left arm towards Yoonseo.

“…?”

“Grab on.”

“Uh, what?”

“I said grab on.”

Luckily, Yoonseo didn’t refuse my offer.

If she had asked why, I would have had to explain everything one by one, so thank goodness that didn’t happen.

She hesitated for a moment, shivering, but soon blood returned to her pale face as she reached for me with both hands.

But the issue was…

She wrapped her arms around the makeshift cast made from the tablecloth.

That wasn’t the picture I wanted.

After all, someone once said that the effect wouldn’t work unless skin contacted skin.

“No, what I mean is… it’s fine if you reach inside and hold me directly.”

“D-directly…?”

Seeing her eyes quiver in shock made me wonder if she found it embarrassing.

But it didn’t matter; her health was my main concern.

What if she collapsed or something?

Not daring to move her hand, I extended my other hand towards Yoonseo and pulled one of the hands that was resting on my forearm into the makeshift cast.

That was my reasoning behind it.

As if startled by the abrupt grip, Yoonseo’s hand jerked away, her face going bright red for a moment.

But as soon as Yoonseo’s hand made contact with my left arm, her expression shifted dramatically.

As if she could feel something awakening within her body.