This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 226

Yoonseo’s Perspective

Yoonseo had just woken up, and I mean just.

Actually, she hadn’t even intended to sleep in the first place. The reason she was lying on Dogun’s bed wasn’t solely due to fatigue; it was partly for a cheeky objective, if we’re being honest.

She knew that if she went home like this, she would get an earful from Dad, not to mention a whole lot of extra lectures beyond that, so she had planned to pass the time like this…

The problem arose after she stretched out on Dogun’s bed.

Was it the accumulated exhaustion from the mad dash to save Dogun that had finally caught up with her?

Suddenly, her body started to ache, especially her legs.

Thanks to that, she had groaned while lying on the bed, and before she knew it, she had dozed off unexpectedly… Maybe because of that, waking up felt oddly similar.

She literally woke up out of nowhere.

To be precise, it was because of a rustling sound that startled her.

Anyway, as she came to, still in a daze, the first thing she heard was Dogun’s voice saying, “Ugh… seriously…”

And right after that came footsteps, neither too loud nor too soft, approaching her.

It was a bit peculiar to say ‘just in time’, but she decided to pretend to sleep since her eyes were still shut.

Curiosity panging at her—what was Dogun planning to do now?

Was he going to wake her up?

Or would he let her sleep?

Or perhaps…?

With that thought in mind, she tried her best to pretend to be asleep, but regardless of whether he realized it or not, the footsteps that were clearly headed her way only grew louder.

Thanks to that, her heartbeat, which had started racing at some point, also accelerated in sync.

Listening to those two different sounds resonating together felt weird, in a way she couldn’t quite describe.

Since she had been through a similar situation before, it felt even more peculiar.

Of course, back then, their positions had been reversed compared to now.

In that moment, while she was immersed in that strange sensation, the rhythmic footsteps suddenly stopped.

And the booming sound of her heartbeat took over the space that the footsteps had previously filled.

Could it be that her heart was beating this fast because of how close Dogun had gotten?

She hadn’t intended to exert any strength, but her arms and legs were involuntarily tensing up.

At the same time, various sensations that had gone unnoticed until then started to demand her attention.

For instance, the chill of the air that shouldn’t be noticeable due to her clothes was brushing against sensitive areas.

Had she tossed and turned in her sleep, causing her skirt to ride up?

For some reason, it felt like her skirt was much shorter than usual as it clung to her while a cool breeze brushed her midriff.

What did that mean?

It meant Dogun was definitely watching her.

Thinking that made her face flush hot, but she bit her lip and kept pretending to be asleep.

Of course… she knew.

No matter how this played out, Dogun’s character meant he wouldn’t do anything too weird.

Yet even knowing that, she kept pretending, just in case, driven by curiosity.

As she continued her act, suddenly, she felt Dogun’s presence getting dramatically closer.

Simultaneously, an unmistakable scent unique to Dogun began to swirl around her face.

‘Uh…?’

Out of nowhere, why…?

Without even opening her eyes, she could sense that Dogun was much closer than before.

And that he was getting even closer at this very moment.

But why… ?

As that question floated in her mind, her heart, already racing, began to race faster with the possibility of what might happen next.

It felt like her heart might explode.

If this continued, it might actually happen.

That was how fast and loudly it was pounding.

It was like her entire body had become a drum.

The thudding of her heartbeat echoed through her body like a drumbeat, creating an unholy noise.

Because of that, the tips of her fingers resting on the bed twitched in response.

The surprising thing was, she’d thought she had reached her limit, yet somehow there seemed to be more room to go.

Then, at the moment when she and Dogun were nearly face-to-face, she felt a mild rush of air, likely from Dogun’s breath, softly grazing her face.

That alone was enough to send her senses into overdrive. Yet Dogun didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping.

The sensations of breath brushing against her face intensified.

Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the impending moment—

“Excuse me, Yoonseo.”

The unexpected words burrowed right into her ear.

“Stop pretending to sleep and wake up now, okay?”

Dogun’s voice, lower than usual, rattled her as it pierced through her senses.

That teasing and unbearably ticklish sensation was something she could only understand through experience, causing her to shudder for a moment. But now that she had been found out, she felt no need to keep pretending, so she let out a sheepish chuckle and slowly opened her eyes.

“Hehe… I got caught…?!”

And the first thing that greeted her newfound awareness was none other than Dogun’s face.

His face was practically right in her line of sight.

It was that close.

That’s why she found herself holding her breath in shock.

Was it the same for Dogun?

A smug smile, full of confidence, lingered at the corner of his mouth, and it struck her as deeply unsatisfying.

So… she thought.

She wanted to see Dogun lose that calm demeanor and fluster for once.

However, instead of making a move to achieve that, Dogun straightened up from where he had been leaning over her.

And just like that, as the distance grew again, she heard him say—

“Today, I’ll let it slide since I owe you one, but if it happens again, I won’t be so easy on you next time.”

Given the situation, his words immediately sounded loaded with meaning.

If it happened again, he wouldn’t let it slide next time?

Like he wouldn’t have that same intention anyway.

“Tch…”

Feeling oddly disappointed, her lips pouted out involuntarily.

“What if you don’t let it slide? What are you going to do about it?”

She said that to Dogun, mostly out of spite.

“Well, for starters, you don’t seem to be doing well right now?”

Dogun seemed to be nonchalant about it all.

Or rather, it felt like his attention was entirely focused elsewhere, making him unable to notice her condition.

Anyway, since he had asked, she had to respond, so she gave a slight nod, her lips slightly pushing forward, prompting a thoughtful ‘Hmmm…’ sound to escape from Dogun’s lips.

And then he dropped the bomb—

“From what I can tell, it looks like muscle pain, and there’s not much I can do for that, but if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Need anything? Just say it and I’ll help if I can…”

He even claimed he would help her if it was within his capacity.

“Well, um… that’s fine…”

In what felt like a transfer of power to a wish card, her saliva tripped down her throat, but out of politeness, she pretended to decline.

“Don’t say that for no reason. It’s because of me, right?”

Could it be that anything she asked for would be fine?

The very thought made her head feel dizzy with excitement.

At the same time, she realized something.

That a list of requests she had imagined asking Dogun somewhere down the road held absolutely no bearing in reality.

No matter how many scenarios she prepared in advance, what use were they?

In real life, she couldn’t think of a single one.

Speaking of which, what on earth did she want to ask?

Should she just go for broke and ask him to stick by her side and nurse her all day?

As that thought crossed her mind, a flash of memory surfaced—of Dogun working tirelessly as Baeksulhwa’s temporary manager.

Back then, she had simply watched with envy, but… what about now?

Wouldn’t it be okay now…?

And it just so happened… her legs hurt, too…

So it was.

“Well, um… could you…?”

Tentatively, and almost timidly, she opened her mouth.

“Could you… please massage my legs?”

And the instant she let those words slip, it was as if she could see—

“What…?”

For the first time, the cool confidence in Dogun’s eyes faltered and danced with surprise.