This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 247

Bora’s Perspective

As Dogun successfully located Yoonseo and was being dragged along by her hand, Bora was still inside the student cafeteria.

By now, quite some time had passed since lunchtime began.

The cafeteria, which had just a few minutes ago been bustling with people coming to eat, was suddenly enveloped in an eerie quietness.

It seemed that those who had finished their meals had exited early to enjoy the remaining lunch break.

With more people leaving than entering the cafeteria, Bora stared blankly at the empty seat that had just been occupied by Dogun.

Indeed, that seat, just a moment ago, was where Dogun had sat.

And Bora’s gaze fixed on that empty seat was drawing the attention of quite a few onlookers.

There was no escaping that fact.

It couldn’t be anything else. Bora’s appearance alone was far from ordinary.

Just considering her hair color was enough to make that clear.

No matter how lenient the student dress code at Heewhago might be, there were still certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

So, given the implicit agreement that resulted in a ‘reasonable level of freedom’, Bora’s bright yellow hair, which looked as if it had undergone multiple bleaching processes, provided quite the visual shock.

The curious gazes from those nearby or those who happened to pass by were largely due to that reason.

Honestly, how could anyone not gawk?

Upon seeing her, one couldn’t help but think, ‘Is she allowed to walk around like that? What would the teachers say?’

If her hair initially attracted stares, it was her beauty that held onto those gazes for a while longer.

With skin as white as if she had never seen sunlight in her life and features that flawlessly complemented her vibrant yellow hair.

‘Wow…’

‘So pretty…’

‘I wonder what tint she uses?’

Thanks to that, many people, regardless of gender, couldn’t help but steal glances at Bora.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t quite figure out who Bora really was, which only fueled their curiosity.

And while Bora was the center of all those glances, she seemed utterly oblivious to the attention she was receiving.

No, to be precise, she was completely unaware that people were staring at her.

It wasn’t that she was ignorant; rather, her entire focus was on the empty seat across from her and the one who had just vacated it.

‘Right now…’

Have they met again?

Probably.

She thought that it was okay for Dogun to go chase after Yoonseo, even suggesting that he go, fearing that her own words would sound a bit fearful. Even if he had lost sight of her in the process, she believed he would somehow find her.

Why bother saying anything?

While glancing at Yoonseo’s back as she exited the cafeteria, Bora couldn’t bring herself to get up from her seat to join Dogun, convincing him that he didn’t need to stay behind.

Looking back, she wondered why she had done that.

But at that moment, it felt like the only possible option.

Everyone has their priorities, and it was obvious to everyone that Dogun’s priority at that moment was Yoonseo, not Bora.

If Bora hadn’t persuaded Dogun first, he likely would have remained seated, but even so, one fact remained unchanged.

Even while physically present with Bora, all his thoughts were directed toward Yoonseo.

So she let him go.

Having grown weary of the feeling of ‘being alone’, she presumed she could manage being by herself, so she waved Dogun off…

‘What on earth do I mean by that…’

The moment Dogun’s figure disappeared from view, she painfully realized the arrogance of her thoughts.

Looking back, she realized that from a certain age onward, she had lived continuously with the sensation of ‘being alone’. Therefore, she thought she would be fine letting Dogun leave… but that was far from the truth.

She felt a suffocating sensation, like being buried deep in the ocean.

Had she known it would feel this way, she wouldn’t have let Dogun go.

However, she had no choice.

She wanted something from Dogun that wasn’t sympathy.

She wished for his attention, not just the ones he gave while concerned for her.

Was this what it meant to like someone?

Honestly, she had no idea.

She had never been in this situation before.

Having never experienced it, she couldn’t identify it… and yet, her heart kept racing.

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Yoonseo’s Perspective

I felt good.

The mere fact that Dogun chose to follow me instead of staying by Bora’s side made me feel elated.

That feeling was so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but feel like humming a tune.

Of course, if I actually did that, Dogun would surely tease me about it later, so I kept the hum to myself.

‘What should I…’

What should I buy for Dogun?

Since he said he was hungry, would bread or a burger be good?

Or maybe something else?

While I pondered that for a moment, it occurred to me that it would be better to ask Dogun directly than to keep mulling it over. So I turned slightly toward Dogun, who had been strolling behind me.

“So, what do you want to eat?”

“Huh?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Uh… I guess I’ll see when we get there?”

“But you must have a general idea. Something sweet or something savory…”

“Um… Then something sweet?”

Something sweet.

Honestly, that was a bit surprising.

Dogun generally had a preference for savory snacks.

He didn’t dislike sweets, but he typically preferred savory potato chips over dessert.

“I was drowning in exam papers all morning; I’m dying here.”

‘Oh…’

I see.

Well, considering this place has level-based classes compared to his previous school, it made sense.

And what does that mean?

Despite the class divisions, we could have been sitting next to each other during level-based class times.

Of course, that depends on Dogun’s test scores, but…

So, I asked for confirmation.

“How did you do?”

“Do what?”

“The exam. You said you had exams all morning.”

“Um… Well, I guess I’ll know once the scores are out?”

“Still, you must have a feeling.”

“Why? Are you going to nag me if I say I messed up or something?”

That wasn’t my intention at all.

I just wanted to know if we might attend the same class.

I nearly pouted at his cluelessness but managed to suppress it, responding curtly.

“You always nag me to study harder.”

“Hey, that’s… this is a different matter.”

“No, I just want to know how you did!”

“Uh…”

Maybe he found it hard to answer right then.

While he stroked his unusually long fingers of contemplation, he eventually smiled and said,

“I probably did better than the Yoonseo from six months ago.”

“What?”

“You were in class D among grades S, A, B, C, D, E, remember?”

“W-What are you talking about? I’m not in class D anymore! I’ve long graduated from that!”

Seriously, when was he bringing that up?

Back then, I was focused on becoming a hero, so I somewhat neglected my studies; now, I was proudly in class B.

“Really? So, where are you now?”

“…Pout.”

“Really? Then I’ll probably be around that too?”

“…Really?”

As we exchanged playful banter after quite some time, we found ourselves right in front of the snack shop.

“So, what do you recommend?”

“You wanted something sweet, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is cold okay?”

“Cold? That’s even better.”

If cold was fine, then there was one perfect item in mind.

I headed straight for the freezer section stocked at the shop.

Dogun must be thinking of ice cream or something…

“So I’ll have this.”

“Huh? What’s that, pudding?”

If he thought it was just a regular fruit pudding, he was mistaken.

This particular Rainbow pudding was truly something special, captivating all Heewhago students with its excellent taste and fun texture, all for the absurd price of just 500 won.

“Oh, it’s frozen. But where’s the spoon?”

Come on, asking for a spoon here?

That’s why beginners have it tough.

“What are you talking about? You eat it like this!”

“A straw? No way are you using a straw for pudding… Plus, with it being frozen like this, I don’t think a straw would even fit.”

“It fits just fine!”

I demonstrated how to enjoy Heewhago’s specialty ‘Rainbow’ to Dogun.

“So, you stick the straw in deep like this, and then you gently pull it out…”

As I pulled the straw, a delightful bit of frozen pudding stuck inside started to come out.

Then I brought it closer to my mouth…

“Oh, so you suck it out like this.”

‘Uh…?’

In my focus on demonstrating for Dogun, I failed to notice that he had leaned in close, his face hovering near mine.

Suddenly, I realized Dogun’s lips were gently touching the end of the straw… and in that shocked moment, everything I had just pulled out from the straw was accidentally sucked straight into his mouth.

“Mmm, this is delicious.”

Was it even tastier than I expected?

Before I knew it, I found myself unable to take my eyes off Dogun as his tongue slipped out, lazily licking his lips, where some remnants of the pudding lingered.