This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 25

While other kids, full of sensitivity, were excitedly playing in the falling snow, it seemed that Yoonseo wasn’t quite the same.

She said she would go buy an umbrella suddenly while we were walking along. I asked our teacher, who happened to be at the end of the long line, for permission and headed straight for the convenience store in sight.

After all, she was only buying an umbrella and would be out right away. I figured it was better to send her in alone rather than go in together. But then, to my surprise, she came out holding just one umbrella.

And not even a proper one, but the typical flimsy plastic umbrella you find at a convenience store.

The kind that can only fit one person, and once you use it a bit, there’s always at least one part that’s broken. It was the kind where you could feel her intentions to use it for her own comfort.

Given my position, hoping conditions above would improve even if the bottom stayed tricky, I couldn’t help but let my irritation show.

“Excuse me? Did your conscience go missing or something?”

“What’s with the random accusation?”

“I mean, seriously.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re telling me that on a freezing day like this, when it’s snowing heavily, my friend waited outside until you finished shopping, and you come out with just one umbrella? Wow, that’s truly unforgivable.”

As I was glaring at the untouched umbrella still wrapped in plastic that Yoonseo was holding, she fired back.

“This was the only umbrella inside the convenience store! What was I supposed to do?”

It seemed like she felt incredibly wronged for being treated as if she had no consideration at all, given the circumstances. She got angrier than usual, which was a clear sign that she felt truly stuck.

‘Well…’

There’s no way Yoonseo would do such a thing.

How could I have raised her and not even get her one umbrella?

That would indeed be something only a person who doesn’t know the concept of gratitude would do.

Perhaps it made me feel guilty, realizing it was all my misunderstanding.

“Really? Sorry, I didn’t know.”

Even though Yoonseo’s words were a bit rough, her heart was kind, so she forgave me as soon as I admitted my mistake.

“Well… It really did start snowing out of nowhere.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if at least half of those who left home empty-handed today were muttering, ‘Crap… We’re doomed…’ and rushing to the nearest convenience store as soon as the snow began.

So it wouldn’t be odd for someone who normally stays put in the corner of a convenience store to find it completely out of stock today.

Anyway… With the circumstances being what they were, I had given up on the idea of sharing the tiny convenience store umbrella. I was just about to head back to the movie theater when I realized it would be bad to take too long since the others would surely be annoyed.

Just as I thought to quicken my pace… someone tugged at my collar from behind.

Of course, it was Yoonseo.

Caught off guard by her sudden move, I lost balance while my legs were already extended forward, swaying back and tipping over.

The combined effect of her unexpected tug and the slightly slippery ground created an amusing situation.

And as a result, my swaying vision greeted me with an unsettling sense of disarray.

‘What the…?’

Hadn’t I fallen like this before?

I was pretty sure I had.

Perhaps that’s why the back of my head felt a nagging sensation already.

Fortunately, unlike the first time, there was someone behind me who would act as a cushion.

As if recorded in slow motion, my vision tilted slowly.

And just as the darkened sky filled my view, the floor rushed up to meet me, supported firmly by—

“Ugh?!”

A surprise that knocked the breath out of me.

What was this…?

Did she secretly buy some big buns to hide in her clothes?

‘When did she…’

Get so big?

I wasn’t talking about the thing supporting my head so comfortably.

Why on earth would I have such a ridiculous thought?

The person was none other than Yoonseo!

Anyway… thanks to Yoonseo’s unexpected support and the sturdy ice cream refrigerator behind her, we both managed to continue our journey to the movie theater without a hitch.

“Hey.”

From a bit away, Yoonseo called out to me right then.

Did she finally decide to get mad? But reality was even more surprising.

“Let’s share the umbrella?”

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t want to! I paid for this, you know?!”

Even though her tone was a bit sharp, indicating there was still some unresolved friction, honestly, I couldn’t refuse her.

The snow, which had been falling heavily since we started, was showing no signs of stopping, and I felt like we’d turn into marshmallow soldiers by the time we arrived at the movie theater if it continued like this.

“Then…”

I tried to share it, but sadly, due to our height difference, it felt uncomfortable.

“Then you hold it.”

So I took the umbrella from her immediately and raised it up instead, which made a difference.

Of course, the only thing that improved was the height, and that tiny umbrella was still there, making it practically impossible for both of us to share it perfectly.

So I decided to sacrifice my right shoulder.

In my case, it was way better to sacrifice one side rather than get soaked from head to toe, but Yoonseo might not have liked seeing me making that sacrifice.

As she adjusted her pace to match mine, moving much slower than before, she suddenly stopped and…

“Are you stupid? There’s no reason to use an umbrella like this.”

Then she suddenly grabbed my clothes and pulled me towards her.

As a result, everything that had been outside the umbrella now slipped inside, eliminating the distance that had been about an arm’s length between us in an instant.

Even though the previous incident hadn’t faded yet, facing another close encounter like this made things feel a bit… awkward.

If someone asked what felt awkward, I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint it exactly, but it just felt… that way.

Wondering if I was the only one feeling this, I glanced at Yoonseo, who seemed just as awkward, or maybe even more so than I was.

In that instant, Dogun saw Yoonseo’s face peeking out from the scarf he had tied.

Feeling awkward, he mistakenly thought it was just that, but in reality, the reason for the awkwardness was far different.

Thump… thump…

Yoonseo gulped, feeling Dogun’s warmth communicating through their slightly touching shoulders.

She had only meant to pull him closer to protect him from the snow now dripping onto his shoulder, but what was once a roomy space between them felt oddly narrow.

Thanks to that, she kept feeling the warmth of his presence against her shoulder.

And she began to worry.

As snow fell onto the umbrella, gently creating a soft sound, she wondered how loud her heartbeat sounded to Dogun.

It was pounding so hard.

And she worried.

What if he noticed her feelings? The thought confused her even more.

And amid that confusion, the movie theater slowly began to reveal itself from a distance.