This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 269

Baeksulhwa’s Perspective

If I were to speak as Baeksulhwa?

Surprisingly, I was quite perceptive.

Perhaps it was only natural.

After all, it was the environment Baeksulhwa had grown up in.

Having lost both parents at a young age, Baeksulhwa had to be attuned to others, and those memories remained vivid in her mind, influencing her even as she grew older.

It was just like the image of the ‘ideal Student Council President’ she used to portray while attending Yeongang High.

Now, wholly unconcerned with Dogun’s gaze, I was in a much more comfortable situation compared to those times.

In any case, being more perceptive than others, Baeksulhwa was the first among the women circling around Dogun to notice the ‘strange current.’

‘…No matter how I think about it, this is odd.’

What was so strange, you ask? The atmosphere flowing between Dogun and Chae-rim lately.

When I first noticed it?

I thought they must have gotten into a fight.

The reason for their fight? I imagined it must have been Chae-rim dragging Dogun into Busan against his will.

That was why I decided not to meddle.

If their awkwardness was truly due to something like that, then it wasn’t something I should interfere with.

On top of that… Watching Chae-rim’s nervous glances at Dogun was honestly somewhat satisfying.

What can I say?

I had plenty to say to Chae-rim as well.

It couldn’t be helped; Chae-rim’s sudden decision to drag Dogun to Busan messed up my plans to spend time alone with him.

Even so, I hadn’t said a word to Chae-rim about it because I thought it wasn’t necessary. But as the awkward silence between them lingered, the sense of discomfort only grew thicker.

It made sense, given that the more awkward the air became between them, the more it felt like something was amiss.

So… it felt similar to the air after a fight, yet different at the same time.

Rather than feeling bashful to start a conversation, it felt like they were just awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

The problem was I had no idea why they were acting that way.

And thinking, ‘There must be some unavoidable circumstances,’ was equally difficult.

It was hard to just let it go as the eerie air flowing between them kept poking at my nerves.

After days of inner turmoil, I decided I had to find out what exactly had happened between them.

It was gnawing at me to the point where I felt I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly if I continued like this.

The key was, of course, how to find out…

I was likely still pondering that when Chae-rim, perhaps sensing the atmosphere couldn’t be dragged out any longer, spoke up.

“Uh… Dogun?”

“Yes, ye…?!”

“Are you busy?”

“Oh, no.”

“Then can I see you for a moment?”

As the weekend rolled around again, as breakfast was wrapping up, Chae-rim called to Dogun right away.

And the moment Chae-rim made that call, Dogun immediately entered a state of agitation.

How could one not be concerned when it was Dogun of all people acting like that?

No sooner had breakfast ended than I went upstairs, ready to utilize my talent.

In that moment, I blocked out all surrounding sounds, focusing only on the sounds coming from Dogun and Chae-rim’s room.

Had the cleanup concluded already?

The squeaking of someone stepping up the stairs reached my ears, and before long, it was followed by the sound of a door clicking open.

And right after that started—

“Uh… Noona…? I have something to say…”

“Uh, first, sit… let’s talk…”

It was a conversation between Dogun and Chae-rim.

However, the audio quality was not as clear as I had hoped.

This was mainly due to various obstacles in between, and I couldn’t utilize my talent as freely as I wanted to.

To be honest, if my heart had its way, I would have raised my output to hear their conversation a bit clearer.

I wanted to do it out of sheer frustration, but… I had to hold myself back because Chae-rim was sitting face-to-face with Dogun right now.

It was obvious she had an exceptional presence, as if to showcase that she was not just any special-class hero.

If I increased my output here?

I’d surely be caught using my talent.

So, even if it was frustrating, this was the best I could manage for now.

Of course… I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on their conversation, regardless of whether I could hear them clearly or not.

Yet despite this, I was still pushing forward.

Before I knew it, my heart was pounding nervously.

This caused me to clench my hands tightly, but their conversation continued.

“Uh… about what happened at the hotel… you remember?”

The hotel incident.

What on earth happened there that made Dogun, who normally didn’t fidget, suddenly so restless?

As that thought quickly crossed my mind, I instinctively felt it was crucial to know what had happened between them at the hotel last week.

“Uh… That, um… you see…”

“We were both… somewhat drunk… so we couldn’t help it…”

Is that what they meant by both of them being drunk?

‘…Wait a minute.’

Both of us? Does that mean Dogun was also drinking and got drunk?

Just the thought of that took my heart from a slight flutter to a full-on thump.

Regardless, their conversation kept going.

“It must have been hard to hold back… right?”

“That, um…”

What was it that had been hard to hold back?

I couldn’t easily catch the flow of the conversation.

“I get that Dogun… understands my feelings… living with three girls… so many worries… right?”

It seemed like even if I struggled to understand, they had no intention of waiting for me.

“If you look at it that way, Noona should have also… dressed more neatly… I’d have addressed that… but I didn’t really… so I apologize.”

“Oh, no…! This is just me not being able to hold on…”

Chae-rim felt sorry, and then Dogun, visibly nervous in front of her, suddenly changed the atmosphere right after that.

“So, that means… if it’s already come to this… can you help me…?”

“Y-Yes?!”

What did Chae-rim offer to help with, making a usually unflappable Dogun react so dramatically?

“That… well, since it’s already happened… we can’t just pretend nothing happened… and if it’s bothering you, Dogun…”

“That’s not quite the case… I’m fine now…”

“Liar.”

The tone of her voice was unexpectedly firm, cutting off Dogun’s words.

And what followed was—

“In the morning, when I saw you in front of the bathroom…”

That’s what she said.

“That was… in the morning…”

His response was then followed by a repetitive conversation format.

Chae-rim would offer to help, and Dogun would decline, saying he was fine.

How many times did that kind of conversation repeat?

As they say, a tree that doesn’t bend will eventually break, and in the end, it was Chae-rim who won the argument.

The problem was… what came next.

“Then let’s do it right now…”

“W-Wait, not here…”

Their conversation continued, and then it seemed Dogun’s presence slipped out of Chae-rim’s room and headed somewhere.

With the footsteps cutting off quickly, he must have entered the bathroom located right across from Chae-rim’s room.

It was just after that moment when Chae-rim suddenly stood up from the spot she had been sitting in.

As if to avoid being caught by Chae-rim, I hastily pulled back my talent, and the last thing that slipped into my ears was…

The sound of footsteps softly crossing the corridor and the click of a door opening.

That noise… it came from the bathroom Dogun just entered.