This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 27

As soon as I heard Dogun’s voice, one thought crossed my mind.

‘I’m not being overly sensitive, am I…?’

The feeling of worry started to crawl up my body, but to cut to the chase, nothing of the sort happened.

Should I be relieved that I didn’t misinterpret anything with Dogun, or should I feel a bit annoyed? Unlike someone who stiffened in panic upon encountering a clearly couple-exclusive large chair, Dogun seemed completely indifferent to it.

“Oh, this chair is really spacious. Must be comfy. Sweet deal!”

No, he seemed to actually like it.

I thought he would at least show some awareness—even if he didn’t jump in surprise like I did—but since he didn’t, I felt an inexplicable twinge of jealousy.

So instead of sitting down, I just stood awkwardly in front of him…

“What are you and Yoonseo doing, not sitting down?”

Just then, our teacher’s voice made that impossible.

Dogun’s response to that was a sight to behold.

“Why? Is the seat bad? I think it’s fine since it’s spacious.”

And then he suggested we sit separately if he didn’t like the seat.

There was no way I’d listen to that.

“What are you talking about…? It’s not like that!”

I shot back at Dogun, who was blabbering nonsense, then went and plopped down right next to him.

Once I sat down, it became clear.

The chair, which had looked wide enough for two when standing, wasn’t that big after all.

The distance… was closer than I’d anticipated.

So close that it felt like if I reached out for popcorn while watching a movie, I might accidentally touch him.

Even if I wanted to fidget comfortably like the person sitting right next to me, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

The chair’s shape and the leather it was made of, things I would usually have no interest in, suddenly became overwhelmingly distracting.

‘Geez… why is the chair shaped like a heart? What’s the deal with that…?’

I must’ve been mumbling about it internally when suddenly…

“Hey.”

Dogun’s voice startled me, making me flinch…

“Can you hand over some popcorn? If not, I might revert to just corn.”

I couldn’t tell if he did it on purpose, but his voice had a certain tone that tugged at my heartstrings.

So, in that moment of frustration, I slammed the popcorn bucket I had been hugging like a teddy bear down on the table, and he happily started munching away.

“Ugh…”

Seeing that made it impossible to suppress a sigh.

“Huh? Why the sudden sigh?”

He’s usually so perceptive, but why does he act like a complete fool at times like this?

It was frustrating to watch his innocent face while he munched on popcorn, making me want to feed him a handful to make him choke on it.

‘Why is he so cute…?’

On one hand, I thought it was adorable, which made it a bit bittersweet.

Feeling it was annoying yet cute was a sign that I might be really smitten.

But the fact that Dogun didn’t reciprocate that feeling was what really tugged at my core.

So there I was, leaving the popcorn untouched and just mulling over the bittersweet feelings.

“Huh? It looks like it’s starting.”

With that, the theater went dark, and Dogun finally turned his eyes towards the screen.

And just like that, the title on the screen appeared: “Our Relationship.”

‘What’s this?’

Is it a romantic comedy or something?

At least from the title, it seemed to have that vibe.

I wasn’t sure if the content would be the same, but if it was, I didn’t think it would be too bad.

After all, you never know.

If it truly was a romance story, maybe it would boost Dogun’s romantic feelings and positively influence what’s coming next.

With that hope in my heart, I glanced between Dogun’s face and the screen.

As I watched the screen listing the investors, production companies, and distributors, the lights finally dimmed.

…

The movie started off with a lively atmosphere.

Were these people close friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while?

Their faces beamed with joy as they sat around a table, drinking and chatting.

But just as they were enjoying their drinks and banter, they suddenly shifted their attention to one person all at once.

And that one person was none other than the male lead of the movie.

– So, what’s up with you and Jiyoon?

– Are you still at it?

– No way, right…?

From the conversation, it seemed like the guy had a long-time friend named Jiyoon.

Judging by the nuances of the other friends’ words, it seemed that Jiyoon was a girl.

Could their relationship be something like ours?

I started to pay a little more attention to the film that I initially found uninteresting.

As the movie progressed, I realized…

– You guys are really ruthless.

– I’m telling you.

– Honestly, at this point, I’d even date just to satisfy the curiosity. Admit it?

– Admit what, you crazy?

Clearly, he was trying to deny it as best as he could, but even so, it was evident he didn’t seem completely uninterested in the situation.

If he truly had no feelings for his friends, he wouldn’t show that momentary bitter expression when he rebutted them.

Jiyoon, the girl who was highly likely the female lead in this movie, seemed to understand the guy’s feelings but was busy manipulating them for her own benefit.

‘What’s so good about a girl like that…?’

Still, I felt a hint of envy.

While one side was struggling to figure out how to even express their feelings to someone oblivious, this side seemed to at least have mutual acknowledgment of feelings.

The movie continued with the guy being slightly comically manipulated by the girl…

– Jiyoon, I’ve been meaning to tell you…!

The atmosphere shifted dramatically with the guy’s confession.

Even though Jiyoon liked him, she had a history of poorly ending relationships with her past boyfriends and feared that if she started dating him, the same might happen again. Thus, she rejected his confession.

Watching the guy’s heart being torn to shreds upon being told by her that she never thought of him that way felt like a punch to my own heart.

Meanwhile, the male lead, in a desperate attempt to alleviate any burden his confession might have placed on her, forced a smile, but… his acting was surprisingly good for a role lacking talent, making the bitterness cling to my tongue.

Jiyoon believed in his words and even requested him to stay friendly with her moving forward—

‘How could that possibly work…?’

I just wanted to throw a bucket of cold water on Jiyoon’s face, hoping she would realize that what she said was the worst kind of thing to say.

Honestly, after gathering the courage to confess, being turned down like that gradually made the guy sink into a pitiful state.

He ended up drowning his sorrows in alcohol for several days.

And approaching him during this time was none other than—

‘Huh…?’

His boss at work.

‘No way…’

As I watched the scene unfold, things only went downhill from there. The guy, completely wasted, was comforted by a fellow female boss over drinks, leading to a scene where both were so drunk they couldn’t even hold themselves upright.

In the next moment, the male lead woke up in an unfamiliar bed, wrapped up in a blanket.

I thought to myself, ‘What the…?’ and what came next was a spectacle.

Realizing he had drunk himself into a stupor and had an accident with his boss, he wallowed in despair until he saw her unexpectedly tender side and—eventually started dating her.

This, in turn, sent Jiyoon into a panic.

Having known each other for almost ten years, it’s natural to pick up on changes in a close friend.

Because they were so familiar with one another, such a thing was possible, which meant Jiyoon instantly noticed the change in the guy and saw the complicated look on his face realizing her ex-boyfriend was now dating someone else.

‘If you felt that way, why’d you reject me in the first place?’

Sure, she must have had her reasons to turn him down, but facing a situation similar to what the guy experienced made her reaction far less graceful.

She could have just dated him instead of spinning her wheels in unnecessary self-doubt, but no—she was left stammering about whether or not to cling to him.

“Ugh, that girl is trash.”

Dogun’s voice right next to me echoed my thoughts.

Hearing him speak made me curious.

So… when the male lead expressed his fear of ruining his friendship with Jiyoon, what went through Dogun’s mind at that moment?

Did he empathize with him?

Or did he think differently?

And if Dogun were in a similar situation, fearing a rejection for the same reason as the girl—what would he do?

…My head was spinning.