This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 28

At first, I thought it was a movie depicting the journey of a man and a woman who had been friends for a long time transforming into a romantic relationship due to a specific incident, complete with the ups and downs they would face along the way.

But perhaps the movie went in a completely different direction than I had secretly hoped.

It felt like I was on a roller coaster ride.

Despite that, what I liked about the movie was that the ending was incredibly satisfying.

“Of course… it was bound to end this way.”

As I watched the two of them bickering away even on the airplane heading to their honeymoon destination—a clear sign of their long-standing friendship—I felt a sense of satisfaction. The movie concluded with the pair collapsing onto a bed that could easily accommodate four, both of them peeking at each other knowingly.

“Ugh… it’s ending right there.”

Right on cue, I heard Dogun’s voice and suddenly became curious.

So… what were Dogun’s thoughts on the movie?

Did he just enjoy it without a care in the world, or was he like someone who got uncomfortable during the tense parts?

While part of me wanted to ask him right away, I bit my tongue.

The movie had just ended, and it wouldn’t feel right to bombard him with such a question so soon.

It would definitely show.

So I waited.

Whenever I thought to ask him, I calmly bided my time, wanting to frame my inquiry as just curiosity about another viewer’s perspective.

“Ah, I need to use the bathroom for a second.”

And the opportunity came much quicker than I expected.

As soon as Dogun left for the bathroom, the others hurried to follow, and a discussion about the movie began among those left behind.

Of course, the few discussing the film weren’t really diving into its content. Instead, they were busy blabbering about the male and female leads’ appearances.

“But when you think about it, isn’t the female lead kind of garbage? She rejected him first, and when he gets another girlfriend, she causes a fuss because she can’t stand it.”

“I mean, technically, that is a fact.”

Such exchanges occurred.

Anyway, a natural atmosphere for discussing the film formed among those remaining, and when Dogun came back, I was finally ready to shoot out the question I had been eagerly waiting for.

“So… what did you think?”

Of course, I didn’t ask him that just nonchalantly.

With the gusto of someone who had been deeply touched by the film, I picked up a pamphlet from the exit area before turning to him.

“Huh? What?”

“What do you mean, what? I’m talking about the movie.”

Just saying that made my heart race like it was in a full sprint.

“The movie? I thought it was okay… Why? Was it not good for you?”

The only thing I wanted to know was one thing.

To be precise, I wanted to know his stance.

Was Dogun inclined to defend the female lead’s actions, saying that they could be justified, or did he view her as the garbage others had been calling her?

Honestly, I hoped for the latter.

If it was the former, it meant Dogun might act similarly someday.

“No, I just… thought the female lead’s actions were a bit… off.”

“Huh? Like what?”

Did he genuinely not know?

“No, think about it. When the male lead bravely confessed, she rejected him and then caused trouble when he got a girlfriend…”

“Well, if you think about it, that part was a bit off.”

“Right? I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of girl she was to interfere with the date and have a rivalry with his girlfriend.”

“Haha…”

Seeing him nodding along as if he, too, thought, “Wow… that was a bit much,” made me secretly relieved that he didn’t seem to be on the side of defending the female lead.

But who had said it? You need to hear someone out fully to understand their perspective.

Just like the movie that had taken a sharp turn and left me bewildered, what came out of Dogun’s mouth was completely different from what I had anticipated.

“Honestly, I can kind of understand the female lead’s actions.”

“…What?”

That was an answer I had never expected.

He understood?

If the movie had ended with them happily together, that would be one thing. But if the male lead ended up fighting with his girlfriend and breaking up, then surely at this point, she would be labeled as the worst woman, so what part of her made sense to him?

“That’s a bit…”

“No, she didn’t reject his confession for no reason.”

He had a point.

Even though it was a story that didn’t resonate with me, the female lead had originally rejected the male lead’s confession because she feared their current relationship would fall apart.

But come to think of it, that made no sense—

“Wasn’t their relationship already ruined by her rejecting him?”

By confessing and then rejecting him, they had crossed an irreversible river, so was there really a need to reject him?

“…That is true.”

“Right?”

“But still… that’s how I feel.”

Wait, he’s going to stick to this stance?

Was Dogun saying such things out of sheer defiance against what I expected him to say?

A sense of dread began to bubble up within me.

“Maybe…”

He couldn’t be doing this on purpose, could he?

I mean, would he intuitively send signals to change what was going to happen next?

“No… it can’t be.”

But what if, hypothetically speaking, it was true?

What would I do then?

Would it mean keeping my feelings buried like the male lead from the movie, desperately wanting to confess yet choosing to remain friends?

Would that… be the best course of action?

As someone had said, not messing up the relationship could very well mean holding back.

But… if things turned out badly like in the movie, what would I do then?

The thought was unnerving, no matter how much I mulled it over.

With high school just around the corner, I felt even more anxious.

Up until now, the class sizes had been small, and I had been lucky to be in the same class as Dogun, but there was no guarantee that would hold true in high school.

What if we ended up in different classes?

I had seen many friendships fall apart despite once being very close companions, so I didn’t want to let that happen with us.

Of course, our houses were next door to each other, which had been a stabilizing factor, but still… my unease lingered.

“…Hey!”

This was… worrying.

If someone else took Dogun away from me, what would I do then?

My mind was racing with those dreadful thoughts.

“Hey! Yoonseo!”

Dogun’s call snapped me back to reality. When I focused my gaze, I noticed him looking at me, his expressions mixed equally with concern and curiosity.

The problem was that we were too close together, causing me to instinctively flinch back.

“Are you finally with us again?”

“…What?”

I replied tersely to his question, hoping to hide the blush creeping onto my face.

“I mean, we need to get back to school, but you were silent for a while, and I was wondering what had you so deep in thought.”

“We’re going back?”

“Yeah.”

“Ugh… can’t you just send me home from here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

So, Dogun and I bickered back and forth as we made our way back to school along the now slightly slippery road.

Of course, the contemplation didn’t stop there.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out which side was the answer, so I had no choice but to continue pondering.

“I want to tell you…”

I wanted to say that I had liked him since we were kids.

And I hoped to hear from Dogun that he felt the same.

If only that could happen, I wouldn’t ask for anything more… but ominous thoughts kept creeping in.

That hesitation was inevitable.

If the movie’s plot went awry, they could simply reshoot it, but reality didn’t offer that luxury.

What if I succeeded at confessing? That would be wonderful, but what if I failed?

In that case, I’d irreversibly cross a river of no return.

Naturally, that’s why hesitating felt unavoidable.

“Okay, next is Dogun.”

“Yep.”

Caught up in my spiraling thoughts, I hadn’t paid much attention to my surroundings, but as I approached the teacher’s desk to retrieve my paper, I noticed something unusual about Dogun’s expression.

The best way to describe it would be… like he had just faced an unexpectedly shocking outcome.

His gaze was firmly fixed on the paper in his hands.

‘Could it be…’

Seeing that expression, I couldn’t help but hope for the best—

“…Hey.”

“…What?”

“I… didn’t make it to Wihseo.”

That was a phrase I didn’t want to hear from Dogun.

And it was a considerable shock.

I couldn’t help but feel startled because I had never even considered the possibility of not getting into the same school.

With the selection process based on competitive applications, and grades and talents having a significant impact, I had believed that Dogun would definitely get in, regardless of appearances, given that he performed pretty well academically.

‘So what happens now?’

I had imagined a few scenarios where we would end up in different classes.

But I had never once imagined that we would end up at completely separate schools.

Perhaps that was why I felt equally shocked as Dogun, who had confidently written Wihseo as his first choice and was suddenly rejected.

The anxiety began to set in.

Even staying at the same school made things awkward; how would things change if we actually ended up at different schools?

“Okay, next is… Yoonseo!”

Sadly, my wish for that outcome was denied.

Unlike Dogun’s paper, which bore the shocking phrase of rejection, mine had a big, unnecessary inscription congratulating me on my admission to Wihseo.