This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 286

Yoonseo’s Perspective

Could it be that he’d respond like that?

I thought to myself as I watched Dogun, who seemed flustered and was busy fumbling with his lips.

It’s kind of… fascinating.

After all, if it were like before?

He wouldn’t have been able to endure this awkward silence surrounding us.

How can I be so sure?

Well… because that’s how it used to be.

With nothing prepared and his heart racing, he would always be the first to be flustered when the atmosphere turned even a bit tense.

Not long ago, it was just like that, but has his mindset changed?

Or maybe it’s because the one creating this atmosphere is me?

The silence no longer felt surprising.

Rather… honestly, I felt a bit happy.

After all, this was the first time I’d seen Dogun so nervous and flustered.

And if he was nervous,

That means he was consciously aware of me.

As a woman, no less.

That realization, that change, made me secretly delighted.

If his perception of me was the same as before,

I wouldn’t have been able to see him all stiff and tense like this now.

Instead, I would likely have received the kind of gaze directed at a child one ought to take care of.

And because of that, I might have ended up getting worked up and bickering with him again.

It would definitely have been that way.

That’s how it had always been until now.

But from this moment on, and into the future, that won’t be the case.

Because both Dogun and I have changed.

Was it because I suddenly felt certain about that fact?

The corners of my mouth twitched slightly, but instead of showing it, I held back and made a sullen expression.

And all it took was one more sentence to make it perfect.

“Do you… dislike it?”

“Well, it’s not that…”

I thought I’d managed to add just enough to fluster him even more.

And while Dogun was stuck in the swamp of his confusion, I pressed on.

“…Then?”

“No, I just… I’m worried about whether I can get permission…”

Surely that must have been what weighed on his mind the most.

I had anticipated that much, so I didn’t feel any disappointment.

Instead, my motivation surged.

“So that means as long as you get my sister’s permission, it’s fine, right?”

“Uh…?”

“Isn’t that so?”

“No… well… yes, that’s it…?”

That was more than enough.

“Then don’t worry and think about what we can do. I can persuade my sister.”

After all, I had intended to do just that from the very beginning.

So once I got Dogun’s agreement,

I headed straight to find Chae-rim as soon as school was over.

When I reached Chae-rim and expressed my desire to go out with Dogun…

“What…?”

Naturally, her reaction was less than favorable.

“What do you plan to do, just the two of you?”

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Chae-rim’s Perspective

A little while back, when Yoonseo was struggling to get the answer she wanted from Dogun, I was going through my usual schedule related to the Association.

Of course, my body was present, but my mind was really elsewhere.

There was no way I could ignore it.

There had been one point I’d begun to really pay attention to recently.

‘Surely… the quantity has been decreasing rapidly lately…’

At first glance, it might not seem too different, but with my senses having evolved alongside my current level, I could detect even the slightest variations very sensitively.

So it couldn’t help but get on my nerves.

Certainly, as time goes on, a decrease might be a natural occurrence and change.

It makes sense, but… ever since Soohwa took Dogun for private training, the speed at which it has dwindled has increased drastically. Is that purely coincidence?

No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t shake off the suspicions of some untold relationship between the two.

So I couldn’t help but remain concerned.

‘There’s definitely something going on…’

Could it be that Soohwa and Dogun are in a relationship?

Honestly, the first possibility that came to mind was exactly that.

There would be no other reason for the rate of decrease to spike so drastically.

‘If they really are in that kind of relationship…’

What should I do then?

Should I get angry?

But who would I be mad at?

Dogun?

Or Soohwa?

And if I do get mad, what should I be mad about?

Those questions kept spiraling endlessly, but honestly, I felt a bit stirred up inside.

The problem was I couldn’t pinpoint where that stirring was coming from.

Why am I feeling so annoyed and concerned?

Could I be feeling jealous about them being together?

‘…Jealousy?’

I couldn’t help but let out a breath of disbelief.

It was such an unfamiliar emotion.

Had I ever felt jealousy toward someone in my life?

Perhaps I might have once or twice, but I’ve never felt such intense jealousy before.

That’s why I found it absurd.

The problem was… it felt a bit unreasonable to confront either of them about it.

Because it was, after all, me who had crossed the line first.

Even worse, I had done so while being drunk at that.

That part kept gnawing at my conscience, making it difficult to reveal what I was feeling.

Sigh…

That left me in limbo, frustrated and simmering inside, until for some reason, Yoonseo requested a meeting.

Honestly, at first?

I was going to refuse Yoonseo’s request.

I just wasn’t in a state to listen to anyone else’s problems. I felt bad for her, but I tried to reject her, but for some reason, Yoonseo was quite insistent.

Her strong attitude eventually had me agreeing to sit down with her-

“What…?”

As soon as I settled in, the words that flowed into my ear completely tangled my already complicated thoughts.

“What do you plan to do, just the two of you?”

“Just as you heard.”

“I’m sorry, but I thought I misunderstood for a second, so could you repeat that?”

Although I said that, it was pretty much equivalent to saying ‘Stop talking nonsense’ and I’m sure Yoonseo across from me understood that.

So I thought she’d drop it, but…

“I want to spend a day freely wandering around with Dogun.”

Why does she look at me with such a resolved gaze?

Facing Yoonseo in that moment… that same inexplicable emotion surged up within me again.

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Yoonseo’s Perspective

Should I say I expected this?

Getting this far wasn’t easy, but the road ahead won’t be simple either.

The stark difference in Chae-rim’s gaze was proof of that.

She seemed like she had no intention of granting permission, simply from the look in her eyes.

And what I needed to do from now on was to convince Chae-rim, who had that kind of look on her face.

As I carefully chose my words in my mind… a soft sigh escaped her lips, and Chae-rim spoke first.

“Yoonseo.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you still remember what I told you last time?”

Of course, I remembered it well.

So I cautiously nodded, and it seemed like she was waiting for my response.

Chae-rim’s voice followed.

It had that gentle tone meant for explaining something to a child who might not quite understand.

“Yeah, Yoonseo, as you already know, Dogun is currently in a very precarious situation.”

As those words drifted into my ears, the story Chae-rim once recounted about a certain situation involving Soohwa and me came to mind.

So… even the Others, who are the enemies of humanity, Villains, and even the Association, all had their own motives targeting Dogun, right?

Perhaps because I already knew that.

“And yet… what do you plan to do with Dogun?”

Chae-rim’s voice asking that felt like a scolding, urging me to stop doing something foolish.