This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 290

Dogun’s Perspective

To be honest, I’m a person too, so I felt a bit anxious.

After all, it was our first time meeting, just like with him.

Of course, just by seeing that they were operating a business like this, their safety had already been proven to some extent…

Even knowing that, the destructive power of the actual entity made me a little nervous.

That’s why I held just the tip of the lettuce, ready to pull my hand back at any moment, and offered it to him.

And the reaction came quickly.

Was he really just waiting for us to offer food?

The round, flat-nosed creature lifted its bottom off the ground and approached me.

Then, it opened its mouth wide and accepted the lettuce I offered.

“Ugh…”

Thanks to the scene unfolding before my eyes, Yoonseo’s curiosity, which had been nestled inside her, seemed to have surpassed her fear of the unknown.

Just a moment ago, she was looking at me with tear-filled eyes, unwilling to try, but now she kept glancing back and forth between the leftover lettuce on the table and my hand, clearly wanting to join in.

So, I encouraged her to give it a try, and after hesitating for a moment, Yoonseo picked up a piece of lettuce and offered it just like I had.

And surely, one piece wasn’t enough.

After gobbling down what Yoonseo offered, the creature seemed to exhibit a sense of satisfaction, inching closer to her.

Suddenly getting close when it had only been taking food from a distance made Yoonseo tense up.

Just a moment ago, she had been melting under the cuteness of the capybara, but now I could see her body stiffening.

Of course… it didn’t last long.

As the creature came right up to her feet, it started rubbing its body against her legs.

“Ah…”

Perhaps she couldn’t focus with the soft sensation climbing up her legs.

A sound escaped her lips, akin to someone who finally sinks into a warm bath after a tiring day.

Although Yoonseo had been filled with happiness, thanks to the capybara’s irresistible charm, everything has to come to an end.

While it was nice to doddle with the capybara, we couldn’t stay here forever, so we quickly left the cafe as soon as our allotted time was up.

Yet, from Yoonseo’s perspective, leaving like this seemed a little disappointing.

Every so often, she turned back towards the cafe as we distanced ourselves, suggesting that she indeed felt that way.

“Why? Are you sad?”

“…Just a little?”

“Then we can come back another time.”

As I said this to reassure her not to feel too sad, I noticed that the corners of Yoonseo’s mouth twitched.

For a moment, she hid it, as if she didn’t want me to see.

Before I knew it, her hand, which had risen to her face, brushed against her lips while she cleared her throat.

“Ahem… Well, yes, that’s true.”

While she successfully covered her mouth in a somewhat natural fashion, her rosy cheeks betrayed her flustered state.

Because of that, I started to worry about her.

“By the way, if Miya had seen that earlier, she would have been super jealous.”

I brought up Miya, who must be lounging comfortably in her spot at home, one of the sunniest places, as a way to naturally change the subject.

“Hmm? Why?”

“Because you haven’t been playing with Miya lately.”

“What are you talking about? It’s Miya who’s avoiding me!”

“Seriously? Is that so?”

As we playfully bantered, we continued walking together.

Unlike the thick sweater and scarf she had on, her lower half was only protected by tights under her skirt, and as expected, she was feeling the cold.

I noticed Yoonseo subtly shaking.

That’s why I started to scan the surroundings quickly.

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Yoonseo’s Perspective

Ugh…

If I had known the wind would be this strong, I would have dressed warmer.

I thought it wasn’t even mid-winter yet, so I had let my guard down.

But still…

Who would’ve thought the weather would turn this cold right after sunset?

If I had known, I would have styled myself differently and worn thicker clothes.

Cold seeped through my legs, threatening to make my chin tremble, but I held it together by tensing my jaw.

While I was trying to act as if nothing was wrong, at some point, Dogun’s hand grasped mine.

In reflex, I flinched and stopped when—

“What if we check out that place if we don’t have anywhere else to go?”

His words drifted into my ear.

I nodded, thinking that anything would be better than freezing like this.

So I nodded along, and where we ended up was a place marked “Mini Movie Theater.”

A mini movie theater, huh?

If it’s a theater, then why is it called “mini”?

I learned soon enough.

Following the attendant’s instructions, the room we entered looked like a downsized version of a movie theater.

It felt like a private cinema made just for couples.

The problem was… of course, the size.

Given that it’s known for being one of the priciest areas around the association, they likely couldn’t allocate much space for the shops.

Or maybe it was designed with couples in mind.

Despite the charm of the decor, the room itself was quite small.

It was to the extent that sitting side by side, our shoulders were inevitably touching.

I cast a gaze toward Dogun as we stepped inside, startled by this aspect.

And it became clear to me that… Dogun hadn’t intended for this situation either.

The look of fluster in Dogun’s eyes was proof of that.

And seeing him glance around the room, it seemed he was silently protesting, “Wait, it’s this small?!”

But turning around and leaving now felt a bit awkward.

We had already paid to enter before coming in.

Plus, outside was… unbearably cold.

So what else could we do?

I figured we had no choice but to stick it out.

But the thought that we’d have to stay in this small room with Dogun for a while made my heart race.

And I wondered if Dogun, standing next to me, felt the same tension.

“Um…”

With an awkward stutter, Dogun proposed, with a voice that seemed incredibly cautious, that we go outside to pick a movie.

I nodded shyly and followed Dogun as he stepped outside, and what appeared before us was—

‘…!’

A shelf filled with DVDs that were definitely of the more adult variety.

As I froze in place, Dogun, who had also halted beside me, quickly tried to sidestep.

Only after bypassing the shelf of questionable DVDs could we finally face proper choices.

“So… what do you want to watch?”

“Well, um…”

Of course, nothing caught my eye.

How could I focus on anything else when my mind was still clouded by the adult DVDs I’d just seen?

Because of that, picking a movie proved to be challenging…

But after some effort, I managed to choose one and, while grabbing some snacks, we returned to the room.

With Dogun’s help, the movie started playing, and scenes began to flow across the screen that dominated one wall of the room.

How long had passed since I started watching the movie in a daze?

—…Ah…♡

Strange sounds began to mix in with the sounds flowing from the speakers.