This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 299

Dogun’s Perspective

As soon as Chae-rim made her appearance, the atmosphere in the press conference hall, which had been eerily quiet, suddenly turned charged with anticipation.

And how couldn’t it? It was as if the phrase “victory is certain for the player” existed just to explain why Chae-rim dropped a massive bombshell right after the conference started.

A bombshell about the ‘Tricky Face’ being involved in smuggling, no less!

So, of course, the reporters who had been on the edge of their seats, curious about what announcement would come next, were bound to be left in shock.

After all, was Tricky Face just any ordinary villain?

These villains, who were skilled at escaping the Association’s relentless pursuit, had been cowering in fear and intentionally keeping a low profile. Yet, they suddenly crossed over to Korea after only causing mayhem in Japan?

That means, even as we speak, someone could be falling victim to their hands.

‘Actually, they’ve already been caught…’

Thanks to Chae-rim directly ordering everyone to keep quiet about it, the reporters couldn’t possibly think along those lines.

Was that why? The press conference hall, which had been relatively quiet given how many people were gathered, suddenly erupted into noise as if it had never been quiet at all.

And exactly at that moment, hands started popping up everywhere.

The problem was… it didn’t end there.

Just moments ago, I thought they were at least sort of paying attention, but now that they smelled an exclusive story, it seemed like any hint of restraint had vanished.

Even though Chae-rim hadn’t declared she was ready to take questions, those overwhelmed by curiosity and desire simply couldn’t hold back any longer—they began showering her with questions!

“Is that true?!”


“Where did the information come from?”


“What are your future plans?!”


“Considering the acts Tricky Face has committed until now, there must be considerable victims; what measures do you have regarding that?”

No one had even chosen to answer the person with the loudest voice, but it was like everyone was competing to outdo each other in volume, pouring out questions as if it were a race. I was internally smirking at their frenzy.

Then, someone poked me on the shoulder, and when I turned, I saw—

“Uh… what’s going on?”

“…?”

To be honest, I was a bit flustered at first. It was definitely Yoonseo’s voice that rang in my ears, but here she was, looking entirely different from the Yoonseo I knew.

To me, Yoonseo had always been more cute than pretty.

In a way, there was no helping that perspective. I had known her since we were both seven years old, when we were just little kids. Those memories had stuck with me, deeply ingrained in my mind.

Just a moment ago, she still felt that way…

But maybe it was because of how she looked now.

The image of Yoonseo that had occupied my mind was slowly being replaced with the one I was seeing with my own eyes.

She was that… pretty.

Unintentionally, I found myself staring at her, completely mesmerized.

“H-huh… is it weird…?”

Maybe my gaze had made her self-conscious.

In a fidgety attempt, Yoonseo, who had been nervously wriggling her fingers, spilled out that line amid the hustle and bustle.

It was probably the first time she had gone all out, deciding to look this nice with the help of professionals, so even though I knew it couldn’t possibly be a bad thing, she might still have felt anxious.

Feeling curious about my genuine reaction, Yoonseo kept glancing my way, and I immediately shook my head.

“N-no, uh… um…”

Though my words were jumbled, I managed to say,

“…You’re pretty.”

As soon as those sincere feelings left my mouth, I caught a glimpse of Yoonseo’s eyes widening in astonishment.

And following that was… her smile.

It was a smile that felt like she had the whole world in her hands.

The moment it etched itself onto my memory, my heart thundered loudly.

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Yoonseo’s Perspective

Until now?

“…You’re pretty.”

I had no idea.

I never realized words could feel this sweet.

Logically speaking, it was completely absurd when you think about it.

After all, how could something like “words” have a taste?

Yet, that one phrase which had just echoed in my ears felt incredibly sweet… probably because it was something I had longed to hear for so long.

Maybe that was why.

That one line that had slipped from Dogun’s lips, awkwardly uttered as if he was a bit embarrassed to say it, felt sweeter than any candy or chocolate I had ever tasted.

So sweet that my tongue tingled.

‘What to do…’

I had never thought such things in my life…

Perhaps it was because I had just discovered the unique nature of a kiss before coming here.

I wanted to kiss Dogun.

If it felt this happy and sweet now, just imagine how sweet and blissful it would be if we kissed…

I couldn’t even fathom it.

If only there weren’t so many people around, I would have confirmed it right away.

But the sheer number of people made me hesitate, which was frustrating.

If only everyone would just step away for a moment…

But what could I do? I had to savor something else as a consolation.

“…Really?”

The response that tumbled out with great effort was just a means to that end.

And perhaps it actually worked.

“Y-yeah, I’m telling you.”

As he repeated similar words, Dogun’s voice came out sheepishly, almost embarrassed to keep saying it.

Listening to that voice echo in my ears, I thought quietly.

I wanted to hear it a little more, just a bit more.

“Really…? Am I really… pretty?”

“…Yeah.”

Had he run out of energy to respond at length now?

Seeing Dogun nodding his head with a shy expression, something inside me began to swell slowly.

It resembled what people usually call confidence, and because that feeling was overflowing inside me…

Just a moment ago, I was so nervous about holding my first press conference that my lips were dry, but now, I felt like I could handle any difficult questions that might pop up during the conference.

That’s how much confidence had filled me up.

And perhaps Dogun had caught onto that.

As I struggled to suppress the smile that kept bubbling up unwarrantedly, a staff member from the Association in a black suit approached me.

“You can go in now.”

“Oh, yes.”

Was that really all they had to say?

I looked back at the staff member about to retreat and took a deep breath before placing my hand on the door leading to the press conference—

“Uh… do well. Don’t be too nervous.”

Dogun’s voice, laden with concern, wafted over from right behind me.

Even that felt wonderfully sweet now… so I nodded once in acknowledgment, using it as fuel to march towards the press conference hall.

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Dogun’s Perspective

To be honest, I was quite worried.

And well I should be, since I had experienced it myself: press conferences were no walk in the park.

Especially considering Yoonseo wasn’t in the same state of mental preparation I had been when I faced my own conference.

So, even if Yoonseo made a mistake during the press conference, I thought there was nothing much to be done.

But to get straight to the point, Yoonseo dazzled at the press conference, showing near-perfect poise, making my worries feel utterly unfounded.

Thanks to her performance, and a throwaway line from Chae-rim just before the conference ended…

[The special license exam, held for the first time in decades: Will it be a genius’s masterstroke or a blunder?]

[An early debut for a genius?]

[What is the ‘special license’ that Lightning Lady mentioned?]

The internet, which had been gripped by fear regarding the emergence of a second Frozen, was shaken to its very core.