This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 301

Yoonseo’s Perspective

At that very moment, while Dogun was fully engaged in monitoring the real-time reactions of the people, I had taken refuge in the bathroom.

Among all the possible places to hide, the reason I specifically chose the bathroom was simple. It was the only spot I could think of where Dogun wouldn’t be able to follow me.

Once I was safely in the bathroom, I started to think.

‘Did I… make the right choice?’

To be honest, I wasn’t very sure. After all, this was my very first press conference in my life.

But what on earth should I base my judgment of whether I did well or not?

Thanks to that, it was quite difficult to feel certain of anything… yet, if I had to pinpoint at least one aspect that brought me some comfort, it was the fact that I hadn’t stuttered or made a fool of myself while speaking.

Given that it was my first time, I thought that was something to be proud of.

The moment the press conference ended, I used an excuse to rush to the bathroom, and that’s why I did that.

I had managed to successfully finish the press conference without trembling, and I didn’t want to show any embarrassing signs of anxiety afterward.

If possible, I wanted to present myself as cool and reliable from start to finish, just like Chae-rim did.

But rushing to find the bathroom right after the conference probably meant I had already messed that up.

‘Hoo…’

By the way, was this really okay?

Thinking about how the reporters labeled with various newspapers were bombarding me with questions, it seemed like I certainly attracted a lot of interest.

But honestly, I couldn’t confidently say whether that interest would lead to something positive.

I know saying this now sounds a bit odd, but still, it made me admire Chae-rim even more.

I mean, how many times has she gone through something like this without losing her energy while I felt completely drained just after one time?

For Chae-rim, dealing with reporters must be like a daily routine.

‘Ah, right… I need to contact Dad…’

Of course, based on past experiences, I knew that if I returned home late without saying anything, my dad would never let it slide, so before going into the press conference, I had made sure to call him and mention that I might come home late today.

When he heard that, he was shocked, and to calm him down, I also mentioned that I wasn’t alone; I was with Chae-rim too.

So, he must have felt reassured then, but what if he saw an article about the event later?

Or even worse, what if friends who read the article decided to reach out to him?

He would probably be completely bewildered about what was going on at this point.

That’s what I must have been thinking at that moment.

Just then, my mobile phone, which I had carefully kept tucked away in my pocket, suddenly buzzed and vibrated a couple of times.

Cautiously taking it out to check, I found that both Mom and Dad had sent texts at the same time.

The messages naturally consisted of worried questions about what was happening and if I was hurt.

As I was busy typing a reply to reassure them that I wasn’t injured and would come home soon, messages started pouring in from others who had heard the news late.

Some of them included friends with whom I had lost touch after starting high school.

I couldn’t help but feel like I’d won the lottery and suddenly had people reach out from all over the place—what a surreal feeling that was.

Just when I was feeling an involuntary smirk creeping onto my face, I heard the sound of clicking heels approaching the entrance.

Startled, I quickly shoved my phone back into my pocket and turned towards the sink, where a woman with a very tired and irritated expression emerged from the entrance.

Could she be an Association employee?

But her outfit was way too casual compared to the other employees I had seen so far.

While the other Association employees were meticulously dressed in black suits, this woman looked like she had just thrown on clothes because she had to.

Because of that, I found my gaze drawn to her.


‘Could she possibly be a… hero? Or maybe medical staff of the Association?’

Considering this bathroom was an area restricted to Association personnel, it seemed likely that if she wasn’t an employee, she must be one of those two.

Yet, even knowing that there was nothing advantageous about it, I kept sneaking glances at her while lost in thought.

As she washed her hands at one of the sinks, her voice suddenly broke into my musings.

“I watched the press conference.”

I couldn’t believe I was hearing such a thing from someone I had just met.

Naturally, I flinched in surprise and found myself stuttering in response.

“T-Thank you…?”

Still, having been congratulated, it felt like I should at least respond, so I stammered out my answer.

“And… congratulations in advance.”

She blurted out another unexpected statement.

My expression turned into a question mark.

Congratulations in advance? What on earth was she congratulating me for?

Maybe she could read the questions in my mind, as her voice continued in a way that hinted at a slight disconnection.

“I’m talking about the special license. From what I see, it looks like you’ll pass the exam easily.”

“Ah…”

At that point, I couldn’t help but feel perplexed once again.

What kind of person was she? Why was she casually throwing out such statements?

While I was struggling to figure it out, something she said caught my attention, making my eyes narrow.

“Oh, right. How is Dogun doing?”

“Y-Yeah…?”

Could it be… she knows Dogun?

Then again, he’d never mentioned someone like her before.

You’d think someone so noticeable would have been mentioned at least once.

“Well, considering he hasn’t contacted anyone, he must be doing fine.”

Her voice continued, and I suddenly realized.

The woman in front of me was someone who didn’t care about anyone else’s opinions, living very much in her own world.

“Anyway, if something happens to Dogun… don’t hesitate to contact me. For someone like him, every second counts.”

See?

Despite me not saying anything at all, she casually handed over a business card with her contact information.

Yet, I found it hard to dispute that or question her due to the significance of her words.


‘Could it be…?’

Does she know what’s wrong with Dogun’s left arm?

From everything she had said, the possibility seemed quite high.

But still… that secret should be kept from others, right…?

“Of course… you can contact me for other reasons too.”

“…”

“For instance… if you wanted to return someone’s body to its original state…”

“…!”

“If something like that were pretty much possible, what method would you use…? Those kinds of trivial matters, you know?”

And those were her last words.

It was as if she sensed that I wasn’t in a position to accept her card; she flashed an oddly unnatural smile that brought her lips up and placed the card on the edge of the sink before leaving the bathroom.

I shook myself back to reality and tried to follow her out, but by that time, she had already vanished without a trace.

In the end, I had no choice but to pick up the card she left behind.

Honestly, it felt a bit unsettling, but there was nothing else I could do.