This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 307

Dogun’s Perspective

The weight of the secret I was supposed to guard moving forward was so heavy that it instantly darkened my vision. But I quickly regained my composure.

There wasn’t much to be done now anyway. The deed was done long ago.

So instead of drowning in despair, it would be far more productive to resolve to do well moving forward.

‘By the way…’

Why isn’t she leaving?

Isn’t it about time to go? The morning assembly is about to start.

Still, Yoonseo seemed in no rush to leave our classroom.

If she had planned on leaving soon, she wouldn’t have dragged a chair from the front of the classroom right next to my spot and sat there.

“Hey.”

It was partly out of curiosity since she sat there as if she were in the same class as me and Bora that I called out to Yoonseo again.

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you supposed to go to your classroom soon?”

“…Why?”

Why, you ask?

To be honest, I was a bit taken aback. How could I have imagined she would respond like that?

Is she genuinely asking out of confusion?

“Don’t you take attendance during the morning assembly in your class?”

“We do that too.”

“No, but why…”

I was about to ask why she was still here when it dawned on me that the buildings were different, so there was quite a distance between her classroom and ours.

But just as I was about to voice that question, an instinct or some intuition warned me to hold my tongue.

“…Never mind.”

That’s why I decided to keep my mouth shut.

And as I clamped my lips shut, Yoonseo did the same, and the classroom quickly fell silent.

It was so quiet that it almost felt suffocating.

‘What’s with this atmosphere?’

I knew that they weren’t that close, but this felt more like they just had a fight rather than anything else.

‘Could it be…’

Did they actually have a fight?

In that brief moment?

But why?

Do they even have a reason to fight?

As that endless stream of questions tangled in my mind, I began to sneakily cast my eyes around to figure something out, and my gaze landed on Bora, who was tightly hugging her bag as if it were a sacred object.

‘…Ah.’

Come to think of it, we were supposed to watch a cartoon together…

But with the atmosphere like this, that might be difficult.

Of course, considering Bora’s skills, my evaluation would likely be meaningless.

Still, her acting as if my evaluation was everything might stem from wanting to gain confidence before entering the contest.

If that’s the case, I would be more than happy to shower her with compliments until the seed of confidence called self-assurance sprouted in her heart… but in all this, there was one thing on my mind: my personal taste.

In the original world, my taste was mainstream, but in this world, it fell into the minor category.

And the comics that Bora had shown me previously aligned perfectly with my taste.

While the discomfort and disconnect stemmed from the protagonist being a girl instead of a boy, that was just how it was… unavoidable.

In any case, that means the possibility was high that what she drew this time would also fall along those same lines… which worried me.

If this new work turned out to be just as minor, there was a chance it wouldn’t achieve the results I was hoping for in the contest.

Of course, all the comics Bora drew previously had something overwhelming that easily shattered the barriers of taste… But it was quite common for undeniably great works to go unseen due to a lack of timing.

And if that happened?

Bora, who had likely filled up with expectations based on the feedback I had given her, would undoubtedly feel disappointed.

Perhaps that possibility kept gnawing at me.

If I could bring in one more person with truly average tastes to validate Bora’s work, I thought it might ease her unease.

The problem was finding someone who met that criterion nearby…

‘…Wait.’

What was I even saying?

The very person sitting next to me was Yoonseo.

She had average taste but wasn’t overly passionate about comics.

If I could satisfy Yoonseo, the embodiment of the masses, perhaps we could expect good results in the contest this time.

The problem was… I first needed to get Bora’s consent…

Would she agree?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Maybe it was due to her trauma, but even though Bora possessed draw-worthy talent that evoked admiration at first glance, she had an odd lack of confidence about herself.

So first… I guess I should talk to her.

“Hey, Bora?”

“Um, yeah?”

“Can I… talk to you for a second?”

Carefully, I attempted to call Bora outside the classroom.

Of course, almost immediately, I felt Yoonseo’s gaze piercing me, clearly signaling, “What’s going on?” but… for now, I ignored her.

Right now, it was more important to ask Bora for her input.

So, putting on a brave face and ignoring the prickling stare directed at my back, I took Bora outside the classroom.

Yoonseo’s Perspective

‘What now…’

Why are they acting like that?

Could this be related to that guy’s secret or something?

But what could that secret possibly be?

I really wanted to follow them to find out what the secret was.

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do it for a simple reason.

I was concerned about Dogun’s perception.

It also weighed on my mind that I’d just been sulking a bit ago.

So here I was, unable to do anything, just sitting in my chair and anxiously chewing on my thoughts… Thankfully, they returned quickly.

The problem was, when they came back, something was in Dogun’s hand that I hadn’t seen before.

What could that rather thick envelope be?

No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t discern what it was.

Just as I narrowed my eyes to figure it out, Dogun returned to his seat almost instantly due to the short distance, hesitating for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“Hey.”

“…What?”

“Do you… want to take a look at this?”

Then he handed me that envelope he was holding.

Caught off guard, I accepted it to see what was inside?

What I found in that thick envelope seemed to be a manuscript for a comic.

At first, I was confused about what it could be.

“Did… Bora draw this?”

“Hmm? This?”

“Actually, here’s how it went…”

As a question mark appeared above my head, Dogun began to explain, his tone suggesting he anticipated my reaction.

Thanks to the smooth flow of his explanation, I could finally relax.

No wonder. Thanks to Dogun’s explanation, I could finally uncover the mystery of their little secret.

‘What…?’

That was it?

To be honest, despite having pretended not to care, until I heard Dogun’s explanation, the idea of the secret had me worried for quite some time.

How could I not?

After all, it was Bora we were talking about.

A girl who had kissed me suddenly after not seeing each other for ten years, naturally raised concerns about whatever secret she had.

Who could have guessed the secret was something so… insignificant?

The tension that had unknowingly built up inside me released in an instant.

And once that tension dissolved, I felt a bit bitter about the time I spent worrying over that secret.

It was at that moment I caught sight of the manuscript he had just handed to me—Bora’s comic.

And when I saw it, my immediate thought was… ‘This is great.’

What did I say again?

Could I read it and give an honest evaluation?

Whatever, I’ll do it a hundred or a thousand times if needed.

Of course, I wouldn’t make up flaws that didn’t exist just to criticize it.

My evaluation would always be honest.

After all, doesn’t that make for a more impactful experience on the receiving end?

With that mindset, I turned the page, which served as the cover for this comic.

‘…What?’

Did Bora actually draw this?

Really…?