This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 311

Seolhwa’s Perspective

After getting Dogun’s question like that, more than anything else, Chae-rim’s face buzzed in my mind… but that probably isn’t the right answer.

It’s true that I feel rather displeased with Chae-rim’s existence, but I have never shown it on the surface.

After all, there’s a high chance I would be the only one ending up worse off, so why would I do that?

“…Not particularly?”

So I expressed my denial to the question that Dogun threw out.

Then, all of a sudden, I became curious about what kind of question Dogun was so inclined to ask me earlier.

At the moment the question mark settled in my mind, what I heard through the earbuds was—

—Hmm, not that…?

It was such a phrase.

“What’s up?”

—Ah… it’s nothing. I think I just misinterpreted things.

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Dogun’s Perspective

‘Looks like it really isn’t the case…’

Well, the senior isn’t the type to get into fights and all that.

When you think of someone who is generally upright, they often demand that uprightness not just of themselves but also from others, which can lead to slight disagreements; however, that didn’t apply to the senior.

There’s no need to look far; even just recalling the time the senior held the position of Student Council President was enough.

The instant I saw her, the phrase “no gaps” came to mind, as the senior was incredibly upright in everything she did, yet she had never once demanded that of anyone else.

Despite being in a position where she could easily do so, and having the authority to back it up, she never did.

So even if there were disagreements that the senior didn’t remember, it’s unlikely they were her fault.

Of course, it’s not like the overly meticulous senior would forget such things.

‘Anyways…’

That means it’s not like she got into a fight that led to this mess… so what could it be?

What on earth could have caused this deluge of happenings for someone like the senior, who could be seen as merely a rookie at a company?

Could it be because she’s one of the top scorers from this year’s qualification exam?

Well, that could be a cause, but still, it felt a bit odd.

Just because she’s a top scorer doesn’t mean she’s not a rookie according to industry standards, but when looking at what’s coming in for the senior right now, it feels less like ‘she can handle this amount because she’s the top scorer’ and more like ‘this is something she should definitely be able to manage.’

—Dogun?

“Ah, yes. Just a moment. I’ll guide you right away.”

Continuing with my speculations, I focused on guiding the senior the moment I heard her voice through the headset I’d thrown over my head.

After all, the immediacy of the situation was more pressing for me.

Speculating could wait until the senior moved to the next site.

“Ah, senior? Are you listening?”

—Yes.

“I just sent the details for the next deployment and the fastest route to the site. Did you receive it?”

—Just a moment… Ah, I’ve received it now. I’ll leave right away.

“Got it.”

So first off, I gave the guidance to the next site, and while the senior was moving there, I resumed my earlier thoughts.

‘Hmm…’

What I really wanted to know was what kind of basis they had for making such judgments when relaying deployment requests.

I was grateful that the senior, who helped me get to this level, was being viewed favorably; however, I felt I should at least know the reason.

Based solely on what was coming in for the senior, it felt almost as if she had apprehended some immensely famous villain…

‘…Wait a second.’

A villain?

This is quite the coincidence…

Suddenly, I remembered something that popped into my mind when “villain” was mentioned.

The incident of catching Tricky Face, back when the internet buzzed with Yoonseo’s name.

Thanks to people’s interest centering solely on the name “Oh Yoonseo,” information related to Yoonseo began to get a spotlight, including Yoonseo’s records in simulated battles.

Excluding the ‘one defeat’ recorded during her third year in middle school, her results were nothing short of overwhelming.

That title of genius attached to Yoonseo was enough to send people into a frenzy… and once Yoonseo’s simulated battle results caught everyone’s attention, another individual also began to be spotlighted: the senior.

In fact, that was somewhat of a natural consequence.

After all, the one defeat recorded next to Yoonseo’s name came from facing off against the senior.

In other words, from the perspective of those who became enthralled with Yoonseo, the senior was the only one who had managed to make her kneel, thus naturally shifting people’s focus back to that day’s match.

And as people delved into what had taken place that day, information emerged about the senior being among this year’s top scorers of the qualification exam—someone who was the only one to deliver a defeat to Yoonseo—which sparked a deeper interest in the senior.

Furthermore, as they scrutinized that particular day’s match, clips and photos of the senior during her missions began floating around some communities like hotcakes.

Of course, all those who spun that narrative were worried about whatever backlash might come from the association, which is why the posts began disappearing almost as soon as they went up.

Yet somehow, they found a video of Yoonseo and the senior during their battle, and the communities ablaze with that info were literally on fire.

Naturally, because the Yoonseo they believed to be a genius appeared utterly powerless in that video.

As a result, discussions among those caught up in that topic split precisely down the middle.

On one side were those defending Yoonseo, while on the other were the supporters of the newly dubbed “New Face,” the senior.

And as this divide solidified, the arguments over which side was superior stemmed from lines such as—

‘At the time, Yoonseo was a middle schooler while the opponent was a high schooler, right?’ and ‘Sure, but the fact is she didn’t even get a hit in and got totally annihilated!’

And thus, those arguments led to Yoonseo and the senior naturally being lumped together in a sort of rival relationship…

What if the association also caught onto their rivalry?

And if they were trying to confirm whether such a rivalry could indeed stand by testing the senior’s abilities like this?

The possibility was certainly there.

From the association’s perspective, the more cards they have for the future, the better, especially given their consistent thirst for generational change.

They already had Yoonseo, a card that clearly seems to hold immense potential; if they could acquire another card to match her?

There’d be no reason for them to reject it.

Given that confirming this doesn’t take too much effort, it feels even more likely.

‘Plus…’

The individuals belonging to the association chairman’s line are likely doing something in their own right.

From their viewpoint, Yoonseo undoubtedly appears to belong to Chae-rim’s ‘line.’

Given Chae-rim’s statement during a press conference that she’d personally teach Yoonseo, they can’t help but think that way.

So the association chairman’s people, who must be fully aware that Chae-rim dislikes them, would feel the need for a card capable of countering Yoonseo to avoid being ousted in such a manner, and as a result, the senior gained attention.

The potential for recruitment was likely viewed as something the senior wouldn’t struggle with, given she already had a history of dealing with the chairman’s faction.

‘If that’s the case…’

There’s really no need to cater to their intentions.

Not that I need to do so, but if it means using it to my benefit, that’s a different story.

Even though it’s become almost defunct now, the senior’s initial goal of becoming a hero was to utilize the rights to information access as a way to find the perpetrator who murdered her parents.

So now, even if she were to gain that authority, it’s unlikely she could use it as effectively as before—

‘The true perpetrator still hasn’t been revealed…’

So if I could at least secure that, it might help unveil the identity of the still-hidden real culprit, just a little.

Therefore, I wouldn’t mind playing along.

With that thought, I subtly raised the corners of my mouth while gazing at the constantly refreshing deployment request screen for the senior.