This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 32

“I’m pretty sure someone was here…”

“Uh? Who’s here? There’s no one!”

“No, I’m telling you, there was someone!”

“Then, what, did you see a ghost or something?”

As soon as I said that, Yoonseo’s shoulders shrank.

She was clearly showing that she was scared, but her mouth was saying something different.

“What nonsense is that? There are no ghosts in this world!”

“Why not? They could exist!”

To be honest, I thought the same way. With talents that were practically like psychic abilities already existing, how could ghosts be impossible?

I mean, there could be a talent to control ghosts among them!

“There are none. I told you.”

Of course, Yoonseo, who was secretly afraid of such things, ignored my words and brushed them off.

Perhaps she wanted to redirect her attention to avoid any unnecessary thoughts.

Yoonseo, who had been staring intently at her mobile phone, soon frowned.

“Ugh, what is it…?”

“What?”

“They used to be on the third floor, but they moved downstairs.”

“Well, no wonder… No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find it.”

“Hey, if they moved, shouldn’t they update their info online? What a waste of time… Ugh… such a waste of time…”

Seeing Yoonseo looking so frustrated over getting lost here, I comforted her a bit before heading straight down to the lower floor.

As I descended, the sight of the school uniform shop appeared before me, making all the wandering worthwhile.

Before I knew it, Yoonseo, who had regained her energy, grabbed my hand and started to urge me on.

Reluctantly following behind her, the tinkling sound of the bell above the door greeted us with a welcoming voice.

“Ah, welcome!”

“I’m here to fit a school uniform.”

“Uniform? Which one? Whiseogo?”

Now that she was all so fidgety pulling me along, I decided to step up and handle it for the frozen Yoonseo as we entered the shop.

“Please show us one from Whiseogo. I’ll take one for Yeonggang High.”

“One from Whiseogo and one for Yeonggang? Okay! So, who do we start with…?”

When asked who we would start with, I glanced toward Yoonseo, and a nudge at my side, along with a shy voice, reached my ears.

“You… why don’t you go first…?”

I didn’t know why she said that, but from her tone, it sounded like she was a bit embarrassed, so could it be…?

“Oh Yoonseo, are you…?”

“W-what?!”

“Did you order something to eat by yourself at night?”

“…What?”

“Even if you try hard now, your added weight won’t just go back to normal, you know? Just you first… Hahaha!”

Well, if you say “no,” just say “no.” Why spritz water in someone’s face and cause such a fuss?

In the process, Dogun, who unexpectedly got splashed, grumbled while stepping outside with the shop owner, while Yoonseo still looked quite rattled.

Of course, half of that was likely an act.

“Ugh…”

Why am I embarrassed?

I was sure there hadn’t been any thoughts like this before we stepped inside.

Now, thinking about how I had to get measured by Dogun and show off in the new school uniform suddenly made me feel so shy.

That’s why, even if I could have joked and brushed it off, I unintentionally got angry and deferred my turn to Dogun.

Now, for a different reason, I felt shy.

“Ah, do I have to wear a tie too?”

“From second year onwards, it’s not required, but you have to wear it in first year.”

“Really? Hmm… that sounds annoying…”

It seemed like just a few years ago, we both were about the same height, but when did we grow so abruptly?

I had sensed it before, but seeing us change clothes like this made it feel so real.

The more I felt that, the faster my heart raced, and an embarrassing feeling began to creep up.

“Ugh…”

Why does it feel so cool, when it’s just a school uniform?

Is it because I only have a white shirt and a tie on right now?

Would it feel different with a vest and a jacket?

“It seems a bit tight, doesn’t it?”

“What do you know? These days, it’s trendy for school uniforms to fit snugly.”

“Is that so? But this is a bit…”

“Why? It suits you just fine.”

It was hard to deny that.

Dogun looked good in that perfectly fitting new uniform, and even objectively, he could easily model for a uniform brand.

That’s what bothered me.

Now I couldn’t walk beside him, so why did he have to look so cool?

What if some fox-like girl confesses to him because of it?

The arrow of jealousy likely shot toward me just when I was immersed in such thoughts.

“Don’t you think so, student?”

That abrupt question caught me off guard, coming just as I was having those thoughts.

“Y-yeah?”

“I mean, what do you think? Doesn’t this one look much better than the one earlier? The cuffs fit perfectly too…”

Well, that’s true.

But I wished they wouldn’t ask me such things.

After all, I wasn’t sure if I could handle Dogun’s gaze afterward.

“What do you think? Really?”

“Um… It’s just a school uniform, you know. If someone saw it, they might think I got a tailored suit.”

“Ah, where’s the harm in giving a little compliment?”

“Definitely a harm.”

Looking back, I didn’t understand how we ended up in different schools, nor did I want to accept it easily. But if there was one thing I liked, it was the uniform from Yeonggang High or whatever it was.

It felt more like a suit rather than a school uniform, maybe because the school went all out and asked a famous designer to design it.

That’s why I liked it, but at the same time, it was a reason to not like it.

As I’ve said a few times, after stepping into high school, I wouldn’t be able to hang out beside him like before.

“By the way…”

He looks good in that, but what if I don’t look good?

If I had known it would turn out like this, I should have dieted a bit harder.

Or maybe I should have worked out next to Dogun.

Whether it was due to the situation or not, things that usually didn’t bother me suddenly stuck out today.

“Hmm… This should be fine, no need to touch the cuffs, just the sleeves need to be slightly adjusted.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I’ll pin the sleeves so you can take that to the dry cleaners and ask them to shorten it.”

“Okay.”

“Now, who’s the next student?”

Yet, despite everything, time flowed mercilessly, and eventually, my turn came.

The only good news was that I hadn’t changed much since the last measurement.

Of course, I was a bit sad that my height hadn’t increased, but still, at least I hadn’t gained weight.

“Oh dear, you need to eat a bit more. These kids these days are all so skinny…”

Having thrown off what I was wearing and put on new clothes, I cautiously stepped out of the fitting room to gauge Dogun’s reaction.

Was it because I had been fidgeting at the front that it worked?

Dogun, sitting on a makeshift chair and staring at his mobile phone, finally lifted his gaze.

The moment our eyes met through the mirror, my heart skipped a beat and started racing.

“Wow…”

The moment an almost admiring sound escaped Dogun’s lips, my heart began to race in sync.

But not wanting to give that away, I tried to act indifferent and asked playfully.

“Why? Do I look good?”

Given Dogun’s personality, I thought for sure he would respond playfully, so that’s why I’d asked.

Yet the response I received was completely different from what I had expected.

“Yeah, it looks really good. You’re pretty.”

That one plain statement, coming from him, was so genuine that it was hard to think of it as a joke.

With those words echoing in my ears, it felt like I had suddenly teleported into a cave.

– You’re pretty.

At first, that was all I could hear ringing in my ears.

But as time passed…

– It really suits you.

– You’re pretty, Yoonseo.

– Yoonseo, you’re the prettiest.

– Yoonseo, will you go out with me?

Words he had never once uttered seeped into my consciousness, and no matter how hard I tried to shake it off, I couldn’t.

Of course, I knew full well that I must look terribly amusing to others having this sort of reaction by myself.

I knew that, but… I simply couldn’t stop.

After all, this was my first time experiencing this.

Hearing “you’re pretty” not as a joke but in a sincere tone was a first for me.

So how could I easily come back to my senses?

“Ugh…”

Why does he only get serious at times like this and put me in such a spot?

When I woke up this morning, I had no hint of such feelings, yet now I felt like I caught a cold.

It was such a peculiar sensation that my head was dizzy and my face felt hot.

Therefore, I couldn’t even bring myself to look in the mirror.

Feeling my face burning up like this, it was clear that it must be glowing red, and if I caught a glimpse of it, my already racing heart might actually explode.

“Haah… haah…”

I tried to calm myself down quietly so that Dogun wouldn’t notice, but it seemed useless.

No matter how much I took a deep breath, my heart was still racing without showing any signs of calming down.

What should I do?

What if Dogun notices my flushed face?

What if he asks what’s wrong?

I had no idea.

Not knowing made my already hot face feel even hotter.

While I was frantically flailing in the swamp of confusion…

Ding-a-ling—!

The same sound from when I entered echoed through the shop…

“…Are you busy, Auntie?”

That voice, etched in my memory so clearly that I wanted to erase it, followed right after.