This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 321

Is this what it feels like to be a parent waiting for their child to take the entrance exam?

‘Don’t be too nervous; you just have to do well…’

Sighs kept slipping out of me, regardless of my will.

What if this wasn’t indoors but outside?

There would probably be a whole bunch of white flags surrounding me by now.

Like I was puffing smoke from a cigarette or something.

While I was stuck there, just sighing helplessly, keeping my gaze fixed on the direction Yoonseo had disappeared.

“Yoonseo? Have you already gone in?”

Hearing an uncle’s voice from the side, I turned to glance and saw him panting as if he had sprinted from the parking lot to here.

He was glistening with sweat on the side of his face.

“Yes, she just went in.”

“Oh… good grief…”

Did he have something specific he wanted to tell Yoonseo?

Seeing the look of despair on his face, which had taken over, made it seem likely.

“Why don’t you at least try giving her a call? There’s still some time before the exam starts…”

“No, she might be mentally preparing herself before the exam; as her father, I shouldn’t disrupt her, even if I can’t help her. And…”

And?

“From what I see, it looks like Dogun has relieved her anxiety enough, right?”

“Umm… well…”

For a moment, we exchanged some light-hearted banter to ease the tension that was filling us, but then the uncle leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh.

“…She better do well.”

No, that sounded more like a sigh rather than just a statement.

Well, of course, he would be worried; if I’m this worried, how much more anxious must he be as a father?

“She’ll be fine.”

“Will she?”

“You know how Yoonseo acts: she always says how ‘annoying’ or ‘unwanted’ it all is, but she really is quite diligent.”

If Yoonseo was the kind of person to avoid effort altogether, she wouldn’t have reached this level, regardless of her talent.

“So you don’t need to worry too much. Yoonseo will definitely do well.”

“She ought to…”

“By the way, isn’t Auntie coming today? She seemed really eager to be here.”

“Don’t even mention it. She insisted on giving up on selling today to come here, so I had to keep talking her out of it since morning.”

“Really?”

No wonder there had been so much noise in the kitchen when I sneakily snuck into Yoonseo’s room earlier… That must be why.

Finally understanding, I nodded in agreement, and the uncle’s complaints continued.

“Honestly, I can’t understand why both Mom and Daughter are so stubborn… They really look like two peas in a pod when they’re being stubborn.”

“Hm… Yoonseo does have a bit of a strong will compared to others.”

I just chimed in, wanting to ease his worries a bit.

“Then don’t you hate it?”

Just after saying that, I was hit by an unexpected surprise from him.

“…What?!”

I ended up making a weird noise without meaning to.

“Surprised, huh? I was just joking.”

“Ah…”

“Dogun.”

“…Yes?”

“Don’t you dare make Yoonseo cry or anything.”

.

.

.

At that moment, Yoonseo, who was receiving all the worries of two men, was currently sitting at the desk prepared for the exam, taking a little breath to calm herself.

In exactly five minutes, the first hurdle—the written exam—was set to begin.

Maybe that’s why my heart had been pounding a bit faster since earlier.

Can I really do well?

To be honest, I wasn’t so sure.

Even if someone else were in my position, that fact wouldn’t change.

Unless you have an overwhelming confidence in yourself, everyone tends to waver when facing a wall.

Thus, having certainty is incredibly difficult, but… I decided to believe.

I aimed to confront this as much as I could, trusting in the time I spent working hard with Dogun.

And if the outcome of all that hard work turned out to be ‘success,’ that would be more than I could ask for.

It wasn’t just because of the wish ticket Dogun promised as a reward for passing today’s exam.

To be honest, while I did find the wish ticket enticing, more than that, I wanted to let Dogun know that all our efforts, and the time he dedicated to me, were not in vain.

I wondered if someone noticed that longing of mine.

Or did the month of cramming actually have some effect?

While I was nervous about the upcoming duel with Chae-rim, I was also worried about the written exam, but contrary to my concerns, the test was not all that difficult.

I had prepared myself for not having enough time, yet it felt like everything was flowing smoothly.

So when I finally received the test papers, I felt quite bewildered.

It’s just that it felt so much easier than I expected.

Of course, when I flipped through a couple of pages of the multi-page exam, that feeling of ease vanished entirely.

‘Still…’

This level was manageable.

I thought I was going to lose my mind when I first saw those past exam questions Dogun got from someone he knew; it was no joke.

Especially the law-related questions; those truly made my brain hurt.

But right now, it wasn’t that bad.

So… it might be a bit premature to say this, but could I expect good results?

As I took each of the four written exam subjects one by one, the time ticked on, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime.

Of course, just because it was lunchtime didn’t mean I could leave the exam venue.

That meant I had to settle for the lunch that an association staff member had brought over, all by myself.

“Since it’s 12:30, the practical exam will begin at 1:30, so you’ll have plenty of time.”

“Okay.”

“See you then. Enjoy your meal.”

It might be quite obvious, but even though it was a lunch box, the menu was not simple at all; it was actually quite lavish, carefully prepared to ensure easy digestion.

Even so, it didn’t seem as good as the pork cutlet sandwich Dogun made for me in the morning… That was probably just because I was alone.

‘I wish I could have Dogun’s pork cutlet sandwich…’

If I had known, I would’ve saved at least one instead of finishing both of them right there.

And after thinking that?

I started to wish I could see Dogun’s face, who was probably with my dad right now.

That made me feel a bit gloomy, but I quickly perked up.

After all, I would get to see him soon.

Unlike the written exam, which had no opportunity for observation, the practical part allowed for observers, so Dogun was allowed in because of Chae-rim’s connections, and my dad was here as an official.

Once the practical exam started, I would at least be able to see their faces.

So instead of wallowing in loneliness, I should prepare mentally to face Chae-rim.

Dogun had spent nearly a month preparing strategies for that very moment, so even if I lost, I owed it to him to show everything I’ve got.

“Haah…”

Breathing deeply in and out, calming my slightly faster-pounding heart, the moment of fate finally approached.

“Let’s go.”

Following the staff member from the association to the training hall, I unexpectedly ran into Chae-rim on the way.

Since we were both about to spar, there wasn’t a lot of time for conversation.

The only exchange we had was…

“I noticed you were attached to Dogun all day after he visited last time… Did you prepare a lot over the past month?”

“Yeah, well… Dogun helped me a lot.”

“Really?”

That was literally the extent of our conversation.

“So… can I expect a lot from you?”

And when I heard that follow-up, I thought to myself.

I wanted to see that carefree face of hers turn flustered.

“I’m expecting a lot, so make it entertaining for me.”

I don’t even know why that thought came to me, but it did.