This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 327

I seem to have a memory of hearing such a statement somewhere before.

So, it means that when you focus intensely on something, only that comes into view while everything else naturally slips away from your sight.

Honestly, I thought it was nonsense the first time I heard that… but today, I learned it could actually happen.

What can I say?

The scenery before my eyes was just like that.

Maybe it felt particularly significant because it was Dogun who said those words, the very one who seemed to hold a multitude of meanings.

From that precise moment, my heart began to pound loudly and quickly, and in the blink of an eye, my view was filled with just Dogun’s lips.

Is that why?

Every time Dogun’s lips twitched, the speed of my heartbeat fluctuated wildly between fast and very fast.

“Uh, I think it should be okay… but why tomorrow…?”

The voice that slipped out was slightly trembling, which surely had an influence.

“No, it’s nothing special…”

Do you know?

Even if you say it’s nothing special, I can’t help but feel an anticipation so strong my heart races at that ‘nothing special.’

It would be nice if you felt the same way…

But I didn’t want to say anything to Dogun about it.

After all, it would just be like holding the time we’ve spent together hostage, demanding him to like me in return.

More than that… isn’t the pace of walking different for everyone?

If I were to force someone to match my walking speed just because they walked a bit slower?

We wouldn’t get very far before both of us stumbled and fell.

So, rather than doing that, I would wait.

If I tried not to give up easily and put in the effort, maybe one day, I could walk in sync with Dogun.

I had decided in my heart to do just that, yet I found myself swayed by just one word from Dogun, which is something unavoidable for a person.

“Uh… about tomorrow…”

Anyway, what on earth is it?

What could he possibly be thinking that he finds it so hard to say anything beyond just stretching out his words?

Could it be that he really intends to ask me out on a date?

To be honest, I secretly wished for that, but it felt unlikely to actually happen.

It couldn’t be helped; remember how we had to coax Chae-rim into a date-like situation, which almost landed us in a dangerous situation?

So the chances of that are pretty slim.

Closer to zero, actually… but wouldn’t it be okay to harbor just a tiny bit of hope?

At that moment, I heard the sound of Dogun gulping.

“Actually, there’s a Bora award ceremony tomorrow.”

And what came out of Dogun’s mouth was… something I never expected.

“A-award ceremony…?”

The sudden mention of Bora left me utterly flabbergasted; suddenly an award ceremony appeared from nowhere.

Where on earth did that come from?

Well, okay, fine, but an award ceremony?

Honestly, I thought it was a bit too sudden.

So I couldn’t help but feel flustered.

“W-was it last time? You watched Bora’s cartoon too, right?”

Now that I think about it, I did.

I remember being surprised by how much more fun it was than I expected.

But what does that matter now?

“Honest to goodness, it feels like a waste to see it just between us, right? So I casually asked if there was a competition and if we could submit it.”

“Don’t tell me…?”

“That’s right. I heard from the organizers that they want to know if we can participate in the ceremony.”

It was as if Dogun was saying, “Can you believe this?” as he gauged my reaction before cautiously adding:

“…So since it turned out this way, what do you think about all of us going to congratulate her?”

The instant I heard those words, one thought flashed through my mind.

‘Why should I?’

It was unavoidable.

It could only be that… despite knowing her since kindergarten, I still felt uncomfortable around Bora.

To be precise, I couldn’t even wish to like her.

After all, how could I like someone who just kissed Dogun on the lips without warning after not seeing her for about 10 years?

‘What’s more…’

If she immediately pulled such a stunt after our reunion, it likely indicates she has feelings for Dogun too.

She certainly wouldn’t act that way towards someone she didn’t like.

So how could I possibly get along with Bora?

I imagine she feels the same way about me.

Given that, I couldn’t help but feel negatively about it… but still, I suppose I should listen till the end.

As I was pondering this, Dogun seemed to be choosing his words carefully before continuing in a cautious voice.

“Of course, I know you’re not close to Bora, Yoonseo. But…”

But?

“It just feels so lonely that someone who should be getting congratulations isn’t receiving them properly.”

So shouldn’t we be the ones to step up and congratulate her?

The moment I took in Dogun’s face while saying this, I instinctively sensed I wouldn’t be able to refuse.

How could I possibly say no when Dogun, of all people, looked at me with that expression and voice asking me to go celebrate just a little?

‘Speaking of which…’

During the middle school graduation ceremony, Dogun also didn’t get any proper congratulations from the lady.

Although he did receive a necklace with a letter as a graduation gift just before, it was entirely different from being congratulated in person compared to just a letter.

Knowing that the situation was unavoidable must have left him feeling a bit sour deep down.

That’s why, back then, I congratulated him with even more enthusiasm to compensate for what was lacking on the lady’s part…

Yet, perhaps there was still an empty spot that needed filling.

Just like how he’s concerned about Bora now, maybe that’s influenced by all of this.

‘It’s painfully obvious that he’s struggling to maintain a proper relationship with his family…’

There’s really no need to look too deeply; the parts that come to light from time to time display enough of an answer.

And maybe, to Dogun, my presence overlapped with Bora’s situation.

“…When is it?”

“Huh? What?”

“The award ceremony. So when is it?”

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Despite my somewhat reluctant tone, the moment Yoonseo’s acceptance-like words slipped out, I felt a sense of relief inside.

It was unavoidable; I had succeeded in persuading the one person I had estimated would be the hardest to convince among Yoonseo, the Senior, and Chae-rim.

“Um… I think it’s in the evening? So after the ceremony, I was thinking of stopping by a department store to pick up some things we’ll need for the party. What do you think?”

“Sure, that sounds fine.”

Now that I had managed to convince Yoonseo, one of the three?

It was time for the Senior and Chae-rim.

“Senior?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Uh… are you free tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? When?”

“In the evening.”

“I think I’ll be fine… why?”

“Actually, it’s because of…”

And fortunately, one of the two, the Senior, nodded her head readily upon hearing the circumstances.

‘Now, the only one left…’

Was Chae-rim.

The problem was that as the end of the year drew near, she would naturally become busier and busier—

‘Will she even have time…?’

I’d remembered how she struggled to take out a day for the party.

“Tomorrow? Okay, got it.”

Contrary to my worries, Chae-rim nodded eagerly and readily expressed her intention to join as soon as she heard the explanation.

As if it were something that should be done without question.

Not only that?

“I was actually worrying about how to keep Bora away from the chairman, so things worked out nicely.”

Chae-rim saw straight through my intentions that I hadn’t even revealed to anyone, even to Bora herself.

Thanks to that, I instinctively jumped a little.

“Did she say that Seolhwa and Yoonseo would participate?”

“Yes? Oh, yes.”

“Hmm… Since it’s an award ceremony, I guess it would be better to dress up a bit?”

There was a moment in between where I felt a bit uneasy, but anyway, after successfully finishing up with Chae-rim’s invitation?

In no time, the day of the award ceremony arrived.