This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 333

Was it really a problem that my flailing arm happened to be my left one?

Or maybe it was just that I was so flustered and incredulous that I unconsciously put too much strength into my arm?

In my mind, I was just trying to grab attention with my actions, but the moment my wildly swung arm collided with the aimed cabinet, the result was nothing short of shocking.

No, it went beyond shocking—it was devastating.

That much was clear from the sound that echoed, which was closer to an explosion than a mere collision.

Could that be why?

The cabinet door, which had taken the brunt of the impact, had an impressively clear imprint of my clenched hand on it.

To add to it, it swayed precariously as if it were about to fall off at any moment.

Had I just witnessed an outcome I never could have anticipated?

“No, what the…?”

As the momentary surge of emotions subsided, utter disbelief took its place.

And just as I stood there, dumbfounded—

“Are you okay?!”

“Is your arm alright? Did something get stuck?!”

In that moment, startled by the unexpected loud noise, I snapped back to reality, realizing I had triggered a chaotic situation.

Concerned gazes flew at me from both sides.

‘Is this really the time to worry about me…?’

What about the cabinet?

Me?

Of course, I was fine.

There was no way I wouldn’t be since Bora still didn’t know I was wearing thick cooking gloves, using hygiene as an excuse.

Well, even without them, I didn’t think anything serious would’ve happened.

“Stop just standing there and take a look!”

Unaware of this fact, it was natural for both the Senior and Yoonseo to be worried.

Just moments ago, they were at each other’s throats, and now they were suddenly holding my left arm in unison.

And the moment they started inspecting my arm, in walked none other than Chae-rim and Bora.

“What was that noise? Did someone break something?”

Could that explosive sound have reached the living room?

Unlike Chae-rim, who marched straight in, Bora was just peeking her head through the door to the living room.

“It’s nothing serious. I just bumped the cabinet while moving…”

“Oh come on… You should’ve been more careful…”

“I guess it’s a bit awkward now that three of us are trying to use it together after I’ve been using it solo for so long.”

“So where did you bump into? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it was just a loud noise…”

If I wanted to talk about their little spat, I could have brought it up, no problem.

But I chose not to.

After all, this was about the Senior and Yoonseo.

Of course… if I had mentioned it to Chae-rim, it would’ve probably been more convenient.

Given her personality, she wouldn’t just sit idle if she learned those two were fighting.

She would definitely take action to resolve it, and since both Yoonseo and the Senior tended to respect Chae-rim’s authority to some extent, it’s likely that they would have reluctantly accepted whatever mediation Chae-rim proposed.

But it had to be different this time.

That was merely a “resolution” of the incident, not an actual “solution.”

Whatever the circumstances, it was ultimately something that they needed to resolve together.

“Anyway, it’s nothing serious, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“But if it starts to hurt later, make sure to tell me. Don’t just brush it off.”

“I will.”

I sent Chae-rim and Bora, who had marched into the kitchen, back to the living room.

And after sending them back to their original places?

I turned to look at the two standing awkwardly far apart in the not-so-large kitchen.

I had managed to block any potential intervention from outside, but… now what should I do?

Honestly, a sigh was all I could muster.

That was because I had realized, seeing the two of them bite into each other without making any concessions, that this wasn’t merely about a momentary burst of emotions but rather a build-up of unresolved issues erupting all at once.

I already knew that their relationship wasn’t great.

I knew it, but… having known each other for quite some time, I thought it would be alright.

Yet, it turned out to not just look okay on the surface but actually fester underneath.

“Sigh…”

It wasn’t until the incident exploded that I finally recognized that fact, which left me feeling frustrated and clueless as to where to start fixing things, prompting me to let out a sigh.

And in response to that sigh, what came back was typical.

It felt like I was met with glances as apprehensive as a kid caught playing pranks after getting summoned by the teacher.

“Anyway… Yoonseo, go outside and cool off.”

“…”

“If going outside feels awkward, just hang out in my room.”

Both had been fighting, yet it felt like the Senior was singling herself out, making me feel a bit unfair about it.

With her lips puffed out like a duck, it was clear she was thinking exactly that, but rather than clarify Yoonseo’s misunderstanding, I turned to the Senior.

“You too, Senior.”

“But… Dogun, I—”

“I know what you want to say. However… I’d appreciate it if you could just do as I say for now.”

Once I said that, the Senior seemed a bit hesitant to speak further.

“…Alright.”

With her voice noticeably smaller than before, the Senior turned to leave the kitchen.

“What’re you doing? Are you going to stay here?”

“…I was going to leave now?”

“Oh, just in case, don’t go chasing after the Senior to fight again… if that happens, seriously…”

Maybe she just didn’t want to hear it till the end.

Before I could even finish my sentence, Yoonseo dashed out of the kitchen.

Thanks to that, I felt a bit anxious, but… I’d given her a warning, so it should be fine.

At a glance, she seemed reckless, but Yoonseo wasn’t really the type to go that far.

‘That aside…’

It was good to give them a moment to cool off, but now I was stuck cleaning up after three people on my own—what was I supposed to do about that?

.

.

.

.

.

.

Today, I noticed the creaking sound of the stairs more than usual and pondered.

How did it come to this?

‘I never intended to fight…’

It was the first time I saw Dogun get that worked up.

And realizing one of the reasons for it was ‘me’ made my heart tighten to the point where I struggled to breathe.

‘If I had known this would happen…’

I would have held back.

I would have at least tried to.

I couldn’t stop the bubbling frustrations that had stealthily built up over time—this was the root of the problem.

While Dogun quietly endured, I couldn’t help but step in as if I had some claim over him, which only fueled my anger.

No, what genuinely made me angry was…

Not being able to refute anything that slipped out from Baeksulhwa’s mouth.

At the same time, I felt a sinking feeling.

That was inevitable since I couldn’t shake the thought that Baeksulhwa was right—had I been too harsh on Dogun all along?

Just because we had known each other for a long time, just because we were close didn’t give me the right to hit him…

Of course, I never meant those moments seriously, but still, the very act of striking was undeniable.

And realizing that truth all over again?

I felt utterly embarrassed beyond control.

That embarrassment began to trigger everything I had bottled up inside, leading me to utter a soft, “Ugh…”

I always wanted to appear composed and mature in front of Dogun, so why did I always end up like this?

Had he thought I behaved like a child, getting caught up in petty arguments just because I heard unpleasant words?

But I had no other choice.

It was beyond my control… I always grew anxious in front of Dogun.

“Seriously…!”

This was all Dogun’s fault, anyway.

Being excessively handsome and popular only heightened my anxiety—it was only natural, right?

So, I took it out on his blanket, kicking it with a satisfying thud.

After a good while of releasing my frustrations on the blanket…

‘After all…I should probably apologize first…’

Carefully, I rose from Dogun’s bed before my meticulously styled hair got disheveled any further.