This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 346

In fact, diamonds are quite common as far as jewels go.

Putting everything aside and looking solely at the reserves, that’s what it seems.

Nevertheless, the reason diamonds have managed to attain such an unshakeable status among jewels is entirely due to marketing.

After all, eternal love, right?

I don’t know who decided to drape such an image onto mere stones, but there’s something about it that sparks a person’s romantic imagination just by hearing it.

That’s why everyone keeps singing about diamond rings, wishing their relationships would last just like the diamonds set in those rings.

However, no matter how ridiculously hard diamonds may be, nothing in this world is permanent.

All that exists is the desire of those who wish for such permanence.

Even if things might appear eternal at a glance?

Eventually, they are bound to undergo some kind of change.

Especially when it comes to relationships between people, which are mostly like that.

Things that have not changed for years can suddenly become irrevocably altered due to something as trivial as a small detail.

Still… I thought my relationship with Yoonseo would be different.

Sure, we had our ups and downs along the way, but having spent a whole decade overcoming all that, I had no doubt it would continue this way…

To cut to the chase, that was all my arrogance.

After all, since the party ended, Yoonseo has changed.

Specifically, her attitude toward me.

Would it be correct to say she’s grown cold?

So at first, I thought I must’ve messed something up while under the influence.

Although I didn’t have any specific memories to point to, I was reluctant to assume otherwise, given my rather poor state.

So maybe, just maybe, something happened between Yoonseo and me while I was out for the count from that alcohol?

Initially, I had been making efforts to uncover what it was.

But the more I exerted myself, the colder her demeanor became, and eventually, I threw my hands up and gave up.

‘Could it be that I made a mistake…?’

Then what could it be?

Could it be because of the playful tussling we had during the drinking games?

Perhaps that was a possibility.

From Yoonseo’s perspective, that could have been understandable since, looking back now, I might have gone a bit overboard.

“Hey, uh… I’m sorry.”

So I awkwardly tried to bow down, but… was that even the right approach?

“…What for?”

The response I got back was hardly positive.

“No, it’s just… back at the party, I may have… acted inappropriately.”

“What do you mean, acted inappropriately?”

“…Huh?”

“What do you mean, acted inappropriately?”

Her voice was so cold it felt like ice.

So all I could feel was a whirlwind of confusion.

What on earth could have made her this upset?

I wondered if my inner turmoil was showing on my face.

“…Forget it. Just leave me alone.”

With that last comment, Yoonseo turned her back and headed back to the Training Ground.

In that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a burning surge of emotions.

To be precise, it felt more like unfairness than anger.

If she was going to act so coldly, she should at least tell me what I did wrong first.

What can I do, trembling in fear over not knowing why someone is acting this way toward me?

And I didn’t particularly like being in that position.

“Ugh… No, you need to tell me for me to understand. How would I know why you’re acting like this if you don’t say anything?”

That’s why I said it, but did my words even register?

Yoonseo, who had been walking toward the Training Ground, suddenly halted in her tracks.

And after a while, she spoke.

“…If I talk about it?”

The words came as barely a whisper.

“…Huh?”

“If I say something… can we resolve this?”

“Well…”

If I were to speak honestly?

I couldn’t give a definite answer.

After all, if Yoonseo is acting this way because of something unrelated to me, then I couldn’t guarantee I could help her through it.

Until now, no matter how outstanding she was, she was merely one among many hero candidates. If a problem arose for her, I could manage to a certain extent.

But now, she was an official hero.

In simple terms, the basic situation had changed drastically.

And with that change in the basic situation, the scale of the problem couldn’t help but differ from before.

And yet, how could I give assurance without even hearing what the problem was?

Aside from everything else, I just couldn’t do that out of sheer conscience.

“…Let me hear it first.”

So, instead, I could only give her an extension like that.

“…Forget it. It’s not a problem that would get resolved just because you stepped in.”

“That’s not something you know. Even if it’s hard on my end, if I tell my sister…”

No matter how serious the issue might be, wouldn’t it come to some sort of resolution?

That’s what I intended to say.

“Forget it! I don’t need it?!”

If Yoonseo hadn’t suddenly shouted in the middle of our conversation, it might have gone differently.

“Why are you shouting all of a sudden?”

“…Because you keep annoying me.”

“What…?”

“Why? Don’t you want to hear it? I told you to leave me alone.”

“Ugh… Hey, Yoonseo.”

“…What?”

“Honestly, do you want me to say it straight? You acting like this is so puzzling for me, and I don’t understand any of it at all.”

“…Who is it that doesn’t understand?”

“What?”

“…I told you, this is my problem, so you stay out of it.”

At that moment, I realized.

There was no point in probing deeper into this issue.

What would diving deeper even accomplish?

If I did, it would surely just be a looping conversation between me and Yoonseo.

And in the process of that repetition, our feelings for each other would only pile up.

So what could I do?

Today, I had no choice but to back down.

“…Alright, I understand. If that’s how you feel, so be it.”

If I were to truly speak honestly?

Even if I took a step back, I thought it would resolve eventually.

After all, I knew Yoonseo was the type to complain endlessly, but she wasn’t one to bottle things up for long.

Plus, she’s the type to struggle with loneliness, so after a few days of keeping things cool, she might send a signal to reach out and resolve things.

But who would have known?

That what I thought would pass in no time would actually last for… three years.

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3 years.

It’s a long time if you think about it, and short if you don’t.

But what’s certain is that it’s enough time for some change to take place.

After all, three years amount to 36 months, and 36 months might be considered a lifetime, given it’s twice the length of military service.

So, perhaps it’s no surprise.

During those three years, aside from my relationship with the now ice-cold Yoonseo, many changes occurred.

And if I were to point out one particularly noticeable change?… It would be that I moved out of the house I used to live in and shifted to a new place.

To be honest, it wasn’t entirely under my volition.

Even so, the reason I was practically forced to move was… due to the claims Yoonseo laid out after visiting Chae-rim.

What with the incident involving the Tricky Face attack, she was worried that just because I lived next door, something could happen to my uncle and aunt.

In addition to Yoonseo’s assertions, Chae-rim had subtly backed her up.

Until now, everything seemed fine, contrary to my worries, and while I continued to stay wherever I felt most comfortable, maintaining my home, keeping it up was becoming too heavy a burden according to Chae-rim.

In light of it being Chae-rim’s opinion as a professional, it couldn’t be easily dismissed.

It was the same for me; I, too, worried for the well-being of my uncle and aunt, who had watched over me like I was their son just because I lived next door, so ultimately, I had no choice but to proceed with the move.

In the end, the new place we settled in was… a mixed-use building known for housing several heroes.

Specifically, we chose the penthouse on the top floor of the building with the highest security levels… and shockingly, after all relocating together, Yoonseo actually joined us.