This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 352

Is that… hair?

But it seems a bit short for that…

Not to mention, the color is black, not the brown of Yoonseo’s hair.

Ah, could it be that it’s not hair, but a thread or something?

In that moment, I thought that, but it looked too stiff to be just a thread.

So that means it’s neither hair nor thread… so what on earth could it be?

What on earth has she been doing all this time for something like that to be stuck on her cheek?

I was staring at the black thing stuck to Yoonseo’s cheek, contemplating just that.

“W-what…?”

Was it that embarrassing for her to have something stuck on her face while maintaining her usual cold demeanor?

A high-pitched sound escaped Yoonseo’s mouth, and her face turned bright red.

Then, like a flustered mess, she hurriedly started swiping at her face with her hands.

What was strange was that, in the midst of this, she was carefully avoiding the part where whatever was stuck remained.

“No, not there…”

If I leave her like that, she’ll panic even more and won’t be able to get rid of what’s on her cheek, I thought as I cautiously reached out my hand toward Yoonseo.

Perhaps she was startled at the sudden movement from my side.

Before my outstretched hand could even touch its intended destination, Yoonseo knocked it away fiercely.

Thanks to that, my hand suddenly felt like it had been hit hard, and a slight but sharp pain began to rise.

“No, I just… thought it looked like you were struggling alone…”

Well… there was another spot that hurt even more than the place I had actually been hit.

But if I had to find some comfort in all of this, it was that it didn’t seem like Yoonseo had done it on purpose.

If she had knocked my hand away on purpose, she certainly wouldn’t have looked so flustered.

“I never said you could touch it.”

Looking slightly flustered as she alternated her gaze between her hand and my hand, she then slapped on her signature icy expression like a mask.

“Whatever is stuck to my face is my business, so don’t worry about it.”

With that, she turned sharply and left.

Each step felt like my heart was pounding in sync with her movements.

Soon after entering the room, I slid down the wall in fear.

That was because my heart was racing so fast that I couldn’t walk any longer.

I wanted to calm down, but it simply wasn’t working.

‘Did I get found out…?’

It couldn’t be helped that each time I tried to calm myself, ominous thoughts began to creep into my mind.

If I thought of the reaction Dogun had, it didn’t seem like I had been found out for the moment…

But then again, who knew.

I might be okay now, but I could very well end up thinking ‘Could it be…?’ later.

And what if… Dogun finds out the truth?

All that would be left from him would be disdain.

Not the rare concern I was receiving now…

‘…No.’

If it ended at that level, I would consider myself lucky.

The real worst-case scenario would be… getting kicked out of this house.

And if that happened?

I might never see Dogun again.

No, it would definitely end that way.

There was no way Chae-rim wouldn’t know what I had done to the sleeping Dogun by then.

Those ominous thoughts kept swirling in my head, preventing any calmness from settling in… but I refused to give up and took deep breaths repeatedly.

And as I calmed down, other concerns started to complicate my thoughts.

For instance… that expression Dogun had shown earlier.

‘Again…’

I had hurt Dogun again.

I had decided to fix things once they got all tangled up and promised myself not to do it again… but in the end, I had made a mistake.

However… at that time, I really couldn’t help it.

I didn’t have the luxury to think about anything else back then.

What if I had lost my grip on Dogun’s hand while worrying about other things?

What if Dogun’s… fur that would have been stuck to my face somehow made it into Dogun’s hands?

And if Dogun, seeing it up close, realized it had once been somewhere on his body not long ago?

That would have been just as horrible.

So, I had hurriedly smacked Dogun’s hand away… but perhaps I had been too hasty.

I failed to control my strength.

“Haa…”

Why does everything keep getting tangled up like this?

It felt as if someone with a wicked sense of humor was deliberately orchestrating this situation.

Well, that’s just what I’m saying, but if I were to look closely, I know most of it is my fault anyway.

‘I too…’

If only I could be as honest as someone else.

Having concealed my feelings for so long, perhaps that’s why I’ve been playing the opposite role.

I can handle interactions with others fine, but when it comes to Dogun, I just can’t seem to manage it.

…I wanted to be honest.

Just for a single moment… I wanted to be able to express my true feelings in front of Dogun.

That I was sorry for being so cold.

That I want to go back to how we used to be.

That, in truth… I still like him.

How wonderful it would be if I could simply say those words.

And how great it would be if we could return to the way things were.

Of course… I know.

The relationships between people are different from objects; once they break, there’s no going back to how things were.

Honestly, how could I not know that?

I’ve been feeling that truth keenly lately.

So, I know there’s no way I can just spill the words I’ve kept inside me in front of Dogun and expect to return to our old relationship…

But just because I realize that doesn’t mean I want to give up for such a reason.

If returning to how we once were is difficult?

Then don’t we just need to put in more effort to build a better relationship than before?

But first, I need to untangle the mess with Dogun.

‘Can I do it…?’

I briefly thought that but quickly shook my head.

It wasn’t if I could do it; I had to do it.

If I didn’t want to continue falling behind like this.

So first…

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While Yoonseo was cooped up in her room, wrapping her head around everything, something unexpected was happening outside.

In a dilapidated building on the outskirts of Seoul, marked with a banner saying “Demolition Scheduled,” it had once been a place set for remodeling but had fallen into disrepair for months due to the owner’s situation, turning into a hideout for homeless people and delinquents.

As a result, no one but those two groups would go in and out of that building anymore when someone gracefully landed inside.

Emerging from a slender crack that had appeared in mid-air, surprising anyone, was a girl clad in a pure white dress.

And as if welcoming the girl’s descent, clouds of dust stirred in the space, rising rapidly as her foot made contact with the concrete floor.

“Ugh… Dust…”

Strangely enough, the swirling dust that stained the surroundings didn’t inch near her.

It was as if an invisible barrier existed around her.

Is that why…? The sight of the girl, standing out in her pure white form while everything around her was covered in dust felt eerily surreal.

“Hmm? What’s this…? A kid?”

However, that fact was lost on someone whose senses had long been impaired by alcohol, and for a woman whose recently depleted cash had her hunting for fresh prey with bloodshot eyes, the girl was nothing but delicious bait.

“How did you get in here?”

“Uh? A person!”

“You should know to immediately answer when an adult asks you! Do you think I’m a joke? Huh? Do you think adults are a joke?!”

“Do you know my dad?”

“How would I know your dad—”

Initially intending to shout at the girl and just take the money she had, the woman changed her mind instantly upon hearing the girl’s question.

“I… I know. Want me to take you to your dad?”

Little did she know, that seemingly ill-intentioned comment would become the last words she would utter alive.

“That’s a lie.”

It was a statement delivered like a judge issuing a sentence.

“What…?”

As the woman’s attempt to wear a friendly expression faltered and stiffened…

“Uh?”

Something suddenly appeared behind the girl.

And that was the end of it.

A loud, hard sound echoed briefly in the room, and when that sound faded completely, only the ‘girl’ remained standing in the room.

“Hmm… looks like another bust…”

Regardless of that, the girl, having returned to her original demeanor, muttered wistfully.

“I want to see Daddy soon…”

And with that final thought, just like when she first appeared, she vanished through the rift.