This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 353

‘What is this…?’

Suddenly, why am I getting chills…?

Seeing this makes me realize that my body must be really worn out.

Even though it wasn’t a situation that called for it, out of nowhere, I was hit with chills just like that.

Could it be that something like a cold is about to come my way?

Is my body, having sensed that fact, signaling that it’s better to rest today?

I suddenly thought that might be the case… but that didn’t mean I was actually going to rest.

The reason being, I had way too much to do right now.

First of all, I needed to prepare lunch for Bora, who would be back from the studio soon, and after that, there were a couple of lectures I needed to attend.

Of course, calling them “lectures” was a bit misleading since they were all online lectures… but unlike other internet lectures, they were live, so I needed to focus a bit.

You might think that since I was that busy, I could just cut down on housework, right?

Well, there is that option.

There is, but… I wasn’t really keen on it.

Given the circumstances, think about it.

There was no need to mention Chae-rim, who had risen to the position of Association Chairman, and both the Senior, who was charging toward the goal of becoming a First-Class Hero, and Yoonseo, who was trailing closely behind her, were both out early in the morning and returning late at night.

And you want me to assign housework to them?

To people who collapse as soon as they get home from work?

Besides, it felt a bit wrong to only ask Bora, who was comparatively home more often.

If we’re going to do it, we should all do it together; it’s not fair, plus Bora wasn’t exactly free compared to the three mentioned earlier either.

That said, it also felt wrong to call someone in to do it, as often advised by the Senior or Chae-rim.

The reason being, if there were outsiders coming and going in the house, my one place where I could comfortably relax would have me worrying about my left arm even at home.

On top of that… there was no guarantee that a situation like with Tricky Face wouldn’t happen again.

Of course, according to the recent stories circulating in the Association, it’s said that the activities of Named Villains, who seemed to have some recognition, have drastically decreased over the past few years compared to the countless weak villains popping up day by day…

But who knows?

They could be quietly preparing for a big one.

Well, anyway, since it had come to this, I had no intention of handing over my responsibilities, even if my body was feeling a bit strained.

I wasn’t just talking about housework.

I had no intention of handing over the role of the Senior or Chae-rim’s manager to another person either.

It might be unfortunate for those who treat me as a parachute that Chae-rim inserted into the situation, waiting for me to mess up, but having gone through the trouble of passing the exam and breaking into the manager business, shouldn’t I at least be recognized as the best in this field?

Just managing housework and taking care of the two I’m currently responsible for already stretched my time paper-thin, and the endeavor to take various lectures and prepare for certification tests was all for that purpose.

‘Now, it looks like I’ll have to squeeze in some exercise as well…’

Well, what can I do?

If I don’t build my stamina through exercise, I might just collapse out of the blue one day.

Also… thinking back, ever since I moved here, I’ve hardly had time to exercise.

While I had helped out a bit during the Senior and Chae-rim’s training sessions, it wasn’t the same as back in the day when I was really getting into it.

‘Maybe I should just join in when I help out with the training…?’

Muttering that to myself, I was in the middle of pouring the Nutritional Supplements that Chae-rim had personally gotten for me into my mouth when the door opened with a click, and Yoonseo, who had disappeared after fleeing, finally showed up.

She glanced at me as if she felt I was paying attention to her and then started moving toward the entrance.

‘Is she going out again…?’

I was curious but couldn’t bring myself to ask.

Here’s the thing; no matter what I asked, I could expect the same old response.

She’d probably tell me to not worry about it since it’s her own work.

Well… unlike earlier when it felt like she had just come out of the shower, now she was dressed in fresh workout clothes, and her hair was dry, so it seemed to be the case.

‘By the way…’

Sitting there, watching Yoonseo’s back as it was getting ready to head out again, I couldn’t help but wonder.

If my memory serves me right, Yoonseo still seemed to be insisting on solo activities without a manager; how long did she plan to keep that up?

Sure, managing without a manager might look impressive in theory, but it definitely wasn’t an easy feat.

After all, for a hero, a manager isn’t an option; it’s a necessity.

Of course, there are cases like Chae-rim, who has been active solo without a manager since her debut and has managed to thrive without stumbling even once, but…

That’s possible because it’s Chae-rim we’re talking about; for most, it would be impossible.

The thing is, without a manager, they must manage all the deployment requests assigned to them on their own.

And that’s something even the Senior, who, at this rate, would likely be spoken of as someone who could match Chae-rim’s records for explosive activity, failed at.

I remember helping out the Senior when she hit a wall from her solo activities.

So, naturally, it became impossible not to be concerned about Yoonseo, who was working solo.

Honestly, it seems like someone like Yoonseo would have people lining up to be her manager, so why was she still insisting on doing it alone?

Was it because none of the people eager to manage her seemed impressive enough?

I highly doubt that.

Someone like Yoonseo is certainly someone anyone would be eager to have.

Considering her potential, that’s even more so.

With someone who seems like they could easily rise to Special-Class with proper support, it’s hard to imagine anyone not wanting that spot next to her.

If such a person exists, they would probably fall into one of two categories.

Either they immensely treasure their bond with the hero they’re currently managing or… they are someone with eyes so clueless they can’t even tell what’s “real.”

Anyway… the reason Yoonseo has insisted on solo activities thus far can’t be because there’s no one worthy enough to take on the manager position.

Rather, it’s probably… for a different reason altogether.

What that different reason could be, I have no idea.

.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


While Dogun was contemplating Yoonseo’s manager seat, it just so happened that Yoonseo was being fervently pursued by someone who wanted to fill that role.

And the one enthusiastically appealing their strengths right in front of Yoonseo was someone with quite a bit of a reputation in the manager industry.

After all, they might currently be managing two First-Class heroes, but at one point, they had even managed “Sprinter,” one of the Special-Class heroes!

Despite this, Yoonseo’s expression as she listened was utterly aloof… the reason being, it was simple.

She had no intention of allowing anyone the manager position, regardless of who came knocking.

As for the spot that was right in front of her now, which this person was itching to fill?

It was a spot reserved solely for Dogun, meant only for him.

So, would she let someone else sit in that spot?

Would she go insane?!

And that’s precisely why she had been making a point of showing disinterest since this woman first appeared and began talking…

However, contrary to her expectation that this woman would drop away quickly, the latter was quite persistent.

By now, only someone with a serious lack of awareness would fail to notice that Yoonseo was uninterested in both the words she was saying and her in general.

Could it be that this inflexible attitude of not giving up was meant to change Yoonseo’s mind?

If that was the case, I wanted to tell her to wake up.

As I said before, the manager position was meant for Dogun.

For that reason, unless Dogun came to her asking to be managed, it was likely to remain vacant indefinitely.

So—

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you, but I have to head out again now.”

I’d rather you just leave.

With that kind of nuance in my voice, I spoke.

Honestly, I thought saying that much would force her to leave for the sake of her pride…

But…

“If you just take my hand and stand with us!”

“…?”

“…I’ll make sure you get whatever you want, Yoonseo.”

What came back was something I never expected.

“Even if what you want… is a person.”