This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 373

“Ugh…?!”

It felt like I had gulped down something akin to a ball of fire—okay, maybe not that intense, but it was definitely like I hastily drank a scalding hot soup that was billowing steam.

My throat was burning like there was a wildfire in there.

So, imagining it was just ordinary bokbunja wine, I casually downed what Chae-rim had poured, as if it were a refreshment, which left me utterly bewildered.

Not that I claimed to be some kind of bokbunja expert or anything, but generally, it’s known for its uniquely sweet and tart flavor and low alcohol content, right?

But this stuff? Forget about smoothly drinking it; I felt like I was clutching my throat after each sip.

“…This is a bit strong for bokbunja, isn’t it?”

I was filling Chae-rim’s glass, which was already empty and showing the bottom, while subtly poking at that point.

“It did say that on the menu.”

I thought maybe I could catch Chae-rim looking flustered, but contrary to my expectations, her reaction was rather calm.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it mentioned that it was homemade from this place, and I was curious to try it… What do you think?”

“Tastes fine, but like I mentioned earlier, the alcohol content is a bit…”

“Really? Isn’t it just a moderate level?”

Having said that, she slammed her glass down with a clink and downed what was inside, looking completely sincere, not just mouthing empty words.

“That’s only because your tolerance is higher, right?”

That left me in a pretty awkward position.

After all, matching Chae-rim’s pace meant I could end up in trouble first.

But at this point, admitting that I couldn’t drink felt a bit off too.

So, I naturally grabbed the bottle of alcohol that Chae-rim was holding and tried to pace myself—but to put it bluntly, that was all a futile effort.

There was no helping it; no matter how well I managed my pace, the effects were still coming.

That sent warmth soaring up to my face.

It didn’t help that the drink I downed was rumored to boost vigor.

Despite feeling a tad lethargic from the alcohol, my body kept heating up.

It was like… I was experiencing unusually good blood circulation.

It had to be because of that.

The thing between my legs started rising slowly and recklessly, completely oblivious to the situation.

Once again, I was stuck uncomfortably, and suddenly, the situation became even more awkward when…

“Oh my.”

That was the sound that slipped from Chae-rim, who was sitting across from me.

Feeling a different kind of heat rushing to my face, I tried to say something.

“It seems I’ve eaten enough… Should we head home now?”

This was the proposal from Chae-rim.

I nodded in agreement because if I really ended up finishing this with her, I thought it absolutely necessary to avoid getting caught here in such a way.

After all, Chae-rim was hardly an ordinary person.

But if we got caught doing something in a place like this and ended up on camera or something…

“Eww…”

I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen.

So, I felt somewhere there was a real need to at least change our location, and I answered that way, but perhaps Chae-rim had been waiting for that response.

As soon as I nodded, everything started to fall into place.

Before I could gather my thoughts, I found myself already in a car heading somewhere.

“Feeling dizzy? Should I tell them to slow down a bit?”

“No, not really…”

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad.

Not that it wasn’t, but…

Was it because I was really starting to feel the buzz?

It felt like my body was under some weird kind of control that was slipping away from me.

Especially… the thing between my legs was an issue.

Maybe it was because I’d partially lost control over my body, but it felt like more blood was rushing there than before.

And what made it a bit frustrating was that unlike me, Chae-rim’s face was just slightly flushed, and she otherwise looked completely fine.

“Why, we both drank, but why…?”

Was she the only one unbothered?

Feeling unjustly annoyed, I couldn’t help but poke Chae-rim’s cheek with my finger, and maybe it seemed silly because of my actions.

“Who knows? Maybe my liver is just incredibly strong, as they say.”

With that comment, Chae-rim grabbed my finger, which had been poking her face, and pulled it down.

But that was just the beginning of the trouble.

Glancing over at the driver’s seat, Chae-rim leaned in and pressed her lips against my ear.

With a ridiculously sweet scent, her voice began to flow into my ear right after.

“Speaking of which… Are we doing this?”

“…Huh?”

Are we doing this, she says.


What on earth does that mean?


Perplexed, I tilted my head to the side, only for a sound that was either laughter or a sigh to ripple through my ears.

“You’ve been holding back since a while ago, haven’t you?”

When I turned back to Chae-rim after hearing that, I realized that what had once been a slightly rosy hue on her cheeks had now turned an alarming shade of red.

How much red, you ask? It was enough to make her look as if she was tipsy from something hazardous.

“Ah…”

That made me suddenly realize.

So, it turned out that the hand I had used to poke Chae-rim’s cheek while drinking was, in fact, my left hand, which was currently being held by Chae-rim.

And… had she really been holding back all along?

“Haah…♡”

With a sigh that felt several times hotter than usual, Chae-rim’s hand landed right on my thigh.

And then… she slowly began to stroke what was slightly protruding over my pants.

.

.

.

While Dogun and Chae-rim were busy playing around in the back seat, Yoonseo had surprisingly shown up at the Association, even though it was her rare day off.

And what was in her hands?

A shopping bag.

“I came, but now what…”

How should I deliver this? Should I say, ‘You’re gonna have a hard time, so eat this and regain your strength’?

Or maybe say, ‘I made too much out of boredom, so I’m handing this out’?

Other excuses started swirling around in my mind, but I just couldn’t choose any of them.

And it was no wonder; none of them felt right.

Why was it that only such options came to mind…?

With a heavy heart, a sigh escaped me, but still, I didn’t halt my steps towards the Vice Chairman’s Office.

I had no choice.

After all, I could miss lunch if I dawdled around here.

Moreover, it took longer than I’d thought to prepare these, so I was already cutting it pretty close.

What was there to say?

Inside the shopping bag was a homemade lunch for Dogun.

So, why on earth a lunch box, you ask?

“Well…”

With Bora, who had been totally oblivious until now, and suddenly Baeksulhwa deciding to show up like this, I felt I could hardly sit still.

So I decided to whip up something delicious after a long time.

Perhaps because it had been a while since I cooked, the quality came out quite good.

I wanted to let Dogun taste it as soon as possible.

Thus, I rushed over even though I hadn’t figured out what excuse to give him yet…

But as I arrived in front of the Vice Chairman’s Office, what I heard was that Chae-rim had taken a half-day off today.

“A half day…?”

Wasn’t there a single word about that when we had breakfast together, sharing Baeksulhwa’s toast?

Was the only news I got lucky enough to hear such a thing?

A chill ran down my spine.

So, I took out my mobile phone, retrieved the same app that was installed on Dogun’s phone, and opened it.

And at that very moment, what popped onto my phone’s screen was… a building name that felt oddly familiar.

What was it again?

The app indicated that Dogun’s current location was near his house.

Did they both urgently need a break after saying they had taken a half-day off?

So they headed home immediately?

“But…”

Nobody should be home right now, right?