This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 375

Dogun lay sprawled on the bed, puffing gently, not even having changed his clothes, while the sound of rushing water echoed from the bathroom attached to the room.

In that moment, the two stimuli merged and instinctively I sensed it.

I realized that I had really just made it in time.

Perhaps it was the sudden recognition of that fact that sent a chill creeping down my spine.

There was no way this could be good.

If I had been just 5 minutes later, I would have encountered a completely different scene.

“Why are you coming out of there, Sis?”

Naturally, I didn’t have the luxury to pose such a question to Chae-rim, who was just stepping out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

And what if I did ask?

I imagined Chae-rim would be flustered.

After all, from Chae-rim’s perspective, this situation was akin to being caught red-handed while sneaking a guilty pleasure.

So, it should be normal for her to panic…

“How could you not know just by looking?”

But the reaction that came back was overly relaxed.

And perhaps because Chae-rim’s response was unexpected, I felt the creeping sensation of panic slithering up my body. I suppressed it, forcing myself to continue speaking.

“I’m asking because I don’t know!”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

“I just… took a shower.”

“So why?”

The underlying question was about why on earth she chose to shower in this bathroom when there were plenty of others scattered throughout the house.

At least, that’s what it meant to me… but perhaps it sounded different in Chae-rim’s ears.

“Do I need permission to take a shower?”

That was the response I got.

Hence, I could do nothing but frown.

“What I mean is… this is Dogun’s room, you know?”

“And so?”

“That’s not the point. The bathroom is also in your room, and doing this here isn’t…”

Isn’t this a bit much?

I thought Chae-rim would give in after that.

After all, if I thought about it, Chae-rim seemed to want to keep her relationship with Dogun a secret.

“Shouldn’t we be careful since we live together?”

We had been like this for three years, so I thought she’d understand if I pressed that point…

“Well, I don’t know…?”

Her reaction felt oddly significant.

“As long as the room owner has given permission, what’s the big deal?”

And right after that came those words.

“Excuse me…?”

Could it be… have they decided to stop hiding it after all?

It was a moment where I felt a fleeting panic at the thought that it might be true.

“But you know, Yoonseo?”

“What…?”

“I’m actually more curious about one thing… how did you open the door?”

“Uh, that’s…”

“It was definitely locked, wasn’t it…?”

I couldn’t bring myself to respond to that questioning gaze.

How could I confess that I used my talent to turn ice into a key to unlock a door?

So I kept my mouth shut, and it seemed Chae-rim interpreted my silence as expected.

“You said that to me, but… honestly, you should be the one being careful, Yoonseo.”

“…”

“Unless Dogun, the room owner, authorized you coming in, barging in after forcibly opening a locked door, honestly, doesn’t that sound a bit… off?”

That was the truth.

And it was because that was true that I struggled to find grounds to argue back.

My throat tightened with things I wanted to say, but none of them made it out.

“Of course… Dogun has agreed to help you for the time being and play the role of your manager, but… that’s still a personal space, isn’t it?”

Shouldn’t we protect our privacy?

Those words, even delivered nonchalantly, felt unusually sharp.

So there was nothing I could do but bite my lip.

If it were up to me?

I wanted to shout at Chae-rim.

That my connection with Dogun was deep enough that we didn’t have to be concerned with such things.

So please don’t say things so carelessly.

That was the thought surging up my throat.

It was as if she had peered right into my heart when she spoke, “Of course, since you two were so close, I bet the locked door was no issue in the past, but… honestly, it’s not like you are that close anymore, is it?”

Her words sunk deep, mere collections of letters striking right at my core.

“I thought you were changing your attitude, wanting to distance yourself from Dogun…”

—Wasn’t it you who first chose to distance yourself from Dogun?

“If you suddenly act like this, wouldn’t it be a bit confusing for Dogun too?”

—Then, don’t change your attitude suddenly now. Just return to how things were.

“If I were Dogun, I think I would feel that way… what do you think, Yoonseo?”

—It seems you understand my meaning, so I hope you can just step back a little.

Somehow… it felt strange.

Because the words I heard through my ears and the words processed in my brain were completely different.

Thanks to that, my legs trembled slightly, but…

I clenched my fists tightly and endured it.

After holding it in, I squeezed both courage and my voice out simultaneously.

“I… don’t want to.”

“Hah…”

And the moment I said that, the response that came back was a sharp sneer, far from the soft demeanor she had shown before.

“I wasn’t going to say this, but… Yoonseo, you may have gotten older, but you’re still just a kid, aren’t you?”

That moment brought a jolt to my heart, leaving me frozen, whether it was due to Chae-rim’s sudden change in attitude or being hit right in the feels.

“As an adult, you should know how to consider the other person’s feelings.”

“…”

“Shall I be honest?”

I was scared.

I wanted to close my ears to her continuing words, but… Chae-rim’s voice was a step ahead.

“When you suddenly change your attitude like this, Yoonseo… it doesn’t look good from my perspective.”

“…”

“It feels like you’re just playing with Dogun as you please.”

Playing with him?

I never did that, nor did I ever feel that way.

And that was why I could be proud…

“Of course, I’m sure you didn’t mean it that way… but that’s how it appears to others.”

At that moment, even my remaining pride began to waver.

“How would you feel if a friend you’ve known for ten years suddenly turned cold on you?”

“That would…”

“Naturally, you’d feel hurt. At the same time, you’d wonder if you’d done something wrong.”

“…”

“What if that friend, whom you’ve been close with for three whole years, reached a hand out again?”

How would you feel?

Chae-rim was asking just that.

“First, of course, you’d feel happy. After ten years of knowing someone, they aren’t just common friends anymore, and being able to reconcile with that friend is a big deal.”

“…”

“But what comes next?”

What comes next?

Honestly… I had never thought about it.

“Certainly, you’d become more cautious. You’d be aware and worried not to slip up again and lose the bond you just rekindled.”

That’s why when Chae-rim’s words echoed in my ears, I instinctively flinched.

“You know how busy Dogun has been lately, right?”

Of course, I knew.

He didn’t show it much, but my concern was always directed toward Dogun.

“With being busy with Baeksulhwa’s manager duties… household chores… preparing for certifications… and recently, taking on the role of your manager too.”

His daily life was something far beyond just being busy.

“Honestly, if this goes on, I feel like I’m going to lose a friend with my workload piling up, so I’m trying to feed him good whenever I can…”

“…”

“Anyway, you’re an adult now, so you get it, right? How significant the stress in human relationships can be?”

The look in Chae-rim’s eyes conveyed that phrase.

You’re piling on that stress to someone already so busy.

What else could that be if not a hassle?

“So what I’m saying is… if you’re not going to help, at least don’t hinder him.”

“…”

“You know by now, right? Dogun can’t afford to be stressed.”

Could it be?

“So now… do I step back to prioritize Dogun?”

Maybe that was the right thing to do.

Maybe it was…

“…No.”

“What…?”

“I don’t want to.”

I didn’t want to.

My feelings had grown too big to turn back now.

I couldn’t even control them anymore.