This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 376

“I’m saying I don’t want to!”

The moment I successfully pushed those words out, which had risen to my throat in an instant, I realized something.

I had changed a lot compared to before.

Saying this now feels a bit strange, but it’s true.

If it had been the old me, would I even have dared to respond to Chae-rim?

“What’s there to respond to…?”

Perhaps I might have choked up and shed a few tears the moment I heard Chae-rim’s words.

I definitely would have.

There would have been no other option because everything that flowed from Chae-rim’s lips back then felt incredibly sharp.

Moreover, even though it’s diluted now, Chae-rim herself felt very difficult to approach back then.

At that time, it was only natural, considering she was a hero I had respected for a long time and was the one who saved Dogun’s life.

Honestly, just the fact that she saved Dogun’s life was enough for me to revere her for a lifetime, so how could I treat someone like that casually?

Because of that, back then… Chae-rim truly felt intimidating.

So, if the “Yoonseo” who just heard those words was from three years ago?

It definitely would have been like that.

But standing here now is not the same as that “Yoonseo” who didn’t know what was happening behind her back, all while frantically nodding at Chae-rim’s words. Instead, I am ‘Yoonseo’ who, after being tossed around for three years, has come to understand that the world is not as beautiful as it appears in novels or dramas.

And therefore, now I know.

That love is not always beautiful.

Love?

Especially love where a rival exists… is like a war.

What must you fight to not lose what you desire—or even what you originally held?

There was no choice but to stand and fight.

So… I will not retreat anymore.

Retreating is already enough for how I’ve acted until now.

And perhaps Chae-rim found this attitude quite unexpected?

Chae-rim, staring intently at me, raised her eyebrows sharply.

It was as if she was looking at something she didn’t like.

However, that reaction didn’t last long.

Replaced by a look that seemed to say she understood everything.

“Okay, I get that you want to change now, Yoonseo. I understand, but…”

What could she be setting up to say?

I thought this for a moment.

“So? What can you do, Yoonseo?”

Her razor-sharp words pierced me instantly.

Thanks to it, I almost gasped momentarily, but I held it back and opened my mouth.

“I can do anything.”

“Anything, huh… You speak well. Unfortunately, it seems like it’ll amount to just words.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Then?”

Chae-rim lifted the corners of her mouth, as if to say, “Haven’t you been avoiding Dogun for the past three years? Do you even know what the current Dogun likes?”

Facing Chae-rim, who was demonstrating her superiority from a position of information gathering, I managed to keep my cool, perhaps because I had been quietly waiting for this moment.

“Actually, I haven’t just been idle all this time.”

“…”

“After all, it’s been 10 years, right? Considering we are now just 20 years old, we’ve shared almost half our lives together. How could we just abruptly cut off such a relationship?”

“…So?”

“Well… I know enough.”

“Really? I find it hard to take your word for it since I’ve seen things.”

I knew she would respond that way.

I presumed she’d react that way, so… I managed to speak without losing my composure.

“Would you like me to show you?”

“…What?”

“I thought you might not believe me.”

Chae-rim’s face seemed to furrow slightly, as if asking, “What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t help but find it amusing.

It seemed like a sound escaped my lips, but I held it back, replacing it with a smirk.

“There’s that saying, right? Seeing is believing?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Just stand there and watch. I’ll show you how well I know Dogun.”

With that, I turned slowly toward Dogun, who was sleeping peacefully beside me, completely unaware of what was happening.

The downside of liquor like raspberry wine is the intense hangover that hits afterward compared to other types of alcohol.

And perhaps it was because of that fact.

Once I fell asleep, it seemed I generally wouldn’t wake up until the alarm rang.

But I had somehow awakened in the middle of it.

And just as I regained consciousness, I was struck by…

“Ugh…”

A sensation that felt like tiny needles poking my head.

I expected this since I felt something was off from the start, but I didn’t think the hangover would be this severe.

Since Chae-rim personally poured for me, I thought it would have been rude to refuse every drink she offered, but was that my downfall?

And like it or not, the alcohol still clung to my body, which made it feel quite strange now that some time had passed.

It felt very different from my usual self.

How should I describe the feeling? Perhaps it was like being submerged in deep water.

My ears felt muffled, as if water had gotten in.

Plus… compared to usual, my sensations felt very dull.

“So… what happened?”

I remembered getting into the car assisted by Chae-rim, but everything after that was hazy.

It seemed I was awake by the time we reached the elevator, but I couldn’t be sure.

‘My throat still feels tight…’

Given that I had completely passed out, perhaps Chae-rim had given up.

“I feel sorry…”

Chae-rim must have been determined to try something for my sake.

But I couldn’t help it.

It wasn’t my fault that my body was more sensitive to alcohol than it appeared.

And if that were the case?

Chae-rim didn’t have much to say about it either.

It couldn’t be helped…

“So who insisted on me drinking so much…?”

It wasn’t a bad idea to try to intoxicate me and make my reasoning blurry, but she should have moderated it.

Feeling the familiar throbbing in my head and forcing my sluggish mind to think differently, I could tell I’d been awake for a while now.

When I first regained consciousness, my senses felt a bit more usual now.

“…What’s with this place…”

What caught my attention was none other than my ears.

But unfortunately, they felt muffled, as though water had entered, making it hard to hear clearly.

“Ha… I know… but… what the hell… Dogun… is here… licking…?”

Because of that, the only thing I could hear through my ears were fragmented voices.

And perhaps that was why I couldn’t recognize the owner of that familiar voice.

It was a voice I should easily recognize, yet I couldn’t quite distinguish it.

As confusion grew, I thought, ‘…?!’

Suddenly, I felt a tightness around my tailbone, leading to a weak pleasure coursing through my body.

And as that weak pleasure traveled through me, a damp and cool sensation began rising from below…

You know that distinct cool feeling you get when you wipe your skin with a wet tissue?

That sensation was creeping up from a certain area located between my legs.

“Uh…?

Wait a minute.

Between my legs?

Wet tissue?

Could it be…?”