This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 39

As Dogun and Yoonseo desperately rushed towards the school, trying to avoid the infamous stigma of being late on graduation day, there was one more person moving just as frantically — Dogun’s mom.

In a room that resembled a research lab, she stood in the center, surrounded by important-looking documents and various scattered tools needed for experiments.

Picking them up one by one and transferring them to a nearby box, she looked as if she was preparing for a midnight escape.

While it was understandable for the documents, some of those tools were quite heavy, making the task of moving them somewhat challenging.

“Ugh…”

Pausing momentarily while moving the things, a sigh escaped her lips.

‘How much time is left?’

That thought didn’t even cross her mind, as there was simply too much she hadn’t finished packing.

So, just as she was about to take a breather and start moving again, the door to the room swung open.

“Hey. Ri. Are you still far from done?”

“Well, as you can see…”

“I told you, let others help. Why are you moving all this stuff one by one? It’s exhausting.”

“If even a single document gets out while I’m handling this, who’s going to deal with that? I might as well suffer through this in peace.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The woman who came into the room didn’t just stand there and nag; she also started helping with the packing.

There’s a saying that two heads are better than one, and it wasn’t just a saying — with one more person, the speed of tidying up felt like it had multiplied.

“Now we only have the heavy stuff left. You won’t collapse from moving all this, will you?”

“Stop being dramatic…”

“Dramatic? Someone like me isn’t used to heavy lifting!”

At that moment, her near-comical comment caused both the speaker and the listener to freeze, as if they had made a silent agreement.

This kind of jest was practically taboo in this setting.

It seemed like the one who accidentally broke the mood wanted to clear the air somehow.

“But really, Ri. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Okay with what?”

“Well, today’s your son’s graduation…”

As those words slipped into her ears, she knew she should hurry yet couldn’t help but freeze momentarily.

After all, this was a concern that had been nagging at her too.

And just as she was caught in her thoughts, a voice that seemed to read her mind continued on.

“What if you go now…?”

Ironically, the words that had been swirling in her head suddenly manifested through someone else’s voice, allowing her to regain her scattered thoughts.

“Didn’t I tell you before? Do you know how far my country is from here? Even if I leave right now, I’ll be late.”

“But still…”

“Still, what? After years, showing my son a mother he hasn’t seen in ages being dragged away by strangers isn’t something I want him to witness.”

Perhaps in any other scenario, that comment would have been easily dismissed.

But this one hit home.

From the side, a sound of someone licking their lips echoed.

Of course, even if she were captured by those in power, she wouldn’t end up in prison.

Rather, it would mean being stuck in a research facility, cut off from everyone, forced to divulge everything she had worked on into the void.

That simply couldn’t happen.

After everything she had gone through to reach this point… Whatever resolve had driven her this far couldn’t allow her to spill her secrets to those greedy for power.

What they would do with her findings was too clear to ignore. They would use it to reinforce their already solid footing.

“This isn’t something we did just for our own benefit… And yet they label us targets of scrutiny… Those societal scumbags are out of their minds!”

Maybe sensing a kindred frustration, her colleague, who had paused to move equipment, started to vent her grievances, making the room feel charged with their shared discontent.

Suddenly, her colleague’s previously tense posture slumped in a moment of exasperation.

Had the act of fuming led to an unexpected wave of doubt?

Curiosity piqued, she asked, and received a response that echoed her own thoughts from earlier.

“It’s just… I’ve suddenly been feeling disillusioned.”

“Suddenly?”

“Well… think about it. In recent years, aside from a few small-scale assaults, have there been any major incidents?”

“Do you really think so?”

“I mean, what I’m saying is… It doesn’t mean our research is meaningless, I just…”

“Well, then. Can you take out the document at the top of the box over there?”

“Huh?”

Not just her colleague, but many people had claimed that the activities of the Another Ones had come to a sudden halt.

“We’re fully rid of the Another threat.”

Now, their only enemies were villains — fellow humans who couldn’t overcome their own desires.

That wasn’t entirely wrong.

In recent years, while Another Ones had been quiet, villains were active, causing suffering among people.

But that only held true when observations were limited to what’s directly visible; if one widened the scope?

Could anyone confidently declare that humankind had completely escaped the threat of the Another Ones?

“What’s this?”

“A report tracking the number of people who have gone missing over the past five years without a trace.”

“Huh? Why would you have that…?”

“Look there; doesn’t it show that the number of missing people grows steadily each year?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“When was the last time the authorities confirmed an attack by the Another Ones? A few years ago?”

“Huh? Well, it’s been roughly five years…”

As she trailed off, she processed her colleague’s expression changing completely, causing her to stifle a laugh internally.

If others had known, they’d have stirred the pot about her peculiar taste, yet she couldn’t have been more delighted in this moment.

It was like watching someone who had firmly believed in the illusion of peace suddenly realize it was just a mirage.

How wonderful it would be if the leaders in those authoritative positions could wear expressions like that too.

Though, whether those who were only concerned about keeping their positions would change upon learning the truth was genuinely questionable.

“So what you’re saying is… the Another Ones are pretending to be quiet while abducting people from behind the scenes?”

“Why? Does that sound impossible?”

“Of course it does! Just think of the hatred the Another Ones have for humans… No, if you think about it, they wouldn’t have any reason to do that.”

As her colleague spoke, she set down what she was holding onto the table and adjusted her slipping glasses.

Then she turned to her.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you think they wouldn’t?”

Why did she believe that so firmly? What basis did she have for such confidence?

What returned to her was an answer that was pitifully human-centric.

“Well… if they wanted to kill someone, it’s easier just to kill them instead of going through the trouble of kidnapping…”

“What if it was to learn?”

“Uh…”

“We aren’t the only ones looking to learn about them, right? Moreover… it’s already been proven that higher-tier entities possess intelligence comparable to humans.”

“So they’re… studying humans…?”

Though this remained a completely unproven hypothesis for now, if it turned out to be true?

The reason the Another Ones would study humans could only be one thing.

To kill more humans efficiently.

They were likely holding their breath beyond the passageway, biding their time just like this for years.

This was the nature of those beings to begin with.

“No… that’s… impossible… If the Another Ones had really abducted people, then… someone must have seen them.”

“True, someone might have witnessed that scene. But… if that one report was dismissed as nonsense, then what?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of rumors? About an Another appearing in the slums and vanishing without a trace?”

Of course, she had heard something of the sort.

Though not always, the research facility occasionally stationed people near the slums.

So she had probably at least heard of those rumors once and dismissed them as urban legends.

Probably falling into the belief that they were baseless stories concocted by junkies tripping on drugs.

Even someone researching the Another Ones, as humans began to exhibit their talents, would have disregarded the pleas of the slum dwellers as mere nonsense.

If those people from the slum had come to claim that the Another had taken their friends or families, they would have probably been shown the door with scorn.

And that gap was likely where the Another Ones had crept in, learning about humans.

Though it was impossible to exact the level of their understanding, if the Another Ones had indeed studied humanity enough?

A third large-scale assault might cause devastation on a scale far beyond what the first and second assaults had inflicted.

To prevent that, and to protect the children from such sacrifices, she needed to complete her research quickly.

Even if it meant sacrificing precious time with her only son… it had to be done.

“So… I’ll… do my best.”

I’ll make sure to get my revenge on those things somehow…

I can’t say for sure if you’re watching over me, but if you are, could you please go and congratulate Dogun in my place?

“Right about now… they must be starting, huh…?”