This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 400

At that very moment when Yoonseo was wavering in the face of temptation, Dogun was still trapped in that endlessly frustrating state.

Consequently, for Dogun, who wanted nothing more than to escape that condition as quickly as possible, it felt like madness, and he wanted to leap out of his skin.

‘No…’

At this point, my mind felt relatively clear, and the sensations flowing through my skin didn’t feel significantly different from when I was awake, so why couldn’t I open my eyes?

It was truly a last-ditch effort, but no matter how much I tried to exert pressure on my eyelids—

Crack!

Did I just hear wood splintering?

Well, the eyelids that were covering my sight remained utterly still, showing not even the slightest movement.

‘If that’s the case, then at least let my eyes hurt…’

Every time I focused on that area, the pain was real, yet the expected result remained elusive.

This was just wrong, wasn’t it?

Muttering such complaints silently, I finally released the tension I had been holding in my eyes, as continuing to do this was not going to yield any benefits.

As a result, I felt an ongoing throbbing sensation in my eyes and thought about how I might need to try a different approach.

Until now, I had solely concentrated on the urgency of wanting to open my eyes, pushing every other thought away, but what if my initial attempt was flawed from the get-go?

What if the reason all my efforts had been in vain so far was that I’d been going about it backward?

There’s some plausibility in this—like in dramas or movies, when someone who has been unconscious for a long time usually starts by twitching a finger.

If that’s the right approach, perhaps I should start with that small part and gradually work my way up.

‘…Let me just try something first.’

If I were to be completely honest?

I had that thought in my mind, but still, I felt a strong sense of uncertainty.

Despite that, the only reason I wanted to attempt something was pretty simple.

It seemed much easier to at least try something than to just sit idly and wait for the situation to improve.

Plus, since life is inherently unpredictable, maybe… it could actually work.

Honestly speaking, trying wouldn’t hurt, right?

Of course, if after racking my brain with various attempts, all of them ended in failure, disappointment would be an inevitable consequence…

But right now, rather than worrying about that, I needed to do something to find a way out of this miserable state as soon as possible.

After all, while I was stuck here, time was still ticking away.

And in this current state?

I had no way of knowing how much time had passed while I was like this.

‘Right now, I feel like it hasn’t been long…’

But that was just my perception; the actual time might be drastically different.

For all I knew, while it felt like just a couple of days, it could very well have been over a month.

And as such, the longer the waiting game went on, the more those waiting for me would surely deteriorate.

How do I know this?

Well, because I’ve had a similar experience myself.

Though it was back when I was called something other than Dogun, it was true.

Having been through a similar situation, I knew it all too well.

So I understood how maddening the feeling of waiting could be.

Basically, waiting is a malevolent beast.

It can’t be helped, as it drives you mad and makes you want to scream.

Whether it’s positive or negative anticipation, it’s all the same.

Additionally, the closer you feel to what you’re waiting for, the stronger this effect tends to be.

But while positive anticipation at least gives you a thrilling hope, negative waiting just leads to genuine insanity.

Thus, I really needed to regain consciousness as soon as possible.

To spare those who were anxiously waiting for me from further pain…

‘Looking at it this way…’

In hindsight, I was fortunate that circumstances turned this way because being linked to Chae-rim and Yoonseo turned out to be quite a blessing.

No, phrasing it that way might sound a little weird…

Regardless, in a situation that felt utterly hopeless, instead of the word “give up,” I could produce some effort to try.

Truly, I felt lucky about that.

Because if the situation hadn’t constantly prodded at me, I might have given up after a few attempts.

Not like I am now, where I’m actively trying.

‘Alright then…’

Shall I focus on my fingers instead of my eyes as I mentioned earlier?

Muttering that to myself, I made an effort to channel as much concentration as I could.

With that heightened focus, I did my utmost to make my fingers twitch.

‘Move… Please, just move…’

Unlike my completely dark vision and silent ears, my sense of touch was surprisingly clear. If I could make even a slight movement, I could capture that sensation…

But even though I pleaded desperately for that tiny twitch, reality only yielded continued stillness, draining my resolve little by little.

…Twitch.

As I began to think that this too might have been a futile attempt and was about to give up, something unexpected snagged my keen senses.

A slight but very tangible twitch, so faint that under normal circumstances, it could have been passed off as non-existent, brushed against my fingertip.

Perhaps, in my desperation, I had momentarily imagined it.

Thus, to make it clearer, I wished for that twitch to return once more…

Did someone pick up on my desperate wish?

…Twitch!

A second twitch came.

Whether it was the second time or if something about the step-by-step method from my fingers truly proved effective, this twitch was stronger and clearer than the last.

And in an instant, the sensation crawled up from my fingers and reached my head, giving me undeniable certainty.

That twitch I just felt wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

How could it be? If it were merely an illusion, I would have only felt a twitch.

I would not have felt the sensation of my fingertip brushing against something.

I had no idea how much time genuinely passed, but for me, who had been repeating various attempts for what felt like ages only to face the bitter taste of failure, I couldn’t help but rejoice at this situation.

Yet, amidst all this, there was one thing that tugged at my mind…

That the twitch was from my left hand.

If my right hand had twitched instead, this awkwardness wouldn’t be on my mind.

But of all things, it had to be my left hand…

While it could very well be a simple coincidence…

Still, because everything I recalled prior to my collapse related to this, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.

And having that thought made me understand just how fickle the human mind could be.

Even though I had desperately wished for any movement before, now that a reaction came in, I felt uneasy because it was my left hand.

‘Regardless…’

After endlessly coming up empty-handed, finally achieving something tangible; it might be worth it to delve further in this direction.

This way, I might truly reduce the time it takes to regain consciousness.