This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 402

Dogun might wake up at any moment.

Given the situation, perhaps it was best not to jump to conclusions hastily.

After removing the stethoscope attached to Dogun’s body, the doctor’s words hung in the air, quickly spreading to others like wildfire.

And surprisingly, it was not Yoonseo, Bora, or Chae-rim, who were not present at the moment, that received the news first.

It was not Baeksulhwa.

Honestly, it couldn’t be helped.

The moment she overheard the doctor’s words, Baeksulhwa’s mind was flooded with thoughts that Dogun might really wake up.

So how could she afford to focus on anything else?

Naturally, she couldn’t.

With no time to spare, she didn’t even think about contacting others to relay the news.

And to be completely honest regarding Baeksulhwa’s standpoint?

She had no particular reason to do so.

After all, it was a fact that ever since Dogun fell into such a state, an unspoken agreement had circulated among the women to not fight and to join forces in preparation for when Dogun regained consciousness. However, that was merely an ‘unspoken’ agreement; not even once had a document been exchanged.

Since there were no documents exchanged?

There was no reason to risk her life to keep it.

To put it bluntly, if Dogun regained consciousness, wouldn’t it be more dramatic for the two of them to be alone together rather than a whole crowd?

At least from Baeksulhwa’s perspective, that’s how it was, and thus it naturally led her to remain tight-lipped…

Yet, the reason the news spread to the absent Yoonseo, Chae-rim, and Bora was quite simple.

They all loudly urged each other to work together instead of fighting, but in reality, neither Yoonseo, Chae-rim, nor even Bora had complete faith in the others.

Would anyone be foolish enough to think otherwise?

Though they happened to live under the same roof, fundamentally they were merely competitors for one man named Dogun.

Thus, everyone had prepared some contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances long ago, and it was this kind of initial preparation that allowed those not present to quickly catch wind of the news about Dogun.

Thanks to that, when Dogun regained consciousness, while Baeksulhwa was thinking about how to clear the air with him, a wave of discomfort appeared on her face as she was drinking from a bowl of kimchi soup…

“So what exactly happened?”

“Yeah, can you explain?”

Both Chae-rim and Yoonseo, and even Bora, seemed to not care much about the matter.

It felt a bit like… “Oh, that’s that?”

Consequently, the corners of Baeksulhwa’s mouth lifted sharply, but she couldn’t just ignore the questions being thrown at her, so she soon relaxed her expression and began answering the inquiries coming from all sides.

Even though her responses mainly consisted of piecing together the few words left by the doctor who had been closely monitoring Dogun’s condition until the last moment.

“So… were we told not to give him food if Dogun wakes up and complains of hunger?”

“Yes.”

“The doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Well… apparently, having gone nearly a week without food could mean that if he suddenly eats something, it might cause serious complications.”

“Oh, that makes sense…”

Thinking about it, it was quite obvious. Even someone who goes without food for a day usually ends up having a rough time when they finally eat, let alone Dogun, who had solely been reliant on IV fluids for a week.

That meant his stomach would be quite atrophied, and if food suddenly went in there?

Naturally, complications could arise.

For someone who had been lying down for nearly a week due to that incident, Dogun’s body would be in a considerably weakened state.

“So then… should we at least get some porridge ready?”

In retrospect, human thoughts were so… predictable.

Especially since she had just been thinking along similar lines herself.

Still, the reason she hadn’t acted on those thoughts was due to a tiny worry that perhaps, during her absence, Dogun might wake up and the action itself might unintentionally seem like a premature celebration.

Thus, she remained at her post…

As she watched Chae-rim and Yoonseo wrestling with similar thoughts, the question of what to do with the porridge would come to a head if Dogun didn’t wake up today. She felt it rise in her throat.

Of course, mentioning that directly might create a negative reaction, so she swallowed the words before they could escape her lips.

Wasn’t she worrying about something utterly pointless?

Maybe so, but it nagged at her, for she had seen enough instances during her time as a hero where words had a way of coming true, just like a murmuring fishbone lodged in her throat.

That’s why, even while everyone was chatting enthusiastically, she chose to keep silent as much as possible…

But was it possible someone noticed her feelings?

“Ugh…”

From Dogun’s lips, producing a sound that felt very out of sorts, he didn’t show much reaction aside from the slightest flinch of his fingers.

As a result, everyone’s gaze, along with those who had been debating the porridge menu, was now drawn toward him.

And just like that, Dogun succeeded in capturing the attention of those around him all at once…

“Ugh…”

He began to squirm slightly, as if in discomfort, and his eyelids started to twitch.

.

.

.

.

Was the focus on his fingers proving effective?

At least, when he first opened his eyes, they had felt as heavy as a gigantic boulder. Little by little, they began to lighten, and soon he was on the verge of opening them fully.

So from there, he started focusing on his eyes.

Before long, it didn’t take much time for his efforts to bear fruit.

Perhaps due to having kept his eyes tightly shut for so long, when he cautiously peeled away his stubbornly glued eyelids, light finally began to filter in.

And just as he’d opened his eyes, the very first thing that entered his view was… a strange yet luxurious ceiling.

However, the relief he felt upon seeing it stemmed from the fact that the worry he had been harboring was now resolved.

After all, the last thing he had seen before losing consciousness was countless tentacles rushing toward him, so he could hardly dismiss the possibility that he might have been kidnapped into the dangerous realm of Another Ones.

But seeing the perfectly intact ceiling before his eyes?

Well, that seemed unlikely.

Could it be… someone had dramatically rescued him right at the moment he was being captured?

‘Speaking of which…’

Why was it so quiet?

From the persistent smell of the hospital tickling his nose, it indeed felt like he was in a hospital.

Though, if given the choice, he wanted to rise from his bed and perhaps call any waiting doctors or nurses outside…

Sadly, he had no strength in his body whatsoever.

Thus, instead of lifting himself up as he wished, he could only keep his eyes fixed on the ceiling, blinking helplessly.

‘What to do…’

Should he try to scream?

As he turned his head with great effort, trying to spot any doors leading outside…

At that moment, successfully managing to turn his head sideways, the scene that greets his sight left him in sheer shock.

Of course, it was not unnoticeable. Yoonseo, Chae-rim, his senior, and Bora were all staring at him intently like meerkats, their eyes glistening with worry.