This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 41

If we include past lives, this is only my second middle school graduation ceremony, but honestly, there wasn’t much difference between the first and the second.

Whether it was the principal or those important guests rambling on, or the kids dying of boredom, it was all the same.

So it was pretty hilarious.

It seemed the teachers were quite bothered by the chaotic atmosphere created by the kids who were dying of boredom, but there was that chairman, or whoever he was, passionately giving his speech, making it hard for anyone to interrupt him. It felt like watching a skit.

‘Now that I think about it…’

That chairman standing at the podium was quite something.

At this point, you’d expect that he’d notice no one among the kids sitting in the auditorium was actually listening to him, and out of embarrassment, he might cut it short. But with an expression of indifference, he continued his speech.

I don’t know what organization he’s the chairman of, but it seems like a basic requirement for the head of any group to have that kind of audacity.

“Ugh… When will this end…?”

“Is it boring?”

“Uh-huh…”

“If it’s so boring, then just check your mobile phone or something.”

“That feels a bit…”

Seriously, he’s ridiculous in the least useful places.

Just as I was internally chuckling at Yoonseo, who looked like she was frowning at my suggestion, she blinked a few times and then covered her mouth, letting out a big yawn.

“Ahh…”

“Sleepy?”

“…A little?”

Well, it was indeed an environment conducive to sleep.

Although the auditorium doors were wide open, letting a chilly breeze sweep through, we were sitting right under the heater, wrapped in warm air like some invisible curtain.

Plus, judging by how Yoonseo had come to me before I even thought to look for her, it meant she must’ve woken up much earlier than usual, so naturally, she was short on sleep.

To top it off, the chairman’s voice, droning on in front of the podium, had a soothing quality to it, perfect for playing next to someone when they can’t sleep.

So, how could she not doze off?

Thanks to that formidable collaboration of elements, Yoonseo’s chatter began to dwindle, and before long, she was nodding off.

The issue was that the chair we were sitting on had an anti-ergonomic design that took no user’s comfort into account.

“Ugh…”

Without even a common armrest, a half-asleep Yoonseo started nodding her head while mumbling, making her body sway unsteadily…

“Geez, this is really… a lot of work…”

At this rate, someone sitting in front of us or next to us was likely to get a faceful of my past life headbutt, just like when I was seven, so I cautiously reached out and grabbed the hem of Yoonseo’s clothes, pulling her closer.

As a result, her head, which had been precariously wobbling, plopped down onto my forearm with a thunk.

‘Ow…’

I aimed for her shoulder, but since her head landed on my forearm, I ended up getting a bit thumped, making it sting. I ignored the urge to pat her head and let my body sag a bit.

At the same time, I carefully supported Yoonseo’s face, which had been rubbing against my arm, and repositioned it onto my shoulder.

I thought to myself.

‘When on earth will this graduation ceremony end…?’

*

Dogun thought Yoonseo had completely dozed off, but that was a misunderstanding on his part.

The one he thought was asleep was actually not fully asleep.

Well, to be precise, she had drifted off for a moment.

The moment her face hit Dogun’s forearm, she jolted awake, unable to stay asleep.

And after waking up?

She found it impossible to go back to sleep.

Of course, that was because she realized right away that she was leaning against none other than Dogun.

The moment she became aware of that, it felt like she was hit with a bucket of ice water, her drowsiness evaporating instantly, replaced by panic.

‘H-Huh, did I…’

She hoped she hadn’t drooled while sleeping.

Fortunately, she felt nothing on her lips, but if she had, she thought she could become the first person in the world to die of embarrassment.

Was it because of the growing anxiety?

‘Sigh… Just let me sleep…’

She felt a bit resentful towards Dogun.

Though separate from that resentment, she already had an inkling about why he had done this.

It was obvious that he couldn’t just let her doze off while he watched her.

He had that kind of personality.

While she was busy feeling flustered and letting her mind wander, Dogun’s body twitched slightly, and she felt something resembling a hand touch her cheek.

Even though she had already woken up long ago from the moment her face hit his arm, she might not have realized it yet, or maybe he was just being extra careful, fearing she might wake up, and it made her heart race.

Just leaning against his shoulder, she found herself feeling oddly thrilled.

So, she had to discreetly bite down on the inside of her cheek.

If she didn’t, it felt like she wouldn’t be able to control her fluttering smile.

If he found out she was awake now, the atmosphere would obviously turn awkward, so she was doing her best not to get caught, while Dogun’s hand, which had been supporting her face, gently guided her cheek toward his shoulder.

Maybe it was because her eyes were tightly shut.

Dogun’s shoulder felt broader than she expected.

So… it felt weird.

Her tailbone felt twitchy, like getting electrocuted, while the hollow pads of her feet tickled, making her toes involuntarily tense up.

‘Why does he smell so good…?’

Dogun had a lovely scent about him.

Like freshly washed blankets that had dried under the sun until they were fluffy.

With every breath she took, the scent filled her nostrils, making her feel like hugging him tightly.

Breathing in that aroma, she started to get a little confused.

So… did she originally like this scent…? Or had she grown fond of it because she was often around Dogun?

One thing was for sure—

‘Just a little longer…’

What used to invoke thoughts of when it would end now prompted her to wish it would last a bit longer.

“Good thing you’re not snoring. If you were, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

But still, she felt like she wanted to seal his mouth shut to keep the mood intact.

‘Seriously, what’s wrong with breaking the atmosphere…?’

As she grumbled to herself, the final moments of her middle school affiliation began to wrap up gradually.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

‘It feels like it’s about time to wake her up…’

Should she let her sleep a bit longer or should she wake her up now?

While she was contemplating those two options, Yoonseo, who had been sound asleep with her face resting on Dogun’s shoulder, began fidgeting her brows.

Seeing that, Dogun thought it was convenient and started to gently shake his shoulder, where her head rested.

“Ugh…”

“Hey, hey, wake up! The graduation ceremony’s over.”

The moment her head started bobbing up and down, it was as if she couldn’t bear to sleep anymore.

The fidgeting of her brows intensified, and soon enough, Yoonseo rubbed her eyes, waking up from her slumber.

“…It’s over?”

“There’s still a bit left, but I think after they hand out diplomas and awards, it’ll be done.”

“What…? We’re not done yet…?”

She still seemed a bit groggy, mumbling differently than usual, which was sort of cute, but that couldn’t keep her from waking up now.

Her shoulders started to hurt a little from holding her up for too long.

“Come on, it’s time to stop sleeping! We still need to take pictures after the ceremony, and if you sleep through this, you’ll come out looking puffed up like a blowfish.”

“Blowfish… Blowfish are kinda cute… So it’s okay…”

“Seriously…? Did you stay up all night or something? The way you’re talking nonsense makes me think so…”

Despite the fact that they were directly beneath the heater, her body shivered a bit when she suddenly woke up.

After a gentle bump to her head to snap her out of it, she finally returned to her usual reactions.

“Oh, come on! I said I’m awake, so stop it already…!”

Yeah, that’s more like Yoonseo.

As she temporally pouted in annoyance before starting to rub her eyes again, it made him feel warm inside, and suddenly, he became curious, so he asked her a question.

“By the way, didn’t you get any awards or anything?”

Honestly, at her level, they should be giving her something.

“Oh, that? I said it’s fine.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well… I might receive plenty of those in the future, but for others, it might not be the same, right? So I have to let them have it.”

“Wow…”

“…What?”

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

“What!”

“Nothing at all, okay? Unless you’re feeling guilty about something…?”

“This is…!”

Just like that, as they playfully bickered, the graduation ceremony completely wrapped up—

“Wow! Yoonseo and Dogun are taking a photo together!”

“Ugh, just get lost, you crazy people.”

“No! No! We want to take a picture too!”

“Then just take one with everyone else.”

After wandering around here and there to take pictures post-ceremony, my second middle school life came to a complete end.