This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 416

It’s not like it’s just been a day or two; I’ve made my dear Senior wait for a whole three years! Honestly, prolonging this anymore, or keeping my vague attitude, is just something I can’t bring myself to do, so I decided to finally take the plunge.

I told myself I’d think about the aftermath later and dove in headfirst, but then all the good times started to slip away, and that oh-so-dreaded ‘later’ finally came knocking on my door.

‘What now…’

Was it a coincidence that she happened to need to stop by nearby? Or maybe she just dropped by to show her face while passing through?

Panic accompanied ‘later’ as if they were best pals.

Thanks to that, here I was, receiving an unexpected guest and nervously biting my lips.

Honestly, what else could I do?

What else could I do? No matter how much I thought about it, there was no clear answer in sight.

To be brutally honest?

I had entertained the idea of keeping my relationship with Senior a secret from Chae-rim and Yoonseo.

Given the circumstances, such a thought had crossed my mind momentarily, but quickly set it aside.

And for good reason; I realized that it’d be utterly impossible to hide it anyway.

No matter how I thought about it, that was just the way it was.

There was no way I could keep it under wraps, especially since Chae-rim had this uncanny ability to sense those kinds of things.

Not to mention, Yoonseo had a tendency to become super perceptive whenever anything like that came up.

So, could I really hide it?

Now that I had crossed a line, there was no way it wouldn’t come to light somehow.

‘And more importantly…’

Thinking of Senior’s position, it was utterly wrong to even consider it.

After all, how could I say we should keep our relationship a secret after enjoying everything together?

That would basically treat Senior like a mistress, wouldn’t it?

After all this time—not a day or two, but a whole three years—keeping this vague, awkward attitude without committing, she waited by my side patiently. To treat her like that?

That would be something a rational person would never do.

So, what could I do?

I can only lie flat and take it.

Of course, I knew.

The moment Chae-rim and Yoonseo found out about this, they would be furious at me. Tranquilizing their fury wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds.

I certainly knew this, but… I should accept that this is my karma.

It really is my karma.

Could it be that I was so wrapped up in managing the aftermath that it showed all over my face?

While Senior, who had been busy wiping away the traces of our clandestine rendezvous with a new towel from the bathroom, paused and gazed at my face.

Then, she leaned in slightly and… suddenly kissed my lips with a loud smacking sound.

And with that unexpected ambush kiss, all I could do was freeze for a moment.

Unlike me, the one who initiated the ambush had to have enjoyed my stunned reaction, for Senior pulled back slightly and met my gaze with a playful smile.

“Why? Are you worried that Yoonseo or Chae-rim might say something to you?”

Then, she said it casually.

“…Huh?”

To be honest, from my perspective?

That sentence was more shocking than the kiss itself.

And it had to be that way because her voice was laden with certainty.

If she had said it while teasing me, I wouldn’t have been this flustered.

Sure, I might have been embarrassed, but I would’ve also thought, ‘Well, that’s just how it is.’

But no, while I was in the middle of feeling relaxed, she swooped in with such conviction, and I couldn’t help but stammer.

‘Wait…’

After suddenly entering that kind of relationship with her, I lost consciousness while embroiled in an incident, and after regaining my senses, I thought I hadn’t acted noticeably at all…

How in the world did Senior find out?

‘Could it be…’

Did one of them, Yoonseo or Chae-rim, spill the beans about it?

I was so bewildered that I momentarily thought that, but no matter how I pondered, it didn’t seem like they would do that.

How do I know that?

Well… to be honest, it’s not something you’d flaunt to others.

After all, you could say it was just a drunken mistake, right?

What’s there to brag about? No way would I be blabbing to others about that.

So, it seems more likely that Senior figured it out herself, rather than information leaking from them… But the real question was, how did she figure it out?

Could it be that woman’s intuition was actually a thing?

In any case, thinking that she already knew about it?

I began to feel cold sweat trickling down, as it dawned on me that, sure, I was preoccupied with how to manage the aftermath, but now the real urgency was on my side.

“Uh… Senior…?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“That is… um… what exactly happened here?”

Perhaps it was right to at least explain how we ended up like this, even if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure…?

I was probably about to speak while thinking that.

Once again, Senior leaned towards me and kissed my lips, pushing her tongue into my mouth, effectively silencing me in the midst of our real-time bonding.

Honestly, given the timing, was this a cue not to even bother explaining?

Seeing her so naturally continue the kiss, I figured this must be it, so instead of explaining, I started matching my breathing with hers.

Thus… my head, which had been filled with worries about managing the aftermath moments ago, began slowly filling with the sweetness the kiss provided.

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Meanwhile, at that very moment when Dogun was lost in thoughts about how to manage the aftermath, serious discussions were happening in what had temporarily taken on the control tower role instead of the severely damaged Association building.

And among those discussions, there was a topic concerning Dogun.

“So, how much longer do we have to wait?”

The one pressing the Association Chairman with that question was none other than an individual representing the high-ranking officials people often speak of.

Perhaps that’s why.

“…The research team is working day and night, so we should have some positive news soon.”

The Chairman’s cautious response seemed rather reserved, especially for someone who could easily overpower most members with ample authority.

And how could it not be?

In a situation where the Association was being attacked from all sides, there was no reason to antagonize them.

“Soon, huh…”

“Yes, soon…”

“I believe you said that last time you visited, didn’t you?”

“…”

“So, as I said, I understand. I’ll take that as your word for now.”

That statement was indeed accurate.

Therefore, I had no choice but to maintain my silence in this case.

Perhaps the other party didn’t even throw this remark expecting a proper answer from us.

“And it’s now been a week since then. Well, technically, it’s been a week and a day, but you get the gist.”

The voice continued, smooth and composed.

“So… during that time, have there been any results?”

“…To be frank, there were some minor achievements. We haven’t found a method to completely cure the monsterization phenomenon, but we have discovered the reasons why those who have been monsterized show violent tendencies, and we have also found ways to suppress that.”

In reality, it had been long concluded in meetings that completely curing the monsterization phenomenon was practically impossible, but it wouldn’t do to speak that bluntly in front of a mother who had lost her child. So instead, I chose words that would encourage a glimmer of hope.

Since the other side was probably aware that it was impossible to manage in the given time, I assumed this level of information would suffice.

“Excuse me for interrupting during your explanation, but… we do have ears, you know.”

Clearly, attempting to be hasty was not a wise choice after all.

“That such a blatant lie… honestly disappointing.”

Seeing the other party’s expression turn so grim, it was evident.