This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 422

“…What are the two of you doing right now?”

It was a voice filled with disbelief, as if the speaker couldn’t trust what they were seeing.

That voice, unmistakably colored to match the moment, flowed into my ears. It wasn’t Bora’s nor Chae-rim’s.

But it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either.

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t distinguish if the sweat running down my spine was due to fear or cold.

It was that chillingly… icy.

‘No way, why is Bora here right now…’

Wasn’t it too early for her to arrive…?

I needed to move my body back first, but…

I couldn’t move at all.

It wasn’t just because I was flustered.

Sure, the shock was real, but more than that, I couldn’t see or move my hands as I desired, which made it difficult to act.

If I made a sudden move and tripped, that would be disastrous, right?

Yet, just sitting here doing nothing felt wrong.

It couldn’t be helped; I couldn’t confidently react to the situation since I couldn’t see anything. But the chance that Bora was staring right at me and Yoonseo below me was extremely high.

So it was best to get away from Yoonseo as quickly as possible…

Caught between the reasons I couldn’t move and the necessity to do so, I was like a pendulum swinging in indecision.

Yoonseo was likely equally bewildered by the sudden appearance of Bora, just as I was, for she stopped flailing her limbs and stiffened under me, finally speaking up with a cough.

“…Should we close the door first?”

That was what Yoonseo said, and honestly?

The moment I heard those words, I thought Bora would blow up in anger.

I thought she would say, “What kind of boldness is this?” considering the absurdity of our situation…

But was it possible that Bora was as startled as we were by the sight of the two of us pressed so closely together?

“Uh… um…”

Bora’s response was surprisingly far from what I had anticipated.

It seemed to be more of a stunned reaction, perhaps a little dazed.

And following that reaction came the sound of the door closing.

The sharp, defined sound echoed, filling the previously silent hospital room.

As soon as the door shut, my half-absent mind finally regained its composure.

No sooner had the sound of the door closing reverberated inside the room than Yoonseo gently pushed my body back.

I chose to go along with it without resistance, and soon the tightness around my wrists disappeared with a satisfying click.

The once completely darkened field of vision cleared all at once.

“Haah…”

And upon receiving Yoonseo’s help in removing the blindfold, I could feel the situation was extraordinarily peculiar.

In any case… it felt immensely bizarre.

No matter how I thought about it, the circumstance where Bora happened to catch us was a puzzler.

If it had been Chae-rim or the Senior standing there instead?

They might have been just as shocked as now, but wouldn’t have been bewildered to this degree.

They might have just thought, “Ah, so this is what happened…”

If the two of them were in the same position, surely that would have been the case, but Bora?

How on earth was I supposed to handle this?

No sharp solutions came to mind no matter how much I wracked my brain.

As a result, my head began to throb.

“In truth…”

To be precise?

What I did in this hospital room with Yoonseo was no concern of Bora’s.

Seeing that I had no particular ties to her, unlike Chae-rim or the Senior, there weren’t really any strings attached.

The ambush kiss from when Bora first moved into our house?

That was an embarrassing past that Bora herself had acknowledged, so it seemed ambiguous to label that as anything more.

It was also how Bora herself had directly stated that she didn’t have any feelings for me back then.

Yet, the reason I acted without restraint was merely to show the people from the Association that I could go this far.

“The problem is…”

Back then, that was true, but now things could be different.

What is there to say?

I was already somewhat aware of Bora’s feelings for me.

A mix of admiration for the person who saved her and a liking for me as a man, blending in such a way that it nearly crossed the line into love… it was a sentiment closer to ‘like’.

That was the nature of Bora’s feelings toward me.

How would I know when I haven’t dove into Bora’s heart? Isn’t it just wishful thinking?

If that were the case, Bora wouldn’t be looking at me now with a face like she’s been betrayed.

Indeed, the crux of the matter was that Bora liked me.

And in a way, this might be my karma since I had done so much for her.

Just considering what came to mind quickly, I had freed her from the grasp of the overly controlling Association Chairman and let her draw the manga she enjoyed…

If it’s at that level, it would be strange if she didn’t develop any feelings.

Of course, from my perspective, I felt a bit sorry to treat Bora — who was a person living with me and a childhood friend from kindergarten — like a mere tool.

On one hand, I figured that if I separated her from the Association Chairman, I might have a chance to strike back against them.

But that is solely from my viewpoint and how Bora received my actions might have seemed rather different.

Even knowing I needed to sort out this situation, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

Naturally, from Bora’s perspective, it would be like spotting the guy she thought was interested in her getting cozy with a friend.

“…Are they really friends?”

It was practically akin to witnessing someone playing around with an acquaintance right in front of her.

So how bewildered do you think Bora felt about the situation?

If I were in a similar situation as hers, I would be red-hot with embarrassment and confusion.

And thinking maybe Bora felt something akin to that?

I couldn’t speak too hastily.

To be honest, under these circumstances, that would absolutely make sense; although things had mellowed considerably by now, Bora used to be just as flamboyant as Yoonseo, the Senior, and even Chae-rim.

Therefore, it felt tricky to voice anything.

If I inadvertently triggered foreign feelings in Bora, along the same lines as before, I would have to juggle Yoonseo, the Senior, and even Chae-rim with her on top of it.

So I remained quiet, while unlike my silent self, Yoonseo was relatively free and unrestrained in this regard.

To be honest, until just a moment ago, she had been busy getting over her shocked state due to Bora’s abrupt entrance, but now it seemed like her annoyance about having good time interrupted was taking precedence.

“So… what brings you here?”

Yoonseo shot a vehement glance at Bora.

“You don’t typically come here at this hour.”

Her words fizzled like carbonated water – distinctly popping.

The problem was… as I mentioned before, Bora certainly had a fiery attitude.

And Yoonseo’s razor-sharp voice was more than enough to awaken that side of Bora.

Perhaps it could be said that she had truly struck a nerve.

“Why does it matter when I come here?”

The moment Bora finally spoke, a high-strung voice unfurled from her, chilling yet sharp.

Of course, Yoonseo showed no signs of backing down.

“I find it strange that you’re even asking that question.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…?”

“You’re not genuinely asking that because you don’t know, are you?”

“…?”

“If you had eyes, you must have seen what was just happening.”

And with that, Yoonseo smirked coyly.

The snappy dialogue continued right after.

“Or have you… forgotten already?”