This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 427

The phrase “It feels like I’m suffocating” must exist for moments like this.

It felt just like someone had their hands tightly wrapped around my neck, choking off my breath.

I was that breathless.

Thanks to that, my heart had been pounding like crazy from earlier.

Honestly, there was no way I could avoid feeling like this.

Of course, I couldn’t help but feel this way because when Bora asked if it was okay to ask a question, I prepared myself thinking it would definitely be something related to Yoonseo, but when it came down to it, the question was completely unrelated.

And that wasn’t all?

On top of that, she even asked if there was a relationship between Chae-rim or the Senior, which made me think it was a miracle I didn’t have a meltdown right there.

But then, how on earth did Bora reach that conclusion?

No matter how many times I thought about it, I just couldn’t understand that part.

However, in a situation where I already received the question, I couldn’t just keep my mouth shut—

“Um… is it something like that…?”

I decided to buy time like that.

I felt bad for Bora, who must have been patiently waiting for my answer after tossing the question my way, but honestly, I felt like I had no choice.

And it was understandable since the question Bora threw was so unexpected, my mind felt as if it had been ransacked by my niece during the holiday rush, and I hadn’t managed to clean up the mess yet.

But would it be wise to push myself to answer in such a situation?

If I did, I had no idea what words might come out of my mouth, even I, the owner of it.

So, I resolved to buy some time…

But somehow, it felt like I wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

The way Bora was staring at me, as if challenging me to hurry up and answer, made it clear.

“So… what should I say here?”

What would be the “best” answer?

If I were to speak the truth?

Bora’s expression kept nagging at me, making me uneasy.

It was as if if I answered “yes,” something disastrous was bound to happen.

But I couldn’t just brush it off either.

Choosing to sidestep the question was awkward since no matter how politely I dressed it up, it was going to just be a temporary fix.

So, if I were to use that method, I might get through the immediate situation, but… it would explode even bigger later on.

How could I be so sure of that?

Because temporary fixes usually end up that way.

So rather than dealing with the aftermath later, wouldn’t it be better to just reveal everything now?

Caught between those two choices, I was stuck in indecision.

I hadn’t offered any answer yet, but I could tell Bora was already considering my hesitation as an answer.

“I just wanted to ask just in case…”

A smile appeared on Bora’s lips.

Unlike before, when her expression was close to neutral, she had a smile that qualified as one, but that didn’t mean I could see it as a positive signal.

“Looks like it’s true?”

That would make sense because the smile on Bora’s face was indeed there, but it looked slightly crooked.

Honestly, who would have guessed?

I had secretly hoped it wasn’t true, but it was real.

No way… how could I have ended up with three people at once…?

Was it because what I thought would be delusions turned out to be the truth?

My head felt like it had been hit hard from behind.

Among all this, something that puzzled me was the choices of Chae-rim and the Senior.

Honestly, Yoonseo had been head over heels for Dogun since kindergarten, so I could understand that, but those two weren’t like that…

What on earth could they possibly want by clinging to a guy who already had a girl?

Could it be because of looks?

…Sure, Dogun was good-looking.

Even now, remembering the charm from his kindergarten days brought a smile to my face; he had that kind of looks—so nice that just gazing at him warmed one’s heart—but was it enough to mesmerize someone to the point of losing their composure?

If that were the case, then it wasn’t solely due to looks…

Then maybe it was because of his personality?

Unlike in looks, there was indeed some possibility in that aspect.

That’s because the saying about “good looks” exists for a reason; most guys who are good-looking often have terrible personalities.

And comparing him to those types…

Dogun was more than an angel by that standard.

But having lived together for years, would Chae-rim or the Senior really be able to accept the personalities of other guys?

If that were the case, I wouldn’t entirely blame them.

Still, even if that was the reason, it felt insufficient.

What I meant was, it wasn’t solely for that…

Then could it be about the abilities Dogun possessed…?

That too seemed likely enough.

There was no way it wouldn’t be possible because Dogun’s abilities were the sort that a hero could only covet.

He had the power to restore the Talent Organ said to be irreparably damaged.

When I first found out about that, I was stunned.

It was a blessing that the secret surrounding it had been kept so well; if the world knew about Dogun’s abilities, he would surely have faced numerous kidnapping attempts by now.

Or… he might have already been kidnapped and trapped somewhere.

Such a tremendous ability meant it wouldn’t be too strange for Chae-rim or the Senior to want to remain by Dogun’s side for that reason…

Sigh…

I paused my train of thought, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.

What was the point of all this?

Yes, what would it matter?

Whether Chae-rim or the Senior chose to stay by Dogun due to his abilities or just had fallen head over heels for him, that was ultimately their issue.

What mattered now was…

How I would treat Dogun going forward.

For sure, one thing was clear:

No matter what, I could never treat Dogun the way I used to.

Honestly, how could I?

I had seen that part of him now…

If I couldn’t treat him like before, how did I need to treat him?

I thought hard and found myself without any ideas.

So… should I just give up?

Maybe that was the answer.

Perhaps that was the answer and the best choice, but… somehow, I didn’t want to.

Why should I be the one to give up?

If I thought about it, I was the one who liked Dogun before Yoonseo, or anyone else for that matter… so why should I be the first to let go?

What if I selected Dogun among Chae-rim, the Senior, or Yoonseo, and clearly drew the line with the others?

I would have surely tried to resign myself.

Using that as a reason, I would have put in effort to give up.

But that wasn’t the case.

“Honestly, three or four… aren’t they just numbers?”

If you look at the numbers, aren’t they the same?

Having already established a relationship with three people, what’s stopping me from including a fourth?

With the reality facing me like this?

I felt even less reason to give up.

So—

“…Dogun.”

I finally called out Dogun’s name, which I had hesitated to speak since earlier.

“Uh, uh…?”

And perhaps that single word snapped Dogun back to his senses.

He jumped slightly, looking startled, and I continued to speak.

“What do you think of me…?”

It was something I had wanted to ask for a long time but was also scared to bring up, so I carefully pulled forth the words I had held back and cautiously threw them towards Dogun.

“Um…?”

“I mean… Do you not think much of me?”

I asked that and waited for Dogun’s answer when I noticed him looking flustered and unable to respond.

“…No, wait. Don’t answer. I’ll find out for myself.”

And then I… cautiously began to approach Dogun.