This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 445

What was that awkward wordplay just now?

If it had only been one person doing that?

I might have just let it slide.

Human feelings can be quite peculiar, sometimes making you want to act that way every now and then.

Especially at this late hour, it’s the perfect time for such odd sensitivity to bubble up.

When I wake up the next morning and think back on it, I’ll wonder why on earth I did that, accompanied by a swift blanket kick, helping me get up quickly. But when you’re deep in it, there’s usually no answer.

So if it had just been one person, I wouldn’t have paid much mind…

But it wasn’t just one person; everyone I made eye contact with did the same thing!

Even Chae-rim, who had never shown such behavior until now, did the same!

Naturally, my eyes couldn’t help but narrow.

‘There’s definitely something going on…’

What could it be?

What kind of scheming could they be doing that led to such awkward reactions, even while silencing their voices?

That was the moment I was lost in a series of guesses, my eyes squinting in thought.

“Well… should we head back for today?”

Chae-rim said as she packed up her things beside the bed.

“Uh? You’re leaving?”

Chae-rim’s attitude surprised me.

After all, today wasn’t the first time she had visited the hospital at such a late hour.

Each time she came at this time, she would inevitably spend time here until dawn, only going home in the morning.

That was the norm, so why was she leaving so early today?

Perhaps it felt too conspicuous to act like usual with so many eyes on her unlike usual.

“Yeah, I should go. Dogun, you’d better sleep too.”

For some reason, Chae-rim looked me in the eye as she said that, but then she started throwing glances at the others.

Her gesture felt like she was seeking agreement, as if asking, “Don’t you think so?”

And I wonder, was I the only one who felt that way about her look?

“Yeah… it is late. It’s almost 1 AM.”

“It’s already that late?”

Starting from the Senior, then Yoonseo and Bora, an array of agreements poured in.

“Well then… rest well.”

“Ah, yes…”

Then, just like that, starting with Chae-rim, they began to leave the hospital room in order.

As the first to leave, Chae-rim’s exit naturally led to Yoonseo following her.

“I’m leaving.”

“Uh, okay, take care.”

“I’m leaving!”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

And for some reason, even Yoonseo, who seemed a bit huffy, left the room next, followed by Bora.

“I’m sorry for being loud at this hour; I’ll be going now.”

“Alright, Bora, be careful going home.”

With that, even Bora, the third to leave, exited, leaving only me and the Senior alone in the room.

“Uh… Senior…?”

If I was to leave with the three who went out first, the Senior should be leaving soon too. But she didn’t move at all.

Curious, I called out to her without thinking—

“Ah, um… I’ll just head in as well.”

Startled by my sudden call, the Senior jumped a bit, then fumbled her words.

“Ah, yes… you should go.”

“And…?”

“And… let’s meet tomorrow.”

Was saying “let’s meet tomorrow” that embarrassing for her?

With that final remark, her face turned bright red, and she left the room.

That left me scratching my head again.

So, following Chae-rim, we had Yoonseo, Bora, and now the Senior.

What’s going on here… a departure order that seems completely random, yet strangely consistent?

It was truly a mystery.

At that very moment when Dogun was caught in thought due to the strange actions of the women,

the oddly ominous atmosphere surrounding the Association was flowing in an unexpected direction that no one could have anticipated.

In a dim room where the only lighting came from outside, a woman sat among luxuriously furnished items, as if guarding the place.

Was she waiting for someone?

The soft sounds of her fingers tapping on the wooden table betrayed her underlying irritation and anxiety.

In that moment, where only the sound of her tapping echoed within the room…

The door behind her creaked open.

The woman, seated and looking towards the window, turned around towards the sound.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“Forget that; what’s the result? How did it go?”

“I reached out one more time, thinking it might be the last, but… once again, they rejected us.”

I had somewhat anticipated that response, but hearing the expected words still drained the energy out of me.

A sigh escaped my lips, echoing in the silence.

“I’m sorry.”

“Was I lacking strength?”

“Yes, it seems so…”

“Truly… Special-Class is indeed Special-Class.”

I thought that among the three, they were the least notable and had relatively fewer achievements, so maybe it would work…

“Should we try reaching out one more time?”

“No, that’s enough.”

Perhaps it was a little regrettable, but… I decided not to dwell on it any longer.

As my subordinate said, if we were to reach out again, it would only take more time, and lingering here would only give those on the other side more time to prepare.

To be honest?

Even now the situation was already precarious.

Not to mention the Association Chairman, but even the new vice chairman from a few years ago seemed to have picked up on something.

‘It’s fine to compromise with the Chairman, but…’

It was impossible to engage the vice chairman who had just recently risen to power, replacing the former who had been nothing more than a puppet.

That was because she was relatively new to this field and still less baked, making her a tricky opponent on a strange level.

Thus, I decided to neatly close the chapter on the unacquired card…

And just focus on the cards in hand.

Nothing is as foolish as losing a winning hand because of fixation on one big play.

“How far has the operation progressed?”

“Everyone who has agreed to ‘persuade’ has completed the operation.”

“Really?”

So that’s the case…

“Then proceed.”

“Uh? Just like that?”

“Yes, right away tomorrow.”

Do they think more preparation is necessary?

The expression on her face seemed to suggest that, but… that was a misunderstanding stemming from their inexperience.

If someone is going to strike?

It must be done at a time the other party could never expect, pressing them without giving them a moment to gather themselves is the winning strategy.

So now… it was time to strike.

To get what I want along with the declaration of surrender, that was the only way to go.

‘No way… what is this…’

Waking up early as usual, I turned on my mobile phone out of habit, only to be taken aback.

The news section of my frequently used portal site was filled with articles that looked decidedly ominous at first glance.

The first thing that caught my eye?

None other than the word “strike.”

For some reason, that word appeared unusually large compared to the other texts, slamming into my line of sight first.

Following the word “strike,” the next word that jumped out was “Association.”

‘No way…’

A strike, of all things.

At this critical time, with the Association?

‘Could it be…’

Was the incident that Chae-rim and I worried about finally happening?

Since I was confronted with something I never anticipated from the morning.

With my heart racing at an unusually fast pace, I forced myself to calm down and clicked on the top article among those dominating the news section.

After a brief loading time, what appeared before my eyes was a piece that was slightly different from what I had expected.

Indeed… as stated in the title, a “strike” had indeed begun within the Association.

The strike had started, but contrary to my expectation that it would be the heroes who took action, the ones rising up in protest were not heroes at all.

They were the ordinary staff associated with the Association.