This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 457

At first, I unknowingly flinched and reacted, which was a slight blemish, but I still thought that my response could be deemed a remarkable step in history.

At that moment, I must have been indulging in some self-praise.

For some reason, my senior kept glancing at me with a sideways gaze, as if trying to catch my attention, before finally opening her mouth in a voice that was uncharacteristically cautious.

“Um… Dogun.”

“Yes?”

“If that’s the case, should I bring you something to eat next time?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, like side dishes or something.”

“Would you really mind? It must be a hassle…”

To be completely honest, I didn’t want to decline.

After all, the food at the hospital wasn’t just an exaggeration; it was pretty much a fact.

“If we’re talking taste, it’s not bad, but…”

Having been accustomed to cooking for myself for a long time, it felt a bit bland.

Plus, there weren’t any spicy or flavorful dishes on the menu that I absolutely loved.

“And more importantly…”

In order to become the strong man I envisioned, it’s essential to exercise regularly, but healthy eating is equally crucial, right?

If I continued to rely solely on the bland hospital food, joking aside, I might genuinely end up as dry firewood that burns out and disappears.

What I hope for is something closer to an infinite power source.

So without realizing it, I took the bait, and my senior, strangely delighted by my reaction, responded enthusiastically.

“Then starting from next time, I’ll bring it, so you have to make sure to eat well every time!”

“Oh, if you do that, I’ll have to bow toward the direction you’re in every time I eat.”

“What? Dogun, what did you just say?”

“Um…?”

“Oh, I mean, it means I’ll be that thankful to you… or something like that.”

“Not that, though.”

“…?”

“You definitely said something about bowing.”

“Bowing?”

“Wait, what?!”

“Whoa… You seem extra haggard today, so I was planning to let you rest…”

“…!”

“If that’s what you mean, then I guess I can’t help it.”

With that, my senior swiftly stood up.

And the look in her eyes… well, to put it mildly, it wasn’t the kind of eyes a hero preserving justice should have.

If it weren’t daytime and was instead pitch black, I might have crumpled and collapsed out of sheer instinct the moment our eyes met.

It was an intimidating gaze, to say the least.

So… in a different sense, it was fierce.

At least, that’s how I felt.

“S-senior…?”

I hastily called out to her, but unfortunately, my desperate plea didn’t reach her ears.

“I’m just going to take a quick shower.”

“What? Why suddenly a shower…?”

“Come on… you know ♡.”

“Senior?”

“Then… you’ll just wait here patiently, alright?”

“Senior! Senior!!”

Who was it that said it?

The path to true strength is filled with hardships.

As the saying goes, becoming a strong man is long and arduous.

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At that very moment, while I was desperately calling out to Baeksulhwa, who had slipped into the bathroom without looking back, the investigation into the Heogye, despite being a challenging matter, was surprisingly making steady progress.

The reason it was going so smoothly was simple.

Given that the Association is a place with its own pride, the noise expected to arise here and there wouldn’t escalate to something major.

Of course, this wasn’t simply a coincidence.

It was rather the result of multiple factors blending together.

Among these factors, the most decisive role was played by the ‘gaze’ of the people.

To be precise… it was the public opinion.

Families and friends, or lovers turned into monsters, were waiting for a means or cure to resolve that phenomenon, perhaps believing that this exploration might hold the key.

Even though nothing had been clearly established yet, there was a fervent belief that something might be sleeping in the Heogye that could ensure a better future.

Various individuals, fired up by this flimsy frontier spirit, coupled with the bizarre national pride logic that South Korea shouldn’t be left behind while other countries proceeded according to their plans, led to a diverse crowd paying attention to the matter.

Because of these factors, even the prideful employees of the Association couldn’t put on a stubborn front concerning this case.

In addition, the funds injected here and there to make the process as smooth as possible helped them to remain focused on their work.

I’m talking about the numerous offers that had come in from all over, including overseas parties.

To put it lightly, the monetary units being discussed in relation to these funds had a different value.

Of course, the higher-ups in the Association were already aware of this reality, yet they still chose to remain silent for the time being.

Given the all-encompassing lobbying occurring from the top down, touching that would be akin to poking a hornet’s nest.

Not long ago, some of the Association employees had banded together, wearing red ribbons as a symbol of a strike due to feeling overburdened.

With that in mind, perhaps it wasn’t just a beehive but could very well be a hornet’s nest.

However, the higher-ups in the Association had their reasons for sticking to their silence.

As I mentioned, the reason the monetary units were becoming so varied was because of the competition triggered by external pressure.

Consequently, many ‘gifts’ were sent to the association, which included some licenses that the association had long coveted.

Thus, the higher-ups had no choice but to remain silent.

If this were to leak, accusations of corruption would surely fly, but if they were going to outsource, wouldn’t it be better to grab whatever they could?

Especially if it was the type of privilege that had eluded them all this time.

The expenditure required to rebuild the Association wouldn’t be negligible either.

But if all of that had to be funded through taxes, that would inevitably raise more questions.

Moreover, having utilized taxpayer money would mean sacrificing some of the existing privileges.

Given that situation, wouldn’t it be wiser to create a possibility for self-reliance in this way?

That was the common thought circulating among the upper echelons of the Association regarding this matter, and amidst the silence established as a result, the lengthy deliberation behind closed doors in the panic room finally came to an end.

It wouldn’t take long for news of that deliberation to reach the outside world.

After all, everyone had been focused on that very topic.

And as news that deliberation had ended spread quickly through the pipes set up everywhere, those who had staked everything on the case started to closely watch the Association’s next moves.

Amidst everyone anxiously waiting to see when the Association would finally speak up, they announced the names of select cooperating organizations after a long and careful review.

Among the names announced through the spokesperson was, as Dogun had previously mentioned, the ‘RK Guard.’

With the selection of ‘RK Guard’ as one of the three collaborating companies by the Association, the already raucous world began to stir even more.

And using that commotion as a cover… some began to move beneath the surface.