This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 464

“I’m counting on you, Sis.”

“…”

“Of course… I know this is quite a burden for you too.”

“…”

“But the more I think about it, the more I realize you’re the only person I can ask for this.”

A request… a request, huh.

Maybe I was worried she’d refuse on this side.

Instead of responding to Yoonseo’s unending pleas, I mulled over the word ‘request’ swirling in my mind.

It was no surprise, considering it felt like the first time.

I had received requests like signing something or taking a photo together, but a serious request like this was clearly a first.

That made my head throb even more.

How ironic that my first serious request would be something like this.

From what I gathered, even if I tried to persuade her, it didn’t seem likely to work, making it even harder to refuse.

Lately, I had been so overwhelmed with work that I hadn’t even touched a drink, not even beer that I usually downed like a beverage; it felt like I was experiencing a hangover instead.

It felt like someone was grabbing my head, squeezing it mercilessly.

And perhaps it was my pounding headache that made me wonder.

‘Where did everything go wrong…?’

Suddenly, that thought flared up in my mind like a wisp of smoke.

Yeah, where did it all go wrong?

Up until I started this call with Yoonseo, I thought I was handling things somewhat decently, but before I knew it, I had landed in this mess.

So, it was impossible not to think about it.

Maybe if I had handled things instead of prodding blindly, I wouldn’t have had to sit back and watch a hornet’s nest get stirred.

Is that what led to this situation?

Or maybe… was the real issue thinking I could handle everything related to Dogun’s left arm by myself?

Once my mind started down that path, it wouldn’t stop easily.

That’s why I couldn’t tell what was right or wrong.

But one thing was for sure… even if I realized what I had messed up, it was already too late to try to change anything.

I’d come too far for that.

“…Alright, I understand.”

Maybe I thought that speaking further would just make it look pathetic.

So, I said that to Yoonseo, who had fallen silent.

If it was too late to turn back, I needed to do well from this point onward.

“Are you serious?”

I said it like that, but perhaps she had been waiting desperately for just that.

A voice filled with disbelief came through the mobile phone speaker.

And before that echo could fade away, I quickly continued.

“Instead… let’s meet and talk from now on.”

“What? Right now? Aren’t you busy?”

She had asked me first to be her notary, but maybe she didn’t expect such a sudden request to meet.

Feeling her voice tremble slightly from nervousness made me smile wryly.

‘Busy, huh?’

Right, busy.

My call with Yoonseo had dragged on much longer than expected, leaving me with only about a minute of break time.

And if that minute slipped away, I’d have to jump back into the meeting.

So yes, I was indeed busy, but… did that really matter right now?

If anything, I was the one in a hurry.

And moreover… since persuading Yoonseo seemed all but impossible, maybe I could just use that opportunity to wrap up this ultra-unproductive meeting.

“It’s okay, I’m almost done.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, by the way… you’re with someone, right?”

There was no way she wouldn’t know who I was talking about.

In this context, it should only be one person, after all.

Just as expected, the answer came back promptly.

“…Yes.”

“In that case, don’t let them leave. I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

“And uh… once you decide where to meet, send me the address.”

“Sure.”

That brief call was more than enough.

It seemed like Yoonseo, initially hesitant about how things were flowing, quickly regained her composure and started responding energetically.

And after wrapping up the call with Yoonseo, I headed back to the meeting room.

To finally put an end to this tiresome meeting.

.

.

.

Was it because I had successfully secured the safety net I thought I wouldn’t easily obtain through Chae-rim’s notary?

As soon as I entered the meeting room, Yoonseo revealed her willingness to support the exploration of Heogye of her own accord, which sent the room into a frenzy of activity.

With Yoonseo’s participation decided upon, preparations for the exploration involving the RK Guard and other cooperating companies began to pick up speed.

Of course, we still had mountains of work to handle, so even with the increase in pace, it would still take some time before the plans were fully operational.

With about a week remaining until exploration began, Yoonseo finally faced Chae-rim.

“Are you really… okay with this?”

Since I thought it would be a stretch to persuade Yoonseo, I went along with her wishes, but with only a week left until the exploration started, I couldn’t shake off my worries.

In a way, I felt partly responsible for this situation, so I had been squeezing my already limited time to train Yoonseo.

“…I have to try,” she replied.

“Phew… what will you tell Dogun?”

Yoonseo knew well that making a lame excuse to fool Dogun would be impossible.

So perhaps that’s why a smile almost akin to a wry laugh spread across her face as she answered Chae-rim’s question.

“Right… do you think it will fly if I say I’ll be needed elsewhere for a while?”

“I don’t know.”

Of course, just because she would be participating in the exploration didn’t mean she’d be spending all her time in Heogye.

The environment of Heogye itself wasn’t suitable for human habitation, so for the mental health of the participants, personnel would be rotated weekly.

“Do you think you can get phone service or text in there…?”

“Wouldn’t that be strange if it worked?”

“Isn’t it possible since it’s radio waves? I heard they plan to keep that Artificial Rift open.”

“Well… if everything goes as planned, that would be nice, but you know, Yoonseo? Theory and practice are different.”

“…I know.”

We couldn’t deny that.

Yoonseo nodded with a slightly stiff expression.

How could she not understand?

The reason the preparation for the exploration had taken so long was precisely because of that.

Time spent repeatedly testing with a focus on real-world applications to constantly verify the stability of that so-called Artificial Rift was substantial, but once it came to the actual thing, there was a terrifying possibility that what had worked until now could suddenly fail.

And that meant… if they were particularly unlucky, they could end up stranded in that Heogye.

Of course, since this exploration would be simultaneous across various branches worldwide, in a pinch they could contact other branches for help or even use the open Artificial Rift to return to reality, making such scenarios unlikely to occur, but…

‘…Still, it’s good to be prepared.’

Better to have some mental readiness.

‘Speaking of which…’

How should I cover up the situation with Dogun so this doesn’t get out?

A secret is something you can never keep in this world, but… I still didn’t want it to be discovered too soon.

What should I say…

As I pondered more and more, the depth of my dilemma only grew deeper.

And amidst all this worrying… the D-day crept up on us in no time.