This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 473

Suddenly, I found myself rummaging through a place filled with masks, and I couldn’t help but wonder if my actions appeared strange to Dogun.

“Hey? Why masks all of a sudden?”

From half-masks covering just the face to those recognizable ones worn by various heroes during their escapades, my gaze lingered on the neatly arranged items within the glass display case when that question suddenly flew in my direction.

The problem was that even if I was caught off guard like that, I couldn’t easily come up with a coherent answer.

Honestly, how could I explain it?

If I weren’t planning on lying to Dogun, I’d have to awkwardly stammer something about how the butler outfit looked way better than I expected and that I didn’t want to show it to that Hyeyoung girl or whatever. The mere thought of uttering that made my face feel like it might just explode.

I would have preferred to lie, but there was absolutely no way I could voice such nonsense.

Because honestly, the chance of my face actually bursting from embarrassment was very real.

“N-no, um…”

I was struggling to come up with an appropriate response while stammering through a series of vague mumblings.

“Oh, are you embarrassed or something?”

I had no clue what he misinterpreted from my behavior, but I noticed Dogun’s lips curling into a sly grin, and the words that slipped from his lips felt oddly out of place.

Given the ambiguous situation, misreading it that way didn’t seem too bad, so instead of opening my mouth, I simply nodded in ‘agreement.’

That only made Dogun’s crooked smile grow even brighter, of course.

And then, his hand shot out to grab mine as if it were some kind of handcuff.

“Hey, come on now, you can’t just wear that and try to sneak away with a mask all by yourself, can you?”

He seemed to be expressing that he wouldn’t tolerate me slipping away alone…

The problem was the distance—they were just too close.

In any other situation, my heart would thump loudly in my chest, but standing this close with Dogun, who was wearing that dreamy butler outfit, I found it impossible to manage the fluttering in my chest.

My heart raced so fast and loudly, I worried it might spill its secrets right into Dogun’s ears.

No, perhaps he had already heard it.

Or… he might have felt it through our held hands.

Honestly, if it wasn’t that, there’d be no reason for Dogun to wear that kind of expression.

Was he possibly caught up in the rapid thumps of my heart?

For a moment, as we clasped hands tightly, I felt a jittery excitement, but then Dogun started to steal glances at me for no good reason.

Then, gradually, he began to close the distance between us.

Was he seriously considering going for it right there?

‘…Here?’

But who knows when that Hyeyoung girl might walk in…

Just as those thoughts overwhelmed my mind, the distance narrowed even more until I could hear his breath, making everything else fade into a blank.

In that world, painted over in a haze, all I could see was Dogun’s lips coming closer, just a few centimeters away.

Kissing? I had done that plenty of times, but why did it feel so different today? Maybe it was because it felt like today could possibly be the last day I could hang out with Dogun in such a leisurely manner.

My heart thumped loudly as a wave of pleasant tension washed over me, but it shook suddenly, causing my expression to almost falter. Still, since the day was far from over, I didn’t want to let my nerves show.

As I focused back on the moment right in front of me…

Just as Dogun’s lips approached mere centimeters from mine…

“I’m so sorry! Were you waiting? My sister’s phone wasn’t picking up…”

The loud crash of the door flinging open followed by an unexpected voice interrupted my moment.

Dogun’s lips, which had been so close just a moment ago, vanished quickly as he jumped back with a startled gasp.

“Ugh…”

I let out a frustrated sigh involuntarily, but what could I do?

The moment had already slipped away.

“Oh my, you’ve already changed?”

Fortunately, it seemed like the intruder didn’t suspect anything was amiss.

Or perhaps they were pretending to be oblivious?

Either way, I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to blush from embarrassment.

“Let’s see… Are you going for a butler and lady concept?”

I hadn’t chosen the butler outfit with that in mind, but I could understand why someone else might see it that way.

“Yup, something like that…”

I nodded casually, and Hyeyoung, seeming satisfied, offered to guide us to a room that matched that concept, leading the way.

Having just rushed up to the third floor, I hadn’t seen what the other floors looked like, but perhaps the rooms might be divided by themes?

Surprisingly, they were.

The rooms were stacked close together like in a karaoke bar, and when I asked if I could take a look inside, each room turned out to have a completely different theme.

Some looked like classrooms that had been taken straight from school, while others were painted entirely in bright green, even the ceilings.

“Oh, that’s the place we use for CG work.”

“You do that too?”

“Well, it’d be nice to use real props, but sometimes it’s just not financially feasible. So, we sometimes have to rely on a bit of computer magic.”

We continued to tour from room to room until we reached a particular location…

“Wow…”

It was a scene one might find in a historical drama, exuding an Eastern vibe.

The only thing I found a bit lacking was the background, but since we were indoors, there was little we could do about it.

“Will you be taking the photos yourself? Or…?”

Perhaps she was about to suggest that she could take some for us.

Well, experiencing the craft of a professional wouldn’t be too bad, but… I rather wanted to be alone with Dogun.

After all, even if we had ended up in this unusual place, wasn’t this technically a date?

I couldn’t afford to get lost in odd details and forget the essence of it all.

Moreover, with a third party standing right there, Dogun would undoubtedly remain distracted by that presence.

So why not take the chance to get good results, even if they might turn out a bit awkward, by doing it together instead?

Thus, when I politely declined, Hyeyoung merely looked a tad disappointed but readily stepped back more than I had expected.

With Hyeyoung lingering outside the room, the camera she left behind became entirely ours.

Initially, Dogun had wanted to take charge, but I gently insisted on doing it myself.

Sure, Dogun taking pictures wouldn’t be too shabby either, but I still wanted to capture them with my own hands.

The photo session started and… it turned out to be far more enjoyable than I had imagined.

The outfit I wore, along with the various props surrounding us, were all top-notch quality; even an amateur photographer like me ended up capturing some decent shots.

Of course, a professional might cringe and wonder what on earth I was doing, but… it’s not like I was submitting them to a competition, right?

As long as I loved what I saw, wouldn’t that suffice?

“Oh wow…”

“What do you think? Did I do well?”

“Right? Even a broken clock is right twice a day… how did such a photo come from those clumsy hands?”

“What?!”

“It means you did really well.”

Dogun, who initially felt a bit awkward, seemed to get into the spirit quickly, probably realizing how rare this experience was.

“Then… should I ask to get this photo printed out separately?”

“Why? Planning to hang it in a frame or something?”

“Well… that would be fine…”

Or perhaps to get a smaller version to keep in my mobile phone case or wallet.

That way, I could look at it whenever I wanted.