This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 492

To be perfectly honest… I was planning to talk to Dogun about it someday.

I feel bad for Yoonseo, who asked me to keep it a secret from Dogun, but there’s no such thing as an eternal secret in this world.

Even if I try hard to hide it, it’s inevitable that it’ll be found out eventually.

And that will only speed up once Dogun joins our side to help.

I don’t know how it’ll be at first, but in the end, that’s the way it has to be.

It makes sense, seeing as some recent approval documents included matters related to Heogye exploration.

Of course… there are ways to hide it.

Since the secretary’s role is to deliver the necessary documents for approval, if I give her a heads-up, it’s entirely possible to receive documents related to the exploration separately.

That would mean the secretary’s tasks would increase, but that should balance out as soon as Dogun joins in to lend a hand.

That said, if I decide to hide it, I might manage for now… but there’s a limit to how well I can cover Dogun’s eyes.

‘There’s a saying that you can’t cover your eyes and pretend everything’s fine…’

Especially not when it comes to Dogun, who’s got a knack for noticing things like a hawk. So, it’s only a matter of time before he catches on.

And the moment he realizes it, any disappointment stemming from that will be directed solely at me.

Just imagining Dogun looking at me not with those sparkling eyes, but with disappointment instead…

Honestly… I didn’t even want to think about it.

The less I want to imagine that, the more I don’t want to see it in reality.

I didn’t really care if others made those expressions towards me.

I’d already realized long ago that I couldn’t make the entire world like me.

So, I’ve stopped caring about how people look at me… but Dogun was different.

I hoped he would never look at me with such eyes.

However, if things continue like this, that’s probably unavoidable.

To avoid that, I had to say something eventually. I had to do it before Dogun realized it himself.

‘In that case…’

What if I just said it now? It felt like saying it now might…

That thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.

Upon careful consideration, it just wasn’t the right time for that.

“Well… since it’s come to this, let’s think seriously about it.”

That’s why I said that to Dogun, who was still deep in thought.

And perhaps, upon hearing those words, he was able to momentarily pull himself out of that swamp of concerns.

“…Yes.”

The mischievous expression he usually wore was nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by a rare serious face as he nodded.

“Think about it once… and if you reach the same conclusion afterward, let me know. I’ll adjust my actions accordingly.”

“I’ll do that.”

That should buy us enough time, I thought.

And that day’s conversation ended there.

Neither of us had anything else to say, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyday chatter would poke at my conscience, making it uncomfortable.

A few days passed since that conversation with Dogun.

I was probably busy sorting through the flood of approval documents as usual.

Suddenly, my mobile phone, which I had placed on the table so I could check for messages immediately, vibrated briefly with a low hum.

At first, I thought it might be some spam message.

Given that I hastily acquired this number for work, the only people who knew it were a few close friends, Seolhwa, Bora, and Dogun, with whom I lived. Among them, the first two usually didn’t reach out during work hours.

Even if something urgent came up, they would tend to use my old number for contact.

As for those who loomed in the professional category, they preferred the intercom to personal numbers.

That meant it shouldn’t have vibrated at such a time; it had to be spam.

It’s really fascinating how people can find out others’ numbers.

If it were an old number, I’d understand, but with this one, I hadn’t even subscribed anywhere.

And even if they had such skills, they probably should have known who owned that number—and yet, they still spammed me.

Don’t these people fear the deputy chairman of the association?

I remembered laughing at a post that made fun of a guy who sent loan solicitation texts to the president of a chaebol group back in the day.

Now, look at me, in the same predicament.

Just as I wore a bitter smile, I reached for my mobile phone to check what the message was.

And as I opened the latest one, what I saw was… not another loan advertisement or stock advisory.

[Dogun♡: I’ve made my decision. Please take care of what I mentioned before.]

After our previous conversation of that sort, I hadn’t received a response, so I was somewhat relieved even if unspoken.

Had he been pondering over it all this time?

When I finally faced Dogun’s message, something in my chest thudded and dropped away, but my fingers were already busy typing a response to Dogun.

Honestly, what could I do?

I had secretly wished this moment wouldn’t come, but it was already a settled matter.

So, I texted him back to confirm I would go through with it—and then I reached for the call button on the phone sitting on my desk.

And perhaps it was because the tone rang out, but the secretary, who had been waiting outside, walked into the room right after that.

“Is there anything you need…?”

Did she think I was going to ask for a drink? If I were to request a cup of coffee, she’d likely jump to fulfill that order immediately. I calmed her down first and then asked her to arrange a meeting.

“Excuse me? A meeting?”

“Yes, please summon it under my name.”

“I’ll do that. But may I ask… what’s the agenda?”

While she had been summoned to numerous meetings, given her position as a deputy chairman, it was rare for her to request a meeting herself. That may have stirred her curiosity about the matter at hand.

Her cautiously uttered question hit me.

The agenda.

Having spent days sorting through documents, she probably felt a thrill to finally play her part as a secretary.

As I met her gaze, which oddly reminded me of Dogun, I felt compelled to say something, but…

“Well, I’m not sure.”

Instead of answering, I deflected.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but given the matter, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious until things were set in stone.

Considering the current situation with our association, I doubted the chairman—a staunch pragmatist—would interfere.

However, the individuals beneath him might attempt to win his favor through backdoor schemes.

With how the previous deputy chairman was ousted for corruption three years ago, there was an abundance of those who would watch us closely for any missteps.

‘And now isn’t the time to exert effort…’

I’d heard that the chairman and his crew had once cleared out the former leadership to take the reins of the association, but it seems even the seemingly pristine can rot.

‘Regardless…’

The clicking of high heels I had been hearing stilled at some point, indicating that the other side was probably ready, so…

It was time to make my move.