This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 53

I was taken aback by the sight of blood oozing from my nose, which had turned red from the collision. But honestly, my own condition wasn’t exactly great either.

Maybe I had bitten my upper lip when we bumped into each other, because every time I swallowed, there was a metallic taste of blood swirling in my mouth.

What could we do about our sorry states?

It was time to go.

To be honest, staying any longer felt a bit uncomfortable now. The fun was completely ruined, so what was the point of hanging around for any glory?

It was obvious it wouldn’t be entertaining at all.

So, I dragged the cart that I had parked at the corner of the trampoline area and trudged back to the pension—

“What’s up with you guys? Did you… fight?”

That was the first thing they said.

“It’s not like that.”

“Not like what…? It’s clear you guys were hitting each other…”

“I said it’s not like that!”

“Then what are those wounds about?”

“This… I just bumped into him a bit.”

To be completely honest, that was what I said, but hell, I didn’t get a shred of trust from that.

Maybe that’s why.

In the end, I had to change spots and undergo an interrogation.

“So you fought, right?”

“I told you that’s not true! We didn’t fight. I’m not a kid, why would I fight with him?”

“Okay, let’s say that’s true. But what’s with the atmosphere then?”

“That’s…”

I had no idea.

Though I didn’t have completely blank suspicions. It was hard to argue that I was anything but a one-sided victim since I slipped all by myself while messing around.

Still… it felt a bit over the top to take it as the reason.

It was awkward in a very excessive way.

“Anyway, I’m telling you we didn’t really fight, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Really? Can I believe you?”

“Yeah.”

While Dogun was dragged to the corner for interrogation, Yoonseo was being pulled away by her friends for questioning too.

Of course, the mood surrounding her was a lot lighter compared to the serious expression on the guys’ side.

“You didn’t fight, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then what on earth happened…?”

“By mistake… we bumped into each other.”

“Geez… be more careful next time…”

“At least both of you didn’t get seriously hurt, so that’s a relief.”

“But what about the mood? How was it?”

I couldn’t answer that question.

How could I?

We finally had a decent atmosphere, but I ruined it by being foolish.

So, I stayed silent, and apparently, that silence spoke volumes.

“Phew… I guess now that you’re both in this condition, it doesn’t really matter how the mood was, huh?”

“…”

“Well, I never thought it would all go smoothly at once, so let’s go with Plan B here.”

Plan B? There was such a thing?

I felt a little bewildered, but I nodded, indicating I was on board.

Then—

“But for Plan B, we need some preparations, so Yoonseo, go find the first-aid kit right now.”

“…Huh? Why the first-aid kit?”

“Are you gonna leave Dogun’s lip like that?”

“Ah…”

Only after hearing that did I realize I should’ve done that first.

I had been putting off something that should’ve been taken care of ages ago, using my flustered state as an excuse… what a fool I was.

“If you understand, go in with Dogun. The boys will handle it with Chae-dam.”

“…Okay.”

Before heading toward Dogun, I first went inside the pension to find the first-aid kit.

I thought it would be embarrassing if I moved him around first and then found there was no kit, so I searched thoroughly.

Fortunately, as I rummaged through potential places inside, I managed to find the kit in the shoe cabinet.

Apparently, it had been stocked up for emergency situations, as it was filled with all sorts of supplies suitable for treating Dogun’s lip wound.

After confirming that, I went outside again to find Dogun.

But for some reason, I couldn’t see him—

“Uh… over there…?”

“Hmm? You looking for Dogun? He went inside saying he’d visit the bathroom.”

When I asked someone who knew, that’s the answer they gave me.

He was inside.

I hadn’t heard anyone come in…

Did he slip in while I was searching for the first-aid kit?

Anyway, when I heard that, I went back inside the pension. Sure enough, I found Dogun standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, checking out the cut on his lip.

“Ow ow… that looks pretty bad…”

It was the first time I saw the extent of the wound on Dogun’s lip.

And given the love-struck haze that had clouded my eyes, it was rather large.

It was laughable compared to the nosebleed that had just dripped and then stopped.

So… it made me uneasy.

I felt frustrated thinking about what I was doing while Dogun worried about my state, as if something in my heart was crumbling.

“Fool…”

If only I had gotten angry about all of this instead… that would have calmed my heart at least.

Why wasn’t I getting angry?

Because I couldn’t trust him?

Was that it?

So, was it because I had a guardian’s role over him?

As I stood beside that slightly ajar door, nervously biting my unfortunate lip…

Maybe the sound of my lip biting was far too loud.

Noticing my presence a beat too late, Dogun acted shocked as if he hadn’t been grimacing in pain before.

“Ah! You startled me! What are you doing over there?”

That reaction only made me more upset.

Every one of those reactions seemed to draw a line saying he didn’t need to worry about me.

So I was upset, but—

“Are you a pervert? Peeking while someone’s in the bathroom?”

“…Come out.”

“Huh? Why? Are you going to the bathroom?”

“Uh… I have the medicine ready, so come out.”

“Huh? Why the medicine?”

“Are you going to leave it like that? Whether it’s disinfectant or ointment, we need to put something on it.”

I was worried he might refuse outright, but thankfully, he thought to at least let me treat the wound, so he emerged from the bathroom.

And once we reached the living room where the medicine was, I made him sit down forcefully as he tried to return to the bathroom with the ointment.

“Stay seated. I’ll do it for you.”

“…What? Are you giving me medicine after making me sick?”

“Well, even if you can apply the ointment by looking in the mirror, you’ll struggle to put on a bandage neatly.”

“No, I mean… that’s true but… just let me…”

“Sit still.”

“Uh, okay…”

Why does he always have to make a fuss when I initially ask him to listen?

It must’ve been awkward for him because he sat with his knees together, looking all shy as I leaned down a little toward him.

But because of that, he couldn’t meet my eyes due to the accumulating awkwardness.

His expression briefly showed hesitation before he shut his eyes tightly… that reaction from Dogun, which I had never seen before, oddly stirred my feelings.

“Just take it easy.”

“Okay, but don’t overdo it.”

“Still, it’s got to be disinfected.”

“Why would I need disinfectant for a cut on my lip? It’s nothing serious.”

Ignoring his mumbling, I grabbed the antiseptic and opened it, bringing it toward his lip, and just then, his tightly closed lips quivered a little as if he sensed my approach.

He was acting all tough, saying it didn’t hurt, and yet here he was, all dramatic and overreacting…

Feeling annoyed, I took the antiseptic and mercilessly dabbed it onto the wounded area.

“Ugh…!”

He acted as if he were about to die.

“Is that it? We’re done now, right?”

“Since we disinfected it, we need to put on the ointment now.”

“Are you kidding? It’ll heal up just fine on its own.”

“Just stop talking and hold still.”

“Really? I’m the victim here, you know?”

“Ssshhh! Just be quiet for a second.”

With that, I pressed the cotton bud soaked in the ointment toward his lip, and at last, he fell silent.

As I applied the medicine, I made a silent vow in my heart.

No matter what happens, I would never let Dogun get hurt again.

Even if I ended up getting hurt in the process… I’d gladly take the hits instead.

“Please…”

Don’t get hurt anywhere else.

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‘Wow…’

This feels incredibly awkward.

Not that I didn’t expect it—it’s just that I never imagined a day would come where I would be taken care of by Yoonseo like this.

When I was forced to be disinfected earlier, I might have been overdoing it a little with my acting; that’s actually the reason why.

If I hadn’t done that, I felt like I wouldn’t have been able to shake off the bizarre feeling that had wrapped around me at that moment.

What kind of feeling was it, anyway? It was like I could almost feel goosebumps all over my body.

Maybe it was because of my nature, but the bandage stuck on my lip was gnawing at my nerves.

Even knowing I shouldn’t touch it if I wanted to heal faster, I still found my hand wandering that way.

“Stop touching it. You’ll open up the wound again.”

“What am I supposed to do if it bothers me?”

“Are you a child? Can’t you stand a little discomfort?”

Ugh…

I can’t believe a day would come when I’d hear such words from Yoonseo, of all people.

Thus, I found myself sulking lightly, but it seemed Yoonseo misunderstood it for something else.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

The unexpectedly late apology echoed in my ears, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Though it came a bit late, the fact that she apologized reminded me of the Yoonseo I knew.

Of course, she wasn’t too happy that I responded to her serious apology by laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s just people can laugh sometimes, you know? You’re acting like it’s a big deal. Is something wrong? Do you have a problem with me or something?”

When I turned it around like that, maybe it became too much for her, so Yoonseo, guilty as charged, had to swallow her retorts.

“Ugh…”

She couldn’t really argue back, so instead, she shot me a glare, looking frustrated… and seeing that made me quietly nod in satisfaction.

‘Yeah…’

This is the Yoonseo I know.

Absolutely.