This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 57

A red-hot face, eyes that appeared completely absent of clarity.

The moment those two things caught my eye, I cast a glance toward my paper cup, half-hoping.

And when I checked one last time, realizing that the pumpkin-colored liquid, which had been half-full and sloshing around, had vanished without a trace, I genuinely felt like pulling my hair out.

“Oh dear…”

I said it had evaporated, but this wasn’t a hot summer day; there’s no way that could happen on a freezing winter night. So it was obvious where it had disappeared to.

This was clearly my mistake.

At the moment I should have just discarded it, yet here I was, at a loss for what to do.

Meanwhile, our heavily intoxicated wannabe hero was gazing up at me with that blank smile, completely unaware of the chaos brewing in my mind.

I had no idea what was so funny or why they felt so good.

“Right…”

They must be feeling great.

Having downed that strong stuff, they were likely floating on cloud nine.

“Hehehe…”

“Are you an idiot? Stop grinning like a fool!”

Maybe that was why they kept laughing; I chimed in, and immediately their lips stuck out, cheeks puffed up, turning them into a pufferfish mode.

“Ugh… I’m not an idiot!”

“Of course, you would say that. Yes, yes, our Yoonseo is smart, very smart.”

“You’re the idiot…! Idiot!”

Was hearing that I was an idiot really that aggrieving?

“So who drank what was inside here?”

“Umm…”

Huh? Did they not drink it?

“…I did!”

Of course, that made sense.

It was stupid of me to even think ‘maybe…?’ for a second.

Since it had come to this, I decided to satiate my curiosity.

“Why did you drink it?”

“…Um, I was thirsty?”

Oh, I see.

So they were thirsty.

They drank it out of thirst.

I suppose alcohol does make you thirsty.

“Right, that makes sense. Then shall we head inside and rest?”

“…I don’t want to!”

Why are you being like this to me?

I couldn’t just force them into the room like with friends.

If I did, it’s obvious a ruckus would ensue, and who on earth would deal with that?

At least I didn’t have the confidence to handle that chaos.

Honestly, I was just grateful they were manageable considering how drunk they were.

“Why don’t you want to go inside?”

“Um… just!”

It felt like I had become a kindergarten teacher.

Just!

To think that such a stifling expression could exist apart from any other.

“Oh dear…”

I have no idea anymore.

Since it’s cold out, wouldn’t they just want to go inside eventually?

Still, I couldn’t just leave a drunk person alone, so I settled back into my original spot, prepared to wait.

“Hehe…”

And once again, they laughed happily.

“Really… are you happy?”

“Yeah…”

Their response, while accompanied by a bobbing head, was both puppy-like and utterly foolish.

Well, honestly, I wondered what it mattered now.

If they were happy, that was what counted, right?

Anyway, with that, I planned to munch on the sweet potato I had set aside. I picked it out from the embers, using a pair of chopsticks, and even got the heat-resistant gloves I had used for grilling meat to peel it while blowing on it, taking a big bite when—

“What the…! Why are you eating alone…!”

“No, I didn’t even say I would share…”

“That’s unfair…! I want sweet potato too…!”

Shouting that, they sprang up like a dog chasing a frisbee and chomped down on the sweet potato I was holding right before I even swallowed my big bite. Honestly, I thought I might choke.

“Hot…!”

“…Are you an idiot? Of course, it’s hot; you thought it’d be cold?”

“I’m not an idiot?! I’m not an idiot!”

So, they weren’t an idiot, nor were they drunk, huh?

Then what exactly were they?

I was pondering that seriously when it seemed they were managing to hold on quite well, though that too seemed to be nearing its limit.

Yoonseo, her body sagging helplessly, suddenly curled up and murmured softly.

“Ugh… it’s cold…”

With the sound of the wind whooshing past and the crackling of the firewood, everything around us was so quiet, devoid of the usual sounds of cars; maybe that’s why her small mumble resonated particularly well today.

“Right? It’s cold, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we go inside now?”

When I said that, she simply refused.

‘Isn’t it cold, though? What am I supposed to do…’

My head throbbed in confusion, but since she mentioned being cold, I decided to dig around in my pockets for a hot pack to hand over.

“It’s cold…”

That murmur echoed once again—

‘…Oh?’

Yoonseo smoothly stood up from her spot.

I thought maybe she was finally planning to head inside, so I paused, swallowing my words, and held my breath to watch her as she stood there, dazed.

Her head slowly turned toward me.

But what followed…

Before I could even react, Yoonseo dove right into my arms.

“Hey, hey…”

To be honest?

I was a bit flustered.

I never imagined she’d suddenly want to snuggle in like this.

Was it the surprise that made my heart pound?

That must have been it.

At first, I couldn’t respond firmly; I just froze.

And it seemed Yoonseo was quite fond of how my body was warm from the hot packs stuck all over me.

As if not wanting to lose the warmth she found in the bitter cold, she cuddled tightly against me, and feeling that grip, I almost gave up on shaking her off.

I had no idea where such power was hidden in that little body, but I didn’t feel like it would fall away even if I tried to shake it off.

“Hehe…”

Oh dear…

She liked it, clearly.

At this point, I didn’t know what to think.

If I left it as is, she’d either wake up and be embarrassed when she came to her senses or just fall asleep, unable to handle the booze.

If she woke up and was embarrassed, that would be no good for her, but that was her issue to deal with since she got drunk. If she fell asleep, I could just toss her in her room.

Thinking that, I tilted my head back to gaze at the sky.

Maybe it was because the air was so clear in the countryside. Or maybe because barely any light around us was just the firelight left, but the night sky above was sparkling with stars.

Those sparkles were annoyingly bright.

*

‘Mmm…’

What the hell happened…?

I had no idea.

One thing was certain: my throat felt extremely parched.

And… my head was pounding.

It felt like my stomach hadn’t eaten for two days, burningly painful.

What on earth led me to this state?

No matter how hard I tried to think through the pain stabbing at my head, nothing came to mind.

So, I had cautiously opened my squeezed-shut eyes, thinking maybe I could alleviate the thirst that felt like I had swallowed a handful of sand—

‘…Ah.’

At that moment, the familiar sleeve shape that entered my line of sight sparked a memory.

So… what exactly happened last night?

To be precise, it felt more accurate to say that the memories were forcibly revived.

Among the flood of memories that began to pour in, there was also the Plan B that I had ambitiously pushed together with Sangah.

‘That’s right…’

We had intended to get Dogun drunk, then pry his real thoughts out of him; that’s why we stirred up such a fuss.

The plan, focused on that goal, had progressed successfully to some extent.

We managed to create an atmosphere that made it impossible for him to refuse a drink, and thanks to that, we even succeeded in getting him to drink.

‘And then what happened…?’

I clutched my throbbing head and slowly retraced the memories pouring in one by one.

And the result was clear in my mind.

The last time Dogun had taken a drink was the end of that road.

And seeing Dogun, I had kept downing the cups in anxious excitement.

And… and…

The memories that began to flood in afterwards were… ones I wished had been erased from my mind entirely.

What on earth made me think it was a good idea to do all those… crazy things yesterday?

No matter how drunk I was… to act spoiled and, near the end, to even snuggle up to Dogun like he was a furnace…

Was it because I had recalled things I shouldn’t have?

The thirst that had been tormenting my throat was suddenly of no concern anymore.

Instead… I just wanted to die.

Feeling so embarrassed… I wanted to disappear.

‘What do I do…?’

Every time the messy actions I took with Dogun crossed my mind, my face felt like it was on fire.

I couldn’t even face Dogun properly now.

‘Instead…’

How about just pretending to have drunk too much, so I couldn’t remember what happened last night?

Don’t they say that when you’re drunk, everything just becomes hazy?

If I had an excuse like that…

In my overwhelming embarrassment, such thoughts flickered through my mind, but… I didn’t have the courage.

I couldn’t just act shamelessly in front of Dogun, acting like nothing happened, like I didn’t remember a thing.

How could I do that?

Especially… since I had even snuggled up to him.

…I needed time.

I just needed enough time to let things settle.

So even if my throat screamed for water and my stomach churned, I pretended to be asleep and tried to feign ignorance, when suddenly…

Knock knock—

“Hey, if you’re awake, come out and eat.”

At the moment I was trying to cover myself with the blanket, the voice that came with the knock prevented me from continuing my ruse.

‘Aaaah…!’

A scream that I couldn’t release for fear Dogun might hear behind the door echoed inside me, reverberating through my body.