This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 574

The good thing about the shift from a rotating schedule to a commuting system is that I no longer have to rack my brain to come up with excuses.

In the past, if I had to be away for not just a day or two but a whole week, I would have worried endlessly about how to cover it up, probably ending up with some lame excuse about a business trip.

Now that the commuting system is established, that’s no longer necessary.

Thanks to that, my time spent worrying about trivial matters has significantly decreased, but… on the flip side, there’s the downside of exhaustion.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the building hiding the Rift is located relatively far from Seoul to prepare for any unexpected situations.

Simply commuting back and forth is enough to feel the fatigue piling up inside me.

It’s even worse on days when the traffic is terrible or when the Another Ones are particularly aggressive.

If that’s the case, why switch to a commuting system instead of just having me rotate shifts every day? What was the logic behind sticking to a week-long rotation?

Is it because of the stress of that thing?

Anyway… from that perspective, today was such a painfully tiring day, but there’s one thing I’m thankful for: I don’t have to drive back.

If I had to drive back in this state of exhaustion, there might have been a riot among the heroes sent to the Heogye.

“Should I drop you off where you got off before?”

“Yes, please.”

Seeing that they assigned such a luxurious vehicle for transportation shows that the Association really cares about the Heogye and the personnel deployed there.

Even though they care deeply, it feels like they waste time unnecessarily when it should be time to move.

In that sense, the upcoming meeting with that Miss Almighty woman, or whatever she’s called, is bound to help change the Association’s attitude.

As the world’s strongest Hero, her influence on the headquarters won’t be minor, and if the headquarters starts to take action, the Korean Hero Association won’t be able to dawdle anymore.

‘The problem is…’

How to meet her…

I definitely ruled out just barging in without any plan. Given her status, I figured there would be plenty of people trying to approach her like that, and I doubted she would even agree to meet with someone just showing up unannounced.

So, instead of just showing up, I need to create a situation where we can meet naturally… but how?

As the car gets closer to my destination, my worries deepen, but I can at least count one lucky factor: I have vacation starting tomorrow.

If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t even dream of making such plans. I would’ve been too busy guarding the Forward Base at the Heogye to even think about “bumping into” someone like Miss Almighty.

‘Ah, speaking of which…’

Weren’t there plans to gather some candidates for a lecture?

Naturally, working at the Heogye would dull me to news from the real world, but at least I was aware of that one significant event.

After all, the news has been buzzing about it for the past several days, and various communities have been filled with discussions.

Among those places buzzing is one that active heroes frequently use.

From what I skimmed through, there were sentiments like it was better to offer such a golden opportunity to active heroes rather than waste it on those candidates who hadn’t even passed the qualification exam yet.

Thanks to that, it’s a matter that’s impossible to ignore.

If they’re eager to attend the lecture, there are plenty of other ways besides participating as a student.

Of course, participating in another role would hit my pride, so that’s not an option.

Who knows how important that pride is anyway?

‘…Wait a minute.’

Another role, huh.

That’s right—maybe there’d be a chance for me to have a brief chat with that Miss Almighty.

I really hope that’s the case…

One thing’s for sure, creating a gathering isn’t going to be too difficult.

Honestly, considering what the news articles have been relentlessly discussing, it was the deputy chairman, Chae-rim, who’s responsible for this event.

According to the articles, it was because they specifically pointed out Chae-rim that everything has lined up this way… and with that, if I specifically asked her, creating a spot for me shouldn’t be a problem.

As for the spot… wouldn’t something like a staff position work?

On the day of the event, a massive crowd is sure to show up, and to manage that crowd, they would need an equal number of staff.

Saying something like this feels a bit embarrassing, but if one of the famous heroes is acting as staff, then no one would dare behave recklessly.

And if that happens, it would greatly help in managing the event from Chae-rim’s point of view, so it wouldn’t be a completely unappealing proposal.

Yeah, let’s go with that for now.

Let’s try that approach, and if it doesn’t work out, I can always revise my strategy then.

So, as soon as I got home, I headed straight for Chae-rim’s room.

Fortunately, Dogun was already asleep.

“Sister.”

“You’re back?”

Was she busy handling some paperwork she’d let pile up, perhaps?

Normally, it would have been well past time to be in bed, but Chae-rim was still at her desk.

Wondering if there might be some urgent papers she needed to attend to, I glanced at her desk, but contrary to my expectations, it was glaringly empty—no papers in sight.

If there wasn’t any urgent paperwork, it must mean there’s something bothering her…

What could that possibly be?

Before I could dwell on that thought, my curiosity kicked in, but I decided to set it aside for now.

What matters most right now isn’t satisfying my curiosity… but conveying the request I’d been holding on to since I got in the car.

“So, what’s the reason for wanting to see me?”

Perhaps Chae-rim had shared that curiosity too.

With a slight hint of weariness in her gaze, she asked.

“Um… about the lecture that the Association is holding…”

“Oh, that? Why?”

“I was wondering if I could participate too.”

I nudged her gently before getting straight to the point, but it seemed that joining as a student might be challenging after all.

Chae-rim’s brows furrowed slightly as if anticipating my question, insisting that it was impossible.

“So… not as a student,” I said.

“….Then?”

“As a staff member or something like that…”

“That would be possible, but…”

There was no way it was not doable.

Still, Chae-rim’s face showed a lot of hesitation for someone conveying such a possibility.

Almost as if there was something weighing on her mind.

Sure enough, after a brief silence, Chae-rim reluctantly opened her mouth.

Her gaze was fixed on me, piercing as if she could see right through my thoughts.

“Is it because of the Heogye?”

A look that seemed to glimpse my inner feelings.

I should’ve flinched at that, but surprisingly, I felt fine.

“Yes.”

So I was able to answer her question without trembling.

For just a moment, as she gazed blankly at me, I could see something shift in her expression, and with a sigh, she nodded.

“Okay. I’ll let them know in advance.”

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

I had expected her to vehemently oppose me.

But she was giving her consent so readily.

What on earth caused such a change of heart?

Curiosity pushed me to ask.

“Are you sure you won’t try to stop me?”

“Who? Me?”

“Yes.”

And in that moment I noticed the trace of bitterness in Chae-rim’s expression.

“What right do I have to say that?”

The depth of emotion in her words left me at a loss for further response.

It seemed she was not different either, as Chae-rim suddenly looked flustered, quickly regaining her composure as if nothing had happened.

Then…

“Hmm, anyway, I’ll make sure to tell them, so don’t be late.”

She abruptly cleared her throat with an odd sound that anyone would find awkward and issued her command.