This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 576

In a way, it might be something obvious to say, but the action of Miss Almighty approaching Yoonseo first and extending her hand was more than enough to astonish those around them.

Among them, the ones showing the most intense reactions were precisely those who had stuck by her side and had taken on the role of her supporters since she arrived.

It may have only been a few days, but during that time, the experience of the human known as Miss Almighty could be described positively as having a clear ego, but negatively as being a carefree personality that didn’t care about the gazes from others.

Yet here she was, the first person to express any sort of interest towards someone other than Chaerim—whom she had explicitly said she wanted to meet.

So how could they not be shocked?

‘Not just anyone, but the Lightning Lady chose her as a disciple, so it’s already known she’s extraordinary…’


‘Even the world’s strongest takes an interest, huh?’


‘Was Yoonseo really that amazing?’


‘Oh, come on, it’s just someone she wanted to meet, so she probably just wanted to say hello.’


‘Does this mean that the next generation’s representative will be Yoonseo?’


‘I heard she was rivals with Baeksulhwa… Looks like Baeksulhwa is out of the picture now.’

From those who were expressing pure admiration at the scene unfolding, to those who were skeptical, and even those trying hard to downplay the situation while rolling their eyes as if hoping to gain something from it, a hum of whispers emerged like fruit flies buzzing over a summer fruit peel.

And suddenly, Yoonseo, who found herself right in the middle of the commotion, thought inwardly.

It was all a bit ridiculous.

After all, was it really necessary to make such a fuss over a simple hello?

Of course, she knew the person was remarkable, but… she hadn’t said anything particularly significant, had she?

Yet there she was, overthinking to such an extent.

It was just like the saying, “The one who offers rice cake isn’t thinking about it, but the other is already downing kimchi soup.” That phrase existed for a reason.

‘By the way…’


What on earth is this woman thinking?

Why did she approach me first to speak?

If what Chaerim said wasn’t wrong, then maybe she was acting without much thought, simply because it was in front of her… but for now, she decided to rule out that possibility.

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine the world’s strongest hero acting so carefree without any thought behind it.

Even if an action seems thoughtless at first glance, there’s surely a high-level plan behind it.

In that sense, the first thing that came to mind was Chaerim’s existence.

Since the woman in front of her had come to Korea to meet Chaerim in the first place, hadn’t she?

‘According to the news articles I skimmed through briefly before starting work, it seems they met separately yesterday…’


What if she hadn’t managed to fulfill her purpose of meeting Chaerim?

Or what if she had proposed something to Chaerim and was turned down?

It wasn’t unreasonable to think that she might be trying to use me as a sort of stepping stone to pursue her own agenda.

As it stands, I’m outwardly known as Chaerim’s disciple.

So perhaps from her perspective, seeing me would seem to make for an easier leverage.

And if that were the case—

‘There’s no way she wouldn’t use me.’

Because both of us wanted something from each other.

In that sense, if I could manage this situation well… getting support from the world Hero Association wouldn’t be beyond reach.

The thought stirred a fluttering excitement in her heart.

Despite knowing it wouldn’t be helpful to get carried away, she couldn’t help but feel that it was too good to be true.

Still, she tried to suppress her visible excitement, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

It was good to think optimistically, but considering who she was dealing with, acting too rashly could lead to being taken advantage of rather than the other way around.

So she quickly composed herself before gently meeting the hand that was extended toward her.

“Honestly, I still think I’ve got a long way to go… but hearing you praise me like this makes me feel a bit flustered.”

One fortunate thing amidst this situation was that the other person seemed to be quite fluent in Korean.

Other than a slight awkwardness in her intonation, she was almost at a level equivalent to a native speaker.

How that was even possible, she couldn’t fathom, but it was a relief not to have to reveal her poor English skills.

‘If I had known…’


As Dogun always says, she should have properly learned English ahead of time.

With hardly any occasions to go abroad, there seemed to be little point in learning English, which led to her taking it far too lightly.

Well, even if she regretted it now, she would probably act the same way after getting through this situation safely.

Anyway, while skillfully responding to her courteous greeting, she met the extended hand, feeling a firm grip as if the hand was waiting for this moment.

Was she trying to engage in some sort of power struggle?

At first, she thought that, but considering the force behind the grip wasn’t that strong.

It felt closer to a greeting.

Perhaps it was the result of being unable to predict the intentions behind the slightly bewildering behavior of someone who didn’t express herself clearly, making her brow twitch.

“You look great in that suit. It really suits you.”

Suddenly, absurd words drifted into her ears, as if to say, “Why are you so nervous?”

Given who she was dealing with, even meaningless words couldn’t be overlooked.

“…Thank you.”

“If you’ve come dressed like a bodyguard, does that mean you will be my escort today, Yoonseo?”

Somehow.


Suddenly it seemed the compliment about her outfit was to lead to this.

Honestly, she would love to?

That seemed like an excellent idea.

Based on Miss Almighty’s words, if she would be in close protective custody for the day, it would increase her opportunities to converse, and thus the chances of successfully persuading her.

So, truthfully, she wanted to respond “Yes, that’s right” to Miss Almighty—however… she held herself back.

To be fair, she was merely a parachutist who had landed courtesy of her sister’s support; personnel assignments were strictly under the Security Team’s, namely the deputy chief’s, authority.

She had also sneaked a glance in the deputy chief’s direction, as if to seek permission, given the sudden appearance of a big-shot who had turned their guide into a backdrop.

It would have been great if the Security Team leader had been present, but he was busy and not around, so what could be done?

In place of the missing team leader, she had to rely on the deputy chief, who held the next level of authority.

Fortunately, it seemed the deputy chief wasn’t completely oblivious.

As her gaze met his and his line of sight met the world’s strongest, it was as if he had been struck by lightning; he startled and said, “If that’s what you wish, I can ask the team leader.”

With that, he fished out his mobile phone.

He began to make a call somewhere.

“Ah, yes. Team Leader, it’s just that one of our VIP guests…”

…

“…Ah, yes. Understood. I’ll arrange that.”

Though Yoonseo felt a little sorry for the deputy chief, who was bursting with enthusiasm as if he had grand plans of supervising the young, energetic staff, Miss Almighty’s request was quickly accepted.

After all, it was a request from a VIP among VIPs, so it would be stranger not to accept it.

And once her somewhat ambiguous position was solidified—

“That’s great. I had a lot of questions for you too.”

With a radiant smile bursting forth from Miss Almighty seemed to illustrate that she had been waiting for just those words. She clapped her hands together.

“Don’t you think so?”