This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 586

[Seolhwa’s POV]

Yoonseo was away on a business trip for a total of one week.

One week.

It could be seen as both short and long, depending on how you looked at it.

However, considering the current situation the Association was facing, it felt rather strange.

Honestly, that was unavoidable because Yoonseo was one of the heroes with a pretty high mission success rate.

The Association basically allocates missions based on the talents of each hero, but that doesn’t mean every hero can always succeed.

In training scenarios, that might not be a concern, but in real situations, variables often run rampant.

And though it doesn’t happen too often, occasional incidents can lead to such chaos, so during hero promotions, the mission success rate is just as important as the records of duties performed or the accomplishments accumulated.

If you think about it for a second, that was entirely reasonable.

After all, when someone boasts a high mission success rate, it means they have the ability to handle unexpected situations competently.

In that sense, Yoonseo was practically an ace in this current climate.

When compared to others, it was evident.

Honestly, it should be no surprise because, unlike those whose talents leaned more towards attack, Yoonseo excelled in both offense and defense.

When Yoonseo got serious about holding her ground, even formidable opponents wouldn’t dare to breach her defenses.

Yet, despite her outstanding competency in handling missions, they’re sending her away on a week-long business trip to another country?

In a situation where every hand was desperately needed?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand the rationale.

Considering Yoonseo explained that it felt a bit wrong to refuse since it was based on an agreement made before the incident, I still found it puzzling.

An agreement between associations?

Of course, that’s important.

In a way, it could directly affect the nation’s credibility, so it’s undoubtedly significant, but…

Should it be prioritized in a situation where I’m in dire need?

Honestly, it was hard to say definitively.

That’s why I couldn’t get my head around the Association’s decision to send Yoonseo on a week-long trip to China.

It even crossed my mind that perhaps one of those responsible for that decision had received something from the Chinese Superhuman Association, which felt like an exaggerated suspicion, yet it lingered.

‘The fact that the trip destination was specifically China also bugged me.’

Saying that makes me feel like a prejudiced person, but it’s no secret that the Chinese Superhuman Association has had a lot of talk around it for quite some time.

One of the reasons for such chatter was the poor treatment of their own heroes, or as they call them, superhumans.

It’s openly said that the Chinese Hero Association is more of an organization created to exploit heroes more efficiently rather than protect their rights.

There’s a reason so many are hiding the fact that they’ve awakened talents in China.

Because the moment even a decent talent falls under the radar of the Chinese Superhuman Association, they get drained of everything, so out of fear of repercussions, everyone hides their abilities.

‘If you think about it, it’s strange that the country hasn’t flipped upside down yet.’

So, is it true that they might be brainwashing and hiding awakened individuals with related abilities in China?

Well, regardless of the truth, it’s precisely this hub of scandals.

Yet, in a situation like we have now, they send a hero like Yoonseo on a trip there?

For a whole week, no less?

Considering that Dogun was here, it seemed impossible, but what if Yoonseo got absorbed over there and flipped to their side? How would they plan to address that situation?

No matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.

So suspicions began to arise.

But the real issue was… what could Yoonseo gain by lying?

Almost a week’s time?

That’s merely an afterthought, as it’s hard to see it as the true motive.

‘A week… A week…’

No, what kind of case could Yoonseo handle over there in nearly a week’s time…

Just as those questions deepened, the breakthrough came unexpectedly.

After all, I accidentally discovered the existence of several heroes who were absent around the same period Yoonseo was, for similar reasons.

Of course, among them was one who wasn’t on a business trip like Yoonseo but took a week’s vacation for mental health.

That person’s existence was also a clue.

Honestly, this situation was to be expected; if things were as they used to be with the Association, getting a week’s vacation during a time like now would generally be impossible.

That meant this person must have gone through something that others could easily agree, “Ah, this is unavoidable…”

And getting to find out the specifics wasn’t too hard.

It felt a bit awkward to say this myself, as if I was patting my own back, but thanks to regularly connecting with colleagues, I was able to gather information that only insiders would know.

Among the information gathered, I learned that someone who took a “week” off had tragically lost a fiancé during a previous attack incident.

“Such a truly unfortunate thing. Someone whose job is to be a hero couldn’t protect the one they promised to cherish for life…”

While heroes do tend to have some wild images, that’s really just a stigma from the few years of fallouts; surprisingly many heroes have married their long-time partners.

That hero probably had dreams of that future, only to lose their promised partner due to a moment’s misfortune; it’s quite natural for them to lose their mind over it.

Given the circumstances, it made perfect sense for the Association to grant that hero a week’s vacation despite the current climate…

But was it merely a coincidence that the vacation period overlapped precisely with Yoonseo’s trip?

That wasn’t the only odd thing.

It was also strangely concerning how mentions of the Heogye exploration, which had caused quite a stir in South Korea, had abruptly ceased.

Of course, it could be said that people’s interest shifted due to various subsequent issues, but even so… this long without mention seemed improbable.

Unless someone was deliberately silencing specific groups, it didn’t make any sense.

At this moment, amidst all this chaotic handling of possibly ongoing incidents elsewhere, actively selecting contractors and even deploying assessment teams suggested they were preparing for the exploration quite energetically.

How could it go silent so suddenly?

‘Could it be…’

Just as that thought crossed my mind, an unexpected possibility flickered in my head, but I shook my head to dismiss it.

It couldn’t be.

In the immediate moment, there was no way to consider such a stretch.

No matter how I thought about it, it felt too far-fetched.

‘Hmm…’

Would Chae-rim’s sister know something?

There’s a good chance she might.

After all, the Vice Association Chairman’s position isn’t just for show.

However, asking felt awkward.

If it came off as jealousy towards Yoonseo, that would not be a good look.

I didn’t want to appear competitive with someone who was more than just another person, especially with Dogun in the mix.

Not for any other reason, but for pride’s sake.

So ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to call her.