This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 617

A voice that was utterly ordinary, just like the ones I heard every day.

And yet, that made the sound all the more jarring as it invaded my ears.

Though it was only for a moment, I couldn’t help but reveal my agitation at hearing those words, and my fingertips twitched and trembled as a result.

And as Dogun’s voice echoed in that way, following closely behind was a strange silence that was too difficult to pinpoint or define.

When I finally snapped back to reality, I instinctively realized that I shouldn’t have just kept my mouth shut at that moment. I should have said something, anything.

If I had managed to utter even a word or two, the situation and atmosphere wouldn’t have spiraled out of control like this.

Knowing it was already spilled water, I understood that regretting it wouldn’t change anything. Yet, it was utterly unavoidable that I thought about how it might have been different had I reacted differently back then.

So… what kind of expression are you giving me right now?

What kind of face are you making as you look at me?

Just as your voice was, are you wearing a face that looks no different from usual?

I wondered.

Curiosity surged so fiercely that it was hard to bear, but… I just couldn’t bring myself to turn around.

To be precise… I couldn’t even dare to.

It’s not like I had the courage to face whatever the worst scenario I was imagining might be.

If I turned to look at Dogun’s expression and came face to face with my worst fears, I felt like my composure would come crashing down.

“…Hiding something? What do you mean by that, Dogun?”

I hadn’t given such commands or even considered doing so, yet I strained my neck in the direction toward Dogun, forcing out an indifferent voice, all because I was conscious of that fact.

I thought that was the case, but how did Dogun, who was on the receiving end, perceive my words?

Honestly, I had no idea.

I couldn’t afford to consider that with my own issues at hand.

So… I could only hope.

I could only quietly pray that my intentions would go through without a hitch.

Was it possible that, unlike usual when I could do anything if I set my mind to it, there was nothing I could do now but that?

A profound sense of helplessness I’d never felt before overwhelmed me.

At the same time, I started to feel a dryness creeping in from the boundary between my lips and the inside of my mouth.

All I wanted was for this situation to just pass as if nothing had happened, as if no one was aware.

Considering Dogun’s typically meticulous personality, the chances of the situation going like that were quite slim.

Maybe it was precisely because I was aware of this that the feeling of helplessness and dry lips only intensified over time.

It must have been a moment where I was being tormented by those two different feelings simultaneously.

Just how long was he going to keep up the silence? Had he finally come to a conclusion of some sort?

Once again, Dogun’s voice flowed into my ears.

“Oh, it’s just… there are a few things that have been on my mind. It’s nothing major.”

Saying that, he quickly added he would go get something and left the room without a moment to spare, leaving me quietly biting my lip while staring at the spot where he had just stood.

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At that very moment when Chae-rim was being tormented by the guilt from regretting her actions, Dogun’s face as he left the room without giving her a moment’s chance to stop him was frightfully stiff.

It was stiff to the point where an employee from another department, who had approached to casually greet Dogun, took one look at his face and quickly retreated.

Was that the influence of the situation?

‘What happened to the guy who always smiled brightly?’

‘Did something bad happen at home…?’

‘He looks really scary…’

As Dogun moved to fulfill Chae-rim’s request, murmurs like that trailed behind him. But in reality, such murmurs, while busy, didn’t even manage to reach his ears.

Honestly, there was no way they would.

At that very moment, Dogun’s mind was practically at full capacity.

That meant there was no space for distractions or anything of the sort.

At this point, Dogun’s thoughts were solely occupied by one significant concern: Chae-rim.

What was it, you might ask?

Dogun was already certain.

He was convinced that Chae-rim was hiding something from him.

Of course, he hadn’t always felt that way.

Given the trust and time they had built, he initially believed in Chae-rim.

At least for Chae-rim, he had no doubt that she would always speak the truth, never a lie.

In the beginning, that was undeniably true… However, at some moment, that certainty began to waver uncontrollably.

It started when he observed awkward reactions from Chae-rim.

With her demeanor, anyone could see that she seemed to be hiding something.

Faced with such a sight, no matter how solid the trust, it couldn’t help but shake.

The moment that uncertainty solidified was when Chae-rim answered his last question.

What did she say again? That there was nothing she was hiding?

Chae-rim, speaking in a tone no different from usual, had tried hard to voice her response, completely unaware that at that very moment, she was scratching her second knuckle with her thumbnail.

And that particular behavior was one that Dogun recognized as a typical sign of her anxiety.

Despite saying there was nothing she was hiding, her body was giving a different signal.

From Dogun’s perspective, it was impossible to trust her words over her physical reaction… And that’s how he reached the conclusion.

In other words… Chae-rim was indeed hiding something from him.

But the real question was, what could that possibly be…?

What on earth was it that made her go so far as to spin a lie she had never told him before to keep it a secret?

He racked his brains to think of anything helpful that might lead him to an answer, but regretfully, nothing illuminating came to mind.

Thus, he could only resort to feeling despair.

At the same time, he felt it was understandable.

From his perspective, it was only natural to think that way… Since there really was no secret worth mentioning between him and Chae-rim.

If such a matter existed, it should have popped into his mind right away.

Yet now, as he spun his wheels, nothing came up, suggesting that whatever secret Chae-rim might be holding was likely unrelated to her.

‘Of course, you only find out the truth once you dig deeper…’

But since there was currently nothing in his grasp, he could only think that way.

A secret unrelated to his sister that could still turn her into this.

What could that possibly be?

He must have been lost in thought, considering such possibilities.

‘…Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, a certain thought sprang to mind, once again tightening his expression.