This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 622

I already knew the truth.

I understood that trying to cling to Chae-rim and plead wouldn’t have much effect.

It was obvious that Yoonseo’s request was a result of her insisting on giving in after failing to persuade Yoonseo to drop the idea, which meant I was in a similar situation with my own request.

At least Yoonseo had the talent to protect herself; all I have is this pitiful body of mine…

For Chae-rim, it would be even harder to listen to my plea.

I was fully aware of that fact, but despite everything, I had no choice but to cling to Chae-rim because there were no other options.

Just as I mentioned earlier, if I wanted to give Yoonseo a hard knock on her flawless forehead to bring her back, I’d have to go to where Yoonseo was myself.

And to enable that, I needed to utilize the rift the Expedition Team used to cross into Heogye somewhere in Korea.

So, what to do?

There was no answer other than to borrow Chae-rim’s strength.

Without the authority of someone like a vice chairman, I could figure out the rift’s location but wouldn’t be able to approach it.

If I got too close to the building hiding the rift, I’d be captured as a suspicious person.

Since it was certain that this would happen all by myself, I needed Chae-rim’s power, her authority as a vice chairman.

The problem was that Chae-rim would definitely not allow that…

What should I do?

What can I do to win Chae-rim back to my side?

As my worries deepened, I realized I couldn’t just sit there pondering forever.

Especially in a situation where the Expedition Team, including Yoonseo, was presumed to have already entered Heogye.

After all, it could be a matter of life and death at any moment.

So rather than getting lost in thought, I decided to make a move.

“If that’s the case, then please send me there too.”

Perhaps because she couldn’t muster the courage to meet my gaze or perhaps because she wanted to hide her expression from me, Chae-rim had kept her head down since earlier when I said that.

And no sooner had the words left my mouth than I saw it.

Chae-rim, abruptly raising her head as if she had heard something unacceptable.

“D-Don’t talk nonsense! You know how dangerous that place is because you’ve experienced it yourself, right? So why…!”

Why would she say such things?

Why make the listener’s heart ache with such words?

That was ultimately what Chae-rim was trying to tell me.

I was completely certain of it.

A sudden laugh escaped my lips.

Even though I knew that showing such a reaction wouldn’t help in convincing Chae-rim, I couldn’t help it.

I simply couldn’t.

From my perspective, I really had no choice… because the situation felt so ridiculous.

You know exactly how dangerous Heogye is because you’ve experienced it firsthand, right?

Of course, I really did know.

Just as Chae-rim said, I knew it better than anyone thanks to my direct experience.

The reason I could speak of it in hindsight was that those events were all in the past; at that time, I felt like I was walking on a precisely sharpened blade.

Yet I didn’t show any signs of that knowledge because I figured acting naive while relying on Chae-rim would not help me survive.

Thus, I maintained my composure back then, but reflecting on it now, my hands trembled involuntarily from fear over the time spent in Heogye.

That place was where I learned just how powerless I could become.

And that’s exactly what Heogye is.

Yoonseo entered that place of her own will.

And the one who made that possible… was undoubtedly Chae-rim’s assistance.

Thinking about it, it is really a simple matter.

Although Yoonseo is regarded as a sure lottery win within Korea, she wasn’t on par with the rankers known to have joined the Expedition Team.

The fact that the World Hero Association accepted Yoonseo’s participation means there was something there to compensate for her shortcomings.

Maybe… a guarantee regarding Yoonseo’s abilities from someone?

As far as I know, the only person capable of doing that was Chae-rim.

That’s why Chae-rim’s significance is considerable in Yoonseo being accepted into the Expedition Team… yet she says such things.

“Then what about Yoonseo?”

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but question her.

The moment those words left my mouth, I saw the expression of ‘disappointment’ arise on Chae-rim’s face.

Well, that makes sense.

She would realize how flimsy her logical argument was based on our recent exchange.

Ah… I really… don’t want this.

Was it due to the anxiety that had filled my chest?

I felt a surge of anger.

I knew that Chae-rim was merely a victim who had been sacrificed in Yoonseo’s insistence.

As I’ve said before, if only Chae-rim had acted brazenly, or had come at me with indifference, I wouldn’t feel my head spinning this much.

Though I understood her position, the fact that she had deceived me sparked a surge of anger as I watched her struggle to meet my gaze, causing my rage to roam aimlessly.

And that wayward anger turned towards me.

Simultaneously… I realized.

No matter what I said, even if I went on like a mad genius negotiator making my case, Chae-rim wasn’t going to be convinced.

I had always felt this vaguely, but experiencing it this way made it hit home more than ever.

That’s why.

I decided to give up on trying to persuade Chae-rim any further.

“I… understand your thoughts, sis.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to take a half-day today. I don’t think I can concentrate on work like this…”

Fortunately… Chae-rim didn’t try to stop me with those words.

“… okay.”

She merely allowed my sudden leave as if it were the most natural thing.

It was obvious that continuing our conversation would only lead to a dead end, so perhaps she thought giving me a moment to think wasn’t a bad idea.

Yet even as she allowed me to leave, I could feel her gaze following me, hinting at her unease.

Slowly… feeling the weight of Chae-rim’s gaze upon my back, I made my way out of her office.

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【Yoonseo’s Perspective】

At that very moment when Dogun, having failed to persuade Chae-rim, was looking for another way out of her office, Yoonseo was…

Staring blankly down at the mobile phone in her hand.

‘So this… is how it turns out.’

It was surprising that it had gone this far without being discovered.

Maybe this is what it feels like when the inevitable finally comes to pass.

Even as she tried to calm her heart, it still felt prickly inside.

To be honest, it wasn’t that shocking.

It had all gone according to her expectations.

Could she really say she hadn’t seen this coming?

She had, of course.

Yet she still chose to act.

So now, feeling like her heart had a scratch on it, she couldn’t help but be surprised, but…

In this situation, there was one thing that weighed heavily on her mind: it was that all her last conversations with Dogun had been based on lies.

Instead of trying to express her true feelings and asking Dogun for his support, what if she had just been honest?

Would she still have regrets now?

Honestly, she had no idea.

That’s why she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the mobile phone in her hand.

Even with those Another Ones swarming in the distance.