This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 624

Perhaps… it might actually exist.

Finding the location of the Artificial Rift, which might be guarded by dozens, if not hundreds, of people, and using it, or throwing myself into the Rift that could open anywhere at any time, desperately clutching onto a slim chance like a complete fool, is a much more reliable and safer method.

I was momentarily lost in thought in front of the Association building, where I was temporarily using this place after suddenly being cut off from my workplace, when I quickly pulled out my Mobile Phone.

It felt like a good idea to confirm whether the method I had just thought of could actually be implemented.

So I took out my Mobile Phone and entered Bora’s contact, dialing it immediately…

Drrring…

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the call to connect.

Bora, considering her job, often falls asleep when others are awake, but it seemed she was in the middle of her activity, as the call connected before the signal had even rung twice.

“Hey, Dogun, what’s up?”

Her voice, welcoming my call without any idea of what I was about to ask.

Listening to her voice coming through the speaker pressed against my ear made something inside my Heart tingle, perhaps a place that could be called my conscience, but I held it back.

It was right to feel sorry for Bora, and indeed, I was doing something that would prick my conscience, but what was important right now wasn’t that.

What’s important right now… was somehow persuading Yoonseo to come back to reality.

In the face of such a noble cause, the pangs of conscience could not be a hindrance.

Of course… there was a high probability I’d regret it later…

‘…That’s a problem for later.’

Right now, I needed to handle one thing at a time.

“What are you doing? Are you busy?”

That was the very reason I had asked her that.

“Me? Of course, I’m working on a manuscript.”

If it was Bora, it was exactly what I expected.

The response came back just as I had anticipated.

I had guessed that would be the case when I called.

“Where are you? At home?”

“No? I’m at the studio.”

“Oh…?”

“Yeah, but why are you suddenly asking that?”

When she asked, I answered, but after saying it, I suddenly wondered why I was asking that.

Receiving a question like “Why are you asking that suddenly?” made me feel at a loss for words.

“Well… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Aha.”

“So, I was thinking of coming to the studio. Would that be okay?”

I thought she would be happy about it.

It made sense since Bora was always very pleased when I visited her studio.

So I spoke like that, but…

“Right now…?”

Her response was a bit strange.

Rather than enthusiastically agreeing with my proposal, her voice, aimed at answering my question, was filled with surprise.

Because of that, I was also taken aback.

“Is it going to be hard…?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that…”

Like a typical awkward person, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, “How long will it take?”

“Hmm…?”

“How long do you think it will take to get here?”

“How long will it take…?”

“I’ll be leaving from the Association building, so…”

I estimated it would take about 30 to 40 minutes, and she responded that would be sufficient.

I didn’t really know what was so sufficient, but still…

“Then, I’ll wait!”

“Uh, okay…”

When she exhibited confusion at my visit request, now she was being proactive.

People in the arts often say that their emotional fluctuations are like a rollercoaster, and right now, Bora’s behavior perfectly reflected that.

Thanks to this, I was seriously confused about how to respond to her mood swings.

So, while I stared blankly at the Mobile Phone screen for a while, realizing this wasn’t the time to dawdle, I quickly called for a taxi.

I took the arriving taxi and headed straight to Bora’s studio.

Bora’s studio was located on the top floor of a six-story building that had a famous franchise cafe on the first floor.

I had once asked why she chose this building to set up her studio, especially when there were better and newer buildings nearby, and she explained that the other buildings were too tall, making the elevator rides too long.

And the first floor housed her favorite coffee franchise, which she loved dearly.

As she naturally ended up drinking beverages while working, she couldn’t be bothered to go far just to get a drink.

‘Let’s see, what was Bora’s favorite menu…’

Was it iced tea with an extra shot?

If it’s iced tea, why would you mix in coffee? I couldn’t understand at all, but according to Bora, it had a strange addictive quality.

I had tried it once, but no matter how I thought about it, it just wasn’t my taste.

While waiting for my ordered drink to arrive and momentarily lost in my thoughts, I felt it was enough to ease my tension, so I began choosing my words for Bora.

‘How to…’

Would it be good to speak?

How could I minimize the time it would take to persuade Bora, who I would soon face?

It was at that moment, grasping the buzzing bell the barista had handed me, while I was deep in thought.

Tap, tap, someone patted my shoulder.

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

Thinking I might have been blocking someone’s path from the sudden contact, I instinctively apologized and moved aside…

“What are you sorry for?”

As soon as I moved aside, I was met with the mischievous face of Bora, smiling brightly.

“Oh, what? I thought you were someone else…”

Well, that part was understandable, but why was she, who should have been waiting for me in her studio on the top floor of this building, here?

I soon found out.

As she directly stated, “I came down to buy a drink or something for you before you arrived… I guess I was a little late.”

She looked quite disappointed.

Seeing her expression, I continued, “Buying a drink could have been done by anyone.”

“So what did you order?”

“Um… for now, I ordered a Mango Smoothie for you…”

“You got the Mango Smoothie for yourself, right?”

“Oh?”

“No?”

“Y-Yeah.”

To be honest, I was slightly surprised.

I didn’t think Bora, who is rather self-centered, would accurately discern my tastes.

“…You know?”

So, I unintentionally exclaimed, and perhaps finding my reaction amusing, Bora chuckled softly as if she heard something funny.

And there was a strange charm in the way Bora smiled that attracted the attention of others.

With her hair color and unique sense of style, she already stood out, but with that charm combined?

The gazes of everyone around began to gather towards us.

Ignoring that, Bora, lowering her mask slightly, eagerly continued speaking.

“Of course, I know. It’s about the person I like.”

As if aware that there might be people around who could recognize her face, she wore a cap pulled down low and a black mask covering her chin.

With her fair face and the smile blooming above it, I felt completely taken aback by her bold declaration hitting me right in the heart.

While I was reflexively gasping for air, the nearby people who happened to overhear her forthright remark began to exclaim, “Oh my, oh my…”

“Wait? Did she just say that?”

Bora didn’t seem to care about the reactions from around us, her gaze entirely focused on me.

And as I faced Bora, something in my Heart started to ache once more.

As if I had swallowed thorns.