This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 634

When exactly is that ‘back then’ that the Senior talks about?

Surprisingly, I didn’t have such a question.

Thinking it over, it might have been an obvious thing.

After all, there was likely only one moment that the Senior could be referring to at this very instant.

It must surely be… about that day when I went to find the murderer who killed the Senior’s parents at her request.

And the only thought that came to mind when I realized that fact was a single one.

Cowardly.

To bring that up at this timing of all times.

It left me with not much to say at all.

Suddenly, that thought filled my mind, yet I refrained from voicing it out loud.

It wasn’t like I was never going to see the Senior again after this moment. If it could be helped, I would prefer to continue seeing her in the future, so wasn’t there really no need to say something that could cause hurt to each other?

Thus, I kept silent, but… perhaps the Senior didn’t feel the necessity to let go of the opportunity she had finally grasped.

With a gaze that seemed to observe me intently, the Senior’s voice followed.

“No matter how I spoke back then, Dogun, you would have followed me to the end, right?”

“…”

“Am I wrong?”

I couldn’t bring myself to deny that.

Knowing that I would have acted that way, I had no choice but to agree.

That much… the image of the Senior I saw that day was precarious and uncertain.

Looking back now, I would say she appeared as if her knees would buckle and she would collapse at any moment.

Or sometimes, it felt like she would suddenly vanish right before my eyes.

Unlike the reliable and admirable person she usually presented.

For that reason, I couldn’t leave the Senior alone, which is why I accompanied her… Little did I know that such a fact would turn back to me like a dagger.

This was one thing I didn’t want to say…

“…You are cowardly, Senior.”

This phrase, which eventually slipped from my lips, I knew would stab sharply into the Senior.

Yet I couldn’t help but say it.

And the Senior’s reaction to my statement was… a bitter smile.

“Perhaps… that may be true.”

Perhaps that might indeed be true?

What does that even mean?

I had no way of knowing.

Thanks to that, I fell silent once more.

At some point, the expression on the Senior’s face had grown so complex and subtle that there was no way it wouldn’t lead to this.

It looked like she was recalling a distant past while also appearing very bitter.

Anyone would react like me when confronted with such an expression.

“In truth, I… am not the just person you think I am.”

This was why I didn’t want to say that…

It felt as if I had swallowed some badly made coffee, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

The bitterness that lingered on my tongue was so strong it felt as though my tongue was momentarily paralyzed.

“I’m just struggling to appear that way.”

So, seeing me struggle, could you not put a stop to this if my situation made you a bit sympathetic?

At some point, the Senior had started speaking like that.

Did she perhaps decide that it would be far more effective to appeal to my emotions than to persuade me with cold logic?

…And indeed, it was not without effect.

With no one other than the Senior, someone I respected deeply, debasing herself in such a manner to plead with me, I began to feel that the ‘determination’ I thought I had solidified as strongly as possible, began to waver little by little.

And if I ignored that wavering… it would soon become a rift that would crumble me down.

I couldn’t afford to let it be.

Having placed far too many things at stake to stand here now.

So—

“I’m sorry, Senior.”

Those were my words.

A fleeting sentence compared to what the Senior said.

Yet somehow, it felt like it had managed to convey my sincerity to the Senior.

Right at that moment, the cracks on the Senior’s face, which had been making an effort to appear composed throughout our conversation, began to tremble.

“You could… die if you go.”

“I know.”

“Even knowing that, you still… want to go?”

Could you please not go?

Could you not simply wait until Yoonseo returns in reality?

The Senior’s desperate plea that slipped from her lips struck my heart.

Yet, that alone wouldn’t shake the fortress I had strengthened.

Thanks to that, I could nonchalantly shrug my shoulders.

“What can I do? She doesn’t intend to come back on her own.”

The Senior fell silent.

“Then I have to go and bring her back.”

“If that’s the case, then let me…!”

Did she just say she would go instead of me?

Maybe there was such an option.

Given that I possess nothing more than self-defense techniques learned from the Senior and Chae-rim, and that encountering even one Another could put my life in jeopardy, while the Senior could easily squash dozens of Another with a single gesture, perhaps having her take that role would be much safer.

But…

“No.”

Even knowing that, I looked directly into the Senior’s eyes and slowly shook my head.

Then I declared.

“This is something I have to do.”

“And why…!”

“Because the opponent is Yoonseo.”

That was all I could articulate as a response to the Senior.

And that was also my truth.

Yes, after all, it was Yoonseo.

That foolish girl— I had no choice but to act myself in the end.

Especially considering that it was my fault she had ended up there in the first place.

“Well, what about us? What about me and my sister who will be left behind? And Bora who will suffer with the guilt of having shoved you into danger?”

What would those left behind become if you acted that way?

Is Yoonseo precious, but we’re not?

The voice laced with indignation rang in my ears.

“To me, Yoonseo… the Senior, Chae-rim, and Bora are all equally precious. But…”

They were all truly wonderful people who were more than I could deserve.

I had always tried my best to accommodate them.

But… Yoonseo was a bit different in that regard.

I could no longer turn a blind eye to the heart of Yoonseo, who kept on growing, and that ultimately led to us becoming lovers, but before that, Yoonseo had been like a niece to me.

Not just any niece that I’d see occasionally during holidays, but she was more like someone I had raised myself… if I could put it that way.

“In the beginning, it was just because it was painful to see a seven-year-old girl crying, unable to part from her friends…”

As I spent time with Yoonseo, bit by bit, she became precious to me.

It was thanks to her that I ended up studying—something I hadn’t dared to do in my previous life, even looking through various papers.

I simply didn’t want to see her getting hurt or downcast while out in the world; before I knew it, I had naturally become protective over her.

Thanks to that, even after graduating from kindergarten and elementary school, I continued to stick with Yoonseo. Our friends jokingly commented that we were like a married couple since we were always together.

They teased Yoonseo, mentioning that she might end up developing a dependency.

Those words were mainly meant to poke fun, but every time I heard them, my heart would twinge.

They had no ability to look into one’s true feelings; they simply judged by appearances. The truth was, rather than Yoonseo being dependent on me, it was I who was dependent on her.

Remembering my previous life had come so abruptly that I couldn’t gather my thoughts and felt adrift; Yoonseo was what anchored me to this world.

And now, this very Yoonseo walked herself into a dangerous place to get my left arm back to normal.

So what could I do?

Even if I had to drag her back by the collar, I had to go myself.

Thus, if there were any more words left to say, I gazed intently at the Senior across from me, as if to communicate my resolve.

Did she sense my determination in my posture?

The Senior bit her lip tightly.

“You’ve made up your mind… about everything.”

“…Yes.”

As if she instinctively realized that no matter what she did here, she wouldn’t be able to stop me.