This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 67

“Isn’t it boring to come to school this early and sit alone in the classroom?”

That question came up while I was walking toward school, just like any other day.

“…What?”

“I mean, honestly, there aren’t many kids coming at this hour. So when you arrive in the classroom, it’ll usually just be you and Dogun, and that sounds pretty boring.”

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

Lately, when I arrived at the classroom, I would pull out the cushion I stashed in my locker and take a quick nap.

This way, I could sleep for about 40 minutes, and waking up from that quick nap always felt wonderfully refreshing.

Sure, my body might feel a bit sore, but still!

“Can’t I just kill time looking at my mobile phone instead?”

In the beginning, I did that too.

But soon, I found that killing time like that could only last for a day or two. After a few days, I couldn’t stand it anymore.

Anyway, I was curious why that question suddenly popped up.

I paused my slow nodding and threw a glance at my senior, who seemed to take a moment to choose her words carefully before finally speaking.

“Then, would you be interested in watching me practice in the morning?”

“…Huh?”

“I just thought you seemed curious about it the other day.”

That was true. I might have casually mentioned it before.

Still, I hadn’t openly requested anything because I thought it would be rude to my senior.

She had told me that the morning training usually focused on physical conditioning, but still… training is training, right?

Perhaps there were some techniques included in the training process that might be a bit embarrassing to show off.

Actually, eavesdropping on a hero’s personal training sessions without permission is considered a taboo in the industry.

Yet here was my senior proposing such an offer casually.

I wanted to dive right in and say yes, but my conscience held me back…

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, usually people don’t show their training to others like that.”

I tried to decline once.

In response, she just chuckled as if questioning why I was worrying about that.

“Usually, yes… but the morning sessions are mostly physical training. Or do you think the physical training part might be boring?”

Looking at my senior now, it seemed like if I nodded, she’d grant me permission to watch the afternoon training as well.

But that wasn’t what I wanted.

It feels wrong to say this, but I honestly didn’t have much curiosity about that.

In contrast, I was full of questions about the physical training she did every morning.

You never know what you might discover.

Among the routines my senior does every morning, there might be exercises that even Yoonseo would find impressive.

Even if not, I was curious about what kind of routine she followed to build her stamina.

If she had been repeating it for nearly five years, she must have a solid system in place, right?

What if I could adapt that into Yoonseo’s training plan instead of just fiddling with the basics?

It would surely be better than just that.

‘The best option would be for her to get training from a professional trainer, though…’

I’ve studied enough in areas related to talent to consider myself a semi-expert, but when it comes to sports, not so much.

A clueless civilian squeezing their brains would never reach the same efficiency that an expert could provide, no matter how hard they tried. So I had suggested it several times.

So I’d mentioned something like maybe visiting a training center.

And every time, I heard the same responses: “It’s a waste of money” and “I don’t need that.”

It wasn’t just once or twice either; it was every time, so what could I do?

As a clueless civilian, I had no choice but to push for it.

Well, to be honest, in the qualification exam for acquiring hero status, the physical test wasn’t such a significant factor.

There was a line established saying this is how much you need, and as long as you crossed that line, nothing else mattered, right?

In simpler terms, whether you score incredibly well or just scrape by in the physical test, you’d end up with the same score. No extra points awarded.

From that perspective, it seemed unnecessary to focus overly much on physical conditioning, but even so, I kept worrying about it because I thought about what came after the exam.

Let’s say Yoonseo passes the qualification test and begins operating under the title of “Hero”.

Then she’d certainly be assigned field missions, but would those always be safe encounters?

‘No way, right?’

I didn’t want to entertain the thought, but if she were to be thrown into a dangerous mission with a villain who resisted too strongly and ended up failing…

She’d have to find a way out in the field, yet there’s no guarantee that the means provided for her escape would function properly at such times.

In that scenario, I thought the only things you could really rely on would be your own two legs and your stamina.

Yet right now, looking at Yoonseo, she struggled even after a little running, how could I not feel anxious as a friend?

But she had no idea I worried about her, and when I suggested doing some physical training, she would invariably show her distaste before even starting.

“…Gonah! Lee Dogun!”

It was my senior who pulled me out of my thoughts like that.

The moment I regained my senses, our eyes met, and I vaguely nodded my head in acceptance.

“Then I won’t hold back… I’ll watch.”

“Great.”

Caught off guard, I had been spacing out, and suddenly bowing my head seemed to amuse my senior, who chuckled at me.

Stepping into the Special Physical Education Room felt a bit different from my last visit.

Then, I thought, “Wow, so this place exists…” during that time when all my classmates were around. Now it was just my senior and me, and I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, I get to use this whole big space by myself?”

As I went around inspecting the equipment scattered throughout, my senior disappeared into a room marked as the changing room, saying to wait a moment.

Of course, since she had been in her athletic uniform before entering, the only noticeable change would be her hairstyle and the things hanging on her shoulder would be gone.

“Alright, first we should… stretch…”

I suggested that partly because I was worried I might get bored sitting alone, but since I had never worked out with someone next to me, maybe that hadn’t helped.

My senior seemed a bit awkward.

And perhaps she thought that by being awkward, I would feel burdened?

After a moment of contemplation, she cautiously threw out a suggestion.

“Um… could you help me out a little?”

Dogun had no idea, but Baeksulhwa was making every effort to become closer to him.

Referencing various books and online articles was part of this effort.

Inviting Dogun to the morning training was significantly influenced by this.

According to something she read online, sharing the same time was the most effective way to build intimacy.

Although she had also noted that sharing meals together was the ultimate way, unfortunately, that option wasn’t usable.

The reason was simple—every student had their meals in the cafeteria, and how could she find Dogun and eat together?

If that happened, the attention would center on them.

Of course, it wasn’t that she was uncomfortable or didn’t want to show herself eating with Dogun.

It was just… she thought he would feel burdened by it.

From the conversations they had, it seemed Dogun didn’t really enjoy being in the spotlight.

So, that method was off the table, and while brainstorming alternatives, she ended up inviting him to the morning training—

‘What is this…?’

Was it because she was bringing someone into a space she had always used alone?

It felt like she was inviting Dogun into “her room.”

Even though she clearly remembered that this was at school.

What could she say… it was a really strange feeling.

Since her parents had passed away, her house and room had been her space alone, and that made it even more pronounced.

To shake off that uncomfortable sensation quickly—

“Um… could you help me out a little?”

And since sharing meals was tough, she cautiously proposed doing some exercise together to put into practice what she read, thinking maybe if they moved their bodies a bit, that strange feeling would fade away.