This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 91

There are days like that once in a while.

Despite waking up just like any other day, I felt particularly drained today, as if my fatigue had settled in more than usual.

On such days, the best course of action is to stay home and rest, but… not today.

That’s because I heard from Chaedam.

She said there would be boys at today’s gathering, including Dogun.

That’s why I’ve been forcing myself to get up despite my heavy body.

Given the circumstances, I couldn’t go all out in my prep, but I also didn’t want to look shabby.

After trying on a few outfits, I ended up sitting on the edge of my bed for a moment.

“Phew…”

Why does my head feel so heavy?

Perhaps it’s because I couldn’t sleep last night, tossing and turning while thinking about how to apologize to Dogun.

That could very well be it.

I stayed awake thinking about that until early morning.

‘I can’t let this go.’

Maybe I should take some medicine just in case, so I carefully got up from where I was sitting.

But as soon as I stood up, my head spun, and I had to sit down again.

With various aches in my body and a slight dizziness in my head, I wondered if I was coming down with something.

When I woke up, I assumed it was just fatigue, but…

Of course, I had no intention of canceling my plans for the day.

This was, quite literally, an opportunity.

What if I couldn’t apologize to Dogun today?

Who knows when such chances would come again?

It might never come again.

So, I had to make it happen today, no matter what.

Thus, I couldn’t let a bit of sluggishness stop me from keeping my appointment.

I got up with that goal in mind.

I made my way downstairs to the first floor.

Then I rummaged through the fridge looking for some cold medicine…

“Hmm? Yoonseo, are you hungry?”

It’s said that if you want something badly, you won’t find it, and sure enough, the things that are usually glaringly obvious in the fridge were strangely hard to find today, almost as if someone had intentionally put them away.

And it was during that moment, while searching through the fridge, that Dad caught me.

Hearing Dad’s voice from the back, I hesitated for a brief moment.

While deliberating, I decided to speak in the most casual tone I could muster.

“Ah, um… Dad, do you know where the cold medicine is?”

“The medicine should be in the fridge.”

“But I can’t find it right now.”

“Huh? Really? That shouldn’t be…”

Just when he tilted his head in confusion, a low sound of realization came from Dad.

“What do I do? A few days ago, when I was organizing the fridge, I noticed everything was old, so I thought I’d throw it out and buy new ones…”

“Ah…”

Oh, I see.

That’s why it wasn’t where it should have been.

“By the way, why do you need cold medicine all of a sudden? Are you sick?”

“I just feel a bit dizzy; it’s nothing important.”

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“Why go to the hospital for just feeling dizzy? It’s not that serious.”

What if Dad insisted on taking me out?

Knowing Dad’s personality, he would surely oppose going out.

So, I mumbled my way through an excuse and quickly slipped out of the kitchen.

I felt a little uneasy about not taking the medicine, but… I can always buy some on the way.

More importantly, maybe I just calmed down for a moment because I didn’t feel as dizzy now as I did earlier.

If this was really a cold, there would be other symptoms like a sore throat or a stuffy nose, but I had none of those.

So, it should just be fatigue.

The reason for the fatigue? Honestly, it was obvious.

Ever since I entered high school, I had to wake up at least 30 minutes earlier than I did in middle school to match Dogun’s schedule.

That alone was enough to pile on the fatigue, and especially lately, I had inadvertently been waking up even earlier.

So, what would happen if I went out today, then had a good long sleep afterward?

I’ll wake up feeling completely fine, with no dizziness or body aches.

Yes, that must be it.

I’ll make it happen…

*

While Yoonseo reassured herself and made such resolutions, Dogun and Baeksulhwa were nearing the end of their well-deserved break at a nearby cafe, their weary feet having worked hard to cope with their rumbling stomachs and parched throats.

“Well then… should we get up soon?”

“Ah, yes.”

To be honest, I didn’t want to get up.

When I was continuously moving, I didn’t mind it at all, but now that I had a moment to rest, it felt unavoidable to give in to that weariness.

It had been about 30 minutes since I last ate, which made it worse.

Plus, since it was spring and the weather was just right, I was overtaken by the dreaded food coma.

But with work to be done, I reluctantly said goodbye to the comfy seat that had been supporting me since we sat down and lifted myself off of it.

I started shoving the remains from the table into the waste bin over there—

“Let me help.”

My senior swiftly joined me.

To be honest, whether I did this alone or with her, it wouldn’t make much difference, but I didn’t refuse her graciousness.

From what I’d seen, my senior didn’t seem to enjoy passing such trivial tasks to others.

In other words, she was the type who felt compelled to do what she could do herself.

Anyway, we each took a tray and headed towards the waste bin in the center of the cafe when suddenly, a guest from across the way started to approach us.

I grimaced slightly upon seeing that person, who was balancing a tray with coffee in one hand and holding a cellphone in the other.

‘That’s unsettling…’

What’s worse, that person wasn’t just holding the phone but was also passionately chatting with someone, which added to my unease.

It’s not like I hadn’t experienced the aftermath of an incident like that in my past life.

I had once spilled something terribly bad while being distracted, after all.

So, I tried to casually keep an eye on them, but the incident occurred right as we passed each other.

“Ah, I’m sorry… whoa?!”

That person seemed to have enough awareness to notice us, trying to shift slightly to make way.

The problem was… that they hastily turned, making the cup on their tray wobble.

And just like that, the cup couldn’t hold itself steady anymore and tipped over.

The contents, which were steaming hot and emitting wisps of vapor, dramatically escaped with a fervor that looked like they were shouting “Freedom!” as they launched toward…

None other than my senior.

“…Senior!”

As soon as I thought that, my hand moved on its own.

Maybe my body froze in shock from the sudden event, as I had my eyes wide open while pulling my senior toward me at the same time I raised my other arm to shield her from the incoming coffee.

In an instant, I felt the hot liquid splatter against my arm, a sensation akin to accidentally touching something startlingly warm.

With a loud crash, what I had let slip from my grip fell to the floor just after that.

“Are… are you okay? Senior?”

…

…

…

…

…

It was the first time since my parents had passed away.

You could say… I was being protected by someone.

Ever since that day I suddenly found myself alone, I’d thought that only I could defend myself.

So even when I was in pain or struggling, I never let it show and endured it all by myself.

More than anything… I thought I had to be strong.

I believed that only by becoming strong could I avenge my parents.

So whether I was alone or with someone else, I held back on showing weakness or complaining about pain.

But now… when I was with Dogun, I found it hard to keep up that facade.

I couldn’t act normal like before.

Is that why?

Being with Dogun made me feel like… I’d gone back in time.

Back to when all I cared about wasn’t revenge, and I wasn’t haunted by nightmares… back to that age where I could freely act spoiled and needy.

‘…This is strange.’

It felt so bizarre.

Ever since I made the vow of revenge for my parents, I thought I’d never be able to return to that period of my life.

‘Dogun, what are you…?’

What exactly are you that keeps shaking my world?