This World is too Cruel to Men

“I’m sure there was someone here…”

“Huh? Someone? There’s no one here?”

“No, there was!”

“Then maybe… you saw a ghost or something?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Yun-Seo’s shoulders slumped.

She was clearly shrinking back, yet her mouth said otherwise.

“Don’t be ridiculous. There are no such things as ghosts.”

“Well, there could be.”

To be honest, that’s what I thought. I

f things like talents, which were practically superpowers, already existed, why couldn’t ghosts?

Frankly, there could even be a talent for controlling ghosts.

“No, there aren’t. I said there aren’t!”

Of course, Yun-Seo, who was secretly afraid of such things, ignored and dismissed my words.

Perhaps she wanted to distract herself so she wouldn’t dwell on such thoughts.

Yun-Seo, who had returned her gaze to her phone, suddenly frowned.

“Ugh, what the…”

“What is it?”

“They moved downstairs. They used to be on the third floor.”

“No wonder… I couldn’t find them no matter how hard I looked.”

“If they moved, shouldn’t they update their online information? I wasted my time… Seriously… What a waste of time…”

Yun-Seo was so frustrated about getting lost that she was fuming.

After calming her down, we headed downstairs.

As we descended, the uniform shop came into view, making our earlier struggles seem pointless.

I felt a slight pang of disappointment, but Yun-Seo, her energy restored, grabbed my hand and started pulling me along.

I followed her, and the bell above the door chimed as a welcoming voice reached my ears.

“Oh, welcome!”

“We’d like to get some uniforms.”

“Uniforms? Which school? Whispering Willow High?”

Yun-Seo, who had been so eager just moments before, froze slightly upon entering the store.

I decided to step in.

“She’s from Whispering Willow High. I’m from Yeon-gang High.”

“One Whispering Willow and one Yeon-gang, got it. Okay, who’s first…?”

At the question, I glanced at Yun-Seo.

She nudged me in the ribs, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Y-You go first…”

I wasn’t sure why, but her voice sounded shy. Could it be…?

“Oh Yoon-seo, are you perhaps…”

“Wh-What…!”

“Did you order late-night snacks again?”

“…What?”

“Struggling now won’t magically shrink your waistline, you know? Just go first…Oof!”

Why squirt water in my face if it wasn’t true?

Dokgun grumbled as he was led away by the shop owner, while Yun-Seo continued to fume, though half of it was a pretense.

‘Seriously…’

Why was she embarrassed?

She hadn’t been thinking about it before entering the store.

But the thought of Dokgun seeing her getting measured, and then seeing her in her new uniform, suddenly made her shy.

That’s why she’d snapped at him and made him go first.

Now, she was embarrassed for a different reason.

“Um… Do I have to wear the tie, too?”

“Second years don’t have to, but first years do.”

“Really? Hmm… That’s a hassle…”

They both seemed so small just a few years ago… when did they grow up so much?

She’d been aware of it before, but watching him change clothes made it hit home.

And with that realization, her heart started pounding, and a blush crept up her neck.

‘Seriously…’

It was just a uniform, so why did he look so cool?

Was it because he was only wearing the white shirt and tie?

Would it be different with the vest and jacket?

“It feels a little tight.”

“You don’t know anything, kid. These days, it’s trendy to wear uniforms fitted like this.”

“Really? But still, this is a bit…”

“What? It looks good on you.”

He was right.

Dokgun, clad in the perfectly fitted uniform, looked like he could be a uniform model.

That’s why she was annoyed.

She couldn’t stick to his side and mark her territory anymore, so why did he have to look so good?

What if some vixen confessed to him?

It was while she was fuming internally that the question suddenly flew her way.

“Don’t you think so, young lady?”

She flinched at the sudden question, especially because it came at such a moment.

“Y-Yes?”

“Doesn’t he look much better now than before? The pants fit perfectly, too…”

He did.

But she wished the shop owner hadn’t asked her that.

She wasn’t confident she could handle Dokgun’s gaze that followed.

“What do you think? Is it really like that?”

“…Whatever. A uniform is a uniform. You’d think he was getting fitted for a designer suit.”

“Come on, one compliment won’t hurt.”

“Yes, it will.”

She still couldn’t understand or accept that they were going to different schools… but the one thing she liked was Yeon-gang High’s uniform.

It looked more like a suit than a uniform, as if the school had commissioned a famous designer.

She liked it, but she also didn’t.

As she’d thought countless times, once they started high school, she wouldn’t be able to keep watch over him like she always had.

‘Speaking of which…’

What if she looked awful in her uniform while he looked so good?

She should have dieted or exercised with him.

Perhaps because of the situation, things she usually didn’t care about were bothering her.

“Hmm… the pants seem fine. We just need to shorten the sleeves a bit.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ll mark it with a pin, so take it to a tailor and have them adjust it.”

“Okay.”

“Alright, next student.”

Relentlessly, time marched on, and it was her turn.

Fortunately, her measurements hadn’t changed much since the last time.

She was a little disappointed that her height hadn’t increased, but at least she hadn’t gained weight.

“My, you need to eat more. Kids these days are all so skinny…”

After changing into the new uniform, she cautiously gauged Dokgun’s reaction.

She pretended to fuss around, checking herself in the mirror. Had her little act worked?

Dokgun, who had been engrossed in his phone on a nearby chair, finally looked up.

Their eyes met in the mirror, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh…”

As a sound of admiration escaped Dokgun’s lips, her heart began to flutter.

Not wanting to show it, she put on a playful expression and asked,

“What? Does it look good?”

Knowing Dokgun, she expected a teasing reply. But his response was completely unexpected.

“Yeah, it suits you. You look pretty.”

His simple, sincere words echoed in her ears. It felt as if she’d been teleported into a cave.

—’Pretty.’

At first, only that word reverberated in her mind. But then…

—’It really suits you.’

—’You look pretty, Yun-Seo.’

—’Yun-Seo, you’re the prettiest.’

—’Yun-Seo, will you go out with me?’

Words Dokgun had never uttered, spoken in his voice, filled her mind.

She couldn’t regain her composure.

She knew she must look ridiculous to others.

She knew, but she couldn’t stop. This was the first time.

It was the first time someone had genuinely called her pretty, not just teasingly.

How could she possibly regain her composure?

‘Seriously…’

Why did he have to be so sincere at a time like this, making things so difficult?

She hadn’t felt anything like this when she woke up.

It was like she’d suddenly caught a cold.

Her head was dizzy, her face burning.

She couldn’t bring herself to look in the mirror.

She knew her face must be bright red, and if she saw it, her already racing heart might explode.

‘Breathe… breathe…’

She tried to calm down, taking quiet breaths so Dokgun wouldn’t notice.

But it was no use.

No matter how deeply she breathed, her heart continued to race.

What should she do?

What if Dokgun noticed her flushed face and thought something was wrong?

What if he asked her what was going on?

She didn’t know. And that not knowing made her already hot face burn even more.

Lost in a swamp of confusion, she was floundering helplessly when…

‘Cling—!’

The same chime she’d heard upon entering the store rang out, followed by a voice etched deeply in her memory, a voice she desperately wanted to erase but couldn’t.

“…Are you busy, Ma’am?”