This World is too Cruel to Men

Yun-Seo’s premonition turned out to be only half correct.

They ‘did’ run into each other… but nothing more came of it.

And that was precisely why Seol-hwa was feeling anxious.

She’d meticulously chosen Class 3, Dokgun’s class, out of ten possible classes.

That part had gone perfectly.

The problem was… ‘everything’ after that.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak.

‘Talking to someone is…’

…this difficult?

This was a first for her.

She’d never been so tongue-tied.

She didn’t know where to begin, how to start, or what to say.

Her mind kept blanking.

Adding to her anxiety was the dwindling time.

She’d guided the new students to the oddly named “Special Training Room.”

Soon, she’d have to lead them to Class 3, and then it would truly be over.

She ‘had’ to do something before then… but what?

She no longer hoped for a chance to talk with him alone.

While guiding the students, she’d realized that what she thought might be possible was actually as difficult as reaching for the stars.

Realistically, even if a private conversation was out of the question, it would be great if she could at least learn about his interests.

But how should she even broach the subject?

Lost in thought as she forced her reluctant feet to move, a sudden idea struck her.

Stopping abruptly, she turned to the freshmen.

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention! The Student Council is recruiting new members for the new semester. We hope many of you will apply.”

As she spoke, she discreetly scanned their faces, gauging their reactions.

She learned one thing: Dokgun didn’t seem interested in student council activities.

“Um…! President!”

“Yes?”

“Can we participate in club activities while also being in the Student Council?”

He didn’t seem interested in club activities either.

If he were, he would’ve reacted when she mentioned them.

Instead, he remained lost in thought.

“Of course. In fact, many of our current members…”

“Do ‘you’ belong to any clubs, President?”

“No, I…”

“What are the benefits of joining the Student Council?”

“Well… there’s the satisfaction of taking charge of our own affairs. Also, having Student Council experience on your record can be very beneficial for college applications and future employment…”

She’d accepted the student council president position, which she hadn’t initially been interested in, largely because of that last point.

A senior Hero had told her that Student Council experience could give her an edge in the Hero licensing exam.

Importantly, when she mentioned employment, she finally got a reaction from Dokgun.

Specifically, when she said the word “employment.”

‘This is it…!’

Honestly, she wasn’t surprised.

It was almost expected.

The percentage of men going to college was abysmal.

In other words, about 90% of the boys looking up at her would likely enter the workforce straight after high school.

Therefore, their biggest concern was employment.

Of course, these freshmen were relatively free from such worries compared to the sophomores and juniors.

Still, they must be thinking about their futures.

And Dokgun seemed no different.

Why else would he suddenly react when she mentioned employment after showing no interest before?

If Dokgun’s main concern was employment, or his future in general, Seol-hwa had a card to play.

After wandering aimlessly, she’d finally found a path forward.

Her mind, previously a blank canvas of snow, felt clear.

Of course, there was no guarantee this path was the right one, but it was ‘something’.

A sense of joy bubbled up inside her, but she couldn’t get too excited.

This card wasn’t something she could play recklessly.

Imagine someone you’ve met only twice saying, “I’ll take care of your future, so help me.”

How many people would readily agree?

She needed to build rapport with Dokgun first.

Then, at least, he might consider her offer instead of immediately rejecting it.

The question was ‘how’ to build that rapport.

First, she needed to figure out what kind of person Dokgun was.

‘I’ll have to come to school early for a while…’

She needed to do that to observe him.

As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.

Besides, it wasn’t a difficult task.

She already woke up early every day to train.

She just needed to change her training location from the dojo to the school.

Thus, the net was slowly closing in, but Dokgun was completely oblivious.

Seol-hwa wasn’t the type to wear her heart on her sleeve, unlike everyone Dokgun knew.

Moreover, ‘he’ wasn’t particularly interested in ‘her’.

It seemed unbelievable that a boy wouldn’t be interested in a beauty like Seol-hwa, but it was true.

Seol-hwa seemed like someone from a different world.

Seol-hwa’s presence in the auditorium had been so overwhelming that Dokgun had immediately thought, ‘She’s on a different level than me.’

His impression of her was simply, ‘She’s pretty.’

He didn’t feel anything beyond that.

“So you know what I did?”

“What did you do?”

“What else? I told them to bring it on and then wiped the floor with them. After that, they didn’t even ‘think’ about messing with me.”

“Whoa, Oh Yun-Seo… you conquered the school on your first day? You’ve really grown up!”

“Ahem… But anything interesting happen to ‘you’ at school?”

“Interesting?”

“You know… like making new friends…”

“Hmm, let me see… Oh! Actually, there ‘was’ something.”

“What?”

“Remember the person we met when we were getting our uniforms? Turns out she’s the student council president.”

Dokgun casually answered Yun-Seo, mentioning Seol-hwa to temper her slightly inflated ego.

He had no idea what kind of impact his words would have.

***

Yun-Seo couldn’t believe her ears.

The only person they’d met at the uniform shop, besides the owner, was that Baek Seol-hwa girl. Why was Dokgun talking about ‘her’ now?

Warning lights flashed in her mind, and a sense of foreboding crept up her spine.

Her heart plummeted with a sickening thud.

“I didn’t realize it then, but she’s got this incredible charisma. I guess that’s why everyone instantly became her fan…”

Dokgun continued, oblivious to the turmoil he was causing.

Yun-Seo clenched her jaw, unable to stop herself.

“…And?”

“…Huh?”

“You, ahem! What did ‘you’ think?”

She had to know.

Forcing her reluctant lips to part, she finally asked the question.

Her heart pounded with anxiety as she waited for his response.

The dreaded answer came as she was struggling to maintain her composure.

“What’s there to think?”

Dokgun’s voice held a hint of amusement, as if wondering why she would even ask.

The moment his reply reached her ears, the anxiety that had been gripping her vanished.

His tone didn’t sound like someone harboring secret feelings.

He didn’t sound like someone who had fallen for Baek Seol-hwa or even felt a flutter in his chest upon seeing her.

It would have been perfect if she had stopped there.

But her mouth, now beyond her control, moved again, squeezing out words.

“…She’s pretty. And… she’s got a good figure.”

“Well… that’s true, but…”

The hesitant note in Dokgun’s voice, the slight trailing off of his words, transformed into a renewed wave of anxiety that washed over Yun-Seo.

Why had she even asked?

As she was once again consumed by unease, Dokgun continued.

“Honestly, I find it a bit… off-putting.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, she seems too… perfect, you know?”

“Ah… I think I get what you mean.”

“Right?”

Yes, she understood.

She finally understood how Dokgun saw Baek Seol-hwa.

And she thought, ‘There’s nothing to worry about.’

Yun-Seo, relieved and busy reassuring herself that everything was fine based on a single sentence from Dokgun, didn’t realize something.

Unlike her assumption that a student council president and a new student would have little interaction, Seol-hwa’s mind was already racing with plans to approach Dokgun.