This World is too Cruel to Men

Honestly, I wished all of this was a dream.

Or… a hidden camera prank designed to tease me.

But no matter how much I prayed internally, nothing changed.

The words written on Dokgun’s and my papers remained the same, and the fact that we would be going to different high schools if things stayed this way also remained unchanged.

Of course, just because we’d be attending different schools didn’t mean Dokgun would suddenly move away or anything.

He wouldn’t… but the fact that something I had always believed in, something I had taken for granted, was now crumbling, remained unchanged.

If we went to different schools?

Many things would inevitably change.

Things that happened at school would be different, and even the timing of exams would be subtly different.

The timing of school trips would be different too.

How would these differences affect us in the future?

What if Dokgun and I became awkward with each other?

It felt like someone had reached into my head and stirred everything around, leaving my thoughts tangled.

Still, there was one thing I was grateful for amidst all this… even if we went to different schools, our practice time after school would continue.

How could I be so sure?

Because with things the way they were, I was going to hold onto that as much as possible.

If I held on tight and didn’t let go, knowing Dokgun, he wouldn’t try to change things drastically.

Besides, Dokgun secretly… enjoyed our practice time.

‘But…’

If this was the case… how was I supposed to confess?

If I confessed my feelings to Dokgun and he accepted them, I couldn’t ask for more, but what if… what if he rejected me?

The atmosphere would undoubtedly become incredibly awkward, and if we were going to different schools, could we ever go back to the way we were before?

I wanted to confidently assure myself that it would be possible, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

That anxiety, combined with the meaningful look Dokgun had given me earlier, caused hesitation to rear its head in my chest.

It was a territory I had never experienced before, which made it all the more daunting.

…Perhaps it would be better to postpone my confession.

Thinking simply, the odds were fifty-fifty.

Whether Dokgun accepted my confession or not.

But the situation itself was too unstable to bet on a mere 50 percent.

So, rationally, it would be better to postpone what I had planned to do today and wait for a better time, but…

‘I want to tell him…’

Unlike my rational mind, my emotions were screaming otherwise.

They were pleading, desperately, to reveal these bittersweet feelings I’d harbored for who knows how long, to show them to Dokgun.

The reality was… I couldn’t ignore that plea.

I felt suffocated.

And because I felt suffocated, I wanted Dokgun to know.

Wouldn’t knowing alleviate this feeling, even just a little?

Of course, it would be even better if he accepted my feelings.

“Alright, that’s it for today’s class… It’s snowing heavily and the roads are slippery, so don’t wander around after school just because it ended early. Go straight home. Understand?”

“Yeees!”

“Dismissed!”

The unexpected hesitation that had sprung up continued even as I walked home after school.

No, it intensified several times over as it came time to go home.

It had to… because if I was going to confess, now, when it was just the two of us, was the perfect timing.

“Ugh… this damn snow…”

I watched Dokgun’s back as he carefully walked slightly ahead of me and thought.

‘…Should I?’

Should I just do it?

Or… should I postpone it after all?

As I hesitated, we got closer and closer to home.

Once we climbed these stairs… I would see my house.

So, if I was going to do it, it had to be now.

Perhaps that was why.

Before I knew it, I had stopped walking behind Dokgun, unzipped my bag, and pulled out what I had put inside.

Pepero, in a bright red heart-shaped box, which I had found after scouring the convenience store last night.

And written on the side of the Pepero box were the words… ‘I like you.’

I had chosen this specifically out of all the options because I didn’t think I’d be able to say the words out loud… but seeing it again like this, an indescribable embarrassment began to creep up my body.

Gulp!

I reflexively swallowed at the dry feeling in my throat, and the sound seemed so loud that I flinched inwardly.

‘Did he…’

Did he hear that?

Fortunately, it seemed it wasn’t that loud.

Or maybe… Dokgun was too preoccupied with not slipping to notice.

Anyway… if I couldn’t speak, I at least wanted to give him this Pepero.

So I opened my mouth to call out to Dokgun, but… the word “Hey,” which usually popped out so easily, wouldn’t come out today.

While Yun-Seo hesitated, unable to speak, Dokgun, who seemed to be focused on walking carefully so he wouldn’t slip, was surprisingly thinking about her.

‘She’s quiet today…’

Was the news about the different high schools that much of a shock to her?

Well, I was pretty stunned when I first saw the results of the lottery.

It couldn’t be helped, since I hadn’t even considered the possibility of not getting in.

‘Why didn’t I get in?’

Even now, I couldn’t understand it.

I hadn’t chosen Whispering Willow High School as my first choice on my own.

After thorough discussions with my teacher, we both thought my grades were more than enough to get me in.

Had there suddenly been a huge surge in applicants?

‘Anyway…’

She needed to feel better soon…

We’d been together for so long that being around me had become not just a habit, but a part of her daily life. But now, that would be difficult.

Still, I wasn’t too worried.

Unlike in the past, when she’d go into Pufferfish Mode at the drop of a hat, her personality had mellowed out a lot, so she’d be able to make friends to eat lunch with without any problems.

And Yun-Seo wouldn’t be the only student from our middle school going to Whispering Willow High.

Plus, she was a pretty well-known rising star in the neighborhood, so plenty of people would try to connect with her beforehand. She’d have a lot of people approaching her, wanting to be friends.

If anything, I should be the one she’s worried about.

Thinking these thoughts, I took another step to climb the remaining stairs when the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, which had been constant until now, suddenly stopped and was replaced by a rustling sound.

I figured she was taking something out of her bag… but then Yun-Seo, who had been following behind me, suddenly passed me and stopped in front of me…

“…Hey.”

She blocked my way and called out to me in a voice that was almost a whisper.

Wondering what was going on, I saw her suddenly thrust something out in front of me…

“…Here, take it.”

A bright red box.

A bright red box with a picture of Pepero on it, held in Yun-Seo’s hand and pushed towards me.

As if urging me to take it quickly.

What… what was this?

I knew it was Pepero Day, but I never expected to receive something like this from her, of all people.

Slightly flustered, I unconsciously glanced back and forth between Yun-Seo’s hand and her face… Noticing my gaze, Yun-Seo opened her mouth in her usual blunt tone.

“The scarf, you lent it to me.”

“…Oh.”

Right, that was my scarf.

She always complained about how scarves were too stuffy and uncomfortable… but seeing how she had tucked her red, cold cheeks inside the scarf, it seemed she’d taken a liking to it.

Anyway, since that was the case…

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

“…Whatever.”