This World is too Cruel to Men

The first thought that crossed Yun-Seo’s mind upon hearing Dokgun’s voice was,

“He’s not misunderstanding anything, is he…?”

A wave of worry washed over her, but thankfully, her fears proved unfounded.

Whether she should be relieved that Dokgun hadn’t gotten the wrong idea or annoyed was unclear.

Unlike ‘someone’ who froze in embarrassment upon seeing the oversized, obviously couple-oriented seats, Dokgun seemed completely unfazed.

“Whoa, this chair is huge! Comfy. Sweet.”

He actually seemed to like it.

Yun-Seo had expected him to at least show some awareness, even if he didn’t flinch like she did.

His nonchalance irked her.

Instead of sitting down, she stood awkwardly in front of the seats until…

“Dokgun, Yun-Seo, why aren’t you sitting down?” the teacher’s voice called out, making further hesitation impossible.

Dokgun’s response was almost comical.

“Why? Is something wrong with the seats? I think they’re fine, nice and spacious.”

He even suggested they sit separately if she didn’t like them.

Yun-Seo wasn’t going to let that happen.

“What are you talking about…? It’s nothing like that.”

She snapped at Dokgun, then sat beside him, where he had already settled in.

Once seated, she realized the seats weren’t as large as they had appeared when she was standing.

They were…closer than she had anticipated.

Close enough that if she reached for the popcorn, her hand might accidentally brush against his.

She wanted to relax like ‘someone’ beside her, but she couldn’t.

The shape of the seats, the leather they were made of—things she normally wouldn’t give a second thought to—suddenly felt incredibly significant.

“Ugh…why is the chair shaped like a heart?” she grumbled internally.

Just then, Dokgun’s voice startled her.

“Hey.”

She flinched, and he continued, “Are you ever going to let go of that popcorn? It’s gonna turn back into corn kernels at this rate.”

Whether intentional or not, his teasing tone made her bristle.

With a frustrated “Thwack!” she slammed the popcorn bucket she’d been clutching like a teddy bear onto the table between them.

He happily started munching on it.

“Haa…”

She couldn’t help but sigh.

“Huh? What’s with the sudden sigh?”

He was usually so perceptive, yet he played the fool at times like these.

Seeing him innocently munching on popcorn, oblivious to her inner turmoil, made her want to shove a handful of it into his mouth just to break his blissful ignorance.

‘But why is he so cute…?’

Simultaneously, she found his obliviousness endearing, a realization both amusing and disheartening.

It was a sign of how deeply smitten she was, finding even his annoying traits cute.

The disheartening part was that Dokgun didn’t seem to feel the same.

Lost in her bittersweet contemplation, she barely touched her popcorn.

“Oh, it’s starting,” Dokgun said, his attention finally shifting to the screen as the lights dimmed.

The title, “Between Us,” appeared on the screen.

‘What’s this?’

Judging by the title, it seemed like a romantic comedy.

She wasn’t opposed to the genre.

Perhaps, just perhaps, a romantic movie would put Dokgun in the right mood, positively influencing the events she had planned later.

Praying for a decent movie, she glanced between Dokgun’s face and the screen as the names of the production companies scrolled by.

Finally, the movie began.

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The movie opened with a lively scene.

A group of close friends were reunited, their faces radiating joy as they sat around a table, catching up.

Their cheerful banter soon turned to playful teasing, their attention focusing on one person: the male lead.

-“So, what happened with Ji-yun?”
-“Are things still the same?”
-“No way…”

It seemed the male lead had a long-time friend named Ji-yun, presumably female, judging by their friends’ teasing.

‘Are they like us?’

The thought sparked Yun-Seo’s interest in the initially unappealing movie.

As the story unfolded, she observed the male lead’s reaction to his friends’ prodding.

-“You guys are relentless.”
-“Seriously.”
-“Honestly, at this point, I would’ve dated her just out of curiosity. Right?”
-“Are you crazy? What if things go south? How could I face her afterward? And I’ve told you guys countless times, we’re not like that.”

He vehemently denied any romantic interest in Ji-yun, but his fleeting expressions of melancholy betrayed him.

He clearly had feelings for her.

Perhaps Ji-yun, the likely female lead, felt differently.

It seemed the male lead was trapped in a familiar predicament: harboring feelings but lacking the courage to confess, allowing his fear to paralyze him.

Yun-Seo found herself relating to the male lead’s subsequent inner monologue.

He was afraid of confessing his feelings and jeopardizing their current happy dynamic.

It was a fear she shared.

Despite knowing it was just a movie, she became increasingly invested in the male lead’s story.

And from his perspective, the female lead, Ji-yun, was a real piece of work.

She was clearly aware of his feelings and subtly used them to her advantage.

‘”That…that…that girl! What does he even see in her?”‘

Yet, a part of Yun-Seo envied Ji-yun.

At least they were aware of each other’s feelings.

Unlike her, agonizing over how to make Dokgun realize hers.

The movie, initially lighthearted and comedic, took a serious turn with the male lead’s confession:

-“Ji-yun, I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

Ji-yun, despite liking him, rejected his confession.

She was afraid of ruining their friendship, having had bad experiences with past relationships.

Seeing the male lead’s heartbroken expression was painful for Yun-Seo.

He tried to pretend he was okay, not wanting to burden Ji-yun, and the actor’s surprisingly convincing performance left a bitter taste in Yun-Seo’s mouth.

Ji-yun, believing his act, asked him to remain friends.

‘”As if that’s possible…”‘

Yun-Seo wanted to splash water on Ji-yun’s face, hoping it would snap her out of her obliviousness and make her realize how hurtful her words were.

The rejected male lead drowned his sorrows in alcohol for days.

And then, ‘he’ appeared—the male lead’s boss.

Yun-Seo had a bad feeling about this.

As she predicted, the female boss comforted the heartbroken male lead, sharing drinks with him until they were both intoxicated.

The next scene showed the male lead waking up in a strange bed, covered with a blanket.

‘Huh?’ she thought, and then things got even more ridiculous.

The male lead, realizing he’d slept with his boss, was initially distraught.

But the boss’s affectionate demeanor won him over, and they started dating.

Now, it was Ji-yun’s turn to feel the heat.

Having known each other for almost a decade, they were attuned to even the slightest changes in each other.

Ji-yun quickly noticed the shift in the male lead and, realizing he had a girlfriend, became visibly flustered.

‘If you felt that way, you shouldn’t have rejected him in the first place,’ Yun-Seo thought, irritated.

Ji-yun’s behavior annoyed her.

She was like a child, refusing to share a toy but then getting upset when someone else plays with it. They could have been happily dating by now if she hadn’t been so hesitant.

“Ugh, what a terrible woman,” Dokgun muttered beside her.

His comment sparked Yun-Seo’s curiosity.

What had Dokgun thought of the male lead’s initial fear of confessing?

Did he empathize?

Or did he have a different perspective?

And what if Dokgun were in the male lead’s shoes, rejecting her confession for similar reasons?

The thought made her head spin.