This World is too Cruel to Men

Special sushi course is nice.

Even better when someone else is paying, right?

No need to refuse.

But… I couldn’t let my ten-year childhood friend, Yun-Seo, instantly transform from a dutiful daughter into a pyromaniac.

So, before she could charge into the obviously expensive sushi restaurant, I grabbed the back of her collar and steered her towards the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet.

Even the buffet was a bit pricey for a couple of kids who hadn’t even started high school, but it was the only way to calm Yun-Seo, who had gone completely nuts at the mere mention of “sushi.”

“B-But… I really could have paid…”

She’d worked up the courage to offer, so maybe she felt a bit cheated.

Her lips puffed out like a duck’s bill, but I just found it cute.

“Yeah, yeah. You can pay me back later when you’re rich and famous.”

I soothed her pouting lips as we waited for our turn to enter.

Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for the buffet.

With all-you-can-eat places charging upwards of 100,000 won per person these days, how good could a lunch buffet under 20,000 won really be?

But…

“Oh…”

It was surprisingly decent.

The highlight was the ice cream corner.

Most buffets only offer crappy yogurt ice cream, but this place had classic soft serve.

Only those who’ve experienced the disappointment of expecting creamy, sweet soft serve and getting a mouthful of tart yogurt can understand the pain.

This isn’t to diss yogurt ice cream.

‘Yogurt is good, it is…’

It just has its place.

Anyway, the good first impression seemed to color my perception of everything else, making it all seem pretty good.

“I’m gonna grab some food, okay?”

“W-Wait, together.”

Maybe she was a bit awkward about being alone with me in a place like this.

Yun-Seo, who had been sitting stiffly, scrambled after me.

I led her, trailing behind me, to the sushi bar lined with various kinds of sushi.

As we walked, Yun-Seo’s expression turned a little uncertain.

It was understandable.

While she’d been clamoring for premium sushi, she wasn’t actually a big fan.

Yun-Seo was a classic picky eater.

There was no way she’d like sushi with raw fish on top.

But she couldn’t very well show her pickiness after insisting on sushi.

She just stood there awkwardly, so I told her I’d take care of the sushi and she could get other things.

She readily agreed and dashed off.

‘Seriously…’

She might be taller, but she’s still a kid.

I chuckled at her retreating figure and turned back to the sushi.

‘Let’s see…’

Is there anything a picky eater would enjoy?

Anything raw was out of the question.

‘Maybe inari sushi…?’

Would she eat that?

I also grabbed some egg sushi, some with imitation crab, some with beef sirloin, and some with boiled octopus.

Looking at the collection, it barely qualified as a sushi selection, but… as long as it tasted good, right?

I grabbed some soy sauce and returned to the table.

Yun-Seo, already seated with a full plate, looked at my selection and snorted.

“What’s that? A kid’s meal?”

“Says you…”

She’d gone off to get other things and came back with a plate piled high with fried chicken, sausages, and fried shrimp. Who was she calling a kid?

“Where are the drinks? Do we have to order them separately?”

I figured a cheaper place might do that… but thankfully not.

“I saw a drinks station on the way in, over there somewhere.”

“Really?”

Then we had to get some.

“Cola?”

“Yep.”

As Dokgun headed towards the drinks dispenser, Yun-Seo sighed quietly.

*****

‘Sigh…’

What am I going to do with him?

Seeing him like this always made her worry.

Take now, for example.

Anyone would think Dokgun had a childish palate, avoiding raw fish and picking only those specific types of sushi.

But that wasn’t true.

He loved sashimi and sushi more than anyone, even if she didn’t understand the appeal of the cold, slimy stuff.

He’d chosen those items for her.

His consideration made her happy, but also uneasy.

It was fine if he only acted this way around her, but the thought of him doing the same for other girls made something twist inside her.

What if someone fell for him because of it?

Dokgun was probably just acting out of habit, without thinking much of it… but from her perspective, it was hard not to overthink.

Especially after what she’d just seen.

‘No way…’

That Baek Seol-hwa girl, her behavior had planted the seed of doubt

Why had that girl shown interest in Dokgun?

Maybe it was just curiosity about a new student transferring to her school… but was that really all it was?

Both her instincts and logic screamed otherwise, making her chest tighten with anxiety every time she thought about it.

‘Should I…’

Transfer to Yeon-gang High?

Dokgun transferring from Yeon-gang High to Whispering Willow High was practically impossible.

The school wouldn’t accept a transfer from a neighboring school.

But what if ‘she’ transferred?

Would that be impossible too?

Probably not.

How could she be so sure?

Because she knew now.

She knew how to use what she’d built to make even the most unreasonable things happen.

Of course, she knew it would be a huge waste.

Whispering Willow High was a prestigious school for a reason.

Its facilities were probably far superior to any other school in the area.

If Dokgun knew she was even considering this, he’d probably scold her for having such silly thoughts after such an expensive meal.

‘Sigh…’

She couldn’t exactly tell him to make himself look less attractive.

He sometimes teased her about how much she’d grown up, but he was genuinely oblivious. He didn’t see who had ‘really’ grown up.

No one could have predicted it.

They’d been similar in height in elementary school, but in just three years of middle school, he’d shot up.

It felt unfair.

‘We eat the same food…’

Why was he the only one growing taller?

Was he secretly taking some kind of supplement?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Dokgun, who had been looking around the drinks dispenser, turned back towards her.

He walked back, holding two cups, and she thought to herself:

I hope all my worries are for nothing. I really do.

“Hey, hey.”

“Hmm? What?”

“That girl over there. Isn’t she cute?”

“She is… but don’t even think about it. You’ll get arrested.”

“Why? I heard guys these days prefer older girls.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, they say older girls are more mature and stable or something.”

…Right, like that would ever happen.

Even now, look.

She’d left him alone for a few minutes, and those girls were already swarming him.

‘Those girls, honestly…’

She glared at the giggling group ogling Dokgun, then pointedly stood up to greet him as he returned.

“Thanks.”

It was ironic.

Those girls treated boys like trophies, yet they were the ones obsessed with possessing them.

They didn’t know how kind and considerate Dokgun truly was.

They were just drooling over his looks.

She wouldn’t let them have any part of him.

The best way to prevent that was to stick to him like glue, but… circumstances wouldn’t allow it.

It would be tiring, but… she’d have to work harder.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

“We should come here more often.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“They have soft serve ice cream, not that yogurt stuff.”

“Oh, you were checking that out the moment we walked in, weren’t you?”

His obsession with soft serve…

Despite her inner thoughts, she found Dokgun’s earnest explanation of the importance of soft serve adorable.

But so what? It was natural to see the person you liked in a better light. Why fight it?

“After we eat, we can walk around and look for a scarf, right?”

It would be even better if they could watch a movie afterward.

That was what she had in mind when she said it.

“…Huh?”

His reaction was less than enthusiastic.

“Um… it’s just a scarf. Do we really need to go to multiple stores?”

“Why not? We should look around and pick the best one.”

“I guess… but it’s kind of cold outside.”

He had a point.

The news was full of reports about an early cold snap.

But that was irrelevant.

“So?”

“I just… I’m worried you’ll get cold!”

He’d looked disgusted for a second, but now he was backpedaling, insisting he wasn’t being lazy.

Yun-Seo suppressed a laugh.

She put on a nonchalant expression.

“Me? I’m fine.”

She had been cold earlier, but that didn’t matter now.

“So we’re going scarf shopping after lunch, right?”

“…O-Okay.”