This World is too Cruel to Men

“It seems to have worked out well.”

Yun-Seo, who was tightly holding her dad’s hand, spotted me and came running.

Seeing her, I felt relieved.

I had made almost all the preparations I could in such a short time, but I still wasn’t entirely sure it would succeed.

There’s a saying, “Man proposes, God disposes,” isn’t there?

In my case, God was Yun-Seo.

So, I thought everything depended on how well Yun-Seo performed the role entrusted to her.

“I’m so glad, really.”

It would have been heartbreaking if I had to be separated from Yun-Seo after Bora.

I was feeling relieved, watching Yun-Seo toddling towards me with her tiny feet.

“Dokgun! I… I don’t have to move…!”

Yun-Seo, reaching me in the blink of an eye, tried to say something with a face full of joy.

I immediately signaled her to be quiet.

If Yun-Seo was about to thank me, I thought it was best to avoid doing so while the adults were present.

Fortunately, Yun-Seo wasn’t oblivious.

As soon as I signaled her, she shut her mouth tight.

Though she seemed to be bursting to talk, I only heard about what had happened yesterday after we arrived at kindergarten.

“So, that’s what happened?”

“Yeah! Just like you said, Dokgun…!”

Yun-Seo nodded vigorously, a huge smile on her face, saying the adults told her they didn’t have to move.

Judging by her reaction, yesterday’s events must have been incredibly amazing for a seven-year-old.

To be honest, it was amazing for me too.

I had expected things might go in a positive direction if they worked out, but I never thought they would work out ‘this’ well.

It was almost frightening.

“But instead, I have to study and take tests…”

“Well, that’s…”

The words “Isn’t that obvious?” rose to my throat, but I didn’t actually say them.

“What if it’s too hard…?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

I had intervened in the life of a seven-year-old and twisted its direction, even if it was what Yun-Seo wanted.

It would be heartless of me to just walk away and say it’s none of my business now.

If a man starts something, he should see it through, whether it succeeds or fails.

Of course, there’s a limit to how much I, a man born without any talent, can help… But as they say, two heads are better than one.

So, unexpectedly, time spent studying Heroes and their ability development process, and then simplifying and explaining it to Yun-Seo, was added to my daily routine.

Because of how it all started, I initially kept it a secret from Mom, but it turned out I didn’t need to.

As I’ve said many times, Heroes are objects of admiration in this world, and a seven-year-old being obsessed with Heroes and delving into everything about them is quite common.

So, when Mom first found out, she just shrugged it off.

No, she actually seemed rather pleased, saying I was finally acting like a normal seven-year-old… Maybe that’s why she started bringing me things.

Honestly, at first, it was great.

There was a limit to how much information I could find online.

So, at first, I gladly accepted all the Hero-related materials Mom brought me… but as it happened repeatedly, some unusual items started coming my way.

It’s like… they didn’t look like top-secret materials, but they weren’t something ordinary people could easily get their hands on either.

“Here! Make sure you bring these back to Mom’s room when you’re done, okay?”

“Yes, Mom…”

She handed me such things so casually that I started to wonder about her job.

From what I overheard while she was in and out of her study, which she uses as an office, she’s definitely researching something, but I have no idea what.

It felt awkward to ask directly, so I decided to just let it be.

I figured she would tell me someday.

Anyway, with Mom’s unexpected cooperation, the secret private tutoring for Yun-Seo, which I hadn’t anticipated, continued for much longer than I thought.

Would you believe it continued from when she was seven until she graduated elementary school?

Thanks to that, I gained enough knowledge to easily surpass any Hero fanatic.

I could probably win a Hero quiz competition easily.

Honestly, I’m confident I could dominate the high school division, even if the adult division might be a bit tough.

Unlike me, who became a complete enthusiast, no, a Hero expert, my childhood friend and nemesis, Miss Oh Yun-Seo, whom I’ve known since kindergarten, for almost ten years, well—

“Hmm, perfect:

“Tch, obviously.”

She still maintained her title as a genius.

She became a little more annoying than when she was younger, but everyone goes through a bit of a “chuunibyou” phase at that age.

Considering how other Awakened kids act like they’re the center of the universe, she’s pretty tame.

The way she crosses her arms and leans on one leg might look annoying, but she’s just fishing for compliments, so it’s actually kind of cute.

“Yes, yes, you practiced hard. Good job, Yun-Seo. ‘Pats head’”

“…Sh! Who said you could pat my head?”

With a sharp retort, like a hissing cat, my hand was swatted away.

“Ow…”

Feeling the stinging pain in my hand, I stayed silent.

Yun-Seo, despite being the one who hit me, flinched and bit her lip before turning her head away.

The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.

And the one who broke the silence was… the one who created it in the first place.

“D-Does it hurt a lot?”

Perhaps the sound of her hand hitting mine was louder than she expected, and she was worried.

She asked the question in almost a whisper. I smiled inwardly.

That’s more like it.

She acts tough, but she’s a good kid underneath it all.

“Hey… Does it hurt a lot?”

Now, what should I do?

I was hit, so I pondered for a moment before deciding to remain silent.

Then I witnessed a rather rare sight.

How should I describe it?

A wet cat?

“W-Well, why did you touch my hair…!”

“…”

“…Are you mad?”

Honestly, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She was all haughty one second, and then all dejected like a wet cat the next, looking lost.

How could I resist?

I burst out laughing, and Yun-Seo, who had been nervously watching me with her usually tense eyes, suddenly glared.

“…You’re dead.”

“Wait! Wait! Hey! Don’t shoot water! Don’t shoot! Stop the indiscriminate talent abuse!”

I had to change my clothes because they got soaked while dodging the fist-sized water droplets flying at me, but other than that, I survived unscathed.

“Alright, I think we’ve played enough. Shall we start today’s assignment, Miss Oh Yun-Seo?”

“What are you talking about?”

“’Drumroll’ Today’s assignment is…!”

Ignoring her protests, I took out something I had specially prepared from the refrigerator and placed it in front of Yun-Seo.

With its fresh, bright red color and layers of white fat, it was—

“…Pork belly?”

“Yep, that’s right.”

As Yun-Seo said, it was pork belly.

It was also the enemy(?) Yun-Seo had to face today.

“Looks delicious.”

“Of course. I bought it today.”

It would be delicious even if I just scored it, sprinkled it with salt, and cooked it in the air fryer.

Temperature control is key, but if done right, it would quickly become crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, a perfect roast pork belly.

“Dip it in ssamjang, wrap it in a tangy pickled radish wrap… ‘Chef’s kiss’”

Did my description make her mouth water?

I heard Yun-Seo gulp.

It was a bit early for dinner since school had just ended, but kids her age are always hungry.

“So? Don’t you want to try it?”

Yun-Seo nodded vigorously, as if asking why I even bothered to ask such an obvious question. I gave her one instruction.

“You’re used to controlling moisture now, right?”

“Hmph, of course. I’ve been doing it since I was seven.”

“Then you can extract it from inside this too, right?”

I grinned as I asked if she could do it.

Yun-Seo’s face immediately crumpled.

Of course it would.

She was used to controlling moisture in the air, but extracting moisture from a specific object like I asked was something she hadn’t tried before.

“What? Think it’s too hard?”

“What are you talking about? I can do that with my eyes closed.”

“Oh really? Then I’ll just get dinner ready.”

“Uh, umm…”

Leaving Yun-Seo, who couldn’t give a definite answer, I took out some dishes from the cupboard.

“Huh? Why are you taking out three?”

“Well, are we the only ones eating?”

“What, is Ajumma coming home today?”

“I don’t know. She said she would, but who knows? It might get postponed like last time.”

It wasn’t the first time this had happened. It had been happening for about three years, since I was in my first year of middle school, so I wasn’t surprised anymore.

She’s busy, what can I do?

I really didn’t mind, but it seemed different to others.

“Hey… Don’t you get lonely being alone at night?”

Well, I’m human too, so honestly, being home alone all the time was a bit lonely.

But it wasn’t something I wanted this kid to worry about, so I responded with a chuckle.

“If I’m lonely, what? Are you going to move in?”

I was just joking, but—

“A-Are you crazy?!”

Her reaction was a bit strange.

Overly startled, perhaps.

“What? It was just a joke… Why are you reacting like that?”

“…”

“Hmm…? Is that really how you should react? What kind of imagination do you have?”

These kids these days—

“’Sigh’ Such a dirty mind for a little kid.”See?

“…W-What?!”

“That’s why you’re so short.”

“Y-You’re one to talk…! Always looking at weird stuff on your computer!”

Wait, how did she…?

“…Did you go through my computer while I was out?”

“…”

I asked, half-expecting it, but… she didn’t answer.

“Uh…?”