This World is too Cruel to Men

Even including my previous life, this was only my second middle school graduation ceremony, but honestly, there wasn’t much difference between the first and second rounds.

The principal and the guests, whoever they were, talked a lot, and the kids were bored to death, just like the first time.

It was quite funny.

The teachers seemed annoyed by the chaotic atmosphere created by the bored students, but they couldn’t interrupt because the student council president, or whoever he was, was giving such a passionate congratulatory address.

They just kept clearing their throats with uncomfortable expressions, like they were watching a comedy skit.

‘Come to think of it…’

The president, or whoever he was, standing at the podium was quite something.

By now, he should have realized that no one in the auditorium was listening to him.

Anyone else would have been embarrassed and stopped, but he continued his speech with a determined expression, like he didn’t care.

I don’t know what kind of organization he leads, but I guess a certain level of shamelessness is a basic requirement for being a leader.

“Ugh… When will this be over…”

“Are you bored?”

“Yeah…”

“If you’re that bored, why don’t you look at your phone?”

“That’s a bit…”

She’s so conscientious in all the wrong places.

I chuckled inwardly as I watched Yun-Seo express her disapproval, as if using her phone during the ceremony was somehow wrong.

Yun-Seo blinked a few times, then covered her mouth with her hand and yawned widely.

“Haawm…”

“Sleepy?”

“…A little?”

Well, it was the perfect environment for it.

Even though the auditorium doors were wide open, letting in a cold breeze, we were sitting right under the heater, so warm air enveloped us like an invisible curtain.

Plus, since she came to find me before I went looking for her, she must have woken up earlier than usual, meaning she probably lacked sleep.

And the president’s voice was so calm and soothing, it would be perfect for listening to when you can’t sleep.

So, of course she’d be sleepy.

Thanks to this incredibly powerful combination, Yun-Seo started talking less and less as time went on, and soon she began to doze off.

The problem was that the chairs we were sitting in had an anti-ergonomic design that didn’t consider the user’s comfort at all.

“Mmm…”

Since there weren’t even any armrests, Yun-Seo, now lost in slumber, swayed precariously every time she nodded off, her lips puckering…

“Oh, man… She’s so high-maintenance…”

At this rate, either the person in front or the person to the right would end up getting headbutted, just like I did when I was seven and awakened to my past life.

Carefully, I reached out and grabbed Yun-Seo’s sleeve, pulling her towards me.

Her head, which had been swaying unsteadily, landed on my forearm with a thud.

‘Ouch…’

I was aiming for her shoulder, but her head landed on my forearm instead, so it felt like I’d been punched.

My arm throbbed, but I ignored the urge to rub it and slumped slightly.

I reached out and gently supported her face, which was rubbing against my forearm, and placed it on my shoulder, which I had just adjusted.

Then I thought to myself,

‘When will this graduation ceremony be over…’

*****

Dokgun thought Yun-Seo had fallen completely asleep, but he was mistaken.

The person he thought was asleep was actually awake.

Well, to be precise, she had been asleep.

Until her face collided with Dokgun’s forearm, jolting her awake.

And after waking up?

She couldn’t fall back asleep.

The moment she woke up, because of the tug on her sleeve, she realized something.

She was leaning on Dokgun.

The realization hit her like a bucket of ice water, chasing away all traces of sleepiness and replacing it with a wave of panic.

‘D-Did I…’

Drool on him?

Fortunately, her lips felt dry, but if she had drooled, she might have become the first person in history to die of embarrassment.

Anxious thoughts swirled in her mind.

‘Geez… Why couldn’t he just let me sleep…’

She felt a slight resentment towards Dokgun.

Of course, despite her resentment, she already knew why he had done this.

He probably couldn’t just stand by and watch her doze off.

That was just the kind of person he was.

While she was panicking and lost in thought, Dokgun shifted, and she felt something that seemed to be a hand touch her face.

Although she had been awake for a while since her face had collided with his forearm, he seemed unaware.

He reached out with the utmost care, as if afraid to wake her.

His touch made her heart race.

Just leaning on his shoulder made her feel strangely giddy.

She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her lips from twitching upwards.

If he found out she was awake now, it would only make things awkward, so she tried her best to pretend she was still asleep.

Dokgun’s hand, which had been supporting her face, gently guided it towards his shoulder.

Perhaps it was because her eyes were tightly closed, but his shoulder felt much broader than she had imagined.

And… it felt strange.

Her tailbone tingled as if it had been electrocuted, and the arches of her feet tickled, causing her toes to curl involuntarily.

‘And why does he smell so good…’

Dokgun had a scent she liked.

Like a freshly laundered blanket, dried in the sun until fluffy and warm.

A scent that made her want to snuggle closer.

With each breath, the scent filled her nostrils, and she began to wonder.

Had she always liked this scent?

Or had she come to like it because she often smelled it on Dokgun?

One thing was certain—

‘Just a little longer…’

What she had wished would end quickly before falling asleep, she now wanted to last a little longer.

“Good thing you don’t snore. What would I have done if you did?”

Though she wanted to cover his mouth.

‘He’s always ruining the mood…’

As she grumbled inwardly, her last moments as a middle school student began to draw to a close.

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‘I should probably wake her up soon…’

Should I let her sleep a little longer, or wake her up now?

As I pondered this, as if sensing my dilemma, Yun-Seo, who had been sleeping soundly with her face on my shoulder, started to furrow her brow.

Seeing this, I figured it was a good time and gently nudged my shoulder, which she was using as a pillow.

“Mmm…”

“Hey, wake up. The graduation ceremony is over.”

Perhaps she couldn’t stay asleep any longer with her pillow moving up and down.

The furrow in her brow deepened, and then Yun-Seo opened her eyes, rubbing them sleepily.

“…Over?”

“There’s still a bit left, but it’ll be over once they hand out the diplomas and awards.”

“What… It’s not over yet…”

Still half-asleep, she mumbled, which was rather cute, but I couldn’t let her sleep any longer.

My back was starting to ache from being her pillow.

“Come on, wake up. We have to take pictures after the ceremony. If you keep sleeping, your face will be all puffy like a pufferfish.”

“Pufferfish… Pufferfish are cute… So it’s okay…”

“Tsk… Did you stay up all night because you were excited or something? You’re talking nonsense…”

Was she cold?

Even though we were sitting right under the heater, she shivered slightly after waking up.

I gave her a few light nudges to wake her up properly, and she finally reacted like her usual self.

“Ouch! Stop it! I get it…”

There, that’s the Yun-Seo I know.

I smiled, watching her rub her eyes after her brief outburst of annoyance.

Suddenly, a question popped into my head.

“By the way, aren’t they giving you any awards?”

Honestly, she deserved one.

“Oh, that? I told them I was okay.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well… I’ll probably get a lot of awards in the future, but other people might not. So, I should let them have this one.”

“Wow…”

“…What.”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“What!”

“No, really, it’s nothing. Unless… you have something to feel guilty about?”

“Hey!”

We bickered like that until the graduation ceremony finally ended—

“Whoa! Oh Yun-Seo and Lee Dokgun are taking a picture together!”

“Get lost, you idiots.”

“No way! We want to take pictures too!”

“Then let’s just take one together.”

After the ceremony, we took pictures here and there, and just like that, my second time through middle school came to an end.