This World is too Cruel to Men

“This is strange…”

She wasn’t the type to fall for these things.

Was it some special day today?

Anyway, Yun-Seo, suddenly burdened with washing dishes for six, looked utterly bewildered.

‘Can’t she just use her ability to clean them?’

Honestly, watching her, that was the only thought that came to mind.

“Ah, I’m going to go inside and rest.”

“Oh, me too.”

“Rest? You have to finish setting up the tent.”

“But we just ate…”

“That’s why it’s even better. Digest the food. It’ll be great!”

While the two boys were caught trying to sneak into the pension by the girls, Yun-Seo…

“Ugh…”

…was gathering the scattered dishes with a sigh.

Every time another dish was added to the pile, a clattering sound echoed.

Hearing that sound, I couldn’t just stand by idly.

“Hey, hey, at that rate, when are you going to move all of that? Put a box on the handcart and put them in there.”

“If you’re not going to help, don’t nag…”

“Oh! When someone gives you a great tip, you should say thank you and accept it gratefully. You talk too much.”

“Honestly, you really…”

She grumbled, but eventually did as I said.

After gathering all the dishes, Yun-Seo started pulling the handcart towards the sink.

I followed her only to… give her something she’d forgotten.

“Hey.”

“…What.”

“You should take the rubber gloves.”

Washing dishes outdoors, barehanded in this weather?

A perfect recipe for frostbite.

I followed her to prevent that, but Yun-Seo seemed to think I was trying to help her.

She looked so disappointed… seeing that, I felt like teasing her.

“What do you care if I wear them or not?”

“Should I take them back then?”

“…Leave them.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…Leave them there.”

Well, she wouldn’t want frostbite.

So I put the rubber gloves back into the box of dishes.

Yun-Seo checked, turned around, and started walking away.

She was already upset about doing the dishes alone, and her supposed best friend of ten years was teasing her instead of helping. Maybe she was sulking.

Just like that, Yun-Seo, who was confidently striding towards the sink, stopped abruptly just short of her destination.

“…Why are you following me?”

“Huh? Ah… Don’t mind me.”

“Would you not mind if someone kept following you around like that?”

Well, she had a point.

I just shrugged at her protest.

Yun-Seo seemed to have nothing more to say and turned back to continue on her way, seemingly deciding to ignore me.

I followed her to the sink and watched as she leaned against the doorframe, transferring the stacked dishes into the sink.

“So, done watching?”

“No, I’m supervising to make sure you wash them properly.”

“…What?”

“But why aren’t you using your ability? It would be easier.”

Since we were here, I asked what I was genuinely curious about.

The look she gave me was as if she was looking at an idiot.

“What are you talking about… Do you want me to break all the dishes?”

“Then you can just control it gently so they don’t break.”

“Then the food stuck on the dishes won’t come off.”

“Then increase the power a little?”

“That’s difficult! It’s a hundred, a thousand times better to just wash them by hand, even if it’s a bit more work, than to adjust that for each dish.”

“Really?”

So, using her ability to wash dishes was that difficult…

“Then I can add it as a new training menu.”

“…What?”

“Well, listening to you, it sounds like it would help improve your control.”

Control, or what the industry calls precision, seemed trivial on the surface but was a crucial element.

It was especially important when evaluating promising individuals… which made sense when you thought about it.

The total power one could exert with their talent could be increased with enough effort.

The common belief was that talent strengthens with use.

But what if control wasn’t there?

They’d become a ticking time bomb, a dangerous entity that could explode at any moment and harm those around them.

And there were no Heroes who would welcome such a colleague.

Lately, I had been pondering how to effectively hone this control, and the answer was unexpectedly close at hand.

Satisfied, I nodded to myself and went to stand beside Yun-Seo.

“Wh-what are you doing…”

“Huh? Ah, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you to do this alone, so I thought I’d join you.”

“Ha… Do you really think I’m a seven-year-old who can’t even wash dishes…”

“Forget it, just give me a spare sponge.”

Although she spoke as if she was exasperated, she didn’t seem to want to be left alone, as a sponge appeared in my hand.

Just as I was about to start washing, rubber gloves were shoved in front of me.

“What?”

“…You wear them.”

“No thanks.”

“Wear them.”

“I don’t want to. You wear them.”

“Your hands will get cold. Wear them.”

“Oh my… since when did you care so much…”

*****

Honestly…

Grumbling inwardly, I put on the rubber gloves Dokgun offered.

It seemed better to finish the dishes quickly rather than bicker with him.

‘Idiot…’

If he was going to do this, he should have brought two pairs instead of just one.

Even if it was indoors with warm water, washing dishes barehanded in this winter weather? What was he thinking?

My lips kept wanting to pout, but I held back with superhuman patience.

If Dokgun saw me pouting, he’d tease me relentlessly.

As the clattering of dishes filled the air…

“…Hey.”

“What.”

“What are you going to do after the dishes?”

What to do after the dishes?

Besides going back to the pension, was there anything else?

Sanga, the one who put me in this dishwashing predicament, had told me to use this opportunity to take a walk with Dokgun while she distracted the others… but if it were that easy, I would have done it already.

It wasn’t that simple.

That was the problem.

“Nothing to do, right? Then let’s go to the trampoline.”

Anyway, I couldn’t say anything, even though the opportunity was presented to me on a silver platter… but unexpectedly, Dokgun was the one to make the suggestion.

“…Trampoline?”

“Yeah.”

“What for?”

“Well… a walk to digest our food… is a bit too cold… Ah!”

Did he think of a good alternative to a walk?

His reaction suggested he did.

Though I had no idea what it was.

“Now that I think about it, we have this.”

With that, something jingled from Dokgun’s pocket and emerged…

“Ah.”

It was the set of keys we received from Jinho’s aunt earlier.

“How about… it?”

Honestly, I wanted to nod immediately.

Now, it would be possible for us to use the place alone.

However… I hesitated because I felt guilty about leaving the others behind and enjoying it by ourselves.

That was how I felt… but…

“Honestly, we’ve done enough with the cooking and dishes. It’s not good for one person to do too much work.”

The moment Dokgun said that, my guilt vanished.

“Well… trampolines aren’t fun with a lot of people anyway.”

“Right, right. So, are you in?”

“…I’m in.”

Right, Sanga also told me to go and spend some time with him.

So, maybe… it would be okay?

“Yes, yes. Good thinking. If we go back now, we’ll just be in the way.”

“Huh?”

What was he talking about?

As I looked at him puzzled, he responded with a similar expression.

“What, you didn’t know? I thought everyone except those two knew.”

So, what was it that he was talking about?

“You know… Jinho likes that girl, Sanga.”

“…What?”

“What, you really didn’t know?”

“Wait… then, this trip is…”

“Yeah, what you’re thinking is right.”

No wonder… I thought this trip was sudden.

So there was a reason.

Anyway, if that was true, I didn’t need to feel burdened.

“So… what do you think of that Sanga girl?”

“What about her?”

“Well… do you think she’ll accept if Jinho confesses?”

“Hmm…”

Honestly, I didn’t know.

I didn’t even understand my own feelings, let alone someone else’s.

But if there was one thing I was sure of… it was that she didn’t seem completely disinterested.

If she wasn’t interested at all?

She wouldn’t have even responded to his teasing, let alone play along with his jokes.

Compared to that, the two of them, even though that Jinho guy gets teased a lot, they also joke around and bicker a lot, so wouldn’t it be okay to be optimistic?

“Really? You think she’s at least somewhat interested? Hmm… it’s a bit ambiguous…”

Dokgun seemed to think differently.

“Eh… whatever. It’s not like I’m the one confessing. They’ll figure it out.”

Hearing that made my heart sink.

An unnecessary and ominous thought filled my mind.

“Anyway, so—”

To quickly shake off the thought that had instantly filled my head—

“Let’s finish these dishes quickly and go check that out.”

I nodded enthusiastically at Dokgun’s words.