An Orphanage Called Hell - 3
"Miss Suyeon, what are you doing here? This is the men's restroom."
"Director, shh...! I think someone's hiding in here."
"Ah..."
Thank god.
Jeong Suyeon's quick thinking had gotten me out of immediate danger. Of course, I'd already snatched up the clothes I'd stripped off and slipped into a stall, so the director never caught sight of me.
"Shall we look together, then?"
"I'd be grateful for the help. I was feeling a little awkward being in the men's room anyway."
At that level, she could've been an actress instead of a prosecutor. I had no idea what expression she was wearing, but from the sound of her voice alone, the performance was flawless.
"Got you!"
Jeong Suyeon flung open the stall door and grabbed me with both hands. I was already fully dressed, so all I had to do was play along with the scene.
"Noona, that tickles~ Let go~~ Heehee!"
"Aigoo~ So our Sunwoo was hiding in here? Hahahaha~"
"Huh?? The director looking with you is cheating!"
"Oh no, what do we do? The director didn't teach me a single thing!"
"Sunwoo was found by noona all by herself, you know?"
"Hiiing... Really..?"
"Of course~ Noona's amazing at hide-and-seek. Now that Sunwoo's been caught, want to come with noona?"
"Okay.."
Putting on a slightly dejected act, I took Jeong Suyeon's hand and stepped out of the restroom.
"Aren't you coming, Director?"
"I'll take care of some business first and then head out."
"Ah, right..! This was the bathroom.. Sorry about that, hehe.."
"Hahaha~ Not at all. Hurry and go find the other children~ Hahaha."
Looking at him like that, he seemed like the kindest man in the world. But the truth hidden beneath that surface was far too vile.
"Noona."
"Yeah, Sunwoo."
"Could you invite us over on Christmas Eve? If you call it a Christmas party, it'll feel completely natural."
"Invite us??"
"Yes. Meeting outside, not here."
"Alright, I'll try."
"And even if I'm not there, don't ask why I'm missing."
"What do you mean by that..?"
I couldn't answer that question. We'd been talking as we walked, and before I knew it we'd arrived where the deputy director was waiting.
"Looks like our Sunwoo got caught by Suyeon noona?"
"Yes, Deputy Director.. Noona's really good at hide-and-seek.. Hiiing..."
I casually let go of her hand and walked over to the deputy director. Jeong Suyeon glanced at me for a moment, then went off to find the other kids.
After more hide-and-seek, eating dumplings from who-knows-where, and gathering to watch a movie together, Jeong Suyeon and the other volunteers finally headed home.
"Everyone clean up thoroughly. You all know perfectly well what happens if even a speck of dust turns up, right?"
Naturally, we cleaned the filthy orphanage under the deputy director's watchful eye, while the elementary school kids loaded the barbecue ingredients the volunteers had bought into the director couple's car.
Vroooom—
Late that evening, the director couple's car pulled out of the orphanage. Both the director and the deputy director were inside.
The two of them leaving at the same time was unusual. Normally at least one of them always stayed behind.
It wasn't because they slept at the orphanage out of concern for nighttime accidents or emergencies. They stayed solely to keep watch over us and to satisfy their own desires.
Not just the director—the deputy director also forced the boys to give massages or perform sexual acts to feed his own urges.
But today they were probably both heading back because of the barbecue ingredients loaded in the car.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I absolutely could not let this chance slip away.
Before Christmas Eve arrived, I had to confirm it with my own eyes.
"Sunwoo, where are you going..?"
"Bathroom."
"You'll get in trouble if you go outside when the director or deputy director aren't here.."
"It's fine, so Sol-i, don't worry and just sleep."
"....Will you sing me a lullaby..?"
"Not tonight. Just sleep."
"Ung..."
I pulled the blanket over Eunsol and stepped out into the hallway.
"Hooo...!"
It was cold enough that white breath puffed out. The hallway, with no heating whatsoever, was no different from being outside. Even after leaving the warehouse building where we stayed, it felt completely natural.
Clack!
I crossed the back courtyard and reached the main orphanage building, but as expected the door was locked. I'd prepared for this, though.
Thud-thud-thud—
I stacked plastic milk crates like stairs and climbed up.
Rattle—
A tiny window set into the wall above the sink. Only a small, skinny kid like me could fit through it. I slipped inside.
I'd checked every other window, but even the meticulous director couple never paid attention to this one.
"They just left, so round trip is thirty minutes, plus time to unload the barbecue stuff—total thirty-five minutes."
I had to hurry. No—more than that, I had to pray.
"Please be unlocked..!"
Every entrance and window was locked tight. So maybe, just maybe, the director's office door—which they always locked whenever they left—might be open.
"Please..!"
My hand stretched up and closed around the handle. Then carefully pushed it down.
Click—
It opened.
I slipped inside quickly and flipped on the light.
"What a vicious bastard..."
Whatever he was hiding, the director's office didn't even have a window. At least that meant the light wouldn't leak outside.
"It's got to be somewhere in here."
The computer, the drawers, the files on the desk, the bookshelves and cabinets—all the evidence of the director's corruption would be right here. But I wasn't here to secure evidence. That could be left to the police or the prosecutors.
So why was I here?
Because of that.
A safe as tall as my seven-year-old self. The money that vile director couple had hoarded after abandoning their humanity.
Yes—my target was that money itself.
Losing the fortune they'd amassed would be a far more horrific punishment to them than any sentence the law could hand down.
But like every safe, it needed a password. And from this moment on, I was going to find it.
Scritch-scritch— scritch-scritch-scritch—
I scraped pencil lead with a knife. Black powder piled onto a sheet of paper. I lifted the paper with the powder and blew hard across the number pad.
"Hoooooo!!! Cough..! Cough!!"
A little got in my mouth, but it seemed to have spread well enough. Next I tore off a strip of clear tape from the director's desk and pressed it over the powder-dusted pad. Then carefully peeled it away.
Riiip—
The tape came away thick with pencil dust, and a smile bloomed at the corner of my mouth.
"Hehehe..!"
It was pretty messy, but the prints showed up crystal clear. Exactly four spots bearing the director's fingerprints.
"Thanks, Eunmi noona."
I'd asked one favor of Eunmi noona, the girl the director summoned every night. Wipe the safe's number pad clean with her clothes every day without him noticing. As a result, no fingerprints remained anywhere else—only on the password keys themselves.
That reduced the ten thousand possibilities from 0000 to 9999 down to a mere twenty-four.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!!!
But even twenty-four wasn't easy. Three wrong entries and the safe locked out password attempts for five minutes.
I had thirty-five minutes. Three tries every five minutes. Technically enough time to try twenty-one codes, but I couldn't cut it that close. Do that and I'd end up greeting the director right in front of the safe.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!!!
"Damn it..!!"
Nine of the twenty-four passwords had failed. And the time that had passed wasn't fifteen minutes—it was twenty. Fifteen minutes left, and the safe wouldn't accept another try for five more minutes.
That meant I could only enter three more codes. Because the moment one of the director couple returned, they might check the safe. If they tried the password and it refused because of the lockout, they'd realize someone was after it.
So I had to factor in the time they'd need to try the password themselves.
Beep-beep-beep-beep— Beep-beep-beep-beep!!!
Failed again. Two chances left.
Beep-beep-beep-beep— Beep-beep-beep-beep!!!
Failed this time too. Only one chance remaining.
If this one failed, I might never get another look. Of course I could check on Christmas Eve, but what if I opened it then and found the safe empty?
To prevent that worst-case scenario, I had to confirm it with my own eyes. If it wasn't here, they'd hidden it somewhere else, and I'd need to find that location in the time left before Christmas Eve.
"Just open already this time..!"
This was the final attempt, and I still had time, so I carefully chose one of the remaining numbers.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
Cold sweat seemed to trickle down with every digit. After a brief pause I pressed the last number and turned the round handle of the safe.
Would it be a click, or another error beep?
"Please...!!!!"
Click—
It opened...
Ssssshhh—
The somewhat heavy door swung outward, revealing the tightly sealed interior of the safe.
"Holy shit..."
I couldn't focus on anything.
All we ever did was clean, eat, sleep, and shit, but still...
"Everyone stop cleaning and gather over here."
At the deputy director's words the children swarmed over.
"What day is it today?"
"Christmas Eve!!"
The kids answered with energy. But I stayed alone by the window, staring blankly outside with hollow eyes that had lost all will to live.
"As I told you, today we're going somewhere really nice to eat delicious food. You'll even get to wear pretty, fancy clothes for a special day. But what did I say you have to do for that?"
"We have to make a good impression on the adults!"
"That's right. From now on you have to show only your cutest sides to the adults at the place we're going. And you have to say this: 'I don't have any dreams. People told me that if you don't have money, you're not allowed to dream.' Now, repeat after me."
There was only one reason they made kids say things like that. To make people feel uncomfortable enough to donate, or to get a personal sponsor for a child who particularly tugged at their heartstrings.
Even on a day like this they only saw the kids as tools for making money.
"Trash bitch..."
"Wh-who was that! Who just said that!"
Sharp ears. I'd muttered it from the far window, quiet enough that kids closer by hadn't heard—yet the deputy director, farthest away, had caught every word.
"Get over here with your hand up right now!! Or do you want to stay here all day and take punishment?!"
"I-it wasn't me.."
"I didn't say anything either.."
"Me neither.."
"It wasn't me..."
The children stirred, each insisting it wasn't them. That should have been enough to let it slide, but the deputy director clearly had no intention of dropping it.
"If you don't come out by the time I count to three, you'll spend the whole day here taking punishment. Understand? Alright, I'm counting now. One, two..."
Right then, humming a little tune under my breath, I staggered over to where the deputy director and the kids were gathered. I stopped dead in front of him and lifted my head.
"It's me, you fucking bastard."
"......"