Please Shut It Down
“Meowww...”
It was a cry so heartbreaking it could shatter anyone's chest just by listening.
As if afraid the grave might collapse,
Bo-ri gently rubbed her cheek against the mound. Even the audio beyond the screen fell dead silent at the sight.
For a long time, Bo-ri couldn't leave the grave, doing nothing but cry. Eventually, having spent all her strength, she quietly let herself be held in Dojin's arms as he approached. With that, the video came to an end.
Even after editing, the video ran for a whopping forty-two minutes.
“Why is this on the trending list?”
“It's absolute chaos right now. At first, it was only shared in pet cat forums and stray cat cafes, but now it's spreading to all the major online communities.”
Even without Seungwan pointing it out, Dojin could feel that the situation was unusual.
Every time he refreshed the page, the views, likes, and subscriber count shot up rapidly.
The comment section was literally overflowing with responses.
Although there were the usual complainers and trolls scattered here and there, the vast majority of the comments were overwhelmingly positive.
It was enough to make Dojin feel embarrassed for having hesitated until the very last moment when Seungwan suggested editing and uploading it.
'I was worried it might be too cruel to Bo-ri...'
Among the comments, there were indeed some that echoed Dojin's concerns.
They questioned whether it was really necessary to film and upload such a video when it must have been so traumatic for Bo-ri.
However, those comments were quickly shut down by other users.
While some responded aggressively, the overall atmosphere was one of gentle reassurance.
“Didn't I tell you it would be fine?”
“...You were right. I guess I was being too sensitive.”
Dojin cleanly admitted defeat at Seungwan's words.
He also acknowledged that when it came to editing and uploading, it was best to defer to her, as she was the professional.
It was while the two of them were discussing work.
“Meow!”
“Huh? What is it, Samsaek-i?”
Noticing Samsaek-i suddenly climbing up his leg, Dojin gently scooped him up and placed him on his shoulder.
Purrrr...
Apparently quite satisfied with his perch, Samsaek-i began to purr loudly while kneading Dojin's shoulder.
“...”
While Seungwan covered her mouth in sheer envy at the sight, Dohee walked over to them.
Bo-ri was cradled comfortably in her arms.
“Geez, Samsaek-i ended up running to you after all, Oppa.”
“Huh? After all?”
“He was squirming to get to you earlier. I tried to stop him because it looked like you were talking about work with Seungwan, but...”
It seemed Samsaek-i hadn't missed the brief moment Dohee was distracted playing with Bo-ri to make a break for Dojin.
Although Bo-ri and all her kittens liked Dojin, Samsaek-i was particularly attached to him.
It was to the point where one might wonder if he regarded Dojin as his personal security blanket.
“It seems he was looking for you because it's getting quite noisy around here,” Seungwan remarked.
At Seungwan's words, Dojin and Dohee naturally looked around.
And indeed, the surroundings were incredibly lively.
The school playground, which was usually so quiet it felt desolate, was now filled with numerous play structures.
At each play area, the children and families who had visited a few days ago were happily settled in.
“Daddy, Daddy! Did you see that? I swam underwater all the way here!”
“Oh! You really did! Earlier you couldn't even make it halfway, but this time you went almost to the end. Our Han-gil could be a swimmer!”
“Daddy, what about me? What about me?”
“Hahaha, Na-gil is still too young to swim. For now, let's just splash around in your tube.”
“Han-gil, Na-gil~ Look over here. Say cheese!”
A father and his sons were playing happily in a portable pool, while the mother recorded them with a bright smile.
“Hahaha! Daddy, do it again! Again!”
“Alright, up you go!”
“Daddy, lift me up too! Hurry! I have to get ahead of Hye-ju!”
“Hey, I told you to call her Hye-ju Noona.”
“Eh? Why? Hye-ju and I only have a one-month birthday difference!”
“Even if it's only a month, you were born in different years. There are rules of respect to follow, even between cousins. Hurry up and call her Noona.”
“Hmph... Fine. Hye-ju Noona, wait for me!”
The children from the two families who had been visiting together since the very first day were continuing their endless race.
They were running through the obstacle course bounce house, which featured various themes and layouts.
As expected of families whose parents were close siblings and visited each other often even after marriage, the cousins got along famously.
Of course, this meant the parents trying to keep up with them had absolutely no time to rest.
Still, they were in a relatively better position.
At least compared to the parents playing with their kids on the water slide bounce house.
“Wheee!”
“Whoa! It's so high!”
“Hahaha... Ye-rim, shall we rest for just a bit?”
“No! I want to go again! Lift me up!”
“O-okay.”
Unable to win against his child's pleading, the father picked her up and headed back up the inflatable slide.
Because the steps were too high for a small child, he had to lift her up himself every single time.
He had been carrying his child back and forth like this for an hour already.
He was so exhausted that he couldn't tell if the moisture soaking his clothes was sweat or the water from the slide.
The mother, completely drained of energy, hadn't been able to stand up for a while.
She was just floating in the pool like a piece of seaweed, letting her body sway with the gentle ripples of the water.
Elsewhere, children were choosing their own activities, enjoying the game inflatables, sensory play zones, trampolines, and giant bubble makers.
“No wonder the cats were startled.”
Usually, the Sekki House was beyond quiet—it was practically silent.
Since the only occasional sounds were those of farming the fields, it was only natural that Bo-ri and her kittens were taken aback.
“How are the other cats doing?”
“They were a bit tense at first, but they're playing well now. They definitely seem to prefer the outdoors to being inside, probably because of their memories as strays.”
At Seungwan's words, Dojin looked toward the area where the old playground used to be.
Familiar cats were perched atop cat towers and various structures set up on the grassy lawn.
“I brought them out because it felt like a waste to leave them in the storage room, and they actually fit in quite well.”
“Yeah. We might as well leave them here so the cats can use them when they come out for fresh air.”
Dohee nodded in agreement with Dojin's suggestion.
They were spare items built when they were setting up the playroom, but they blended in with the surroundings much better than expected.
After coming out of their cages, Bo-ri and her kittens had been wary at first, but now they were using the structures comfortably.
It was while Dojin was chatting with the two women.
One of the parents resting under the canopy Dojin had set up walked over, carrying a plate of sliced watermelon.
“Excuse me, teachers. Please have some of this.”
“Oh? No, you really don't have to give us anything.”
“Nonsense. You allowed us to use the playground and even provided all these play structures. This is the least we can do.”
Despite Dojin's polite refusal, the parent insisted on handing over the watermelon.
Unable to win against her persistence, Dojin eventually accepted the plate.
“Thank you, we'll enjoy it. But really, you don't need to bring us things next time.”
“Hohoho, of course! Enjoy!”
Dojin urged her several times, but his words didn't seem to hold much weight.
Other parents were also constantly bringing over various snacks and food to Dojin's group.
“...I really feel like a schoolteacher now.”
“I know. When I was a kid, the teachers' tables during sports days looked exactly like this.”
Dohee and Seungwan, who were holding trays in both hands just like Dojin, quickly headed back to their seats.
If they stayed out there any longer, they were bound to receive even more food.
Their seats were also set up on the playground.
Dojin had purchased canopies and scattered them across the field.
Even though these families had already recovered from COVID-19, quarantine guidelines still existed, so he had arranged the tents to prevent them from gathering too closely.
Thanks to this, each family could sit comfortably apart without worrying about violating social distancing rules.
“But don't you think there are too many play structures compared to the number of kids?”
Once seated, Seungwan looked at Dojin with concern.
Counting the giant bubble makers, there were ten different types of play equipment.
Moreover, all of them had been purchased outright, not rented.
On top of that, they had even rented a water truck for the day to fill the pools and water slides.
'The cost of the inflatables alone must easily exceed fifty million won.'
And that was before adding the cost of the other play equipment, the canopies, and the water truck rental.
It was an astronomical sum to spend just for the entertainment of fewer than fifty people.
And it wasn't as if they were charging admission fees, either.
To Seungwan, who knew nothing of Dojin's financial situation or the request Director Wang had made, this all looked like reckless overspending.
Despite her worries, Dojin's voice remained perfectly calm.
“It couldn't be helped. We couldn't exactly cram all the kids into a single bounce house.”
“...”
“Not only would the kids feel suffocated, but it would also violate quarantine regulations.”
At this, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Even if they were no longer at risk of transmitting the virus, they still had to follow the rules of the system.
Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the efforts of those currently struggling on the front lines of the pandemic.
Because of this, a maximum of two families used any single play structure at a time.
Considering that the expensive bounce houses cost over ten million won each, it was an incredibly inefficient setup, but Dojin believed it was the right thing to do.
'Anyway, this is money I wouldn't even have if it weren't for the director's goodwill. The expenses are a bit high, but as long as the kids are happy, that's enough.'
Besides, this wasn't a one-day event.
Since the families gathered here were scheduled to stay in the village for anywhere from one to six months, they would have plenty of time to make full use of the equipment.
'If we maintain them well, we can use them next year and the year after that. In two years, COVID-19 will have quieted down anyway.'
Dojin thought of it lightly, but the situation did not unfold as simply as he expected.
A week after opening the playground and bringing in the play equipment,
an uninvited guest arrived at the Sekki House.
“Hello. I'm Sergeant Cha Su-hyeok from the Gapyeong Police Station.”
“Yes, I'm Baek Dojin. May I ask what brings the police here...?”
Unlike Dojin, who asked with a bewildered expression, Officer Cha's face was stiff and stern.
His gaze swept over the various play structures set up on the playground and the children and parents playing there.
Ignoring Dojin's question, he scanned the entire playground before finally speaking.
“We received a report that this place is violating quarantine regulations. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us to the station.”
“Excuse me? The police station?”
“Yes. And you must shut this place down immediately.”