Libraries and Movie Theaters
"Where should we move these books?"
"Just a moment... Ah, please put this year's recommended books for young adults in the recommendation corner over here."
"Excuse me, where should we place this shelf?"
"Please push that against the wall over there. A sliding bookcase is going in front of it, so keep that workspace in mind."
"Excuse me, where should I put this toy organizer?"
"Ah, that..."
"..."
"..."
Despite the endless barrage of questions, Dohee kept directing the workers as naturally as flowing water.
Dojin and Seungwan watched her, completely dazed.
They were utterly shocked by this unfamiliar side of her, one they had never seen before.
"...Dojin, you didn't get a new girlfriend, did you?"
"And when did your best friend change, Seungwan?"
They were so incredulous that they were exchanging banter they rarely shared.
They knew Dohee was surprisingly sharp, but her current demeanor made her look like an entirely different person.
"No matter how much I think about it, she chose the wrong career," Dojin muttered.
"I agree. Since she's on unpaid leave anyway, this might be the perfect time for a career change."
Seungwan nodded in agreement with Dojin's self-muttering.
She had never liked Dohee's job to begin with.
It wasn't that she looked down on call center representatives; it was just that the company's treatment of her friend was terrible compared to the effort Dohee put in.
Dojin felt the same way.
However...
Dohee probably won't want to change jobs.
The reason she worked as a call center agent was that the job served as a decent shield for her.
Low salary relative to the workload, poor benefits, and a high turnover rate—these were conditions that anyone else would view negatively, but they kept her family from exploiting her too much.
Though the problem is they still bleed her dry anyway.
According to what she had confessed while they were living together, her family still came to extort money from her once a month.
They extorted money monthly from a daughter and sister who earned barely minimum wage and lived in a place so squalid it was hard to tell if it was a house or a sewer.
If she were to move to a more stable job or a better home, there was no telling how much more frequently they would show up.
In my past life, I was the one who suffered from that the most.
Dojin grit his teeth as he recalled his in-laws, who used to show up at his workplace demanding money instead of their unemployed daughter, or causing scenes at his factory.
For Dohee's happiness, and for the new family they would build together, he intended to cut ties with them once and for all, one way or another.
Still, thanks to the people Director Wang sent, I can rest easy for the time being.
Continuing his train of thought, Dojin looked outside.
New faces were mingled among the people enjoying the playground equipment in the yard.
They were the security staff Director Wang had mentioned. Since their arrival, Dojin and his companions had been able to focus on other tasks with peace of mind.
Before, as the people in charge, at least one of the three of them had to watch the premises at all times.
But now, the security staff were handling safety checks, quarantine prevention, and monitoring outsiders, allowing them to focus on other things without worry.
"Phew, that's the bulk of it done."
"Good job."
"Want some coffee?"
"Thanks, Oppa! Seungwan-ssi, coffee, come on!"
As the work wound down, Dohee instantly reverted to her usual self.
Seungwan chuckled at her rapid transformation and went to get the coffee. Meanwhile, Dojin asked,
"My girlfriend is working so hard because of me. You didn't have to go this far, though."
"What do you mean? You're building a library for kids. Do you know how important that is?"
"Is... is it that big of a deal?"
To Dojin, it was just a simple addition that would be nice to have, but Dohee's reaction suggested otherwise.
She had considered how the arrangement of toy organizers affected reading habits, what the latest trends in children's books were, and various other factors.
Ultimately, Dohee recommended a library design where children could relax and read at the same time.
She mentioned it was inspired by a famous library in Stockholm, one of the most renowned in the world.
"I only mimicked the atmosphere. Even though this place is spacious, the size and facilities are definitely lacking compared to the original."
They were on the second floor of the main building, in the space that had originally been the school's library.
Since it was already designed as a library, it was quite large, but it seemed to fall short of Dohee's standards.
Maybe I should have knocked down the wall to the next classroom.
It wouldn't have mattered since they had plenty of empty space.
But Dojin soon shook his head.
Honestly, considering their circumstances, even the current size was larger than necessary.
Building a children's library in a village with no children is a luxury in itself.
Although kids were staying here temporarily for now, in a few months, this place would go back to being a child-free zone.
Dojin wouldn't have even thought of building a library if it hadn't been for Director Wang's suggestion.
The conversation he had with the director in the car a few days ago came back to him.
"A rental? You want to rent Three Meals House?"
Dojin's face stiffened slightly at the director's sudden proposal.
Even if it was just a rental, depending on the terms of the contract, he could lose control over his own property.
Not that the director would do such a thing.
If she were that kind of person, she wouldn't have left the property alone when it went up for auction in the first place.
Nor would she have supported him with gifts.
Dojin didn't think she coveted Three Meals House either.
It was just that because it was Director Wang, he couldn't afford to take it lightly.
"Dojin, you know I sponsor a few orphanages, right?"
"...Yes."
Dojin himself was from one of those orphanages, so there was no way he didn't know.
He had even delivered goods made at his factory directly to them, so he knew those places quite well.
"Cheongsol in Gangwon Province is closing down soon."
"What? Cheongsol Orphanage? Why...? Wasn't it quite large?"
As far as Dojin remembered, the number of children there exceeded fifty last year.
Orphanages of that scale were rare in the country, so they rarely closed down.
The government and local municipalities provided various subsidies, after all.
Moreover, it was sponsored by Director Wang.
Though she called it sponsoring, she practically ran the place, so it was hard to believe it was closing.
But the moment he heard the director's next words, Dojin had no choice but to understand.
"I hear everyone has left the village. The only ones remaining are a few elderly folks preparing to move, and the people living at Cheongsol."
"Then... there's no choice. Are they moving somewhere else?"
"Indeed. There's no other place that can take in all the kids from Cheongsol at once, and I can't bear to see them scattered all over the place."
Dojin desperately held back a laugh at the director's words.
She said there was no choice, but there was no way she would actually shut down the orphanage permanently.
When she said "closing down," she literally meant the facility in Gangwon Province was closing.
Once they settled in a new place, she would probably describe it as "opening up."
Why can't she just call it moving?
He was startled every time she did this, but there was nothing he could do.
She was too old to change her speech habits now.
I told her a hundred times that people call them care homes or shelters instead of orphanages these days, but she never corrected it.
If anything, the people around her had been influenced by her and used the word "orphanage" instead.
"Then, do you want to use Three Meals House as the new Cheongsol Orphanage?"
"Hoho, it's not my building, so how could I do that? I shouldn't, and I don't want to. What I want is to rent it for one day every two weeks—a total of two days a month."
"Two days? I don't mind, but... what for?"
If the director asked, Dojin would gladly lend it to her for two weeks, let alone two days.
So his question was born out of pure curiosity.
She had just been talking about Cheongsol, yet she only wanted to rent it for two days a month?
As the owner of Three Meals House and an acquaintance of the director, he had to ask.
The answer he received was completely unexpected.
"I want the children from the orphanage to experience the playground rides you bought. Think of it as... a mini school trip? It would be a waste to leave those rides sitting idle, wouldn't it, Dojin?"
"Ah... if that's the case..."
"Hoho, don't you dare offer it for free or tell us to stay longer."
"What? No, but still..."
Dojin tried to speak, but the director cut him off, as if she had read his mind.
She was one step ahead of him once again.
"Tsk, how cheeky. I've never taken a single penny of someone else's money lightly in my entire life. Do you expect me to leech off your pocket money at my age? Hohoho."
"..."
"Right? You agree that would be ridiculous, don't you? Hoho. Now that you understand, just sign the contract."
With those words, the director pulled a pre-printed contract from her bag and handed it to him.
"If you read the terms, you'll see we're renting the entire place on the second and fourth Fridays of every month. But it won't be easy. You have to provide lunch and dinner on that day, and breakfast the next morning."
"What? All three meals?"
Startled by the director's words, Dojin scanned the contract.
Sure enough, the clause was right there.
For the first time since the rental was brought up, worry crept onto Dojin's face.
This is trouble. There must be a lot of kids.
Not just Cheongsol, but all the orphanages the director ran had large numbers of residents.
Even excluding the children, there would be at least fifteen adults.
In contrast, Three Meals House had only three staff members.
It was impossible for them to prepare three meals for that many people.
But as if sensing Dojin's dilemma, the director smiled gently and added,
"Of course, I'm not asking for this for free. I plan to pay for the food, utility bills like electricity and water, and a separate fee for using the playground rides."
"Pardon?"
"Check the contract. Everything I just said is in there."
Dojin read the contract and looked up in shock.
The terms were exactly as the director had said.
However, the fees were set at an absurdly high rate.
"Di-Director. This is a typo, right? You accidentally added an extra zero, didn't you?"
"Why? What's written there that has you so shocked?"
"The daily accommodation fee is listed as twenty million won. On top of that, the food and facility usage fees are ten million won. That's sixty million won a month. Anyone can see this is wrong."
Dojin's face grew increasingly desperate as he spoke, looking like a man trying to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, the person who had actually drafted the contract remained perfectly calm.
"Hoho, you read it correctly, so why are you so surprised? Ah, is it because the rent is too low?"
"N-No, Director."
"Hohoho, don't look so shocked. Even if it weren't you, I've always paid that much wherever we went."
"What?"
"The world, Dojin, is crueler and more miserable than you think. A pension owner who is friendly at first will completely change their attitude the moment they find out the guests are orphans. Is it any different elsewhere? It's the same for motels, resorts, and hotels. If even one little thing goes missing, they accuse the kids of stealing."
"..."
"What do you think is the way to avoid discrimination in a world like that? Fighting against the injustice? Getting revenge later? None of the above. The easiest and cleanest way is to pay a higher price than ordinary people. A vastly higher price."
At the director's words, a memory flashed through Dojin's mind.
After he entered high school, he had gone on a trip to Jeju Island for the first time.
It was a trip for the entire orphanage.
Dojin, who had been thrilled to ride an airplane for the first time in his life, felt his mood sour the moment they arrived at the hotel lobby.
It was because of the expression on the hotel receptionist's face.
Disregard, condescension, disdain, contempt.
It was a look any orphan would recognize instantly, yet the receptionist didn't even bother to hide it.
Fortunately, because Dojin was at the very front of the group, he was the only one who saw the receptionist's face.
That was when the director, standing beside Dojin, stepped forward.
"Give us all your suites."
"Pardon? The... suites, ma'am?"
"Yes. How many vacant suites do you have left?"
"Currently... there are five vacant suites."
"Hmm, still a bit short. Then we'll take the next tier down for the rest. The teachers and I will take the suites, and the children will pair up in the other rooms. Is that possible?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Um, how will you be paying...?"
"With this card. In full, please."
"Yes, yes! I'll process the payment right away!"
After that, Dojin didn't have to worry about the staff's expressions anymore.
Every employee they met was consistently polite and respectful.
Hearing the director's words now, he realized she had been using money to protect the children's pride even back then.
And she was doing the exact same thing now.
"Do you understand what I'm saying? Then just sign. If you cut the price here, Dojin, you'll be cutting my children's pride by just as much."
Since she put it that way, Dojin had only one possible answer.
"...Yes, I understand."
"Hohoho, good boy. I knew our Dojin was considerate."
That was the end of it.
Thirty million won per night.
A contract worth a whopping sixty million won a month was finalized just like that.
Still, if they come once every two weeks... even just lending books will make it function as a library.
Dojin was inspecting the library while recalling his conversation with the director when a dark object suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"I felt bad only giving one to Dohee."
"Oh? Thank you."
Dojin took the iced Americano from Seungwan and took a sip. As if she had been waiting for this moment, she asked,
"But isn't this a bit too much remodeling all of a sudden?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, the children's library, and the mini movie theater next to it. It's all so sudden."
"Ah... I think we'll need them soon."
"A library and a movie theater?" Seungwan asked, looking incredulous.
It was a natural reaction for her.
Building a children's library in a town with no kids, and a mini movie theater in a village with no young people.
However, Dojin had his reasons.
Some of the kids at the orphanage really loved books.
At first, they would be too busy enjoying the new place and the playground rides.
But over time, as the novelty wore off, the rides would inevitably lose their charm.
The library was a place prepared in advance for that moment.
Perhaps due to the director's educational philosophy, most of the children loved reading, and by the time they reached high school, they wouldn't have much interest in playground rides anyway.
On the other hand, the movie theater was strictly a facility for the local elderly.
It was a sort of community culture project.
There were quite a few elderly folks who wanted to watch old movies.
Seniors with no children or grandchildren had no way of watching the movies they wanted to see.
Dojin had often heard them talking about it while walking around the yard, which had practically become the village town hall.
"Hey, no matter what anyone says, Pretty Woman is the best."
"What's that? I don't know about that, but when it comes to movies, it's got to be Rambo."
"Tsk, this is why you army grunts are hopeless. A movie has to be like Top Gun. Didn't you feel anything watching those fighter jets fly?"
The movie talk that started like this would soon lead to:
"Wait, what was that line again?"
"Ugh, he forgot it again. Well, it's been ages since we saw that movie."
"My memory of Top Gun is getting fuzzy lately, too. I wish I could watch it just one more time."
It wasn't just the grandfathers; the grandmothers were the same.
He had even heard them talking about old musicals and dramas from time to time, which was why he decided to build the movie theater.
"Well... I'm happy since it means more footage for me to edit, but... please spend responsibly."
"...Yes, don't worry."
Dojin knew exactly what Seungwan was worried about.
She was warning the president of a company—and her friend's future husband—against impulse spending.
But unfortunately for her concerns, Dojin's finances were not at a level she needed to worry about.
Thanks to the director supporting him in various ways, his funds had actually increased despite the massive expenditures he had made this time.
Dojin wasn't looking out for the local community's culture for no reason.
He only did it because he now had the financial freedom and capability to do so.
It was just as Dojin and Seungwan were looking around the completed library.
"Mister! Mister!"
At the young voice calling from outside, Dojin poked his head out and saw a familiar silhouette.
"Hangil? Is that you, Hangil?"
It was the very first child who had knocked on the locked doors of Three Meals House.
Hangil was calling up to Dojin from below.
But as Dojin called out to him, his expression suddenly froze.
Hangil's condition was strange.
He hadn't noticed at first glance, but looking closer, there was blood on the boy's clothes.
"Hangil, wait right there for a second. I'm coming down."
With those words, Dojin dashed out.
Leaping down the stairs three or four at a time, he reached the first floor in an instant and headed straight for Hangil.
"*Sob, sob...*"
"Hangil, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Dojin's heart had been pounding with terror at the sound of crying he heard the moment he reached the first floor, but his tension instantly dissipated.
Hangil's condition wasn't as bad as he had feared.
In fact, other than the blood on his clothes, he seemed completely unharmed.
"Phew... Hangil, what happened? What is all this blood?"
"*Sob, sob!* Mister... Mister... What do we do? *Sob...*"
Despite Dojin's questions, Hangil could only cry, unable to form proper sentences.
Watching him, Dojin simply patted his back gently.
Pressuring a child in this state would do no good.
Just as Dojin expected, Hangil calmed down after a few minutes.
"...*Hic!*"
"Are you feeling a bit better now?"
"...Yes."
"Alright, can you tell me now? What's the emergency?"
As if remembering the incident, tears welled up in Hangil's eyes once again.
But this time was different from before.
Though he was sobbing, he managed to get the words out.
"Ttorang-i... got hit by a car. She's lying in Grandfather Yeongsu's field right now... We have to help her quickly. She's... *hic*... bleeding so much..."
Hearing Hangil's words, Dojin hurriedly fumbled through his pockets.
He was searching for his car keys.
Fortunately, the keys were in his right pocket.
"Mister... please help... *waaah!*"
"Don't worry. I'll make sure Ttorang-i survives."
Leaving behind Hangil, who had finally burst into uncontrollable tears, Dojin sprinted toward the parking lot at full speed.