Closing the Playground
The playground of Sekki House.
People were gathered here today as well, at the place that had recently become the sole source of amusement and sanctuary for the suddenly increased village residents.
However, unlike usual, the expressions of those gathered were strangely somber. This was because today marked the end of the playground's public opening.
"Whew, there was really no place like this. What are we going to do starting tomorrow?"
"Mom, can we not come here starting tomorrow?"
"Yeah. It's closing down now."
"Hmph... Then where are we going to play?"
"For now, let's go on an outing with Dad. We have to go back to our own house in a few days anyway."
"Huh? Why?"
"We can't stay here forever. You have to go to daycare, too."
"Mmm... I don't want to go. I like it here. The older boys are fun, and we don't even have to wear masks."
At the child's words, the mother and father wore bitter smiles.
In truth, they didn't want to go back either.
A month was enough time to provide a respite even for those worn down by the grind of daily life.
But...
"You can't do that. We have to go back now."
"Right. We'll come back next time instead."
"Hmph..."
Watching his teary-eyed grandson, the grandfather who had come along didn't look very happy either.
The village had recently become almost like a ghost town.
But with his son and daughter-in-law visiting, it had finally regained some life.
Now that they had to go back to how things were, his heart was heavy.
It was so nice meeting in an open space instead of the village hall we see every single day.
The elderly residents, who had welcomed their visiting grandchildren, met here almost every day.
There was play equipment, people, and even guards to help in case of an emergency, so there was no reason not to come.
Not only did the children love this place, but the elderly did too.
Since this was the very school they had graduated from, they were drenched in nostalgia every time they visited.
But that, too, was now at an end.
Once the kids leave, I'll have to go back to the village hall again.
The villagers and those who had returned to their hometown to escape COVID-19 were deeply disappointed, but they couldn't demand an extension from Dojin.
They couldn't ask for more from an owner who had willingly opened up his private property and even spent his own money to bring in play equipment.
As the people gathered on the playground with their respective thoughts, Dojin stepped forward.
Unlike usual, he stood atop the assembly platform.
"Hello. I am Baek Dojin, the representative of Sekki House."
Applause erupted from here and there at Dojin's greeting.
It was the villagers' way of expressing their gratitude to Dojin.
Dojin took a slow look around at the crowd.
Although their numbers weren't large, they were spread out quite widely, likely due to maintaining physical distance in accordance with quarantine guidelines.
"Have you all had a good time here at Sekki House?"
"Yes!"
The response came in unison from young and old alike.
"We were also very happy to be with you all. In my heart, I would love to extend it further, but given the current state of affairs, circumstances do not allow it."
Starting from the end of June, South Korea began implementing social distancing measures.
Since the alert level wasn't very high yet, they could still gather like this, but if the number of infections exploded in the future, it would become illegal.
In other words, closing the playground was a necessity, not a choice.
"Once the situation stabilizes a bit, we will try to arrange another gathering. Until then, please stay healthy and hold on well."
...
At Dojin's words, a solemn mood fell over all the adults, excluding the children.
For they all knew just how difficult it was to "hold on."
However, that atmosphere didn't last long.
"This concludes my closing remarks. Since it is the last day, please enjoy yourselves to the fullest."
At Dojin's words, the gathered crowd began to disperse.
It was an excessively brief closing ceremony, but the children, who had already found even that boring, were already running toward the play equipment.
As Dojin stared at the empty space in front of the platform, he heard a voice calling him from the side.
"Hohoho, that was a wonderful closing speech. Events are always best kept short."
"It's all thanks to what I learned from you, Director."
Dojin chuckled and replied to Hye-seok's words.
Indeed, she was famous for keeping all events to an absolute minimum.
From the orphanage, to school principal, to factory representative—
she finished every event she attended within twenty minutes.
"But what brings you here so suddenly? I was surprised when you said you were coming."
A few days ago, Dojin had received a call from the Director.
"The public opening ends in a few days, right? Would it be alright if I attended on the last day?"
"On the last day? I was planning to do a brief closing speech then. You want to come for that?"
"Hoho, a closing speech sounds lovely. It's the conclusion of the very first event our Dojin has hosted, so I wanted to come take a look. Is it impossible to attend if one isn't a villager?"
"Of course not. Lately, friends of the children who used to go here have been coming too, so it doesn't matter."
Among Han-gil's friends, children who had contracted COVID-19 had visited with their parents before.
Unlike Han-gil, they had to return home in the evening, so it was only a one-day visit, but there were quite a few such children.
So, the Director coming wasn't an issue.
It wasn't an issue, but...
"But aren't you very busy, Director?"
He couldn't understand why she, who lived such a busy life that she claimed to schedule her day in thirty-minute increments, would go out of her way to come here.
"Hohoho, it's fine. These days, I leave a lot of it to professional managers, so I'm much more free than before. Well then, I'll see you on the last day."
With those words, the call ended.
And just as she said, Hye-seok had indeed visited Sekki House today.
Even starting from eight in the morning.
Thanks to that, the Sekki House family had breakfast with Hye-seok as soon as they woke up.
"Everything is fine, but why don't you pay a bit more attention to your meals? Having instant food once in a while is one thing, but if you eat like that every day, the day will come when you'll need dentures like me."
"Ah... Yes! I'll pay more attention to it from now on."
Perhaps because she had heard from Dojin that the Director was like a grandmother to him, Dohee's reaction was the most dramatic of the three.
Anyone watching might have mistaken Hye-seok for her mother-in-law.
"Hohoho, there's no need to be so tense. It's just an old woman's nagging. Still, eating like this is a bit concerning... Chief Jo?"
"Yes, Chairwoman."
"I noticed earlier that the cafeteria here is still left abandoned. Hire some workers to completely remodel it, and find a kitchen lady. Since there are quite a few people, we'll probably need about two."
"Yes, I will take care of that, Chairwoman."
"Director, you really don't have to go that far. If we need construction and staff, I can handle that much myself. You know that."
When the cafeteria remodeling and staff dispatch were decided in an instant, Dojin finally couldn't hold back and stepped forward.
He understood her intentions, but he had already received more than enough.
He had received the former chairman's slush fund, and the warehouse was full of equipment gifted to him.
On top of that, he had recently received a lease agreement and even security staff for free, so he couldn't accept anything more.
However, Dojin's resistance was easily extinguished by a single word from the Director.
"Hohoho, don't worry. This isn't for you, but for my employees and the orphanage children."
"Pardon?"
"Surely you weren't planning to feed the security staff working here nothing but instant food every day? Besides, you haven't forgotten, have you? The orphanage children will be staying here once every two weeks, and you'll need to prepare food for them then as well."
"Yes. Of course I remember that. That's why I was planning to hire someone too."
Even if it was only for a day, taking responsibility for the lodging and meals of seventy to eighty people, including chaperones, was no small feat.
Naturally, it was impossible for the Sekki House staff to handle it alone.
Therefore, Dojin was also planning to remodel the building and hire people in earnest once the playground opening ended, but...
"Hohoho, then isn't that perfect? Our Chief Jo is much more experienced than you when it comes to renovating buildings or hiring people, so leave it to him."
"No, that's not what I meant..."
"I know what you're worried about, so put your worries away. Do you really think I'm doing all of this for free?"
At the Director's words, Dojin's face finally relaxed.
Others might not understand, but this was how he had lived.
A life where one must pay a fair price.
That was not only Dojin's motto as an orphan, but also the Director's teaching.
However, the moment the Director continued speaking, Dojin felt his motto waver.
"Regarding the security staff residing here, if it's alright with you, Dojin, I'm thinking of changing their shift structure. What do you think? If you permit just that, we will take care of the cafeteria remodeling and the kitchen staff."
"Pardon? What do you mean by changing their structure?"
Currently, the security staff were on a one-month temporary assignment.
Since events had decreased significantly due to the COVID-19 situation, they had been dispatched as a way to utilize surplus manpower since Sekki House happened to be open.
However, Dojin couldn't quite grasp how she intended to change the working structure of these employees.
"Listening to the employees working here, I thought it might be good to hold employee training here."
"Training? Here?"
Dojin looked around as he replied to the Director.
Normally, wasn't employee training supposed to be held at a resort or somewhere similar?
There were plenty of empty rooms, so they could use them if they wanted, but remodeling just for training would cost too much.
However, the training the Director spoke of was no ordinary training.
Receiving a look from the Director, Young-jin spoke up.
"For a security firm, experiencing various situations is more important than anything. This place is reasonably spacious, and with both nature and buildings, it's suitable for gaining experience."
"Does that mean... you want to use this place as a training ground?"
"There's no need to call it something grand like a training ground; a physical training facility would be appropriate."
"..."
"If you don't mind, Dojin, I'd like to send new recruits and those returning from leave here to let them rest and gain a sense of real-world experience for a month. After all, there aren't many such places in the city."
"So, the remodeling and the kitchen lady are needed for the security staff's meals, not ours. Is that correct?"
"Hoho. That's why I said we would pay for it, isn't it? Ah, and just like with the children, we will pay all the maintenance fees incurred by the employees, so do not worry."
Looking at the Director's triumphant expression, Dojin couldn't bring himself to make any rebuttal.
Even in his opinion, there was no reason to refuse such a proposal.
Knowing the Director's personality, that maintenance fee wouldn't be a small sum either, but at least it didn't go against his motto.
In the end...
"Alright. Please show me the remodeling schedule and the job applications as well. After all, they will be working in my home."
"Hoho, of course. Chief Jo? Take care of it accordingly."
"Yes. Understood, Chairwoman."
The brief but intense breakfast ended just like that.
The subsequent teatime, unlike the meal, was ordinary and peaceful.
Just as she had said she wanted to see the closing speech, she had remained at Sekki House until now, and there were those who were delighted to see her.
"My goodness, who is this? Isn't it the Principal? How long has it been?"
"Oh my, isn't this Sang-man's father? Well, look at this... meeting you like this."
"Haha, you remember me! No, we shouldn't just stand here. Hey! Principal Wang is here! Everyone, come over here!"
At Han-gil's grandfather's shout, the elderly residents who had been scattered among the tents began to approach the platform one by one.
While the grandfather's influence was indeed significant, the Director was also just that special to them.
"Well, look who it is! Isn't this our Principal Wang! Ah, it's so good to see you."
"Oh dear, to think I'd get to see our Principal again before I die."
"What kind of good things have you been eating? How do you look so much younger than your age?"
Listening to the elders' words, Dojin quickly slipped away.
Because the elders kept gathering, the area around the platform was beginning to feel exactly like a senior center.
If he stayed there, he would have to endure a Möbius strip of conversations about marriage, children, and grandchildren.
"Ah, excuse me. Everyone, just a moment..."
"Hoho, it's fine, Chief Jo. They are parents of former students I haven't seen in a long time, so let's chat a bit."
Chief Jo, who had tried to step in due to the elders' overly enthusiastic attitude, had no choice but to step back at the Director's intervention from behind.
Sekki House was quiet after the sun had completely set.
The earlier clamor was nowhere to be found, and the only sounds to be heard were the chirping of grass insects, the footsteps of the security staff on patrol, and the crackling of burning charcoal.
Crack, crack, crack!
"It's peaceful."
Having already eaten a hearty amount of meat, the three of them were currently just staring at the quietly burning fire.
It was a true campfire daze, and they weren't the only ones enjoying this healing time.
"Meow."
"Woof."
"Mew..."
Samsaek-i, Ttorang-i, and even Meokbo sitting on top of Ttorang-i's head.
Additionally, Bo-ri and the other kittens had all come out and were staring blankly at the fire.
"Pfft, animals spacing out at a fire."
"The kids must have been exhausted too. We might have liked hearing the sounds of people, but it must have been noisy for them every day."
The bouncy castle had to be constantly inflated.
The noise of the motor running, the laughter of the children, and even the shouting of the adults must have all been stressful for the animals.
Perhaps sensing that they were finally free from all of that, the animals lay down in their own comfortable positions and stared at the fire.
"...Why are they gathering right next to you, Oppa, when there's so much space?"
Dohee, who had been staring at the fire for a while, complained as she looked at the seven animals that had gathered next to Dojin at some point.
Seungwan, who had already been filming Dojin for a while, chuckled at those words and spoke.
"Why else? It's because Dojin is loved that much by them. Animals naturally know who likes them and protects them."
"Hmph, this is cheating. I feed them way more than Oppa does, and I give Ttorang-i lots of snacks too."
"You dare say that in front of me? You've got some nerve."
As expected of Sekki House's official butler, the one who took care of Bo-ri and the kittens the most was none other than Seungwan.
Whenever she had time, she would visit the cat playroom with Churu treats and toys.
But the result?
Forget Samsaek-i, she hadn't even won the hearts of any of his siblings yet.
"I guess there's a gap that food just can't bridge."
"Ugh... how frustrating. I will make at least one of them my captive no matter what!"
"If you think that's possible, then go for it! I've already given up."
The footage in the camera Seungwan was filming captured the relationship between one man and the seven animals perfectly.
A dog that, though anxious, never left its owner's side,
and a mother cat entrusting her kittens to the butler she trusted more than anyone else.
Even the kittens, looking more peaceful than anyone with their mother and butler flanking them on both sides.
Frustratingly enough, the protagonist of this video was already decided.
It was a spot permitted only to Dojin, who had bought this closed school and turned it into a place where both humans and animals could live.
I'm jealous.
Probably every viewer watching this video would think the same.
For Dojin, building memories with the animals, was the very dream of every cat butler and dog owner.
Was that why?
Bo-ri and Ttorang-i's conditions were recovering day by day.
The condition of the two animals was improving so much that it was hard to believe they had both suffered from illnesses that were difficult and time-consuming to cure.
According to the veterinary hospital director, if they continued like this for just another month, they would likely return to normal.
That was why Dojin felt it was a pity.
If only that uninvited guest hadn't shown up at that exact time, the kids might have gotten healthy even faster.