Discipline is Passed Down
Three vehicles drove into the Sekki House.
One forty-five-seat bus and two SUVs.
A total of forty-seven people got out and walked toward the main building in an orderly fashion.
Dojin, who had come out to greet them, offered a welcome.
"It's been a long time, Teacher Jeong Hyemin."
"It really has. It's good to see you, Dojin."
With those words, Hyemin gave Dojin a tight hug.
Ever since she spotted Dojin from the vehicle, a smile had not left her face.
The same went for Dojin.
To an outsider, they might have been mistaken for mother and son, and in truth, their relationship wasn't far from it.
Hyemin had been the teacher in charge of Dojin's room back when he lived at the orphanage.
"I heard all about you from the chairwoman. Thank you for growing up so well."
"Haha, I'm just barely earning my own keep now."
"If you call this 'barely earning your keep,' people will throw stones at you. You're living in a place far grander than our orphanage."
"Well, it is spacious, I suppose. But the indoor facilities are quite lacking compared to the orphanage."
In the first place, the orphanage run by Wang Hye-seok was an orphanage in name only; in reality, it was closer to a private educational institution.
"It's sad enough that they have to live apart from their parents. How could we let them go without a proper education? I will make sure the children who enter our orphanage are provided for without discrimination when it comes to food, clothing, and learning."
Those were the words Hye-seok had spoken when she first took office as the director of the orphanage.
She had never once broken that promise, even after stepping down from the position.
Thanks to her, not only Dojin but all the children who grew up in that orphanage spent their youth wanting for nothing.
The support they received was actually better than what most middle-class children got, to the point that no one would ever guess they were orphans unless they mentioned it themselves.
But what about the Sekki House?
We have various play equipment, but honestly, aside from having a lot of space, it doesn't even compare.
If it weren't for the travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this wasn't a place they would have chartered a whole bus to visit.
While Dojin was objectively comparing the orphanage to the Sekki House, Hyemin spoke to the children behind her.
"Everyone, say hello. This is Baek Dojin, a senior of yours who graduated from the orphanage a few years ago."
"Hello."
"Yes, hello. It's nice to meet you all. It's a bit lacking compared to the orphanage, but I hope you have a fun time here."
"Yes."
Perhaps because they realized he was their senior, curiosity flickered across the faces of the children, who had looked detached just moments ago.
They realized the man standing before them could be a potential role model.
Dojin let out a soft chuckle, a smile playing on his lips.
He could see right through what the kids were thinking.
He had been exactly the same when he was at the orphanage.
Since they had to leave the orphanage once they became adults, and had no parents to help them or relatives to offer advice, they naturally took an interest in their seniors.
Sharing similar circumstances, they looked to them to set their own life goals.
Well, in my case, the result of that was working in a factory.
Contrary to the director's wishes for the children, there weren't many graduates who could truly serve as role models.
The most realistic and successful case was someone who had entered a university in Seoul on a scholarship and joined a mid-sized company after graduation.
There were barely even a few who had gotten married and formed ordinary families.
It was no wonder the director felt so proud whenever she looked at Dojin.
"Your lodgings are prepared on the second and third floors of the annex. Please note that the first floor is used by the security team."
He wasn't telling them to look for the security team if they needed help or ran into trouble.
Rather, it was a warning not to wander around during bedtime.
Dojin glanced toward the back of the group.
There stood a few children who carried a completely different vibe from the rest.
Hyemin, who happened to be looking at those same kids, met Dojin's eyes and gave a bitter smile.
I guess some things never change, no matter how much time passes.
Four? Five?
Making up about ten percent of the total group, their faces were filled with annoyance and discontent.
They began to peer around the Sekki House, whispering among themselves as if plotting something.
"Are they the troublemakers of this generation?"
Dojin quietly asked Hyemin as he guided the group toward the annex.
She let out a sigh so soft that only Dojin could hear.
"Sigh... How did you know?"
"How could I not? It's written all over their faces."
"Haha, is that your experience as a senior talking?"
At Hyemin's words, Dojin wore a bitter expression.
The "senior" Hyemin was referring to now carried a slightly different meaning than the one she had introduced to the children earlier.
"It was a dark history from when I was young and foolish. Stupid and pathetic. Looking at them, they seem just as dumb as I was."
"Pfft!"
Hyemin burst into laughter at Dojin's self-deprecation.
Thanks to that, the heavy weight in her chest from watching the kids lightened considerably.
Hearing it from Dojin, who had once been just like them, brought her comfort.
"Dojin, you really are a fascinating child the more I look at you. I've seen plenty of wayward kids get their act together, but it's rare to see someone change as drastically as you did."
"The other kids are just slow to face reality, that's all."
Dojin replied nonchalantly.
Though he was now more upright and diligent than anyone, he too had gone through a period of intense teenage rebellion at the orphanage.
It wasn't just minor acting out; Dojin had been the ringleader of the troublemakers.
Back then, the ones who had kept Dojin grounded were Hyemin and the director.
If not for those two, Dojin might have ended up sliding into the criminal underworld like some cliché third-rate novel, let alone finding his footing.
Ever since, the director and Hyemin had become like a second set of parents to him.
Come to think of it, Uncle Yeongjin's fists played a part too.
Back then, Yeongjin had been full of hot blood.
There was no way he would look kindly upon Dojin, who was constantly giving the director a headache.
Half for the director's sake and half to vent his own frustration, Yeongjin would beat Dojin down whenever he tried to cross the line.
It wasn't an exaggeration; he literally stomped him. Hard.
That was when I realized there were fists much stronger than mine.
It was the day a frog, who had never lost a fight in his life, finally escaped his well.
The children's schedule was simple.
Free time until dinner.
Free time after dinner.
Head to the lodgings and sleep after 11 PM.
That was it.
And Hyemin's reaction upon hearing this schedule was just as simple.
"Sounds reasonable."
"Right? It's not a retreat center, just a simple place to stay."
If it were a retreat center, professional instructors would have prepared various recreational activities and interactive learning programs.
But this place was merely a spacious lodging.
All Dojin could offer them was access to the play equipment, the library, the theater room, and the mountain.
"It's fine for now, but they still need to be careful. I heard a wild boar showed up last year, and snakes are spotted occasionally."
"I should tell the kids not to go up the mountain if possible."
"That would be for the best."
Even Dojin had never climbed the mountain yet.
He didn't particularly like mountains to begin with, but there were also simply too many other areas to manage.
In fact, the ones who used the mountain the most at the Sekki House were the security team members.
Having received Dojin's permission, they ran up the mountain every morning for physical training.
Thanks to them, a path had formed on the otherwise deserted mountain—a trail carved out by the security team's daily runs.
"The children look like they're having fun."
"It's probably because most of the play equipment is brand new."
Dojin spoke as he looked out the window.
The schedule was simple, but Dojin had play equipment to make up for it—and recently purchased, brand-new items at that.
"You usually have to go to some festival venue to ride things like that."
Just as Dojin said, the children were completely engrossed in the play equipment.
The younger kids under thirteen were jumping on various bounce houses, the middle schoolers were on the interactive rides, and the high schoolers were looking after the younger ones while enjoying their own free time.
Of course, not all the children were enjoying themselves.
"...It must be tough on you, Teacher."
"..."
A shadow fell over Hyemin's face at Dojin's words.
She knew exactly what he meant.
Her gaze turned toward the children gathered at the entrance of the mountain.
Even though they had been explicitly told not to enter the mountain, they were heading right toward it as if to show off their defiance.
"Sigh..."
A sigh escaped her naturally at the sight of the kids.
One high schooler, three middle schoolers, and one elementary schooler.
Those five were the orphanage's biggest headache lately.
They stuck together in their own little clique, refusing to interact with the other children.
If that were all, it would be manageable, but they caused trouble outside the orphanage almost every single day.
At school, downtown, and even in the neighborhood—the incidents and accidents they caused were growing larger by the day.
Even now, they were kicking the two youngest kids in their group as a form of play.
It was typical bullying, but the problem was that if anyone intervened, they would claim they were just playing around.
Even the victims themselves told others not to worry about it, leaving outsiders powerless to do anything.
To make matters worse, those bullied kids would go out to school or downtown and inflict the exact same violence on others.
"They've lost their minds."
Dojin spoke coldly after hearing about the kids from Hyemin.
He had rebelled in his youth, but he had never gone that far.
No matter how much people said kids these days lacked manners, this was crossing the line by a mile.
"Teacher, is it alright if I play with them for a bit?"
"...Just don't go too far."
Hyemin turned her head away, pretending not to notice, as she answered Dojin.
She didn't say anything unnecessary.
Ever since Dojin had straightened out, there had been no more wayward kids at the orphanage.
Whenever a child showed signs of straying, Dojin would "play" with them.
Afterward, that child would become remarkably well-behaved, as if they had never caused trouble in the first place.
Just as she had in the past, Hyemin left the kids in Dojin's hands.
"Ah, fuck. Why did we even come here? There's nothing to see."
"I know, right? When they said we were taking a bus, I thought we were going to Everland or something. What is this? It's no different from our neighborhood."
"Shit, is there a PC cafe around here? Seriously, if they remodeled a school, they should have built a computer lab or something."
"Ah, I had a promise to play my promo matches today. This is so annoying."
"Pfft, dumbass. As if promo matches even matter at your tier."
"Huh? Hyung, are you dissing my Vayne? Once I show up in the top lane, everyone just dies."
"The only thing dying is the sanity of the teammates matched with you. Top Vayne? Wow, just hearing it makes me want to throw up. That's why you're a hardstuck Silver."
"Even so, you're the same as me, Hyung. Silver or Gold, it's basically the same."
"You scrubs shut up. How much do you think Wonsang and Myeongho are laughing at us from behind? How dare Silver and Gold talk big in front of Platinum and Diamond? Haha."
"Huh? Hey, Kim Wonsang, Choi Myeongho! Were you guys just laughing at your hyungs?"
At the words of the boy walking ahead, Wonsang and Myeongho, who were struggling to keep up at the very back, flinched in surprise.
Though they were called outlaws at school, within this group, they were nothing but gentle lambs.
"Huh? M-Me?"
"No. I haven't been playing League much lately. I lost my touch, so I think my tier is going to drop soon."
"Oh, really? What's your tier right now?"
"D-Diamond II?"
"...You son of a bitch."
The boy, who had been smiling at the mention of the tier dropping, scowled deeply at Myeongho's reply.
He felt completely mocked.
The boy immediately rushed forward and attempted a flying kick at Myeongho.
Since he was running down from above and putting his weight into it, the pain would be considerable—if it landed properly, that is.
Thud!
"Ack!"
Park Junyoung couldn't comprehend the sensation he was feeling.
He had clearly thrown his body to punish Choi Myeongho.
So why was he the one rolling on the ground instead of Choi Myeongho?
And why was he feeling a pain in his stomach that felt like it was tearing apart?
Just then, a familiar pair of shoes appeared before his eyes.
They weren't the Nikes or Vans that the orphanage kids usually wore.
They were work boots of the same brand he had received from a friend not long ago.
"W-What?"
Even through the pain, Junyoung managed to look up.
He saw a figure looking down at him.
"Hello, juniors."
"W-Who the hell are you?"
It was the annoying guy from earlier.
How disgusting it had been when he tried to act all high and mighty just because he was a senior.
Yet here he was, looking down at him with a smirk that was entirely different from when they first met.
"I have an uncle I know well named Uncle Yeongjin. He was really good at playing with kids."
Dojin loosened his shoulders and neck as he spoke.
It wasn't to play harder.
He was relaxing his muscles so he could play at a level they could actually survive.
"I managed to get my head straight thanks to him. So, I'll pass down the lessons I learned from him to you all."
With those words, Dojin began to charge toward the boys standing frozen in place.