Chapter 81. Trying to Do a Good Deed, but People Won't Leave Me Alone
Chapter 81. Trying to Do a Good Deed, but People Won't Leave Me Alone
Emir sat in a daze, lost in thought for a long moment.
I stayed quietly in my chair, glancing at him.
"What's wrong? Are you surprised?"
At my words, Emir lifted his head and slowly nodded.
"...Yes. I'm so ashamed. I kept spouting nonsense about reverse discrimination and how they already receive enough benefits, even though I knew nothing about their actual situation."
Emir drew a deep breath.
Then, as if a dam had burst, he began to pour his heart out.
"Why does someone like that have to collect scrap paper on the streets and stand in line under the scorching sun just for one meal?"
"..."
"Boss, is this really Korea?"
His voice was getting louder.
Even the usually noisy viewers were completely silent in this moment.
[I have no words]
[I'm sorry on behalf of Joseon...]
"Sikik... (Fuck...)"
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 300,000 Watts! ]
- I hope things start to change now. Please use this money to help the elderly...
Starting with the Manager's donation, other donations began to trickle in one after another.
"We're currently focused on the veterans, but going forward, we plan to expand support to include active-duty soldiers, firefighters, and others like them."
Saying that, I ended the stream with a rather bitter feeling.
---
Laila and I returned home and were briefed on the corporations' detailed plans.
I kept thinking about it all the while.
"Charitable donations, huh..."
I wasn't the type to put much value on money to begin with.
But there was something Max had said to me over a drink when Laila and I visited America a while back.
- Hoon, what do you think about making a charitable donation?
I definitely had my doubts back then.
Was it really necessary to use my own money for that?
Max laughed heartily, as if he understood my answer.
- Keuh-heuh... You gain honor! Honor is an incredibly valuable asset.
So I created the foundation.
It was money I'd gotten from raiding the cartels anyway.
So it was never really my money to begin with.
"But it was actually more fulfilling and fun than I expected, you know?"
[ The Seonghwa Foundation, made with money from an individual's own pocket... helps forgotten heroes. ]
[ 'Seonghwa Foundation' launched... "An individual did what the country couldn't do" ]
[ "An individual spends 300 billion, so what were the government and corporations doing?" ]
I stared at my phone, reading through the articles.
It felt good seeing the reactions of people who were praising me.
"I guess I'm pretty shallow myself..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Something like this should be done from a place of genuine kindness... but isn't this just image management, in a way?"
"The fact that you did it at all is what's important."
I decided to just put my mind at ease about it.
Doing something like this was better than doing nothing, after all.
---
[ World's Strongest Hero : Go go foundation activities ]
This wasn't like the stream we'd ended on a bitter note before.
Our broadcast had regained its energy.
'I didn’t like streams with that kind of heavy atmosphere in the first place...'
[Heyo heyo]
[Whatcha doing today?]
[What the, so many people here lol]
"Thanks to their generosity, we've been lent a warehouse operated by the local government!"
[Of course they lent it lol]
[If it's you, Song Hoon...]
The place was filled with countless goods provided by various corporations.
Clothing, food, electronics, and more packed the warehouse to the brim.
There were also dozens of trucks parked in front of the warehouse.
"These will probably be dispatched all across the country. And those people behind me are our hardworking employees."
As I spoke, the employees were efficiently loading goods onto the trucks.
Then they began boarding their assigned vehicles and moving out.
[He's really like a jjotso boss lol]
[You bastard, help them out too lol]
"I'm the chairman here."
[Crazy bastard]
[Fine, you might act like that but at least you pay them well...]
[What if he didn't pay them while acting like that?]
[Depends on their IQ if they'd escape then]
I boarded a vehicle together with Laila.
We toured the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions according to our schedule.
Employees sent from the construction company were already doing repair work there.
We also joined in at the site, quickly moving items to help them out.
[Why is this bastard so good at being a day laborer?]
[Is he a career hire?]
"There's nothing I haven't done just to survive."
That's a fact.
To survive in that other world, there's nothing I haven't done.
"Ah, that goes this way...!"
I followed the directions of the skilled site workers and enthusiastically helped out.
I might not have the technical skills, but I was confident in my physical strength.
[This guy is kind of tanned and wearing work clothes, so he really looks like a foreign worker]
[Judging by the strength, is he Mongolian?]
I was taking a short break, drinking a beverage prepared by the elderly residents who were grateful for our ongoing help.
"Foreman, so where does this go now...?"
"Ah! Hunter, that one, I'll..."
That was when it happened.
Shiny black cars pulled up in the distance, and people in sharp suits started filing out in a line.
"Huh, that's odd..."
"Why?"
"No... Head office said they needed detailed measurements, but it's not time for them to be here yet...?"
I quietly watched them.
Their hands were full of all kinds of things.
"Aigo, pleasure to meet you."
"...?"
The man at the very front nodded his head, and the men behind him handed me all sorts of things.
Business cards, documents, a letter of greeting, and a mysterious commemorative plaque.
The business card he gave me bore his name and title.
'He's a pretty high-ranking fellow, huh?'
"You directly planned this event, right? It's truly, truly wonderful!"
He was a stranger.
The viewers' chat scrolling over my goggles was also full of question marks.
[What?]
[Is he someone you know?]
[What's up with this peddler lol]
He rushed over and reached out his hand as if greeting me.
I just stared quietly at that hand.
"My hands are dirty. Let's finish the work first, then talk."
"Haha, it's fine! You're doing good work, a bit of dust is nothing!"
But they didn't back off.
Others came carrying large cameras and squeezed their way in between the elderly residents.
And the man who had asked me for a handshake placed his hand on my shoulder and struck a pose.
'...?'
[What he's doing is such a typical uncle move?]
[Photo-op for show lol]
[Oh it's just the classic WWE photo op lol]
"This young fellow is humble even though he's an S-rank... has a spirit of service..."
Some of them handed souvenirs to the elderly, but were completely preoccupied with making sure they themselves looked good in the photos.
'What the hell was this?'
Everyone here—the elderly residents, the construction workers, the foundation staff, the viewers.
All of them were displeased.
"We are so honored to be part of such a meaningful occasion! Haha! Let's take one shot!"
"Excuse me."
"Haha, please, speak casually."
I tore the business card I'd received from them to pieces.
And I broke the commemorative plaque in half.
"If you came here to pull this kind of bullshit, get lost."
Silence.
They lowered their cameras. Someone stared blankly at me.
At that moment, a person who seemed to be the man's attendant rushed over.
"Chairman! This is going too far. Those people are from the City Hall and the Provincial Office as well!"
"So what?"
"Well, this young man is a bit..."
"If you're here to take photos, get the hell out. Before I smash every last one of your cameras..."
[Kyahahahaha]
[Damn, that felt good]
[These bastards, if anything happens they just take a shit-ton of photos, seriously]
"If you actually want to help, then take this and follow me."
I handed him a can splattered here and there with paint.
The man, as if by instinctive revulsion, pulled his body back slightly.
Yet even so, mindful of his own standing, he kept his head rigidly straight.
"Heo, Hunter! We too are here trying to help the elde—!"
Why don't people understand when you tell them nicely?
─ Kwajak...
I grabbed him firmly by the collar.
"Wh-what... you... right now to a civilian...!"
─ Whooosh...!
I hurled him high into the sky.
This time, not just them, but everyone else around was flustered.
[Hero-ham, shit, you can't just throw people if you don't like them]
[Shit lmaoooo crazy bastard for real]
[He threw a person lol fuck lmaooo into the sky lmaooo]
I stood still and waited with my arms crossed.
Soon after, a tearing scream was heard from up above.
".........Aaaaahhk!!!"
─ Thud!
Just before he hit the ground, I grabbed his collar again.
"The scenery from the sky is quite beautiful, isn't it?"
"Heok, heok...!"
─ Trickle...
Probably scared stiff, the grown man had an accident in his pants.
And when I let go of his collar, his legs gave out and he slumped down with a flop.
"Hey. You guys."
"...!"
"Clean up the piss properly before you leave."
Shaking their heads violently, they scrubbed the floor furiously with tissues and wet wipes.
And then, one by one, two by two, they awkwardly turned their backs and left.
"I'm trying to do a good deed, but no one leaves me alone."
"Haha... Hunter, you're so refreshingly bold...!"
But perhaps because no one had been pleased with them anyway, the site returned to its original atmosphere.
The smell of sweat, the smell of cement, and the air where only genuine people were left.
Laila quietly watched the scene, then handed water to an elder again.
"Our chairman might be a bit too rough around the edges, but his heart is that of a truly kind person."
The elder also smiled while taking the water.
"Heoheo, a man should have that kind of bold, impressive side! And anyway, young lady, you must feel secure having a husband like that."
"Of course~"
"Anyway... those suits finally messed with the right person this time!"