Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Back to the Orphanage
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Lee Min-ji, you crazy bitch..!
💬 Saintess Nice Gallery 📰 Title: F*ck, why is the galju off-streaming today?? — Anonymous Is she insane??? — Anonymous She said she was going to church. — Anonymous (OP) That's what I'm saying! The galju! Is going to! Church!! Why!! — Anonymous I dunno either? 📰 Title: There are idiots who actually believe the church drip lol — Anonymous It's obvious she's off to meet her boyfriend. Us sweet cows, Saintess Nice doesn't lie kekekeke — Anonymous Aggro 10/10 — Anonymous You don't know Saintess Nice that well, do you? — Anonymous That bitch spends the time she'd use dating her boyfriend agonizing over a single aggro-pulling title line lol — Anonymous Saintess expert; 📰 Title: Maybe the galju actually went for confession? — Anonymous She's gone to repent for all the hate image spam and aggro she's pulled so far. — Anonymous Info) The galju doesn't even know what she's done wrong. — Anonymous (OP) For real? — Anonymous Yeah. — Anonymous To repent, you first need to check if she even has a sense of guilt... ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thankfully, I managed to avoid the nightmare of turning into a chubby little alley boss in front of the church folks.
"Um... My throat hasn't been feeling great lately... I don't think I can do it today."
"Oh? That's no good. You didn't push yourself to come out today, did you...?"
"No, it's just my throat. Everything else is fine, so don't worry."
I might not know much about anything else, but when it comes to singing, I'm a total disaster.
I actually have a decent knack for dancing, but I'm tone-deaf by nature, so singing is a complete no-go.
My senior once told me to try singing instead of just dancing for once, but the second she heard me, she unleashed a torrent of curses.
Well... Lee Min-ji's singing might be different, but I doubt it's much better than mine.
Even if her voice is a pleasant tenor, if the pitch is off, it's just noise pollution in the end.
Anyway,
"Not much has changed here..."
The orphanage that had filled most of my teenage years looked largely the same as when I was growing up.
The wide yard where we'd run wild, the soothing waterwheel sounds that could lull anyone to sleep just by listening.
The three-tiered monkey bars I'd strain to climb to the top every time, and the single slide where you'd have to line up forever for your turn.
Oh, and that window—I broke it playing baseball back in the day.
Yeah, I got scolded for scribbling on that wall over there too.
Coming back like this after so long really brought the old memories flooding back.
"Yeah... We really need to reinforce the facilities some more..."
"Huh?"
I'd only meant that nothing had changed since my days as Lee Min-uk,
but Pastor Kim seemed to take it in a completely different way.
Probably something like, 'It's been years, and the place is still the same?'
"W-Well, I actually think it's fine like this. It has all my memories!"
"Is that so...? Then I'm glad..."
Phew, that was close—I nearly cleaned out Pastor Kim's wallet completely.
If I hadn't said anything, he would've torn the whole place down and rebuilt it by tomorrow, no doubt.
You might think that's a huge leap, but that's just how Pastor Kim is.
That's why one of the three ironclad rules I had to follow back at the orphanage was: never make a request that would burden him.
He'd try to grant any wish, no matter the cost to himself.
As I was busy protecting Pastor Kim's wallet, we arrived at the door marked 'Director's Office.'
-Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Vice Director. Mind if I come in?"
"Oh, yes, Pastor. Come on in."
Inside was the vice director, whom I hadn't seen in ages.
She handled the actual running of the orphanage in Pastor Kim's place while he was busy with church duties.
"Min-ji's here too? It's been a while..."
"Hello?"
Unlike Pastor Kim, the vice director looked just like I remembered her.
I'd been half-worried she'd turned into a muscle-bound gym rat too.
Still, she didn't seem much different from my Lee Min-uk days—
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...Wha, Director?"
"Yes, Vice Director."
"Min-ji just... just said 'hello' to me, right...?"
...?
"Yes, Min-ji's changed... a lot lately."
"You mean..."
"It seems our Min-ji has magnificently overcome her pain."
"Sniff... Finally... Finally, Min-ji has..."
Um.
Hello? I can hear everything.
Well, it's not weird for them to react like that to news of the crazy bitch turning normal.
But considering that the 'normal' crazy bitch is actually 'me, who used to be a guy'—somehow that doesn't feel entirely normal either.
"Ahem..."
Either way, watching the two of them react like this wasn't exactly fun.
So I cleared my throat politely to remind them of my presence.
"Ahem... Anyway, now that Min-ji's here after so long... the kids will be thrilled."
"Min-ji, I'll head out then. Take good care of the kids for me."
"Yes, leave it to me."
Pastor Kim handed me off to the vice director and promptly headed back to church.
Probably because it was Sunday—special circumstances meant he couldn't stay away long.
In the end, it was just me and the vice director left at the orphanage.
"Min-ji."
"Yes."
"Pastor Kim said you've fully recovered, but..."
Um...
"Are you really okay...?"
Lately, I'd realized that the biggest inconvenience since becoming Lee Min-ji wasn't the physical changes.
Not the different bathroom posture or menstrual cramps—those paled compared to the gulf between Lee Min-uk's life and Lee Min-ji's.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Especially in situations like this, where someone who knew nothing of Lee Min-ji's past suddenly asks if I'm 'okay.'
"Alright... No, that's not it. Let's go see the kids first. They're all waiting for you."
"Really?"
I didn't know how crazy Lee Min-ji had been, but she must've been sweet to the orphanage kids at least.
Pastor Kim and the vice director wouldn't speak like that otherwise.
With that, the vice director led me to the playroom where the kids stayed.
-Slide!
"Alright, kids, Big Sis Min-ji's here!"
The kids there,
"Uh... um... hello?"
all had lifeless eyes, a dark aura hanging over them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Honestly, I didn't have many memories of the orphanage kids.
"Waaah... Director...! Min-uk oppa... that oppa...!"
"Min-uk!"
Just... you know, playing together, fighting, bickering... that sort of thing.
But as the oldest, I'd sort of taken on the role of leader, guiding the little ones.
"Min-uk, is it true you snuck the kids to the PC bang again?"
"Uh... well... I was just trying to introduce them to modern culture..."
"Where'd you get the money? You didn't touch the donations again, did you?"
"Could I maybe get confession, Past— Aaaah! Ow! It really hurts!"
Whether that was for the best... I'm still not sure.
But at least,
"Uh, um... not fun?"
they weren't like these zombie kids with zero reaction.
"..."
Even when playing with toys together or telling stories, the kids showed no response whatsoever.
At this point, I felt like some performing monkey putting on a show for them.
I wanted to call for backup, but the vice director had dumped the kids on me and vanished ages ago.
'Ugh... What the heck am I supposed to do?'
Nothing seemed to interest them, and they weren't begging for anything either.
These were the kids who were supposedly waiting for me?
You guys didn't just need a monkey to entertain you, did you?
As I racked my brain for the best option,
"...Book."
"Huh?"
Thankfully, one of the kids gave me the answer.
"Read a book, sis... like... last time..."
"Oh, a book? Sure, I'll read one!"
Books, huh? You guys have healthier hobbies than I thought.
Back when I was at the orphanage, I'd get scolded left and right for ripping books apart to make origami.
I grabbed a suitable book from the bookshelf in the playroom and held it out to them.
"Beauty and the Beast! How about this? Want me to read it?"
Kids should love fairy tales, right?
"Mm... You don't like this one, huh."
So I thought—but after seeing their cold stares, I tossed it aside.
"Okay... How about this book... Mm... Alright, something else..."
But kids,
"...Don't like this one either?"
If you don't like this or that, then why ask for a book in the first place?
Should I seriously get mad?
"Um... My memory's not great, so what book did I read before?"
Phew, hold it together... They're just little kids.
Showing my 'warrior' side to kids like this would be utterly shameful.
A true warrior protects the weak and forgives mistakes with grace.
"So... uh..."
One by one, the cute kids named book titles.
After hearing them,
'Is Lee Min-ji seriously a psycho?'
I couldn't help but seriously question whether Lee Min-ji had mental issues—again.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Returned Girl, Mask Flower Family, Fire and Rain, Flowers in the Attic.
Every title the kids mentioned was a novel centered on 'stimulating revenge' themes.
How do I know? Well, not because I was an avid childhood reader—
[The books you mentioned are all stories primarily about "stimulating revenge," filled with resentment toward family and...]
"Whoa."
—nah, I just ran it through ChatGPT.
What would a guy like me, who's only ever eaten, slept, and played Ias know about that?
'Still, reading those kinds of books to them...'
Most orphanage kids are 'abandoned by their parents.'
Reading 'revenge against parents' stories to kids like that...
'Total psycho...'
It was nothing short of fanning the flames in a burning house.
Now I got why the kids had those eyes.
Well... I grew up as an orphan without parents too.
Though mine died in an accident, not abandoned—that's the difference.
Without that 'given' parental presence others take for granted, it's natural to feel the world's unfair.
'But... that doesn't mean you can do anything about it...'
No clear answer to that problem, but letting these young kids nurse grudges felt wrong.
'To become a normal person like me... you need a healthy mind.'
"Come on, everyone!"
When the heart's sick,
"Let's play hide-and-seek! Ice cream for whoever finds me!"
you gotta keep the body moving non-stop.