Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Laughter Returns to the Orphanage
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Her chest was sticking out, giving her away completely!
While Lee Min-ji was playing with the orphanage kids,
"Hoo..."
Thanks to her, Vice Director Kim Jong-hwa finally had a moment to rest. He gripped the chart in his hand tightly, lost in deep thought.
[Diagnosis Results] [Severe depression. High likelihood of difficulties in daily life, with some violent tendencies...] The psychological test results from Lee Min-ji's high school senior year, before she became an adult.
The outcome was beyond disastrous—unmistakably the worst.
No expert medical opinion was attached, but anyone could see it.
Back then, Min-ji had been throwing her life away, as if she wouldn't care if she died right that moment.
The bigger problem was that her depression didn't end with her alone.
As the oldest among the orphanage kids, she had naturally become their center.
The gloomy aura spreading from Min-ji around her began to consume the other children, and bit by bit, the kids lost their smiles.
Of course, that didn't mean Kim Jong-hwa could fix their depression.
He tried harder than anyone, but it wasn't enough to fill the empty holes in the hearts of children without parents.
No matter how much he stepped in as a parental figure, the void left by biological parents couldn't be filled.
Even after Min-ji reached adulthood and left the orphanage, she still visited often to see the kids.
He was convinced it wasn't great to let her meet them—spreading her depression—but he couldn't turn her away when the kids smiled a little upon seeing her.
Above all, the moments when Min-ji regained even a faint smile were exactly when she spent time with the orphanage kids.
In the end, all they could do was support them until they shook it off themselves and found their laughter again.
'She hasn't been around lately...'
When Min-ji stopped visiting recently, Kim Jong-hwa felt both worry and relief.
Hope that the depressed kids might return to normal, mixed with concern over the sudden silence from Min-ji.
Of course, with her visiting again today, the kids' gloom might drag on a bit longer.
Still, just knowing Min-ji was safe and sound was enough to satisfy him.
That was the plan, at least.
[Hello?]
Until he saw her greeting him with a 90-degree bow and an innocent smile he'd never seen before.
[...Hello.]
The girl who, just a few months ago, had carried a heavy gloom everywhere, was now showing such a transformed self.
Kim Jong-hwa rubbed his eyes for a moment, but the scene before him was undeniable reality.
And it wasn't just her—
[Kyahaha!]
[Over here! Right here!]
"...Laughter?"
Min-ji, who had once infected the kids with her depression,
"Whoa, sis, you're really bad at this."
"Wha... No, it's because I'm bigger than you guys... Wait, no... Why am I even making excuses...?"
"Sis, your boobs are sticking out—everyone can see you! Hahaha!"
"Hmm... Howon, buddy, say that a few more years from now and you might be in real danger."
was now the one spreading laughter instead.
'How long has it been since I last saw the kids laugh like this...?'
He had no idea what kind of change had happened to Min-ji.
But if it brought such positive effects, wasn't that a good thing?
Kim Jong-hwa decided to just think of it that way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I didn't particularly think I had a knack for looking after kids...
[Min-uk, sorry... Take good care of the new recruits this time.]
Considering my military life, where I'd ended up with a string of problem soldiers as juniors thanks to being low on the seniority ladder with the company and platoon leaders,
"Sis! Sis! Let's do that one together!"
"Sure, why not?"
dealing with these kids was nothing.
At least kids were cute, right?
Better than grown-ass adults over twenty who couldn't even fend for themselves.
Well, of course...
"Hmm... Hey, Juyong."
Every now and then, there were tough ones to handle.
"..."
I barely stopped myself from reflexively shouting "Sir!"
Calm down, Lee Min-ji. These aren't community randos.
Just elementary school kids.
"Hey, Juyong. Did sis do something wrong, by any chance?"
Asking kids like this straight-up, "Why are you mad?" is the worst approach.
Kids who aren't good at expressing or hiding emotions get extremely embarrassed if their feelings are exposed.
"Sis, you look so happy today..."
"Huh...?"
So, this kid was feeling down because I looked happy?
Wasn't that just him not liking me?
"You said it yourself, sis. That kids like us orphans are all doomed to be unhappy."
"...I did?"
"That we should ditch any hopes of being happy."
"D-Did I... say that...?"
"So why are you going around smiling now? It feels even weirder."
Min-ji.
What the hell have you been telling these kids...?
"Hmm... Hey, Juyong."
"Yeah."
Most orphanage kids get at least basic education thanks to Korea's compulsory system.
But at school, they were always subtly bullied and teased for being orphans.
What do you say to kids like that?
"Hang in there" feels empty. "It'll get better" sounds like a lie.
What words could give these kids even a little strength?
Ah, right.
The best way to make someone forget their flaws has always been
"Being an orphan... doesn't mean it's all downsides."
"...Huh?"
"You know, once you grow a bit more, you might hear something called a 'pad-rip' now and then?"
"What's a pad-rip?"
"Uh... simply put, it's when people insult your parents. But we never have to deal with that, right? Can't diss what doesn't exist."
to highlight their strengths.
"So, we're basically born with full immunity to pad-rips."
The biggest perk of being an orphan? Permanent immunity to parent disses, obviously.
That's how I survived as a warrior in the gallery.
"Hey, sis."
Did he get my profound explanation?
"Are you sick or something?"
"Hmm."
Doesn't look like it.
I'd put real effort into that pep talk, too.
"...Wanna get some ice cream?"
"Yeah."
Fixing these kids' mindsets would clearly take more time.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Alright, I'll head out then. Bye, everyone~"
💬 Chat — Viewer Bye bye — Viewer suha — Viewer Don't go, eyepatch girl ㅠㅠ — Viewer suha [Broadcast has ended.] "Kkuuung... Haaa, so tired..."
After wrapping up today's stream, Suha Yam stretched lightly, ready to end her day.
Normally, she'd send the recording to her editor and crash right after—that was her routine.
But lately, Suha had slipped one new task into that routine.
[Search: Saint...]
Watching the stream of her Saintess apprentice and junior streamer, Saintess Nice.
Even as her mentor, some might say she was overly attentive to someone she'd never met in person...
'That last stream... pulled in so much aggro.'
Just watching Saintess Nice's broadcasts was hugely helpful for her own.
In the brutal world of internet streaming, lose your edge and you're done.
For a veteran like Suha, who'd been at it for years, studying rising newbies was essential to staying relevant.
'...Wasn't it usually 8 PM?'
It felt like she'd started around this time last time too.
No matter how many refreshes, Saintess Nice's channel showed no [ON] light.
A newbie on her third day wouldn't have a fixed schedule, but it was about time for her to go live normally.
"Nah... No way."
Hiatus. The word popped into Suha's head.
After she'd begged her not to do it, had she really gone and done it?
[Saintess Nice Gallery]
No notice post, so Suha headed to what passed for her fan cafe for more details.
"Uh..."
— Title: Saintess, you bitch, got time for church bros but no time to stream?? — Title: Gallery master, you really wanna get banned forever??? ⭐ Top Comment — Title: Listen up, gallery master. Start streaming now and I'll spam likes for 10 mins straight. — Title: LOL~ Saintess is off meeting church bros right now~ She could see the community burning—not just raging, but on the verge of turning to ash.
'What the hell...'
From the context of the posts, Saintess Nice had apparently chosen to skip streaming today.
Using the absolute worst excuse a female streamer could pick.
"Saintess Nice... What on earth are you thinking...!"
For a female streamer, boyfriend bait was like a leech.
Once it latched on, it was hard to shake off, and the fallout was no joke.
Especially for a growing streamer like Saintess Nice—it was practically a death sentence.
How was she planning to handle this...?
*Ding!*
Right as she thought that, the timely notification made Suha sigh in relief.
[Saintess Nice LIVE ON] "Good... As a community addict, she must've checked the public sentiment."
Maybe she rushed back mid-date to start. At least it wasn't the worst choice.
"But the title... why..."
[Saintess Nice LIVE ON: Just met up with church bros lol] "Hmm."
'Classic Saintess Nice title.'
Suha was no longer surprised. She'd grown used to it.