The Nature of Humanity
"Who are you people...?"
Yoon-gi stood there, momentarily stunned by the bizarre situation, until Choi Deok-bae whispered the reality of the scene into his mind.
'You don't actually believe they’re here by choice, do you?'
'Ah...'
In truth, even in the 2010s, the exploitation of children in criminal activities was rampant. When smuggling drugs, syndicates often stuffed goods into the backpacks of elementary school students; in extreme cases, they would just brazenly ask them to carry it. Middle schoolers and older required more concrete incentives. Once a student—hooked by the sight of easy money—made that first delivery, it was over. The organizations would film the act and use it to blackmail the kids, forcing them into the fold. It was a trap designed to ensure that even if a child regretted their actions and tried to pull away, they were already in too deep.
If that was the reality of the 2010s, how much worse must it have been in the 80s? From the aftermath of the Korean War until the stabilization of public order, children without parents were left completely exposed to the clutches of the criminal underworld.
'Haa... I know this feeling better than anyone.'
The feeling of wanting to escape but having no one around to help. Because Yoon-gi had spent his own childhood in a living hell thanks to the "Butcher," he couldn't look at these children as strangers.
"Do you want to follow me?"
Yoon-gi asked with a gentle smile, but the children only stared back with wary, guarded eyes. They didn't dare move. No matter how handsome Yoon-gi was, it wasn't enough to break down the defenses of children who had been coercively conditioned by the Butcher.
'Hmm...'
Yoon-gi stepped outside and asked his bodyguard to buy some bread and milk. A short while later, the bodyguard returned with a mountain of supplies, and Yoon-gi carried them back inside.
"Kids, I bought you some bread."
Even seeing the bags overflowing with food, the children didn't lower their guard. The ages of the children in the room ranged from roughly middle school freshmen down to five-year-olds. It was clear the Butcher had been collecting orphans. Of course, it wasn't just the Butcher; it was the work of the entire pickpocket gang.
"It's okay. Eat."
At Yoon-gi’s soft, smiling words, the children’s stomachs began to growl. "It's okay, really."
Yoon-gi poured the bread and milk from the bags onto the floor and deliberately took a few steps back to create some distance. Then, a child who looked about seven years old hesitantly walked forward and picked up a piece of bread and a carton of milk.
'Thank goodness.'
But then, the child touched Yoon-gi’s heart. Instead of eating it himself, he tore open the package and handed it to the youngest child.
'So, these children were living by helping each other like this...'
With a warmed heart, Yoon-gi watched them with a gentle expression. Seeing his face, the children relaxed just a fraction and began to eat. Had they been starving for days? They devoured the bread and milk like a whirlwind, then looked at Yoon-gi with expressions that suggested they were still hungry.
"Ah, was it not enough? Just wait a moment."
Yoon-gi went back out, and the bodyguard returned with even more bread and milk than before. Finally, the children were able to eat their fill, and they looked at Yoon-gi with significantly less hostility.
"How many days have you been starving?"
"Three days..."
The answer came from the girl who appeared to be the oldest. Finally, a conversation was possible.
"Three days? Didn't you think about running away?"
"If we go outside without permission, we get beaten..."
At the girl's terrified words, Yoon-gi’s expression turned bitter, but he quickly masked it. There was no benefit to showing such a face in front of the children.
"How have you been living here?"
"That is..."
The girl tried to answer but then clamped her mouth shut. They already knew they had been doing bad things. To say they didn't know would be a lie. But to say they didn't want to do it—that might be the truth. No, it *had* to be the truth. If they had been given a choice, these children would never have followed the Butcher's orders.
"It's okay. I promise I won't scold you if you tell me the truth. Shall we make a pinky promise?"
When Yoon-gi held out his hand, the girl hid hers. Yoon-gi was, after all, a handsome man. From the girl's perspective, she was ashamed of herself for not having washed properly in days. But Yoon-gi just smiled, gently pulled her arm, and sealed the promise with a thumb stamp.
"You don't have to worry. I will protect you all. What happened here?"
At the warmth she had never experienced before, tears welled up in the girl's eyes and rolled down her cheeks. A moment later, she began to cry and told him about their life there. Because the pickpocket gang took turns keeping watch, escaping was a pipe dream, and they were beaten for the slightest provocation. By some miracle, they hadn't been subjected to sexual exploitation, but that was only because the Butcher had forbidden it for the sake of "efficient control," not because they had any shred of morality.
"You must have suffered so much..."
At Yoon-gi’s selfless, worry-filled words, the entire group of children began to burst into tears. These were children who should have been leaning on their parents and acting spoiled. How hard must it have been for them under the Butcher? Yoon-gi knew better than anyone what it meant to live under the Butcher's thumb.
'Truly, you make me not regret it.'
He had taken a bit of a risk by orchestrating the defection to the North. He had worried about whether he was leaving behind future risks in his efforts to recruit people, but now, Yoon-gi had cleared those concerns away. If a risk arose, he would just solve it. Instead, he felt satisfied that he had saved children who had lived a life just like his own.
'There was a reason you brought me here.'
Choi Deok-bae turned his head away with a bashful expression. He had known that if Yoon-gi found out about this place, he would never just walk away.
'If I tell them to come home with me now, they might be resistant...'
Even though their wariness had faded, there was still a sense of distance; it felt too soon. 'In that case...'
Yoon-gi hit upon a brilliant idea.
"Kids, do you want to go to the bathhouse and take a bath?"
In the shantytown, there was no hot water, and the Butcher certainly hadn't let the children wash properly. Thus, the children reacted immediately to the word "bath."
The children were quite dirty, so the bathhouse might have refused them