The Nature of Humanity (2)
"Rather than that, wouldn't it be better to entrust the children to a small-scale orphanage?"
"Entrust them?"
"Yes."
Ryu Geun-tae had certainly pointed out a more realistic aspect. "I don't know if we intend to run an orphanage long-term, but if we're stopping at just ten children, it's quite ambiguous. The children will eventually grow up, and they'll need to be independent once they reach adulthood. Do you intend to support them even after they become adults?"
To Ryu Geun-tae's cautious question, Yoon-gi drew a clear line. "No. What I want is, at the very least, for them not to be abused during their childhood."
Even during the days when he was being abused, Yoon-gi had always earned his own living expenses. He didn't pick fights with good people first, and he helped when the situation called for it, but he refused to be a pushover. Since this was Yoon-gi's unchanging conviction, Ryu Geun-tae was simply confirming it once more.
"In that case, establishing an orphanage from scratch is highly inefficient. I think it would be better to send the children to an orphanage that is on the verge of closing due to a lack of residents, and provide them with support and regular donations."
"That certainly sounds better. Look for a decent orphanage and select one."
"Understood."
It was slightly different from founding an orphanage, but at the very least, an environment was being created where the children could sleep under warm blankets.
"Yes? Really?"
Yoo Seon-nyeo, the director of Hope Orphanage, who had been on the verge of closing due to budget cuts, brightened up the moment she heard the news.
"That is correct. If you agree to take in the children we entrust to you, YK will donate the entire operating cost of the orphanage."
"I would be absolutely delighted, but the decision to close wasn't ours to make..."
Yoo Seon-nyeo trailed off, extending her arm as if to show the inside of the orphanage. An empty orphanage. With no children and no staff, Yoo Seon-nyeo was the only one left at Hope Orphanage. This was because after the closure was decided, the children had been moved to other orphanages in sequence, and the staff had been laid off.
"As you can see, there's no one here. Ever since the district office said they would revoke our license, we've been downsizing for several months. Even if you donate, I'm not sure if the district office will even grant us permission again..."
As Yoo Seon-nyeo smacked her lips in regret, the employee smiled at her.
"Please don't worry. We will handle the permission from the district office."
"Is that possible?"
Yoo Seon-nyeo had also begged the district office to reconsider and allow her to keep operating the orphanage. However, the district office, which allocated the budget, was immovable. In the first place, the structure was such that the government covered 70 percent of the orphanage's budget, while the remaining 30 percent was covered through donations. Therefore, from the district office's perspective, there was no benefit to having many orphanages, and Hope Orphanage had been targeted for liquidation.
"Yes. So, Director, I would be grateful if you could call the staff back. Since there are ten children, you can call back the appropriate number of people."
"Um... just in case, could you tell me once more when it's finalized? If it doesn't work out, it would be a nuisance to the staff..."
To her understandable concern, the employee nodded with a smile.
"Understood."
A request made to the district office by YK. There was no way the word "refusal" would ever come up.
Along with the promise to cover the entire budget of the orphanage, the request to maintain the orphanage's license followed. It wasn't really a favor, and from the district office's perspective, they had gained a place to house orphans, so there was absolutely no reason to refuse. Therefore, Yoo Seon-nyeo called back three of the staff members she had laid off—the ones she preferred working with. Even though there were only ten children, an orphanage was a 24-hour operation, so essential personnel were absolutely necessary.
"Director, is this for real?"
One of the staff members couldn't hide their surprise while looking at Yoo Seon-nyeo. It was because of the salary.
"I told you, it is. I was surprised too."
YK hadn't just made a "simple donation" to Hope Orphanage. They had purchased the land and the orphanage building that Yoo Seon-nyeo owned, and then entrusted the operation to her. It was a method that combined Yoon-gi's thoughts and Ryu Geun-tae's thoughts halfway. Once all the children became independent, this land would be used as YK's land in one way or another.
"Well, I was happy because I didn't lose anything. I was worried about how to dispose of the land, but thanks to YK buying the building, I saved on demolition costs and got a fair price for the land."
Yoo Seon-nyeo continued, "In that situation, they asked me to be the appointed director and told me the salary, and I was truly surprised. You guys are surprised right now, too."
"That's right. This is double our old salary..."
As the staff member glanced at Yoo Seon-nyeo, she blushed.
"Hey! Did I live in luxury while giving you guys meager salaries? That's not it. With no donations coming in and little support from the district office, how could I give more? Or should I have starved myself to run this place?"
"Oh, no. That's not it, I just..."
Running an orphanage in the 2010s wasn't easy either. But what about the 80s? Since there was a military regime that openly sucked up taxes, the support going to places where the socially vulnerable lived, like orphanages, was literally the size of an ant's tear. Furthermore, because it was rare for companies to donate to orphanages, the welfare of orphanage staff was truly at rock bottom. Therefore, it was only natural for the staff to be bewildered.
"Anyway, since I'm getting a higher salary than I thought and you guys are getting higher salaries too, let's all work hard. Seeing as they're paying us this much, they'll likely provide solid support for the children, so it'll definitely be easier than before."
"But the people living nearby were really happy that our orphanage was closing. Will it be okay?"
The staff member's worry. This sigh came from the reality of orphanages in the 80s. Because in the 80s, the area around an orphanage was literally a high-crime district. Children belonging to orphanages in this era, who didn't even get proper meals, let alone snacks or clothes, turned the neighborhood into a high-crime area. Of course, there might have been children who didn't, but because it was the 80s, without even CCTV or dashcams, theft and extortion around orphanages skyrocketed, and the perception of orphanages was at rock bottom. This is why people who experienced the 80s don't just refuse the establishment of childcare facilities in the 2010s for no reason. Of course, childcare facilities in the 2010s have very good basic support, so it's safe to say that the children there virtually never commit crimes.
"What are they going to do if they don't like it? Are they going to protest to the district office and end up getting dragged to the police station for no reason? Anyway, YK said they're sending ten kids this afternoon, so let's clean everything up before they get here. Since we haven't used this place, there's a lot of dust."
Thanks to Yoo Seon-nyeo's instructions, who possessed a certain level of leadership, the staff steeled their hearts and nodded.
"Oh, but Director."
"Yes?"
"Can we do it with just the four of us? Considering night shifts and things like that..."
"If we ask to hire more staff, won't YK take it out of our salaries to pay the new people?"
At Yoo Seon-nyeo's extremely realistic logic, everyone shook their heads.
"No! We have to work hard! Ah, let's clean! Let's clean!"
It was morning, before the children had arrived. Even though it was an orphanage with only four staff members, a bustling atmosphere was somehow emerging.
"Yoon-gi, come to think of it, I heard you're running an orphanage these days?"
Not in the study of Choi Ki-hyun's house, but in the living room of Choi Cheol-ho's house. Yoon-gi and Choi Cheol-kyu were having a light conversation over a cup of tea.
"Yes. I found ten children who were being abused in a shantytown, and I couldn't just leave them be."
"Well, building an image that way is a good method, too."
It was Choi Cheol-kyu's comment, approaching it from a business management perspective, but Yoon-gi didn't particularly refute or explain. It wasn't an orphanage run to gain any economic profit in the first place, but there was no benefit to be gained by refuting it, either. After all, isn't conversation supposed to be like playing catch, giving and taking, rather than arguing over facts?
"But Yoon-gi, when I heard the story, one question came to mind."
At Choi Cheol-kyu's slightly serious expression, Yoon-gi showed a curious look.
"What question?"
"I heard you're paying the staff there double their salary?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
At Choi Cheol-kyu's appearance, which seemed to be genuinely curious rather than trying to scold him, Yoon-gi explained easily.
"Because they'll work harder if they get paid well."
"Huh? It's an orphanage, isn't it? But you pay them that much?"
Choi Cheol-kyu wasn't saying this out of malice. It was a sentiment that represented people's perception in the 80s, or rather, throughout history: [It's work done for the love of service, so why count the salary?]
As anyone who has done even a little bit of volunteer work knows, this kind of talk is very easy to hear. If you said a childcare worker in the 2010s received a salary of 3 million won, what kind of reaction would people have? It would be nice if many people said, "They should get at least that much," but the reality would be the same as Choi Cheol-kyu's thought. Because the social service sector was the profession where "passion pay" was most strongly forced in Korea.
"You're thinking that it's normal to be money-hungry when you're doing work you love, aren't you?"
At Yoon-gi's softly smiling words, Choi Cheol-kyu looked startled.
"Huh? Oh... hmm... That's too accurate."
"That's a wrong way of thinking."
"Huh?"
"Earning a lot of money while doing work you love is the ultimate self-actualization for a person."
"Ah...!"
It wasn't that he was a closed-minded type, just that he didn't know, so Choi Cheol-kyu grasped Yoon-gi's intention.
"Even in a company, if you pay employees too little, you don't get efficiency. It's the same for an orphanage. If the staff's welfare is trash, it's passed on directly to the children there. Should children who need to grow up happily have to receive negative emotions?"
Articles about childcare or kindergarten teachers abusing children appeared quite often even in the 2010s. But is this because of individual character? It certainly has an effect. However, the treatment they receive also plays a part. The labor intensity is murderous, but the treatment is often minimum wage or less. That's why Yoon-gi wanted to exclude at least the influence that money gives.
"You're definitely right. Of course, the reality is that there's no one else who would invest this much in an orphanage. Those children are truly lucky. To be receiving support from you."
At Choi Cheol-kyu's words, which hit the nail on the head, Yoon-gi smiled again.
"But Yoon-gi. There's one thing I'm worried about."
"What is it?"
"You're paying a lot of money. That means the support you're giving the orphanage is also high."
"That's right."
"Then, doesn't one thing immediately come to mind? The saying, 'Human greed knows no bounds.'"
This concern of Choi Cheol-kyu's was absolutely not "unnecessary worry."