Human Nature (3)
"Bon appétit!"
The children cheered, grabbing their spoons and diving into their meals with frantic energy. Back when they were under the thumb of the dog-butcher, they had been lucky to get two meals a day—sometimes only one. And, of course, those weren't proper meals. It was nothing more than flavorless bread and milk, or rice and kimchi thrown together by the pickpocket gang. Having been reduced to such scraps, they couldn't help but be overwhelmed with happiness now that they were eating high-quality food.
"The kids really do eat well," an employee remarked, watching the rice and side dishes vanish in an instant. Yoo Seon-nyeo nodded in agreement.
"They sure do. They eat even better than my own kids."
Surprisingly, Yoon-gi hadn't provided an "astronomical" amount of support to the Hope Orphanage. It was strictly limited to treating them like human beings—ensuring they had three side dishes per meal and warm rice to eat. The clothes weren't expensive brands, just affordable items one could easily pick up at the market. Add in a daily snack and a shelter to escape the cold, and that was it. Yet, even this was considered top-tier support for an orphanage in this era. Most orphanages back then were lucky to provide even one of the basic necessities of life, and those that provided two were considered exceptional. Because Hope Orphanage provided all three—and did so adequately—the children truly felt happy.
The staff felt the same. Since they were receiving double the salary of those at other orphanages, they worked harder, and that positive mindset had a beneficial effect on the children. However, there is always an exception to the rule.
"Should we pack up the leftover side dishes and take them home?"
At Yoo Seon-nyeo’s suggestion, the staff tilted their heads in confusion.
"Aren't there no leftovers? The kids eat so much."
"Oh, why overthink it? We can just make more."
Yoo Seon-nyeo’s subtle prompt hit the mark. The staff nodded, thinking it sounded reasonable.
"That sounds fine, but what about the ingredients?"
"We can just ask for a bit more support. If we tell them the kids are eating a lot, they won't refuse, will they? Seeing how much YK supports this place, that much is nothing to them."
"True, YK really does treat this place well."
And so, Hope Orphanage began increasing the amount of side dishes prepared for every meal.
[We can certainly provide that level of support.]
The YK employee assigned to Hope Orphanage increased the support according to Yoo Seon-nyeo’s request, and the costs were processed entirely by YK. But the behavior of Yoo Seon-nyeo and her staff didn't stop there.
"Director, our kids are complaining because the amount of side dishes we bring home is too small."
Here, "our kids" obviously didn't refer to the orphans... but to their own children. Since they were bringing home side dishes made from high-quality ingredients, the response at home was naturally positive, and the consumption rate was high.
"I'm the same. Can't we take a bit more?"
Yoo Seon-nyeo wore a satisfied expression at the staff's reaction. After all, she was thinking the exact same thing.
"Then, let's reduce the portion sizes given to the children."
It was difficult to ask for even more support, so the children began receiving portions that were over 30% smaller than before.
"Can I have more?"
To the children's pleas, the staff would shake their heads with "warm smiles."
"Sorry, kids. This is all we have prepared for today. We'll prepare more next time."
Because these were the words of the staff who had been so kind to them, the children quickly accepted it and adapted. But the rations never increased. Everything was being taken home by Yoo Seon-nyeo and the staff.
"Doesn't this rice seem better than the rice we eat at home?"
Yoo Seon-nyeo didn't just touch the side dishes; she went after the rice itself. It wasn't the highest grade, but it certainly wasn't low-quality either. The staff swapped this rice with the rice from their own homes. Furthermore, they didn't just swap it—they intentionally started buying dirt-cheap rice from the rice shop when shopping for their own homes. After all, they were just going to swap it with the orphanage's rice anyway.
"The rice smells weird!"
"Oh, you kids. Why are you saying it smells? Rice can smell like that sometimes. Do you know how hard we worked to make this for you...? Your aunties are hurt by this."
At the staff's tearful complaints, the children felt ashamed of their own grumbling and shoved the rice into their mouths. They were at an age where they could digest iron, after all. But the welfare at Hope Orphanage deteriorated day by day. The snacks meant for the children were replaced with cheap alternatives, and the picture books meant for the facility were reduced to half their original quantity. Because the staff took everything home.
Instead, only the children of Yoo Seon-nyeo and the staff enjoyed a sudden boom. Good rice, good food, and even expensive fairy tale books. The happiness of the orphans was being exploited and redirected toward the staff's children.
Three weeks into this operation, news suddenly arrived from YK.
* * *
It was an official visit from Yoon-gi. Consequently, Hope Orphanage returned to the state it had been in on its reopening day. No, it was even better. The picture books that had been heading to the staff's homes were all returned to the orphanage, and the rice was swapped back to the high-quality grain they had originally used. The side dishes were also back to their original quantity—or rather, even more. Because if the amount the children experienced was 1, YK had increased it to 2.
Moreover, this change didn't just happen for the lunch Yoon-gi would attend; it started from breakfast. Thus, the innocent children rejoiced naively, eating their breakfast and enjoying the picture books.
"Teacher, this is so much fun!"
"Yes, yes."
The beaming staff carefully monitored the children's condition, checking to see if anyone looked gloomy. The result: everything was A-OK. But it didn't end there.
"Kids, are you enjoying your life here?"
At Yoo Seon-nyeo’s question, the children shouted loudly.
"YES!!"
"Then, when the Chairman comes later, what should you say?"
"WE HAVE TO SAY WE'RE HAPPY!!"
A very satisfying shout. Yoo Seon-nyeo wore a bright smile.
"That's right, that's what you have to say. If you tell the Chairman you aren't happy, he might get angry and stop being good to us."
In the 2010s, children might learn about the filth of society quickly through the internet, but children of this era still maintained their innocence for a long time. Because there were few opportunities for them to be influenced. Thus, the children believed Yoo Seon-nyeo’s words at face value. Of course, being innocent and being good were entirely different things.
'Good, this is perfect.'
Seeing the children's naive appearance, Yoo Seon-nyeo felt completely reassured. 'Double the salary and all these things to take home. I can never let this go.'
Greedy to the core, Yoo Seon-nyeo waited for Yoon-gi’s arrival while taking extra care of the children. She definitely embezzled the material goods, but she provided decent care in the mental aspect. Because the orphanage could only be maintained if the children looked happy. Of course, this was only possible because it had only been three weeks. The moment the double salary and material embezzlement became "the norm," it was obvious that the mental care would also fail, but since it had only been three weeks, the mental care was still in a decent state.
"The Chairman is here!"
At the shout from outside, Yoo Seon-nyeo and the staff rushed out of the building. The children did the same. They all knew who the Chairman was.
"Big Brother!!"
"Hyung!!!"
The children rushed toward Yoon-gi without hesitation. The bodyguards looked like they were considering blocking the children, but at a glance from Yoon-gi, they naturally cleared the way.
"Kids, have you been doing well?"
At Yoon-gi’s gentle words, the children nodded with bright smiles. They were truly the picture of extreme happiness.
"Oh my, Chairman, you've arrived? Thank you so much. Thanks to you, the children are so happy."
Worried that observing the children too closely might cause problems, Yoo Seon-nyeo naturally tried to lead Yoon-gi to the office. After all, Yoo Seon-nyeo was someone who had run an orphanage for a long time. Of course, in the past, there was nothing to steal because there was no support, but at least in terms of "social skills," she was not to be ignored.
"Ah, wait a moment."
Yoon-gi stopped in his tracks and signaled to his bodyguards again. The bodyguards began pulling a bundle of toys from the trunk of the car, and soon they were laid out in front of the children.
"Kids, take as much as you want. It's a gift from me."
"WOW!!"
Soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs, gloves, various dolls, and playhouse sets. Overwhelmed by such boundless grace, the children shrieked with joy and ran toward the toys. For a moment, the greedy eyes of the staff were visible. But Yoon-gi walked into the office with Yoo Seon-nyeo.
"How are the preparations for the children's school enrollment going?"
As soon as they entered the office, Yoon-gi asked, and Yoo Seon-nyeo nodded with a smile.
"There's no problem at all. Although the children have no school experience, we are working hard on their basic education. However, in the case of Ju-hee, it seems better to give her more education, so I think it would be good for her to attend an additional tutoring academy. But for that..."
Yoon-gi nodded at Yoo Seon-nyeo, who trailed off.
"Ah, don't worry about additional costs. The children's happiness comes first."
Yoon-gi’s refreshing answer. Yoo Seon-nyeo took the opportunity to mention a wish she had been contemplating.
"Chairman, if it's alright with you, would it be okay to increase the number of children?"
"Increase the number of children?"
At Yoon-gi’s question, a warm smile spread across Yoo Seon-nyeo’s face.
"Yes. The efficiency isn't great considering the number of children relative to the number of staff. And there are still children struggling on the streets, and my heart aches whenever I see them. If you allow it, I will take good care of those children."
At Yoo Seon-nyeo’s words, which sounded completely selfless, Yoon-gi wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before nodding.
"Submit a plan to the staff. I'll review it, and if it looks good, I'll approve it."
"Thank you so much! Thank you so much, Chairman!"
Yoo Seon-nyeo thought to herself with a slight sneer, noting how young Yoon-gi clearly was. 'If I handle him well, I can squeeze out even more profit than when I ran it myself.'
Yoo Seon-nyeo when she ran the orphanage on pennies, and Yoo Seon-nyeo now. Which of the two was her true nature? However, there is a saying that many people agree with:
In the end, this was Yoo Seon-nyeo’s true nature.
"Well then, I have another schedule, so I'll be going now."
Seeing Yoon-gi turn back faster than expected, Yoo Seon-nyeo felt like she wanted to cheer out loud. Just as Yoo Seon-nyeo was about to see Yoon-gi off to his car, a familiar voice reached Yoon-gi’s ears.
"Big Brother."
Turning around, he saw Ju-hee. At Ju-hee’s slightly awkward smile, Yoon-gi gave a gentle smile in return.
"Hmm? Why? Do you need some pocket money? You're the same age as the middle schoolers, after all."
Ju-hee shook her head.
"No. It's not that..."
Ju-hee glanced toward Yoo Seon-nyeo for a brief moment before quickly composing her expression.
"Thank you!"
She followed up with a bright expression. "I'm really so happy these days because of you, Big Brother. You'll come to play again, right?"
"Of course! I definitely have to come back."
Yoon-gi patted Ju-hee’s head once and got into the car. As Yoon-gi’s vehicle left the orphanage, Yoo Seon-nyeo sent a suspicious look toward Ju-hee for a brief moment, but having no clear justification, she sent Ju-hee back into the building.
However.
Yoon-gi was not unaware of the situation at the orphanage. No, he knew it very well. Very, very well.