ENM 13

Chapter 13

Living under the love of a gentle father and a thoughtful mother, losing everything overnight was far too cruel a reality for a fifteen-year-old to endure.

For days at a time, sometimes for months, he moved from one relative’s house to another. Eventually, on the day he entered Hope Orphanage on his own, it was Jiwon who approached him first and held out her hand.

They say blood is thicker than water, but after being treated so coldly by his relatives, he had become sick of the idea of family. He promised himself that he would never make a family again. He would not grow attached to anyone, and he would not depend on anyone.

Because he was only passing through this place. His situation was different from that of the children who had gathered here in the first place. He had no desire to blend in or become friends with anyone, and he had been so annoyed by the children his age who kept showing interest in him.

Of all of them, Jeong Jiwon bothered him the most. She was always at the center of the orphanage children, running around from east to west all day and kicking up clouds of dust. What kind of girl played around like such a rough little tomboy? Even when he clearly showed that he disliked it, she shamelessly kept pushing her way into his space, which annoyed him even more.

But when he found out that Jiwon, who had been the easiest person to get along with, was not in the same situation as him but was actually the director couple’s daughter, he felt strangely unsettled. It was as if someone had hit him on the back of the head.

He had naturally assumed there would be favoritism. He had thought that all the kindness—checking where everyone slept, trying to give him even a little more food—was nothing but an act.

Jiwon’s existence shattered all of those assumptions.

That was when Jeongheon began to grow attached to Youngcheol and Youngae, and began to feel attached to the orphanage itself.

“Wow, they said you were busy, but I guess you’ve been working out? You look even better now.”

Despite Youngae’s warning look, Jiwon lightly punched Jeongheon in the chest a few times and grinned.

“Jeong Jiwon, you!”

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

When his eyes met Jiwon’s playful gaze, Jeongheon pulled the corners of his neat lips into a smile.

Everyone who had grown up here had been loved equally, without discrimination. Looking back, he had come to understand just how great the director couple’s love had been. But when he looked at Jiwon, he thought it was probably something that ran in the family.

Jiwon had inherited their nature completely. She never hesitated when it came to sharing and giving to others. Just like the director couple, she was the only family Jeongheon had.

“Jeongheon, you’re staying for dinner tonight, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good. I’ll get it ready.”

Just then, the children who had been playing in the playground came running over and clung to Jeongheon’s legs.

“Mister, mister! Why did you take so long to come back? Didn’t you miss me?”

“Mister, buy me some ice cream. It’s my birthday today.”

Like a flock of little chicks chirping away, the excited children crowded around Jeongheon and talked noisily.

There were only a few of them now, much fewer than before, but the shelter still took in and cared for children who were struggling financially.

Looking at the children who were hungry for people’s attention reminded Jeongheon of the time when he had been like them, when no matter how much he received, he could never fill the emptiness in his heart.

He looked at the children gathered around him with warm eyes.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Green grape-flavored ice cream.”

“I want pizza.”

“Oh, you really are like baby swallows begging for food.”

Jiwon laughed helplessly.

“Fine. Let’s go buy some.”

With cheers of “Yay!” the children jumped around excitedly. Jeongheon looked toward Jiwon, who was watching with her arms crossed.

“What are you doing, Jeong Jiwon? Come with us.”

Jiwon shook her head as if she found it troublesome, but eventually followed him.

The road was noisy. With the bright voices ringing out like a little children’s choir, Jeongheon laughed out loud for a long time, something he had not done in quite a while.

“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?”

They stopped at a bakery to buy a cake, and at the supermarket, Jeongheon picked up ice cream and almost everything the children looked at.

Jiwon seemed quietly worried about how much he was spending.

“It’s been a long time.”

Seeing the children’s bright, sparkling eyes as they cheered, Jeongheon gave her a look that said they should let them enjoy themselves today.

Jiwon reluctantly nodded.

On the way home, the scorching sunlight beat down on them, but he felt refreshed.

Unusually for him, Jeongheon had a popsicle in his mouth as he asked,

“How have things been lately? Your mother looked much better than before.”

“Mom’s resting these days. That’s what she should be doing. Thanks to that, I’m the one who’s rotting away.”

A few years ago, Youngae had suddenly lost her appetite and started losing weight. She went to the hospital because she continued to have bleeding even after menopause, and luckily, they discovered ovarian cancer at an early stage.

After surgery, she spent a long time going through chemotherapy. She had now been declared completely cured, but her physical strength was not what it used to be, so the whole family remained cautious.

“Work isn’t hard. People are what make it hard.”

“Now that you’re thirty, you can even say things that sound pretty mature.”

Even without saying it, Jeongheon knew how difficult and devoted the work Jiwon did was.

When he looked at her proudly, Jiwon quickly turned her head and shot back,

“You’re only one year older than me. Don’t act so old. What about you? Mr. Kwon Jeongheon is apparently very busy these days?”

“I am busy. The game I invested in is also about to be released.”

“The one Dongjun oppa made?”

Jeongheon nodded.

Dongjun, the developer who created Varkus with full support from Jeongheon’s company, also knew Jiwon fairly well.

And it was not just Dongjun. There were also Jang Woojin, Sun Yoonjeong, and several others who were working with Jeongheon. They had all volunteered at the orphanage together since their university days and had also grown close to Jiwon.

“I never thought you would keep running the shelter.”

“When I saw Mom getting sick, I couldn’t just leave it. And it’s all I’ve ever known. What else could I do? Mom said she couldn’t let go of it if I didn’t take over. I guess this is what they mean when they say blood can’t be hidden.”

She shook her head as if she was sick of hearing herself say it, but unlike her words, she had a straight and warm heart.

That was exactly like Jeong Jiwon, who had always stepped forward to do the things other people avoided, even when she was young.

“If you think it’s difficult, it can seem endlessly difficult. But if you don’t think of it that way, it’s not so bad. That’s how I see it. I have so many brothers and sisters all over the country. Just having that is already a blessing, isn’t it? Someday, if even one of the kids who came out of our shelter becomes successful, they’ll remember us from time to time and be grateful. That’s enough for me. And you can’t ignore the happiness I get from looking after the kids. There are already hundreds of children who have passed through my hands.”

“Mother Teresa.”

“Too much praise.”

Jiwon laughed and waved her finger, but then suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“No.”

“Ah, how boring.”

She continued to scold him for answering so quickly.

“At this rate, your love cells will rot and die. No, seriously, what fun do you even have in life? Once your love cells die, they say your heart doesn’t even beat when you meet someone.”

“What about you?”

“I have someone I like, you know? I’ve liked him for a very long time.”

Jiwon’s eyes trembled slightly as she quickly defended herself.

“You’re not dating either.”

“At least my love cells are still alive. My heart is still beating.”

“Sure.”

Jeongheon answered absentmindedly and squeezed his popsicle tightly with one hand.

But why was Go Wooyeon’s face coming to mind at this moment?

The refreshing green grape-flavored ice cream slid coolly down his throat. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such a relaxed moment. Sweat rose along the back of his neck from the heat, but he still felt refreshed.

“Hey, Mr. Kwon Jeongheon. When someone gives you advice, at least pretend you’re listening.”

“I am listening.”

“Your love cells are dead, sir. You used to be so popular that you would come home carrying armfuls of gifts and chocolates. Ah, you didn’t get hit in the face by some disaster, so how did our oppa end up like this?”

Jiwon burst out laughing, asking where the old Kwon Jeongheon had gone.

Then she suddenly took the popsicle out of her mouth and asked,

“Oppa, do you remember that? During your CSAT, you came home with so much rice cake, taffy, chocolate, and things like that.”

Before the CSAT, as was customary, people would exchange words of encouragement and support. Only Jeongheon’s desk had been covered with packaged snacks.

It was the kind of scene usually seen around Valentine’s Day, but starting a week before the CSAT, his desk had become a spectacular sight that looked like a once-a-year festival.

They were gifts given with sincere feelings. Although he felt awkward looking at presents left behind by people he did not even know, he thought of the younger children at the orphanage.

He also thought of the director couple’s faces, always apologetic because they could not afford to give the children enough food.

He could not accept their feelings, but there was no reason to reject the gifts themselves.

So, shamelessly, he gathered everything and brought it back.

“You brought home a whole bag of them and gave almost everything to the kids. But you didn’t give them that one thing. Even when the kids kept asking for it, you said, ‘This one is not for you.’ You didn’t even like sweets that much. In the end, you kept it so long that it went bad.”

It had been a beautiful afternoon, with the sun setting in the distance.

They had taken a bus that came only once an hour for eight stops. The walk would have been endless, so they had walked home together by chance because they were going in the same direction.

After Wooyeon transferred to the school, they sometimes walked together, though not often.

That day had been the same.

They missed the bus, and as if they already knew what would happen next, they began walking.

They walked silently along the quiet country road that seemed to stretch on forever.

It was only when they reached the front of Wooyeon’s house that she finally managed to hand him a single piece of chocolate.

“I was buying mine this morning, and it was buy one, get one free. Good luck on your CSAT.”

She had smiled shyly as if it were nothing special, handed it to him, and then hurried into the red-brick house.

That night, he kept thinking about Wooyeon’s retreating figure.

He tossed and turned under his blanket until morning.