Chapter 39

Chapter 39

'Why are all the signs around here like this?'

After driving straight from Jinseong's coffeehouse, Dohyeok arrived in front of an old building bearing a sign that read Sunflower Children's Home.

It was a little over twenty kilometers away, the nearest children's home according to his navigation system's distance sorting.

He had no intention of returning the gifts Lia had refused. He couldn't bring himself to go back into the department store and embarrass himself just to recover a little pocket change.

Although he hadn't made any promises, the presents filling his car already had an intended purpose, so donating them to a children's home was his only alternative.

'Seriously, it's like I've been bewitched by a ghost.'

It had started with pork cutlet. No, looking back, perhaps the pork cutlet had merely been an excuse.

Maybe he had simply wanted to have another meal at Jinseong's coffeehouse.

The heir to Daechun Group and an ordinary employee.

That enormous difference in status had, paradoxically, made him feel comfortable and free of pretension.

Unlike everyone else, who nervously watched his reactions for fear of making a mistake, Jinseong was different.

Dohyeok felt that Jinseong would treat him exactly the same way even if he were the president's son instead of the heir to Daechun Group.

Drawn along by that atmosphere, he had ended up coming to a children's home, something he had never imagined doing.

As though he had been bewitched by a ghost.

"Thank you for making such a generous donation during these difficult economic times."

"Well, it's not all that expensive..."

"The girls, in particular, get teased a lot when their clothes are worn out. Most of the clothes we receive as donations aren't in very good condition either."

"What? It's bad enough that they don't have parents, but people make fun of them too? What a bunch of bastards!"

The director of the children's home gave a bitter smile at Dohyeok's indignant response.

The malice directed at the powerless went beyond mere cruelty.

Mold-covered clothes and expired food thrown in front of the children's home's entrance.

Phone calls from parents demanding that their children not be assigned to the same class as orphans.

And children who smiled while taunting them, saying, "You're a beggar without parents."

Having experienced countless things that people would refuse to believe even if told directly, the children no longer even shed tears.

"If those bastards show up again, let me know. I won't let them get away with it. Anyway, take care."

"Are you leaving already?"

"Is there anything else to do?"

He had already refused the bothersome business of donation receipts and such, but the director of the children's home, a kindly man with a warm expression, stopped him once again.

"Usually, donors stay to see how happy the children are when they receive their presents."

"I'm fine without that."

"Even so."

'Why does he keep asking me to watch? It's embarrassing.'

Unable to refuse the director's request, Dohyeok entered the dining room where the children were gathered.

There, he found them admiring the presents he had brought, which were spread across the tables.

"All right, everyone, attention. This gentleman brought these presents for you. You should all thank him, shouldn't you?"

"Thank you!"

They bowed deeply with the utmost politeness.

Was it because they knew that visitors to the children's home were people who provided them with support, large or small?

"Tank you."

Even a child too young to understand such things belatedly bowed so deeply that his head nearly touched the floor.

He was clearly just imitating the other children without understanding what he was doing.

Even though he was a little boy and there wasn't a single present among them that he would likely enjoy playing with.

Watching the child, Dohyeok bit his lip.

An indescribable emotion was welling up inside his chest.

"Director, what time does this children's home close?"

"Pardon?"

"No, right. It's not a place that closes. Wait a minute! I'll be right back!"

Apparently realizing how foolish his own question was, Dohyeok hurriedly waved his hands and ran outside.

But an unexpected obstacle blocked his path at the entrance.

"Goodness, someone's finally come out. I've been calling for ages. Didn't you hear me? Express delivery."

"Express delivery? No, I don't work here..."

'Damn it, I'm in a hurry.'

He felt awkward simply ignoring the man, so he was about to return to the dining room where the director was when the delivery driver held out a pen and receipt and said something completely unexpected.

"Let's see... The recipient's name is Joo Dohyeok, correct?"

"Huh? That's me."

"Yes, five boxes. Please sign here."

The boxes he was practically forced to accept were filled with toys that little boys would love.

The sender listed on the receipt was Minho Stationery Store.

There was no indication of who had sent them.

And then,

-KaTalk.

「Kim Jinseong: There weren't any toys for the boys, so I hurriedly gathered some and sent them over.」

"Doing things nobody asked him to do."

Contrary to his gruff tone, a faint smile appeared on Dohyeok's lips.

"Heave-ho!"

Dohyeok gathered all the boxes of toys into his muscular arms at once.

Then he returned to the dining room where the children were gathered and unloaded the boxes, practically spilling their contents before them.

"Huh? There are toy cars here!"

"There are transforming robots too!"

"Wow! There are so many!"

How long did Dohyeok spend watching the children play with the toys?

Suddenly, he thought of someone he wanted to call.

(Hello?)

"How did you know I'd come here?"

(It's the only children's home nearby.)

"What, can you read minds or something? Anyway, is there anything else they need? Maybe computers or something?"

(Pizza.)

"Pizza?"

(Yes. It's the food children like most. It's more expensive than other delivery food, so they never get to eat as much as they want.)

"You sure know a lot about this stuff. Do you visit often?"

(That's how it was when I lived in an orphanage.)

"..."

(Having said that, you must be busy, so I'll hang up now. See you at work tomorrow.)

Having unexpectedly learned about Jinseong's past, Dohyeok stared blankly at the phone screen after the call ended.

"He really has a talent for leaving people speechless."

"Pardon?"

A child asked in response to Dohyeok's muttering.

"Nothing. Want some pizza?"

"Pizza?"

"Yeah. I'll order enough for you to eat until you're stuffed."

"Is that really okay?"

It was an anxious question.

They had already received so many presents.

The child instinctively understood that saying yes might be shameless. That sense of restraint outweighed the anticipation of eating pizza.

Dohyeok ruffled the hair of the child, who stood there nervously shifting his eyes, and said,

"I'm—no, your uncle here is Joo Dohyeok."

______________

The next morning.

The Strategic Planning Team office at Daechun Group was busy with work as usual.

Everyone except one person: Assistant Manager Joo Dohyeok, who was humming happily as he flipped through documents.

"Hmm, hmm. By the way, how long do I have to keep digging through these useless documents?"

"You have to keep reading them. Even after they become familiar."

"Isn't that a waste of time? These projects are all over already."

"Could you take a look at the meeting minutes there?"

"Meeting minutes? Why?"

"The meeting time should be written on them."

"It says nine to eleven in the morning."

"And how long did it take you to look through those minutes?"

"About five minutes?"

"If you can understand the contents of a two-hour meeting in five minutes, you've effectively saved twenty-four times the time."

"No, but still, when I'm doing nothing but reading documents all day, it doesn't even feel like I'm working..."

In the grumbling Assistant Manager Joo Dohyeok, I saw my former self.

After all, I had transferred to a completely unrelated department, effectively experiencing my days as a new employee twice.

It had taken me considerably longer than my fellow recruits to be entrusted with actual work, which made me all the more impatient.

But there was no path other than the proper one.

Especially for Assistant Manager Joo Dohyeok, who had received his assistant manager title in less than a year.

"You'll probably be in this department for six months at most, Assistant Manager Joo. Right?"

"Well, probably."

Even promotions that were nothing more than a sham needed some justification.

Since it would look bad to leapfrog senior employees in the same department, he would be credited with the quarter's most outstanding achievements and then transferred to another department.

That was the most reasonable choice for both the people remaining behind and the person being promoted.

"In that case, this year will probably be your last chance to learn how the company really operates. It'll be difficult to find another senior willing to give you difficult, troublesome work even at the risk of getting on your bad side."

"Pfft! You've got a point there."

Assistant Manager Joo Dohyeok burst into hearty laughter and returned to concentrating on the documents.

There probably wasn't another senior like that anywhere in Daechun Solutions, or even throughout Daechun Group.

After all, not everyone had someone to fall back on as I did.

They each came to work carrying desperate reasons why they couldn't afford to leave this company.

Aging parents, wives who had been forced to quit their jobs to raise children, and children who were growing bigger every day.

Taking responsibility for a family's livelihood and going out into society forced people to compromise far more than one might expect.

The resignation letter they carried in their hearts, vowing to quit because they couldn't stand it anymore, only came out when they were backed into a corner.

But why was he still printing out all those documents to read when his computer had already arrived?

And he was even taking notes diligently.

"Hey, don't look!"

His bear-like bulk spun around abruptly, and he continued writing.

What on earth are you writing?!

_____________

-Clack.

Late that evening, the final approval folder on Chairman Joo Manho's desk was closed.

'Hmm, it's already gotten this late.'

Joo Manho lifted his thick reading glasses, checked his wristwatch, then stood and picked up his coat.

"Are you leaving, Chairman? I'll have the car brought around."

"Yes, I'm coming down now... No. I'll call you later, so leave it for now."

"Yes, understood."

Knowing the Chairman's hobby well, the secretary who had been about to accompany him sat back down.

Having worked through the night despite his age, the Chairman's somewhat heavy footsteps eventually brought him to the Strategic Planning Team office.

-Click.

With the dull sound of a switch, the dark office lit up.

'It was right under my nose, and I couldn't find it.'

After looking around for some time, he finally realized that the seat he was looking for was directly below him.

【Strategic Planning Team — Assistant Manager Joo Dohyeok】

That was what the nameplate attached to the partition read.

How many parents could freely visit the place where their children worked?

He was one of the few fathers who could enjoy such a luxury.

'That little bastard. At least it looks like he hasn't been doing nothing but fooling around.'

His son's desk was messily piled with documents.

Chairman Joo Manho picked up one of them.

It was a set of meeting minutes.

Minutes from a meeting concerning cooperation with a subcontractor whose name was unfamiliar to him.

But something was strange.

Beneath the meeting minutes, something had been written in crooked handwriting.

『Items for Discussion Regarding Additional Development

(Discussion) 1. Establish a schedule and cost estimation plan for proceeding with functional improvements. (Department Head Jung Jiwon, Daechun Solutions Sales Team 2)

(Discussion) 2. Review whether part of the additional development work can be provided free of charge as part of maintenance services. (Division Director Jung Jiwon, Daechun Solutions Sales Team 2)

...

┗ Hey, you bastard! You call it additional development, so why the fuck are you asking them to do it for free? Have you no business ethics?』

It was a commentary(?) liberally sprinkled with profanity.

And that commentary did not end with a single line.

『┗ Why the hell are they asking for five months now when the contract clearly says six?

┗ Jung Jiwon's the problem. This bastard is bringing disgrace on the entire Daechun Group.』

The single sheet of meeting minutes was covered with brutally frank comments.

"Hoho."

Every one of them was so well put that he couldn't help chuckling.

'So he even looked up the contracts. That means he investigated how the project was actually being run before writing these comments.'

He knew perfectly well that his son wasn't the sort to listen simply because someone told him something.

He had clearly searched for the information and analyzed it himself.

As proof, the documents scattered across the desk were all crumpled at the corners where pages had been folded over.

His son had found his own way of learning the job.

And in the final blank space of the meeting minutes, he had even kindly written down whose teaching had inspired him.

『┗ Can I become like Manager Kim too?』

Unable to wipe the smile spreading across his face, Chairman Joo Manho hurriedly made a phone call.

"Hello, is this the secretary's office? Cancel all my appointments tomorrow morning. I'm behind on my son's school fees, so I need to pay a visit to the department store."