Chapter 53: Graduation (3)

Chapter 53: Graduation (3)

A high school third-year student done with the National University Entrance Exams had nothing to do. As such, some students started working part-time. Some others even tried their hands at getting various qualifications. However, most of them kicked back and took full advantage of being free for the first time in twelve years.

Kang Jin-Ho would have done the same if he was like other students. Unfortunately, he had one serious problem. Jeong In-Gyu had already begun repeating the year, and Park Yu-Min was busy preparing for the next tournament. Lee Tae-Ho and Oh Min-Jae went on a trip as soon as the school vacation began. Which meant Kang Jin-Ho was now left friendless and had nothing to do. As a result, he found himself practically settling in at the Seongsim Orphanage lately.

Kang Jin-Ho ordered the children. “Sit down. Now.”

“Euh...”

“Do not make noise.”

“Y-yes...”

Park Yu-Min always helped out with the orphanage's labor-intensive tasks, but his frequent absence left a hole in the workforce. The financial support from the Jaegyeong Group certainly helped with hiring more workers, but an orphanage with lots of needy children always had plenty of jobs requiring attention. And that was why Kang Jin-Ho was kept surprisingly busy with all the work requiring physical strength.

The orphanage's director called out to him. “Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, Director?”

“Some good samaritans donated rice, but unfortunately, the couriers left them by the orphanage's entrance. I know they are heavy and not easy to move, but still... Can you lend me a hand?”

“Leave it to me.” Kang Jin-Ho got up and walked to the building's entrance. “Mm...”

He stared at the huge sacks of rice piled up at the entrance and slowly licked his lips. Rice sold in supermarkets would usually be packaged into a single twenty-kilo sack. But these sacks of rice were much larger and quite bountiful as if they had come directly from a farmer.

The director stood next to Kang Jin-Ho and muttered, “The rice has come in these gamanis, as you can see."

“Mmhm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

‘Ah, right. These are called gamanis.’

He grinned faintly as he scanned the several layers of rice gamanis.

It was rustic yet undoubtedly sincere. This much rice must have cost a lot of money, yet some people still donated them without revealing who they were. A world where people helped others out without expecting anything in return was not a bad place to live.

'People like these also existed in the past, didn't they... '

Kang Jin-Ho mulled, remembering about those people who, despite their own difficult lives, sought out those in worse shapes than them to lend a helping hand. Now that he thought about it, the past seemed to have more people like that than in the present.

The director turned to Kang Jin-Ho and asked, “Do you think you can move them? I'll call some people over, so let's carry them together. Around three, maybe four, people should be able to finish the job.”

“No, it's fine, ma'am.”

“Hold on, Jin-Ho. These are heavy, so...”

“Where should I move them?”

“O-over there, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho picked up a rice gamani and hoisted it easily over his shoulder. He could carry it by holding only the edge but he figured that the straw could burst at the side and spill the rice all over.

"O-oh my goodness! That's so heavy, so how can you...!" The director was shocked by this sight. Unless one was a seasoned worker, trying to lift up such a huge, heavy sack would have been a challenge, yet Kang Jin-Ho was picking one up so easily...

He didn't stop there and picked up another rice gamani and hoisted it over his other shoulder.

“A-aren't they heavy, Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho lightly shook his head, then turned his head. “Where should I take them?”

“T-this way...”

He followed the director's guidance and moved all the rice to storage. Each rice gamani looked heavy enough to give two well-built men a hard time, yet Kang Jin-Ho could carry two of them on his shoulders without breaking a sweat. The director was left utterly stupefied by this display of strength. "Jin-Ho, you... are quite strong, aren't you "

“Not really, ma'am.”

“This is probably why they say you need a man in your household. It would have taken so long to move them all without your help...”

Kang Jin-Ho faintly grinned.

“Thank you for your help, Jin-Ho.”

“It was nothing, ma'am.”

“Other kids are so occupied with having fun during their vacation, yet you came here to lend us your help. I'm so grateful.”

Kang Jin-Ho pondered briefly if he should be honest and tell the director that he had nowhere else to go. Then again, maybe being too honest wasn't strictly necessary in this case. There was no need to say something unnecessary and emphasize how pitiful he was, was there

The clueless director continued to show her concern for him. "You could've stayed home and gotten a much-deserved rest, too."

Kang Jin-Ho pondered once again if he should reveal that no one was home. His mother was still working at her old job, saying that suddenly quitting now would only cause her 'illness' of restlessness or some such. Meanwhile, his father was occupied with running his shop, and it was easier to pluck the stars from the heavens than to see his little sister's face these days as her public debut loomed closer and closer. All these events conspired to leave Kang Jin-Ho all alone in a now-much-larger Kang residence.

He really hated his situation, too. Other people might get a refreshing sense of openness from how much wider their living room and bedrooms had become, but not Kang Jin-Ho. Such open spaces only reminded him of the desolate administrative halls of the demonic cult. They might have been expansive and comfortable to live in, with lots of luxurious ornaments adorning the walls, but... But he could never relax in those halls. The memories from those places were something he didn't want to recall, too. Maybe that was why he had to leave his empty home as if he was making a great escape.

Kang Jin-Ho wanted to change the topic and decided to ask for more work. "Is there anything else I can help with, Director "

“Will it be okay?”

“Of course...”

"Actually, we do have some things in storage that need to be sorted out. But we couldn't touch them until now due to how heavy they are. As you may know, Yu-Min struggles a little physically..."

“Where are they?”

The director and Han Se-Yeon exchanged some pleasantries while Kang Jin-Ho continued with his task. He knew he couldn't imitate Han Se-Yeon's stunning sociability, so he didn't even bother.

The director grinned and spoke, “I didn't think you'd come this fast, though. It hadn't been long since I called you, after all!”

“I was in the neighborhood, ma'am.”

“I see. Thank you for coming.”

“By the way, what is Jin-Ho doing?”

The director quickly explained the situation, prompting Han Se-Yeon to burst out in laughter at Kang Jin-Ho. "Is that why you're silently loading all these things "

"That's right," Kang Jin-Ho replied disinterestedly.

"But that's so stupid, though. You can call people to come and take them, you know "

“Yes, I know.”

“Oh Then why?”

“I need to deliver them myself,” Kang Jin-Ho replied while getting ready to push the handcart forward.

Han Se-Yeon watched him leave, then quickly chased after him. She looked back and said to the director, “I'm gonna go with him and show him the way!”

“Okay, please do!”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at her and frowned slightly. “Why are you coming with me?”

“Did the director tell you which house you must go to?”

“Yes. It's the one with a red gate.”

Han Se-Yeon cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest. "Oh And do you know where that house is "

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. "I'll find it eventually."

“I noticed a lot of houses with red gates nearby while on my way here. Were you thinking of knocking on every door and asking them if we've found the right house our director told us about?”

Kang Jin-Ho faltered, realizing that he had nothing to say in his defense.

"I guess you'll have to ask the director to come with you, then. But she has lots of things to do back at the orphanage, right? Too bad, she'll have to waste her valuable time now because of you."

“...Fine. Let's go.”

“Be more polite, will you?”

"...Please, let us get going, my lady."

“Sure, sure. I'll let it slide this time. Follow me.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned and silently followed after Han Se-Yeon had taken the lead.

Creak, creak...

The noises of the cart's wheels traveling the coarse streets echoed loudly. It felt like the cart was having a hard time coping with all the load from the noises. Whether that was caused by the cart's age or the combined weight of the appliances, no one could tell.

Kang Jin-Ho began pushing the cart uphill. The newly-constructed orphanage was located at the foot of the same hill, in the same neighborhood, to respect the director's wishes. Kang Jin-Ho would have liked the orphanage to be moved to a better environment but various circumstances, including the kids' schools, made it unfeasible for the time being.

Han Se-Yeon worriedly asked, “Isn't it heavy?”

“Not really.”

“You know, I get this feeling all the time, but... Jin-Ho, you're really strong, aren't you? You must be the strongest in our school.”

“Probably?”

"That's amazing. But that's not something to boast about, you know? Physically strong guys tend to be dumb, after all."

“Really? By the way, what were your entrance exam scores, again?”

“I'm sorry...”

Kang Jin-Ho easily thwarted Han Se-Yeon's provocation this time and continued to pull the cart up the hill. She searched here and there before discovering a red gate by the distant corner, then called out to Kang Jin-Ho. “Over here!”

“Mmhm...” He stopped the cart in front of the gate and peeked his head beyond the open gap. “Hmm...”

“Anyone home?” Han Se-Yeon knocked on the gate, but no one answered her. “I don't think there's anyone inside.”

“We should put the stuff down here and leave.”

“You think so?”

But then...

"Who’s there?!"

A grandmother with a face full of deep wrinkles opened the living room door and cried out in a sharp voice while glaring at her unannounced visitors. The open doorway revealed for a brief moment the sight of the interior. It was just as dirty and run-down as the orphanage before it was relocated to the new building.

“Ah! Hello, grandma. How are you?”

1.? a gamani is a large traditional sack weaved out of straws.