Chapter 380: Taking a Break (5)

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Chapter 380: Taking a Break (5)

The trio didn't need long to learn that the situation was worse than they thought.

As soon as arriving at the Seongsim Orphanage, they summoned all the kids to the living room and started investigating. After establishing the grave nature of the situation, Kang Jin-Ho decided to not open the pizzeria the following day and instead spent it interviewing everyone in the orphanage.

The result turned out to be horrifying.

“What the f*ck! What's wrong with these kids...?!” Ju Yeong-Gi angrily kicked a chair. “They aren't some brain-dead wackos, so why were they all cracking silly smiles and saying everything's all cool and sh*t?! Especially after they got bullied in school! Are they psychos or something?!”

Park Yu-Min glared at him. “Don't insult the kids that way!”

“...My bad. It's just that I'm f*cking pissed right now, you see.” Ju Yeong-Gi huffed angrily for a while after apologizing. However, his anger still didn't subside, so he yanked out a cigarette and mouthed it.

While watching Ju Yeong-Gi light the cigarette and start puffing on it, Park Yu-Min sighed deeply. “What should we do now?”

“Well, what can we do?”

“We need a plan, right? But...” Park Yu-Min muttered in a slightly dazed face. “...Would things be different if Sister Yi was still alive?”

Kang Jin-Ho quickly rebuked his friend. “You shouldn't say that, Yu-Min.”

“But...”

“This is not your fault. Besides, were things different when Sister Yi was still alive? Did you ask her for help when bad things were happening to you in school? No, you also chose to say nothing, right?”

Park Yu-Min slowly nodded at Kang Jin-Ho's rhetorical question.

'It's impossible to say something, isn't it?'

Telling the truth to someone else wouldn't solve this problem, after all. As a matter of fact, this problem would only make the others angry after hearing about it. In that case, sharing wasn't caring. It certainly didn't lighten the burden. It only made things harder for everyone.

Park Yu-Min knew this all too well. Each and every school day was an unbearable hell, but he knew nothing would change by telling others about his struggles. Then again, Choi Yeong-Su back then wasn't someone who could be toppled just because everyone in the orphanage worked together.

That was why Park Yu-Min had to keep his mouth shut and endure the abuse.

What tormented Park Yu-Min wasn't the orphanage kids getting bullied at school. The fact that he couldn't be the strength these kids could rely on when they needed help... that was what had been tearing him inside.

If Park Yu-Min was in their shoes, he would also not say anything first. However, failing to consider the possibility of the orphanage kids experiencing the same kind of bullying he went through felt like the painful proof of Park Yu-Min's thoughtlessness. This thought made containing his overflowing emotions that much harder.

Click...

Kang Jin-Ho lit a cigarette and quietly smoked it for a while. He finally broke the heavy silence by addressing Park Yu-Min. “Yu-Min, that's enough of blaming yourself.”

“...Got it.”

“Humans can't do everything by ourselves. We didn't know, so it couldn't be helped. Now we know the truth, so focus on that. Focus on how to deal with this situation. The more you waste time kicking yourself, the longer the bullying the kids will have to endure.”

“I hear you.” Park Yu-Min muttered weakly. It sounded like he still hadn't gotten over the guilt, but his expression indicated that he had acknowledged the importance of finding the solution first.

His resolution was all good and well, but they were still nowhere near the solution to the core of their problem.

“Okay, so... What should we do about this situation?”

“...Mm.”

“...Huh.”

No one could say anything useful. Ju Yeong-Gi jerked his head back and started groaning loudly. “Bloody hell, what a freaking headache this is turning out to be! Did you know that not even the almighty government can save a bullied kid? All those super-smart and learned pros couldn't find a solution, so what can we Three Stooges do by ourselves?”

Ju Yeong-Gi's words were disparaging, but they still accurately pinpointed the core of the current problem.

“The Ministry of Education might have failed, but we can do this.” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly declared. It seemed he had other ideas.

“How? Dude, it's easier said than done.”

“No, it isn't as hard as you make it out to be. We are not trying to solve the bullying problem in the entire country. We only need to solve the problem affecting fifteen or so kids. That's all. And we have more options available to us than a government department relying on our tax money.”

“...Well, that is true.”

“Let's not overcomplicate this situation. Yeong-Gi, you said there is only one reason for the bullying, didn't you?”

“I did.”

“In that case, we just have to eliminate that reason.”

“No, wait a minute. Listen to me...” Ju Yeong-Gi groaned in frustration. “There's a big difference between trying to prevent something and fixing something that's already happened. What you're proposing is like giving a flu shot to a kid who already has the flu.”

“That's better than not doing anything, is it not?” Kang Jin-Ho tersely asked.

“Well, that's true, but...” Ju Yeong-Gi scratched his head.

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho's lips curled up. “No need to change their personalities, fellas. Besides, that isn't going to solve the bullying problem, anyway. Yeong-Gi, you said the core reason why bullies go after Seongsim's kids is that they look like pushovers, didn't you? In that case, we should ensure they are no longer pushovers. That will solve the problem, no?”

“...Well, yeah. I guess.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “So, I propose that we focus on that aspect.”

“Huh?”

Questions and confusion dyed Ju Yeong-Gi's expression.

***

“Fuu-wooo...”

Choi Yeon-Ha stepped off the treadmill and wiped the streams of sweat from her forehead.

'I've grown a lot weaker.'

She never missed a day of exercise even during the packed shooting schedules. Her profession of acting had an unfortunate quirk of having a?very flexible?meal- and sleep-time schedules once the filming had commenced.

And to absorb such a grueling, punishing shooting schedule, an actor needed a healthy body. On top of that, they also needed to look after their figure, so exercising was an absolute must.

Choi Yeon-Ha stared at her reflection in the mirror mounted on a wall opposite the treadmill and frowned in dissatisfaction.

“This isn't good enough!”

Although she hadn't gained weight, she still lost some muscle mass. That meant her 'Healthy Beauty' score had fallen. Being slender was obviously important, but an actor like her needed curves in all the right (?) places, too! That was the only way to make the costumes she put on come alive!

“I'm gonna get them all back!”

An unyielding drive began burning in Choi Yeon-Ha's heart.

Now that her goal was set, there was no point in looking back. Choi Yeon-Ha was no longer the same doubtful woman. With a crystal-clear goal, she must do what she used to do in the past to achieve it. Namely, resorting to whatever means necessary and charging forward!

'Hmm. Is it because my mind is made up? I feel so weirdly refreshed.'

Choi Yeon-Ha felt relaxed. Comfortable, even. So much so that she wondered if all the uncertainty and anxiety plaguing her back in the hospital were nothing more than her imagination.

She even began suspecting that the root of her psychological issues was the unfamiliar environment of the hospital.

“Well, whatever. My condition is back to normal, so...!”

Although Choi Yeon-Ha had never challenged a target like this before, was there a need to change her approach? If she kept pouncing on the target and hitting on him, well...!

Suddenly, Choi Yeon-Ha's phone began ringing off the proverbial hook.

“And I told them I ain't gonna answer, too!”

Choi Yeon-Ha frowned deeply. That call must be from her stupid manager, asking her to take a look at another throwaway script...

“...Ng?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's eyes grew into a pair of large round dots at the name 'Kang Jin-Ho' appearing on the phone's screen.

'What's gotten into him?'

To think this man would call her first! Did today's sun rise from the west or something?

The wise old men of yore once said that a correct mindset would open a lot of doors, and sure enough, it felt like things were going Choi Yeon-Ha's way after she had steeled her resolve.

Choi Yeon-Ha coughed to clear her throat, then picked up the phone.

'How should I greet him?'

Should she sound somewhat happy to hear from him? Or sound disinterested like the usual? Or... Should she pretend to be busy to raise her value, so to speak?

All those options had their pros and cons, making it difficult for Choi Yeon-Ha to decide.

She finally settled on the option of answering the phone in her 'usual' self and cautiously tapped on the green 'answer' icon. After bringing the phone to her ear...

“Hi. What can I do for you?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's expression instantly grew tearful after thinking she sounded a little too cold just now. And when she nervously waited for Kang Jin-Ho's response...

“...Huh?”

When there was no reply, Choi Yeon-Ha checked the phone's screen, only for her expression to crumple in displeasure.

“He already hung up?!”

What kind of a man was this impatient?! If no one answered the phone immediately, couldn't he have waited for a few seconds more? How could he hang up so soon?!

Now royally irritated, Choi Yeon-Ha quickly dialed Kang Jin-Ho's number. A few ringtones later, his familiar voice came on line.

“How could you hang up so soon! A man should be more patient, you know! Why did you call me, anyway!” Choi Yeon-Ha yelled in irritation and listened to Kang Jin-Ho while frowning deeply. Soon, though, she began tilting her head at what he said. “You... need my help?”