Chapter 487: Educating (2)

Chapter 487: Educating (2)

“Why are there more people now?” Jo Gyu-Min scanned the living room in flabbergast.

He figured the odds of everyone remaining were pretty low, but not zero. Realistically speaking, though, he expected at least one person, maybe two, might leave. However...!

Maybe his eyes were malfunctioning, but the number of children in the living room seemed to have gone up!

“What is going on here...?” Jo Gyu-Min tilted his head.

Thankfully, Park Yu-Min came to his rescue right on time. “What the heck? You guys, you're from technical and vocational schools, so what are you doing here?”

One of the boys looked unhappy at that line of questioning and sourly muttered, "What's the matter, hyung? We are not supposed to go to universities or something?"

“N-no, not really... That's not what I'm...” Park Yu-Min faltered and began hesitating, but that opened more room for immediate counterattacks.

“If we are also eligible for tertiary education, please include us, too! It's discrimination to only help out those attending regular schools, you know!”

“Yeah, he's right, you know!”

Park Yu-Min could only chuckle in dismay. Since when did these brats care about studying like this? Didn't they pretend to not hear him whenever he nagged about taking education more seriously?! What was going on here?

Park Yu-Min wasn't the only one with complaints, however. The orphanage kids attending technical high schools also had lots of things to say.

“At least, you could've done a better job noise-proofing the building, you know? How can anyone stay still after listening to everything being said in the living room?”

“Someone was, like, busy hurling insults in our way, you know? Saying stuff like we're ungrateful parasites only here to suck you dry.”

Jo Mi-Hye blushed immediately. “I didn't say that!”

“You weren't too far off, though,” said one of the kids making bitter faces. “I don't mind enjoying a buffet at the expense of our kind government and not caring about the bills, but this isn't that, right? So, we gotta start pulling our weight, too.”

“But, how can we do anything when we don't know anything?” Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com

“And that's why we're here, you see? So, let's get cracking, guys.”

Jo Gyu-Min couldn't help but chuckle helplessly at how cheeky these brats were.

'Well, they are kids, alright.'

Just how many of them here were serious about studying diligently to improve their grades? Most of them must've been swept up in the mob mentality or simply tagging along since everyone else was seemingly doing it.

This was not what Jo Gyu-Min wanted.

“There is something I want to say to you all...” Jo Gyu-Min addressed the crowd in a quiet but weighty voice. “A student's reason for existence is to study, yes. However, studying shouldn't become everything in your life.”

Something about Jo Gyu-Min's voice had this power to attract people's attention. One person stating something might not change listeners' minds, but someone else saying the same thing could easily do that. In that sense, Jo Gyu-Min was perhaps the most optimally-tuned individual to address a crowd.

To borrow Ju Yeong-Gi's evaluation of the man... If Jo Gyu-Min hadn't received a good education, he would've become an excellent con man.

“Your academic records will make your road to success a little smoother, but it won't guarantee whether you will make it or not. Actually, it can even make you see how unfair life can be. One day you'll end up questioning yourselves with, I've studied this hard and still only got this far, but why did that person succeed in life without even trying?”

Jo Gyu-Min stopped there and glanced around to check if everyone's gaze was chasing after him. He smirked softly before continuing from where he left off.

“Choosing to focus on studying might block off other paths in life for you. Other paths to success, that is. Even so, you still wish to improve your school grades? If so, please stay. Attempting to go down this route with halfhearted determination will get you nowhere, after all.”

A bout of silence descended in the living room. When a child expressed their wish to study and improve their school grades, the usual thing would be to praise them for their maturity. The orphanage kids expected something similar to that, so Jo Gyu-Min's announcement about focusing on studying potentially blocking other paths in life left them confused and uncertain. It seemed so pragmatic yet difficult to understand.

At their age, it was natural for them to seek an already-set answer from someone. Unfortunately, Jo Gyu-Min just implied that there was no correct answer here.

“Okay, so... You wish to study, eh?” Jo Gyu-Min's gaze landed on Han Jin-Seong next.

Unsurprisingly, Han Jin-Seong flinched grandly. “Why are you asking me that, Chief Jo?”

“Well, you look like the least interested in studying out of everyone here, you see?”

“Heol?” Han Jin-Seong blinked his eyes in disbelief.

Unfortunately for his self-esteem, though, others reacted rather differently.

“Ohh, look how sharp Chief Jo's eyes are!”

“I can definitely trust him.”

“Oho-ho~! Our Faith stat in you is improving, Chief Jo!”

“Did you forget that Yu-Min oppa is also a Jaegyeong uni student? He's good at studying, too!”

“Aigoo! I had no idea! What an unfair world we're living in!” Han Jin-Seong loudly grumbled as he walked back to his room.

Park Yu-Min watched as everyone else returned to their rooms while complaining away, then quietly asked Jo Gyu-Min. “Did... Did I say something wrong?”

Jo Gyu-Min smiled brightly and patted Park Yu-Min's shoulder. “Sometimes, a natural talent will have a hard time figuring out the trials and tribulations of common folk. So, don't worry about it.”

“...?”

***

Back in the orphanage's kitchen...

“Well, we're now finished with sorting out the kids...” Jo Gyu-Min muttered while receiving a cup of coffee from Park Yu-Min. “...Keuh-hup! Sniffle.”

“...Eh? What's the matter, Chief Jo?” Park Yu-Min panicked slightly when Jo Gyu-Min sneakily wiped the corners of his eyes after receiving the coffee.

“No, it's just that... How should I describe this feeling? For the first time in a decade, I'm finally in a situation where someone else will make me coffee, so I'm really happy about it?”

“...Oh.” Park Yu-Min's smile was cramped as he stared at Jo Gyu-Min in pity.

There was no doubt that Jo Gyu-Min was someone very capable. Unfortunately, he was surrounded by people like Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu and Kang Jin-Ho, so he usually ended up doing—subjectively speaking—sundry chores all the time. At least that was the impression Park Yu-Min got.

If Jo Gyu-Min joined another company, wouldn't he have already reached a much-higher position by now?

'Well, he's already in a super-high position in Jaegyeong, so...'

Some random nobody could never get a job as a Chief Secretary in a large corporation like Jaegyeong. Especially when considering how powerful Jaegyeong's Office of Secretaries was compared to other corporations' similar departments.

The stronger a Chairman's Office was, the more influence the Office of Secretaries would wield. And in Jaegyeong, the level of authority and power the Chairman's Office exercised was so mighty that no other company in South Korea came even close.

It was no accident that some people even speculated that Jo Gyu-Min was Chairman Hwang's hidden illegitimate son!

Jo Gyu-Min sipped the coffee and nodded slightly. “At least they are motivated. Which is great.”

“Well, how long will that motivation last, I wonder...” Park Yu-Min sighed deeply.

Ju Yeong-Gi, staying silent until then, suddenly smirked. “Come on, man. You care about them the most, so how could you mistrust them the most, too?”

“It's because of my experience.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know I became a pro gamer because I enjoyed playing computer games.”

“Yeah, you told me that.”

“But... When I started playing as a pro, games... stopped being fun for me. Winning still felt sweet, but I could no longer enjoy playing like I used to when I didn't need to worry about anything.”

“Well, that sounds... about right, I guess?”

“What I'm saying is that even those things I enjoyed started losing their appeal. I used to think all the time about playing one more round during breaks but after a while... I didn't even want to stare at another computer.”

Ju Yeong-Gi slowly nodded in silence. This was how people's hearts usually worked.

“I became a pro gamer because of my love for gaming, but I still lost my passion. So... How bad will it be with the kids who never liked studying in the first place? Yeah, I'm sure they'll be full of passion and drive at the start. But, this problem can't be solved in one or two days, so...”

“Mm...”

Park Yu-Min was right. Studying was like a constant marathon. Being passionate for a moment wouldn't solve anything. One needed patience and endurance to tough it out for a long, long time.

“It's only the beginning, so no need to worry yourselves to death, gentlemen. Children can be more mature than you think, you see?” Jo Gyu-Min chuckled and addressed the duo. “Our job isn't to comfort or pester the children. All we have to do is show them the way and create the right kind of environment for them to flourish in.”

“Well, I know that, but...” Park Yu-Min fidgeted, still clearly worried.

Kang Jin-Ho asked on behalf of his friend. “I see. In that case, what are you planning to do?”

“I'm sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min tilted his head.

“Judging from what the children said, it sounds like they have already fallen behind their peers. So how will they...”

“Mister Jin-Ho, you’ve surprised me by saying that,” Jo Gyu-Min leaned back in his chair while crossing his legs. After assuming an arrogant posture, he proceeded to shut everyone up with his bold declaration. “Is there anything money can’t buy in this world?”

“...”

“Well, then. Allow me to demonstrate to you how to use money effectively.”

This was when Park Yu-Min decided to add 'contemptible' to his evaluation of 'Jo Gyu-Min is a successful man'.