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Chapter 37.3




The Compassionate Orphanage (3)
Right at the moment I inserted the key into the ignition,
Buzzz- Buzzz-
a call came ringing in from Ho-Un.
“Yes?”
-After searching everywhere, that’s the only account I can find for Wang Ong-Gu.
And this was an account that only had moderate sums of money going in and out.
Apart from the deposits that had been made in cash, everything else seemed ordinary.
Hmm. But he definitely should have gotten more money somehow.
I placed my hands on the steering wheel.
This meant that there had to be a money laundering site that had been used by both the bastards from the Joongmae Gangs and Wang Ong-Gu.
-Are you sure you haven’t got the wrong guy, boss?
“There’s something called a detective’s intuition, kid.”
Of course that’s on top of a certain ability that’s exclusive to reincarnators.
Unable to understand my confidence, Ho-Un grumbled.
-The money could have been earned by his wife over in France. I’ve heard that the country has good welfare. From my perspective, he looks like the typical example of a pitiful goose father.1 And whether or not he has the money to spare for it, he still makes donations. Boss, I really think you’ve got the wrong-
“Hold on. Who did you say has been donating? Wang Ong-Gu?
That was extremely shocking.
Judging from his actions and his personality, that seemed like something that he would absolutely never do.
-I saw it while hacking his mail. It might have been an orphanage, but he definitely received a letter of thanks from them.
So it was an orphanage.
I stepped on the pedal and told him.
“Write down that place’s address and send it to me.”
***
The orphanage was located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
Although the hospital treating the guys from the Joongmae gang was closer, it took second on my itinerary because of the orphanage’s operating hours.
Since it was a place where a lot of children lived, I had to abide by the rules.
Screech-
I parked my car and headed into the orphanage.
‘Aeryuwon(æ„›æ”é™ą)’
This place had a name which meant ‘a home where love flows like a river’.
There was a playground with a short basketball hoop, and flower beds bloomed brightly along the fences.
As soon as I neared the front yard, I could hear the laughter of children.
“Kyahaha!”
“I’m it. One! Two! Three!”
“Run-!”
Children who looked to be around kindergarten age were milling around the playground.
If angels were real, they might just look like this.
As I quietly watched over this sight, I was immersed in my past.
‘Was I also like them?’
My memories from growing up in an orphanage were hazy.
A lot of time had passed since then, and I couldn’t even recall whether or not those memories were painful.
As such, when I thought back to those days, it was as if a faded movie was playing.
“Huh?”
The children who had been running around frantically came to a halt once they discovered me.
Their clothes were neat, yet also stylish.
On the other hand, their face and hair was covered in dirt from playing so enthusiastically.
A young girl who was standing at the very front of the pack cheered brightly.
“It’s a guest!”
“A guest!”
“A guest has arrived!”
“Teacher!”
The children rushed over to me and started clinging to my waist while they called for their teacher.
I couldn’t help but be flustered.
From what I recalled, children at an orphanage should be a lot shyer than this.
It seemed that the kids here were the type who could get close to people without any hesitation.
“Oh my. Good day to you.”
A woman came out of the house upon hearing the children’s calls.
She looked striking dressed in a neat shirt and with her hair cut short.
“How can we help you today?”
While comforting a child that she was cradling in her arms, she asked me this question.
“Um
”
After some hesitation, I smiled brightly.
“I’m here
 because I want to give a donation.”
***
Clink-
A teacup was placed in front of me.
I smelt a rich aroma of coffee.
Not only was this not instant coffee, it also hadn’t been served in a paper cup.
And the tea set looked quite pricey at that.
The woman set her business card down beside the cup.
‘Aeryuwon’s Director, Jin Hwa-An’
“Oh my, what should I do? I’m sorry, but I don’t have my business cards on me.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I’m just handing you my business card, because I want to first introduce you to Aeryuwon.”
Jin Hwa-An took out a black folder and opened it up for me to look inside.
Within the folder, there was a brief history and introduction to the orphanage.
Also included were pictures of children who had been sponsored.
This didn’t seem to be a typical orphanage, as it included educational facilities as well.
“Could you possibly be thinking of adopting a child?”
“Not at all. I’m still single.”
“Oh. Since you’re so handsome, I was sure you’d be quite popular.”
“I might be popular, but marriage is a different matter entirely.”
Jin Hwa-An crossed her legs with a laugh.
“If it’s not an adoption, and you intend to donate to Aeryuwon itself, we can arrange a usage report and send it to you every month. We promise that our accounts are transparent and indisputable.”
“Hm. That sounds good.”
While listening to her speak, I carefully scanned the guidebook.
I couldn’t spot anything particularly unusual within its contents.
Taking a sip of my coffee, I started asking questions.
Footnote:
1 A korean idiom used to describe a hardworking father who lives and works in Korea, while the rest of his family lives overseas for the purpose of their children’s education.