My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 84: Sit Down

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TL: Aniea

‘...At least the choir composition is done.’

I checked off the remaining names on the list of children from the orphanage. Next to each name, the role they were assigned was written.

──────────

- Kim Min-ah (Choir/Soprano)

- Lee Jung-hyuk (Choir/Baritone)

- Kang Han-na (Theater/Undecided)

...

──────────

I prioritized each individual’s preference. For those who were unsure of what they wanted to do or seemed ambiguous, I had them all take the choir test.

Following Kim Kaelin's theory, those with overly distinct personalities were transferred to the theater group.

‘...Thanks to that, we've got quite a unique team.’

From the youngest, 8 years old, to the oldest, 18 years old, the team included children of all age groups from the orphanage who could participate in the event.

On top of that, the team included many children with particularly strong self-identities. Take the friend standing before me as an example.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

A female student, Kang Han-na, whose voice I had not heard even once since coming to the orphanage.

She was a middle schooler with an extremely introverted personality. Yet, for some reason, she chose theater on her own. I tried to talk with her about it.

“Do you perhaps want to work as staff?”

...Shake shake.

“Do you want to be on stage?”

...Nod.

That was all I could get from her. It’s even questionable to say I “heard” it, but at the very least, I got a rough understanding of what Kang Han-na wanted.

‘...Does she want to change her personality?’

There are people like that sometimes.

Those who despise their introverted nature and want to fix it no matter what.

Especially if, like Kang Han-na, they are so introverted that even normal communication becomes difficult. Building proper human relationships becomes nearly impossible.

In such cases, they inevitably end up spending more time alone, which leads to spending more time talking to themselves internally.

‘The structure of the human brain makes it 99% likely to get stuck in negative thoughts.’

And that’s how the vicious cycle begins. At this point, her inner world was likely filled to the brim with feelings of self-deprecation or self-hatred.

Though it’s important not to jump to conclusions, it’s likely her relationships with her peers aren’t great either.

‘Honestly, I want to tell her it’s too much to handle...’

An introverted personality built up from early childhood and maintained throughout her life can’t possibly change in just a month.

In most cases like this, the person panics as soon as they step onto the stage, and their mind goes completely blank.

When the performance inevitably fails, they fall into an even deeper state of self-deprecation and endlessly replay the moment in their minds.

- I shouldn’t have done it.

- Why did I have to be so stubborn?

- Someone like me can’t do it after all.

And so on, they spiral into negative thoughts, and in many cases, they never muster the courage to face the world again.

It would be better to start by building positive experiences in the choir, where mistakes are less noticeable. But the reason I can’t easily recommend this is:

‘...How much courage must it have taken for her to get here?’

She probably knows better than anyone else that theater doesn’t suit her personality.

Even so, I could imagine how many dozens, hundreds, or perhaps thousands of times she agonized over her decision before finally standing here. Before applying to be an actor rather than a staff member.

“Han-na.”

“...?”

Swoosh-

She, who had been avoiding my gaze the entire time, slowly lifted her head. The moment our eyes met, she flinched and quickly lowered her head again.

I waited silently without saying a word, and after gathering all her courage, she cautiously raised her head again.

A heartfelt connection made with great difficulty. Finally, I could catch a glimpse of her feelings in her gaze.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“...!!”

“Do you have a specific role in mind?”

“A-anything is fine...! Hic!”

Maybe because she was too nervous, her voice cracked mid-sentence. Kang Han-na immediately covered her mouth with both hands, looking startled.

“You have a pretty voice.”

“...W-what?!”

“I was honestly a bit worried since you were trying so hard to hide your voice. But now that I hear it, your tone is clear and refreshing. With just a bit more practice on projection, you could have a voice that makes people feel at ease.”

“...”

Perhaps finding my compliment unfamiliar and embarrassing, Kang Han-na bowed her head deeply again. Seeing her like that, I gave a deliberately gentle smile.

Of course, a single comment like this wasn’t going to drastically change her personality, but experiences like these, built up over time, would surely lead to meaningful changes eventually.

“Thank you for joining the theater team. Let’s take our time thinking about your role. If there’s any specific role you’d like to try, make sure to let me know. Alright?”

...Nod.

After answering, Kang Han-na stood up. She bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle toward me.

“...T-thank you!”

She expressed her gratitude in a voice so faint it was barely audible, then quickly scurried out of the room.

Hmm-

At that moment, Kim Eun-ha, who had been silently sitting beside me and listening, finally moved.

“Looks like you’re quite fond of Han-na. You even called her pretty?”

“Well, she’s admirable, isn’t she? Realizing her own shortcomings and making an effort to change. Helping kids like her gain confidence, that’s what adults are supposed to do, isn’t it?”

“...You really have no idea, do you?”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Alright, next!”

Before I could ask more, Kim Eun-ha raised her voice, and the next person waiting outside walked in.

This time, it was a boy who felt like the complete opposite of Kang Han-na. His entire demeanor screamed nonchalance.

Sure enough, without any proper greeting, he strolled over, plopped himself onto the sofa across from me, and spoke.

“Just give me whatever. Or, better yet, can I just not do anything and get a phone instead? Honestly, me being here is only going to ruin the mood anyway.”

“...”

Chew, chew-

The boy, sitting with his legs spread wide, was openly chewing gum. I couldn’t help but wonder what made him so brazen.

“Do the kids at the orphanage not know who Eun-ha-ssi is?”

“Who knows? I’ve never really tried to hide it.”

“Ah, so he’s just a cocky brat, then.”

Twitch-!

The boy’s brow furrowed. If I recall correctly, his name was Kim Cheol-su. An unremarkable, “extra-like” name that ironically made it more memorable.

“Mister, what did you just say?”

“Ah, people really are the hardest to deal with. I was feeling quite pleased just a moment ago, you know? Now I don’t even need to ask why you got rejected from the choir.”

“You’re openly disrespecting me...!”

“Sit down.”

Kim Eun-ha’s voice cut through the air, cold enough to make even me flinch. The boy, who had been about to spring out of his seat, froze in place.

His eyes darted around nervously, scanning the room as if to gauge everyone’s reactions.

But only for a moment.

Perhaps due to the impulsiveness typical of middle schoolers, or maybe because he didn’t want to admit he was intimidated, the boy’s face turned red as he abruptly stood up.

"Fuck. Just because you have money, you think you're everything? If I report this to the Education Office and Child Rights Center, you'll..."

“Oh, speaking of which, I have a lunch meeting with the superintendent of Education and the TvM director next week. Woo-ju-ssi, you’ll be joining us too, right?”

"Is this about the event?"

“Yes. The superintendent reached out first, saying it’s such a great initiative. He even wants to present an award on behalf of the education office.”

“But we haven’t even started filming yet.”

“Fufu. Things like this are always decided in advance.”

“...”

As if we’d planned it beforehand, we completely ignored Kim Cheol-su, continuing our conversation as if he were invisible.

Should I call it fortunate? It seemed Kim Cheol-su wasn’t so foolish that he couldn’t grasp the meaning of the conversation we’d just had.

The boy froze in an awkward half-standing, half-sitting posture, his lips pressed tightly together. Seeing this, Kim Eun-ha casually threw out a comment.

“Cheol-su, do you want to come with us? You mentioned something about the education office earlier, right? If I tell the superintendent about it, I’m sure even the smallest complaints will be resolved right away.”

“...”

Smile-

Kim Eun-ha flashed an incredibly gentle smile. However, there wasn’t the slightest trace of warmth in her expression, leaving not only me but also Kim Cheol-su unable to say a word.

Then, Kim Eun-ha calmly lifted her teacup. After moistening her lips with the dark red tea, she spoke again.

“Surprisingly, this isn’t my first time dealing with this kind of thing. Actually, it happens once or twice a year like clockwork. Want to know what I do every time?”

“How the hell would I know...?”

“I let them experience it firsthand.”

Cheol-su, driven by his pride, barely managed to open his mouth, but Kim Eun-ha cut him off without a moment’s hesitation.

Perhaps it was because of the tea she’d just sipped, but her lips gleamed a vivid red under the light.

“There’s far more you can do with money than you could ever imagine. Honestly, an event like this is nothing more than child’s play.”

“...”

“The clothes you’re wearing right now, the food you eat every day, the comfy bed and air conditioning you use, where do you think all those things come from?”

“W-who asked for any of that!? You just gave it to us on your own and now you’re acting all high and mighty...”

“Then I’ll take it back.”

Swoosh-

Kim Eun-ha’s smile disappeared. Her face turned as cold as ice, and she spoke to Kim Cheol-su in a tone devoid of any warmth.

“I’ll take back everything I’ve given you. Clothes, shoes, the food you’ve eaten so far, and all the costs for the facilities you’ve enjoyed here, you’ll have to pay them all back.”

“There’s no way that’s possible...”

“Do you really think so?”

“...”

Realizing that Kim Eun-ha wasn’t joking, Kim Cheol-su clammed up, unable to respond.

At that moment, Kim Eun-ha turned her gaze toward me. The unspoken pressure in her eyes made me flinch internally.

‘...Could she possibly mean me too?’

The more I thought about it, the more I realized there were oddly many overlaps between her words and my situation. It made sense why she was speaking more harshly than usual.

Drip-

A cold sweat ran down my back. Struggling to maintain my poker face, I spoke up.

“Apologize.”

“...What?”

“The fact that the CEO-nim has gone this far means she’s still willing to forgive you. If you bow your head and apologize now, you can avoid the worst. Isn’t that right?”

“...Well, if Woo-ju-ssi puts it that way.”

Kim Eun-ha nodded reluctantly, her expression showing obvious displeasure. Just as I expected, she didn’t have the slightest intention of forgiving Kim Cheol-su.

Personally, I also believe people don’t easily change, but after seeing how Choi Ji-hwan had been improving recently, my perspective had shifted slightly.

‘These kids are still young, after all.’

Of course, I wasn’t about to let someone off the hook simply because they were young. For the time being, I’d have to put him through rigorous discipline under my watch and work on reforming him.

That’s what adults are supposed to do.

If it still didn’t work out, then at that point, there wouldn’t be much else I could do.

“Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is how you deal with those mistakes. If you repeat the same mistake, you’re no longer a person, you’re just an animal.”

“...”

“Of course, society is harsher than you’d expect. You rarely get a second chance. Especially for someone who doesn’t have parents.”

“You don’t know anything about me...!!”

“That’s exactly why we’re giving you this chance right now. Within the framework of the orphanage, we’re offering to take on the role of your social family.”

Although Kim Cheol-su bristled at the mention of not having parents, he couldn’t come up with a response to the explanation that followed.

I picked up my teacup, imitating what Kim Eun-ha had done earlier. Taking a sip of the black tea, I felt my mind grow noticeably calmer.

“Of course, if you’re intent on tearing apart that safety net with your own hands, I won’t stop you. After all, it’s not my life. Whether you end up buried in the Pacific Ocean or turned into a cement statue, it’s none of my concern.”

“...W-what kind of ridiculous threat is that!?”

“Hmm. This is actually the more gentlemanly option. At least your bones would remain intact. Other methods involve grinding you up in a shredder to make meatballs or dissolving you in a vat of hydrofluoric acid...”

"cough cough Woo-ju-ssi."

As I recalled lines and methods of disposing of bodies from my acting days in <Peaceful Chaebol Life>, Kim Eun-ha tugged at my sleeve, as if to say I was going too far.

“Oh dear. I couldn’t help but reminisce about the old days... Hm?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Bang! Tremble tremble-

Without being prompted, Kim Cheol-su slammed his head to the floor and began apologizing. Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely devoid of common sense.

“Well, there you have it.”

“...From now on, Woo-ju-ssi, you’re responsible for managing him. If something like this happens again, I’ll hold you accountable as well.”

“Oh, come on, isn’t that a bit much?”

“Then let’s deal with it now, so there’s nothing to complain about later.”

“Go ahead, then.”

“I-I’m sorryyyyyyyy!!”

Kim Cheol-su’s desperate cries echoed throughout the room. His desperate apologies continued until all the interviews with the children were finished.

*

“Haa... Is everything finally wrapped up?”

“You worked hard.”

“Eun-ha-ssi worked the hardest.”

“...I am a little tired, though.”

Sigh-

We complimented each other’s hard work as we sank into the sofa together. Assigning roles to the children after personally interviewing them had taken up the entire day.

‘...In the end, the roles of the prince and princess fell to us.’

I’d thought at least one of the kids would want to take on those roles, but as if they had planned it together, all of them unanimously pointed to us.

- Eun-ha unnie should be the princess!

- Oppa has to be the prince!

- Yeah, yeah!

I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for us to play the lead roles in an event for the kids, but surprisingly, Kim Eun-ha didn’t seem to mind.

“After all, the goal is to create something fun and entertaining for the children. It might actually be better if we’re the main performers.”

“Hmm. That’s one way to look at it.”

“The real problem is the role of the witch. It seems no one wants to play the villain, and forcing someone into it doesn’t feel right either.”

“Oh, about that. I actually have someone in mind.”

“Hm?”

Kim Eun-ha tilted her head in curiosity. Feeling a bit playful, I leaned closer to her and whispered my idea into her ear.

I couldn’t tell if she was startled by my behavior or surprised by the person I mentioned, but she flinched and raised her voice.

“...That person?”

“What do you think? It’s a good idea, right?”

“...It’s not bad. Actually, it’s a great idea. But will that person agree to participate in a play? They probably have a lot of other commitments.”

“There’s always a way to make it happen.”

Hehe-

Having received Kim Eun-ha’s approval, I immediately pulled out my phone and made a call. Before the dial tone could even ring a few times, the person on the other end picked up.

- Wow, what’s this? You’re actually calling me first for a change.

From the other side of the speaker came the familiar voice of Seo Jun-woo. Hearing it, I quietly let the corners of my mouth curl upward.

*****

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