InkBound
patreon
CH96 | VOC
🕑 Added 2025-03-28 02:57:01 +0000 UTC“Who are you?”
I turned around and saw a high school girl with long, straight hair and horn-rimmed glasses looking at me warily.
“W-what? Who are you?”
“Who are you? Why have you been standing in front of my house?”
I looked back and forth between the girl and the house.
“This is your house?”
“Yes. Why?”
Then…
“Are you Seo Ga-yeon?”
“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”
I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“Whew, you startled me.”
She said in a disapproving tone,
“I’m the one who’s startled. A strange man loitering in front of my house at night. I’ve been waiting for an hour because I was scared to come in. And…”
She looked me up and down.
“…you look scary.”
I was too tired to care about her comment about my appearance. I had been waiting for hours.
“An hour? You waited for an hour?”
“Yes. You seem to know my name, so you must be looking for me. Who are you?”
“Why did you wait outside for an hour instead of just asking who I was?”
“It’s a long story. Just tell me who you are.”
I cleared my throat and said,
“I’m from the Park Sol Foundation. I’m here about your scholarship…”
Her face contorted in annoyance.
“You’re here again? Someone came earlier today too… Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s a bit late, I guess.”
“It’s not just a bit late, it’s very late. Young people should be asleep by now. It’s strange for an adult man like you to be looking for a minor like me at this hour. I told the man who came earlier today, I’m not accepting the scholarship, so please leave.”
I was taken aback by her firm refusal, but I also felt a sense of injustice.
I wasn’t here to collect a debt. I was here to help her, and she was treating me like this?
“Miss Ga-yeon, we’re not here with any malicious intent. We’re here to help you. Isn’t this a bit too much?”
She put her hand on her forehead.
“How should I explain this…”
She looked around.
“Did anyone enter my house while you were waiting?”
“…No.”
“This isn’t a good place to talk. Follow me. There’s a park nearby.”
We arrived at a vacant lot that could hardly be called a park.
Rusty playground equipment was scattered around, and there wasn’t a single tree in sight. A broken bench stood in the center.
She sat down on the bench and patted the space next to her.
“Have a seat. There’s nowhere else to sit around here.”
I cautiously sat down next to her, wary of the surroundings. It felt like a construction site.
“It’s not a very nice neighborhood, is it? But it’s where I live. It’s okay during the day, but it’s a bit dangerous at night.”
“I see.”
She chuckled.
“Sorry for being so rude earlier. I have my reasons.”
“It’s okay. But I’d like to know why you’re refusing the scholarship.”
I wasn’t keen on this from the beginning, so if she refused again, I would give up, regardless of Hwa-young’s request.
“Is your family better off than I thought? Is that why you’re refusing?”
She looked at me incredulously.
“You’re saying that after seeing my house?”
“Then why are you refusing? There are no conditions attached to the scholarship. Just accept it and study hard.”
“It’s not because I don’t want the money. I like money. I just don’t have any.”
“Then what’s the reason?”
“It’s a family matter, so I can’t tell you the details. But the scholarship won’t help me with my studies. It might even be a hindrance. I also want to accept the money and live a comfortable life.”
She sighed.
“I made this decision after much deliberation, so please stop coming here. It’s already frustrating enough that I can’t accept the scholarship, and you keep reminding me of it. I know you’re trying to do a good deed, but please explain the situation to your superiors and leave me alone.”
“So you’re refusing again?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, stood up, and said,
“Alright, I understand. I’ll let them know.”
“Goodbye.”
* * *
[You just came back like that? You should have tried harder to persuade her!]
Hwa-young said angrily after I told her what had happened.
“What else was I supposed to do?! I did everything I could! I even went to her house, but she refused. Should I have begged her on my knees?”
[But if she’s refusing money despite her situation, there must be a reason. You said she wanted the money. Why didn’t you ask her why she’s refusing?]
“I asked her! But she said it’s a family matter. Should I pry into her personal life? I’m a stranger from a foundation. Just give up. I’ve already wasted money because of you. Why don’t you ask her yourself? Why are you always blaming me?”
Hwa-young sighed.
[Alright, alright. I was stupid to expect anything from you.]
“What? Hey! Hey!”
She hung up, and I looked at my phone, dumbfounded.
“What was that? Was I wrong?”
Maru smiled awkwardly.
“You should have at least tried to find out the reason. She seemed like she had a story to tell.”
“Everyone has a story. Do I have to consider everyone’s circumstances?”
“She’s your sister’s friend. Aren’t you curious?”
“I can already guess. She’s poor, a high school student who comes home past 10 p.m. She’s probably working part-time. Her parents are alive, but they’re probably unable to support her. Maybe they’re ill or disabled?”
Maru looked at me incredulously.
“And you just came back after figuring that out? You could have just helped her and earned brownie points with Hwa-young.”
“You’re saying I should have forced her to accept the money?”
“Not forced, but you could have been more flexible.”
I shook my head.
“Maru, just because we’re running a foundation doesn’t mean we’re philanthropists. I don’t know why she refused the scholarship, but she had her reasons. What right do we have to interfere with her decision? Don’t you know that happiness and unhappiness are relative? They’re not absolute.”
I pointed at myself.
“I realized there are people who are worse off than my family after visiting Seo Ga-yeon’s house. But so what? It doesn’t change the fact that my childhood was difficult. She might be struggling, but can you be sure there’s no one who’s worse off than her? Then should we help them too? I had my own struggles, and so did she, and so do others. Everyone lives their own life and makes their own decisions. Why should I interfere? She decided not to accept the scholarship. I started this scholarship program for one reason: because my sister asked me to. And I tried my best, but it didn’t work out. What more do you want?”
“But she’s struggling. You said her house is dilapidated and she’s out late at night.”
I frowned.
“You’re being hypocritical. Did you even know about slums and the people living there before I told you? No, you didn’t.”
“…”
I clicked my tongue, seeing his silence.
“You knew it existed. Then what were you doing? You didn’t have the money? You didn’t have the time? You just didn’t notice? Those are just excuses.”
“…I know it’s hypocritical.”
“Then let’s drop it.”
“But is hypocrisy that bad?”
“What?”
“When I was at the orphanage, I knew those people who came for volunteer work and donations were just putting on a show. But I was still happy when they came because we got better food and snacks. It might have been hypocrisy for them, but it was a joy for us.”
He sighed.
“I understand your point, hyung. We can’t save everyone. You don’t like hypocrisy. You respect people’s decisions. But that hypocrisy could be a blessing for someone. And how can you be sure that their decisions are entirely their own? That’s what I’m saying.”
Decisions entirely their own…
I had thought about that too.
But even those influenced by external factors were still making their own decisions.
If someone was forced to make a decision against their will, their resistance, their rebellion, was also their decision.
If they chose to surrender to the pressure, I couldn’t force them to fight back.
I wasn’t a saint, nor was I their guardian.
“Maru, I understand. We’ve already started the scholarship program, and we’ll be selecting new recipients next quarter. You can try persuading her again then. I’ll let it slide this time since she’s so stubborn and doesn’t want to see us again. How about that?”
My voice was softer than I intended.
He was one of the few people I considered my own.
And if someone was my own, I respected their thoughts and beliefs, even if they differed from mine.
Maru chuckled.
“That’s all I wanted. I was just wondering what if. I got carried away when you started yelling.”
“Yeah, yeah. That Park Hwa-young is causing me so much trouble.”
I looked at my watch.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Let’s go and get something to eat.”
“Okay.”
* * *
My phone rang. I assumed it was Hwa-young again and answered curtly.
“Hello.”
“Sir, it’s Li Yang.”
My expression changed.
“What is it? Baek In-hwi’s phone?”
“Yes, we received three calls, one ring each, at one-minute intervals.”
“It’s President Kim Min-sik. Put him through.”
I had been avoiding calls, letting Kim Min-sik take the lead, to maintain Baek In-hwi’s image as a recluse.
But I needed to stay in contact with Kim Min-sik, so we had created a signal using missed calls. I could call him anytime, but this was a signal for him to contact me urgently.
“Hello.”
[CEO Baek, it’s Kim Min-sik.]
“Yes, Mr. President, what’s the matter?”
Kim Min-sik chuckled slyly.
[Daemun Group hasn’t paid their interest this month.]
“They haven’t paid? Oh dear.”
[They’re asking for an extension.]
“I see. But do we have to grant them an extension?”
[Of course not.]
I smirked.
“Then shall we begin?”
