Chapter 580. Tightening (5)

“Then, what should we do, sir?” Jo Gyu-Min hopefully asked.

“What have you been listening to until now?!” Hwang Jeong-Hu yelled in irritation, obviously not happy with his audience's response. “Pay the caregivers a good salary. That's it. That's the ticket to hiring excellent people. Good personalities? Sure, that will be nice. But, do you know when people behave their nicest?”

“...I'm not sure, sir?”

“When their minds are at ease, fella. Think about it, okay? You're poor and constantly harassed by cash problems at home. And the work is tough as it gets, and you're tired as heck every single day! But orphans keep causing problems for you. Do you think you'll respond kindly under that kind of environment?”

“No, sir. Definitely not.”

“Stop trying to blame caregivers' characters for the system's failings. Everyone's the same underneath. Sure, some people might work a little harder than the rest. And it's your job to find and hire such folks.” Hwang Jeong-Hu stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho next. “Jin-Ho. You probably think you've done a lot for that orphanage. Don't you?”

“No, Chairman. I don't.”

“Hah. Don't make me laugh, okay!” Hwang Jeong-Hu chuckled in dismay while mouthing a fresh cigarette. “Kids at Seongsim must've been extremely happy when an uncle with nothing better to do showed up every once in a while to shower them with overflowing money. You think that's something to be praised about? No! The real MVPs in raising those kids are the orphanage caregivers receiving crap wages, not you! If you were genuinely interested in doing something good for that place, you should've raised their wages first. However, have you even thought about that problem before?”

“...No, Chairman.” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly replied, his voice growing progressively smaller. He had no excuses to offer.

He had been frequenting Seongsim since his high school days but never even considered such a thing before. However, Hwang Jeong-Hu only needed to peruse a handful of documents to realize what the others had failed to grasp.

“So, don't try to act cool and stuff. Okay? Idiots who haven't done anything noteworthy would always be the most condescending out of the lot!”

“Got it, Chairman,” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.

“Let's say you agreed to expand the orphanage. After that, are you planning to stay there twenty-four hours a day? Are you personally going to change sh*t-stained nappies and feed kids with disabilities, too?”

“...No.”

“See? You're not the one raising those kids, the caregivers are! If you really want to establish an excellent orphanage and raise those kids into splendid adults, you should be worried about how to attract the best-of-the-best workers first instead of spewing all these grandiose ideas!”

Kang Jin-Ho had no choice but to surrender at this point. “M-my apologies. I was wrong.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu finally relaxed a bit. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. And you were busy waltzing around with your head held up high lately, too... But it's like you've gotten worse than before. You used to be so whip-smart back then, know what I mean?”

“Excuse me, Chairman...?”

“What now?”

Kang Jin-Ho cautiously asked. “Remember when you said you'd call me hyung...?”

“That ain't gonna happen.”

“...I thought as much,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly, then finally lit his cigarette that had been dangling on his lips for quite some time.

He felt bitter inside. He was aware of some differences in the capability of managing an organization between himself and Hwang Jeong-Hu, but the scale of that difference turned out to be an unwelcome eye-opener for Kang Jin-Ho.

He might not be the most meticulous person in the world when it came to thinking about all the small details, but Kang Jin-Ho still felt reasonably confident about looking at the big picture and knowing how to achieve it. After this rude awakening, though... It seemed Kang Jin-Ho was just another naive fool who didn't know anything.

Even though he was mentally this old...!

“In the end, it's all about money,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu in a firm voice. “You want orphans to live in a good environment? Spend lots of money. You want positive adult influences for those kids? Again, spend money to recruit plenty more excellent caregivers. Hiring good teachers for the school will also require money. And more money if you wish to feed those kids with nice food.”

“I see.”

“Since the dawn of human civilization, not even the mightiest government could end poverty. Look at our society now. Look at how almost everyone is living a good life. The older generations could only dream of living such charmed lives. Did my generation have smartphones while growing up? What about eating such nice food? Never mind rice, we couldn't even afford barley. We had to go around searching for weeds and roots in the mountains to survive. Even then, we still managed to get this far, okay? And now, everyone's enjoying a good life, aren't they? You get what I'm trying to say, don't you?"

Kang Jin-Ho grimly narrowed his eyes. “...Everyone's gotten fat and complacent?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu leaned against the couch, then helplessly rubbed his face with both hands. “Urgh... This is what I have to put up with...!”

Kang Jin-Ho panicked slightly after realizing his off-the-cuff reply was very wrong.

'When was the last time I felt like this? How long has it been?'

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but wonder. It must've been several decades since someone scolded him like this. For a while now, his palms were getting clammy from all the sweat. Even though he could perfectly control various bodily functions, this flood of cold sweat couldn't be stopped by his willpower alone.

“Even though the country as a whole has become so well-off, it still failed to eliminate poverty completely. And that's how difficult your goal is. A country with annual social spending of billions of dollars still can't help all the poverty-stricken people, Jin-Ho. But now, you are trying to help a small number of such people. So, you need to fully understand the gravity of your dream.”

“No, I'm aware. And I'm determined, Chairman.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted again in disapproval. “Once you start, it'll be impossible to turn back. Providing a good environment for those kids is a scary thing requiring your commitment, okay? Why, you ask? Once you can no longer maintain that good environment, orphans would have to return to their original environment, that's why! Folks who never tasted meat won't drool over a juicy slab of steak. But those who do will go mad if they can't eat meat ever again.”

Jo Gyu-Min suddenly smirked and butted in. “But, Chairman. There are vegans in this world, so they...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu wordlessly gripped a nearby ashtray and assumed a throwing position.

“M-my apologies, sir...” Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly shrunk into his spot.

“You. You organize all those documents over there before going home tonight. Got that?”

“...Yes, sir.” Jo Gyu-Min deeply sighed after his attempt at improving the heavy atmosphere with a joke spectacularly backfired on him.

Hwang Jeong-Hu grunted before turning his attention back to Kang Jin-Ho. “Anyway... Having a discussion like this isn't important. No, what's really important is figuring out if you have the necessary will and drive to do this thing properly. I think you're underestimating what lies ahead of you, Jin-Ho. To casually say this is what you want to do, that you feel like doing it... Fella, this matter is far too serious for that. You understand?”

“No, I do. It's fine,” Kang Jin-Ho replied calmly.

Hwang Jeong-Hu's brows rose up higher. “Doing this might mess up some kids' lives even more. You've considered that possibility first before saying that, right?”

“Yes,” Kang Jin-Ho responded, his attitude still composed. He might have panicked a bit after his inability to think about finer details had been pointed out. But he had instantly regained his composure when the discussion veered toward looking at the big picture.

Hwang Jeong-Hu narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Just what makes you so confident like this?”

“Chairman. Since it's not possible to enjoy meat frequently, do you think not knowing what meat tastes like in the first place would've made you happier?”

“Mm...?”

Kang Jin-Ho's sharp and clear eyes focused on Hwang Jeong-Hu. “By your reasoning, it would be wrong to hand out bottles of drinking water to people living in those parts of Africa where it's difficult to find clean water. Is that really for their sake, Chairman? I completely disagree with that notion. Of course, I won't deny that things might turn out as you say. There is a possibility that my actions could make the lives of some orphans even harder later on. Even so, I believe it's wrong not to improve the orphans' current environment just because things might get harder later.”

Kang Jin-Ho spoke with conviction and stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu with an unwavering gaze. And that brought a satisfied smirk to Hwang Jeong-Hu's face. “I'm telling you, you've become such a smooth talker these days. And you used to be haplessly tongue-tied not too long ago, too.”

“If I'm being honest, Chairman... You really don't know how to compliment other people.”

“Which crazy bastard would dare compliment one's elder?” Hwang Jeong-Hu casually retorted.

“Kuh-hum...”

After tutting loudly again, Hwang Jeong-Hu tried to bring the discussion to an end. “Okay, so... To summarize...”

“N-no, wait, sir!” Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly raised his voice just then. It seemed he was still not satisfied by something. “I understand what you're telling us. However, your proposal will face several legal hurdles. First of all, there should be a problem with deciding who attends your proposed school. Building a school that can only be attended by a specific group of kids should be impossible. Even if it's somehow not a legal issue, it'll still be impossible to stop others from applying to attend.”

“Why not? We can just do it, right?”

“But, sir! This is a legal issue. Even if we want to...”

“You dumbass! We can just change the law, right?”

Jo Gyu-Min's jaw nearly hit the floor. “...I beg your pardon?”

“What is law? Isn't it a set of rules to make people's lives as hassle-free as possible? If laws are getting in the way of us doing something constructive, we should change those offending laws, no?”

“Oh, uh, sure...?” Jo Gyu-Min slowly nodded as he was too dumbstruck to do anything else. He no longer had the energy left to play the straight man here. Hwang Jeong-Hu dreamed on a scale far beyond what Jo Gyu-Min could manage, after all!

“Gyu-Min, you've raised a good point here. Listen, your new job is investigating how many related laws will get in our way. I'll alert our legal department, so get their help and find out everything, okay?”

“...Yes, sir.” Jo Gyu-Min replied lifelessly. It seemed his workload was gradually increasing. 'Will I get to go home tonight...?'

Jo Gyu-Min suddenly shuddered in dread when a sudden ominous foreboding entered his heart. Forget about burning the midnight oil tonight, he might have to work overtime throughout the week after the end of this meeting!

“So, what do you think?” Hwang Jeong-Hu glanced at Kang Jin-Ho and asked.

“It sounds like a good plan,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a nod.

“Of course it is,” Hwang Jeong-Hu harrumphed. “There's this thing about running an organization, Jin-Ho. The larger it grows, the more you'll have to be hands-on with it. However, once its size balloons past a certain point, things will become more or less autonomous. After that point, all you gotta do is set some goals and direct the organization. That's it. Managing the foundation will become more convenient for you this way.”

“Mm? But, Chairman. You should be the one managing the...”

“Hah? You aren't paying me for this, so stop trying to abuse this old man, okay?”

“Chairman, I will pay you your salary.”

“I don't need it, you fool!” Hwang Jeong-Hu snorted in derision. He pulled out a fresh cigarette and mouthed it. However, he suddenly became much more solemn than before as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho. “Listen, Jin-Ho.”

“Yes?”

“It's only one thousand kids.”

“I... don't follow?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu lit his cigarette, took a long puff, then quietly addressed Kang Jin-Ho. “This work will be annoying as hell. It'll be stressful. It'll require lots of work from you. And it'll also hoover up a crap ton of money. Even then... The best you can do is help only one thousand kids.”

“...”

“Tell me, Jin-Ho. How many kids in South Korea would meet your criteria of needing help? If your orphanage is a success, do you think you can stop at just building one?”

“...No, I don't think it'll be easy to stop myself.”

“I thought as much. You're that kind of a fool, after all. In the end, you can't help yourself but continuously grow your foundation's scale. However, do know this. When you start this thing and get the ball rolling, not even our combined assets will be enough to handle what's about to happen. So, you need to be realistic, okay?”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded away.

Hwang Jeong-Hu took another puff, then tried to finish his point. “So, what I'm saying here is...”

“No, I understand. I understand what you're trying to tell me, Chairman.”

“Eh?”

Kang Jeong-Hu's determined gaze landed on Hwang Jeong-Hu. “So, you want me to stop at nothing and resort to any means possible to make as much money as possible. If I can get the government's financial support, take them to the cleaners. If people are willing to donate, then suck them dry, too. And on top of that, I should also work relentlessly to earn money myself. Isn't that what you're saying?”

“...N-no, hold on,” Hwang Jeong-Hu panicked slightly. “Do it in moderation, okay? When you set an example, others will try to emulate you. No need for you to do everything by yourself, Jin-Ho…”

“Mm? Doesn't that mean that if I make a lot of money, others will try to follow my example?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu's complexion paled a little just then.

'Wait a minute. Did I make a mistake here?'

During their initial encounter, Kang Jin-Ho gave off the air of an ultra-sharp blade. However, the current Kang Jin-Ho had gotten a lot softer, a lot mellower. But that's not how Hwang Jeong-Hu interpreted it. Rather than mellower, it seemed more like Kang Jin-Ho had lost his purpose.

People who knew they had to do something but were not quite sure what that was usually made faces like Kang Jin-Ho's. But now...

The chilling sharpness from the past was gradually returning to Kang Jin-Ho's expression!

Hwang Jeong-Hu faltered a little and hurriedly raised his hands. “J-Jin-Ho. Why don't you take it easy and go slow, okay? Just take it easy, and...”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded before suddenly shooting up to his feet. “Mister Gyu-Min. Please do as Chairman Hwang said and investigate all the hurdles we might face.”

“O-of course,” Jo Gyu-Min dazedly nodded.

Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly walked away and pulled the office door open.

Hwang Jeong-Hu blinked his eyes in surprise. “W-where are you going?”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head slightly to reveal an unreadable smirk etched on his face. “Obviously, to make the money we need.”

Clack...

The door closed behind Kang Jin-Ho, leaving Hwang Jeong-Hu and Jo Gyu-Min in the office. The two men wordlessly stared at each other before Hwang Jeong-Hu cautiously asked Jo Gyu-Min. “...Do you think I've made a mistake just now?”

Jo Gyu-Min slowly nodded, his expression clearly saying, Yes, sir. You certainly have. But... Why did you do it, sir?!

For some reason, Hwang Jeong-Hu felt goosebumps breaking out on his skin.