You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 518

“As you know, we are taking excellent care of the heart for your grandson. From the moment the decision was made, we have put in every effort to ensure it’s in the best possible condition.”

“That… what was that place called? Assemblyman, what was it called?”

Onodera frowned, seemingly unable to recall the name, and turned to Oda Satoshi.

“The House of Angels, Assemblyman.”

“Right. It’s just an orphanage anyway, isn’t it? No need to make a fuss. I’m sure you’re being compensated handsomely enough.”

Goyunsu inwardly scoffed at the words directed at him.

Onodera had initially requested the surgery for his grandson, specifying that he couldn’t accept an organ from a child whose background was unknown. That’s why he entrusted the matter to Wooshin. It seemed he didn’t even remember his own stipulations.

“We only mentioned it to illustrate the extent of our dedication to you and your grandson. If you felt it was mere boasting, I apologize.”

“So? Didn’t you say you were having trouble because you were being watched by those college students? You need to get rid of them! It was stupid to let those college students into the House of Angels in the first place, but…”

“As you know, that lawyer has been sending college student volunteers to the House of Angels to monitor everything closely. It’s embarrassing to admit, but the House of Angels didn’t anticipate that the college student volunteers were acting under the lawyer’s instructions…”

“Tsk!”

Onodera clicked his tongue, having listened to the explanation quietly.

However, Goyunsu remained composed and continued speaking.

“You might see it as an excuse, but we lacked a valid reason to send them back after they arrived with such extensive media coverage. Especially since the House of Angels has been promoting itself as striving for quality education through overseas study opportunities, turning them away without a plausible reason would provide them with ammunition to attack us.”

“I knew Wooshin has been concerned about its ridiculous image since the 21st century, but if you had simply sent them back, citing a change in internal circumstances, it would have been a minor issue. You’re all being overly cautious.”

Oda Satoshi rolled his eyes upward, as if he found the situation absurd.

It seemed he had been reprimanded by Onodera quite a bit.

Goyangjun had warned him that Onodera had a petty side and to appease him well. Now, he was acting as Onodera’s spokesperson, putting even more pressure on them.

He seemed eager to demonstrate to Onodera where his loyalties lay.

“Assemblyman Oda is right.”

And Onodera seemed very pleased, believing that Oda Satoshi was confirming his allegiance.

Of course, Oda Satoshi’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Wooshin, which had focused solely on rapid growth since its founding until the 1990s, was now making efforts to improve its public image.

Wooshin could no longer afford to ignore public opinion and was forced to adhere to a more stringent ethical code, as operating solely as a profit-driven entity was no longer sustainable.

To ensure future growth, they had to feign concern for public perception and appease the masses, even if they disliked it, to avoid being perceived as hostile.

Didn’t those politicians also say things they didn’t mean and put on insincere shows just to win votes, just like them?

It was ridiculous how politicians groveled before voters like panting dogs during election season.

They acted as if they didn’t need to listen to the opinions of the common people, but they were the ones who were most mindful of public opinion.

That’s why he had tried to appease them by building a consensus, but he hadn’t expected them to lack even basic self-awareness.

Moreover, Cha Juhan was skilled at manipulating public opinion.

If they vaguely replied that the internal situation had changed, he would surely seize upon that statement and find a way to prove that there were no changes in policy, then publicly humiliate them by claiming they were a group that didn’t care about children’s education.

In the process, the House of Angels would attract even more unwanted attention.

It was the worst-case scenario.

“…Those college students would immediately notice if even one child was missing, and that fact would quickly reach the lawyer’s ears. I was worried that unnecessary attention might affect the Assemblyman as well. It seems our concerns were excessive. I apologize once again for causing you concern because of this.”

In fact, that wasn’t his only concern.

An *Iljung Ilbo* [a fictional newspaper] reporter had been sniffing around the House of Angels for a long time, and they had been monitoring him to determine if he had caught wind of something.

Then, suddenly, Cha Juhan teamed up with that reporter, and they quickly uncovered the existence of KDL Company.

Even if it was just KDL Company, which was essentially a smokescreen, if they discovered L&B, it could escalate into a problem involving investigative authorities.

“Now that enough time has passed, we will begin preparing to remove those watchdogs as you requested. Once the watchdogs are gone, we will immediately transplant the healthy heart into your grandson.”

* * *

“Is it too hot? Should I buy some ice cream?”

The club leader, who was guiding the college students who had disembarked from the bus at the stop in front of the House of Angels, gestured toward the supermarket located on the corner of the alley.

“I feel like we’ve been spending a lot of money lately. Are you sure it’s okay?”

Thanks to Choi Jonghyun’s unwavering support, the club’s finances had become quite healthy.

In the past, the student in charge of finances would carefully monitor expenses to prevent frivolous spending, but these days, even when it seemed like they were spending a lot, they would let it slide without comment.

“It’s just buying ice cream for the kids. What’s the big deal? But should we get the same flavor for everyone, or should we get a variety?”

“I don’t know. They probably don’t have that much ice cream anyway, do they? We should just grab whatever we can and let the kids choose what they want.”

The students roughly estimated the number of children and bought generously.

As they carried the plastic bags full of ice cream toward the House of Angels, they quickened their pace, worried that it might melt.

By the time they arrived, everyone was out of breath.

“Oh my. Why are you so out of breath? Did you run? You’re not late, are you?”

A staff member from the House of Angels, who had been waiting near the entrance in anticipation of the college students’ arrival, approached them in surprise.

“Ah, we bought ice cream for the kids… Haa, it’s heavier than I thought. Haha.”

“Why did you buy something like this? You didn’t have to go to this trouble…”

“No, it’s okay. The weather is too hot, and we wanted to eat some too.”

“Oh my. You’re already doing so much by teaching the kids, and it seems like the kids are contacting the teachers personally quite a bit, so I already feel indebted… What should I do with this?”

“Hey, it’s nothing like that. We’re all students studying to become teachers. The fact that the kids are relying on us means we’re being helpful. It’s rewarding.”

Whether the news of the ice cream had already reached the children, cheers erupted as soon as the college students opened the door and entered.

Each group leader dispersed and distributed the ice cream, and after cooling off together, they proceeded to the learning rooms for their respective educational courses, as usual.

For infants and elementary school students, classes were conducted according to programs created by the club itself, and activities were carried out accordingly. However, middle school students and older were at a stage where they were under pressure to perform well academically, so after concept lessons, they would work through individual questions like tutoring.

Therefore, a large number of people were naturally involved.

“I tried to solve it like this, but I got stuck in the middle.”

“Oh, it’s an infinite geometric series problem. You used to be intimidated and skip it, but this time you tried it. Good, that’s a very good attitude.”

“What’s the point… I couldn’t solve it.”

“This often appears as a complex shape and as a 4-point question, so it’s understandable that you’d be intimidated if you’ve struggled with it before. I was like that too. Look, if it’s hard to find the pattern, just plug the first 5 terms into the formula without thinking. Then it might be easier to see?”

There were students who were enthusiastic about learning, but in reality, not everyone was like that.

“But just because she’s a senior doesn’t mean she can do that. A third-year student was furious, telling me to behave myself because she had her eye on me. I was so dumbfounded…”

There were also many children who wanted to chat and share all the details of what happened at school.

The goal of the volunteers was to comfort even those children and make them interested in studying, but it seemed like these children thought of them as older cousins who were perfect for confiding in.

“Seongyun-ah.”

“……”

“Eom Seongyuuun.”

“……Yes?”

“Did you eat ice cream earlier? The teachers bought it.”

And of course, there were also children who were neither enthusiastic about studying nor wanted to chat.

Those children were subject to special attention.

It was because they might be being bullied or have some kind of underlying issue.

From the perspective of college students who would have to manage an entire class someday as teachers, it was also a good opportunity to consider how they could embrace all the children together from now on.

“Ice cream?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you see the teachers buying it earlier?”

“I saw it, but I don’t feel well.”

“Really? Then I’ll ask the coordinator to save Seongyun’s for you, so make sure to eat it later when you feel better.”

“……Yes.”

Eom Seongyun is a 2nd-year high school student.

He doesn’t have a striking personality.

He’s not talkative, but he’s not particularly quiet either.

He’s not bad at studying, but he’s not exceptional either.

He has friends he’s close with.

No, to be exact, he had.

There was a male student named Son Jeongmin, who was a year younger than Seongyun, who had caused a stir by running away from the House of Angels a while ago.

He hadn’t seen him here since then, but when he subtly inquired with the staff, their answers were vague, so there was no definitive information.

Some said they didn’t know, some said not to worry about it since it was an internal matter, and some said they were looking into whether he could be transferred to another facility because he seemed to be struggling here.

He had been asked by Choi Jonghyun to find out about Son Jeongmin’s whereabouts if possible, so he had been subtly asking around while gauging the atmosphere, but he hadn’t been able to get a clear answer yet.

Anyway, after that student disappeared, Seongyun became noticeably quieter, perhaps because his close friend had vanished.

“Hyunjong Teacher.”

“Huh?”

“……Can you stop staring at me?”

Hyunjong was a little embarrassed by Seongyun’s words.

He had been lost in thought for a moment, so he had fixed his gaze on something, but Seongyun must have felt like he was being stared at.

He seemed to be in a sensitive state.

“Ah, sorry. I was wondering if Seongyun had a lot of worries.”

“Suddenly?”

“No, well… Jeongmin still hasn’t contacted you, right? He didn’t say anything before he disappeared…”

“It’s not like Jeongmin is the only friend I have. It’s not like I’m a social outcast.”

“Ah, that’s not what I meant. Still, you were very close, so it’s natural to be worried if he suddenly disappeared like that. If a very close friend didn’t confide in me and was suffering alone, I would inevitably feel hurt. I would wonder if I was that untrustworthy. I’m worried about Jeongmin, and I feel hurt, and my heart feels complicated.”

“What’s a guy going to do with feelings like that…”

“Hey, then isn’t the teacher a guy?”

Seongyun chuckled.

“Hyunjong Teacher.”

“Yeah, why?”

“……I have a problem, can you listen to me separately somewhere else?”

Was he going to talk about Son Jeongmin?

Until now, Seongyun had maintained that he had never suspected Son Jeongmin would disappear, and he had never even hinted at any meaningful information.

And after he disappeared, he had only briefly stated that he had not been in contact at all.

He hesitated for a moment, then straightened his glasses and stood up.

“Then let’s talk for a second.”

He walked with Seongyun to the end of the hallway, where there were few people.

During that time, Seongyun seemed quite nervous.

Seeing that he suddenly wanted to talk privately as soon as the topic of Son Jeongmin came up, it seemed that it was related to that incident in some way.

Perhaps Son Jeongmin had been secretly contacting Seongyun.

“It seems like you can’t hear unless you speak loudly here.”

Seongyun muttered, glancing at the infant learning room, where children were playing noisily through the window, and then returned to the end of the hallway.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… there’s something I’m worried about… Ha, damn it. Why am I… Ah, really!”

Seongyun’s expression became more distressed than ever before.

He lowered his eyes and rolled them anxiously, and eventually began to slap his head with his palms.

He didn’t know what he was so frustrated about, or why the child, who was never violent, was cursing like this.

He was concerned, but he carefully reached out and grabbed Seongyun’s wrist.

“Seongyun-ah, calm down.”

“No, let go. Damn it, damn it!”

But Seongyun roughly shook off his hand and began to slap himself on the cheeks so hard that they made a distinct sound.

He was hitting himself so forcefully that his pale face turned red, and eventually, it even became swollen.

Too surprised to react immediately, he hurriedly grabbed Seongyun’s hand.

“Ah, what are you doing now! Let go!”

But Seongyun struggled and raised his voice.

If he let go like this, he would continue to slap himself on the cheeks, so he couldn’t release Seongyun’s hand.

He couldn’t understand why this child couldn’t even articulate his problem and was resorting to self-harm.

Even though he was a high school student, his physical strength was comparable to that of an adult.

He was strong enough that he couldn’t be easily subdued even with the strength of an adult man, so he quickly pushed Seongyun against the wall and grabbed his arms to somehow restrain him.

As he did so, he kept thinking.

What the hell?

“What are you doing!”

And at the same time, a sharp voice rang out nearby.

It was the director, who rarely made an appearance.

The director, with a flushed face, strode over and pulled the subdued Seongyun to her side.

“Seongyun-ah, are you okay? No… Why is your cheek like this? Seongyun-ah. Why is your cheek so swollen?”

“……”

“What’s wrong. Huh? No, why is your wrist like this…”

The director looked at Seongyun’s wrist, which was red with handprints, and sighed with her eyes tightly closed.

Seongyun didn’t say anything, but the director hugged the child and looked back at him.

And asked in disbelief.