Chapter 106
I was so good at odd jobs that I deserved the ridiculous praise of being a heaven-sent natural-born handyman.
I was fairly handy to begin with, so I had handled all the repairs around the run-down orphanage, too.
I would put those skills on display here.
"Good grief!! You can't even tell it was repaired?!"
I went to the grandmother's house next door.
At first, she hadn't been very pleased when she heard it was for a broadcast, but after I neatly repaired the chicken-coop and bathroom doors that wouldn't open properly, she was overjoyed.
All I received in return was ten eggs.
"Let's move on to the next house."
The house next door.
The bathroom light wouldn't turn on.
It was a problem with the electrical wiring.
"You can fix this, too?"
"Yes. I learned how to do it a long time ago."
I lowered the circuit breaker, checked the wiring inside, and found that rats had gnawed through it. After replacing it with a wire I'd gotten from the hardware store, the bathroom light came on.
"Wow..."
"You're quite something, young man?!"
"You old geezer! You're not even as good as this young man!!"
The elderly couple, who looked like husband and wife, began bickering.
In return, I received three geun of pork belly.
"Let's go to the next house."
Unfortunately, the neighbors said there was nothing that needed fixing.
In that case, on to the next house.
"Could you fix our grandchildren's desks?"
This house belonged to a grandmother and grandfather who lived with their two grandchildren.
Their father had died in an accident while out at sea, and their mother had run away.
"Still, our kids are good..."
"It seems that way. Where are the desks that need fixing?"
"Over there..."
Inside the room was an extremely old desk.
The drawer was warped, and one of the legs had rotted so badly that it looked ready to collapse at any moment.
"Mr. Kang. Can you fix this?"
"It's a little difficult, but I can fix it."
I removed the warped drawer, took it apart, and put it back together to solve the problem.
As for the rotten part... I'll have to use a different piece of wood for this.
"May I use the saw?"
"Yes."
Using the saw, I cut a suitable piece of wood from the materials behind the house, sanded it, shaped it into a leg, and replaced the rotten, warped desk leg.
Then I nailed it into place, and the desk stood straight again.
"Mr. Kang. Is this really enough?"
"It isn't a perfect repair. But it should last at least a few more years, right?"
The best thing would have been to buy them a new desk.
But neither the grandfather nor the grandmother wanted one.
I didn't want to pity people like them under the guise of supporting them.
"Vegetables from your garden will be enough as payment."
"Oh dear. I want to give you more..."
"This is enough."
It was lettuce that the grandmother had grown in her garden with great care.
In addition, the grandfather gave me some dried fish.
"I caught a flounder yesterday and dried it. Take it with you and grill it."
"Oh... Thank you."
"No need to thank me. We're even more grateful that you helped our grandchildren study. If I had my way, I'd even butcher a cow for you..."
How could they butcher that cow?
All I could do was hope they raised it well and sold it for a good price.
"Then let's go to the next house."
"Mr. Kang. I think this is enough, don't you?"
"The others must have returned by now, too, so let's head back."
Really?
When I returned to the house with the staff, everyone else had already come back.
Lee Bin, who had gone out to forage along the tidal flats, grinned.
"I caught three octopuses, two abalone, and three sea cucumbers."
"I caught some rockfish and four flounder."
They weren't particularly large, but they were still edible.
"I worked at another house, too, and brought back a few things."
The gazes of the three of us turned toward one side.
Kang Sora announced proudly,
"I dug up some wild greens!"
She had helped another grandmother with the work in her field and received some greens and crops in return.
Pepper leaves, perilla leaves, young radishes, and even eggplants.
She had gotten quite a lot for only a few hours of farmwork.
"You're better at this than I expected."
Kang Sora looked like a typical city person.
As Lee Bin admired the things she'd brought back, Kang Sora grinned.
"I did a lot of farmwork with my mother when I was young."
"Wow... You look completely like a city person..."
"Heh. A surprise country-girl side is charming, right?"
"Anyway, we've gathered the ingredients... Who's going to cook?"
"I'll do it. I cooked a lot while living on my own. And I know how to slice raw fish, too, so you all get some rest!"
Kim Hyun-woo confidently took charge of the cooking.
Since the chef was on duty, we might as well take it easy.
"Whew. I'm going to sleep for a bit. I'm tired after doing farmwork for the first time in ages..."
"I'm a little tired, too."
Lee Bin and Kang Sora lay down on the wooden floor.
They soon began snoring.
"You should rest too, Mr. Kang. You were busy working."
"No, I'm fine. By the way, aren't you tired, Mr. Hyun-woo?"
"Fishing is practically a hobby for me."
That was why, unlike the people who had worked, he still had plenty of energy left.
He certainly seemed quite relaxed.
"Would you like me to help out a little?"
"Haha. I'm really fine. I can't cook well when someone is standing beside me because it makes me nervous. If you're bored, why don't you go for a walk?"
"That would be best."
There was nothing I could help with when it came to cooking, anyway.
I went outside.
Perhaps because the sun was gradually nearing the horizon, the sunset was spreading across the West Sea.
"Wow... It's beautiful."
"It sure is... Hmm?"
As I walked along the coastal path with one of the staff members who had followed me, my gaze turned toward one side.
There were two children there.
A boy and a girl.
They looked like an older sister and younger brother, and they were sitting at the pier, staring blankly out at the sea.
"I wonder why those kids are over there?"
"Who knows? Shall we go over?"
We approached the children with the staff members.
When the staff members carrying cameras approached, the children tilted their heads.
"What's wrong?"
"Hey, kids. We're here to film at the blue-roofed house over there. We're filming nearby right now. If it's okay with you, could we film you, too? Of course, it wouldn't be for free. We can pay you an appearance fee. And we'll talk to your guardians. If they say no, we'll discard the footage we shoot."
"Then it's fine!"
The girl smiled brightly.
The girl, who introduced herself as Yu Ari, gently patted her brother's head.
"This is my little brother, Yu O-seong!"
"Hellooo...!!"
The boy gave a formal bow from the waist.
The staff members were touched by the wholesome sight.
"All right. But what are you two doing here? The sun will be setting soon."
"We're waiting for our dad."
"Your dad?"
"Yes. Our dad went out to sea a long time ago."
Yu Ari spoke brightly as she looked out at the sea.
Behind that smile, however, was a faint sadness that revealed how much she missed her father.
Her father who had gone out to sea long ago.
Her father who would never return.
The staff members let out sighs before they knew it.
"Ah..."
"Oh no..."
"Are you sad because your father isn't here, Yu Ari?"
"Huh? Um... no! I'm not sad! I have my little brother, and Grandma is at home, too!"
"And your mother...?"
"Mom hasn't been around since I was little. She passed away giving birth to O-seong."
"Ah..."
The mood grew even heavier.
While the staff members muttered that they had brought up something they shouldn't have, I looked at the girl.
"You said your name was Yu Ari, right?"
"Hehe! You're Mr. Kang Noah, right?! I've seen my friends watching your videos! Please talk casually!"
"All right, Ari. Will you turn this over?"
"Is this a card?"
"That's right."
The girl, Yu Ari, gently turned over the card.
It was the Joker card.
"I really enjoyed your acting. But neither I nor the people here are professionals, so why don't you show it to a professional instead?"
"Huh?"
"Mr. Kang? What are you talking about...?"
"Their father and mother are at home."
"Whaaaat?!"
As the flustered staff members stared at her, Yu Ari grinned sheepishly and scratched her head.
"Hehe~! How was my acting?!"
This astonishing little brat had heard that people from a broadcasting station had come and decided to show off her acting on her own.
And the staff members had fallen for it completely.
"Wow. But you're amazing, oppa. Whenever I act, everyone gets fooled."
"I'm Kang Noah, aren't I?"
"Oopsies~!"
"Ah, no. Mr. Kang. That was really acting?"
"Yes."
"No... How could that have been...?"
I decided to show the dumbfounded staff members some proof.
"Ari, can you take us to your house? They don't seem to believe me."
"Yeees~!"
With the bright-smiling Yu Ari and Yu O-seong, I arrived at a house farther inside the island.
When we entered, a sturdy middle-aged man and woman were preparing dinner.
"Yu Ari, you little brat! Where have you been this time?!"
"Hehe~! Mommy~!"
"Hurry up and set out the spoons!"
"Okay!"
They were a cheerful family.
A serious father and a fiery mother.
A mischievous daughter and a quiet son.
Faced with the picture-perfect rural family scene, the staff members fell silent.
"Who are you?"
Only after Ari's father quietly asked did the staff members come to their senses.
And they cautiously told them about
Yu Ari's offer to appear on the show.
.
.
.
It was only after Yu Ari kept pestering them about wanting to appear on television that they finally received permission for her to appear.
When we returned home with Yu Ari, everyone was waiting for us.
"How far did you go on your walk...? Who's the girl?"
"Ari, introduce yourself."
"I'm Yu Ari from Class 1 of third grade at Dado Elementary School! I want to learn how to act!"
"Oh, really? Give it a try."
The lessons had begun with the thought that it was perfect timing, since I had been bored.
The acting lessons involving Lee Bin and Kang Sora grew more serious than expected.
"Wow. You're really amazing..."
Kang Sora was impressed, while Lee Bin remained serious.
"If you really want to learn acting, it would be best to join an agency and receive support. You said you're living with your grandmother, right? If you joined our agency, we could probably support at least one child like you..."
"No!! No! I'll take her to Twin!! Don't worry, Ari!! Can't big sis raise one child like you?!"
The two actresses liked Yu Ari, and she smiled brightly.
"What do you think, Mr. Kim Hyun-woo?"
Kim Hyun-woo had come out after cooking and was watching with his arms folded. He answered casually,
"Me? I don't really mind either way. The company will decide matters related to the company, anyway... What about you, sir? Do you think that child will do well?"
I toyed with the cards in my pocket.
"Whether she'll do well...? Yes. She will do well."
The problem was that if we left her alone, she would sign with a heartless agency and be worked like a dog.
During that process, she would be hospitalized several times and fall into despair.
I told Kim Hyun-woo about the girl's future.
After a brief silence, he shook his head.
"If that's what it'll be like, wouldn't it be better for her not to become an actress?"
"You know the saying, 'A sharp awl will pierce through a pouch,' right? Even if we leave her alone, she'll become an actress."
And then she'd sign with another terrible agency and be worked like a dog.
"Are you going to intervene?"
"Shouldn't we stop a perfectly good kid from trying to kill herself? We just need to recommend a decent company."
"A decent company... Is there a good one?"
There was.
Twin Entertainment.
It was the company in which the old man, Kang Hui-tae, who had gone treasure hunting with me, held shares.
If she joined that company...
The moment I made up my mind, Yu Ari's future changed.
From a future in which she worked herself like a dog and attempted suicide several times,
despaired because she couldn't escape her contract, announced her retirement to shock the entire nation as soon as she became an adult, and returned to the island to live alone.
To a future in which she became an actress recognized and loved by many, dramatically increasing the value of Twin Entertainment, in which I held a stake.