“Is this warehouse actually being used right now?”

“No… it’s been here since we first moved into this building. I just never had the heart to clean it out…”

“Then can we go ahead and clear it for you?”

“Oh no, it’s fine! There’s way too much to finish in one day, and there are sharp things everywhere—it could be dangerous. We’re okay as is!”

The director quickly tried to stop the security team.

Since they were using a renovated old elementary school that had been shut down long ago, the storage room was packed floor-to-ceiling with stuff like worn-out desks, chairs, and random junk.

“Hmm… this room looks like the biggest one. It’d be a shame to just leave it like this. It’d make a perfect study space for the kids.”

“Yeah, if we assume we’re throwing most of it away, it probably wouldn’t take as long as you think.”

“If we pull in the standby guys, we could finish today.”

Despite the director’s worried look, the security team started running quick estimates. Bottom line: with enough time, it was totally doable.

Maybe sensing how overwhelmed she looked, one of the guards smiled warmly and spoke up.

“It reminds us of our own kids.”

“My daughter’s around the same age.”

“Most of our team has families, you know.”

Even though the children were too intimidated by their sheer presence to come close, the guards just grinned like it was no big deal—they were clearly used to it.

Kang Bada, who’d been quietly watching the whole scene, finally spoke.

“Ha-neul-ssi, this is everything on today’s schedule, right?”

“For now, yeah.”

“Manager! We’re staying here all day today, so feel free to go all out, everyone. While we’re at it, call in a cleaning company too—let them help.”

“Thank you, miss!”

“No need. You should thank Ha-neul-ssi.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The whole security team bowed toward me at once.

Sir…? I’ve never been called that in my life. Flustered, I waved my hands to brush it off, and they all burst out laughing.

“Just as expected—the young lady’s taste is spot on.”

“They said you caught that pickpocket the other day, sir?”

“Yeah, you almost got into real trouble that day. You were so frustrated you didn’t even bring the team. Thanks to you, we didn’t get fired…”

“Stop saying weird stuff!”

Haha—

The middle-aged security uncles turned around, chuckling happily. It didn’t feel like the stiff, hierarchical relationship you see in dramas at all.

‘Now even the uncles are calling me that…’

The difficulty level just keeps climbing.

No—this is basically a lifetime quest now.

I was starting to accept my fate, so I forced my eyes away. Still, scoring points with the people around Bada was definitely a win.

“Oh my, how can I ever repay this kindness…”

“Don’t worry about it too much. We’re doing this because we want to. Anything else we can help with?”

“Unnie, can you braid my hair?”

“Yena, this person is…”

“It’s okay! Come here—sit down.”

Bada started braiding Yena’s hair right away. She’s the youngest of five siblings, yet she’s surprisingly good with little kids.

“I used to do volunteer teaching stuff through a college club. I’ve always liked kids.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Oh—sorry! Young lady?”

She kept chatting easily with the nonstop-talking children while braiding like a pro. I just stood there staring in a daze.

Tap—

Someone lightly elbowed my side. When I turned, the director was looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a little smile.

“How many kids are you planning to have?”

“Huh?”

“I think Bada-ssi would make a wonderful mother. Your kind heart really matches hers.”

“I’m not that kind.”

“You’re too hard on yourself. In this day and age, who volunteers at an orphanage every single month?”

That… was a misunderstanding.

I started coming here as a kind of “atonement.”

I’d originally come to research orphan backgrounds—common in web novel protagonists—but it all changed the moment I looked into those empty, dead eyes.

“Oppa, did you come to film YouTube too?”

Their first words hit me like a punch. I’d shown up with both hands full of chicken, thinking they’d be happy to see me.

No matter how good my intentions were, the person receiving it might not feel the same. That was when it really sank in.

Kids who’d lost not just food and clothes, but even control over their own lives. I’d thought I could just buy a little bit of their hearts with money.

“That’s exactly why it’s so impressive.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t run away—you faced it.”

The director spoke calmly, like she could read my mind.

“I opened this place with a volunteering heart, but reality isn’t kind. Life wears you down, and there were times I lost control and snapped at the kids.”

“……”

“When even the director is struggling, of course the smiles disappear from their faces. But look at them now.”

I turned to look.

Yena was happily swinging her feet while Bada worked on her hair. The boys were munching pizza and laughing.

A few of the braver ones were even talking to the security uncles. At least right now—everyone’s face had real happiness on it.

“They’re all gifts from you.”

“Please stop… I’m embarrassed.”

“Hehe. So—how many kids are you planning? Imagine how pretty a daughter who looks like Bada would be.”

Maybe sensing my mood, the director switched to playful teasing to lighten things up. Thanks to her, I could finally calm down a little.

A daughter who looks like Kang Bada… I pictured it for a second. Yeah—she’d be beautiful. When I saw Jin-gu’s son before, he was ridiculously cute.

How adorable would it be if a tiny thing like that ran after me yelling “Uncle! Uncle!”?

“If I have a son, he’s definitely gonna make the girls cry.”

No doubt about it.

Genetics are scary. Everyone in Bada’s family has sharp, attractive features. Her kids would probably inherit that too.

I’ve never really hated my own looks, but if possible… I’d want them to take after her more. Guess that’s just dad instincts.

“Yeah, probably.”

“Right? How about five?”

“…Wouldn’t that be a bit much?”

“It’d be lively and perfect.”

I let out a small laugh. It’ll never happen, but if I really ended up marrying Bada for real… having kids wouldn’t be the worst thing.

* * *

‘Me… having a child?’

While braiding Yena’s hair, Bada had been half-listening to the director and Ha-neul talk. Now she was lost in thought.

‘If I had a kid who looked like Ha-neul…’

Just imagining him smiling wide made her lips twitch upward. She’d never seriously pictured herself as a mom, but… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

‘But five is way too many, right?’

Hehe—

Replaying the director’s words, she giggled to herself. One boy who looked like her, one girl who looked like Ha-neul… two would be perfect.

“Unnie? What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Oh—sorry.”

She’d zoned out and stopped braiding. Yena looked up. Snapping back, Bada hurriedly continued.

In the meantime, she noticed Ha-neul walking off somewhere with the director. Probably to get drinks for the security team.

“Yena.”

“Yeah?”

“When did Ha-neul oppa start coming here?”

“Oppa? Um…”

Yena started counting on her fingers. When she passed ten, she frowned like it got too hard.

“…A super long time!”

She couldn’t count past ten yet. Bada smiled at how cute it was, then fell back into thought.

‘He said every month… so more than a year?’

What an incredible person.

His own situation probably wasn’t easy either.

Most people just send money or show up once or twice. After all—they’re technically “someone else’s children.”

“But Unnie… are you oppa’s girlfriend?”

“Yeah, why?”

“……”

Suddenly Yena clamped her mouth shut. Sensing something off, Bada tilted her head. Then Yena spoke again.

“Did you and oppa kiss?”

“…Huh?”

“You didn’t?”

“We did… why?”

She hadn’t actually done it, but saying no felt like losing somehow. Then Yena answered calmly.

“When?”

“…Why do you want to know?”

“I did it first.”

“What?”

Bada’s voice came out colder than she meant. Even she was surprised by her tone. But Yena didn’t seem fazed—she kept staring straight ahead.

“I kissed oppa first. So oppa has to marry me.”

Freeze.

Bada’s hands stopped dead in Yena’s hair. Looking closer, the little girl was trembling slightly. Was that why she’d been fidgeting the whole time?

“Yena… isn’t the age difference a bit too big?”

“Men like younger girls.”

“……”

Okay but you’re way too young.

No idea where she heard something like that, but Bada was so flustered she didn’t know how to respond.

“…Ha-neul oppa is marrying unnie?”

Swish—

Yena turned and locked eyes with her. The silent message in that gaze hit Bada hard.

‘…What is this?’

She was just a little kid who hadn’t even started elementary school yet. Saying “I’ll marry daddy when I grow up” is just a normal “I really like you” thing for kids.

But the sweet mood they’d had earlier vanished. Awkward tension hung between them.

“…Hic!”

Yena broke first. Her face crumpled, and suddenly she burst into loud sobs.

“I’m gonna marry oppa!”

“…In this world, there are things you can’t have no matter how much you want them, Yena.”

“Nooo—!”

“What’s wrong?!”

Ha-neul rushed over, startled by the crying. He looked back and forth between Bada and Yena, confused.

“…Ask Yena.”

“Huh?”

“Oppa! You’re gonna marry me, right?!”

“……?”

Yena grabbed his sleeve, tears streaming. He paused—pushing down his own surprise—and gently patted her back.

“Yeah? Right? You’re gonna marry Yena?”

“Oppa is…”

He started to answer naturally, then froze. He felt an insane pressure from behind.

Too scared to turn around, he just blurted out whatever his survival instinct told him.

“Oppa… is sold out.”

“……”

Thud.

Yena’s crying stopped like someone flipped a switch. She probably didn’t know the exact meaning of “sold out,” but some deep girl instinct understood it perfectly.

The heavy silence lasted only a second before her face crumpled again and she wailed even louder.

“Oh no, Yena—”

The director hurried over and scooped her up. Then she gave Ha-neul and Bada a small head tilt—quietly telling them to go.

Understanding the signal, the two of them slipped out of the orphanage with awkward expressions.

“Bada-ssi, she’s just a kid…”

“As a member of Daehan Group, I never let anyone take what’s mine. Not even a little. Even if it’s an elementary schooler.”

“She’s in kindergarten.”

“…Whatever.”

Whoosh—

Embarrassed by her own words, Bada turned her head away. Ha-neul watched her side profile and swallowed a laugh.

“But I saw it again.”

“Hm?”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect you to get along with the kids this well.”

“…But I made Yena cry.”

“It’s fine. She’s a lot sharper than she looks. She’ll bounce back quick.”

Bada tilted her head at the vague words, but soon she understood what he meant.

“Unnie—!”

Suddenly Yena came running out of the building. Ha-neul shrugged. Bada gave a small smile.

“Yeah, Yena? Calling for unnie?”

“Uwung… sorry.”

“It’s okay. Unnie isn’t mad.”

“Okay! This time Yena will braid unnie’s hair!”

Bada let Yena pull her back inside by the hand. Watching them go, Ha-neul rolled up his sleeves.

“Director, I’ll help too.”

“Oh—then please take care of this part.”

“Leave it to me.”

For once, the orphanage buzzed with real energy. Everyone worked hard to protect this warmth, and by afternoon they started seeing real results.

A good amount of time passed.

Pride began settling on everyone’s faces.

“Wow—it actually worked?”

“Thanks for the hard work, everyone.”

“Thank you too, sirs.”

“Ah, thanks to you we had an easy day.”

The cleaning company crew and security team exchanged cheerful goodbyes. Between both groups’ effort, the storage room was completely cleared in just one day.

Now they had a classroom-sized space. The cleaners even disinfected everything—dust gone.

“The wood floor and doors could give the kids splinters, so we should rip those out.”

“Asbestos is carcinogenic. Better to replace the whole ceiling.”

“There aren’t that many kids—how about putting up partitions and making one side a library?”

The uncles were already suggesting full remodel-level ideas while looking at the cleaned-out room. The director, overhearing the scary conversation, hurried forward.

“We—we don’t have money for that…”

“It’s okay, Director.”

“Huh?”

“I just checked with our foundation. We’ve got some extra budget this quarter. We can cover remodeling costs and clothes for the kids too.”

Plus digital learning tools for education, and connecting with a local center to get children’s books.

Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of offers, the director looked lost—then burst into tears.

“Thank you… thank you so much…”

“It’s a happy day—why are you crying?”

“Oh… getting older makes the tears come easier… Ha-neul, thank you too. You’re the kids’ real benefactor.”

“Bada-ssi did everything. What about me?”

Naturally he looked toward her—and spotted the cute little ribbon tied at the end of her hair. He couldn’t help laughing.

Yena said she’d braid it, but she’d just roughly twisted the ends and tied them off with a ribbon.

“Want me to undo it?”

“No—I actually really like it.”

Sway sway—

Bada playfully shook her head. The ribbon was tied so tight it didn’t budge at all. Impressive.

Meanwhile Yena—clearly in love with Bada now—was curled up asleep in her arms. The director tried to take her, but Bada shook her head.

“I’ll hold her a little longer.”

“But she must be heavy…”

“Not at all. This is easy.”

“Hoho… Bada-ssi would make a wonderful mother.”

“W-What?!”

Bada flinched and glanced his way—like she was begging him to block the awkward question.

After all, saying “I never plan to have kids” right in front of the orphanage director would sound terrible.

“By the way… no volunteers today? Usually there’s at least one person helping out.”

“Oh… well…”

“Hm? Something wrong?”

A shadow crossed the director’s face.

After hesitating a moment, she spoke carefully.