Episode 38. A Reason to Be Respected (5)
The old man, who had a light cup of coffee and tea, bid farewell to Kang Dae-oh’s group.
“I should probably head back now.”
“Eoreusin. You said you live alone, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What do you usually do at home to pass the time?”
It was a remark that subtly revealed his desire to visit the old man’s house.
Should it be called fortunate? The old man seemed to have noticed what Kang Dae-oh wanted to say, and offered a suggestion that met his expectations.
“Want to come and take a look?”
“Yes. Please.”
“But you’ll likely be very disappointed. It’s best to discard the thought that an elderly person living alone is living comfortably.”
“It’s alright. How far is it from here to your home?”
“It’ll take about 15 minutes on foot.”
Kang Dae-oh looked at Executive Director Yu In-seok.
“Jeonmunim. If you’re busy, you can go ahead first.”
“No. We’ve come all this way, I can’t just turn back alone halfway. I’ll go with you.”
Soon, both their gazes turned to Store Manager Yun Ha-seung.
Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok could adjust their work hours on their own, but.
Yun Ha-seung couldn’t.
“Well… I do have a deputy manager at the store in my place, so it’s fine, but. If Daepyonim allows it, I’d like to go with you.”
To put it bluntly, it would be abandoning work during working hours to do something else.
Moreover, the CEO was clearly standing right in front of him.
From Yun Ha-seung’s perspective, he couldn’t help but be mindful of Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Dae-oh chuckled briefly and said.
“Alright. Please contact the deputy manager. Tell them that something came up and you might be a bit late.”
“Yes, understood!”
As soon as Kang Dae-oh’s permission was given, Yun Ha-seung’s hands moved busily.
Kang Dae-oh and his companions, who visited the old man’s house, were momentarily speechless.
The place they arrived at was what is commonly called a ‘jjokbangchon’ (slum of tiny rooms).
A very narrow space, barely three pyeong (approx. 10 square meters).
A living environment that seemed to have almost no regard for the hygiene issues Kang Dae-oh had emphasized so much in front of the executives.
And what was most concerning above all else was.
“Is there no air conditioner?”
Summer was approaching soon.
There was no trace of an air conditioner in the tiny room, no matter how hard they looked.
The old man nodded at Kang Dae-oh’s question.
“An air conditioner is a luxury here. It’s taken for granted that you endure summer with just this one thing.”
The identity of ‘this’ that the old man mentioned.
It was just one old, worn-out electric fan.
It was so old that the fan, which was originally white, had faded and turned yellowish.
The blades were cracked, and pressing the power button produced a persistent, irritating ‘dal-dal-dal’ noise.
“……”
Kang Dae-oh was speechless.
It was the worst environment.
It wasn’t just anyone. The fact that a war veteran who had dedicated himself to the country was living in such a place was simply disheartening.
Even in this messed-up environment.
Just one thing. An item neatly arranged was visible.
A single medal carefully placed in a frame.
The medal awarded to 6.25 (Korean War) veterans was cleaner than any other item.
The old man’s pride in having saved the country by sacrificing his youth continued to make its presence felt, even amidst the dirty surroundings.
However, Kang Dae-oh found this situation even more regrettable.
What the old man needed now was not honor or a medal.
But practical financial support.
“Eoreusin. Do you receive a pension?”
“When I was young, the national pension had just started. Since I contributed little, the amount I receive is also small.”
“Then what about a lump sum?”
“None. It all went to hospital bills and medication costs.”
Kang Dae-oh gazed at the pile of medicine packets.
Pills for high blood pressure, joint pain, and diabetes were piled up.
Rent, and monthly medication costs.
There was a reason the old man was suffering from financial hardship.
Even Store Manager Yun Ha-seung, who had known the old man longer than Kang Dae-oh and Executive Director Yu In-seok, seemed unaware that he was living such a difficult life, remaining silent for a while.
In the heavy atmosphere, the old man let out a hearty laugh.
“I’ve never shown my living situation so plainly to others, so it’s a bit embarrassing. Alright, you’ve seen it all, haven’t you? You can go now.”
“……Yes, Eoreusin.”
Their departing footsteps were incredibly heavy.
Having seen and heard things related to the old man in Hongdae, Kang Dae-oh fell into deep thought.
Although Kang Dae-oh was not from the 6.25 (Korean War) generation, he always believed that it was thanks to their blood, sweat, and tears that he could now form a family and live happily.
But.
The later years of one of those heroes were too shabby.
Kang Dae-oh, sinking deep into his chair, soon reached out and picked up the phone.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
“Daepyonim. It’s me.”
Kang Dae-oh, with a surprised expression, put down the internal phone he had just picked up.
“Come in.”
As Kang Dae-oh’s permission was granted, Executive Director Yu In-seok appeared in his office.
“I was just about to contact Jeonmunim. You came at a good time. Did you come because of the approval-related work we postponed this morning?”
“That’s one reason, but. I had a feeling Daepyonim might have something to say to me. So I intentionally came to see Daepyonim. Hearing that you picked up the receiver and then put it down, it seems I timed it perfectly.”
Perhaps it was because they had worked together for quite some time.
Even without Kang Dae-oh mentioning it directly, he had reached a point where he could readily grasp his thoughts.
Kang Dae-oh smiled faintly, looking at Executive Director Yu In-seok.
“I think it’s our turn to put in effort for those who worked hard for our country.”
“You speak wisely.”
Kang Dae-oh gave specific instructions to Executive Director Yu In-seok.
“I would like to have a program that supports war veterans suffering from financial hardship, including Eoreusin and others like him. In addition to financial aid, we should publicly announce the difficult realities of these veterans. Let’s explore various ways to help them, together with many people.”
This is not a problem for Kang Dae-oh, Yu In-seok, and Amare alone to solve.
Society as a whole must step forward.
Therefore, Kang Dae-oh emphasized to Executive Director Yu In-seok that this fact should be publicized as much as possible.
Executive Director Yu In-seok expressed deep empathy for Kang Dae-oh’s wise decision.
“I share Daepyonim’s thoughts. I will contact as many reporters as possible and work closely with the management support team to prepare the support measures Daepyonim mentioned.”
“And one more thing, I have an additional request.”
“What is it?”
Executive Director Yu In-seok adopted an attitude that he was ready to listen anytime.
A moment later. The words that came out of Kang Dae-oh’s mouth were quite unexpected from Executive Director Yu In-seok’s perspective.
“Later, when providing support funds to the war veterans, I hope that the foundation’s name, rather than my name or Amare, will be prominently featured in the articles.”
“Huh? But… if you publish something like this in an article, Amare can create a positive image for people, showing that it’s promoting good social deeds, right?”
They were doing something good for once. Executive Director Yu couldn’t understand Kang Dae-oh’s words about not showing that they were doing it as much as possible.
Of course, Executive Director Yu In-seok was right.
But.
“I don’t want to use helping war veterans as a means of making money.”
Broadly speaking, a company’s image-making is ultimately a strategy to attract more sales.
Kang Dae-oh felt a repulsion towards this.
That’s why he decided to frankly express his thoughts to Executive Director Yu In-seok.
Even if Executive Director Yu In-seok showed a puzzling reaction.
“I can’t win against Daepyonim’s stubbornness.”
“I apologize, Jeonmunim.”
“Not at all. And perhaps, such a decision is more like Daepyonim. Personally, I think Daepyonim’s generosity is truly excellent.”
It was truly a happy thing to have someone who agreed with his thoughts.
Before Executive Director Yu In-seok, who had briefly nodded, left the CEO’s office.
He let out a meaningful remark.
“Even if Daepyonim didn’t intend it, Daepyonim’s good deeds will surely become known. It would be good to keep this point in mind as well.”
With these words, Executive Director Yu In-seok disappeared with a brief bow.
Kang Dae-oh didn’t immediately understand why Executive Director Yu In-seok had said such a thing.
Until he realized the true meaning behind his words.
It didn’t take as long as he thought.
As Kang Dae-oh instructed, numerous articles were published stating that Amare had established a foundation to help war veterans struggling with financial hardship.
In addition, the realities of the war veterans were detailed in the body of the articles.
So far, so good.
However, articles of a completely different nature from Kang Dae-oh’s initial plan began to appear one after another.
[Amare CEO Kang Dae-oh. Personally rolls up his sleeves to help war veterans.]
[‘I personally saw CEO Kang helping the elderly war veterans,’ beautiful eyewitness accounts poured in……]
A noticeable photo of Kang Dae-oh pushing the old man’s cart together with Executive Director Yu In-seok and Yun Ha-seung was featured in the full article.
Judging from the fact that it was taken by a third party, it was determined that Executive Director Yu In-seok had not intentionally leaked the material to have the article published.
‘It’s impossible to completely evade people’s eyes and ears.’
Executive Director Yu In-seok’s words, that Kang Dae-oh’s good deeds would naturally become known someday even if he didn’t intend it, had come true.
From Kang Dae-oh’s perspective, there was nothing bad about it.
He had tried to hide his good deeds as much as possible. But through the articles, people became aware of Kang Dae-oh’s good deeds.
While scrolling down the article, Kang Dae-oh discovered something noteworthy.
Among the reporters, he saw an article written by someone who had found and interviewed the old man Kang Dae-oh had helped.
[Q: Were you acquainted with CEO Kang Dae-oh normally?]
[A: No. Not at all.]
[Q: Then how did you come to know each other?]
[A: Rather than saying we specifically came to know each other through something……]
Kang Dae-oh’s gaze lingered for a long time on the old man’s next words.
[A: I was lucky; it was like an angel stayed by my side for a short while and then left.]
At the word ‘angel,’ Kang Dae-oh felt both embarrassment and shyness simultaneously.
The old man seen in the photo was smiling broadly, as if showing it to Kang Dae-oh.
He, who never lost his smile even in difficult circumstances.
Kang Dae-oh picked up his smartphone and contacted Store Manager Yun Ha-seung.
“Hello, Jeomjangnim. It’s me. You know Eoreusin whom we helped last time. Please treat him well whenever you meet him. Yes. I’d appreciate it. Eoreusin is someone who deserves respect from me, from Jeomjangnim, and from all citizens of the Republic of Korea.”
This was all an angel could do for the old man right now.
