183. But oppa, can I walk around the streets?

Blue Bird Nursery.

Whether it was winning the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival or becoming an actor receiving worldwide attention, Kyu-ha always came to the Bluebird Nursery School to help director Anna Kang and take care of the children.

Today was the day of Kyuha’s two-wheeled bicycle riding training at the playground.

If it was a child in a normal family, their father would have taught them, but the children in the nursery school couldn’t do that, so there were cases where they couldn’t ride a bicycle even when they became middle and high school students.

Children between the ages of 6 and 10 at the nursery school volunteered to learn how to ride a bicycle.

Most of the children came out of the playground at the news that Kyu-ha was telling them.

The education was carried out with a small two-wheeled bicycle donated by Kyuha that fits the body of the children.

Two boys and two girls gathered in the playground.

A total of four children stood in front of Gyuha wearing knee and elbow pads and cute yellow helmets.

“Did I tell you something before learning to ride a two-wheeled bike?

At Kyuha’s question, the children shout out courageously, like a baby bird singing in chorus.

“First! I stop my bicycle when I go out from an alley to a main road. Second! I always look around to see if there are cars passing by.

third! When I cross the crosswalk, I get off the bike and drag it.”

Kyuha nodded and praised.

“Nice job. You guys are nice kids who deserve to ride a bike.”

The children burst into laughter at Kyuha’s praise.

“hehehe. Dahee is a wonderful kid.”

“Genuine too!!!”

“You’ve ridden all quad bikes, haven’t you?”

“Yes! A quad bike is easy.”

“But why can’t I ride a two-wheeled bicycle? A child to answer?”

“Hmm… I’m afraid of biking. I think I’ll fall.”

“That’s right. You have to cry if you fall.”

Kyuha’s head nodded at the children’s bold answer.

“That’s right. It’s all about fear. The fear in your heart that you’ll fall the moment you step off. But my younger brothers are brave children who can overcome such fear.”

“Yes! We are brave!”

“The beginning of a bicycle is not to go forward. The first step is how to stand with balance and your own will.”

The worried expression on his face softened a little.

Since then, Kyuha’s constant praise and encouragement continued.

Little by little, the children began to gain courage, and their faith and trust in Kyu-ha began to change into confidence that they could do it.

“It’s best to be scared when a bicycle is stopped. Maybe it’s because you’re afraid you’ll fall down and get hurt? The moment you panic, it leads to mistakes.”

The children focus on Kyuha’s words with sparkling eyes, just like students taking an exam by an instructor.

“Now!

Jin-soo leads the bicycle with a nervous expression.

Kyuha stroked Jinsu’s hair.

“I can do it. It’s no big deal if I try. You can fall down. You just have to get up again. Can you do it?”

Jinsu nodded vigorously at Kyuha’s words and stepped on the first pedal with a confident look.

When teaching a two-wheeled bike, there are many cases where the back is held, but such an action rather makes it more difficult to balance.

More important than that was to show the momentum to overcome fear and boldly move forward.

“Huh? Falling.”

The rest of the children who were watching looked at Jin-su, who kept her balance by stomping her feet and going back and forth from side to side.

However, even though he stumbled, Jinsu did not lose his composure, and showed his will to keep his balance somehow and move forward.

“Uh!? Got it! Wow!! Jinsu rides a two-wheeled bike!! Waaa!!”

“Wow!! Jinsu-oppa is cool! I did it at once.”

The children jumped up and down in their seats as if they had succeeded and rejoiced at Jinsu’s success.

Jin-soo returned to his original place after a lap around the playground.

“Kyuha hyung! I succeeded!!”

“Nice job. How was it after riding it?”

“To be honest, I was scared at first because I thought I would fall, but just like you said, I just thought I had to go forward.”

“Yeah, that’s it. If you sit down or stop because you’re scared, you’ll end up in the same place. The mindset of trying to move somehow. That’s what’s important.”

Motivated by Jinsu’s success, the rest of the children started biking right away.

Of course, there were children who fell down one after another, but Kyu-ha encouraged them well so as not to lose confidence, and as time passed, all the children were able to ride two-wheeled bicycles.

“Wahhahahaha!! It’s fun”

“It’s much more fun to ride a two-wheeled bike than a quad bike! It’s faster!!”

Excited children rode their bicycles in the playground for a long time and returned exhausted when it was time to eat dinner.

“Kyuha-ya, you worked hard. Wasn’t it hard?”

At the public restaurant, Anna Kang handed Kyuha a cup of her favorite green tea.

“No. It was fun. But the kids learn quickly. I guess all of my kids are smart.”

Anna Kang smiled heartily at the remark.

Just in time, middle and high school students also entered the cafeteria in school uniforms after school.

“Oh, I’m hungry. Mom, I went to school.”

“Minchul ate a piece of bread on your way.”

“That’s not rice, it’s a snack. People have to eat.”

Kang Anna responded with a smile.

“Ho ho ho. Then it’s time to eat. Eat a lot.”

At that time, there was a girl who opened the door and came in late.

“I’m home.”

“Did you come? It’s a little late.”

It was Song Sang-mi, the eldest daughter of the Bluebird Nursery School, whom Kyu-ha had previously visited school with a sports car.

Afterwards, Sang-mi, who had a pleasant school life as her popularity increased in school, turned 19 years old before she knew it.

“Yes. I came to see some business for a while.”

“Should I eat? I must be hungry.”

“I don’t have much appetite today, but I’ll go in first and rest. Mom.”

“Ah, so? I still need to eat… Then go upstairs and rest. If you ever get hungry later, just tell me. I’ll take care of something for you.”

“thank you.”

Kang Anna’s eyes filled with concern as she watched Sang-mi trudge up the room.

It was evening time when all the children went to bed, and Kyuha was ready to go home.

“Mother. I’ll go in. You’ve worked hard today too.”

“Kyuha, you suffered more. Go inside carefully.”

Anna Kang, who warmly pats me on the back, perhaps because Kyu-Ha is always consistent.

When Kyu-ha was about to open the car door after saying hello.

“Brother. Is it okay for a minute?”

Gyu-ha hesitated and turned his head to find Sang-mi wearing earphones in a purple tracksuit.

I went out for a walk at night and saw Kyu-ha and wanted to talk to him.

“yes I’m fine.”

Two people sitting on a bench in the playground.

Sang-mi couldn’t open her mouth easily as she wiggled her hands and fingers.

“Brother, I actually have a problem… can you listen to it?”

“Yes. Of course. You said it before. You can say it anytime.”

“It’s nothing else… I’m 19 now… I have to leave here next year.”

“Why are you leaving… Ah! I see.”

Gyu-ha recalled a system he had forgotten about for a while.

‘End protection’

It was a rule that a child under the care of a foster home must be discharged from the facility when he or she reaches the age of 18.

Every year, about 2,600 children who have been released from protection have permeated into society.

“It’s already been 15 years since I came here. I can’t believe it. The fact that next year I will have to leave this place and be alone.”

“Do you have any plans in mind?”

“I’m still thinking about it, but I’m not sure… whether I should go to college or get a job. Actually, I heard that 5 million won in self-reliance subsidies will come out when the protection ends, but I don’t know how to find a house with this. I’m just at a loss. I can’t even tell my friends, and I think it would be too heartbreaking to tell Anna’s mother… That’s why I told my brother.”

“Of course it’s frustrating. Because those things aren’t taught at school.”

Kyu-ha, who had been thinking for a while, said to Sang-mi, who was staring blankly at the night sky.

“So, do you want to go to practice tomorrow?”

“Yes? What practice?”

“Let’s go see the house together tomorrow. We’ll have a few months left anyway, so we’ll look around in advance.”

“Really? But oppa, can I walk around the streets?”

“It’s okay. If you wrap it tightly, no one will know.”

Anyway, if I wore sunglasses and hid my presence as much as possible, there would be no problem.

At Kyu-ha’s words, Sang-mi’s color changed.

“Really? I promise. Then.”

Sang-mi smiled broadly when he promised with his pinky finger.

***

next day.

Lotto licensed broker in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

Gyu-ha, Sang-mi, and a middle-aged male real estate agent were sitting around a round table.

“Hmm… Let’s see.”

The real estate agent, who fixed the glasses that came down to the tip of his nose, showed a list of rooms that met the conditions.

“It’s impossible to rent a house with 5 million won. You have to find it with monthly rent, but this is a 500 deposit, this is a 60/month room, and this is a 50/50 room. And this is the cheapest 30/month room.”

Sang-mi flips through the room photos on the realtor’s cell phone one by one.

“The 60-room room is good because it is close to the station, but the building is a bit old. All options are available except for the TV, and the 50-room room is newly built and the location is moderately good, but there are no options here, so you have to buy home appliances and furniture yourself. Lastly, the 30-room room The room… it might be a bit like living alone as a woman.”

“Ah… the rent is a bit more expensive than I thought.”

Sang-mi cautiously opened her mouth at the higher monthly rent than expected.

“Ugh. Considering the house price in Seoul these days, this isn’t expensive. It’s just this way, so it’s about this much. If you go down there, it’s a snot, but a room costs close to 100. There’s hardly even a deposit of 500. It starts at 1,000.”

“okay?”

with my daughter

Two people from the realtor’s office.

The sullen Sangmi said weakly.

“I thought 5 million won was a lot of money, but when I came out, it wasn’t like that.

“What are you going to do with college?”

“My brother is also true. It’s hard to make a living right now, but college is a luxury. They say it’s better to be beaten first, but experiencing it in advance like this has helped me a lot. Thank you very much, oppa!”

Kyu-ha stared blankly at Sang-mi, who tried hard to smile.

“Let’s go eat pork cutlet. It’s where we saw it before.”

“Hey, great! How do you know that my favorite is tonkatsu? hehehehe”

After eating the pork cutlet so deliciously, the two returned to the orphanage, and Kyu-ha, who sent Sang-mi up, called somewhere.

“Yes, manager Han. Can you call me for a second? I’ll do that Korea-China collaboration movie. Yes, yes. Let’s meet tomorrow and talk about it in detail. I have something to tell you, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Gyu-ha looked at the main building of the orphanage and headed to Anna Kang’s office.