34: 愛菈

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The moment I stepped foot inside the orphanage, children came running my way, trapping my legs with their hugs. They looked up to me with curious eyes, some smiled widely, some stared with dumbfounded expressions.

"I thought bosses were old and fat." A little boy mumbled under his breath; but hearing it, I let out a laugh.

It seemed that the reporters had arrived before me. The flashes of the cameras came in from the other side of the room, and had immediately washed away the purity of the scene.

"You're so handsome!" The same little boy tugged at my dress pants. I crouched down and ruffled his hair. He grinned, revealing the gap between his teeth.

"What's your name?"

"Jonathan! I'm six!" He starts jumping up and down, and the others follow, hollering out their own names.

I'd talk to every one of them if I could.

A man came over to me with a badge hung over his neck. I peered down to look. 'Axl', it read.

"Hello sir, I'm one of the social workers, my name is Axl. How would you prefer to be called?"

He doesn't seem to like me much. I don't know what gives me this impression. Perhaps I'm just so used to people disliking me that I can sense it without any sort of observation.

"Just Jungkook is fine."

He simply nods, "We'll be taking a group picture in five. I suppose that's all that the reporters and photographers are here for."

I shrug, "No, probably here to wait for me to make a mistake. The more mistakes the better, they get more money."

Axl here, doesn't reply, instead he just stares at the clipboard in his hand. I'm figuring out what more words to say when another child runs up to me, smile connecting to their ears and all.

I crouch down next to her so we can level our eyes. It's important that people see on the same level, no matter what age. No one is below or above the other. That and my neck wouldn't be able to handle such an angle.

"The big brothers and sisters told me you gave us this much money." She spreads her arms wide with her fingers stretched out.

"Is it true?"

I cock my head to the side and contemplate, "Not that much, that's a lot of money!"

"It is! But even if you didn't give us that much," she smiled widely as she said this, "They said we can take out the broken beds, and get new toys too!"

That's good.

It's good that they're not just eating up the money themselves and really using it on the kids. I wouldn't want my money to go anywhere else.

I'm glad.

"You're like superman. Handsome and kind."

I feel my ears flame at her innocent comment. She throws herself onto me and I fall backward onto the floor with her arms wrapped around my neck.

I look behind her as I return the hug. The other children start catching on and see what they were missing out on.

Kids always want what they don't have.

"Why is she getting a hug?" One pouted.

"We get hugs too!"

Then there it was.

The stampede.

And then joined the flashing of the cameras.

/

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