Episode 1
The director of Root Orphanage alternated her gaze between the two children seated before her.
Fourteen-year-old Kang Haejin’s hair was a mess, tangled as if it had been yanked, and thirteen-year-old Kang Haejeong had dried blood stuck to her nose.
“Haejin, since you’re the older sister, you can start. What happened?”
“I just said I’d borrow the tablet for a bit, and Kang Haejeong grabbed my hair without warning.”
The outdated tablet, the cause of their quarrel, was lying on the coffee table.
Director Kang sighed as she noticed one corner of the tablet was cracked.
Meanwhile, the children began to bicker again.
“It was my turn to use it!”
“I told you I just needed to quickly look something up and return it!”
“Liar!”
“You keep acting up because the director is on your side.”
“Enough, both of you.”
Before the fight could escalate, Director Kang intervened to stop it. Still, both children simmered with frustration, grumbling under their breath.
If they were sent back now, another battle would surely erupt.
That couldn’t happen.
“When you’re angry, there’s a better way to resolve it than fighting.”
The children squinted, their eyes filled with doubt.
“Now that you’re middle schoolers, it’s time for me to pass this method on to you.”
Director Kang rose from the sofa, speaking meaningfully, undeterred by their suspicious stares.
She moved to an open space and spread her feet to about shoulder width, preparing her stance.
“Watch closely. Just go down like this.”
Her glutes tightened, but her back remained straight.
“Don’t let your knees go too far forward beyond your toes. Just… hold the weight on your thighs like this.”
Holding her arms crossed, she stayed in the squat position briefly, adjusting her breathing before standing upright.
She smiled at the two children who sat staring blankly at her.
“Now, both of you, stand up. I’ll correct your posture.”
This was the beginning of Root Orphanage’s unique method of reconciliation, infamously called ‘Squat Hell.’
The children, having only heard rumors from older graduates about this middle school punishment, looked a bit intimidated by what lay ahead.
However, Director Kang, despite her gentle appearance, was someone who would never back down on certain matters.
“Haejeong, your hips are sticking out too much. Push them forward.”
“Ma’am… this is too hard…!”
“You’ve only done ninety squats so far. Just one more set, and you’re free to go. Haejin, don’t put pressure on your knees.”
“My thighs feel like they’re on fire…!”
“It’s fine. Humans can’t ignite spontaneously that easily.”
What does that even mean?
Haejin and Haejeong both screamed inwardly.
They didn’t scream out loud. Any energy used to scream had to be conserved for their trembling thighs.
Their thigh muscles quivered, their glutes clenched tightly, and sweat dripped down their backs, which were forced to stay straight.
Beside them, Director Kang calmly held her squat posture while counting aloud.
“Five, six, seven… four, five…”
Looks like our director can’t count past seven!
Eventually, the two sisters were released from squat hell only after completing 15 squats instead of the promised 10.
According to Director Kang’s unique counting method, they did 100 squats. But by the standard decimal system, it would be 147.
“Do you want to make up now, or would you prefer to keep fighting? If you don’t want to reconcile, I’ll assume you still have some anger left and we can do one more set of squats.”
“Sister, I’m sorryyyy!”
“Little one, I’m sorryyyy!”
Before Director Kang could even finish speaking, the two orphanage sisters hugged each other tightly.
Perhaps because they had sweat more than they cried, the reconciliation between the two girls was much more passionate than usual.
Watching them, Director Kang smiled warmly.
She patted their damp hair with her hand.
“If you ever want to fight again, feel free. I’ll never punish you for that. Kids grow up through fighting.”
“I’ll never fight again!”
Director Kang never scolded or forced the children to reconcile. She merely made them do squats with her.
Some children would grumble, calling it punishment, but most didn’t resist.
Even though Director Kang was over sixty, she willingly did squats with the children. And after every reconciliation, she added a kind word.
“Next time you feel upset or angry, try doing squats first.”
Second-year middle schooler Haejin pouted her lips.
“This doesn’t solve the problem that made me mad in the first place.”
“It might seem like nothing gets solved right away, but strong muscles and stamina will help you support your emotions and your life in the future. Trust me.”
Young Kang Haejin couldn’t fully understand Director Kang’s words at the time.
It was only later, after leaving the orphanage as an adult and starting her life as an independent college student balancing school and part-time jobs, that she came to understand.
Amid a busy and grueling lifestyle, the one thing that was always on her side wasn’t anyone else—it was her core muscles.
They helped her feel a little less tired, a little less strained, and a little less down.
After graduating college, she naturally became a trainer at a rehabilitation center.
In a way, her entire life was indebted to the core muscles nurtured by Director Kang.
– Sister Haejin, are you on your way?
As Haejin finished wiping down gym equipment after her last personal training session of the day, she glanced at her watch and answered the call.
“Not yet. I just finished my class.”
– If you leave too late, you’ll have to climb the mountain without any sleep. It’ll be tough. Please leave soon since it’s already dark.
“Alright. You guys go ahead and check into the lodging first.”
– Yes, ma’am!
The caller was the head of her hiking club.
The small club of eight young people her age hiked mountains regardless of the season.
Today, despite the snowfall, the forecast predicted clear skies tomorrow. Using that as their cue, the club was preparing for a winter hike up mount Seorak.
After wrapping up, Haejin started her car.
‘If we climb with lanterns in the dark and descend in daylight, it’ll be…’
Driving out of Seoul onto a wide, open road, Haejin let her imagination run wild.
Oof. To avoid muscle loss, I barely drink, yet here I am, sounding like a full-fledged alcoholic.
At that moment, her happy thoughts were shattered.
On what seemed like an ordinary asphalt highway, Haejin’s car suddenly spun out of control.
Crash!
The car, slipping on black ice, slammed into the guardrail.
Blink, blink…
She blinked a few times, but her consciousness was fading fast.
Something warm trickled down her face onto the snow.
‘Oh no, what about my clients who still have PT sessions left…?’
That was the last thought of Kang Haejin, the workout enthusiast, before she died.
***
“Alrighty!”
Ralph, a kitchen servant at the Callenberg mansion, shouted as he hoisted a sack of flour.
That makes three.
Just one more sack to move, and the heavy lifting for today would be over. All that would remain was some light cleaning.
So, let’s give this one last push!
Fueled by that thought, Ralph bent at the waist with his legs straight. Just as he was about to grab the sack, a thunderous scolding halted him.
“Stop right there!”
“Pardon?”
Still bent over, Ralph turned his head, bewildered.
In his line of sight, a toddler came running towards him.
Mariela Callenberg.
The youngest daughter of Leopord and Lucy, the mansion’s owners.
This three-year-old little mistress toddled over and placed her tiny hand firmly on Ralph’s side, looking down at him.
“If you lift heavy things like that, you’ll hurt your back!”
Even though her face was stern, her chubby cheeks, puffed up like freshly baked bread, made her far from intimidating.
Ralph nearly broke into a foolish grin but managed to restrain himself.
One thing caught his attention, though.
‘If I lift like this, my back will get hurt?’
Lately, Ralph’s back pain had been frequent, to the point of keeping him awake at night. Her comment struck a nerve he couldn’t ignore.
“Then, how should I lift it?”
What could a three-year-old possibly know? Still, her confident demeanor compelled him to ask.
“That’s a good question. When lifting heavy stuff from the ground, you first kneel down like this…”
Mariela crouched down slowly, placing one knee on the ground, demonstrating how to get close to the item.
Then, she extended her arms, grabbed the sack, and demonstrated how to distribute the weight through her legs as she stood up.
Watching the seamless series of movements, Ralph gaped in astonishment.
“Will my back really stop hurting if I lift like this?”
“Yes! But if you want to make sure you don’t get injured, you should strengthen your core through exercise!”
“Core exercise? What’s that?”
Hearing Ralph’s question, Mariela widened her eyes for a moment.
Then, she tilted her head to the side in confusion.
“Hm. What is that, exactly?”
Ralph’s expression twisted into a bizarre grimace.
If you’re asking me that…?
You just mentioned core exercises, so I only asked what they were. Now you’re asking me back what they are…?
