Chapter 119

:
Junggyun said, with a satisfactory smile on his face,
He has been blinded by a certain local girl, spending most of the time with her.


A girl?


She looks pretty in my eyes, too. Pretty enough to captivate Jinhun’s heart. Maybe they’re together now.

What’s important for the moment was that Jinhun was safe, too.
After exchanging brief greetings, Hyunwoo headed to the area Jinhun was spending time with the girl. It was a slum area, and everyone there was very busy with the recovery.
There were many people on the street begging for money with tins placed before them. Surprisingly, Jinhun was among them. With a tin before him, he was playing guitar as if he was begging for money for his playing, and beside him was a girl with fair skin. She seemed to be a mixed-race girl, born to a white person and a Vietnamese person.
She was very pretty as Junggyun said. She was singing pop songs to the tunes of his guitar with a bright expression on her face, and her pronunciation was very natural like a native speaker of English.
The more Hyunwoo heard her singing, the more he was entranced by her. He felt she could be a professional singer. If she had been dressed up with a good stage, strangers might have thought that she was the best idol star in Vietnam performing right before their eyes.
The passersby seemed to have the same impression as Hyunwoo’s. They stopped before her and Jinhun and clapped their hands enthusiastically when they were done. Some of them threw some coins into the tin.
As if they were brother and sister, they bowed to the passersby to express thanks.
Only then did Hyunwoo approach Jinhun,
What the hell are you doing here?


Oh, what brought you here?
said Jinhun, quite surprised to see him.

I rushed here, worried about you. What are you doing here? And who is that girl?


Ah, she is Angela. Angela Lewis.

She introduced herself to him in Vietnamese. After exchanging a brief greeting with her, Hyunwoo spoke in English,
Nice to see you, Angela. Where are your family or parents?

She hardened her face at that, and her big and clear eyes were quickly welled up with tears.
Jinhun quickly interrupted. Though he could not speak English, he understood ‘family’ and ‘parents’ when Hyunwoo talked to her,
Did you ask her about her parents?


Yes, but I think I made a mistake. Did she suffer an accident?


Actually, her mother was killed in the typhoon.

Jihun told Hyunwoo about her in detail. Given that Jinhun arrived in Vietnam only three days ago, he knew quite a lot about her, which meant he was pretty interested in her.
As Hyunwoo expected, she was a mixed-race girl born between a white American and a Vietnamese woman. When the American found out the Vietnamese woman was pregnant, he ran away, so Angela grew up under her single mother’s care. Her mother had no relatives at all.
Her mother wanted Angela to go to the United States someday to search for her father, so she made sure Angela spoke English at home, though she spoke Vietnamese outside.
However, Angela lost her mother because of the typhoon.
Abstaining from food and drink, she had lost the will to live and just kept crying when Tamtit and Kwak’s family found her. Thanks to their comfort, she could barely control her troubled heart.
Both Angela and Tamtit’s family were poor with no hope of getting back on their feet again anytime soon. Though Junggyun bought food for her with his own money, he could not continue to help her forever.
That’s why Jinhun thought about the idea of begging on the street. With his excellent guitar playing and her singing, he felt he could collect the money enough to buy one day’s food.

Tut, tut… how miserable she is… By the way, is she younger than you?


Yes, she is 15 years old by Korean age, two years younger than me.

In Hyunwoo’s eyes, however, she looked older than Jinhun. She even seemed precocious because of her mixed heritage.

Let’s go home now. You can’t make a living like this.


Angela’s voice is much better than expected, and we’re making more money than we thought. So, take your leave first. Let me join you in the evening with Angela.


No, no. This is not a matter of money. If you’re doing this on the street, hooligans may come over here and hurt you. As you know, the situation is bad because of the typhoon. In particular, you’re more prone to that as you’re with a beautiful girl like Angela.


Oh, really?

Obviously, Jinhun was scared when Hyunwoo said that.

Let’s go home right now. Don’t focus on making money to sustain you for just several days. Think about how to make a living in the future.


Got it.

Jinhun took Angela and headed to the family protection center where Tamtit’s family was staying. Jinhun got close to her while walking. Though they could not carry a conversation because of the language barrier, Angela tended to rely on him because of her shared musical communication with him.
Leaving her with Jinhun, Hyunwoo sat down with Kwak and Tamtit’s family as well as Sungji because he could not ignore the miserable situation of Tamtit’s family.
Tamtit’s parents seemed very old. They looked like in their 70s at least, but they were actually in their mid-50s. As they were physically weak, it would be difficult to find jobs. In particular, the factories and stores in Natrang hit by the typhoon were in disarray, which made it all the more difficult to find jobs.
Looking at Sungji, Hyunwoo asked,
Can you find jobs for them?


No problem, but the Vietnamese have a great affection for their hometowns, so I’m afraid they won’t move…

This time Hyunwoo asked Tamtit about her opinion. She explained to her parents about Hyunwoo’s offer, at which they replied with bright faces.
Tamtit interpreted for them,
As long as they can find stable jobs, they are willing to move.

Then, Hyunwoo didn’t have to worry about the Tamtit family.
The only problem now was how to care for Angela.
In fact, she was a total stranger to him, but he couldn’t ignore her because of Jinhun who clung to her like her lover. Angela was a stunning beauty. Not only her face but also her voice seemed to be the best artwork made by a god. With someone’s help, she could make a big success.
Suddenly, Hyunwoo hit upon a good idea.
Hyunwoo called Jinhun and said, with a sorry expression on his face,
Just forget about her. We can’t help her out. If you become fond of her, you can’t separate later.


I’ve already become attached to her. How can I forget about her? You don’t want to leave her alone here, do you?

As Hyunwoo expected, Jinhun went berserk. He even seemed upset about Hyunwoo, let alone disappointed at him.
Scratching his head, Hyunwoo said,
What can I do about her? There are so many miserable people in this world. How can we help them all?


Can’t you help her alone? You’re financially stable enough. Could you take her to Korea? Let me make the money by working hard to support her.


That’s impossible.

Hyunwoo explained to him about the problems such as a visa, but Jinhun didn’t give up.

To be honest, I love her. I can’t leave her alone here. I would sell my soul if I could stay with her. And I would do anything for you if you could help.

With a sigh, Hyunwoo said,
Phew. If you’re fixated on her like that, let me help her then, but I have one condition for that.


What is it?


I can’t take her to Korea without any reason. You have to make some plausible excuse. Make one.


Excuse?

Grinning with a smile, Hyunwoo said,
You are good at composing, and Angela is a good singer. What perfect harmony!

When Jinhun heard that, his eyes opened wide. He seemed to realize what he needed to do for her.
Hyunwoo continued,
Make a song for Angela. Then, let me use it as the theme song of Tuti and Angelica, the animation work of the Anifan kids. Who knows? If the theme song makes a hit, both of you could be stars!

Jinhun’s eyes already sparkled with new hope. He was confident in his composing skills, and Angela could succeed it with her great voice.
He clenched his fist and said,
Don’t worry. I’m determined to compose a great song.


Great! Let me help Angela live in Ho Chi Min while you’re at it. Mr. Sungji Na, president of N&C, will take care of her safety. If you want to take her to Korea as soon as possible, work hard on your composition.