Chapter Twenty-four: Angel to Others

                One day, seventeen years later. Myung-soo had been sitting on a café lounge for about two hours already. He didn’t know why the person he was supposed to meet was one hour late for their date. Suddenly, the bell hanging over the café door sounded.

                “Sorry, I’m late,” Myung-soo turned and his small eyes grew big. He just found a familiar face.

                “Yah Woo-hyun ah! Hurry, I have to go home already!” the girl inside the bar said.

                “Yeah, I’m coming!” Woo-hyun said with a slight chuckle before he ran inside the bar and took his apron.                 Myung-soo couldn’t believe his eyes. The Woo-hyun in front of him was very different from the Woo-hyun he saw years ago. In front of him seemed to be a cheerful, hard working individual.

                “Woo-hyun,” Myung-soo said suddenly, which surprised not only the boy cleaning the counters but also himself.

                “Yes sir!” Woo-hyun walked quickly towards him, “is there anything that I might offer you? A coffee perhaps?”

                “Ah… A company,” Myung-soo said which gained him a look from the boy, “I mean I’ve been waiting for someone for the last two hours, and he’s already an hour late…” Woo-hyun smiled and looked around.

                “Okay, we have less customers during this time of the day,” Woo-hyun said, “I’ll keep you accompanied then.”

                “So, what do you do?” Myung-soo asked which surprised the boy.

                “Sir, if you keep on asking like that, I might think you’re hitting on me,” Woo-hyun said quite frankly.

                “No… no! I’m just wondering. You look too young to be working for your family,” Myung-soo said. Woo-hyun smiled and said, “I guess I am.”

                “I’m a second year junior high school student,” Woo-hyun said.

                “You’re fourteen?” Myung-soo said.

                “Anieyo,” Woo-hyun said, “I’m already seventeen, but my mother is really sickly. She thought I was attending school, but the truth is that I was working to get money for her medicine. I was also saving for my schooling.”

                Myung-soo couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Clearly, the Woo-hyun in front of him was from a poor family, but he couldn’t see any sign of giving up. All that he could see was hope.

                “Where’s your father?” Myung-soo asked.

                “He died long ago,” Woo-hyun said.

                “I’m sorry,” Myung-soo said, but Woo-hyun stopped him. “Don’t be sorry, he’s in a better place already. Surely he’s guiding us every step of the way.”

                “I‘m sure he is,” Myung-soo said. “Do you have siblings?”

                “Ah, yes sir. I have one younger sister. She’s just three, and even though mom’s condition isn’t good, she takes good care of her.”

                “Are you studying now?” Myung-soo said. Woo-hyun just bowed down and smiled to himself. Suddenly the door opened again and someone said “I’m here!” quite energetically.

                “Oh, I know that voice,” Myung-soo said as he suppress a laugh.

                “Papa! I’m sorry I’m late,” a boy said and encircled his arms around Myung-soo.

                 “You’ve been waiting for your son?” Woo-hyun said, and the little boy hugging Myung-soo peered under Myung-soo’s arm. “Papa, who is he?”

                “Ah, he is papa’s new friend,” Myung-soo pulled the child to his lap, “call him Woo-hyun hyung.” The boy and Woo-hyun stared at each other for a while. For a moment, Myung-soo thought the two must have recognized each other, but then he was wrong.

                “You’re cute,” Woo-hyun suddenly said, “what’s your name?”

                “Kim Sung-gyu,” and the little boy held out his hand. Woo-hyun shook his hand hesitantly before letting go. “How old are you?” Sung-gyu asked.

                “Seventeen,” Woo-hyun said.

                “I’m five,” Sung-gyu held out his hand, palm open, showing five fingers. “Do you like music?” the boy asked.

                “Well, yes I do,” Woo-hyun said. Myung-soo just couldn’t stop being amused with the young boys’ exchange.

                “I like singing, do you like singing too?” Sung-gyu asked.

                “Do I like singing? I love singing,” Woo-hyun said. Sung-gyu jumped on his seat.

                “Then let’s be real brothers hyung!” Sung-gyu said. Woo-hyun smiled widely because of the amusing sight.

                “Little Sung-gyu here really wanted an older brother, but you see, he’s my first born,” Myung-soo snuggled Sung-gyu close.  “Would you accept being his older brother?”

                Woo-hyun stared at Myung-soo for a while, “Yes sir, I would love to.”

                “Then call me uncle Myung-soo, and I’ll treat you like my own son,” Myung-soo said.

                “Yey!” Sung-gyu jumped off his dad, ran inside the bar hugged Woo-hyun tightly. After a while, the bell rang again and familiar faces came in.

                “Hey Myung-soo, sorry we’re late,” the newly arrived Sung-jong sat beside Myung-soo and held out a hand to another young boy with him. “Come, sit here.”

                “Ho-wonnie!” little Sung-gyu ran out of the bar and hugged the young boy who just arrived.

                “That’s Ho-won already? It has been a long time,” Myung-soo said. “I can really see his resemblance to your brother huh,” he added.

                “Yeah, that’s why I decided to name him after Ho-won when he was born,” Sung-jong ruffled his son’s hair.

                “Ho-wonnie! I will introduce to you our new friend,” Sung-gyu said before turning to the counter, “two milks please!” And Woo-hyun came out with two glasses of milk on a tray.

                “Ho-wonnie, I would like you to meet my new brother, Woo-hyun hyung,” Sung-gyu said.

                “Annyeong haseyo Woo-hyun hyung,” little Ho-won said quietly.

                “Ye, Annyeong haseyo,” Woo-hyun said.

                “He’s a little shy to new people,” Sung-jong said.

                “Ho-wonnie, Woo-hyun hyung loves singing,” Sung-gyu said, and at an instant Ho-won lit up.

                “Do you dance too?” Ho-won told Woo-hyun and the two fathers just couldn’t stop themselves from being amused.

                “I love dancing too,” and Ho-won suddenly stood over Sung-jong’s lap and held out his palm to Woo-hyun. “It’s really nice to meet you Woo-hyun hyung,” Ho-won muttered.

                The bell sounded again, and the boisterous voice of a familiar friend came after. “Yah, Is everyone here already?” Dong-woo said.

                “Sung-yeol hyung is still not here,” Sung-jong said.

                “Sung-yeol hyung called,” Dong-woo said, “he said he’ll be going directly to the house.”

                “Ah, so we’ll be going already,” Sung-jong said. “Ho-won, let’s go?”

                “Appa, put me down first,” Sung-jong put Ho-won down and he pulled his friend Sung-gyu back inside the counter. Then, he pulled something out of his pocket and reached for Woo-hyun’s hand. “What is this?” Woo-hyun said as he inspected the thing that was placed on his hand.

                “That’s an angel feather,” Ho-won said, “Dad, Uncle Myung-soo, Uncle Dong-woo, Uncle Sung-yeol, Gyu and I have one each, and since you’re already our friend too, you should have one too. It will protect you always, so don’t lose it.”

                “I won’t,” Woo-hyun smiled as she tapped both boys on the head.

                “Ah, Woo-hyun?” Myung-soo interrupted.

                “Yes uncle?”

                “How would you like to go back to school again?” Woo-hyun looked at him in astonishment. “Yes, You see, I have this scholarship thing going on,” Myung-soo said, “I’ll send you and your sister to school, so all the money you earn in your part time jobs can be used for your mother, how’s that?”

                “Thank you sir, I mean uncle Myung–” Woo-hyun started sobbing after that, and Sung-gyu and Ho-won were there beside him, wiping his tears away. “I’m sorry,” Woo-hyun chuckled, still with tears overflowing his eyes.

                “You don’t have to be sad anymore,” Ho-won said.

                “Nor suffer anymore,” Sung-gyu said before hugging the older friend.

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