Yuzung was a stunning beauty, to say the least. In particular, her melancholy look seemed to touch his heart warmly. It looked like even a mere touch of her eyes would make her shed tears.
She looked too young, though. In Hyunwoo’e eyes, she was a high school girl to all outward appearance. She had a baby face, and her natural image made her look younger all the more.
Come to think of it, she was wearing no makeup, and she didn’t even put on lipstick, let alone earrings, necklace, or rings. According to Sungji Na, president of N&C Korea who introduced her, she was an adult, a college freshman, but she looked like a minor.
“How do you do? My name is Yuzung,” said she in awkward Korean, but that’s all. She could not speak any Korean.
“She’s beautiful, doesn’t she? She is not only pretty but also kind-hearted. And she is smart, too. She attends Ho Chi Min University, the best in Vietnam.”
“But she is too young. Twelve years younger than me,” said Hyunwoo, feeling awkward.
But Sungji whispered into his ears as if he didn’t want to be overheard.
“Don’t say that. Jungsu Kwon remarried a Vietnamese woman twelve years younger than him. And she is his second wife. Twelve years of age difference is just nothing.”
“Still…” said Hyunwoo, scratching his head.
While they were talking, Yuzung was looking at Hyunwoo. When her eyes met his, she avoided his eyes as if she was shy, and then threw her eyes again at him.
Sungji again whispered, “I told her about you a lot. She is pretty much interested in you, so go on a date with her. I can guarantee you she’s the best bride candidate in the world. You don’t have to have any prejudice against her because she is not Korean.”
Then, Sungji left the, as if he suggested Hyunwoo that he go on a date with her.
Was that the reason? Until a moment ago she looked like a high school girl, but now Hyunwoo found his heart pounding before he knew it. He was really attracted by her beauty.
But Hyunwoo was told that one’s attraction to a woman’s beauty would not last three years. It would be okay if both sides agreed to date, but playing with love out of lust would be dangerous.
I have got to fight the feeling. This is a lady that I should not touch out of lust.
Hyunwoo controlled his surging lust, but Yuzung seemed to think differently. She cautiously initiated a conversation while Hyunwoo was watching the wedding ceremony quietly.
“How long are you staying in Vietnam?”
Though her English pronunciation was a bit awkward, she still spoke fluent English.
“I’ll be staying here until Tuesday.”
“Are Korean men so handsome?”
“No way. There are lots of Koreans that look like me. Hahaha”
“Oh, Hyunwoo, you’re handsome.”
And then their conversation stopped in a moment. When she spoke again after thinking hard about something, he answered shortly and then stopped. Sometimes, he spoke to her, feeling sorry, and on such occasions, he turned his head to her. He felt some sort of beauty and chasteness in her that he could not touch. He had to avoid her eyes quickly.
On the other hand, she acted naturally. Though Yuzung was a stranger to him, she seemed to feel close to him because she already heard a lot about him from Sungji.
Sungji came back to Hyunwoo about the time the wedding ceremony was at an end. Yuzung left with a wistful look, saying her friends were waiting for her.
“How about her? Don’t you think she is your best bride candidate?”
“No matter how I think, she is too young. Hahaha.”
“Why does it matter? If you like her, that’s what really matters.”
“Well, I have a girl that I have set my heart on in Korea.”
Sungji’s eyes opened wide at that, “Really? You should have told me about it in advance.”
Originally Hyunwoo was to head to Natrang right after the wedding ceremony to search for the missing family of Mr. Kwak’s wife, but they found the family, so Hyunwoo was not in a hurry.
In addition, not only Sungji but also the members of Korean Businessmen Association in Vietnam came in droves to see Hyunwoo and said,”You shouldn’t leave this place like this as you’ve come a long way from Korea.”
“Let’s have a drink.”
“Even if you leave for Natrang now you’d be arriving there in the evening, so sleep here tonight and leave early tomorrow morning.”
Hyunwoo nodded his head, and then Sungji suggested, “Okay, then. Play golf with me first, and I’ll see you guys at the bar in Ho Chi Min at night.”
They agreed and left.
Guided by Sungji, Hyunwoo went to a golf course nearby, and Yuzung also appeared there.
Actually, she visited the golf club with her friends to spend time with Hyunwoo. Her friends were also beautiful enough to be picked up as entertainers, but her beauty stood out among them.
When Hyunwoo looked at her, Suji’s face suddenly came to his mind. And he was comparing both of them before he knew it. In terms of appearance, Yuzung was much more beautiful. Though Suji was beautiful, too, she was nothing compared to Yuzung. Suji was a beautiful woman among the ordinary women while Yuzung was beautiful enough to be called an entertainer.
Still, it was Suji that Hyunwoo was attracted to. He became fond of her before he knew it. Whenever there was talk about marriage or a bride, Hyunwoo naturally thought of her.
Suddenly, he felt pitiful about himself. Though he was full of affection for her, he never expressed it to her properly.
Could I ask for a date when I go back to Korea?
When he thought about it again, he felt it would be a foolish decision. Why was he focused on going back to Korea in order to do something? Even here in Vietnam, he could call her anytime.
Yes, she might like it better.
Hyunwoo, along with Sung and Sangtaek, went to the field. When they passed the 13th hole, it was already approaching 5 pm. The time difference between Korea and Vietnam was two hours.
Excusing himself, Hyunwoo called Suji.
In a surprised voice, Suji picked up the phone, “Oh my god, aren’t you in Vietnam?”
“Yes, I’m calling you from here in Vietnam.”
“Chee…Don’t lie. You’re back in Korea, aren’t you?”
She didn’t believe him. It took some time for him to make her believe he was in Vietnam.
“Oh my…You didn’t call me often while you were in Korea. It looks like you’ve come to your senses.”
“Suddenly, you came into my mind.”
“Oh my… How nice of you! I feel so good. When you come back, let me treat you to dinner. You buy me a beer in return, okay?”
“Sure.”
When Hyunwoo was done, Sungji and Sangtaek came up to him, “You were all smiles when you called someone. Who is it? Looks like it’s your sweetheart.”
“Oh, not a sweetheart. She is my younger sister.”
“Man, why are you lying? Are you talking with your sister for ten minutes on international call? And without any particular business???”
“Really? Did I talk as long as ten minutes?”
Hyunwoo’e eyes opened wide. Like Sungji said, he talked with Suji for 11 minutes 29 seconds, which he didn’t realize at all.
After the call, Hyunwoo let out a sigh of relief. It was a novel experience for him. When he was talking with her on the phone, he felt as he was walking on a cloud. What he remembered was that he smiled all along while talking.
Sungji laughed heartily, “Hahaha. I think I was wrong to have called Yuzung here. It’s your turn, Hyunwoo.”
Hyunwoo quickly grabbed the golf club. He felt sorry for them as they had to wait more than ten minutes because of himself.
After golfing they headed to a restaurant. Yuzung and her friends were waiting for them in front of the golf course. She was in a cheerful mood, just like any college student. Unlike her melancholic eyes, she was aggressive in attitude. Judging that Hyunwoo was a man of few words, she even began talking about herself, which Hyunwoo didn’t reply to, of course.
She was dreaming of becoming an animator, so she decided to major in animation at college. Her father influenced her a lot in that respect. As a recognized animator, her father was working as the team manager of an animation company here.
When she mentioned her father, she looked at Hyunwoo, which clearly showed her good feeling about him.
Hyunwoo felt thrilled to get her attention, but at the same time felt it as a burden.
It was not just out of pleasure or fun that she showed interested in him. The prime age at which a Vietnamese person married was between 20 and 23, Hyunwoo heard, so when a woman was more than 25 years old, she got called an old miss. Obviously, Yuzung regarded him as her groom candidate, but Hyunwoo was not attracted to her by her beauty alone. It might be the start of a beautiful relationship, but he felt he would end up ending it badly.
He needed to tell her about his true feelings before he developed a serious relationship with her.
He cautiously called her outside, “Shall we get out in the air?”