Chapter 60
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It was summer .
The southern area of Yangtze River was humid and hot . Most people in that area exposed their skin in an effort to fight the heat . Summer vacation started in the university that Gun-Ho was attending and Gun-Ho didn't have to go to school for a while .
"Whew, I don't have to go to school for now and I can relax a bit . "
The past several months had been hectic for Gun-Ho . He had to run a Korean restaurant, go to college, and study the Chinese language . It was busy and hard, but also rewarding .
"I have one more semester left before my graduation . I will then have a college diploma from Zhejiang University! I had passed the HSK level-4 before I started college . Let's try the level-6 . Eun-Hwa found a job and she can't come to teach me as often as before . I should take the level-6 test before she becomes even busier . "
Eun-Hwa had been living with Mae-Hyang for the past year and recently moved out once she found a job in the Jiaxing area . She started working in a joint Chinese-Korean venture that manufactured fabrics . Consequently, Eun-Hwa now came to Gun-Ho's restaurant twice a week to give him private tutoring in the Chinese language .
Gun-Ho had spare time during his summer vacation in college . He made a call to Jong-Suk .
"Jong-Suk?"
"Hey, bro! I was actually going to call you . "
"Why? Anything interesting?"
"You are expecting too much from a person like me!"
"Why are you saying that? You are the MacGyver Park who can fix anything . "
"Save it! I'm going to take a summer vacation soon . "
"Oh, you are? Then come visit me here . "
"Yeah, I talked with Suk-Ho bro from Gyeongridan Street about it . He wants to visit you in China too . "
"Really? Sure! Come . Did you get the visa?"
"I applied for it already . It's a visitor visa valid for a month . I think I will receive it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow . I will let you know once I reserve a flight ticket . "
"Sounds good . "
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"We will be arriving at the Shanghai airport; you can come to the airport to pick us up, right?"
"Of course . I will bring a car . "
"You must come, okay? None of us can speak Chinese . We will get lost without you . I can't be a missing person in China . "
"Don't worry about it, bro . I will be there even before you arrive . "
"How much should I expect for a hotel room?"
"Don't worry about the hotel . You can stay in my place . "
"Bro, in your tiny room? Can three of us stay in your tiny room altogether?"
"It's not a tiny one room, man . It's an apartment . "
"Really?"
"Just get a flight ticket and come, okay? You don't have to worry about a place to stay and the food you eat . I will handle them for you . "
Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho arrived in China .
"Hey bro, you seemed to gain some weight . "
"You too, man . Don't you have to work so hard these days? Hey, Suk-Ho . Good to see you, man . "
"All those store signs look so complex . The Korean language is the best . Sejong, the Great King did a really great job in creating our writing system . "
"Huh? Is this your car, bro? It's Audi . You are a successful man now . Where is your chauffeur?"
"I'm driving . "
"You drive? You can do that with your Korean driver's license?"
"I obtained my driver's license here . You want to see it?"
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Gun-Ho showed Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho his Chinese driver's license .
"Wow, you do have a Chinese driver's license . "
Gun-Ho drove them around Shanghai City .
"This is the main street in Shanghai, Nanjing Road . That is the Waitan, a waterfront area . "
"Whoa, Shanghai is so beautiful . It's indeed an international city . "
Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were busy looking around the city .
They visited Dongfang Mingzhou and Yuyuan Garden in Pudong . They saw the Huangpu River and took a picture in Waitan .
"Aren't you hungry yet? Let's eat . We are going to have Chinese traditional food since you are in China . "
Gun-Ho took them to the back side of Nanjing Road . There was a huge Chinese restaurant . It looked fancy and luxurious .
"Whoa, this is huge . It should be larger than 300 pyung . And this huge space is filled with people . "
The restaurant staff in qipao brought a menu book to Gun-Ho's party .
Gun-Ho placed an order in Chinese . His Chinese was not fluent, but when Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho heard him talking in Chinese, he sounded like a native Chinese .
"Wow, bro . You sound like a native Chinese . "
Suk-Ho seemed to be surprised as well .
"You, when did you learn Chinese? You sound fluent . "
"Nah, I don't speak Chinese fluently at all . I am attending Zhejiang University right now . I transferred there . I will be graduating after next semester . "
"Really?"
They both were stunned .
"How did you manage to run a Korean restaurant and go to college at the same time?"
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"Yeah, I did manage somehow . The restaurant doesn't require my constant presence since I could hire many staff working in my restaurant . I just have to count money at the end of the day . "
"How many workers do you have in your restaurant?"
"I have eight people . "
"Eight? The restaurant must be sizable . "
"No, not really . Labor costs here are lower than Korea so I could hire more people . "
After sunset, they arrived at Hangzhou City .
"This is a big city too . "
"The population for the entire city is 7,500,000 and 1,700,000 people out of it are living in the main city area . "
"Really? I guess the city is bigger than Daegu City in Korea . "
They arrived at Mando hotel, and Gun-Ho showed them his Korean restaurant in the building .
"Wow, it's neat and nice . So you are the president of this restaurant, huh? A factory worker made his success . "
Suk-Ho laughed as he heard what Jong-Suk said .
Suk-Ho then looked around .
"Considering the size of this restaurant, the rent must be high . How much do you make per day?"
"It varies . If I receive a lot of tourists, I could make a lot; otherwise, I make 3,000 to 4,000 Yuan in an ordinary day . "
"How much is it in Korean won?"
"It's about 500,000 won . "
"You said the labor costs are low here . How much do you pay?"
"You can hire eight people with the same amount of money you have to pay for two lady workers in Korea . "
"I see, hmm…"
Suk-Ho seemed to be envious .
"How's your bar in Gyeongridan Street? Is it going well?"
"Yeah, it's doing okay . I can make a living with it . "
"Same here . It's hard to run your own business both in Korea and in China . We are just making money for our own labor . "
Gun-Ho came back to his Hobanhwawon apartment with Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho .
Once Gun-Ho turned on the light, they could see the living room .
"Wow! It's spacious . It has to be at least 40 pyung large!"
Jong-Suk and Suk-Ho were impressed .
"It's actually 36 pyung . "
"Why do you need an apartment this big for yourself? Bro, are you living with someone? Like a Chinese lady?"
"Haha, no bro . You, pervert!"
"Wow, you indeed succeeded in your life . I still remember you when you worked in Pocheon and Yangju with your runny nose . I remember it like it was yesterday . "
"You say that again!"
"No, I'm serious . You are a successful man, bro . You are running a large and clean restaurant, living in this huge apartment looking like a castle, and you are riding an Audi . Who wouldn't say you are successful?"
Gun-Ho just laughed, but what he truly wanted to say was,
"These are all bubbles . None of them are mine . I rented the apartment and the Audi . I don't make enough money for a living with that restaurant . My hope is sitting at the Chinese real estate market . Do you understand that, kid!?"
Gun-Ho unpacked his grocery bags on the table .
There were beer, dried snacks, fruits, and dried beef, etc . The three men drank all night while talking, and they didn't realize how many hours passed by while they enjoyed each other's company .