17 A Chance Encounter

Leaving the hotel, Min-soo once again hailed a taxi and gave him the location, this taxi driver unlike the previous one was far more gregarious. Min-soo sat in the back using his phone and had only quickly glanced at the Asian driver, as he got in.

"So, are you from out of town? Here to holiday? Party? Visit family?" the man joked in Korean.

Min-soo was surprised to hear the man's Busan accent at first but then answered, "Yes, I am from Korea, South Korea that is…" the taxi driver laughed in response.

"Aye… it's not often that I can joke around with customers like this in Korean. I have not been back there in quite some time…" Min-soo saw the man's wistful expression reflected in the rear-view mirror.

"How long have you been in America for?" he asked in curiosity.

"Nearly three years, have not been back since. You see I have two sons, they are very smart, the eldest was admitted to UCLA with a scholarship and my youngest wanted to learn dance here, so we decided it would be best to move here altogether. The wife works at a laundromat and I drive taxis, it's worked for us so far, so I have no regrets. But it is so difficult to make a career out of dance and so I am worried about my youngest one. What do you think I should do? Aigo, why am I bothering you with this. Haha… don't worry about this old man. So, why are you in town?"

Min-soo listened to the taxi driver's life story in silence and felt a little sympathetic towards him, his was a common migrant's story, one that he had heard and seen many times in his previous life.

Leaving their country and starting a new life in a foreign place in the hopes of a better life for their kids. The sacrifices they had to make were admirable and commanded respect, Min-soo could feel the aura of an academic from the taxi driver and if he had to guess, then he was sure that the man had been one back in Korea.

But here in America, without being able to speak English to the required level, the taxi driver had been forced by circumstances to take on a job that paid regardless of qualifications. Perhaps that was the same with the man's wife.

Min-soo was a little curious and thought the least he could do was hear the man out, so he asked, "Does you son like to dance?"

Caught off guard, the taxi driver hesitated a little before seeing Min-soo's curious expression in the rear-view mirror and decided to answer, "Well… my son loves to both sing and dance, ever since he saw a performance on television when he was twelve. Not to brag but, his singing is actually really good, his dance has improved a lot over the years. But even so, the fact that he is Korean makes it very difficult for him to get anywhere here in America. I don't want him to lose his passion over what he loves to do, when reality hits him in the face. But I don't want to destroy his dream either. I don't know what to do. I am such a coward."

Min-soo could see the man become emotional, he clearly loved his son and wanted the best for him, but he also did not want to be the one to break it to his son and then potentially become hated for it. A dilemma indeed.

However, Min-soo's ears had perked up upon the man's mention of singing and dancing. Perhaps it was someone he could take in as a trainee. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

"Sorry, what was your name? My name is Lee Min-soo."

The man's brows furrowed a little upon hearing his name, "Lee Min-soo… Lee Min-soo?" then his eyes widened and asked with slight disbelief, "Antares Group Lee Min-soo?"

"Haha… did not think I was this famous, but yes that is me. How did you know?" He laughed in slight embarrassment.

"Uh… you're pretty young, you came out of the Shangri-La and you're wearing some expensive clothes, so when you told me your name, I hazarded a guess. But pardon my manners, my name is Jeon Young-jin. Aigo… since it's you, could you help my son?" He asked in excitement before realising just how daring he sounded.

"Sure, here is my number and email, have your son send me a cv and we can work out a time and day to meet. I should be in LA for at least a couple of weeks, so no rush." Min-soo wrote down his details and then tore a piece of paper from his notebook before handing it over along with a hundred dollar note to Jeon Young-jin.

"Thank you, thank you, but this is too much, it only costs $30 let me get you your change." Jeon Young-jin rummaged through his wallet but upon looking up, Min-soo had already exited the taxi and was on his way into the restaurant.

Jeon Young-jin shook his head at the man's generosity but upon seeing the piece of paper with Min-soo's details on it, he could not help but feel excited. Tonight, when he got home, he would tell Jung-kook all about his encounter with Min-soo and make sure he took this opportunity. Getting into the good graces of someone like Min-soo would ensure his son could keep flying towards his dream.