Before graduation I had to make a decision. Am I going to stay here in Italy, or should I go back to Korea. But here or there, I needed money to sing. First I decided to find a job. I thought of challenging Schala while working as a tour guide in Venice. I left my watch, Omega again for trust and got 20million lilas(around 10million won)and head for Venice. This is the so-called 'Only drank water and came back.' incident.
Now when I think about it my wife and I were really naive. We went right in to the tourist agency, and asked for jobs. When it didn't work out we would even grab and ask people on the streets. The day passed with no earnings. For our meals, we would sit in front of the station and chew on bagets with kim-chi put inside with a bottle of water. I can't tell how much we cried holding each other in our arms all night in the shabby inn that had no shower room.
"Ok, let's go back. I can't endure this anymore." At that time my wife was in 7th grade, majoring piano at Osimo Academy. 8th grade was the last year, but she gave it all up. After getting our guaranty money, selling some household goods and paying debts here and there, we barely had money to but our airplane tickets.
When we got to Kim-po airport on November, 1985, we were totally beggars. Rummaging through our pockets, we found exactly 270won. Just then, if our friend, Jang-in didn't lend a car we would've had to walk to our house. First, preparing for the house was vast. But we didn't want help from my brother's and our my wife's family. In the end, we get around 115million won, borrowed from a few friends and my wife's mother.
Now evacuated, the Ma-po apartment. Our nest was a house with 100million won guarantee and 15 million won a month for rent, that needed coal we would carry in the A-frame on our backs. We used newspaper for curtains, and couldn't even dream of using a washing machine. But there was still something we needed. We got a piano on installment purchase. Which was snatched away a few months later cause we couldn't pay the allotment.
During March I got employed as an instructor at Yon-sei University. Working as an instructor got me 12million won a month. It didn't even cover up our rental payment. There was one way through. It was giving lessons. But even giving lessons didn't work to my desire. I solved my living with the 2 students I taught who were sent by the late Professor Shi-won Choi, and Professor Jong-yoon Park.
When I had lecture's at school my wife would put in 2 tokens in my pocket. Once, after coming home I found my wife's eyes all swollen. "I bought eggs and I was short of 50won and the owner followed me home to get it. But there was no money at home." Up till now, my wife leaves piles of 100won coins here and there. Whenever I see the coins I feel sorry to by wife.