KBIN - CALL ME K

TOGETHER

While following K like a shadow, Hung tries to remember how Hoi An was hundreds of years ago. In 1635, after the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu issued the Sakoku Edict, foreign influence was eliminated. No foreigners in and no Japanese out of the country. Hoi-An based Japanese merchants lost touch with the homeland as well as suffered fierce competition from Chinese traders. Most of them left, while the rest saw their lives thrown into disarray. Well, every cloud has a silver lining, Hung wouldn't know what to do but cry if traveling back to the wars or even the famine of 1945.

As he wishes, tears might come soon. After passing all the fancy houses, K stops in the front of a slum. No TV, no smart phone, no Internet, ok, it's hard but Hung can already accept it. But now, it seems like he doesn't have a comfy bed or even food to fill in his belly. Tears are finding their way to come out, but soon held back. How can Hung have the audacity to complain while he's only here for a couple of minutes but K has probably called it his home for years? Life is basically full of hardships, we cannot do anything about it except for being optimistic looking forward to the future. Isn't it Hung's motto? 

- What do you sell?

- I dont't sell anything.

- But I saw you talking to the merchants? 

- I was just asking for something. 

K looks like he wants to dodge more questions. There must be something he wants to keep as a secret, and Hung doesn't feel like pushing him more. God, Hung thought K was a rich heir, that's why he asked to work for K for a living...

- So what do you do for a living?

- I help them unload.

Portering surely cannot feed them both. Hung is so spoiled with fried chickens and bubble tea, how can he survive with such a little income and too much work? And wait, why did K let him follow if he's that broke? Now, Hung is worried. He should find a way to earn money or he might be sold to work on ocean vessels. 

- Let's do a SWOT analysis. 

- What analysis?

- Nevermind. What are you best at?

- Running.

Running? What kind of job fits a marathon runner? Hung is about to come up with a joke, that K should be a robber. Come on, just snatch someone's money and run hard, he surely can get away with it. But what if this cold-looking man has no sense of humor? Hung might be put in jail the first thing in the morning. 

- So you run fast? Be a shipper then. I'm thinking of selling something. Our ancestors, ah no, my ancestors always said nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

K looks hesitant. Sure, everyone here is doing some kind of trade. He obviously knows how hard it is to set up a business and compete with others from the Chinese town. Yes, he knows everything, except that Hung is from the future. Hung studies Marketing at a prestigious university and he spends so much time at local cafes and eateries, Hung is confident that he can set up a drink trolley and build up from there. Chinese and Japanese people are known as tea drinkers, and in this Southern part of Vietnam, cool lemon tea will be a hit!  

- Let's live together! 

Hung sees a gleam of hope in K's eyes. Maybe he never intends to sell Hung, he might just want someone to feel less lonely, to overcome these tough days together. And it makes sense, there are just a few Japanese households in the town and he seems not to have any family here. Not to mention that he doesn't speak Vietnamese to make local friends. It's tough for everyone to live far away from their home country. Well, Hung has no choice but to be friends with K then. 

Oh, Hung almost forgot to ask about K's weaknesses. Doing business together is a serious thing, he cannot risk it with someone he doesn't know anything but a name.  

- So what are you worst at?

- Loving.

K dropped his eyes immediately. But Hung could already see them filled with sorrow.