I have a wonderful young friend whom I have known since I first came to Laos. He has always been respectful to his elders and knew how to maintain an appropriate distance with everyone. I would often be surprised by his mature character, which seemed well beyond his years. Once, I suggested he run for president of the Korean Association in Laos, but he just laughed it off. Considering the somewhat comical state of the Korean Association here, his reaction was spot on.

I have watched him since his younger days when he ran a pizza shop while drinking two-dollar whiskey. It was then that I learned about his father. He was a man who came to Laos a long time ago and silently built a school without rushing. I saw the humble early days of that school as it continuously expanded, and I even took photos of a three-month-old baby whose mother couldn't afford to care for her. Then, about a month ago, I visited his new school. Astonishingly, that three-month-old baby had grown up to be an excellent singer and was even scheduled to perform in Korea upon invitation.

When I arrived at his new school, I thought I had come to a resort. It was breathtakingly massive and beautiful. The number of students alone exceeded 2,000! Rumors were widespread in the neighborhood that this school was a wonderful place for students. Now, all the students walk around neatly dressed in uniforms, and the sight is absolutely lovely. On the day of my visit, the school was hosting an event to celebrate the visit of the Korean Ssireum [traditional Korean wrestling] delegation. The event was flawlessly perfect! Beautiful students dressed in a variety of colorful costumes were dancing with bright smiles. It was by no means the kind of boring event one typically sees in Laos.

Afterward, I sat down face-to-face with Mr. B. M. Kim. He reminisced about how that three-month-old baby girl had grown up. Throughout our conversation, I could feel his warm generosity and deep love for his kids, that is, his students. Looking at what he had achieved, I felt incredibly proud to be Korean, even though I hold a US passport. He has silently grown the school at a highly realistic pace, expanding it to such an impressive scale that even the Laotian government can no longer ignore it.

He does not boast about his achievements in the slightest, never putting himself forward, but simply moves ahead at his own pace. He just silently gets it done! Wow! What an extraordinary man! Only then could I deeply understand where my young friend's upright character came from.