[Summary] "I Understand the Sadness of Not Being Able to Eat What You Want"... 'Convenience Store High School Girl Angel' Moves Netizens

Reference photo. Inside a convenience store [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A story of a female student who showed warmth to a young child at a convenience store in Hanam has touched netizens.

On the 28th of last month, a post starting with "I would appreciate it if you could post this" was published on Facebook by a person identified as A. The writer, who revealed that they live in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, introduced themselves as "a mother of two sons" and said, "After losing my husband, my younger child was bullied because of poverty, so we moved to Hanam, my late husband's hometown, two months ago," opening up by saying, "I was living day by day burdened with debt."

A post uploaded on the Facebook page 'Hanamdaesinmalsseumhaedeuryeoyo' on the 28th of last month. Photo by Facebook capture

A said, "I am looking for the female student who bought food for my younger son at the CU convenience store near Sinjang 1-dong Community Center today," and explained, "Today, my younger son bought several food items such as cup rice and canned tuna at the convenience store, but he didn't have enough balance, and even after removing some items, the money was still insufficient. Then the female student said she would pay instead and seemed to have additionally paid for several packs of Hetbahn (instant rice), canned tuna, instant curry, jjajang (black bean sauce), snacks, and so on. After getting off work, I saw that the amount was quite large, roughly over 50,000 won."

The female student's kindness did not stop there. A said, "(That female student) told my son to meet at the convenience store every Saturday at 1 PM and to write down what he wanted to eat," adding, "This is all I heard, so I don't know if I will be able to find her."

She expressed, "I just want to say thank you and contact her to repay the money once I receive my salary. I will definitely wait for her contact. I am truly grateful," she said.

The post spread across various online communities and social networking services (SNS), and some netizens commented, "I want to help A's family," among others.

A comment left by the female student presumed to be the main character in the story. Photo by Facebook

As the post gained attention, the female student presumed to be the protagonist of the story appeared.

The female student began by saying, "Actually, I know well the sorrow of not being able to eat the food you want at that age, and since he felt like a younger brother, I paid for him," and added, "I was worried a lot earlier that the mother or the child might feel hurt thinking my actions were out of pity."

She continued, "He is such a lovely child, but he is very cautious, so I chose things that he could easily eat and snacks on my own, and since they thanked me, I am even more grateful," and said, "You don't have to pay me back, and if it's okay, please send your child to that convenience store at 1 PM on Saturday. As a neighbor, I will take care of what I can, so please message me, and I will give you my number," warming the hearts of netizens.

The female student also said, "I hope that the mother and her sons do not get hurt in Hanam," and concluded, "Please be sure to message me."

Upon hearing this news, netizens responded with comments such as "An angel is what you call a female student like this," "I hope this kind of event spreads good influence and creates a warm society," and "Both the hardworking mother raising two children and the person who shared a warm heart without turning a blind eye to neighbors who are worse off than me are our neighbors. I wish blessings for both of them."