She provides accommodation like a mother at her beauty salon for 8 years.
"Aunt, cant you be my mom?" this sentence is often heard by Im cheonsook (35). She cant ignore them. Thats why it seems like she has the most children in korea. She only gave birth to 3 daughters but in last year alone, there are 150 children who count her as a mom.
Im-ssi write the children's names, family relations and contact details in a notebook. But she doesnt need to see the children to remember their story. "Minsu lives with her grandmother, She doesnt open the door to his father. Hyunjin quit school and works at sushi restaurant"
Donggun (16) is one of those children. In may last year, he quit school because of disagreement with his father and left. He was starving and slept on the road but the hardest part is he felt lonely. Now he doesnt need to starve and doesnt feel cold. More than that, it was Im-ssi who made it possible.
Thanks to her sincere advice and encouragement he returned to school on march this year..
"Aunt is an angel. She is a benefactor of my life. In the future, I'll be a great chef and treat her the first meal that I make"
Its her 8th years of taking care the runaway teenagers. In the meantime, a lot of children who met her went back home and returned to school. There's this friend who becomes an office worker. After he was released from detention center, he gave her a book and she was impressed. There's also a kid who is going to college and this kid wants to follow Im-ssi in the future by helping teenagers.
Im-ssi run a salon on the second floor of the old shopping mall in the central market of Hwangsangdong. This place, including the room and kitchen, which has about 18 square meters is the place where Im-ssi and her three daughters live. There is no big space for children who came to the house.
Here, the children eat, sleep and tell their story to Im-ssi. They said, "I like her better than my mom, because she understand us"
Im-ssi started this because she has a painful childhood and at that time she needed someone's help. "I didnt have a house. My alcoholic father told my sister to steal money . I was hoping someone would take me to the orphanage". After that she followed her mother from one house to another and drop out in highschool.
It was hard and she works as a hairdresser at home, but it's not over. Her husband's business failure led to a huge debt and the lenders threatened her daughters. 2 years ago, she broke up with her husband.
Im-ssi still has small debt after that. So after she paid the rent for her beauty salon and paid the debt, there's almost nothing left. Rice and ramen which are shared with the runaway teenagers bought with the money she received as a single mother and their clothes brought by the regular customers.
I wonder how to take care of that many children. "It's not a big deal. When you have it then you have it, if you dont have it then you dont have it, just share what we have. When I'm in trouble the children are comforting me. I think, it doesnt change much when they are with me."
The most difficult thing for Im-ssi is not debt or poverty. It's people prejudice. They dont even know the situation but there are people who said "This women took the kids and teach them bad things." There was a time when the police came at night after receiving resident's report.
She is proud of herself but its heartbreaking when the daughters get hurt. She said, "Because I'm a single mother, people seem to be more prejudiced"
Her new year wish is to create "a world without prejudice". If there's no prejudice, she believes that the kids who find this beauty salon will grow properly without getting hurt.
Recently, she wrote letters to the blue house and asked them to get rid of social discrimination against single mother. "I'm going to check how much this has changed every year and I'll send a letter every month. I laugh and wonder if the president will read it"
"Till now, there are teacher who closed their eyes and ignored people who dont have mother or father. Adults must leave their prejudice first, and then educate the children."
About 10 years later...
The second daughter grew up and becomes AOA chanmi.
When she came out on a broadcast
(MBC great inheritance) she said, "My family was going through a hard time. At that time, I wanted to help my mother by making money quickly. I thought being a celebrity is the best that I can do. I started to think like that and becoming a singer was my dream."
Chanmi : Cheon is taken from my mother's name, Im Cheon sook, Chan from my name and Kyung from my sister's name, kyungmi.. The salon is called "Cheon-chan-kyung"
I'm a kid from a single parent family. I've been bullied by my friends at elementary school. At that time, mom helped me. She told me that she understands, so I went to school together with big brothers.
Most of the runaway teenagers who has been helped by chanmi's mom are from violent families or children without guardian. When I met her, chanmi's mom told me that she's tired too and that I should avoid living that way. I got a job after I've passed my GED, and I'm so thankful chanmi's mom came to me at that time.
I admire chanmi since her debut and feel like a mother, Im so proud of her.
The family lives well from idol fandom.
It's really the pride of the family
(T/N: op included screenscaps from MBC great inheritance there are 50 screencaps, please go to the original link for full pic)
Original post : here
1. It's really cool, I admire them.. You'll be blessed..
2. It's realy cool and great, really the pride of the family.. jjang
3. Her mother must be really proudㅠㅠㅠㅠ ah its really great.. chanmi's heart is so beautiful..ㅠㅠ
4. I think it's really great, its not easy to help anyone.. Mother, I admire you
5. Chami-ya... I'll always cheer for you...
6. Chanmi's older sister is my sister's sunbae.. she said she's really really really kind! and chanmi is a really good sister.. I told my sister that chanmi made her debut as an aoa member so I heard so many stories about her. The mother is really a good person..
7. This is the real gold spoon and the pride of the family. It's a lot more better than those wealthy families. (T/N: gold spoon : advantage that son and daughter have from parents, something like family background, family power, money)
8. I never saw this before.. It's a good story, I hope many people will know about this story.
9. No wonder chanmi's personality in broadcast is so good, its from her parent.. Chanmi's mom is really a good person and educate her kids very well.. chanmi can handle the situation well at that age, it must be hard and she did really well.. (If I was her mom) I think I'll be very proud of her
10. Chanmi unnie is my friend's friend and I heard that she's really nice ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I wish the best for her
11. Chanmi is so good, I envy her.. and she is a member of aoaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠits true that you'll be happy when you're with your family
12. Chanmi-ya.. for those children, your mom is a hero.. you have a really good motherㅠㅠㅠㅠ
13. I want to thank her for what she did, I want to be an adult quickly and follow her step..
14. Mother is really cool and amazing. Chanmi is originally pretty but now she's even prettier. I'm so glad that AOA is doing well now.
15. Aunt is really cool.. I went to her beauty salon a few times and she is really kindㅠㅠㅠ I wish the best for chanmiㅜㅜ
16. It's really touching.. When I become an adult, I'll help those children who dont have any place to go. just like what chanmi's mother did..
17. I've read this story before but it's still touching when I read this again.. chanmi's mom is really amazing..
18. It's in my neighborhood. I know this beauty salon since junior high school and I know chanmi since she was young. They are great, they really deserve this praise. The mother and the daughters are all so kind. Mother, you'll be blessed..
19. When I saw it before I've always thought that young girl is pretty and it turns out to be aoa chanmi.. chanmi and her mom are so wonderful..
20. I used to live in this neighborhood. I went to her salon a few times when her daughter was a trainee
21. Why am I crying when I read this ?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's really touching.. if my mom did that, I would have cried because I dont like it..
22. I wish chanmi will be more successful in the future and I hope there are only good things for herㅜㅜㅜ
23. It's really realy cool ㅠㅜㅠㅜ I'm in tears... I respect you, mother ㅠㅜㅠㅜ
24. I've learned something good from a great family today..
25. I was once live in this neighborhood and I remember that they are really kind
26. I can't believe this is a real story ㅠㅠ mother ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
27. I respect the mother.. chanmi grew up beautifully and she is so charming. Let's be happy in the futureㅠㅠㅠㅠ
28. Chanmi-ya ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ her mother raised her well ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm impressed
29. I really respect this family
30. Kya,,, our unnie..thank you for growing up beautifully and mother, you're so coolㅠㅠㅠㅠ
