No B.S.

Pohang, Korea, 1986

“So, have you decided where you will go?” asked Mr. No.

I was leaving the Pohang Iron and Steel Company, Korea and my best friend in Korea who happened to be a Chinese. In the language training center where I was working, there were 70 instructors, from 5 countries, mostly Korean, teaching 10 languages. The one I got along best with was the one and only Chinese.

No Byung Su, was his Korean name, Lu Bing Xiou, in Chinese. The company name tags took the western form, family name and then initials. So, I made sure that his English name became “No B.S.“

I thought, here is a man you can trust. Let's see if he can live up to it.
I invited him to share my 3 bedroom flat in exchange for language lessons.
“I can't see how you eat fish and rice for breakfast.”
“Look at you,“ as he gazed across at my breakfast cereal,” You're eating milk and cookies. Crazy, man.”
I take a fresh look at my nutritional habits, “No B.S.”, I replied.

Immigrants from Taiwan and China, his family ran a successful Chinese restaurant in Seoul.


I have given a lot of thought about where to go next.
"You should go to Taiwan," he suggested.
"Hong Kong is too crowded, and Singapore too urban. Japan is to expensive. Philippines is too hot. I need someplace that is like Hawaii but cheaper, like China but more freedom. And, like Korea but not so closed society."
"You should go to Taiwan," he urged.
“There's a strong American presence. It's tropical. Is the society more friendly than Korea?”
“I will give you phone numbers for my classmates,”
he assured me.
“You really should go to Taiwan,“ he insisted.
“You keep saying that. Why do YOU think I should go to Taiwan?”
“Because the girls ride motorcycles....and wear miniskirts,” he laughed.
“No B.S!”

No B.S. ＂真的不蓋你＂

Pohang(浦項市), Korea, 1986 韓國，1986


＂你已經決定好下一個落腳之處了嗎？＂No先生問道。

那時我正打算離開浦項鋼鐵公司，離開韓國，離開我韓國朋友；而我朋友碰巧是位華人。在我工作的語言訓練中心，有著能教授十種語言，來自五個國家總共七十位老師，大多數的老師都是韓裔。

No Byung Su是他的韓國名字，中文名字叫Lu Bing Xiou。公司名牌上印的名字，採用的是西式編排形式，先寫出姓，再來是以名字的第一個字母的縮寫。因此我更加確定他的名字叫做"No B.S." （譯注：英文中＂不蓋你＂的縮寫）

我心裡想著，這是個可信賴的人。先來測試一下他是否名符其實。
我提出分享我的三房公寓，來交換他的語言課程。
＂我看不到你早餐如何吃魚和飯＂＂你看看你＂，他從桌子的另一端瞪著我的榖片早餐，＂你在喝牛奶吃餅乾，真瘋狂，老兄＂
我看著我習慣吃的早餐，＂真不是蓋的＂我回答。

他移民自台灣和中國大陸，他家在首爾有間生意興隆的餐廳。

對於下站要去哪裡，我思考了很久。
你應該去台灣。 他建議。
香港太過擁擠，而新加坡又太都市化了。 曰本生活又太貴，菲律賓又太熱，我需要個像夏威夷但便宜些許，又有點像中國人但有自由。 有點韓國風但又不那樣封閉。
你應該去台灣的。＂他催促著＂那裡很美國化，很熱帶。那邊的人會比韓國友善嗎？＂
＂我給你我同學的電話號碼＂，他向我保證。
＂你該去台灣的。＂他很堅持。
＂你一直叫我去，那你為何認為我該去台灣？No B.S.先生＂
＂因為那邊的女孩都騎機車....還穿迷你裙＂
＂不蓋你！＂