A diner quietly paid a restaurant bill of about 600,000 won ($420) for a group of 27 from a disability welfare center and left without identifying themselves, in a story that has drawn warm responses.
According to Yonhap News Agency on the 19th, 27 people — users of the Jemulpo-gu Hanmaum Community Welfare Center in Incheon along with staff members — took part in an Incheon City Tour of the Cheongna area on the 15th.
The group visited the Dream Park wildflower garden at the Sudokwon Landfill Site and Cheongna Lake Park before stopping for lunch at a large barbecue restaurant in Incheon's Seohae district.
Kim, a volunteer who accompanied the group that day, said something unexpected happened at the restaurant: a diner who did not know anyone in the group paid for their entire meal. Recalling the moment, Kim said, "It was a warm experience I will never forget."
"While the social workers and I were busy getting the meals sorted out, a restaurant employee came over and whispered that a customer who had just left had paid for all the food," Kim said.
"I heard that the person even added seven orders of raw beef," Kim added. "The meal itself came to 410,000 won, plus 190,000 won for the raw beef — someone paid the full 600,000 won without saying a word."
Surprised by the news, welfare center staff asked restaurant employees about the customer so they could express their thanks. But the diner had already left without giving a name.
"It was disappointing that we could not even learn the name of the person who did this," Kim said. "All we heard was that the person had wanted to do something meaningful after seeing a group from a welfare facility come in to eat, and that they had been living in Hawaii in the United States."
The anonymous diner's gesture also moved the restaurant owner. After watching the customer settle the group's bill, the owner gave the person a bottle of wine as a token of gratitude.
In a phone call with Yonhap, the owner said, "I only knew the person as a customer who comes by now and then, and seeing that act of kindness left me feeling both humbled and grateful."
The restaurant, it turned out, had also prepared a gesture of its own. On hearing that a group from the welfare center would be visiting, it had decided to discount part of the bill.
For Kim, who has volunteered for years, the day stood out. "I have served this community for a long time, but seeing someone do a good deed for people they had no connection to was a special experience," Kim said. "I hope the gratitude of all 27 of us reaches that person."
"What we received was not just a meal," Kim said. "It was a valuable experience that reminded us there are still many warmhearted people around us."