‘Honest Man’ a Sight That Cheers Tourist

Twenty-four-year-old Guilio Torlonia, the son of a Roman duke, came to the West Coast for a glamorous four-week vacation, intending to soak up sunshine, club hop and see the sights.

Were it not for a Korean immigrant who owns a modest Hollywood liquor store, Torlonia, a financial planner, would have had to return home prematurely, penniless and fearful of his father’s wrath, he said.

After a long, hot drive from San Francisco, Torlonia, traveling with his friend Giuseppe Nusiner, also 24, arrived in Hollywood Thursday afternoon. Within minutes of arriving, Torlonia had lost a dark blue leather bag containing $1,000 in cash, a host of credit cards, his passport and return ticket to Rome.

“This was my first time in the United States,” Torlonia said in heavily accented English. “I like it very much, but when I lost my bag, I didn’t know if I liked it so much.”

Torlonia had stopped at a phone booth outside Sunset Plaza Liquors on Sunset Boulevard to call a family friend. After he rummaged through the bag to pull out the friend’s business card and made the call, he headed off to Pasadena--forgetting the bag.

When the young men got to Pasadena, they took a swim and just before heading out to dinner, Torlonia discovered he did not have his bag. The three men headed back to the liquor store and were greeted by the owner, Byung Cho Ahn, who had put the bag in a locked drawer for safekeeping.

‘An Honest Person’

“It was possible I could have lost everything, but instead I met an honest person,” Torlonia said. “I was shocked. It’s impossible to explain what I felt.”

Ahn said taking the money never crossed his mind.

“I didn’t feel tempted to take it, even if it had been $100,000,” said Ahn, 47. “I was taught by my parents that whenever I find something I should just try to find the owner. I have taught my children this, too.”

Ahn would not accept any reward from Torlonia, saying a “good customer” had actually brought it inside from the telephone booth.

“I have visited Rome, and I can imagine how he would feel, losing his passport and ticket. He needed the money to travel,” Ahn said. “I work more than 100 hours per week, 365 days a year. I earn enough money.”

Ahn suggested, instead, that the men buy something in his store. They purchased $10 worth of soft drinks. “That was enough,” Ahn said.