Today: A day in the life of Miss No.

 

 

 

Cast of characters

 

 

 

Mr Go

 

 

 

Fred 

 

 

 

Miss No

 

 

 

Scene: Central Institute

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

“So that was the beginning and now I am here,” Mr Go concluded. “And you too!”

 

 

 

It was as if Go’s speech had made Fred’s journey here worthwhile in and of itself.

 

 

 

Go had just sold him on this mission!

 

 

 

Fred could feel Go’s immense pride and immediately had a deep-felt respect for the man, despite the turmoil he seemed to be immersed in these days.

 

 

 

Without even thinking about it, Go had lit up another smoke and was taking deep puffs.

 

 

 

“When I started this business, I became an overnight success. I had so much cash lying around I didn’t know what to do with it. I got distracted and made some bad decisions.

 

 

 

“I am actually lucky that I met Miss No a year ago because she is very strict and disciplined and saved my business. I would have gone broke and ended up in the streets.”

 

 

 

Again the smoke from Go’s cigarette statically hovered overhead and a silence engulfed the balcony.

 

 

 

Thoughts of Thomas were nagging Fred’s mind but just as he was about to ask, Go mashed out his cigarette and scurried past and down the hall.

 

 

 

“Excuse me please. I must now do my favorite task – cleaning the rest room. Fred, why don’t you wait in the office?

 

 

 

 

Fred sensed Go was evading him but pulled himself together and sauntered back to the office.

 

 

 

The jet lag was now like a fully-kitted army rucksack on his shoulders.

 

 

 

In the office with the door closed, he wanted to take one more look at Thomas’ file but after he’d dug it out again, fell into a snooze.

 

 

 

* Fred didn’t put away Thomas’ now did he… *

 

 

 

Across town.

 

 

 

Miss No had beaten back a protest at Riverside Institute, staged by an irate group of housewives who’d been studying Englishy with Thomas and were furious when he’d suddenly left and they hadn’t been consulted.

 

 

 

As far as Miss No was concerned, it was just another day.

 

 

 

 

One battle down, one to go.

 

 

 

Now she was hastily planning a quick day trip to Ulsan – the location of Mr Go’s satellite Englishy school.

 

 

 

She was locked in a bitter war with the manager there – an old army chum of Go’s whom she loathed and despised – and also completely failed to control.  

 

 

 

“Director No!”

 

 

 

She looked around.

 

 

 

It was one of the housewives from the protest she’d just put down.

 

 

 

“Mrs Won!”

 

 

 

“Are you going to Central? I’m going there to pick up Fred for lunch. Take a ride with me.”

 

 

 

No accepted.

 

 

 

Despite having been engulfed in a vicious argument with Won and her friends only moments before, that was done now and Koreans are very apt to bury the hatchet quickly.

 

 

 

What’s done is done.

 

 

 

Time to move on.

 

 

 

Moments later, as Won’s vehicle sped ahead, so did No’s mind.

 

 

 

Some good had come out of the whole Thomas incident, she reflected, as it does from any disaster.

 

 

 

All the trouble that resulted has made me stronger. “Sorry sister,” she asked Mrs Won, “but can’t you drive a little faster? I have a very busy schedule this afternoon.”

 

 

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Won said and within minutes they were there.

 

 

 

“I’ll go up and tell Fred you’re here.”

 

 

 

Won sat idling out in the street.

 

 

 

Before entering Central, No took a few seconds to stand at the foot of it, look up and admire its façade.

 

 

 

She was proud of the dingy old, water-stained structure; proud that she’d saved the business inside it from destruction.

 

 

 

Fred was now in a cozy, semi-deep sleep with his head resting on his arms on the table and Thomas’ file tucked under as a kind of pillow.

 

 

 

The removed filing cabinet drawer was still sitting down on the floor nearby.

 

 

 

No clicked her heels up the stairs yet just before reaching out to open the closed staff room door, she became acutely aware that her make-up hadn’t been touched-up since early this morning.

 

 

 

Her face felt like a cracky, mud-caked desert so she detoured to the ladies’ room.

 

 

 

Snapping open her purse and withdrawing the little round make-up mirror, Go could be heard next door cleaning the men’s room.

 

 

 

No didn’t say anything, wanting to head off to Ulsan without Go knowing about it.

 

 

 

After a few dabs of foundation on her cheeks and temples, she popped the little case shut and tossed it back in her purse.

 

 

 

Scurrying back to the staff room door, she pinned her ear up against the opaque, smoky glass window and could hear Fred snoring.

 

 

 

Cute, she chuckled and wrapped on the door.

 

 

 

* Will Miss No catch Fred with the stolen file? *

 

 

 

 

“Meesta Fred, Meesta Fred!”

 

 

 

Knock-knock-knock-knock.

 

 

 

“Wake up!”

 

 

 

 *

 

 

 

Tomorrow: Fred gets taken home for lunch.