Today: Mr Go makes Damion squirm.

 

 

Cast of characters

 

 

Mr Go

 

 

Damion 

 

 

*

 

 

Backtrack to Thomas’ final day. 

 

 

“Now Damion’s got me all curious,” Go muttered as he walked through Central flicking on lights, a smile cracked on his usually stern if not scowling (like most Koreans’) face.

 

 

Even though it was only 6:10, it was already shaping up to be a beautiful day.

 

 

He rubbed his hands together as he headed to the can to take a leak.

 

 

He had something to look forward to today – some entertainment: the bullshit story Damion was going to try to put past him to explain how ‘the box’ got there.

 

 

Go laughed out loud at the thought of it.

 

 

The phone rang.

 

 

Go quickly zipped up and hastily headed back to the office.

 

 

Here we go, and he reached for the phone receiver.

 

 

“Boss,” a grossly exaggerated groggy voice said.

 

 

Go scoffed silently and put on his own exaggerated, curious voice: “Yeah, yeah. Is this Damion calling me? It’s only 6:15. Why you call so early? Where are you?”

 

 

The fatigued Damion explained that he was in a phone booth near a little park five minutes from Central.

 

 

“In a park?” Go asked with continued feigned curiosity.

 

 

“Why are you not at home getting your beauty sleep?”

 

 

A groggy grunt. 

 

 

I don’t know how I got here. The last thing I remember was last night – I was out with the seniors. You know, the usual place – near the university – the Morning Calm Soju tent.”

 

 

He shrugged in the phone booth.

 

 

“Then, I wake up here in this park, asleep on a bench.”

 

 

An extended, audible and obviously exaggerated yawn.

 

 

“Ah, yeah,” Go chuckled, recalling the many occasions when a soju-induced similar chain of events had happened to him.

 

 

“But why call me now? Don’t waste time on the telephone. I suggest you take a taxi and quickly visit the public bath house and shower then return home and rest.”

 

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I had to call right now. I saw the image again … the box.”

 

 

Go paused for a few seconds and swallowed in order to subdue a snicker.

 

 

“Really? Where did you see it?”

 

 

He could feel himself losing it and about to laugh.

 

 

* Will Mr Go be able to get through this call without laughing? *

 

 

“In the dream I just had. It was …”

 

 

As if he were a psychic zeroing in on a cosmic truth, he paused for effect and then spoke in a monotone, other-worldly voice.

 

 

“The box was … in Chinju … near … Central Institute.”

 

 

He paused again then snapped out of his trance.

 

 

“Yes, yes! It’s all coming back to me. Mr Go – the box – it is downstairs in your lobby.”

 

 

Unable to play along any longer, Go giggled. “Yeah, I know.”

 

 

More giggles.

 

 

Pause.

 

 

“What? What’s so funny?”

 

 

“I know the box is sitting down inside my back door. I was outside the institute this morning in my car. I saw you put it there.”

 

 

He burst out in an uncontrollable laughter.

 

 

“I saw the whole thing. You’re up to something, and something tells me it’s no good.”

 

 

* How is Damion going to react to his plan being foiled? *

 

 

Damion’s heart started thumping.

 

 

He’d been caught in the act.

 

 

He started stuttering nervously and needed a comeback quickly.

 

 

He had a few seconds while Go’s laugh ran its course.  

 

 

“Mr G-G-Go … I can … explain. I must have … sleepwalked to your institute with the box and …”

 

 

He’d stretched the bullshit thread almost to its limit.

 

 

It was about to snap.

 

 

“I had no control. I was directed…”

 

 

Plausible, Go thought.

 

 

Maybe I’ll have a bit more fun with this after all. 

 

 

So he re-suspended his disbelief and acted all curious and fascinated.

 

 

“Sleepwalking? Really? Has this happened to you before?”

 

 

“Yes, Mr Go. But all that’s not important right now. Thomas arrives at the institute at 8:30 or 9 correct?”

 

 

“Yeah yeah.”

 

 

Dame resumed his monotone, other-worldly voice.

 

 

“You must seize that package before he gets there and picks it up.”

 

 

Go wanted to make Damion squirm a bit, and truth be told, he felt lazy as hell.

 

 

His voice trailed off. “

 

 

Get the box right now? Ayeesh. I feel tired and sluggish. Sleeping in my car last night… no good. My back and neck are stiff. I’m now in my office, it’s quiet, and I want to take a little snooze before all our lovely clients show up.”

 

 

There’s a point where you realize something’s just not going to happen and Dame reached that point now.

 

 

He tried one more plea.

 

 

“Please Mr Go! That box – you must get it now. My feeling, my vibe about it is very disturbing. I have a very strong hunch that it contains something illegal, like …”

 

 

Again the monotonous, other-worldly voice: “What if … the … box … contains … illegal … drugs?”

 

 

* Is Mr Go going to fall for Damion’s charade? *

 

 

Go yawned.

 

 

“What if? What if? I think you are what iffing this to death! Relax Mr Damion and get some sleep.”

 

 

He hung up and drifted into a siesta.

 

 

*

 

 

Tomorrow: Thomas makes his way to Central Institute… for the last time?