Cast of characters

 

 

 

Mr Go

 

 

 

Fred

 

 

 

Mrs Kim

 

 

 

Mrs Park

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

“Come on Fred, it is time to go.”

 

 

 

He led Fred out of the tent and headed to the bonfire.

 

 

 

The cold hit them right away and Go impressed Fred by dropping down and doing another century of push-ups on the frozen beach.

 

 

 

As he got near the end Fred counted down: “Ten, nine, eight… Happy New Year!”

 

 

 

This elicited strange looks and a giggle or two from some Koreans nearby.

 

 

 

* Why the weird reactions? *

 

 

 

Go got to his feet. “Midnight countdown … (huff, puff, huff, puff) … not big deal here.” He wiped sand and snow off his hands and chest.

 

 

 

“Big deal is first sunrise of year – tomorrow morning. You and the others will get up very early. After that, you be ready for what I just told you.”

 

 

 

He flashed him a tentative thumbs-up.

 

 

 

“What, you won’t be with us?”

 

 

 

Go waved him off and said nothing further. He was thinking that his plan would be so much easier to carry out if he had access to his own car.

 

 

 

Yet he’d loaned it out earlier in the evening to his loyal, old institute friends Mrs Kim and Park.

 

 

 

 

The two housewives hadn’t seen Fred since their little spontaneous pow-wow at Central – the one where Miss No had barged in and kicked them out.

 

 

 

The wives had been worried about Fred after that and had contacted Go recently, telling him what had happened and hoping Fred was alright.

 

 

 

“We miss him,” they’d lamented over the phone. “We heard rumour he will have to leave Korea.”

 

 

 

“He will be at the beach on New Year’s Eve,” Go had informed them. “Why don’t you join us and say your goodbyes?”

 

 

 

* Will the housewives join them? *

 

 

 

That sounded good but both housewives would have to leave early New Year’s morning – due to family obligations.

 

 

They’d have to be up at the crack of dawn and leave Lighthouse Beach immediately after the celebratory sunrise.

 

 

 

So Go ended up driving them here to the beach and then handing his car keys to them so they could beat the rush out in the morning. He’d find his own way out.

 

 

 

Speak of the devil, as Go and Fred neared the bonfire, Go felt a tap on his shoulder and looked around.

 

 

 

“Hello! Hello!” said Mrs Kim as she jangled the car keys. “Thank you once again.”

 

 

 

“Hello Mr Fred,” Mrs Park said. “Tomorrow we will go skiing and that is why we have borrowed Mr Go’s car. Will you join us on the slopes?”

 

 

 

“Skiing?” Fred was intrigued.

 

 

 

She waved him off. “Skiing in Korea is no same-same as your country. In Korea, crowds are very big and ski hill very small.

 

 

 

“So you wait at the bottom for the ski lift – maybe 30 minutes. Then when you finally get on the lift and go to top – another 10 minutes – it take only 30 seconds to ski down.”

 

 

 

Fred chuckled. “I get the picture. Maybe I will go … next time.”

 

 

 

“Maybe you will leave Korea soon,” Park interjected. “We are sad. We really liked you.”

 

 

 

Go cut in protectively and waved the wives off. “Excuse me Mr Fred.” He pulled Park and Kim aside.

 

 

 

“The waygook is okay. Don’t worry about him as I have a plan so maybe he can stay in Korea. Can you help me?”

 

 

 

* What do you think they’re going to do to help? *

 

 

They crouched down and he briefed them while looking over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear.

 

 

 

Go revealed the wives’ limited role in next morning’s secret plan: To assist in getting Fred back to Chinju before Miss No and without her knowing about it.

 

 

 

* Will they do it? *

 

 

 

But Go had a habit of revealing too much to women. It somehow made him feel important.

 

 

 

He’d foolishly let slip, “Maybe I will send Fred to Ulsan to work for my director friend who’s not here tonight but I will ask him tomorrow.

 

 

 

I’ve helped him recruit foreigners before, and now Fred.”

 

 

 

Yet precisely as Go spoke the clock struck midnight and a crackle of fireworks went off. The housewives only heard fragments of Go’s scheme, in between the staccato crackling:

 

 

 

“Ulsan … Director … here tonight … recruit foreigners … Fred.”

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Tomorrow: No can’t stop thinking about the Santa Claus beard.