Martoons

Today: Will Thomas crumple under Mr. Go’s strange demand?

Cast of characters

Thomas

Mr Go

* Go plays a final card *

“Why are we … in this room?” Mr Go gazed around looking totally disoriented.

Thomas laughed. “I was just about to ask you the same question!”

Then he noticed a briefcase sitting under the desk, leaning up against one of the legs. 

“I’m thinking you wanted to meet me and talk business. I’ll be perfectly frank – thought you might be going to give me some cash – a signing bonus or something!”

Upon seeing the briefcase, Go snapped back onto his scripted routine.

He reached down mechanically and brought up the case, clicking it open.

He removed a somewhat tattered and apparently hand-written, makeshift document and placed it in front of Thomas, gesturing that he read it.

The careful Canadian cautiously picked it up and read the title.

A red light went off.

“‘Letter of resignation.’What’s this for? And who wrote this?”

“Sign. You must sign!”

Go removed a pen from the upper lid of the briefcase and handed it to Thomas, who was now scanning through the paper and took the pen without thinking about it.

Seconds later, though, he put the pen and paper down neatly on the desk.

“Sorry Mr Go. Somebody’s got their wires crossed. I don’t have any desire to resign … although as I say some compensation would be nice, I mean, at least for the work I’ve done so far…”

Go pointed to the document again.

“Sign. You must sign.”

He turned away and paced around the room.

Then, as if doing a take two: “Sign. You must sign.”

A red stop sign flashed in Thomas’ mind.

That’s it. Time to put a quick halt to this nonsense.

* Will Thomas buckle under? * 

Thomas cleared his throat while wiping the sweat off his brow.

“I’m sorry Mr Go. Don’t mean to be rude but…”

He eased his chair out from the desk, got up and nervously stretched.

“I’m a long way from home and I thought long and hard about coming here. I ain’t ready to pack up yet – not even close.

“I’m perfectly happy with the contract I signed with you back home. Where I come from, a contract is law and you’ve got an obligation to me.

“I’ve planned this whole Korea trip out. My daughter’s going to be coming soon and she’s got her heart set on it.

“No way am I going home now. No way. You’ll like her when she gets here.”

He quickly yet casually slipped past the boss to the door, abruptly opened it and…

A man almost fell over right outside it.

* Who’s the mystery eavesdropper? *

Some odd, out-of-place-looking Korean guy with American clothes and bed head hair.

And a cigarette hanging out his lips.

Indeed – it was the guy from the office earlier who’d been doing the army sergeant orders routine as Go glared out his window at the flashing neon.

Thomas had seen enough spy movies to know that he’d just caught the guy eavesdropping.

“Oh, sorry,” Thomas said smirking, “hope I didn’t catch you off guard. Guess I should have announced that I was leaving to give you a chance to get your ear off the door.”

Oddball looked down and coughed nervously, which turned into a mild coughing fit.

He then composed himself and walked quickly past Thomas into the room and closed the door.

“Oh, okay,” Thomas said, “screw you too!”

Besides his first impression that the guy was a jerk for spying, Thomas hadn’t got much of a look at him.

And he didn’t really care.

He bee-lined for the staff room with more pressing concerns.

Like firing up that little hot plate and boiling up his ramyon.

*

Tomorrow: Thomas breaks the ice with Oddball.