Martoons

Cast of characters

Mrs Kim

*

With Fred Pineridge’s arrival, Kim took the lead.

Reflective by nature (and university-educated), Mrs Kim wondered why she was so engrossed by waygooks. Perhaps it was their individuality.

Like Thomas before him, Fred seemed to do many things alone. In fact, it seemed he often preferred going solo.

A Korean, on the other hand, substantially defines herself through her friends. Being a loner in Korea is a very solitary existence.

Often such individuals are cast-offs, disabled or mentally-challenged persons who’ve slipped through the cracks.

But, Kim observed, not so for foreigners.

She was fascinated by how contented they seemed to be with ‘single’-ness.

Whereas a Korean has a hell of a time turning down an invite to some social gathering, the foreigners often had to have their arms twisted just to go out.

Oddly perhaps (for Koreans), Kim could identify with that style. She wondered if she’d been a waygook in a previous life.

* Could she have been? *

Although her Korean-ness made her fiercely loyal to friends and she burned up much leisure time with them, there were regular occasions when she’d flat-out rebuff them despite intense peer pressure and guilt trips.

At least once monthly she’d invite herself on a dinner date; go to the singing room after (solo); and finish the night off (alone still) at a tea house.

Or she’d spend an entire afternoon in the bathhouse, meditating on life or reading.

She was a voracious reader and could finish a novel in several hours. She was a huge fan of American paperback pulp romances.

Non-fiction? Carl Jung. Wilhelm Reich.

When Fred first appeared at Central, Kim made a friendly agreement with Park:

“You nabbed Thomas so step aside and let me have first dibs on this fresh waygook.”

And, fast-forwarding to here and now in the staff office at Central – oblivious to Miss No having just burst in –

Mrs Kim continued to beat her traditional Korean drum from her little floor space.

Her mind was carrying her away and she was getting tingly and aroused. This could be her lucky day.

Dong-dong-tack’-oong-tah…

*

Party’s Over                       

Dong-dong-tack’-oong-tah…

After this little drum dance, Kim supposed, Fred could accompany her and Park to lunch.

Then all Kim had to do was get rid of Park (“three’s a crowd”) and then offer Fred “coffee, tea or me” (an expression she’d read in one of those trashy novellas).

* Do you think Fred would take her up on that? *

So – now – as she sat on the floor, posture straight, shoulders back, chest out and chin up, and both arms tapping out a precise Dong-dong-tack’-oong-tah, chills rushed up her spine.

She was imagining herself and Fred back at her pad, participating in something cosmic and bigger than both of them.

She’d given the apartment a good cleaning this morning just in case, especially the shower.

A vigorous, cleansing shower would get the ball rolling.

But now – what was this? Someone at the office door? Miss … No!?

Kim quickly snapped out of her drum-induced hypnosis to very clearly see that – yes –

it was her worst nightmare looming right there, ominously looking straight at her.

And those piercing, coal black eyes said it all: Nice performance but there won’t be an encore.

Party’s over.

*

Tomorrow: Miss No breaks up the drum party.