Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Mr E

Mr Go

*

Chinju Prison, outskirts of the city.

Fred found it interesting and educational just to see a Korean prison and go into the waiting room with the other families.

E filled out a paper and they waited about 15 minutes to be called.

They went down a hallway and into the area where several prisoners were sitting in separate cubicles behind Plexiglas, talking to their visitors through a screened hole.

Fred was looking forward to seeing Mr Go and hoped the visit would cheer his ex-boss up.

However when Go emerged from the back in his prison garb, he was pale and sickly looking.

His hair was messy and he had no expression on his unshaven face.

His eyes were bloodshot and his pupils had contracted to pinhole size. He spoke to Mr E for about 30 seconds then got up and started retreating into the back.

He hadn’t even noticed Fred!

“Mr Go! Mr Go!” Fred rushed up to the Plexiglas and knocked on it to get his attention.

One of the guards and Mr E both looked a bit startled by the aggressive act.

Go turned around and seemed to look at Fred but after remarking to the guard, continued away.

* Why won’t Go talk to Fred? *

Fred was shocked. “Mr Go?” How could he just ignore me?

The knife cut went all the deeper given that it was Xmas. A distraught Fred sunk his head and slinked back to where he’d been sitting with E.

“No respect,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head. “Came all the way down here for nothing.”

He thought of a saying Korean students used: “Why were you born?” He felt like that now.

Situations like this make me wonder why I even came to Korea. I should just pack up and go back…

“Ajasshi, ajasshi!” (Sir, sir.)

Another visitor was tapping on Fred’s arm and he looked up. The man was pointing back toward the Plexiglas, and Fred looked that way.

“Mr Go!”

Go was standing behind the glass with a big smile.

The guard patted Go on the back and retreated to give him privacy. Fred darted over.

“Fred!” Go sat down in the chair near the talk hole.

“Why you come here? Sorry I didn’t recognize you a few seconds ago. I am very tired and wasn’t expecting you.”

* So he wasn’t ignoring him! *

“Mr Go, what happened? Why are you in this place?”

“It is a difficult time for me.” He called to E who was standing just back a bit from Fred. “Brother! Please get Fred a coffee.”

“Yeah,” he said obediently and walked away.

“I can tell you what happened,” Go said in a hushed voice, “but it involves his girlfriend Miss No and I don’t want him to get upset.”

“We can speak in private for a minute until he comes back.”

* What does this have to do with Miss No?… *

He peered over Fred’s shoulder to make sure E was out of view. He motioned for Fred to get closer to the glass.

“Fred, I have launched a court case against Miss No.”

“My friend Mr Kang has set me up with a lawyer friend of his here in Chinju and apparently he is really good.”

“Anyway, with my court case I am hoping to regain control of my business.”

“That’s good news Mr Go.”

He waved Fred off. “I must be patient, though. It could take months or years.”

“By then … maybe too late. But I must try. And Mr Kang is my best friend.”

Fred scratched his head. “I still don’t get it though. Why are you in here? I heard you were drunk and the police arrested you last night?”

“Because it was Christmas Eve, I met Damion last night.”

“He is alone and has no one to enjoy Christmas with. So last night we drink much soju.”

“For Koreans, soju is like – how you say – truth serum? When you meet your good friend and drink soju, you can learn many useful things.”

“Damion – how you say – drop a bomb?”

* What did Damion spill?… *

*

Tomorrow: Dame gets trapped in Miss No’s office.