Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

Ajumma from Evergreen Soju Town

*

Dame’s Dream     

As Dame listened to the surrounding cacophony of snorers he was envious. Loud snoring was the mark of a clear conscience, something he lacked.

He was a light sleeper at best.

Whenever his motel owner back in Chinju ate lunch in the next room, the mere clinking of his metal chopsticks against his rice bowl could wake Dame up.

Speaking of sleep, maybe I should try to get some of that precious commodity right now. And this was a problem he’d wrestled with often: How to lull yourself to sleep.

* How will he do it? *

With the floor’s warmth radiating into his back muscles, he recalled a tip Donna had given him years ago: Imagine a pleasant place; think of yourself walking slowly through it.

Stop and look closely at all the familiar things… Examine them close up; from every angle … When your mind feels comfortable with the scene, you will relax…

Dame rewinds his mind to several nights ago. The scene is his favorite drinking hole at the Chinju university campus village – a tent called Evergreen Soju Town.

He’s inside schmoozin’ with the university seniors as usual.

At this point they’ve lapsed into speaking Korean (as they tend to do after a little while) and Dame goes up to the counter to chat with the soju tent ajumma.

She’s burly with muscular forearms and a steel wool perm. He orders some hangover soup and she whips into action.

“Pali, pali!” Dame yells lightheartedly.

Yet the dreamy images blur and dissolve. Is there something in my eye? He rubs it as he lies on the floor of the Beach Boys Motel.

He semi wakes up and his head pops back up off the floor. I actually fell asleep there. I was dreaming. 

He looks around, momentarily bewildered; that split second where you’re caught between consciousness and dreaming.

The dream snippet is still fresh and he’s overcome by its vividness…

The vision lingers and he lays still on the warm floor and focuses.

His shoulders tingle and his mind somehow grabs the dream image, transporting his mind back to Evergreen Soju Townand the tent’s counter with the burly ajumma behind it…

Dame looks over his shoulder at the seniors and calls out: “Is this a dream or are you guys for real?”

The seniors are wrapped up in their own conversations and don’t hear him.

Dame shouts: “Yah! Yah!” (Excuse me!)

“Yes sir,” replies one of them in a stilted way, unsure of his mentor’s mood.

“Meesta Damion, how may I help you?”

“I’m thinking we’re in a dream. Does this feel like a dream to anyone else?”

They are not cluing-in.

Dame turns back to the soju tent ajumma and thinks back to when he first came to Korea – what – a few months ago? This ajumma was his first friend.

“This tent of yours is like my home living room. Thanks for all your great service ever since I arrived.

I feel alienated and disconnected from this God-forsaken peninsula but at home here…

“This humble establishment was just what I needed. Many many good times here.” 

Ajumma is attentive but pre-occupied frying up a fish to go with the waygook’s hangover soup.

She flips it over with vigour and presses down on it with her spatula, making it sizzle.

“Don’t think I’ve missed a night here,” Dame adds, giving the tent a visual once-over and chuckling.

“It’s just a grungy old, orange plastic tarp but you can’t beat the ambience and atmosphere.”

Ajumma finally speaks up. “Sounds like you’re reminiscing about the past. Are you … leaving? Maybe you miss your hometown.”

* Does he? *

She always feels a warmth toward this odd waygook and her kindness naturally flows like a mother to a son. Truth be told, she’s never met a more lost soul.

Dame wonders why did she suddenly ask me if I’m leaving Korea? If there’s one place I feel comfortable with, it’s this very soju tent – her soju tent. Right here.

Yet, even though I’m in my comfort zone, there’s something not right about me and she picked up on it.

*

Tomorrow: Dame’s dream is very telling.