Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Thomas

Mrs Kim

Store owner

*

The rearward honking was getting belligerent.

A few Koreans had stuck their heads out of windows and were gawking and barking remarks:

“You waygooks talk a lot. You’re worse than we Koreans. But don’t worry about it – we’re only going to miss New Year’s sunrise, which we’ve only waited all year for! Let’s go! Pali pali!”

Thomas reached for the shifter. “Well, suppose I should get going. So if you want a ride, I’ll give you a couple of minutes after the official sunrise to show up and then I’ve gotta go. Cheers!”

* Do you think Fred might show up for that ride? *

Thomas gunned the rental car ahead as if a dam had been broken. Dozens of following cars shot ahead one after the other, all looking for parking.

The mini rush quickly came to a halt, though.

Fred glanced up to see why: One car, quite a way’s up ahead was trying to turn around in the roadway, but instead of a three point turn was doing a typical Korean ten pointer.

It’s that Mr Go look-alike car again… He focused on it. Yeah, the one with the two ladies… He shook his head and chuckled.

* Who could these two ladies be? *

Traffic in both directions quickly blocked-up and there was another cacophony of honking but the lady driver – the one who’d yelled at him a moment ago – was oblivious.

She wasn’t fazed by the jam-up she’d caused and was just chatting merrily away to the other lady in the front.

Fred found it amazing sometimes how a Korean in a pressure-cooker situation could block out the outside world and not lose their cool while attending strictly to the matter at hand.

Must be their Buddhism.

The car finally got turned around and sped back in Fred’s direction, driver’s window down, with the woman waving frantically at Fred.

“Ha-row! Ha-row! Meesta Fled! Do you remember us?”

The whole thing was going to hold up traffic again so Fred ignored her and nipped up to the store.

“Meesta Fled – my name – Meesus Kim,” the driver called out. “You know me. I know you. My friend with me is Meesus Pak.”

“We are friends with Meesta Go. We see you last night on beach. Can you ride with us back to Chinju? Meesta Go said…”

Fred only half heard; he slid the store doors open and went inside. He was getting annoyed and impatient with this whole thing.

The car vanished down the road and the woman’s voice faded away.

“See you a-a-g-g-a-a-i-n-n-n-n. . .”

Fred was out of the noise and car exhaust now but that voice – there was something vaguely familiar about it.

He was sure he’d heard it before somewhere but couldn’t place it.

* Will he be able to? *

Try as he might, all he could muster was a feint feeling of pleasantness and agreeableness but couldn’t put a face to the name “Missus Kim” nor a context.

He found situations like this were best handled by tucking the question away and letting it drip through the mind’s strainer.

Inevitably, check it later and you’re answer would be there.

Now inside the warm, cramped but well-laid out store, Fred was convinced that he’d get his next Mr Go secret plan instructions here.

Speaking in his best Korean, he chatted up the store owner.

“I am Fred from Canada.”

“Yeah yeah.”

“I work at Englishy school in Chinju city.”

“Yeah yeah.”

“The owner there is Mr Go.”

“Yeah yeah.”

“As you may know, he’s best friends with your relative Mr Kang…”

“Yeah yeah.”

“…who manages two Englishy schools down in the city here.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Fred cleared his throat and composed himself. “Do you know anything about Mr Go’s secret plan and my ride back to Chinju?”

“Yeah yeah.”

But the owner didn’t know; in fact, hadn’t understood a word Fred had said.

“I sorry, no Englishy,” was his next comment, accompanied by a wave-off tinged by both callousness and embarrassment.

And it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Mr. Kang’s relative wasn’t in any way connected with Go’s plan. He’d never met Go.

Fred chuckled about the whole thing, swallowed a mild frustration that was welling, and paid for some drinks.

The owner neatly put them into a plastic bag for him, bid farewell, and Fred slid the doors apart and went out.

He was now completely at a loss as to how he was going to get back to Chinju. I should have just jumped in Thomas’ car while I had the chance!

As he walked away from the small red-brick building, everything suddenly felt futile again.

At least I’ll get to see the sunrise and get something out of this whole trip.

After all, that’s what I came out here for. It’ll be a nice final memory. I’m tired of schemes and plans and hidden agendas. I just want to enjoy the moment.

“Hello, hello!” a voice called out to him from behind. “Come he-ah please.”

He looked back. It was the store owner waving his arm up and down and beckoning Fred to go back to the store.

* Does the store owner in fact actually know something about Go’s plan? *

*

Tomorrow: Fred talks to the store owner while Donna and No decide to do some investigating.