Martoons

Today: The foreigner makes his way to Riverside.

Cast of characters

The Foreigner

*

The foreigner glanced up at the big clock behind reception as he walked briskly through the lobby.

He was heading to the Riverside neighbourhood where he’d do some sight-seeing and take note of any possible future drinking holes and lady establishments.

Then he’d be all over Miss No the moment she got back.

He had no idea how he was going to do it but he had to turn her against Thomas.

* How do you think he’s going to do it? *

He went to grab a cab but there was a Riverside-bound bus at a nearby stop, being loaded up with a heap of students.

That loading operation alone took a few minutes.

Overpopulated rat race, the foreigner muttered.

And thank God for that. I would have missed this bus otherwise!

Cabs were quicker and more convenient of course, but sometimes he liked to sink into a sea of Korean-ness and riding a crowded bus was a good way to do that.

Most folk like to be alone to get some thinking done.

Conversely, the foreigner’s best ideas came when he was immersed in a crowd.

* Why do you think that is? *

He took his place at the back of the line and crammed on the bus, which eventually pulled out, its tires bulging and suspension squeaking under the weight.

Inside it was wall-to-wall students but the foreigner spotted a seat down near the back.

He found it odd that younger Koreans will often not bother making the extra effort to walk down there to get a seat.

What he also found peculiar was, despite the sardine-like situation, as he weaved his way back other riders would shift just enough to the side so that he’d never contact them.

Koreans did have a sense of personal space after all – which in a way was too bad because there were some scintillating beauties that he was hoping to brush against!

Squeezing into an empty window seat at the rear, he relaxed momentarily and gazed out the window.

The bus was crossing a bridge over the river and just off in the distance was the famous Chinju castle.

If someone told me ten years ago I’d be making a move like this, I’d tell ‘em they were crazy.

But I can honestly see myself settling down with Coffee Lady.

Give a woman a house, and she’ll make a home.

Give her groceries and she’ll make dinner.

Give her your seed and she’ll make your baby.

* What is it that makes Coffee Lady so special? *

He cracked an ear-to-ear smile and felt all warm and tingly inside.

And she sure can make a mean cup’o’coffee!

Goodbye to my single days.

I’m gonna score big on this baby!

He was jolted out of his daydreaming daze by the bus viciously slamming on its brakes as it hit a sudden traffic jam at a smaller rotary.

*

The foreigner realized this was near his stop anyway.

He yanked on the cord to ring the bell and got off, and then hailed a cab for the final few blocks to Riverside Institute.

He’d never been here before and wanted to make sure he found it exactly.

All the streets looked the same here and he couldn’t read Korean signs worth a damn.

And unable to speak more than a few words of the language, asking passersby in the street for directions wasn’t really an option.

They could easily misunderstand him and send him back the way he came.

Even though they meant well, they could really screw a guy up.

The cab pulled up in front of the building.

The foreigner paid his fare along with a generous tip and found his way up to second-floor reception.

He approached casually, humbly inquiring as to when ‘the boss’ would be back and where her office was.

He was told the third floor, and she’d be back in a few hours, “sometime after 7 o’clock.”

“Would you like to make an appointment?”

*

Tomorrow: The foreigner scopes out the area.