BKLOG

The age demanded that we sing
And cut away our tongue.

The age demanded that we flow
And hammered in the bung.

The age demanded that we dance
And jammed us into iron pants.

And in the end the age was handed
The sort of shit that it demanded.

-E.H.

After the cops left, we foreigners quickly regrouped and tried to make sense of it all.  It seemed that Logan IV and Gabby were long gone and the only thing for us to do was hike to the police station.

Some of us went straight there while others decided to find some Korean speakers to help translate.  K-Tank went in to comfort poor Carlos and the rest of us loitered in the parking lot.  It didn’t take long for someone to complain about the lack of booze… so Wallace and I went on a B-E-E-R-R-U-N.  We sat against the vacant police cars and sipped our piss while mulling over the situation. 

Carlos was arrested by the Koreans once before.  It had been an ugly mess with blood and tragic misunderstandings.  He had come away with only a fine and a finger wagging, but this time, we were sure things would turn out differently.  Two arrests of a foreign resident can only add up to a one-way ticket home.  The worst part was, Carlos had done nothing wrong.  He was merely standing on the sidewalk drunk.  Since when was it illegal to be drunk in public……. in Korea? 

The man with the bloody stumps for teeth came in to make a statement, as did his friends.  Wallace got to talking with them and we figured another scuffle was in the cards, but they went away.  We requested to make a statement on Carlos’ behalf, but the cops were having none of it.  So much for first world justice.

After some time, people trickled out and the beer-fueled vigil was kept by just four of us: K-Tank, Wallace, a fellow named Tucker, and myself.  Carlos, it seemed, had called his boss, Nick, who also had the privilege of employing Wallace and K-Tank.  When he arrived, I tried my best to look grim, yet in complete control of my faculties, so as to keep any expectations of me low.  As far as I was concerned, it was enough to just ‘be there.’

Despite Nick being native Korean, Carlos was transported to the city jail.  As his police ride was pulling off the beer can riddled lot, Gabby reemerged from the night and we had a cab follow them.

After arriving at the lockup at around 5:00am, Carlos was allowed a single cigarette outside and we tried to be cheerful company.  He was still drunk and not making much sense on the outside… but you could tell he knew what the score was.  The police were still refusing a foreigner-provided statement and Nick seemed to be on their side. 

Wallace and I went on another B-E-E-R-R-U-N and came back with snacks and beverages.  It was before business hours and we lounged on benches in the lobby while doing a poor job at not spilling beer everywhere. 

Gabby is an exchange student from China and she was able to speak Korean on our behalf.  You’d think that would help our cause, but she was still a foreigner… plus she screamed.  She screamed at anyone who was in view… officers included.  I have no clue what she said, but the cops didn’t hesitate to scream back.  They eventually put us all in a room with iron bars through which we could see Carlos looking like a drunken Eeyore; shoulders slumped and face red. 

It was decided that someone needed to take Gabby home.  I immediately found my purpose in the situation and tried my escape.  After all, the sun was just off the horizon and I had to work… again.  Gabby protested and I went to a bench and passed out.  Once the city employees began arriving for work, Nick, in the first thing said to any of us, politely asked K-Tank to pick up the beer cans in the lobby.  I once again woke up to drool soaked fabric and decided Gabby was going home whether she liked it or not. 

The sun was high when I found them outside, K-Tank explained she had just left.  ‘I’m going home.’ and stumbled down the street, leaving the three of them to look after me in envy.