"Hey... where are you going?” a voice was heard across from the room, when I was about to leave.
“I’m going downstairs for a sauna,” I told my friend who looked to be still sleeping. So I wasn’t sure if he had properly heard my answer or not. I didn’t care though.
Surprisingly, however, he was conscious enough to interrogate me further.
“A sauna?... Where?”
“In the basement,” I said to him, doing my best not to sound impatient.
“You mean here in this hotel?” he asked doubtfully.
“Yes. The bellboy who carried our suitcases told us so yesterday. Don’t you remember?”
“Did he? No, I didn’t even know he was talking to us. I was busy communicating with Mr. Brown over the phone.”
While he was talking about this, his eyes were still closed. I wondered if he was sleep-talking. Let’s see if he was.
“Well, would you like to join me? I can wait here until you are ready to get out.”
I suggested half-heartedly. I knew he was painstakingly slow when it came to waking up and getting ready. Fortunately, he wasn’t very keen on my suggestion.
“Nah... I’ll give it a miss this time. Enjoy yourself there for me, Daehoon.”
“Ok then, I will. Then see you in an hour or so. Maybe we meet at the breakfast hall rather than here in this room? The sauna is very close to the restaurant anyway.” I replied in a more cheerful tone.
“Yeah, that sounds good to me. Just in case I am not there, call me on my mobile phone, will you?” said the croaky voice.
“No problem. I’ll do it. See you later at the breakfast hall. If not, I will come up here to wake you up.” I said and opened the door to get out of the room.
“Wait... Daehoon. Why are you empty-handed?”
My friend, Sam, was fully awake now, turning his upper body toward me.
“What do you mean by ‘empty-handed’? I told you I was going downstairs for a sauna. What do I need for that?”
“Well, I would bring swimming trunks with me if I were you.” Sam stated in a solemn tone.
“Swimming trunks? What for?" I answered rather indignantly. "I’ve told you, my pal. I’m going to the sauna, not to the swimming pool.”
“I know that," barked Sam, "don’t think I’m an idiot. You still need swimming trunks though. If you haven’t got one, grab a bathrobe or a towel from the receptionist’s desk down there. Whatever they have, they will provide you with something to cover you.” he insisted.
Sometimes I don’t understand why my friend is so serious about nothing. I had no choice but to stand there and stare at him without saying a single word.
“Okay... okay..." pleaded Sam, "if you don’t want to, it’s fine with me. Never mind. But don’t forget. I’ve warned you that you need either swimming trunks or a towel to be decent in a sauna. Don’t be surprised and, moreover, don’t be angry with me later when the time comes.”
Sam is a good friend of mine, but I must admit that he sometimes is a weirdo. Like now, he didn’t know what he was talking about and just babbled away. Probably he was still sleeping and wasn’t himself.
Why would I need swimming trunks for a sauna? What a stupid idea!
I’ve told him several times that I would go to the sauna first thing in the morning. He must have forgotten all about it. I had talked to him about it last night and he still seemed to believe I was going to the swimming pool. People like Sam think one thing and talk totally another.
Let’s forget about him now as I will be relaxing in that cosy sauna and get over my hangover. Oh... I can’t wait.
