Someone was pounding on the door outside and shouting something unintelligible.
I mean it was unintelligible to me anyway while I was under the heavy influence of sleep and alcohol. I had enjoyed too much of drinks till very late.
For a second or two, I thought I was back in my dormitory room which had been shared by three other lads. While studying at the uni, there was always a pounding on our door. Usually in the morning, either because someone was kind enough to let us know the fire alarm went off or just because one of us, usually me, was late for classes. I always dreaded the fire alarm, since everyone had to evacuate the building whether there was real fire or not.
I gradually realized I wasn’t back in the dormitory room. Instead I was in a hotel room where I was to stay for the next three days during the conference. To fit into the tiny budget assigned to us, I was sharing a twin room with my colleague Daehoon.
At first I protested that we deserved two single rooms rather than one twin room. To no avail! We had to drive eighteen hours for the return journey for God’s sake. Not to mention of spending several sleepless nights in preparation for this conference.
Secretly I was happy to share the room with my closest friend though.
Anyway, who could be at this early hour of the day to pound our room, I mean, early for Sunday morning? And at a small business hotel room in this lonely part of the city?
Even after what seemed to be an eternal silence from my side, the pounding didn’t stop. Nor did the shouting. I was still unable to make out what the guy was shouting about. Whoever was at the door was persistently doing his job.
I could tell by this time it was ‘he’ rather than ‘she’ who stood at the door. But no further information than that.
The guy was disorienting my sleep and tormenting my ears. And now the pounding got harder and louder. I was afraid that sooner or later people who were staying at the same floor with me in this hotel might wake up too and wonder who the devil was there to make such a noise.
Ok, it’s like my old uni life. Whoever wanted my attention, I had to give it to him. Otherwise, the matters would never be sorted out.
Reluctantly I raised myself from the bed and went to the door. Without checking who was outside through the peephole, I opened the door. All I hoped for that moment was to get back to my sleep as quickly as I could with minimum interruption. I didn’t care who was at the door and what he wanted to do with me at all.
Unfortunately, my plan to sleep more didn’t go very well. I was abruptly grabbed by the shoulder and some angry shouting filled my ears. I looked back and found a man in white.
A man in white outfit shouldn’t be very strange. The white robe in question was, however, so small for his size that he looked comical despite his angry look. The design was somewhat feminine too: small flower patterns of embroidery and accentuating waistline. Neither of these features could be welcome for men’s outfits, could they?
To my great shock, it was Daehoon in that tiny feminine bathrobe.
“What the hell is going on, Daehoon? Why are you in that ludicrous outfit?” I found myself shouting.
“You, son of bxxxx! You didn’t tell me on purpose, did you?” my friend screamed vehemently into my ear, ignoring my question.
“What… uh, what do you mean by that I didn’t tell?” I asked in a faltering voice.
“You didn’t tell me that women use the same sauna too.” he shouted back.
“Ah... you realized that NOW. I told you clearly that you needed swimming trunks or a towel for the sauna, didn’t I?” I defended myself although my voice didn’t sound very convincing.
“You should have told me WHY I needed them.” his voice became somewhat softer but still angry.
“Did you give me a chance to explain to you? No, you didn’t. You have just left without a second thought. That’s all, my friend. I’ve warned you enough and you haven’t listened.”
“I know but…”
Daehoon’s voice faded away and he sighed deeply.
“What happened?" I asked gingerly, "and why are you wearing that robe? It looks like a women’s or even kid’s to me. What about your clothes you were wearing earlier?” I spoke gently so as not to provoke him again.
“Oh, it sure is the worst day of my life. I wouldn’t be very surprised if the police are looking for me now or even coming here this moment to get me.”
With this, my friend collapsed onto the surface of the bed and, to my great horror, he started crying. It was my bed he was on but I didn’t point this out to him. So I remained silent. Judging from the state he was in, I might be able to picture what he had just gone through in that sauna.
