STALKER

Chapter 65 - 11.00 pm August, 1905 Seoul part 2

Again, sorry if I have made any huge historical mistakes or cultural faux pas.  Hopefully, I haven't.  Not totally happy with this chapter, it may need tweeking.

I moved us to where the gate façade cut back into the high stone wall that surrounded Gyeongbokgung Palace. It gave us a good view of what was about to happen and hid us from the people we were watching.  Weirdo pulled out his phone and took photos of anything and everything.

"Damn, over there. Look. It's you." Weirdo was standing right behind me, pointing...zero discretion. I'm sure if he got any closer our combined sweat would have glued us together. I elbowed him to back off and he did for about a second and then moved back.   Snap, Snap more photos.

 "Look at you! You must have been shitting yourself. I can't imagine how you felt coming here on your own, not knowing what to expect." He punched me hard on the arm. "I never saw you as badass...more of a dumbass."

"Shut up and just watch, you'll be arriving soon." I lit up another cigarette and Weirdo instantly moved away without being told. Cigarette smoke is also known as Weirdo repellent! "Here you come."

I pulled out my phone and used the zoom on the camera to get a closer look at the action. Weirdo moved up behind me, looked at the scene before us, and then the screen "Which one am I, I can't tell?"

I focused on me instead. I could tell the exact moment I recognised him.  How I started to fidget. I can see that I'm practically up on my toes with tension, as I fumble for my phone. I remember clearly how I felt...I was beside myself with excitement. I moved the screen to the original Weirdo and his friends. I'm seeing him for the second time and it occurs to me that he looks like a thug, a hard man.

"See those three guys heading towards the stalls in a hurry. You are the guy in the suit." I lifted my camera a little closer to his face and he stared at the man.

"Shit that's really me." He blinked, and trembled violently against me. The reality of it hit him unexpectedly. "I wondered what I did wrong in this life?" The next minute his friends start harassing the stall owner. The original Weirdo stands to one side, not getting his hands dirty. A little distance and a new perspective make me see him in a different light, maybe the original Weirdo was a villain.  Beside me Weirdo is snapping away.

I watch me taking photographs, inching closer, and then he turns towards me. I remember the moment our eyes met, it scared the crap out of me. "Hey!   Get ready to move. I'm going to be jumping back in a couple of minutes."  I warned Weirdo to be prepared.  He pulled his cap down lower over his face.

"Take this." I hand him my satchel and Weirdo puts it over his shoulder. 

"There look. I've just turned around." I point my finger,  then pull Weirdo around in front of me, to hide me from myself, then turn my face to the wall. I don't see it, but I hear my footsteps as I run past. The next moment I hear Weirdo's loud gasp.

"Fuck! Fuck! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." He blurts out in surprise,  as the footsteps suddenly stop. I look up and I'm gone. Weirdo is staring at the spot where I had been and trembled even harder. "You just vanished." He snapped his fingers. 

 "Poof and you were gone." He starts to dry-wrench, reality can be a bitch.

"We haven't got time for this crap." And I slap him hard against his already heaving stomach. "Man up for goodness sake or we'll waste our chance." Weirdo gasps for air. I probably didn't do him any good hitting him in the stomach but at least it stopped the disgusting gagging.

I watch the original Weirdo take a few steps to follow me but then he stops when more people join in the melee. "OK...here's our chance. We come strolling back, all nice and calm. I'll make up some crap about suddenly realising you'd wandered off, just arrived in Seoul...blah blah something something, bull shit bull shit. Hopefully, I will get an opening and I can ask his name." Weirdo nods still holding his stomach.

"If that doesn't work I don't have a plan B and we just turn around and leave OK!" I stare him down and make him confirm he gets what I'm saying, no taking any risks.

I pull the paper bag of mandarins out of the satchel and push him towards the noisy crowd of people. Several more stall owners have joined in, it's getting loud and there's an exchange of blows. Original Weirdo is still keeping his distance. I suspect he's watching out for Japanese military police, perhaps he's the lookout if they need to make a quick getaway.

Weirdo and I start moving back around the stalls trying to look casual, while on the inside both of us are freaking out.  We stick out like sore thumbs.  I hope my talent for bull shitting is in good form today.   I hand Weirdo a mandarin and I start peeling one for myself.  They are luxuries,  so the locals will be looking at them and not us. 

 We come around the corner and the original weirdo is only meters away. I hear Weirdo grunt next to me and move closer, so our shoulders are rubbing as we walk. I'm looking at the stalls; looking at the guys arguing; looking everywhere except at our target, and chatting to Weirdo nonchalantly.  In reality we probably look as guilty as hell.   When I finally turn to look at the original Weirdo our eyes lock and he's looking at me suspiciously.  I can't blame him. I did just run off like a lunatic only minutes before.  Now I'm back and with a sidekick.

"He's looking at us, hopefully, he will approach us."  I leaned in and whispered in Weirdo's ear as we both looked on as one of the stall owners started to use a broom handle to whack one of original Weirdo's henchmen.

"You were told not to sell those cigarettes out in the open."  One of the men said as he scooped up packets Black Cat and Gold Flake cigarette packets.  "The police will know you got them from the black market you fool.  You'll get us all arrested."   I repeated what I just heard to Weirdo.   So it looks like they might be the bad guys after all.

While I'm whispering in his ear and peeling my mandarin I can feel original Weirdo's eyes on us.  "He's watching us."  Here goes nothing I tell myself and pull Weirdo along with me in his direction.

"Greetings again."  I wait but he just stares at me. Eyes Weirdo next to me who is staring so blatantly at him it's verging on creepy.  

"A little less eye contact might be a good idea,"  I say to Weirdo quietly.  I notice his hair has escaped his cape and he's sweating heavily.  It's not just the heat, it's more like panic.

"Are you going to intervene before the military police come?"  Original Weirdo's eyes widened and his face hardened, I could see his jaw twitch.  I casually offered him a mandarin, which he just glared at, then looked back at the crowd as placidly as I could.  All the cigarettes have been bagged and the storekeeper was now  a crumped mess on the ground.  His cowardly fellow stall owners retreating.

"My name is Timothy Morrison."  I reached out my hand, it's not a traditional greeting but I suspect if I bowed I'd get it wrong.  "And this is my friend Peter Troy."  My throat was getting tighter by the minute.  Cough Cough.

"녕하십니까  You speak our language flawlessly.  That is very unusual.  You must have lived here a long time to sound so much like a local."  Original Weird had a surprisingly deep voice.  He spoke slowly and deliberately. More than anything I noticed how still his face was, except for his eyes which were bright and kept darting between Weirdo and me.  Still no introduction.   Beside me, Weirdo was getting impatient.   If his original version thought we were suspicious to begin with, he was making us look even worse with his fidgeting.  It wouldn't be hard to mistake his nervousness for being guilty about something.  

"Maybe we should leave.  This is freaking me out.  I can't stop looking at him, he's terrifying.  I'm terrifying."  Weirdo said quietly as his hand slips around my arm, which original Weirdo notices.

I offer my hand again and this time he takes it and shakes it firmly. I thought I'd give it one more go.  "A pleasure to meet you Mr. ..."  I waited but he wasn't sharing.  

I'd was at the point of giving up when he said.  "My name is  Kim Han-gyeol.  안녕히 계세요 "  Bingo!  Weirdo stepped forward, grabbed his hand and shook it almost off his wrist.    I don't know who was more startled me or the original Weirdo.  He pulled his hand away.

"Too much, Petru." I turned us around and headed back the way we came.  We slipped quickly behind the stalls and kept going.  

"Are you ready?"  I looked at a nervous looking Weirdo.  I could see he wasn't looking forward to the jump.  He took my hand and I held on tight.  

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