I turn the light off to get some rest, but I feel like my legs are getting itchy and swollen. “What’s happening?” I turn the light back on and take off my pants. I see red bumps and plaques spreading all over my body—thighs, calves, hands, ears. Even my tongue is getting swollen and itchy. I try to calm down and lie back on my bed, but feeling that these symptoms are spreading to my genitals, I freak out and jump out of my bed. “Nooooo!”
It’s almost 5 a.m. and everyone seems to be asleep. Even though I’m Korean, I grew up in America and I haven’t been to a Korean hospital in over eight years. Should I go to the emergency room? What do I do once I get there? I don’t even know what my social security number is. I just come out to the hallway and start knocking on my neighbors' doors. I try waking them up but no one answers. I decide to give it one last try and knock on the door next to the bathroom down the hall.
“Who is it?” I hear a girl’s voice. Sharp and energetic. Doesn’t sound sleepy at all.
She opens the door.
I see an impressive collection of colorful, fancy bras scattered on her bed. She has long, voluminous wavy hair and a tanned, curvy body. Her black nail polish also catches my attention. The whole room smells like some exotic perfume. This is not a typical Asian girl.
“Oh my gosh! What’s happening to your face? Are you ok?” I hear an agitation in her voice.
I tell her I don’t know, but she is already grabbing her wallet and putting on another coating of orange lipstick. Seems like she wants to take me to a doctor. Seeing that my hair is all disheveled, she gives me her blue baseball cap. Not knowing what to do, I just follow her downstairs and watch her wave her hands to the cars passing by. Is she trying to get a cab or hitchhike?
We get into a black Hyundai Sonata. She explains to a stranger that her friend is having an emergency allergic reaction to something she ate and needs to be taken to the nearest hospital. Something I ate? I don’t remember telling her that but I keep my mouth shut.
Twenty minutes later, I find myself in the lobby of Samsung Medical Center.
"How do you feel?" she asks.
YOU ARE READING
Millennial's Monologue: Secret Dramas in Our Hearts & Souls
Non-FictionREAL LIFE STORY: I was a stereotypical high achiever in an Ivy League school who got suspended for plagiarism; April was a sweet girl who worked in a high-end prostitution ring. We were both in our early twenties when we became friends. A perfect...
