Even if it’s called an overseas training program, it wasn’t anything special.
They just referenced certain cases from the U.S. to supposedly create effective precedents.
It sounded like a shiny, unkept vacation plan of an elementary student that wouldn’t be followed.
In reality, it was a vacation funded by taxpayers’ money.
Well, honestly, who among the citizens wouldn’t know that?
“Bedbear!”
Anyway, our first journey in the U.S. was at the hotel.
The 12-hour flight was comfortable enough, but as soon as I threw myself onto the luxurious hotel bed, it felt like nothing could match that comfort.
The smell of the bed was fragrant, and it was so plush that I thought I could just lay here all day.
Every detail of the interior screamed high-end and expensive.
I couldn’t tell the hotel name since it was written in English.
“Well then, we’ll be off for the first schedule, so just wait patiently. You’ll have to take photos, so I’ll make sure from the next itinerary that you can join us.”
The congressman sharing the room, dressed in a suit, was offering up desired answers without me even asking for anything.
It seemed like having a veteran of social life around made things comfortable for me.
“Ah, yes… thank you!”
“Thank you for what? Since it’s a trip, you should see as many places as you can, right?”
With a soft smile, the kind man left the room.
When I only saw lawmakers on the news, they all looked like thieves wasting tax money, but having one on my side felt so relaxing.
Lying in business class or at the hotel felt like I was just getting a refund for all the taxes I had paid.
‘How much is this room even worth…?’
From the business-class flight right off the bat, this luxurious hotel probably sent four figures down the drain.
And we’re scheduled to stay for 9 days.
There were only two rough itineraries, but it already felt like I had blown all the money meant for others’ vacations.
‘Just watch as my taxes melt away like snow in the summer.’
Looking from the room with a good view at the American landscape, I smiled nostalgically.
From a commoner’s perspective, it was impossible not to think about money on this trip.
To think such trips frequently happen among congress members is amusing.
As soon as the adults vanished, a Gomteng popped out of the puffy jacket pocket as if it were a pre-arranged signal.
It scanned the hotel room like a future tenant would before sticking itself to the window in awe.
“Wow, the room and the view are nice!”
“Yeah, right?”
Responding to the cub with a slightly uneasy heart, Siyeon, filled with excitement exploring around, suddenly screamed from the bathroom.
“Mari! Come here! The bathroom is huge!”
“Oh….”
Following that voice, I found a space overly wide for just a bathroom.
A mix of awe floated in the air.
Forget the bathroom at our home; this giant bathtub, which would be a struggle to fit even in the living room, was a basic feature here. It was so spacious that both of us could fit inside comfortably.
The white marble-like stone finishing is also a nice touch.
Seriously, am I really supposed to live here for about 8 days in this unreal palace?
It felt even more detached from reality than the luxurious trip to Sokcho a few years ago, making me think: Can this really be allowed?
“What’s all this? I don’t remember what it said….”
“Really, there seems to be a gym too.”
Coming back from the bathroom towards the living room where the bed was, I saw the Gomteng and Siyeon’s mascot sprawled on the bed, holding a travel brochure of sorts.
Was it called a pamphlet? I didn’t know these existed.
“Let me see.”
I grabbed the booklet that the two dolls were gathered around and looked over the pictures.
I couldn’t understand the tiny bits of English.
It was probably just facility descriptions, so I flipped through the pictures to roughly check what this hotel had to offer.
Sure enough, as Siyeon’s mascot mentioned, there was a gym too.
Besides that, there were saunas, a resort, a garden, aromatherapy, and a restaurant?
I gathered a rough understanding based on the few English words I recognized.
It seemed to boast about having many features.
With the language barrier in place, I wondered how many of these I could actually enjoy.
While I was busy examining the pamphlet, a knock came from the door.
“Hello- ## ##### ###### ####?”
“?”
After knocking, a local woman spoke fluent English.
Besides the initial greeting, I couldn’t understand a single word, and though I didn’t know why she was here, I tilted my head and opened the door.
Beyond it stood a Western woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a large nose, carrying towels around the room.
Is this… the cleaning staff wandering around to clean the rooms?
“Hi- ### ###### ###?”
‘What the hell is she saying?’
Once again, besides the greeting, I couldn’t catch the rest.
Forget about listening comprehension, I couldn’t understand anything.
How do you say “I don’t know English”?
I had no clue; as long as I got the general meaning across, it should be fine.
“Ah, I don’t know speak English….”
“Oh, I came to clean.”
‘What the hell.’
Panicking and trying to speak English as best as I could, suddenly fluent Korean popped out.
I swallowed down the urge to yell.
Then you should speak Korean from the start.
It’s obvious I’m not a local.
As I felt resentful towards the language barrier, a familiar melody popped in my head—an alien with twin tails floated in my mind.
This crazy alien speaking useless English.
Anyway, after the cleaning lady swept through the room, the creased blanket was effortlessly smoothed out without a wrinkle, something that never happened at home no matter how neatly I spread out the blanket. It was just fascinating.
“Oh, did the cleaner come and go?”
As I stayed in the room for a while longer, I heard the sound of a key unlocking the door, and the congressman entered.
He asked us in a casual tone rather than using “housekeeper,” opting for the more colloquial term “cleaner,” showing his age.
I guessed he recognized the wrinkle-free bed because of how he greeted us.
“Yes!”
“Have you finished your itinerary for today?”
After Siyeon’s energetic answer, I threw my question.
The congressman took off his suit and hung it on the hanger, changing into something a bit more comfortable before answering.
“No, others are eating somewhere nearby, and I came here for lunch and to pick you up.”
“Lunch!”
While others were having meals at a local restaurant, our congressman came here for his meal and to pick us up.
Breakfast, lunch, and even dinner were all provided at this luxurious hotel.
It’s an extravagance that all three meals are buffets.
If only there were no language barrier, I thought I could just sit leisurely in the hotel, enjoying all the meals without missing a bite.
But, to present some evidence to the guys I claimed to be a frequent visitor to Siyeon, I figured I should at least hit some famous tourist spots.
‘As expected, no rice here.’
The meals at the American hotel consisted of bacon, fried eggs, and various types of bread.
They were quite different from the buffets one might find in Korea.
Scrambled eggs, sausages, meatballs resembling hamburger patties, croissants, bagels, omelets, and cream soup filled the table.
All the kinds of bread and what Koreans would call Western cuisine could be found.
Even if I thought I wanted to dip the sausages in ketchup and have a bite with white rice, everywhere I looked, it was just bread, bread, and more bread.
When thinking about Western eating habits, it can’t be helped.
It’s hard to call it a meal without rice, but there are times when you just fill your stomach with meat alone.
Stuffing my mouth with bread, bacon, sausage, and omelet definitely filled me up.
Somehow, it felt similar to having my stomach filled with side dishes, without rice.
Whatever, the taste was good, so I didn’t mind.
After filling my plate three times and getting well-fed, I hopped into the car with the congressman to head to the destination while taking in the sights.
The streets were so different from Korea.
Given the vast land, it was oddly unlike the streets filled with tightly packed apartments in Korea.
There was just an American vibe to it.
I can’t describe it well, but it felt American style.
Whether it was a training schedule or a travel itinerary, we took pictures in Hollywood, which was supposedly famous.
“Hmm.”
Showing the back of my hand for a V pose.
Those pixel sunglasses that constantly appear in overseas memes.
Those were also available products, so Siyeon and I put them on and took pictures together.
It seemed like the congressman who was taking the pictures wouldn’t fit in frame, but occasionally Siyeon and I swapped places, trying to look like a cozy family.
“Did you take enough pictures?”
“…I don’t think we need to take any more.”
Even in just one day, the smartphone gallery overflowed with scents of America.
Among them, there was one picture that stood out, featuring two exuberant black guys posing in the background as we took photos.
What could they possibly be, these two?
Anyway, the photo added an American playfulness, so it didn’t really matter.
“Oh, fucking shit!”
Just as we were moving around in the taxi, the characteristic expressions of an American taxi driver’s swearing followed by a sudden brake startled us all.
With the congressman in a fluster, I leaned towards the driver’s side and asked him.
“What’s happening?”
What a classic Korean English pronunciation.
But at least it seemed he understood, hurriedly shifting gears and turning the car around.
“Monster, fucking monster!”
Even though I didn’t know the English phrases, I understood the curses quite well.
To translate directly… Monster, that fucking monster!
Right, there are monsters in America too, aren’t there?
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