“Why did you come to America?”
“To watch the Abyss game.”
“Why come all the way to America just to watch a game? Can’t you just watch it in Korea?”
“My friend gave me a ticket to see the match he’s in.”
“Why did your friend give you the ticket?”
“? I don’t know either.”
“Why only stay for 5 days?”
“…? I just want to stay for 5 days, okay?”
…
“Did you come from Korea?”
“Yes.”
“Are you Korean?”
“Yes, I’m Korean. I live in Korea.”
“You don’t look Korean… Why do you live in Korea?”
“…?”
Endless ‘why?’ questions. Why is the immigration officer so curious?
If there was even a hint of annoyance in their demeanor, I might have been tempted to snap back, but their face was as serious as a cat hearing a can opener. I dutifully answered. Is there a manual for this?
I knew that being in the world’s top superpower meant facing international terror threats and that the entry examination would be intense, but I didn’t think it would be like this. I’d only heard of it before; experiencing it firsthand was a draining affair.
Just as my limited English was wearing down my spirit, I finally passed through the checkpoint.
As I waddled out, I ran into my grandmother.
“Oh dear, sweetie. You’ve turned pale. Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes.”
My English skills are nothing to brag about. My grades were decent, but I never got to the point where I could converse with a native speaker without awkwardness.
So how am I having a conversation with a foreign grandmother now? Wait, what conversation? There was no actual dialogue happening between us.
I was basically decoding her long speeches with a few words that I could catch. Clearly, this grandma seems to think I’m her granddaughter. And let’s be real, grandmas everywhere tend to say similar things, so guessing the content isn’t that hard.
I wasn’t sure if she was senile or just a bit loopy, but I figured I’d use her to get into town and grab a meal. Since it’s my first time here, having a guide might keep me from getting lost.
I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, but my plan was to take Grandma downtown to grab a bite. Since it was my first time here, having a guide would prevent me from getting lost.
If this were Korea, I would’ve handed Grandma over to a nearby police station first, but being in a foreign country, I figured the guide fee could just be covered by the meal. At that point, I could maybe reveal, “Surprise! I’m not actually your granddaughter!”
“It’s such a beautiful day. Perfect for a walk, don’t you think, Alice?”
“Ah, yes.”
Chatting with Grandma in the taxi, we soon arrived at our destination. A sign in English caught my eye. It turned out to be Sampson’s Restaurant. So this was the place Grandma mentioned earlier.
I didn’t even know what they served, but I was feeling hopeful. After all, local hotspots rarely let you down.
“Hey, Sampson!”
“Grandma?”
With a bang, Grandma threw open the door and called out, and a friendly guy with a bushy beard responded. Turns out, the owner’s name was also Sampson. How romantic to have your name on the restaurant’s sign!
“What brings you here? You haven’t been around lately.”
“Just prepare what we usually have. I’m eating with Alice.”
“Alice?”
Sampson turned, looking puzzled. Then he spotted me and quickly zipped his mouth shut.
“It’s Alice who’s back, you clueless Sampson!”
*
Most local eateries are well-known to locals. Online reviews and AI restaurant recommendations are about as reliable as a broken GPS.
Following Grandma would surely lead me to a satisfying meal — my hypothesis was proving accurate at that moment.
Delicious-looking meat, pasta, soup, and sandwiches started appearing on the table.
However, the reason I couldn’t dig in was…
“…Here’s the food you ordered.”
Sampson, who was serving the food, was eyeing me suspiciously.
It was a whole different vibe from the looks I’d gotten at the airport or inside the restaurant. Sampson’s glare was one that you’d give a scammer trying to swindle a sweet old lady.
It was a piercing gaze.
For me, it was utterly unfair. I didn’t approach first; the grandmother approached me first. I tried to clarify the truth, but she didn’t even listen properly.
Well, from Sampson’s perspective, it makes sense. If I were him and my acquaintance, who is a bit out of it, suddenly brought a granddaughter I’d never seen before, I’d definitely be on high alert. Especially since that granddaughter didn’t even deny that she was a granddaughter.
“I’m going to choke on my food….”
I’m already sensitive enough as it is. I wasn’t calm enough to just munch away under Sampson’s sharp gaze, which seemed to be monitoring my every move.
“Take your time eating, Alice.”
“It’s delicious, Grandma.”
I was savoring the food more slowly than usual, discreetly checking Sampson’s mood while he was reorganizing the kitchen behind me. I could feel his incredulous gaze on me. What’s up, mister? We came all this way, shouldn’t we eat?
I planned to eat quickly and part ways with Grandma neatly. Even if he’s not a guardian, I’d run into Sampson, who’s more like a friend, so after handing her over to him, it would be time to unveil the truth.
Just when I was tasting the dishes one by one with those thoughts.
Bang—
The restaurant door swung open, and two men entered.
Wearing black ski masks, black jackets, and gloves.
“Don’t move!”
“Everyone, get down!”
They were armed robbers with guns.
*
“Ahhh—!”
“Run away!”
“Everyone, stay quiet and get down!”
The restaurant was quickly taken over by the armed robbers.
Following their orders, Sampson raised his hands above his head, biting his lip.
“Of all the times….”
I’d heard rumors of armed robbers around. The deputy did give a warning last week.
I was on guard to an extent, but they just had to show up right now. With Welly Grandmother suffering from dementia and that suspiciously beautiful con artist trying to take advantage of it, I was caught off-guard.
“What’s going on…?”
“I’m scared, Mom.”
Everyone in the restaurant was in a state of panic.
“Where’s Grandma?”
Even in such chaos, Sampson kept an eye on Welly Grandmother. An elderly woman with dementia who couldn’t properly identify her own granddaughter. She must be trembling in fear, especially since she likely has a trauma related to situations like this.
An old man who can’t even tell who his own granddaughter is. This grandmother, who surely has a trauma in situations like this, must be quivering in fear.
However, the scene reflected in Sampson’s eyes was completely different from his expectations. The woman he thought was a fraud was actually taking great care of the grandmother.
“Grandma, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”
“Emily… oh, Emily…”
“Breathe slowly. Inhale and exhale.”
The woman was wonderfully caring for the grandmother who was hyperventilating. Sampson, who had suspected her as a scammer, could only stare in disbelief.
“She could have run away through the back door…”
The armed robbers came in through the front door. Since the robbers hadn’t occupied the back, it was definitely a situation where she could have escaped. In fact, a few guests who realized the situation darted out through the back door.
But she didn’t do that. If she were a scammer, she would surely be more perceptive than ordinary people. Thus, it couldn’t have been that her situational awareness was lacking; her decision to stay and not abandon the grandmother was purely her own choice.
“Wasn’t she a scammer?”
Then why is she pretending to be the granddaughter and following the old lady around?
Sampson had questions, but they were of a kind that couldn’t be resolved at the moment.
“Empty your pockets.”
“If you mess around, you’ll get a hole in your head. Got it?”
The armed robbers were threatening the guests inside the shop and snatching their valuables.
“Damn…”
It would be better if they were just taking valuables. Nowadays, there are people who kill for no reason other than to do so.
Fortunately, it seemed that the two inside the shop were not of that type. Their behavior made it clear they hadn’t done this much before. Those kinds would run off at the first sight of the police.
Sampson desperately hoped that some of the citizens who escaped first had reported it, so the police would come quickly.
Rustle—
“What’s that?”
Sampson turned his head toward the sound. The place where the scammer woman had been calming the grandmother.
From there—
Whoosh—
With a sound like something slicing through the air, a figure came flying in.
With snowy white hair fluttering behind.
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