IM JAEBUM
CANDIDATE 12151920
GOYANG,KOREA
Jaebum read the news on his iHolo with a steaming cup of hot coffee.
It was strange,how everything was going backwards again. Asia was becoming more fascist by the day,spitting on the American refugees,calling their own countries superior. Surely they knew how Mussolini went? He glanced at the front page headlines.
HONG KONG IS SHOWING SIGNS OF A POSSIBLE INVASION
Really,Jaebum thought Hong Kong was getting way too big for its boots ever since they got independence back in 2167.
AMERICANS AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Next to the headline,there was a caricature of an ugly fat man mugging a helpless young woman. Pure propaganda...
Jaebum sipped his coffee and put his iHolo back in his bag. Coffee was a marvel in itself ; what an ancient beverage and they now could drink it in 3018? In all honesty,that was the best thing about today. He opened his pack of biscuits with strawberry filling and crunched down on one.
The coffee shop was warm and busy. Students were typing rapidly on their iHolos,older men were gulping coffee on their lunch break. Some soft,slow songs were put on in the background,setting an idyllic,calm mood to the place.
There was something about the shop. The hustle and bustle was almost better than the music itself,the sounds of life and radiance. People were enjoying themselves or working hard,and that's just how they lived.
Until the beggar came in.
Gasps and frightened screams came in as the skinny,sunken eyed fellow walked in. American,clearly,or Russian. Equally hated,useless refugees who just want to live the rich life. Disgusting,violent and greedy - at least,that is what the news proclaimed.
The man's eyes were mournfully looking at the cups of coffee and sweet treats on plates. It was clear he hadn't eaten such delicacies since ages. He staggered to the counter,where the barista was giving the man a filthy stare.
"C-coffee and cake,please?"asked the man pitifully in broken Korean. Jaebum felt sorry for him but clearly the barista was feeling anything but.
In one,strong move,the barista knocked the man to the floor. The poor man was light enough to knock to the ground so easily.
As the entire coffee shop cheered for the man,Jaebum ran to him and looked at him. There was an angry red mark where the barista had given him the punch.
The man flinched,expecting Jaebum to hit him. But Jaebum did not.
"Come with me,I'm not going to hurt you,"said Jaebum,in English,which made the café stare daggers in his back.
It was the law - English could never be spoken in public places.
Oh well. It was gonna be a few nights in the cells.
Helping him up,Jaebum led the man by his arm and dragged him to his table. To the astonishment of everyone else,he handed the biscuits and the coffee to the man,whose eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The man's eyes started watering and he pulled Jaebum into a strong embrace.
"Thank you,"cried the man,in English,"I didn't know there were nice ones left in the world."
"It's okay,I can buy more,"he reassured,pushing the man away gently,"Go before they call the police on us."
The man smiled and waved thankfully at Jaebum as he scampered out of the café,looking like he'd won the whole lottery. As soon as he left,there was some silence as every eye in the coffee shop was glaring at him. Jaebum tried to crack a grin.
"You piece of filth!"yelled the barista as he came out from the counter,swinging his fist.
~•~
Everywhere hurt.
The entire café had all jumped him,spitting,hitting and yelling. Jaebum was sure that he was going to bruise tonight. They'd got him on the floor and began to kick him mercilessly.
Puppets of the government.
After some time,some idiot called the police on him for the English,and now he was sitting in a cell,staring emptily at the prison bars. A few others were in here,an inebriated man who was singing drinking songs at the top of his voice. A homeless man who seemed to take full advantage of the room,as he slept on the floor rather comfortably and a young teen boy looking higher than a kite.
All he could think was how much he ached all over,barely able to lift a finger without moaning. It was painful,more painful than any aftermath of a particularly vicious fight with his sister,more painful than the dangerous beatings that he used to get from bullies. This was a new type of painful and the fact that it was caused from him aiding a poor man.
The world was sicker than he thought.
Keys jangled,and the beep of a HoloLock unlocking brought everyone to attention. Surveying the room,a stout guard glared at every person in the cell. Then,he pointed a fat,sausage finger at Jaebum,who blinked in confusion.
"Chu. The one who chatted wi' the filth,"said the guard with a country accent,"Get out here. We got a guy wantin' to talk to chu."
Although he didn't know much about prisons,Jaebum knew this wasn't standard procedure. Humans wouldn't come to the cells - no,that was strictly the robots' jobs to escort them around. It had to be something interesting.
"Okay,"replied Jaebum,standing up slowly to not agitate his injuries and fixing his collar,"Where're we going then?"
The guard grinned wickedly,leering in a disconcerting way at him.
"Somewhere fun."
_____
Wow that was strange.
Pen
