Happier | BTS | [Eng]

0 - Mondo

It was about ten thirty in the morning. Gong Eun Seok put her suitcases down and looked up at the big sign in the building. Mondo was exactly the same. The giant blue letters had not changed except for the paint that was beginning to flake a little. They should be repainted, she thought, sighing.
It was her dream: to build a building that was not too big, to follow the standards of sustainable development, to call it « Mondo» a place where she would welcome all lost souls and even undocumented ones. Living in harmony with them, getting involved in some of their personal problems, being the heroine who fixes everything and being nicknamed Mama Gong. The building was there, but everything else seemed to belong to the word "dream".

She returned to her apartment lazily carrying her luggage and thought about the gentle sea breeze that she would no longer feel every morning. The house was also exactly as she had left it. The little slippers at the entrance, the chairs well placed against the table, the covered dishes and the sheets of the bed without any folds: all this monotony made her neurasthenic. She even wished she had been robbed; at least it could have brightened up the day she arrived. She regretted for a moment cleaning up before leaving for her hometown, then went to the kitchen.

Mrs. Gong poured herself a glass of water and wondered if those two months away from her daily life had really helped her to take stock. She still didn't know if she was going to grant him this divorce or not. She looked at the apple-shaped watch stuck to the living room wall and hurried to get ready for her eleven o'clock appointment. It would be indecent to keep Master Ji waiting, but she took great pleasure in imagining her husband waiting in the waiting room of the courtroom. She was not really eager to hear her husband's arguments to get the judge's good graces. And anyway, any apology was good. Madam is not fulfilling her marital duty, Madam is neurotic, Madam has not given me children, but the most childish thing she has heard so far was "Madam is seeing another man". Once changed, she came out laughing slightly. Her husband wasn't very smart, but for this one, he probably emptied all his imagination...

Gong Eun Seok quickly stopped by the reception to check if her dear tenants had paid their electricity and water bills during her absence and also to take some money. Strangely, the total water consumption of the building had doubled and that of electricity tripled. She noted in her brain notebook that she had to talk to the Hua family about their daily consumption and then turned off the computer. As she passed by the mailboxes, she found it more and more curious: only apartments 03, 04, and 05 were inhabited but the seventh floor box was full of bills and letters. But it was probably Kang Lucie who gave the wrong address to her many lovers....

Mrs. Gong pretended not to care. It is true that in a small building like Mondo, the slightest change was prominent. She finally got out of the building and did her best to ignore these strange little details. Walking towards the main street, Mrs. Gong met Mr. Arturo, the caretaker who greeted her with a huge smile. He was always in a good mood and seemed happy to see the lady again.

- Oh, is it garbage day? She asked, burying her hands in her coat pockets.

- Yes! The truck goes by at eleven o'clock! He replied, waving huge garbage bags in the air.

It was much more than what the whole building produced in one month and yet it was the weekly collection.

- Why are there so many this week? Screamed Mrs. Gong looking at the plastic bags with big round eyes. The Hua family, these Chinese people seriously! Didn't they understand the principle of an eco-neighborhood...?

- Pardon me? But it's always been like that. At least, since January. And that's very normal.

- Very normal? But not at- Wait, what time is it?

It was a quarter to eleven and Mrs. Gong started running to the nearest bus stop. Her heart hurt a little when the words "the holidays are over" resonated in her head. And then, on the other hand, taking her life back to where she had suspended it was a little reassuring for her. Things in Mondo needed to be taken care of. Not far away, she saw Jae Woo carrying a big cardboard box out of the real estate agency where he worked and prayed for a dismissal. She then continued on her way without regretting her wish.

Before crossing the street, her eyes crossed those of a very familiar man. He had a thin smile on his face and invited Mrs. Gong to join him. He wore an elegant black suit, varnished shoes and round golden glasses. A blissful smile split Mrs. Gong's face and she totally forgot about Mondo and his weird stories, the meeting with the lawyer and even her husband for a few moments...

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