Absurdity Essay, Research Paper
Absurdity
# O. Building
Below the stairs in front of the building. When walking up the stairs, the gate of the building opens wide as if it welcomes you, and you get to a door after passing through a long hallway. when the door opens, you see the inside of the room with a bright atmosphere. And a moment later, the caption goes up on a black screen.
-F. I
# 1. A Room
Coming through the blinds, warm rays of sunlight cover the room softly, and a pendulum of the metallic ornament is moving in no directions under the window. And a voice is heard.
Man #1. N); It is the fifth time. You, thickhead. Dont’ hurry. Just listen to what I am saying. It has been already the fifth time that my presentiment came true. Of course, I studied some astrology and physiognomy when I was young. But, those are far from enough for me to explain the presentiment like this. Right, I bet it is intuition. Did you hear about telepathy? I guess this is something like that.
I had a strange feeling yesterday morning. It was early at dawn. I had slept out the day before yesterday. I don’t remember where I slept, but I felt it was a little cold.
My place?. Well, my house is great! There is my cozy room on the second floor. By the way……., you, ignorant……idiot. Listen carefully. As I said a moment ago, telepathy, that is it. I was waiting with the telepathy, hiding in a side street of the mental hospital. -O.L-
# 2. In the alley in the front gate of the mental hospital(early morning)
A raggedly dressed man is waiting for something, hiding behind the wall and shaking with cold.
A broad garden is seen through the windows of the hospital and a huge iron gate that is opened wide. Following is Man #2. With messy hair and glasses on, he looks around the surroundings after looking at his watch.
Man #1 is watching Man #2’s movements carefully. Man #2 starts walking toward Man #1 right after noticing him. Man #1 runs out of the alley as if running away.
Man #1. N); Why do I run away? Well, yesterday couldn’t be exception after the last four times’ run-away.
After running here and there through the alleys, Man #2 stops when he gets to a place that sells broths to chase a hangover. Man #1, grinning in front of the glass door, opens the rattling door to enter.
# 3. In the restaurant that sells broths to chase a hangover
Man #1 turns around to close the door quietly, and turns around again. He looks around
the inside of the restaurant. Nobody is seen in the restaurant when the camera pans following the man’s eyes. When the camera comes back after a pause, there are men sitting in an orderly manner. After grinning a little while, he flops down on the table with a solemn look, sitting with his back against the glass window.
Man #1:(In a dignified manner) Could you bring me a broth soup and a bottle of So-Ju?(the best known Korean hard liquor).
When he was about to drink it off after he pours out some So-Ju into a glass, he suddenly stops, and looks back to take a quick glance as if embarrassed. The camera pans following the man’s eyes. Man #2 enters through the glass door.
Again, Man #1 is sitting calmly with a solemn look as if nothing happened.
Man #2 comes to the opposite side of the table on which Man #1 is sitting ,and takes a seat.
Man #2; Can I get a cup of coffee, here?
Man #1 turns his eyes away from Man #2, frowning at Man #2 as if he feels Man #2 looks pitiful to him.
N): What an insane!
Man #2 smiled a cynical smile with a pitiful look.
Man #1(with a disagreeable look): This is not a tea house.
Man #2 quickly held up his head and pulled up his glasses as if he was embarrassed.
Man #2(cautiously)What is it you are drinking?
Man #1(bluntly)I am gulping down So-Ju.
Man #1(grinning)Do you think it is So-Ju? No, it is Coffee.
Man #1 looks down the glass on the table in surprise.
There, a cup of coffee is sitting on the table. When he looked around the surroundings as if embarrassed, the place changed into a tea house in the twinkling of an eye.
# 4. In a tea house
There is no customers except a few waitress chatting with each other in front of the counter.
Man #1 and Man #2 are sitting face to face in the last table of the house.
Man #1 looks Man #2 up and down with a suspicious look.
Man #2: Are you still writing novels?
Man #1: Of course, I am.
Man #2: What are writing?
Man #1: I am gathering some material about Pablof’s “Conditioned Reflex”. Well, aren’t you mental? I saw you coming out of the mental hospital a little while ago.
Man #2(After glaring at Man #1 with a hardened look, he laughed loudly and closde his eyes half)Where in the world is somebody who could insist that he is not mental?
Man #1:(shaking his body as if nervous)There is.
Man #2: You’re saying there is such a stupid?
Man #1: I mean mental like you.
Man #2: You are saying I am mental.
Man #1: Right. You, idiot. You are a happy stick. What are you but mental if you don’t know you are mental?
Man #2: Then, you mean people in the street all know the fact that they are mental.
Man #1: Of course, they do. That’s why they are all dreaming(straightening his posture as if cooled down). Dreaming makes them forget the fact that they are mental for a moment.
Man #2: I guess they are mental only when they sleep.
Man #1: (coolly) Of course. You, dumb ass! In addition, they are like foolish dogs or swines that respond to morning sunlight. (sitting closer to Man #2) I mean, do you know why they get dressed, put on shoes, brush their teeth, and go out when morning comes?(pushing in his head) That’s because they are afraid of being disclosed to other people that they are mental. Do you know why they are afraid of being disclosed? That’s because they know they are mental. Also, do you know why Pablof’s dogs slaver? That’s because they want to tuck meats into the mouths. Sunshine is the devilish sound of a bell for us(drawing his seat back a little). We lose our soul to the faint particles of transparent sunray, and then we slaver. A stupid pessimist said that it is the blind will to live. It is self-deception, hypocrisy and self-justification. All of the mental should die. Someone is spreading the virus of mental disease.
Man #2:(whispering) So, you think I am happy because I don’t know I am mental even though I really am.
Man #1. Shut up! Are you saying that, knowing what happiness really is?
(moving his seat backward) Drink it! Drink mine, too! I didn’t drink even a drop.
Happiness means less unhappy. You have no reason to be unhappy! You were chaos from the very beginning. But, you seem like a little clever guy for mental. How long have you been here in the mental hospital?
Man #2; I’ve been here since I got a training for a couple of years
Man #1: Chap! I bet you could be out of hospital in no time. Now, you know even about training.( getting up with his butt sticking on his chair, and taking his seat right next to Man #2) Do you know what training means? It is something like rehearsal for a play. Do you know the sophistry that actors are the smartest absurdity mankind?
Although we’ve been going on the rampage five times so far, we should be proud of ourselves. It’s fun, though.
Man #2: You carry your joke too far. Have a drink!
Man #1: You, wretch. You really went nuts!
(as if laughing at Man #2) This is a tea house. I was kidding when I pretended we are in a tavern. I thought you are a really smart guy, but now it turns out you are a total insane.
(hitting Man #2 in his head) This is a tea house! Come to yourself! You, idiot.
With a dirty look, Man #2 spits coffee from the crack between his front teeth to the face of Man #1 who is pushing his head in to him.
Moving his seat backward, Man #1 cracks his knuckles, frowning his face as if threatening Man #2.
Man #2 is looking at his watch.
Man #2: Patient No.27! You’d better stop it, now. It is already the fifth time.
You were hiding in front of the hospital, knowing that I would be out to search for you. What am I supposed to do if you get out of the hospital without saying a word, pretending you are all right?
Where did you sleep, yesterday? You stayed up all night wandering about the street again, huh?
Now, it’s time to go back to the hospital. Your fellow patients are waiting for you.
Man #1 is snickering. Then, he goes behind the back of Man #2 after getting up from his seat with a happy look.
Man #1. N): he! he! he!. My room is on the second floor, and I am mental No.27. The guy is a doctor who went through a few years of internship.
Man #1 puts a cigarette into Man #2’s mouth, resting his hands on Man #2’s shoulders.
Man #2’s eyes follow Man #1’s movements.
Man #1 picks up a sheaf of the script after putting on a white gown.
# 5 In a bright room with a ray of winter sunshine
Man #1: What do you think about? We’ve just read together as if reading the lines. I guess we’ve got much better than before. (Putting down the script he was looking in) You can really be out of hospital. You said you were a nameless writer before you came in here. Although you are far from perfect at framework and plot developing , it seems that you almost came to yourself. Try hard to write a good one. I will keep watching you. I will let you get out of the hospital sooner or later.
Two cups of coffee are sitting on a clean table. A nurse is boiling water in a kettle in the corner of the room.
Man #2 is lighting up a cigarette, smiling.
Man #1:(dusting off the coffee from his gown, toward the nurse) Bring me the sick list.