Day 132: Caught In A Nightmare

Isn't it funny how life loves to throw you a massive, cruel curve-ball your way sometimes, just when everything is starting to go well? You think you're in the clear, you think you've got both hands on the wheel of life and that you're in control, you think that it's nothing but smooth sailing in those waters ahead of you.

And then SHIT HITS THE FAN!

My, how quickly things can change from being so damn good to so completely, utterly, horribly bad.

I started off today thinking that I was on top of the world, that everything was falling into place, that I had nothing to worry about. And then I had the rug pulled out from beneath me. AND MAN DID I FALL HARD!

Here's how today went down...

Today's plan of action was to subway it from Ilsan to Shihung so that I could pick up my Letter of Release from my old boss Steven, and then subway it back again to Ilsan to deliver the letter to Poly. This letter was absolutely crucial for me to get - my entire life in Korea depended on that letter. The Letter of Release is what allows me to switch from one employer to another. Basically, Steven has to write a letter that 'releases' me from his responsibility, and transfers that responsibility (via Immigration) to Poly who become my new sponsors. Without it I can't get a new work visa with any school, and invariably have to go home to Canada as I can only remain unemployed in Korea for a very short period of time.

When I got into Shihung I phoned up Steven and asked if I could come down and pick up the letter. His tone was less than friendly on the phone, and he said that he wanted to speak to my new director at Poly first. I wasn't sure why, so I phoned Poly and told them to give Steven a call so that I could get my letter from him. Well I waited and waited half the day for someone to phone me back and let me know what the hell was going on, but finally I had to phone Steven myself. This is when Steven told me why he wasn't giving me the letter, and this is when my life completely fell apart around me...

Basically, Steven told me that unless Poly reimbursed him for my plane ticket to Korea, and paid him a fee of 500,000 Won, he would not give me the letter of release. WHAT THE FUCK??? Why on Earth would POLY have to give Steven a bunch of money??? I don't get it!!! Well according to Steven this was 'normal business practices' here in Korea, but it made absolutely no sense to me. When I talked to Poly they said that this indeed was not a 'normal business practice' and that it was just Steven trying to get some money, using me as his bargaining chip. And Poly wasn't going to cave in to his unrealistic, greedy demands.

Steven would not budge an inch at all, and no matter how much I begged and pleaded with him, he wasn't going to back down at all. He wanted that money, and he wasn't going to give up my letter until he got it. He knew that he was in a position of power, and he became so desperate and money-hungry that he was willing to fuck me over to get it. Either Poly paid him, or Steven wouldn't give up the letter, meaning that I'd have to go back home to Canada.

Where the hell did all of this come from? Where did this evil satanic side of Steven come from? This is the same man who's family would make me dinner often, would take me on family trips to amusement parks, who wanted me to spend Christmas with his family at a ski resort, who was completely nice and caring to me since the day I arrived. But he became blind with greed and seriously, it was like a whole other personality coming out. I couldn't reason with him at all. He kept insisting that this was 'not my problem' and that it was 'between the two directors', but he didn't seem to understand that I'M THE ONE WHO GETS FUCKED IF I DON'T GET THIS LETTER!!! I'm the one who gets punished in the end, not the schools!!!! Why the hell would he do this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this from him???

It made absolutely no sense as to why Poly should pay him off. They owed him nothing!!! Steven brought me over to Korea with the promise that I'd be employed for a year. He broke the promise, he let me go (with only 2 days notice, to boot), and now he wants my new school to pay HIM for HIS OWN MISTAKES??? It's not Poly's fault that Steven can't fucking run that school and is as broke as can be. Why should the employer who's offering me salvation - a new job - from the conditions that HE PUT ME IN BY LETTING ME GO have to pay him off?? If anything, Steven should be thankful that I've found a job and that I'll be out of his apartment soon!!! I just could not get my head wrapped around the whole thing. After 45 minutes of getting nowhere on the phone, and both of us getting more and more angry and flustered and exasperated, I gave up for the night.

I got off the phone and practically had a nervous breakdown. I phoned Ailish to vent all of this on her and almost started hyperventilating. My entire future in Korea depended on that one stupid letter, and the one person who could give it to me had turned into a sadistic, greedy, money-hungry, low-life fucking piece of shit scumbag!!!
What the hell was I going to do? I didn't want to go back to Canada (I'm having too much fun in Korea, I like living and working here) and even if I flew to Vancouver and then back to Korea I still wouldn't be able to get a new VISA. I had no hopes whatsoever for employment in Korea without that letter. What was I to do?

I was completely and totally and utterly and royally F-U-C-K-E-D!!!

On top of all this, I had discovered something very unsettling in my apartment. I had just sat down for dinner at my kitchen table when I looked over and noticed that there was something written on the table. There, in blue pen, written right on top of the glass, someone had written:

You Kill
You Die
Scott

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THIS!!!!!!!!?????????????????

Who the hell had written this? And how the fuck did they get into my apartment? AND WHY WOULD THEY WRITE THIS!!!??? Was this some sick joke, someone's idea of really bad humour, or was this a serious (death?) threat? What did it mean???? Whoever had written this did it when I was staying at Steve's earlier in the week cause I had never seen it before. The only person who has access to my apartment other than me is Steven. Occasionally him or Susan will come into my apartment when I'm not home to clean it for me once in a while, but what the FUCK was this about??? To add to the confusion it wasn't even Steven's hand-writing... It looked almost like a kid but not quite? WHO WAS WRITING ME SICK MESSAGES ON MY FURNITURE WHEN I'M NOT HOME???

God, I really *REALLY* need to get out of this place...

I tried to clear my head and go through all the options but there didn't seem to be many. How was I going to get out of this? Steven wanted the money and wasn't going to back down, and Poly was refusing to pay him off. It was a complete standstill, and I was caught in the middle. I decided to try and get some sleep and talk to Poly again in the morning. There has to be a way out of this hellhole...