Man, what a day! Seriously, I’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around it. So, I’m a carpenter, right? Just your average dude hammerin’ away at wood, makin’ stuff. But today? Today was a whole different ball game.
I woke up in my tiny apartment on Gyeonggi-daero, right? The sun was blazin’ through my window, and I thought, “Today’s gonna be chill.” Ha! Spoiler alert: it was NOT chill. I grabbed my coffee from that little café on Jeongja-dong. You know the one? The barista always messes up my order. I mean, how hard is it to get a black coffee? But whatever, I just rolled with it.
So, I head to this job on Gyeonggi-daero. I’m thinkin’ I’ll just build a nice bookshelf, right? Easy peasy. But nah, the client, this lady named Mrs. Kim, she’s like, “Can you make it out of oak?” I’m like, “Sure, lady, but oak ain’t cheap!” She just smiles and says, “Money’s no object.” Yeah, right. I’m thinkin’ she probably just won the lottery or somethin’.
Anyway, I start workin’, and outta nowhere, this kid runs by, kickin’ a soccer ball. He nails my toolbox! I’m like, “Yo, kid! Watch it!” But he just laughs and keeps runnin’. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time a kid messed with my stuff, I’d be rich.
Then, I’m cuttin’ the wood, and my saw jams. Ugh! I’m there, yankin’ on it like it’s a stubborn mule. Finally, I get it free, but not before I slice my finger. Just a little nick, but man, it hurt like a mother! I’m bleedin’ all over the oak. Great, now I gotta explain that to Mrs. Kim.
But here’s the kicker. While I’m tryin’ to clean up, I hear this loud commotion outside. I peek out the window on the second floor, and there’s a parade or somethin’ goin’ on down on Gyeonggi-daero! Like, what the heck? I didn’t even know there was a festival today!
So, I’m torn. Finish the bookshelf or go check out the parade? I mean, it’s Gunpo! You gotta embrace the chaos, right? I decide to take a break. I grab my tools and head down.
The streets are packed! People are dancin’, music’s blastin’, and there’s food everywhere. I’m talkin’ tteokbokki, hotteok, you name it. I’m droolin’ just thinkin’ about it. I grab a stick of ddukbokki, and it’s spicy as hell! I’m sweatin’ bullets, but it’s so good.
Then, I bump into my buddy Joon. He’s a plumber, and he’s always got the craziest stories. He tells me about this time he had to fix a pipe in a restaurant on Gyeonggi-daero, and the owner was tryin’ to bribe him with free food. Classic Joon!
We’re laughin’ and catchin’ up when suddenly, the parade takes a wild turn. A float with a giant dragon comes rollin’ by, and it’s spewin’ confetti everywhere. I’m like, “Dude, this is insane!” I grab a handful of confetti and toss it in the air like I’m in a music video.
But then, I remember Mrs. Kim. I gotta get back to work! I rush back to the job site, and she’s there, lookin’ at me like I’m crazy. I’m all sweaty and covered in confetti. She just laughs and says, “You’re a mess!” I’m like, “Yeah, but I got the spirit of Gunpo!”
I finish the bookshelf, and it actually turns out pretty nice. Mrs. Kim loves it! She even offers me some homemade kimchi as a thank you. I’m like, “Heck yeah!”
So, I pack up my tools, and as I’m leavin’, I can still hear the parade in the distance. I think about how wild today was. From cut fingers to parades, Gunpo never fails to surprise me.
I get home, plop on my couch, and just laugh. What a day, man. What a day.