Train to Busan

In July 2023, only a few months back, the US military announced they had moved a nuclear submarine to Busan in the south east tip of South Korea. Days later, North Korean President Kim Jong Un (& sister & daughter) announced the North would nuke Busan.

As it so happens, when all the above shannigans were taking place, MB2, daughter of MB, was in the throes of planning her University erasmus year trip to south Korea, more specifically, to the city of Busan. MB (wisely!) allowed the political heat to dissipate over a few days before contacting Kim JU through some back channels, explaining that MB2 would shortly be arriving in Busan and would he mind not nuking the city for at least one year? Kim JU answered in the affirmative, not wanting to get on the wrong side of MB, which would bring the wrath of St Patrick on his head, which is the very last thing he would need as he tries to deal with the daily Yankee threat.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so the old saying goes. The truth of MB’s tale is evident for all the world to see. There is no mushroom cloud hovering over Busan, no shadows of human forms scorched into the hard concrete paving. The parks and playgrounds are jam packed with playful Busanians, and all is well in Busan. And MB2 has arrived at her university a few weeks back and immersed herself into the local cultural scene like soft Irish rain on the face.

MB is presently some 40,000 feet over the Iranian hinterland as he writes this post, sipping red merlot and munching warm focaccia bread en route to Seoul, before the onward journey to Busan.

MB will take the train to Busan. There’s a high speed bullet train that covers the journey in approx 3 hours at a speed of over 300 km/hr.

Upon informing some Philippino work colleagues of his imminent trip in recent days, MB was asked if he’d ever by chance watched the zombie movie ‘Train to Busan’. No, replied MB, but MB later watched some clips of the movie on YouTube. A zombie male somehow manages to bypass the station security guys and slips on board the train, to Busan, and not long after, most of the passengers are attacked and themselves become zombies, as is the way of things in the zombie world.

Having easily dealt with Kim JU (& sister & daughter), MB will, in the coming hours, face the Busan train zombie threat. He will attempt to negotiate it carefully and will lock the door of his sleeper carriage from the inside. Any shouts or screams he may hear from outside will be blissfully ignored. Becoming some kind of hero is not on MB’s agenda. The other passengers can basically fend for themselves, far as MB is concerned. If they haven’t appraised themselves of the zombie threat, then tough bananas. Survival is the name of the MB game and arriving in Busan as a normal cognitive human being is the sole goal. Should MB succeed, then he will make some follow-up posts from Busan in the coming days. But if the HX blog site goes silent, then dear followers, you will know that the worst has come to pass and MB is stuck in some bloodied netherworld state of zombiehood.

Fingers crossed for MB!