Two Loves

By Martha Karpoff

About the Book
Karri Moody, author of Park Hae Jin Does the Kama Sutra or The Sweetest Story Ever Told, her husband Mitchell Moody, and Park Hae Jin, K-drama star, are taken to a hill to be executed but are saved by Karri’s quick thinking. Eight people are killed that night. Karri, Mit, and Hae Jin are forced to become their own detectives, models, planners, TV stars, nurses, imposters, comedians, and friends. Lions, Yale, baseball, magic elixirs, Netflix, bravery and inventiveness all come into play as Karri, Hae Jin, and Mit use sex to clarify the future. Love is the only answer.

About the Author
Martha Karpoff worked in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, for seven years during the 1980’s. Upon returning to the United States, she became a grant writer for three New Mexico Native American tribes. Her proposals were awarded several million dollars for these tribes. Married to a professional facilitator, she herself has some background in facilitation.
During the pandemic, Karpoff watched many K-dramas and especially liked those with Park Hae Jin. She wanted to write a book that went against the stereotype of an older man, younger woman love story. Who better to be the younger man than Mr. Park? She wanted to make those older women smile.
Karpoff has a degree in mathematics, which makes her detail oriented. She likes baseball, which she played on the schoolyard. Karpoff has been through a revolution in the Philippines, blockades in Manila and Cebu, and traveling on convoys in Bosnia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RoseDog Books
• Release date: Aug 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889259008

Book preview

Chapter 1

Some people might wonder why I’m annoyed. Right now, I’m annoyed because I just wrote a book about Park Hae Jin, or rather the ‘persona that I created for him, and only three (3) people, other than myself, have read it. It’s a wonderful book in which ‘my persona gets to have sex with PHJ’s persona for years. I don’t settle for just a one-night stand.

The three people who have read my book are my best friend and her daughter and my husband. My best friend said it caused a discussion with her daughter about older women who want or need more sex than they are getting. Older women may be a quarter of the population of the world!

My husband seemed to be a little more critical of the book. I think it’s because I had him die prior to the opening scenes of the book. I’m pretty consistent in that in all (3?) the stories I’ve written about PHJ, I either kill my husband off or he dies before the story even begins. I can think better if I don’t have a husband and am able to charm, kiss, and possibly have sex freely with other characters, especially PHJ. Also, he thinks the book is too skimpy in the first half and too blatant and full of sex in the second half. I think he thinks that I’m being ‘indelicate’. In general, he seems to be opposed to Park Hae Jin and me getting together!

Karri Moody previously had sent her letter about the book she wrote off to Red Hasthings, and she settled in for a wait. The summer in Albuquerque was hot or rainy depending on the day. She went back to her Kenya notes and began to construct an account of the journey to becoming a member of the Maasai tribe. To think about those times, those people, and the Prescott college students was an interesting feat of memory.

A knock on her door was surprising, since not many people would come through the closed gate to the house. At the door was a middle-aged man in a suit. Glancing to the street, she saw a large white limousine sitting by the red yucca, roses, and coral bells. Keeping the screen door closed she said, Yes?

Hello. I’m looking for a Karri Moody. Are you she?

Yes.

My name is John Smith. I’m here representing Netflix. You recently sent a letter to Red Hasthings.

Yes. May I see some identification?

I have my card.

Let me get my glasses. Stepping out onto the porch with her bare feet, in shorts and a t-shirt, she took his card.

What can I do for you, Mr. Smith?

We were wondering if you might come over to our Netflix offices here in town and bring your novel so we might read it.

Who is the ‘we’?

It will be myself, Mr. Hasthings, our acquisitions editor, a Korean translator, and Mr. Park Hae Jin.

You’re doing all this on the basis of a letter?

Yes.

You certainly are a very responsive company.

Mr. Hasthings said he had a feeling about you.

Is Park Hae Jin in the car?

No, it’s just my driver.

So, would you like me to come with you right now?

Yes, if possible.

Karri got dressed and hopped in the limo.

At Netflix, Park Hae Jin entered the waiting room.

Karri was astounded. Here she was, alone, in a room with Park Hae Jin! This could be a big blow to her crankiness.

The door to the conference room opened. Please come in, Mr. Park.

Karri got up and went looking for a diet coke. She drank it while sitting in the lobby, then headed to the bathroom.

She went back to the waiting room where she was originally seated. The room was dark. She opened the door where the meeting had been. That room was also dark. She yawned. Did they abandon me? Or was I just forgotten?

Walking out in the hall, every place seemed dark. Maybe it was closing time. Pulling out her cell phone, she called her husband Mit to come over and pick her up. He told her it would be about 30 minutes until he got there.

Going down to the front lobby, there were two people at the front desk and a couple of security guards. She asked if they had seen Red Hasthings leave the building.

One of the receptionists said, Mr. Hasthings works at our Los Angeles office.

Karri said, Maybe you didn’t know that he’s here in town. Did you see an older man with 3 or 4 other people, including a tall, good-looking Korean man, possibly leaving in a limo?

Yes, Mr. Smith came here through the lobby with a bunch of people, and they all got into a waiting limo.

Karri got the card from Mr. Smith out of her purse and called him, but no one answered. She showed the card to the receptionist. Is this his cell number, do you know?

The receptionist looked at the card and said the number was his office number.

Could you please call his cell number, please? We need to check if everything is okay.

"Why would you say that?’ she asked.

Mr. Smith just picked me up in his limo less than an hour ago and brought me here to meet with the group that just left. Why would he do that? Mr. Hasthings asked me to come here.

The receptionist said, I don’t think I am allowed to do that.

You can’t call Mr. Smith on his cell phone? There’s something strange here. Can you call your head of security? Call him or her now!

One of the security guards stepped up and grabbed Karri. Miss, you need to calm down.

Let go of me. I’m a guest here. You guys need to ramp up your own concern for Mr. Smith and the CEO of Netflix!

Okay, calm down ma’am.

Karri’s phone rang. It was Mit calling from the gate. They won’t let me in. Can you walk down to the gate?

I’m in a little bit of a situation here. I’ll call you right back.

That was my husband down at the gate and they won’t let him in. Look, I’m willing to leave, but only if you all do something – like just call Mr. Smith or the head of security – otherwise, I’m going to call the police.

The security guard grabbed her cell phone. Then he grabbed her. The other guard shot the two receptionists in the head. The guards then dragged Karri out the door. One of the guards said, We’ve got a gun on you so don’t make any moves or sounds that are going to get you killed.

The two guards and Karri walked to the entry gate where Mit was parked. The guards showed their guns to Mit and asked him to back up. One guard got in the front seat and Karri and the other guard got in the back. Mit was then directed to a dirt road on the mesa not far from the Netflix facility.

They drove up to the white limousine which had picked Karri up previously. Red Hasthings, John Smith, and Park Hae Jin were being held at gun point near some dirt hills near the limo by two more guys with guns.

Mit and Karri joined the other three in the lineup. Karri grabbed Mit’s hand on one side and Park Hae Jin’s hand with her other hand. Karri asked if there shouldn’t be another couple of people here – the assistant and the Korean translator. Mr. Hasthings said, They are dead on the other side of that hill over there.

Karri said, These guys also killed the two receptionists in the lobby.

Mit said, Karri, what have you gotten us into? Looks like this might be our last adventure together.

Could be. But keep your thinking cap on.

Red Hasthings asked the gunmen, What is this all about?

One of the gunmen said, We’re so tired of Netflix’s unresponsiveness to our many script submissions. You didn’t even say that you had received them!

Another one said, We spent so much time just crafting clever cover letters, hoping it would entice you, or even the janitor, to take a look at one page of our script!

The third man said, The anxiety, pain, and loneliness while waiting for something or someone to say anything was so horrendous, we’ve been driven to these evil acts.

Finally, the fourth man said, We hurt, and now you will hurt, too.

Karri suddenly spoke up, I’ve been in the same situation as you. My husband just came to pick me up, because Mr. Hasthings and Mr. Smith have kept me and this actor in the waiting room for hours. Please let the three of us go. We won’t interfere with your plans; we’ll just walk away. We’ve been hurt too.

The gunmen looked at each other and seemed to agree. The leader said, Just go away, we have nothing against you.

The three made their way down the mesa. On the way they met up with the police who had been informed when one of the receptionists pressed a silent alarm under the reception desk. The police also had seen surveillance video from the lobby and the gate which enabled them to track Mit’s car on the mesa. The police ran up the hill and had a shoot-out with the gunmen, while Mr. Hasthings and Mr. Smith scrambled behind a hill. Four gunmen died.

Chapter 2

Mit, Karri, and Park Hae Jin continued walking down the mesa. There were several police cars at the Netflix facility. Mit approached one police officer and said, We were kidnapped and held at gun point by the guys on the mesa whom the police are currently killing or arresting. Could we go on home now? The bad guys also stole my car and took my wife’s cellphone.

Karri asked Mr. Park if they took anything of his, but he said no. Mr. Park said to the police officer, I am just a visitor at Netflix for the day from Korea. My English is not good. My flight is early tomorrow morning. Do I need to stay in this country, or can I go home?

Karri herself didn’t want Park Hae Jin to get any publicity, good or bad. She didn’t know what the Korean press might do and if it would affect Park Hae Jin’s career.

A police sergeant came over and gave his approval to Mr. Park’s departure as long as he left his e-mail and telephone number and Korean passport number. The three called an Uber and went over to Mr. Park’s hotel, which turned out to be the Chaco Hotel in Old Town.

They went up to Mr. Park’s room to discuss the events of the day. He seemed tired, so Mit and Karri left him there to take a shower and said they would meet him at the restaurant/bar on the roof top in about an hour. Mit got a call from John Smith (since Karri’s phone was taken by the gunmen) who said that they were going to be at the police station for quite a while. Mit told them that the police gave Mr. Park permission to leave tomorrow on his flight back to Korea. Was that okay with Mr. Smith and Mr. Hasthings? John Smith asked to speak with Karri.

Mrs. Moody, Are you okay? Did you get hurt?

Physically, we’re okay. Mit’s car and my cellphone were stolen. We’re not used to people being shot in front of us, of being kidnapped, and running down the mesa for our lives. Mr. Park is taking a shower and changing his clothes, then we’ll talk some about how crazy today was. I didn’t know if it would be good for Mr. Park’s reputation and career to be involved in this incident. I can have him call you later, if you wish.

Mr. Park showed up at the rooftop bar looking extremely handsome. He was beginning to garner looks from people at the bar. Karri had him sit with his back to the room.

Are you alright, Mr. Park? Would you like something to eat or drink? Here’s the menu, in English, I’m afraid. They mainly have bar or pub food, said Mit. Mr. Park ordered a mineral water and some French Fries.

Karri said, While we’re waiting for some food, we might as well discuss the gruesome parts of the day. For example, I got to see the two receptionists have their heads blasted off. It was not a pretty sight. What about you Mr. Park, did you see those gunmen killing the two people where you were?

Both Mit and Mr. Park stared at Karri. She stared back.

Mr. Park said, No, one guy took the men behind the hill and then we heard two shots. I guess you’re the one who should be really traumatized.

Mit said as he grabbed Karri’s hand, Why didn’t you tell me before this?

I didn’t have time and I thought it might delay us from getting out of there. In a way, what happened to those girls saved our lives. I was able to speak up because I saw the real consequences of what would happen to us. Nobody’s going to kill my husband or Park Hae Jin while I can do something – unless of course it’s in a book I’m writing. Karri smiled a little at the end of her speech, but tears were running down her face.

Mit got up and held her while she cried. Park Hae Jin came over and held her hand.

Karri stopped crying and said, I’m sorry about all the fuss. I guess we’ll be going now, but we’ll pick you up in the morning around eight and take you to the airport. If you have any problems in the night, please call Mit’s phone. You have his number, right?

Right, I think I’ll be alright.

Karri and Mit went home. She stripped off her clothes and had a long shower and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

The next morning, they picked up Mr. Park and took him to the airport. Karri gave Park Hae Jin a flash drive and said, "I think this is what the meeting yesterday was supposed to be about. It’s a book I wrote about you, or my imagination about you, that I wanted you to write a forward for. I thought we could then market the book together and split the profits. Mr. Hasthings does not have a copy of the book; therefore, I think we could make our own deal without having to include him or Netflix.

Mr. Park took the flash drive and Karri got to (with Mit’s okay) hold his hand and walk him to the TSA entrance.

Chapter 3

Yes, I’m sure you noticed it. I have good reasons to be annoyed after that last episode. First and foremost, I got to be in a room (the waiting room) alone with Park Hae Jin for approximately 30 seconds before he went into the conference room. Then I got to hold his hand as we ran away from the gunmen for maybe 10 minutes. The only problem with that was that our hands were dirty, and we thought we’d be shot in the back at any second. It may seem like I’m not taking advantage of these close contact situations but I’m doing the best I can. I might also point out that my husband was right there.

Pretty soon Netflix was on the phone trying to placate me by paying me for my troubles while at Netflix and to pay any psychiatric bills that may ensue after my experience. Anything involving payment makes me less annoyed. Then they wanted me to sign a release form saying they weren’t culpable in any way. That made me annoyed again. I told them I’d hire the best lawyer in town.

Of course, there were those fifty yards in the airport where I got to hold Mr. Park’s hand under the guise of being his friend, his rescuer, and his potential business partner. Of course, Mr. Park got to hold my hand under the guise of being my friend, of gratitude for having saved him from death, of feeling sorrow and distress at what I had gone through, and of being my potential business partner. I didn’t know who felt better or worse from those fifty yards of handholding, and that made me annoyed.

Yes, I took some Netflix money and went to a psychologist a few times, until he admitted that I was okay. Maybe a little strange. But okay. He said I had a great ability to compartmentalize. My main problem, according to him, seemed to be an obsession with young Korean men. I asked him why he thought that was a problem. He said he supposed at my age it would keep me busy until I died. I asked him what he meant by at my age? He said, You know, 74. That made me really annoyed. I quit going, since he said I was okay, anyway.

I thought for quite a while about the question of age and being kept busy. It seemed to me that a lot of people had died lately in their 40’s and 50’s. There were wars, even babies died. So, I thought he was talking about odds, about gambling, about the lottery. Every year, month, and even every day it seemed as though the odds of dying got bigger. But does that involve a reason to worry? Death is just a cessation of life. There is a nothingness, including no consciousness, no pain, and no memories. So, death itself is not to be feared except as maybe as a regret before death. As for who is a candidate for death – we all are. Is there some greater intrinsic value of a person of age 10 versus someone at age 80? Basic assumptions about what the potential is seems to be what makes the value. But it could be that in actual fact the 80-year-old may accomplish more, be happier and even live longer (with a starting point of age 80) than the 10-year-old. A possible limiting factor for the 80-year-old is the breakdown of the mind or body by disease or overuse.

A week after Hae Jin left, he and I began an intermittent texting-exchange.

The first week I said, Hope you’re still alive because otherwise I’ll miss you. I’m beginning therapy for trauma. Mit is okay. Did you read my book yet?

He said, I’ve had a couple of sessions with my therapist. Basically, he couldn’t believe I was telling the truth. I had to have Red Hasthings call him to confirm the events. I may refer my therapist to you to verify what happened to me. I’ve got to go. Bye.

Mit and I decided to go to our other house in Silver City. It was a 5-to-6-hour trip from Albuquerque, with many different routes available to get there. We knew most every store and gas station, every mountain, volcano, cliff wall, and casino on the way. We’d seen the desert look as green as the grass in Ireland, as well as brown and gray. We even knew some of the clerks in the stores, maybe not by name but enough to say, ‘nice to see you again’. They recognized us too. Traveling in New Mexico was six hours of ‘wows’ for us, as each view was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

On the road we expected food of all kinds, dominated by New Mexican food with roasted red or green chile. In San Antonio (NM), I always like a bowl of pinto beans topped with green chile and onions. Delish and nutrish! In Datil, the steaks are at least an inch thick. Also, we began to see cowboy hats more frequently.

When we got to Silver, we mowed our yards and visited with friends. Unlike Red Hasthings and Park Hae Jin, my best friend had read my book and liked it! Mit and I told Frankie and Bill the whole account of what had happened when we were over at Netflix. They were astounded.

Frankie asked, So, the guy that you wrote about in your book was the guy you met at Netflix?

I said, Yeah, it is unbelievable considering neither Red Hasthings nor Park Hae Jin has read the book.

And you really saw people getting shot? asked Bill.

Yes, and I’ve gone to a couple of therapy sessions. The therapist said I’m strange but okay. He said I am great at compartmentalization. I do feel it has affected me. You know how easily I cry. Well, I think I cry more often now. It wasn’t the heads being blown off in front of me that got to me, because I think I’ve seen something like that on TV many times. What got to me was the echoing sound of the lobby, the smell of blood, the splatter on the wall, but most of all the fear that filled my whole body.

Tears were running down Frankie’s face.

I think that fear made my mind fight back against the fear. My main thought was to save Mit and Park Hae Jin. And that’s what saved us- boldness and clear thinking almost up until the last few seconds before they were going to shoot us.

What did you do? asked Bill.

I sympathized and agreed with them. I made Mit, Park Hae Jin, and me a part of them. I was on their side. Why should they shoot us when we were innocent? I abandoned the two Netflix executives to their fate. I was unethical in abandoning them while saving myself and my friends. I admit it. But we’re alive, and my discussion with the gunmen gave the police a little more time to get there. Both Netflix executives survived. I’d rather Mit and Hae Jin be alive, and I’ll suffer the unethical consequences.

Frankie said, I would have done the same thing if it were my husband or children. Don’t be overly hard on your ethical self. If you acknowledge that there were conflicting values in your decisions, you are probably a fairly ethical person.

Thank you, Frankie. I’ve seen your strength throughout the years and how you have faced so many difficulties without wavering. You’ve been an inspiration to me. Uh-oh, here comes some tears.

Everybody in the room just decided to tear-up for a while and remain silent.

Time for Mit to mix up some drinks for us and then we can watch a baseball game on TV, said Bill.

After that, we kibbitzed throughout the game and ate some delicious snacks prepared by Frankie. In other words, things seemed back to normal. But normal was short-lived. While watching the game, the Albuquerque Police Department called and wanted us to come in to make a statement. I told them I’d be back in town on Wednesday and would come right in. I asked them which police station to come to and at what time.

Frankie then asked, Well, meeting the subject of your book must have been exciting. Too bad he hasn’t read the book yet.

After the shoot-out, Mit and I took Mr. Park to his hotel, the Chaco Hotel in Old Town. He was tired and we left him to shower and told him to meet us at the rooftop bar. When he came into the bar, every female began to track him with their eyes and smiles as he crossed the room. It was hilarious. I had him sit with his back to the room. He is a looker. The next morning, we took him to the airport.

Mit said, He is very good-looking, and he seemed like a decent guy from what I saw.

I was able to give him a USB of my book as he left. But no word if he’s read it or had it translated into Korean yet. He did e-mail me and say that his therapist didn’t even believe his story of the shoot-out. Mr. Park had to get the head of Netflix to verify it for Mr. Park’s therapist. So, not only have I met the subject of my book, but now I can e-mail and text him directly. The totally improbable has become, not only probable, but real.

Chapter 4

Back in Albuquerque, Mit and I went over to the police station. Mit, as a participant in the incident, was to be interviewed too. I went into a room with two detectives and a large TV screen on one side of the room. We all said hello. The detectives asked if I was feeling okay and I told them about my therapy and my tendency to cry easily. They said they understood.

I reviewed the happenings of that night over at Netflix. I stated how we (Mit, Mr.Park, and I) were let go by the gunmen because I pretended to side with them. They asked me to explain my reasoning. I said there wasn’t much time for reasoning, so I just saw an opening in the gunmen’s logic as they said why they were going to kill the executives at Netflix.

They were complaining about how the many scripts they had submitted to Netflix weren’t even being acknowledged as having been received. I had felt the same way when I had written a letter to Netflix about a book I wrote that I thought eventually could be turned into a script. I received no answer. So, basically, I could relate to what they were saying. So, I pointed out to them that Mit, Mr. Park, and I were innocent victims too, that we weren’t employees of Netflix, and that we had been urgently called over to just sit in a waiting room for hours. I asked them to let us go. They thought that was fair. I grabbed my husband’s hand and Mr. Park’s hand, and we walked out of there. We met the police coming up the hill and we just kept walking although we heard gunfire behind us.

Karri stopped talking.

The detectives asked a few clarifying questions and then said they would like her to stay there while they interviewed Mr. Park via Zoom. The TV was turned on and there was Park Hae Jin. Karri immediately burst into tears at seeing him. The detectives brought me some tissues and asked her why she was crying.

It’s just so great to see that he’s alive, although he looks too thin.

Mr. Park also started crying on the screen. Please don’t cry, Karri. I’m okay.

Have you been eating properly? she asked.

Through his tears he said, "Of course I have. I am