not sure what's going on right now all proceeds apace

I had a pretty full Thursday, starting at the post office to mail off some copies of my book to a friend in Japan (and discovering that the post office has changed its international-mailing procedures), then going to the office and visiting Shinhan Bank to wire $2000 to my US account, then visiting a traditional ddeok place to buy a ton of rice cakes and following my boss around the first floor of the old building we work in (Mido "Total" Shopping Mall) to distribute the rice cakes to pretty much everyone on the first floor as a way to say thank you for either helping me directly on the day I collapsed or "being there in spirit" as concerned bystanders who may or may not have prayed for my well-being. 

The distribution of rice cakes took a while and cost me over W200,000, but it was worth it to thank as many people as possible and to assure them that I'm still alive and kicking. I then went back to my company's office, doled out the last few rice cakes, and finished the current part of the book project we've all been working on since before the heart attack. 

After work, I went back to my place, cut up my gyro meat in preparation for frying it up Friday morning (or evening), made some more keto strawberry sauce for the pancakes I'll be eating next week, and finally discovered that "House of the Dragon," Season 2, is finally out for those of us with Apple TV. So I bought that with the intention of filling my brain with fantasy nonsense as a way to relax later on... but then my buddy Mike texted something strange about not being able to check in remotely for his flight to Seoul, which I found confusing since I'd have thought he'd be checked in (well, that he'd have reserved his seats) already, with nothing to do but confirm his flights and then head on out to the airport on Friday (arrival is slated for Saturday around 3 p.m., Seoul time) for the check-in. I didn't even know that remote check-ins were possible. A lot has happened in the few years I've been trapped in Korea during the pandemic, with many procedures having changed.

I'd kind of suspected for a while that some sort of Murphy's Law gremlin would show up and prevent the smooth, linear functioning of Mike's plan to come to Korea, so—and I realize I sound like an asshole for saying this, but please bear with me—this turn of events didn't strike me as very surprising. I knew it'd be too much to expect events to go smoothly from A to B. 

Resigned, I texted Mike that, if he ends up not making it (and assuming he gets a refund for his plane ticket), I'll still be hitting the States next year, so it's all good. It occurs to me that he ought to get a refund for his Airbnb as well! What a pain for him. 

The whole thing is a bit frustrating, and I'm tired, so I think I'm going to watch a few episodes of "House of the Dragon," Season 2, right now as a way to relax and prepare for sleep. I've asked Mike to keep me posted; I'm sure he'll either email or update me via Skype. However frustrating this might be for me, it's got to be worse for him since he's the one doing all the paperwork and traveling (or not traveling!).

UPDATE: Mike texts to reassure me he'll be flying over; he'll simply check in at the airport, not via phone or computer. Much ado about nothing, I guess. But still a pain for Mike.