L Is For

A child-like man digs through a trash can in search for food. He is a con-man, but he has been down on his luck recently. He is homeless. He thinks that this is his rock-bottom. His hunger leads him into a Korean karaoke, where he plans to use some of his simple minded cons on the patrons inside to swindle some cash for himself. Inside he meets Jon, the Karaoke owner. Jon is intelligent, sharp, well-spoken, and full of self assurance. Qualities our child-like con-man both lacks and desires, and also in this instance -- fears. The con-man tries, but fails, to swindle some money out of Jon -- he is just too sharp. And so the con-man moves on to another target - He meets Will, a drunk rich man who loves to party and womanize. Will is the sort of guy that our con-man wishes he could be. The con-man succeeds in befriending and partying with Will, but fails in swindling some money out of him, for Will passes out in a drunken stupor. And so the con-man moves on to another target - This time he meets Sia, a sexy woman who is here with Will. She is paid by Will to be her "friend". The con-man isn't after her money however, this time he is after a date. He fails in getting a date with her, but he does succeed in getting her to open up to him a little bit. They connect on their mutual self pity and habit of lying (him to others, and her to herself). Sia, who hasn't been happy since she was a child, ends up killing herself in front of our con-man, leaving him distraught. Will sees the con-man next to Sia's corpse, and assumes that the con-man was responsible. He attacks the con-man. The con-man, while trying to defend himself, ends up violently stabbing Will to death with a pair of scissors. Shaken up by his first murder, he hides both Sia and Will's bodies and cleans the scene of the crime. Jon, the Karaoke owner, finds the con-man acting suspicious. Using his sharp mind, Jon probes the con-man for answers. Full of self-assurance, he continues to investigate, not knowing the seriousness of the situation. He foolishly ends up finding the two dead bodies. The con-man, in a panic, murders Jon as well. The con-man leaves the Karaoke. He is now at his true rock-bottom. However, through the corrupt and jaded characters he has met on this day, our child-like con-man has learnt a little bit more about himself and this world. He can now begin to take his first step up from rock-bottom.