“Mama… I’m safe, for now… Send my love to papa and little brother… I miss you all…”
Ah, Tokyo, the fashion capital of all of Asia. How I had always dreamt of coming here. I took a cab heading straight for the capital from the airport. The roads were packed with traffic and pedestrians swarmed the sidewalks, the very same image that had always hung in my thoughts; Tokyo.
“Arigato, driver-san.” I bowed to the taxi-driver, thanking him for the ride. He nodded his head, tipping his cap. I watched as the taxi made its way into the heavy traffic, out of sight among a sea of cars. I carried my canvas duffle bag and held on tightly to my sling bag carrying my camera. Finally, I can start a new adventure in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.
“Welcome!”
I was greeted cheerfully by the male staff of a bar as soon as I stepped through the door. The patrons were mostly seated at the tables and were mostly men. The bar was fairly empty. Waiters were scurrying about, rushing orders of food and drinks. The bartender was a tall man, with jet-black hair and a muscular built. I took a seat at the far-end of the bar, setting my duffle down against the bar stool and my sling bag on the bar top.
“You must have something precious in there to leave it on my bar top.” I looked up, meeting the gaze of the bartender. He was wiping a glass, smiling down at me. “And I don’t suppose you’ve realized that this is a gentlemen’s bar?” He nodded towards the patrons who were giving me nervous and sober looks. Some smiled cheerfully and waved at me. I felt so embarrassed, I felt my blood rose.
“Ehh..!” I was flushing like crazy. Soon afterwards, the patrons continued on in their relaxed atmosphere. A while ago, tension hung in the air. Now, most of the patrons came up to greet me.
“I’m so sorry. Your regulars must’ve been shocked when I came in, huh? Not to mention, you yourself,” I apologized, taking a sip of apple juice. Bartender-san chuckled lightly.
“Aww, you don’t have to apologize to me. If anyone wants to come into my bar, then that’s fine. I wouldn’t mind, even if it turned out to be a charming young lady like you.” He smiled at me once more before tending to the needs of another patron who had just occupied a seat at the bar.
“You must be the young lady who caused such a stir among the patrons of Yuukomawari.” A young man approached me. He was not as tall as bartender-san, nor as muscular. He was of a more slender built, a bishounen.
“Hello, I guess that’s me. I’m Kaede.” I smiled, extending a hand towards him and he accepted it without hesitation.
“I’m Rui. And Mr. Bartender over there is my partner, Taku.” He smiled and I returned the favor.
“So, Rui-niichan, how long had you guys set up this gentlemen’s bar?”
I had been there for a few hours now. I was introduced to most of the regulars who took me in with kindness. I even had a few drinks with them.
“How long has it been? Two, three years..? Am I right, Taku?” Rui smiled at Taku who was cleaning the glasses again. Taku looked up, pouting.
“We set it up four years ago, idiot. Or have you already forgotten?” He walked away, evidently offended at his partner’s senselessness. Rui chuckled, looking pleased as he watched Taku.
“We set up Yuukomawari four years ago to mark our relationship. So, in accordance to that, we have been with each other for four years now!” I watched as Taku barked some orders at a waiter who hurried off, terrified. Rui smiled. Watching him being happy with Taku brought back memories of Hyun Joon and me. Not to mention, their gay relationship reminded me of Young Sook oppa.
“Oppa…” I whispered, clutching my bag tightly. Rui and Taku must’ve noticed because either one of them put their arms around me. I felt better after being held like that.
“Are you feeling better now? How bout we bring you to the back room to rest? You can stay here for the night. I don’t think you’ll be able to find a room at this time of night and in this district too.” Rui helped me carry my duffle bag into a hallway. At the end of the hall was a room, just a few doors down from the locker rooms. The waiters who were now dressed casually greeted us on the way out of the locker rooms.
Rui opened the door to reveal a fully furnished bedroom. I was stunned beyond speech. He invited me in, and I walked into the middle of the room, surveying my surroundings. Rui drew the curtains, revealing beautiful view of the city from atop a hill.
“Most of our patrons know that this building was once situated on top of a hill. That’s why some of our patrons like the atmosphere up here. Back then, buildings around these parts were scarce. When development companies started to make use of the area, this building was almost torn down to build a skyscraper. But the demolition crew didn’t go through with it. Instead, they made the hill higher so that the windows overlooked a whole different setting. Taku and I used to hang out around these parts so we know a little more about the area that we were planning to set up the bar. In the end, we chose this spot.” He smiled with such radiance in him that I couldn’t help but continue being mesmerized by him.
“Nii-chan, you remind me of someone very dear to me, both Taku-nii and you.” I smiled sadly to myself, holding out the camera that oppa gave to me a long time ago. Rui gave me a sad smile too.
“You came here looking for someone, aren’t you? Is this person very important to you?”
“Yes, a very important person in my life, my oppa. He’s my foster-brother,” I answered, looking directly into his eyes. For a moment, we sat as the silence dragged on. At the end of the hallway, soft sobs were heard, in a back-room at the Yuukomawari Gentlemen’s Bar.
“Oppa… I’ve come to look for you… Oppa… OPPA...!”
I woke up with a start, my eyes searching the room. I glanced at the clock by my bedside. 5 am. Another dream, it was just another horrible dream. I got out of bed, picked up a glass of water on a table and drank its contents. I watched the shadows play across the room, awaiting the arrival of the sunrise. I walked towards the adjoining bathroom, determined and filled with hope for a new day, a better day.
“Are you guys really going to help me look for a place to stay?” I was more than thrilled that they considered helping a person like me, especially one they’ve just met the day before. Not only that, they had put enough trust on me to let me stay in the back-room of their bar.
“Sure, why not? I mean, you’ll be staying in Japan for a while, right? Once you’ve found a nice place to stay, then you can look for a job to pay the rent.” Rui was smiling broadly, so was Taku.
“Umm, actually, I’ve got enough money on me to buy a place. So, I don’t really have to rent any. However, what I need right now is a huge apartment space. Or maybe a spacious house, if that’s possible to find here.” I looked from Rui to Taku. They both looked surprised.
“EH??” They said in unison, astonished.
“How much do you have on you?” Taku asked a little bewildered.
“I have a little over half a million USD$?” I smiled awkwardly. “But it’s all in the bank.”
“WHAT??” Both shouted in the empty bar. The waiters who came to clean up the place looked to see what had happened. I hushed the two men, both in a state of shock.
“H-Half a million…” Taku stuttered.
“That’s a lot of money!” Rui’s face suddenly lit up.
“Rui, that’s not something we should be happy about! She might get robbed or worse…” Taku and Rui looked at each other for a moment and shook their heads, not liking the idea.
“I know, and I’ve already got a job; I’m a freelance photographer. That’s why I get paid so much. But, the last time I actually got paid this much was for a client and they were mainly private works anyways. I was planning on setting up an exhibition, at least. But first, I have to set up a studio. That’s why I need a bigger place to stay. I’m hoping to turn my home into a photography studio. And besides, it’s even better if I have permanent residence rather than to pay the rents all the time.”
“You know what? You’re sounding almost like a yakuza. Since that’s a fact, it’s almost surprising that such a person as yourself have tons of money!” Rui pondered over the thought for a brief moment.
“Yakuza…? Hmm, as a matter of fact, I had been linked to someone in the Korean mob though. I think it must’ve been the wife of the mobster chief, if I’m not mistaken,” I said, trying to recall the names of all of my clients from Korea.
“Well, that settles it. We should definitely look for a yakuza chief or at least a member of the yakuza to be interested in you,” teased Rui. I looked at him, exasperated. Taku was rolling on the floor, laughing. He stood back up, gasping for air with tears in his eyes.
“WHAT!!” They must’ve gone insane. “Why should a yakuza member be interested with a normal person like me? I might just bring them down instead.”
I took Rui’s and Taku’s words to heart as I walked along the busy districts of Tokyo; what did they mean by me marrying a yakuza member? I’m better off dead than married off into a yakuza clan. It was nearing winter, people walked past me wearing layers of clothing. I could even see vapors of my breath as I exhaled through my mouth. Rui lent me his favorite coat; I was planning on buying one for myself, one that’s not too cheap or too expensive. As I passed by a shop window, I noticed that the mannequin on display had a very nice pastel colored cashmere coat on. Stepping into the boutique, I was greeted by friendly smiles and bows from the staff. A man walked up to me, asking if I wanted to be showed around the store. His English was well-spoken for a Japanese-born.
“Excuse me, may I take your coat? It is not so cold in the store.” He said with a smile, extending his hand for the coat. His frameless glasses gleamed under the lights. Smiling, I took off the coat.
“Thank you. Be careful with it, though. A friend lent it to me, and if something happens to it, I might get into a lot of trouble over it.” He laughed as I placed the coat in his care.
“No worries, Miss. I wondered why a female customer would be wearing a coat that was made for especially men. It may be a little too big for you. What you need is a warm, snug coat. Our store caters to both our male and female clients. My name is Tsukushi Koyama, Sales manager of the Solstice. If you would follow me please, I would be happy to show you some of our line of winter coats.”
“Please, lead the way, Tsukushi-san.” I followed the sales manager as far into the store when I heard a ruckus going on in the men’s section, followed by a shrill scream.
“I picked a darker colored coat for Ryuuji! How dare you hand me such a disgusting color! Dark green, who would want that color? I demand to see the manager. Wait ‘til I report your impudence!”
The screaming woman was dressed in extravagance. Her hair was curled and pinned up, showing off the nape of her neck. She wore diamond studs in her ears and a huge diamond ring on her finger. She was clearly a married woman. The store assistant looked frightened, trying frantically to calm the older woman down. A young man, probably this Ryuuji that the woman mentioned, sat on the settee, watching the argument with interest. He looked in his mid-twenties. Tsukushi-san was calm throughout the whole spectacle. He turned to me and apologized.
“I’m afraid as a Sales Manager I have to intercede before this argument goes any further. Please, have a seat and I will be with you in a while.” He smiled apologetically and placed my coat on a settee, not far away from the young man. I watched the sales manager as he listened to the woman’s complaints; it was the first time I noticed how tall he really was. He towered over the older woman although she was wearing five-inched high-heels, looking very handsome with his hair neatly combed back and his vest hugging his torso. His legs were long and he had a lean body. Just as I turned to look around the store, I caught the gaze of the young man. He sat there, across the room, staring at me. His pose on the settee was of a man of power, a boss. Could this be an actual yakuza member, I wondered. Suddenly, he stood up and approached the older woman and the manager. I realized that the young man was taller than the manager by a few inches. I heard a few more exchange of words before he walked out of the store with the woman linking her arm around his. As I watched them leave, he turned around and gave me a slight smirk, then disappeared past the shop’s window.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that, and as a customer too.” He adjusted his glasses before bending down to pick up Rui’s coat as I stood up.
“What was she complaining about? I’m sure it wasn’t worth the screaming?” I walked beside him as we ascended the stairs to the upper level of the store where the ladies section was located.
“She wanted to buy a dark colored coat for Ryuuji-sama. According to his explanation, she saw a beautiful black coat hanging on a mannequin in the store’s display window sometime ago and wanted to purchase the exact same coat. She almost went into a fit again when she saw your coat before he intervened. Apparently, this was the exact same coat model she saw. Unfortunately, we do not have that model for purchase anymore.” He held up Rui’s coat to take a good look at it. “Although we have some others in the same color, the design is different. The fact that it was sold out apparently made her start a screaming fit.” He smiled as he led me to a rack of coats, all arranged in color coordination.
“You seemed very calm in that situation. How did you manage to keep your cool in front of such a client?” I sat on a settee and gazed up at him as he placed Rui’s coat beside me, browsing through the selection of coats.
“We very seldom come across situations where a customer is unsatisfied with our products. This is the first time that I had to deal with this. But, Ryuuji-sama was around, so it was fine.” He pulled out a light colored coat, assessing it before putting it back on the rack. The upper level was pleasantly quiet, and quite empty. It was only Tsukushi-san and I on the upper level; all the other employees were downstairs.
“Who is he? By his looks, I can sense that he comes from a very powerful family.” I held on to Rui’s coat, watching Tsukushi-san walk from rack to rack, selecting different coats off the racks. The different expressions he showed as he checked each and every design, pattern and color were priceless. He seems to be enjoying his job very much.
“He IS from a powerful family; the second son, in fact. His brother, Seiryuu Renjii-sama is a great influence in the business industry. The Seiryuu family owns quite a few large companies here and there. Ryuuji-sama happened to own this store.” He grinned, holding out some beautiful pastel colored coats. “Let’s get on to the fitting session, shall we?” I laughed as I was beckoned into an empty fitting stall, trying on everything Tsukushi-san handed to me through the barrier of cloth.
When I finally picked out a coat, Tsukushi-san went downstairs to log the purchase, leaving me upstairs to browse through the racks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow approaching. Turning around, I came face to face with a pair of stunning black eyes, like onyxes that gleamed in the light. His hair was midnight-black, short and tousled. He was taller than Tsukushi-san for sure; taller than my brother, even. This was the first time that I was truly in the presence of a very electrifying man; Seiryuu Ryuuji. He had already taken off his overcoat as well as his jacket-coat. He was now dressed just like his staff, in a body-hugging vest over a long sleeved button-down shirt opened at the collar, showing off his collarbone. The lower part of his body sported a pair of black trousers, complete with polished shoes. He picked up Rui’s coat off the settee where I left it and took a look at it.
“Hey, that’s not mine, okay. So be careful with it. It’s his favorite coat,” I declared as I approached the towering figure. He gazed down at my angry face and smirked, suppressing a chuckle.
“I must take great care of ‘his’ coat then. Better not let ‘him’ find out that another guy touched it. This is a slim-fit, must be made-to-order. These sizes are very rare for men. Is it your boyfriend’s?” He handed over the coat as an assistant came up the stairs with a tray of snacks and drinks. “Please, stay awhile. Hmm, pray do tell, how would you pay for the coat that you’ve just purchased?”
“Seiryuu-san, how I purchase my items is no concern of yours.” I seethed. My fists curled into balls, fingernails digging into my flesh. He sat down, heaved a sigh, apparently aware of my anger.
“Sit down, if you please. Calling me Ryuuji would be fine.” He continued to stare at me intensely until I sat down, picking up a cup of warm tea off the tray. I blew over the hot drink and took a sip of the most heavenly green tea I had ever tasted. I heard Ryuuji chuckled, amused.
“My mother brought the tea leaves over to the store, I’m glad that you took pleasure in the tea. You might not know this; you’re a new customer after all, but I rarely serve tea of my mother’s favor to any of my customers.” He smiled now, more sincerely than the teasing chuckles of his.
“Does that mean that I’m the first?” I was taken aback by his explanation. He sounded genuine and sincere. His eyelashes fluttered, shadowing his frighteningly beautiful eyes. Gazing at him in this silence, I noticed the bridge of his nose, his perfectly shaped lips, the set of his jaw; practically every attractive thing on his face. He was too beautiful to be true! Weren’t they called these types of men, bishounen? Just like Rui and Taku, he exuded a magnetism that seemed to draw everyone towards him. But it was his eyes that drew me closer and closer to the edge, grasping me in its intense gaze, ready to push me off a cliff; I was overwhelmed with a feeling that exceeded that of when I was with Hyun Joon. As our eyes met, I felt something electrifying, a spark. The situation was getting intensely heated by the minute. We were the only ones on the upper deck. What would happen between us, I wouldn’t know and I didn’t intend to find out. This man, Ryuuji, looks almost dangerous to be around with. I wouldn’t want to be caught anywhere with him, just like right now.
“Hello! How are we doing today?” A loud male voice could be heard from the lower level. Turning to the direction of the stairs, Ryuuji cursed under his breath.
“Iru, it’s not polite to shout in a store. Please act like a model with manners, at least.” The second voice sounded familiar. Where had I heard it from? I picked up Rui’s coat, heading towards the stairs. Ryuuji had already descended when he saw me coming down. He signaled me to stay put when his attention was caught by two young men. I recognized them both immediately; Rui’s twin and…
“Oppa!” I shouted at the top of the stairs. All three men’s gazes directed at me; Ryuuji was between confusion and surprise, Young Sook oppa looked shocked and the other young man looked beyond surprised. His eyes were wide open with glee when he turned towards oppa, pulling his arm.
“Ne, Young Sook. Isn’t that the little sister you always talked about? She’s in Japan!”
“I know that, Iru! Stop pulling my arm. I need them for your photoshoots, you know.” Oppa brushed off Rui’s twin, trying to regain his composure. Something caught Iru’s eye for a moment when he suddenly voiced out again.
“Hey, isn’t that the coat we gave to Rui as his early birthday present?” He came up to me to inspect the coat and declared out loud that it was the same coat. Ryuuji and Young Sook turned to each other and exchange a look of sarcasm.
“No one said that it wasn’t his, Iru. Since everyone knows each other already, I say we should all settle for a while.” Oppa walked towards me, reaching his arms out to receive me. I embraced him, with tears streaming down my face. Iru and Ryuuji stood in the corner, watching us exchange such a tender gesture, lost in the moment of our reunion; foster brother and sister, long separated by the differences that defined them, yet united in an understanding and love of photography.
“Oppa, I’ve found you at last. How I’ve longed to see you again, after so long!” I cried on oppa’s shoulder as he gently stroked my hair, whispering cajoling words into my ear.
“I’ve also always wanted to see you too, to explain my behavior for not contacting you in such a long time. I’m sorry for being silent for so long.” We stood there for quite some time as we reminisce on our past for a little while longer. Finally, I have found my oppa again.
“So, he’s your foster brother, huh? I never knew. He had always talked so fondly of his foster younger sister but he never mentioned your name before.” Ryuuji suddenly spoke out as we sat next to each other in his BMW X6; with him as the driver and I, as the front passenger. As I looked across the cabin of the car, our gazes met and again, I felt that same electrifying sensation crawling all over me.
“How did you know about Young Sook oppa? Are you friends with him and Iru-niichan?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm after what happened in the store. Ryuuji stole a glance at me and smiled.
“Young Sook and Iru are, in fact, my employees; photographer and model for my store.”
