Two weeks later...
Vines covered the house's windows like a veil; there were pockmarks in the cement –actual bullet holes that the house had acquired during the Japanese occupation. According to Shimizu, the mansion boasted of hidden rooms and passageways.
When she first saw it, Kaho had described the historical building as a lonely old widow at the end of a line of beautiful debutantes. She'd been with Shimizu and the realtor when Shimizu had made the purchase and had driven past a row of modern architectural marvels before Shimizu had made the decision to call this haunted-looking one his new home.
Shimizu will never settle for something normal.
"I've never a read a story where the Prince ends up helping Cinderella clean," Kaho teased. She and Len were in the process of helping Shimizu move in.
Len had decided for himself that he would help Kaho clean. He'd already replaced the old light bulbs and dusted the chandelier in the foyer, and was now vacuuming cobwebs. He got down from the ladder and fixed the kerchief on Kaho's head.
"When I saw you hunched over in the hallway, I had to do a double-take."
"Did you mistake me for a ghost?" she said, smiling. She was dressed entirely in white.
"A ghost doesn't get scared of mice. And Cinderella wouldn't have run away from her friends."
Kaho laughed and said she'd probably never have mice for sidekicks. Not frogs either. In that fairy tale, the frog had been the prince all along. If anyone's the frog in this story...well...
She preferred "My Fair Lady" when it came to transformations.
"Right, Cinderella's mice were her friends," Kaho said. "I guess...I'm not Cinderella then."
She hadn't become a princess, but she'd been pretty magical herself; a fata had given her a magic violin.
"I think as far as transformations go, mine wasn't that shabby," she declared.
Len's expression prompted her to explain: "Well...before learning to play the violin, I didn't really imagine where I'd be in ten years. I wasn't the type to think that far ahead. I didn't think it was weird; it's normal, I think, for many teenagers not to have a dream that's etched in stone. I suppose that's one reason why I thought Music was a whole other world. When I saw how dedicated you were and how different we were from each other, I felt something grasp my heart. Whatever that something is, it hasn't let go. I think, all these years, I've been transforming myself into someone who could be part of your –"
Enter "Little Mermaid" reference.
" –so I could have a future as a musician," she continued. "There's no freedom like knowing where you want to go."
"What if it's not about transformation but discovery? You haven't become someone else, Kaho. I think your experiences have revealed who you really are."
"Oh, do you really think so?"
"I do."
She wasn't different from him or from Tsuchiura or Shimizu. She was where she belonged.
"You're supposed to be here," Len said.
With you, she thought, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Cleaning a haunted house?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.
He let his hand rest lightly on the angle of her jaw as he smiled in response. Kaho's cheeky grin broadened when he moved closer. Slowly, he lowered his head. "How about –"
They were interrupted when Kaho suddenly pulled Len's arm and hid behind his back. Surprised, Len turned to see what had caused that sudden change in mood. A sheet of white watched them from the space between the door and the doorframe. A disembodied hand appeared above it.
Surprise! A scowling Tsuchiura came into view as he pulled the sheet off Shimizu's head.
Tsuchiura ferried Shimizu into the room and apologized to Kaho for frightening her. "Shimizu ended up with this sheet on him after I'd thrown it off one of the tables outside." He gave Shimizu a paternal look, "Can you even see through this thing?"
"I was looking for the light switch, Senpai," he answered.
"Ahhh. I guess that answers my question. Is it brighter now?" Tsuchiura asked.
Shimizu blinked lazily and moved his head left and right. The room was empty except for two end tables, the carpet, and the solitary bookshelf. "This will be the ground floor music room," he said, content with his appraisal.
Tsuchiura sighed and placed a hand on top of Kaho's head. "You look like a thief."
"I'm supposed to be Cinderella."
"And is Len your fairy godmother?"
Len's brows dipped down as he crossed his arms. Tsuchiura grinned at him, and Kaho laughed. "Don't you mean prince?" Kaho asked.
Tsuchiura grinned. "He can be both if he wants to," he said.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning and clearing out furniture. By late afternoon, Shimizu had received two more visitors. Kaji arrived with fried chicken, soda, and Soju. Miyabi brought a bucket of champagne (yes, a bucket filled with fancy ice that had edible flowers frozen in the cubes...)
"Did you steal that from the party you just came from?" Tsuchiura asked.
"What makes you think that?" Miyabi asked.
"The tag around the champagne bottle."
"No, no," Miyabi said. "They were giving these away. I bought another bottle extra – of which I will not drink," she added hastily, "as a gift to celebrate my good news."
"You bought yourself a gift?" Tsuchiura asked.
Miyabi shook her head. "It's for Kaho."
At Kaho's confusion, she added, "I'll let Azuma update you, sweetheart. Here take my phone," she said, placing the device over Kaho's ear. Miyabi's smile took over her face as she waited eagerly.
"Hello, Kahoko," Yunoki greeted her. "It's been quite an eventful few months for you, hasn't it?"
"Hello Senpai, how are you?" Kaho said politely. She moved to the window where there was better reception. Miyabi followed.
"Busy," he answered. "I've been working on a few projects for my sister."
"Oh, that sounds...productive," Kaho answered. Seconds after Yunoki's vague introduction, her mind made a list of questions. What new projects? And what did they mean for her? Would Miyabi be doing other work in between movie shoots? Or did Yunoki mean projects after the movie? Was he going to ask her to continue as Miyabi's assistant when Miyabi returned to Japan? Was she going to follow Miyabi to Japan?
"I can sense the gears in your brain turning, Kahoko," Yunoki said.
She could also imagine his innocent-headed-toward-devious smile. "I'm not so sure," she responded.
"Oh, is that your reply?" Yunoki said. "Are you implying I don't know you as well as I do?" He chuckled and paused. "To be honest, I recently learned some new things about you and my sister. Although, now that I mention it, I would credit Miyabi with the real surprise and not you. Your news, I wasn't shocked by."
"Huh?"
Kaho stole a glance at Miyabi. Shimizu had come up to them, and Miyabi had patted his head before refilling his glass of champagne.
"I didn't know that my sister could carry a tune," Yunoki said. "The video Tsukimori and Shimizu had sent me was an eyeopener. As for you, Kaho. It's clear you have more to offer, I knew you had it in you, but I became even more sure of it after I watched that video."
Eh? "You saw her performance at Shimizu's event?"
"Didn't I just say so?" he said.
"What do you mean by 'I have more to offer?'" she asked.
Yunoki sighed. "There's no subtext for you to wade through, Kahoko," he said almost tiredly. "Miyabi told me that the song she sang was yours. I enjoyed it, so did a few other people I know. I'm telling you this, Kahoko, because I'm about to give you a great opportunity. Are you ready to hear it? Tell me if you are."
"I...I'm ready," she stammered, her heart slamming against her chest. He's not seriously going to...
"No, I don't think you are," Yunoki teased. "Be honest with me Kahoko, do you still doubt yourself?"
She pursed her lips and looked out the window. Doubt seemed to be a friend that lived inside her, a part of herself that she had to re-assure. Her eyes went back to the room; she sought her friends, Tsuchiura, Shimizu, and …. her eyes fell on Len.
"It's not something I can totally avoid," she said. "I've encountered a few setbacks, but I've been encouraged by people's faith in me."
"Consider this another proof of our confidence in your abilities," Yunoki said. "Miyabi has been offered a record deal. The head of the label is a friend of mine who, after Miyabi and I had agreed to join his team, had only one favor to ask me. Do you want to guess what that favor is?"
Kaho frowned. "No?" Yunoki said after her silence. "He wants me to invite you to Japan, Kahoko. He would like to meet you and formally offer you a job. He wants to welcome you to the label. That is if you'll agree. I'm confident that you will. What do you say, Kaho?"
"Azuma," she said. "Are you telling me...am I going to be..."
"Yes. You've been asked to write Miyabi's songs. I haven't arranged the particulars but –"
"They want to meet me...and they want to see me in person?"
"Of course," he said. "We will arrange it," he said.
But she was Miyabi's assistant...And now...now that she was offered this –her big break, she would have to fly back to Japan. Could she meet Yunoki's friend? Thoughts tumbled and climbed on top of each other in her head. Was she prepared for this?
"I can sense the doubt creeping again, Kahoko," Yunoki said.
"I...I'm sorry."
"I am too," he said. "I'll have to look for another assistant for Miyabi, or else I'll have an overworked and underpaid employee in my hands, and I wouldn't want to hear complaints from your boyfriend even if you'll obviously offer to shoulder the extra work."
Sometimes she just couldn't understand him. He had helped her when he'd given her a job as Miyabi's assistant; and been kind to her on many occasions, though he teased her constantly.
"I..." she was going to comment on his 'obviously' but opted to say: "Thank you, Senpai," she said. "You have no idea how much I want this."
After a beat he said: "That's true. I didn't." There was another short pause before she heard Yunoki speak again, "I'm sorry I couldn't have helped you sooner, Kahoko. But you have reached this point because you pushed through despite your doubts. If you were waiting for people to notice, they have now."
"Thank Shimizu and Tsukimori as well," Yunoki said. "I know you won't forget, but this is also Miyabi's way of thanking you. She is grateful, too. Like I am. Thank you, Kahoko, for taking care of her."
She was tempted to end the call with another thank you. Yunoki's goodbye was: "The best time to be noticed is when you are prepared. Just think if you'd jumped into this with less confidence than you have now."
She pondered his words: had she become more confident? Yes, yes, she was. She believed in what she could offer. And after seeing the fan videos from Kaji's birthday party on the internet, there were several people, known to her only by their user names, who liked her song. It was exciting.
"Well," Miyabi said, looping her arms around Kaho's shoulders. "Did you say yes?"
She nodded, and they both jumped in place while hugging. Miyabi shouted, "Guys, it's official! I'm going to be JPop Star, and Kaho's going to be a genius songwriter!"
"She's already a genius songwriter," Tsuchiura quipped.
"Oh, yeah, let me fix that," Miyabi said. "She'll be the famous genius songwriter. Aka, the wind beneath my wings."
Kaho couldn't help thinking of the song reference. Miyabi had started to hum the tune.
"Ah," Shimizu said amidst the burst of congratulations, "are we congratulating Senpai for another project? Ah. Has someone else already told you?"
Kaho blinked at him. "Another project?"
"Burberry," he said. "Blueberry..."
"What is he talking about?" Kaji asked Tsuchiura.
"Why are you looking at me?" Tsuchiura answered.
"Aside from Kaho," Len said, "you are the next best person when it comes to decoding Shimizu."
"Does he want cake?" Kaji said.
"Shimizu-kun," Kaho said, taking Shimizu's hands, "what are you talking about?"
Shimizu looked at Kaji. "That other company. The one with the B – they want Kaho-senpai."
All eyes turned to Kaji, who still had no idea if Shimizu was talking about fruit or a real talent agency, etc. "You know, there are lots of entertainment companies," he reasoned.
"We should just google this," Miyabi suggested. She whipped out her phone and started typing.
"Twelve member girl group," Shimizu said to Miyabi. "They plan to debut after each girl gets a solo."
Miyabi added the new info to her search. "So, they want her to write for the girls, is that what you mean Shimizu?"
"It's clear Miyabi is the best interpreter," Tsuchiura commented.
"How did they contact you about Kaho?" Len asked Shimizu.
"Wait..." Kaho said, finally jumping into the exchange. "This company, they want me to write their songs?"
Shimizu nodded. "Hai, senpai. They told me in an email."
There was a collective groan from everyone in the room. Miyabi helped Shimizu open his mail, and after a few minutes, the name of the company, the name of the upcoming girl group and the names of each member and their roles in the group, were made known to the occupants of the room.
"Should Kaji see this?" Tsuchiura said. "Aren't you spying on the competition?"
Kaji held up his hands. "Hey, there have been times when fans get into heated arguments about the groups they like, but, we, the actual Idols, stay out of it. Everyone does their best to be polite."
Len added, "They respect each other. Also, they wouldn't know each other's choreography if there wasn't some admiration for the other's work. I don't think it's just about popularity."
"Exactly," Kaji said, beaming. "Kaho must have given you the full Kpop crash course."
Len shrugged. "I want to understand what she likes to talk about."
"So, Kaho," Miyabi said, directing the attention to Kaho once more. "Are you going to accept?"
"Of course, she is!" Kaji said happily.
"I can't believe this is happening," Kaho said. "Are they sure they sent it to the right person?"
Am I really the right person?
Shimizu nodded. "I have only one email address, Senpai."
Tsuchiura grinned at Shimizu. "He's right, Kaho. There's no room for confusion."
.
.
Hours later...
Kaho and Len were taking an evening stroll. The rest of their group, Shimizu, Kaji, Tsuchiura, and Miyabi, had decided to stay over at Miyabi's to watch movies. Len agreed to take Kaho home and pick up Tsuchiura after their friends had watched the horror film Miyabi had been praising.
"You didn't want to watch it with them, did you?" Len asked.
"Did you?"
She was only glad there hadn't been a tv and a wifi connection in Shimizu's house. If there had been, Miyabi would not have passed up on watching in one of the dark, hardly furnished rooms.
Len tipped his head to the side. "Aren't horror movies a rite of passage for couples?" he asked.
On a first date, maybe.
"You really haven't dated before," Kaho said with wonder. It still amazed her that he'd stayed single. Has no one tried hard enough?
"Has no one ever asked you to go out with them? Not even on a group date?" She didn't seem to think he would do the asking.
Her theory was: He probably had been asked out but hadn't noticed the significance of it (case and point: that girl from the orchestra who'd invited him to go shopping with her for their friend's birthday present).
"I went on a group date when we were in Seisou," he told her, watching the scene in front of them.
Len and Kaho stood nearby a crowd of people who had formed a circle and were dancing to Kpop. When the music changed, new members from the circle ran to the middle and danced to the next upbeat song. Some of them waved lightsticks. Len had answered while observing the dancers.
"I suppose this is another example of how knowledgeable the fans are," he said. "I recognize this song from the playlist you shared with me."
"You went on a date in high school?" she asked, leading him back to their original topic.
"Yes," he answered. "I'm surprised you forgot."
She blinked a few times. It's not like you would have told me... "How would I have known?"
"You were the one I went out with," he said, unable to hold back a sigh. "We went to an amusement park with Tsuchiura and his ex."
"Oh," she said. "That wasn't a date."
"You're right," he agreed too readily. "At the time, I didn't think of it as a date. But in retrospect, your actions ticked all the right boxes. We did things people usually do on dates."
Out of everyone she knew, he was best at making her blush unexpectedly. "My actions?"
"You clung to me while we were in the Horror House."
They'd also held hands. When they'd gone to the amusement park, and they'd paired up with each other in the horror house, he'd told her to take his hand so she could stay calm. She wasn't that big of a scaredy-cat but –
"But you offered your hand," she countered. "You wanted to help me."
"You're right," he said. "I did."
There was something in his eyes, something she recognized only when the deja vu had hit her. She remembered what she'd said in the cafe the night before he left for Vienna. She'd told him the same: you offered your hand.
It was different when we first met, but when we got to know each other better...
He'd wanted to help. He'd allowed himself to look after her. And he'd probably realized sooner than later (earlier than she had imagined) that he cared. Before he'd left for Vienna, he had also realized his feelings for her.
He knew...
"I keep remembering those moments," he said. "I remember what I lost and what it took for us to get here."
"Len," she said, placing a hand on his cheek, "don't be sad about what happened."
They'd made their way past the loud music and the dancing. He'd found a bench for them to sit on.
"If I attach an emotion to it, I'm sure I won't forget. When I think of that night, I tell myself I should never hurt you again."
He rested his forehead against hers. "I'll keep reaching for you, Kaho...I...Wherever you go, I'll still offer my hand. I'll wait for you, I'll be beside you, I'll chase after you – whatever action is required in whichever season we're in, know that I will keep choosing you."
"Len, I'll choose you too," she promised. Love didn't end at feelings; it was also about decisions. He kissed her softly, and after a few moments, she asked: "Um, speaking of decisions, which project do you think I should take?" She thought about the record labels in Korea and in Japan. She wanted to know his opinion. "Which should I choose?"
"Both," Len answered with confidence. "There's no need to forego one for the other." He raised his brows and asked, "Do you want to do both?"
For her, the news hadn't yet sunk in. Well, it would settle in my mind for a bit, but then it'd float back up again later so I have to pinch myself again. That's the processing my brain has done since I found out... She couldn't believe there was a company in Korea that wanted to work with her and another in Japan that wanted her to write songs for Miyabi's album.
"It's just so...amazing," she said, looking at her hand in his. You are amazing, his eyes seemed to say.
"You have the freedom to take on as many projects as you wish," he said.
He was right, she could do that. No one was stopping her. But something inside had stirred, and she had to erase as much space between them as she could. She placed a hand on his chest. "Will you...will you be returning to Japan soon? You aren't doing any more recordings in Korea, right?"
He smiled and pulled her closer. "We can go back together," he said.
"I...I guess that is possible," she said.
She missed him already.
Yunoki had promised he would arrange her schedule and the flight to Japan, and Kaho was given the option to meet with the other company with Shimizu before leaving. "I'm no longer Miyabi's assistant. But..."
She wondered about the "where, when, and what": Where would Len be needed? When would that be? What would that mean for their relationship?
"Will you be waiting for me?" she asked. "Will you be hopping on planes... be in one country one day and fly back to Korea or Japan on the next?"
"I did say I'd do whatever the season requires," he reminded her. "If it's my season to wait for you, I will. On another day, on another date, when it's your turn, you will have to wait for me."
Waiting. Chasing. Meeting. Coming. Going. Staying. Their direction was always toward the other.
"That's right," she said, loving the way he looked at her.
You and I. That's the decision we've made.
She wrapped her arms around him and smiled. Blessed by moonlight, they kissed.
.
.
.
Goodnight and great love to you. We see the same stars. - George Mallory