THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN.
"Yeah, there's no problem at, Mr President. Everything is going smoothly," Kyoko muttered into the telephone with her sweet, chummy smile still stuck to her face. "Mr Hizuri is very pleased with the cuisine. He just loved it... Of course, I'll keep attending to him... Yes then, I'm hanging up." With a relieved sigh, Kyoko replaced the receiver and turned to Hizuri flashing him another radiating smile.
Hizuri's puzzlement only grew. His brows knotted together into a frown and he demanded, "why did you lie? If you'd just whined about me being cruel to you, wouldn't that fix everything?"
"What you did cannot be considered cruel exactly," Kyoko replied sweetly. Her sugary smile was still plastered on her lips. "I'm used to dealing with this kind of behaviour from the drunk customers at my restaurant."
Hizuri gritted his teeth. This was the first time in years someone had enough guts to talk to him like that. Hiding behind the ridiculous facade of her fake smile, this girl just compared him to some lowly drunkards right to his face without even batting an eye. But that didn't distract him from his true goal. He was now even more determined to break this girl's spirit and chop it to pieces. Before I go back to America, I'm gonna make your life a living hell, he swore to himself.
Glancing at the pile of the delicious steaming cuisine on the table, Hizuri grinned wickedly. He knew exactly what he had to do next. He took out a trash bag from one of the kitchen drawers and emptied the dishes into it. "Man, this filth is stinking this place up. Gotta get rid of it." He mixed all of the food into a single plastic trash bag and tied it into a ball. "Phew! Much better."
Kyoko forgot all about not letting Hizuri get under her skin when she witnessed all of her hard work going down the drain as he squeezed the dinner into the trash bag, the same dinner into which she had put her heart and soul while making. Anger bubbled up inside her but she still somehow managed to keep her mouth shut. If you fight him, you'll be giving him exactly what he wants, Kyoko told herself. He just wants an excuse to fire you and humiliate you, so suck it up and keep your mouth shut.
"Here," Hizuri dropped the ball of her delicious cuisine - now turned into a trash ball of leftover food - into her hands. "It's yours. Take it."
"You're the one who ruined it!" The words were out of Kyoko's mouth before she could stop herself. "What am I supposed to do with this now?"
"Eat it. Go share it with your commoner friends," Hizuri answered. His face changed as he suddenly remembered something. "You're starting in that cheap remake of Tsukigomori, right? So why don't you go and share this disgusting food with your fellow cast members? They are a bunch of nobodies as well. You can also give it to that wannabe male lead. What was his name again? Ren something?"
At that, Kyoko's eyes turned so cold that the temperature in the room dropped to a minimum. The hazel orbs on her face burned with a fiery passion and a cold fury which was brewing in them. Without even making an effort to hide her rage, she glared at Hizuri with naked hatred. Her hands balled into tiny fists as she resisted the urge to hit the imbecile man in front of her who had the nerve to insult Ren right to her face.
Sensing her sudden hostility, Hizuri retreated a couple steps back instinctively.
"Ren Tsuruga," she muttered at last, her voice dangerously hushed.
"Huh?" Hizuri blinked.
"Ren Tsuruga," she spoke a little louder this time, "is the person who will be surpassing you, or in other words who will leave you behind in the dust. Remember that name." Everything from her eyes to her tone had a spark of challenge in them.
"Is that so?" Having recovered his composure, Hizuri allowed himself a small, amusing smirk. "You seem quite fond of him. Got a little crush on him?"
"Wha- he's my mentor!" Kyoko shot back. "I respect him."
"And?" When Kyoko didn't blush or anything, Hizuri's eyebrows shot up "That's it?"
"He means a lot to me," Kyoko continued. "But not in a way you're thinking. I don't have a silly crush on him like the other girls do because of how great he looks, it's something much more than that. You can't even comprehend it. I worship him. I wanna be like him. My dream is to refine my acting skills to a level where I could call myself his equal. And you," Kyoko flung the trash bag of her food back at Hizuri who caught it just in time before it could hit his face. "You had the nerve to call him a nobody and ask me make him eat this. This is the food I made for you. You're the one who turned into this mess, so you'll be eating it!"
Kyoko snatched the trash bag from Hizuri and emptied it contents into a bowl. She tossed the bowl in front of him and crossed her arms expectantly.
"Who the hell do you think I am, huh?" Hizuri thundered. "Do you think you can get away talking to me like that?"
"So what if you're from Hollywood? What's so great about Hollywood anyway? "
"Watch your tone! Is that the respect you show to your elders?"
"Shut up! I would have showed you respect if you deserved any to begin with!"
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm so despicable that I don't even deserve any respect?"
"I never said that! No need to exaggerate!"
"Better watch yourself," Hizuri dropped his voice to a threatening whisper. "There is very little that I can't do." He tried to sound intimidating, but it didn't work at all.
"Since you're so great, why don't you prove it?" Kyoko shot back. She handed him the bowl of the once mouth-watering cuisine now turned into a grotisque pile of food. "Eat it and I'll admit that you can do anything." She challenged.
Rage burned inside Hizuri. This was the first time a freaking teenager was giving him such a hard time. "Fine I'll eat your stupid food then!" He snatched the bowl from her and spooned out his first bite.
It was almost midnight. At the President's mansion, Takarada offered a glass of iced whisky to Hizuri after he was done listening to him complain.
When Hizuri sat up on the couch to chug down his drink, Takarada said, "so you're saying you forgot about our whole plan and ended up arguing with Mogami?" He sighed. "You got into a fight with a teenager? Are you insane?"
"I did not plan on arguing with her," Hizuri protested. "At first, everything was going on smoothly and I was sure I could break her, but then..." He stroked his forehead thoughtfully. "I don't even remember how it started."
"And after I specially asked her to make the best high class cuisine in order to tire her out even more. But in the end you still ate it!" The President shook his head disapprovingly. "You were supposed to make her take the leftovers to the set!"
"Well, you see..." Hizuri's head drooped down with shame as he remembered how Kyoko had manipulated him into eating the food. "I was only going to take a single bite, but then, despite looking really awful, it turned out to be so delicious that I just couldn't stop myself. And I was also pretty hungry."
Takarada pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out an exasperated sigh. "You played right into her hands. And I see you're still a glutton like before."
"She is just so damn stubborn!"
"Told you so," the President said flatly. "If you want to break her, you'll have to do a lot more than that."
"Then I will!" Hizuri punched the air with a newfound determination. "No matter what it takes, or how sorry I feel for her, I'll push her so hard that she'll have no choice but to go to him and complain."
"That's the spirit."
"Lory, are you sure it'll work?" Hizuri asked softly, his brows creased into a sad frown. "If I keep bullying her, will he really come?"
"Definitely. Once he finds out how you've been treating Mogami, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from coming. And there won't be any awkward silence either, because he'll be raging mad at you."
"Really? I had no idea she was that important to him." Hizuri's eyes bulged. "I understand now. No wonder I fought with her like a child. Deep down, I think I'm kinda jealous of her since she receives so much of his attention."
The President rolled his eyes.
"Okay, so from now on I will use this jealousy to act even worse when I'm around her. I won't let her call you with such a sweet smile again as she did today."
Takarada cocked his head at his friend. "Um...?"
"And Lory, you have to follow the plan too," he went on. "Even if she does complain to you, don't let her quit. Leave her no choice but to go to him."
"What are you talking about?" Takarada blinked cluelessly. "I didn't talk to her today."
"What?"
"She did call, but I never received it."
When the realization finally stuck him, anger ignited inside Hizuri and he jumped to his feet.
"Kuu, what's wrong?"
"it was an act!" He spat through clenched teeth. "That girl, she had the nerve to pull such a dirty trick on me!" He punched his fist menacingly. "Just you wait, Kyoko Mogami!"
The next morning when Hizuri woke up, he found Kyoko already working in the kitchen. When she heard him come out of his bedroom, she dropped the vegetables she was chopping, took off her apron and rushed to his side. "Good morning, Mr Hizuri." For some reason, her face was tinged red as she was slightly blushing. "There's something I'd like to say," she bowed down. "I'm really sorry about what happened last night. I know I lost my temper because someone I deeply respect was insulted, but that's no excuse for me to have acted that way. I am so sorry. I hope you'll give me another chance."
Hizuri studied her intently for any hint of sarcasm, but there was none. It was a sincerely genuine apology. He found himself at a loss of words. Just when he was finally prepared to let this girl taste his wrath, she came out and apologized. Turned out, she was a good kid at heart. He was almost tempted to smile and act kindly towards her but the logical part of him commanded him, don't soften your heart now! Act despicably. If you don't follow the plan, Kuon will never come. "Whatever!" He rolled his eyes. "If you have time to run your mouth then why don't you go and do your job?"
"Right," Kyoko straightened up to reveal a wide smile placed on her lips. Unlike yesterday, this smile was truly genuine. "I'll go make breakfast. And thank you for not firing me." She danced away cheerfully.
Hizuri shook his head. Even though it went exactly opposite to how he wanted it to go, he couldn't help but smile at Kyoko's enthusiasm for not getting fired.
On her way back to the kitchen, Kyoko found the TV in the living room switched on, so she stopped there to turn it off. She gave the screen an uninterested glance as she looked for the remote but something unexpected caught her attention. Her task to find the remote was forgotten and eyes were suddenly glued to the screen.
"... this type of record-breaking is rarely seen in the music industry of japan," the anchor was speaking. "This is the beginning of the undefeated legend of Sho Fuwa."
At the mention of his name, his picture popped up on the screen making Kyoko's fist clench so tightly that her nails dug hard into the soft flesh of palm and a little blood came out. The host kept speaking in the background. "Since his new album came out two months ago, the songs that had been released had topped all of the charts. In addition to that, the number of views on Fuwa's PVs have drastically increased. Some are even saying that if Fuwa keeps up this intensity, his songs might very soon be breaking even the world record."
Hearing such high praises for her nemesis made Kyoko's blood boil. Her face hardened and a dejected aura surrounded her.
"Fuwa's latest single I need you back is the best hit that came out and it had also acquired the most views online. This is what it's like," the anchors face vanished from the screen again and it was replaced by a clip from one of Sho's live concerts. As he started to sing, the fans went wild applauding for him like crazy.
The moment Kyoko heard him sing, her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from shock. She finally understood what Shouko was trying to tell her back in Karuizawa, and also what her best friend Moko had meant when she said she was losing. The change in Sho's singing wasn't just noticeable. He almost sounded like a different person. His voice was somehow a bit deeper.
While before he only used to sing pop songs with hard core rock music, now his songs were the opposite. This one was a sad song. His voice sounded hurt, like a lost puppy, his eyes which were generally sharp and cold seemed soft now. They were dripping with genuine emotions.
Kyoko's knees buckled and she grabbed the sofa for support. She made no effort to hide the dread flashing in her eyes. When Hizuri stepped outside, he was concerned seeing her like that. But for the sake of the plan, he didn't ask her what was wrong.
With a whirlpool of cynical thoughts still running wildly through her head, Kyoko made her way back to the kitchen to finish making breakfast. She couldn't stand it how Sho was getting even more popular and out of had reach when all she was getting were similarly negative roles. Especially after she so smugly accepted his challenge back in Karuizawa. She felt so frustrated that she wanted to scream out loud at how unfair this all was. How was she supposed to defeat Sho now? If she did accept those antagonistic roles, and only kept playing the bad guy she will never learn anything new as an actress. At this rate, she might've already lost to him.
The rest of the day passed away in a flash. Kyoko accompanied Hizuri to his appointments, carried his stuff, took care of his meals, and did whatever he ordered her to. But other than that, she kept to herself trying to think of a way to get a good role, which would also be different from Mio, so she could learn something new and also so she could at least be on par with Sho.
Hizuri did try to scold her a few times to carry out the plan but Kyoko was way too absent-minded to pay any heed to him. In the end, seeing how something troubling was weighing her down Hizuri decided to give the poor girl a break.
During the last appointment of Hizuri, Kyoko waited for him outside the meeting room when she finally made up her mind. If those roles were not going to help her beat Sho, then she did not need them. Now that she had decided what to do, she fished out her cell phone from her pocket and called Swara before her dilemma resurfaced again.
"Hello, Ms Mogami?" Swara picked-up almost immediately. "I had been waiting for your call. Have you decided which role you're gonna pick?"
"Yes," Kyoko muttered. "I'm grateful for the offers, but since all of those roles are so similar to Mio, I'm scared that if I accept them, I'll stay a villain, and I won't be able to learn anything new."
"What do you mean? Surely you're not suggesting-"
"Yes. I want you to refuse them all."
"But-"
"I'm not just saying this on a whim. I've thought this through. So please, just tell them that I can't play-" As Kyoko was speaking, someone snatched her phone away from her hand and she felt her grip on it slipping away. When she cocked her head, she found that person to be Hizuri.
He pressed her phone to his own ear and spoke into it, "sorry for interrupting, but please ignore everything she had just said."
"Who is this?" Swara demanded.
"It's Kuu Hizuri. About those offers, she'll call you once she gets her wits back." Hizuri disconnected the call and tossed the phone at Kyoko.
"I haven't lost my mind!" She snapped.
"A newbie actress refusing job offers just because they aren't suited to her preference, it sure sounds like someone has lost her damned mind to me." Hizuri narrowed his eyes. "Just because you don't want to play negative roles, you think can afford to refuse them? Only landing one big-time job makes you so special that you get to choose your roles already? Just who do you think you are?"
Kyoko's fists clenched tighter, and when she spoke how voice came out desperate. "How could you possibly understand how I feel...? Everyone keeps saying that what they're looking for is a Mio-like personality. If I keep playing the same character over and over-"
"Are you stupid?" Hizuri snapped. "Since Dark Moon is your debut drama, nobody knows how good can play other types of characters. It's obvious they'll only request you to play similar roles. The only way they'll find out is if you show them. And how will you do that if you keep refusing offers?"
Kyoko kept her mouth shut and only listened to him intently.
"What I'm saying is that if you wanna be an actress, you gotta show them different kinds of acting. They offered you only negative roles because they have no other basis apart from that one role you played. Yet you're stupid enough to abandon such an opportunity where you get to show them your real talent. You wanna be an actor, right? Then do as many roles as you can. Just because they're negative doesn't mean they're the same. You show them different degrees or layers of villains. Wouldn't you say that will also allow you to polish your talents?"
As Kyoko reflected on his words, she found herself speechless. Just when she had finally reached a decision, Hizuri told her something completely different from what she was thinking. It was just too much at once for her mind to comprehend.
"But I guess it's impossible for an amateur like you," Hizuri sighed. "After all, portraying different variations of a role is far more difficult than simply acting. To be blunt, it's too much to expect from you."